I have to say it's amazing to get something this decent out west! We went to the grounds last night and I was blown away! From the moment we stepped up to your front counter to the moment we left the service was top notch, friendly and prompt. The staff even know how to deal with kids so well, the selection of ice creams (the little ones are perfect for kids) and the food was absolutely perfect. Our little guy had bolognese and he said it was the yummiest food ever. He even said it was "the best place ever". You guys should be proud of your service and staff, what you offer but more importantly - what you offer for parents and their children too. A place to relax and eat while the kids burn all their energy. I highly recommend this place and I will, for sure end up being a regular! Thanks guys - will be recommending you to everyone! :)
A brand new concept in entertainment coupled with amazing food second to none. You have to go to understand about their concept. Whether you just call in for a coffee, stay a few hrs for lunch with the family or get together for a friend's dinner, you will be impressed. Can't wait to share amazing food plates with our friends soon. West Aucklanders should count themselves lucky to have such a high calibre eating establishment on their doorstep. Good luck The Grounds.
Good place! Will come back for another meal 😁
amazing, beautiful envrionment. waiters and waitresses are super kind, food is absolutely delicious, pork pancakes 100% recommend. come here!!!
Came here for a birthday dinner on sat. Staff were friendly and good to deal with. We ordered the lamb- exceptional the gnocchi- was a tamato base would have preferred a white sauce base the smashed potatoes were delicious the flounder was great but bony which we did expect as the waitress let us know it was whole. For desert we got the fondant and the creme brûlée both I would 100% get again and would recommend this place to anyone that asks
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+5
Beautiful food in a beautiful setting. We had the set menu for our event there. All the dishes were beautifully made & presented, care has been taken into the food. The taupo beef we had was the highlight - sooooo tender andperfectly cooked! It is very kids friendly too, if you take kids to play in their playground. Good & reasonably priced kids menu.
Plus they have a large selection of hand-made gelati!!
Awesome addition to west Auckland. The food and coffee are delicious. The interior fit out is beeeeeeautiful, with ample seating.
The playground is amazing! Just a bit of a pain you can’t leave your kids there while the adults watch from the café.... also the fact you have to pay for the playground even with a meal is a bit rough... it does make it a little bit of an expensive day out west
None the less, it’s nice having something of this caliber close by. (And the food is good)
We went here for dinner on a Saturday night and while they were busy, the staff were still very attentive. The only small issue is serving size. We ordered two mains, two desserts and two drinks which came to $100 and I left not as full as I would have liked. The biggest plus for me was that the chef could make any of the mains gluten free for me.
This place is absolutely amazing! Even on a miserable rainy day it was packed full of families who were there to enjoy the awesome playground and kid friendly atmosphere.
We we're greeted and seated very promptly by friendly staff, and once we ordered the food, it came out fairly quickly.
Portion sizes were perfect for us and the food was so delicious I forgot to take photos before digging in.
I'm ruined for all other dumplings now because The Grounds Dumplings were the most delicious ones I've ever tasted and probably ever will again. Just ask my boyfriend, I honestly won't stop talking about them. He got the Fusilli pasta which was beautifully cooked and full of flavour. We got a couple of non-alcoholic drinks which were really lovely and overall we had a really great time. Service was amazing, food was amazing, and I can't wait to go back again!
(excuse the terrible photos, I took them quickly so I could get back to scoffing my face)
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
For a while now I've thought that New Zealanders need certain books and guides in their life to help them make good food choices when out and about. Below are a few of the titles I'd like to see.
1. A guide to NZ's best pies
2. A guide to NZ's best curries
3. A guide to NZ's best burgers
4. A guide to NZ's best Peking Duck
5. A guide to NZ's best Big Breakfasts
I've wanted to write a guide on Auckland's best breakfasts for a while. There are certain staples to a brunch menu, you've got your Eggs Benny, you've got your Pancakes. French Toast, Birch Muesli for the more health conscious. Then you've got your Big Breakfast.
Big Breakfasts are separated into 2 categories.
There's the I'M GOING TO IMPRESS YOU WITH MY SHEER SIZE AND DROWN YOU IN FOOD! type. These are enormous plates of food, generally served with 2-3 slices of bread, sauteed potatoes or hashbrowns, more bacon than you know what to do with, cheap sausages, tomatoes and the rest is made up of eggs, beans or whatever else the kitchen can fit on a plate. These are intimidating plates of food which will leave you with meat sweats, a food coma and a general hatred of life.
Then there are the Big Breakfasts that tick all the necessary boxes of Bread, Bacon, Sausages, Toms, Onions, Mushrooms, Eggs, but do so in a much more gentle and polite manner. They're impressive to look at, almost pretty, great care has been taken in their preparation. Elements are more likely to be hand made rather then from a packet (i.e hashbrowns), you're more likely to get some form of relish or pickle to help cut through the starch and protein on the plate.
