The Grounds of the City

Food was lovely thank you. It was noisy and busy but we were still able to hold a conversation and not be disturbed by others. Being busy showed us it was just a popular place

Terrible service from start to finish, the food was lovely though

The food and the ambience was great, the service was adequate but the prices were very high for what we ordered. Unfortunately very little value for money.

Overall food and service were good but tables are too close to one another. It was unfortunate that my date night was ruined by 2 loud ladies seated next to my table; by loud, i mean my ear hurt by the time I left. I could not stay longer for a dessert or coffee after meal.

The restaurant is fantastic and the food/service was superb. I would recommend it any time to my friends and colleagues.
Two things were not so nice:
1. The tables are too close to each other and it is difficult to move in our out to the chair.
2. The tables are a bit too high to eat comfortably. My friend - who I had dinner with - is a petite lady and she had difficulty to eat comfortably as she had to keep her arms up all the time. I am tall (very tall) and it was still uncomfortable for me too.

Always enjoy time spent here whether breakfast or lunch. Service was a little tardy when it came to getting the bill but attentive enough during our meal. The poke bowl portion seems to have shrunk, thank goodness. It is now a good size for a meal especially with added tuna. The steak sandwich is definitely a portion for a very hungry body and tasty to boot. A pretty satisfying experience all up. Booking is very easy online and definitely the way to go to avoid disappointment or a wait in the queue.

Great food
Great atmosphere
Poor service - waitress seemed annoyed at us for asking for water or pretty much anything

What an Incredible venue fantastic art deco vibes lovely friendly staff and really yummy food not to mention the incredible coffee whilst in Sydney, a must eat go to, But don’t forget to book otherwise you’ll be bitterly disappointed.

Never a bad experience here, the staff are always fantastic. In such a busy atmosphere and with peak time pressure (seems to be peak time all the time for them!), they always deliver without anything other than a cheery outlook and a positive vibe.

Forget her name but the lady at the front desk was very pleasant to chat to, organised and personable, really great service from front door to leaving time.

Credit to the team as a whole. Will be back.

I took my daughters for a high tea at the Grounds. Whilst it was lovely and the staff were outstanding, I felt that the high tea itself was a little lacking. There were nice sweets but the savoury food was extremely sparse. We had one piece of sandwich each and then a tiny piece of bread with a bit of egg mayo on it and the a piece of a cracker (not a whole cracker) with a very small bit of smoked salmon. I had booked gluten free for one of my daughters but this had not been communicated and so they had to put together what they had to hand which wasn't too bad but 4 pieces of the same dessert was disappointing. Overall a lovely atmosphere but we'd probably not go for the high tea again having had better experiences elsewhere for this particular treat.

A lovely spot in the centre of Sydney CBD. The beef burger and steak sandwich were very filling!

I took my mum here for her Birthday and I am so glad that I did. All the staff were attentive and friendly and she felt so special. We both had the best experience and haven't stopped talking about it since. Would definitely recommend 10/10!

The man who served us was lovely and very helpeful. But our water glasses weren't filled up, even after asking twice. One of our glasses was also dirty. These are small issues. But when I'm lining up and paying $30 for a salad, I would appreciate these simple things to be a given.

Great high tea deal - more than enough to keep you going into the afternoon.

I have special dietary needs but The Grounds struggles to deliver. It took three attempts. Two cold coffees were sent back.

When the front desk manager had trouble finding my name on the reservation list, I pointed it out to him to say "there! I see my name!" The response? He snapped at me, angrily saying "hey! calm down!" while waving his finger at me (when in fact he was the one who was pretty flustered). It was my in-laws birthday and he managed to ruin it. Never been treated like this at any restaurant before and I am 60 years old. While the manager was clearly having a bad day with trying to manage the crowds of people, I could not help wondering if I would have been treated differently if I was white. On the other hand, the waitstaff inside were fabulous. Couldn't fault them at all for their competence and kindness. I highly recommend one thing: please replace your front manager with one of your waiting staff who are patient and organised enough to deal with crowds. For me, I won't be dining at this place ever again. Plenty of options in the city where I won't have such a nasty experience.

