The Grounds of the City

We were recommended to The Grounds of Alexandra but were unable to get there and thought to go to The Grounds in the City.
Had a fatastic evening- excellent food,great atmosphere and excellent service from Sasha- she made the evening very memorable.
We will definitely go to The Grounds of Alexandria on our next visit
Will definitely recommending these restaurants to others

Great atmosphere. Food was ok. some plates amazing, others quite average. It was extremely warm inside the restaurant as it is entirely closed in. Great décor

We had a great time until I realized when checking the bill after we arrived home that we had been OVER CHARGED - meals that we did not have!

Great ambience, the food was presented beautiful & it's so delicious. My friends enjoyed our get together & definitely will comeback and bring our family together. Staff are friendly & good service. Highly recommended. Thank you

Very ordinary food and overpriced for what its is.

The food was absolutely fantastic, and the service was really good.

Booked in a reservation weeks in advance and still had to wait for a fair bit before seated. For a business meeting, this isn't a good look or acceptable.

A last minute after work decision to dine here was a good choice. The meal was lovely and the service very attentive and friendly. However, it is a bit overpriced. Some nice wine list options.

Ambiance and decor is nice but food is very expensive for the quantity you have, and quality is not amazing either. Very disappointing for such a great location and atmosphere.
Also, service was really disappointing too.

Been to the Grounds many times. As in the past the food and ambiance was good. I really hate to say but on this occasion the service was poor to non existent! For example, we ordered a bottle of wine which was poured and then taken away, which is ok. However, our glasses stayed empty for most of the night and only when asked whether the bottle was finished did the waiter check. No it was not! I know there is a drought but even water was scarce. When we requested fromthe same waiter for plates to carve up a shared dessert, you expect a plate for each person on the table, but no, we got three plates for four people. I know these are pretty petty points but they added to satisfaction/dissatisfaction of the night.

After waiting 15 minutes for our drinks only my drink arrived and my partner was told they didn’t have her cocktail so she had to reorder. This should have been said just after the order was put in. It is poor service to serve one customer a drink and make the their wait. My partner had to wait another 15 mins for her replacement drink to arrive! This order should have been done straight away as priority.

I ordered a medium steak and it was like eating leather. Never had such an over cooked steak before! It was terrible! Overall the food was bland and some of the potatoes were undercooked. Parts of my partners steak were rare when she ordered medium.

Overall it was a very disappointing meal, the service was slow and poor and the staff quite rude at times. I would not recommend eating here to friends or family and will not be returning again!

Very disappointed. Steack overcooked waiter forgot the oyster .
Very expensive for the quality

Good food and great service. The waitress was efficient and the food we ordered was very delicious!

An enjoyable meal with variety and novelty. Waiting was concerned and most attentive.

The choice of juices was most original. We found a range of dishes to suit ourselves: fruit pancakes, a beef hamburger and a tartine of wild mushrooms. Had we seen it earlier, the choice of rock oysters from Forster or Pacifics from Tasmania could have taken our fancy. Cold coffee extract was delicious. Had to improve everything.

The male toilets were difficult to find. A long way from our table.

We will be returning soon.

Delicious meals and cocktails. Fabulous service. We loved the cosy booths and decor.

Overpriced. Pasta wasn’t tasty at all. Not many vegetarians options.

Great alternative to eating in Balmain. Short walk from the Balmain bus stop at QVB. No parking problems.

The service definitely was not as good as I thought it was. We weren't even seated to our table, the seater called out my name and waved us over to the table. Our waiter was average, basic service which was adequate but not amazing.

The restaurant is loud, felt like I had to yell toake sure my friend could hear me.

The decor was nice and the food was tasty. But I wouldn't pay over $20 for literally 3 scallops, didnt come with anything else.

The tarts was delicious. I would only go back for afternoon tea.

Great food and excellent drinks (including the house-made sodas) although the food is pricy for what you get.

tough wagyu steak and overcooked
tough octopus
poor service

Service was fantastic. Sasha was super friendly and attentive. Food was good. Overall a good evening.

Door host service is basic. What’s the point of having a reservation if the customer is treated like a walk-in?

Excellent service from Kubra

Great atmosphere, delicious food , good service but very noisy- not good for wanting to chat with friends you need to catch up with

Lovely staff. Ver lovely to the grandma at the table. Great atmosphere really loved our time there💓

Great food and quick service and lovely surroundings.

Excellent service in a venue that has a great feel. We do all of our important catch-ups at the Grounds.

Disappointed because The Grounds does breakfast so well. Food prices were high and portions small - waiter didn’t really know the menu and was difficult to communicate with. I’ll take visitors for breakfast but won’t go for dinner.

Fantastic food and service

Deserts were delicious. Hot chocolate was cold. Service good.

Whilst the food and drinks were delicious, the surrounding noise level made conversation difficult. Tables were very close together so that we had to raise our voices to be heard and lean in to hear. It was impossible not to hear other people's conversations - not very private.
Next time I think we'll do takeaway.

Cheers to our waitress Gretta, who made the entire experience for us.

A pleasant ‘escape’ from the hustle & bustle of the city in a beautifully restored Sydney cafe.

LOVE this place! I stay at the Hilton so it's a 2 minute walk from my room for best coffee and breakfast inner city!

The interior styling all comes together with the food, unique beverage menu and staff to create a warm and buzzing ambience. Surprisingly intimate for close seating and loud background music! Loved it.

Loved our lunch for my Niece 13th Birthday, thanks for making it special for her. Great food and mood.

Atmosphere & service were perfect! We thought $14 for a glass of wine was over the top..barely a standard serve & not a great wine..not sure what it was..might have a house wine! Many of us ordered the calamari which was lovely but $24 for a tiny serve..barely hit the sides..I was quite embarrassed as I chose the venue. We were a group of women & the toilets were a 5 minute walk away & we'd just arrived in the city after a 2 hour drive so had to go. Don't think I'd go back..sorry.

Yohanna made this go from a great to a fantastic experience. Has a clear customer satisfaction focus.

Great service

Bit pricey. Ambiance is nice. Good location, $12 happy hour cocktails are nice.