The Grounds of the City

Not our first time there. We love visiting when we’re in town. Our meals were a little cold when they arrived but the flavours were amazing as usual.

It was a good lunch experience with friends. I would love to revisit the place again.

While we enjoyed the experience, I found my Spanish mackerel dish very underwhelming for $19. The service, coffee and atmosphere were good.

beef sandwich is surprisingly good, apart from slightly salty. will recommend to friend. fried squid had a little bit too much coating. blach rice salad with avacado and tuna, soso, but defitely a light and healthy choice

There's no toilet in the venue, I had to go upstairs in the shopping mall and find one. A bit annoying paying $70 for a breakfast and going to a public toilet. Despite of that, my experience was good.

Consistently a great place to go anytime of the day.

Ambience was very good but their level of customer service was extremely bad. I clearly stated online and spoke to a customer service assistant that I want a table for two on the occasion of my anniversary and I want a greeting card stated’ mr and Mrs Chowdhury ‘! It was not there also we got the worst table in the cafe. They simply ruined my day. It’s a beautiful cafe look wise but I ll never go there again. Enough experience on my special day.

Cold porridge despite providing a new bowl - staff were lovely though!

Love love every time I am in Sydney it is on my list !

Too noisy for what we typically look for in a restaurant. Tables were so close together you couldn't access your seat without pushing other customers over. Food was average, nothing to rave about - very simple and minimal taste for the expense paid. Staff were lovely, however we were upset that the door man turned us away for being 15 minutes early and gave us no text to return like he said they would.

Such a lovely ambient venue,. a quiet Parisienne oasis in the heart of the city . From the moment we entered, the staff were very welcoming & thoughtfully took our shopping & kept it at the front desk for us ..My Brazilian waitress was very sweet . The decor is just beautiful and the atmosphere in there stunning! The food is always consistently good

This time The Grounds wan't at it's potential best. Simple Avocado on toast failed with roughly cut chucks of cold tomato dominating the dish. Service was also very slow which was unexpected as the cafe was far from full.

An awesome night with great food, drinks and service.

We will start off this review giving credit where it is due. The ambiance, location and food (in general) is good.

Having said, that, the service is consistently below par, seeming to strive to hit new depths with each visit. During this most recent visit (and I do always say the last), when a guest asked if the poached egg with the avocado on toast could be scrambled instead, she was advised "We can't scramble 1 egg". Umm, really? Not possible? Not at all? Never in the history of egg preparation has someone been asked to scramble a single egg? Huh. Who knew? With no solution forthcoming for this seemingly unsolvable problem - she did what any good customer who was clearly in the wrong did - she ordered the omlette.

And we shouldn't get started on the "Greeting" staff. After we arrived at the restaurant (with a reservation made 3 days prior) we were greeted by someone who clearly wished they were anywhere else and were advised to "Wait (outside in the rain) while we check to see if your table is ready". Spoiler alert, it wasn't.

There was a bright spark in this visit - one lone member of the wait staff who was energetic, enthusiastic and helpful. He must be new. No doubt the rest of the staff will help him adopt the Grounds of the City work ethos.

Have been a few times. Consistent food quality and service. Good coffee too. Love it

Ambience is nice
Had been here once before and got to try the sponge cakes and tarts on the menu, however this time they had run out and ended up ordering the less popular items that were mediocre. Was disappointed but do understand that this is not the fault of the café - as those items are quite popular.
However the service we received this time was terrible. There was a waitress who was rude and unpleasant. Was surprised that such a coffeehouse that prides itself in its ambience and service would be okay with hiring somebody like this.

Tables were so close, noise level so loud. Very expensive for what you get. Hard to know who to ask to serve you.

Breakfast was nice, pretty standard offerings on menu. Coffee tasting platter good. Staff friendly. Suggested improvement is having two separate queues for those who made reservations and those who haven't. I would recommend to others but is not that special that I would wait in line for a table (as many seemed to).

Whilst the atmosphere was lovely and the wait staff were very accommodating, I was disappointed to receive a meal that at best was lukewarm. This is not an inexpensive restaurant and you would expect better attention to detail.

First time at The Grounds of the City and was very impressed. Awesome cocktails, beautiful food and the service was faultless. Make sure you leave room for the trifle. The premises are just amazing....make sure you go and experience this place for yourself!!! Our waitress, Elenor, ensured we had everything we needed and made some great recommendations. What a delightful young lady.

Excellent food, great service
Fantastic coffee. Had a great time
with my friends

Tables are too close together, cramped, noisy, slow service, food disappointing.

Perfect for family - and to impress your in laws :)

but it is really noisy and the tables are too close together for comfort.

Great place to catch up with friends. Quiet enough that you can hear each other, but if you are looking for quiet and intimate, this isn't it.

Went here for a team lunch. Delicious meals (loved the veggie ploughmans board), fab cakes, impressive cheeseboard and great ambiance.

second time here and love the ambience and the look of this place, booked on Open Table in advance. Took a little waiting time to be seated at 6pm and we were met by a seemingly annoyed waitress who thankfully warmed up eventually. seats are a little cramped as tables are so close to each other, but easily overcome with a squeeze between tables. bustling noise so you do have to speak up to your date, but easy to understand menu, Ordered the Scotch Fillet cooked medium - cooking and sauce was on-point (would come back definitely to have this again). order sides only if you're starved, but the serving of potatoes with the meat was enough for us. ask for the bill and pay at your table. no toilets in the restaurant, but accessible in the Galleries. would definitely return and recommend, thank you team.

Good food
Really really nice staff
Excellent service
Helpful front- of-house

Absolutely fabulous!!

Can’t wait to dine there again

A wonderful place to visit - it feels like you're in another world!

Delicious, fresh food with varied menu. Would definitely come back again.

Great location & forget where you are when you leave. Food is excellent & very attentive service. Coffee is good too!

The feel of the place is lovely. The food was good. I think that my expectations were too high. The restaurant feels special, but the food is a bit short of special. Still, I am a big fan of the coffee.

We celebrated my wife's birthday there recently. Staff made it a memorablel celebration for us. The service was great and food was delicious. Will definitely return.

Cool place to take people from out of town or if you want to impress a date.

Our experience was

The hosts of Grounds in the City has a way of making you feel unwelcome the minute you walk in the door. It marred the whole experience for us and won’t be coming back because of it. The food was fine and the servers where pleasant enough though.

We met at The Grounds of the City for a late lunch and business meeting. All who attended enjoyed the venue immensely. The food was very good and the service attentive but not intrusive. I will book again.

Great nourishing dishes. The fluffy sponge cake dangerously yummy. Service great.
Only draw back restaurant a little cold as the main door opened continuously.
It was a very cold day. It’s also noisy.

Not off to a good start when you arrive 10 mins early for your table and are told your table is not ready and to sit outside in the freezing cold. The menu is quite eclectic for lunch, it would be helpful to show which dishes are vegetarian. The service was quick but maybe that's to turn the tables over as quick as possible. The restaurant is very noisy, not where I would go to have a quiet long lunch.