What a cosy little oasis in the City. Lovely vibe, great service and food was spot on. Great coffee too.

I preferred the Grounds of Alexandria, but the location and physical surroundings are quite good. So I would recommend the friends who love to go City frequently. I strongly recommend to provide options for coffee extra menu. The lactose free and almond milk should be added in, although both of them are not friendly for barista to make froth then do latte art. I am looking forward to seeing a new menu for coffee from the Grounds.

Ambience is of course very nice, but the service was unbearably slow. Unfriendly staff overall.

There was a very long hair in my food. The waiter witnessed me pulling it slowly out of my otherwise delicious brioche french toast and whisked the plate away. The manager did the right thing and offered a fresh plate / alternatives but I felt sick and left. I did get my coffee for free though.
The noise level was awful. The man child at the next table conducted a very loud phone conversation for the entirety of my visit including some frankly commercially sensitive information. I couldn’t hear myself think which probably wasn’t so bad given what was in my food.
This was my new favourite place and I’m now very disappointed.

We enjoyed our breakfast at The Grounds although if you fancy a nice quiet brekkie, this is not the place for you! The service was good and the food, on this occasion was ok.

Our server was Yohanna and she made the experience much better for us. She was able to recommend food and drinks and loved my 4yo. She did a great job. It is a beautiful quaint place and very busy, but Yohanna gave us great service and deserved the tip we gave.

Food and drinks were fabulous! However, service of our waitress was sloppy and overall unprofessional. To improve the overall experience maybe check up on some of your waiting staff as we can see the amount of time you put into the food/drinks and ambiance of the restaurant.

Great food!
Beautiful place and exceptional service.

The staff were extremely rude and inattentive. We waited 20 minutes to be served with water (note we booked high tea prior) and another collective 40 minutes to actually receive our high tea. Never going to return or recommend.

We loved the atmosphere and setting and the cakes were divine. The staff were quick and helpful.

Bertha (girl from barcelona sorry if not spelling the name properly) was absolutely amazing and made our experience sensational. Thanks to her

I like the venue, the decor and ambiance is great. The service is good. But the menu was very bland. I found it hard to choose anything that sound particularly appealing and I don’t believe I’m a picky eater. I chose the grilled chicken breast with risotto which was nice but nothing outstanding.

The Whole Package: Great atmosphere, yummy food, tasty drinks, and lovely staff.
Shout out to Yohanna and Callum- they are so helpful, friendly and fun to have them around.

We had high tea at the grounds city. The food was so so. The waiter just put the food on the table without telling us what types of sandwiches or cakes. It was a big disappointing.

Really good lunchtime venue with an offering different to the norm. I will go back and I will recommend to friends and colleagues.

Outstanding everything! Before I even left I made the booking for my next experience here!

I came on a Sunday for the first time to celebrate a friend's birthday. The food was lovely and looked and tasted great! I would definitely come back again.

Took my nan here for a last minute birthday lunch on the weekend, wow!! The staff were amazing they greeted her by name and checked in on her, sung her happy birthday and everyone we walked past on the way out wished her a happy birthday by name. Food was great and at a good price point for city. You made a nana very happy this week she’s still talking about it!!

A good experience, service was friendly but had to ask for water repeatedly, staff seemed crazy busy and a bit flustered. Food was OK, not amazing.

Fantastic food and service!
Highly recommended and conveniently located to inner city transport links

20/10. Food was absolutely amazing and staff were so friendly and accommodating.

Excellent place, service, and food. Weird that there’s no toilets

Although the ambiance is well achieved, the tables require amendment to not look like old school sets, way too noisy and cluttered

Waited an hour for food. Was offered no explanation. People around us were served and ordered before us.
Food was overpriced and basic.