Now, you no longer have to wait until 5 p.m. to descend into Empress Tavern’s lair.

The restaurant (1023 K Street) now serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and will remain open through dinner service.

The lunch menu carries over a bit from previous Empress happy hour and dinner offerings, including the burger ($12), short rib stroganoff ($22) and prime rib French dip ($19). There are also a few salads, a hot pastrami sandwich ($15), pumpkin ravioli with brown butter ($18) and, as pictured, a fried chicken sandwich ($15).

And yes, you can get pie ($8) before you go back to work.

Photo courtesy of Empress Tavern