The Big Breakfast at The Grounds is exactly this, pretty, well made, hand crafted and just enough food that doesn't have you reaching for the couch to sleep it off.
I live out west in Avondale, this is the first time I've traveled further west to get brunch, but it's worth it.
One catch though, this place is VERY child friendly. There's a giant playground right next to the cafe and the little shits are running amuck. See how many you can take out on your way back to your car.
The venue was perfect our group that had children. We ordered the set lunch menu. Taste and variety was good, each dish was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The only let down were the portion sizes. All the courses arrived on shared plates. Each person practically only had a bite size portion from each dish. Other than that the staff were nice, and restaurant is very family friendly. We were allowed to bring our own birthday cake with a plate fee.
Such an awesome place for families that just want something a bit nice without boring the kids. Mr 4 had an awesome time on the obstacle course (yes you have to pay) and us parents had a delicious Ben Bayly quality meal. Winning at life. I particularly like the thought into little things like a little laminated voucher for the kids ice cream (amazing hand made little gems on a stick in 2 different sizes!) so they could have it after they’ve been running around for a bit. Their summer gin menu is a winner too. An awesome place to spend the day as after you’ve had your main meal in the restaurant, you can go play for a bit, then come back to the “tuck shop”, have some chips and a burger, buy a drink, and chill lax for a while. One of my new favourite weekend places for the family.
Food was really good, and the environment is very nice as staff quite friendly. One lady from kitchen came and changed our kids order to something better, very kind! From main plates to desserts full of flavour.
We went here for coffee and it was really great! Ended up having dinner too. Noticed that it's especially welcoming to crowds with kids, since there is a play area outside. The service was steller and the atmosphere was lively inside. Food was delivered promptly and tasted so good. Definitely a solid option for dinner with friends!
Scrumptious food, great atmosphere, and such a great service.
Their pasta is to die for! The best I ever had, and I'm obsessed with pasta and order it every time I have a chance. Until finding this gem, I thought I Amano's pastas were the best, but then 'The grounds' really made me change my mind!
The kids' menu is huge and delicious, and the avocado on toast wasn't too big, but it was perfect 😍
I'm definitely coming back.
1/ Restaurants in West Auckland are of such a high standard and the Grounds just reinforce this. Surprisingly busy for the holiday period.
2/ Another visit to this exceptional restaurant that we’re lucky to have in West Auckland, it never disappoints.
3/ Always a delight to have relaxing meal, even on Friday night.
4/ Never disappoints, steady Friday night service.
I had poached eggs on a bed of Kale with a side salad sour dough toast Very delicious.
I had turmeric latte. Really enjoyed that. Could of been hotter.
Thank you too the staff, they were fantastic.
It was my first time.
Would love to try the different varieties of meals.
The playground was absolutely full with all the family groups. You had to pay $5 per child to play there. So worth it.
Visit it is lovely.
I will be back.
Very nice aesthetic to the place with quite a few drinks options. I do wish there were a bit more breakfast options as we visited at the time. Value of the meals could also be improved as it was a bit pricey with small portions however tasted great.
Few things to do around, mostly for the kids
The atmosphere for kids is the main thing. They'll enjoy the playgrounds.
Food is average and depends on what you get. The toasted sandwich is the best thing in the menu. Really good.
Pasta is bad. Fries and wedges good. I've cream was also good.
Service was poor. We were at an outside table which had food from the previous order and we were happy to sit there just to keep an eye on the kids. The previous orders were not cleared and even when the servers came, they would only partially clear it.
Great venue and truly family friendly in my opinion, it had a very open layout and didn't feel claustrophobic unlike in other "family friendly" establishments. The HUGE playground served us well in the good weather and provided the adults with much needed time to ourselves.
The food was really good, albeit a little on the pricy side while the staff were friendly but the service could be better. Overall, a really good experience and will be coming back on another sunny day.
Amazing amazing food and coffee!! The dumplings and pancakes are a MUST! We also had the brunch burger n fries- yum and of course some hand crafted icecream. Funky deco and atmosphere. Awesome playground for kids including a world class japenese play net area. We were lucky this time to have a great friendly waiter. However bear in mind there is usually always a wait to be seated and service is slow at times. Everything is really spot on, the thing that would take this place next level would be if the staff seemed happy to be here.
Food was awesome, but on the pricier side. Coffees were disappointing. The handmade ice cream sticks were quite nice. The playground is paid entry, and its facilities are quite different from free playgrounds. It doesn't have a lot of free shady spots for parents to sit back and watch their kids. Most outdoor seatings require proper dining at the restaurant.
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