Review The Grounds Eatery - Henderson

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.

Ambience wonderful, front of house staff brilliant, bacon and breakfast sausage overcooked, tough to eat, all else good. Did not like being asked electronically if I wanted to make a tip - No. Overall a wonderful time - thank you will see us again

The food was great. Restaurant ia spacious. There is a play area for kids so parents can watch their kids play while eating (if you are seated on the outside tables). Service was excellent

Customer service tonight was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Thanks Lee and Hine. The food was pricey but expected for the Group rolling menu. Ambiance was 👌Soo nice to sit down and relax well the kids play on the playground. Will come again 👍

Fantastic location for hosting birthday parties or just going for a family outing, or catching up with friends and family. So many kid-friendly activities, with the studios for shows etc. which are great entertainment. Also has an A+ quality restaurant offering high quality food - and has nice outdoor seating area for adults to watch the kids over the playground outside which is perfect, whilst you have a nice beverage or two! We go back time and time again and will continue to!

Located beside Whoa! Studios, there is a giant and amazing playground just outside the cafe. There are two entrances, the tuck shop (where they have ice cream) and the restaurant, labeled. The restaurant itself was quite nice with the kitchen on one side and a bricked off dining area on the other with an upstairs dining area. The restaurant is also connected to the shop and theatre of the studio. I quite like the hot chocolate since it was sweet and chocolatey. We ordered the roast pork pancakes to share and I had the fusilli pasta. The roast pork pancakes were ok, nice flavour and the crackling was crispy. Pasta was nice but not that shape I expecting (I was thinking more spirally). We then got some ice cream afterwards, we picked flavours from the tuck shop and it was served at the table. I had the triple chocolate one although tasty, it was more bitter than sweet. I do think that this is a really nice place just to spend some time over lunch. There are quite a few parks inside but we ended up parking on the street nearby. Edit: Portions were a bit small, particularly the tater tots. The childrens gnocci was really rubbery which was disappointing.

Really nice looking restaurant, amazing playground and outdoor space for kids. Loved the food, especially the dumplings, but quite a few items on the menu out of stock. Nice cold lunchtime Asahi completely the meal, thanks Whoa!

Been here a few times already. Serves is always great, food is excellent just a bit of a small portion for mains but all ingredients are super fresh, Excellent deco lots to play for the kids as the outside grounds is perfect to keep the kids playing for hours.

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! :)

Hi there, visited for the first time on the weekend, what a great concept for a restaurant! Family dining but in a relaxed adult environment with plenty for kids to do if you have them. Just some small feedback re menu......on the top it has a blurb which describes it as designed for 'family sharing' and suggests ordering a few dishes from each section of the menu.......however the dishes really aren't that suitable for sharing. eg. soup in the appetisers section? sharing that would be interesting..... and then we asked how many pork belly sliders there were to be told just the 1 haha were we really expected to 'share' one tiny little slider between 3 people? So ended up ordering 3 of them which isn't really sharing at all, we just ordered our own. So a little unusual, maybe best to just not market the menu as a sharing type experience. Other than that the slider was AMAZING and steak pretty good too

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.

Love this place and everything about it- the food, the staff, the decor. We first came the week it opened and have been back several times since for coffee, lunch and dinner. The food is delicious and they were happy to give me a child's portion of one of the pasta dishes for my 6 year old from the main menu. The fact that it's part of Whoa Studios means children can happily run around in the playground whenever they need to. All the staff are really friendly and attentive. It's a little haven in Henderson and a definite favourite.

Food was lovely, staff were great but portion sizes are way too small for the price. I had the ricotta & leek pasta & the flavours were beautiful but 4 pockets of pasta is not really a main, more an entree

My daughter and I arrived as breakfast was closing but the manager/owner told the waiter it wouldn't be a problem. Poached eggs on ciabatta were delicious. My daughter had the pancakes and she enjoyed them. Coffee was nice for taste but needs to be hotter. I would describe both that I had as warm, not hot. But that was the only downer. After my first visit I've noted The Grounds as a place to go back to.

Totally impressed, beautiful surroundings, sublime food and really lovely staff. Nice to see workers that are happy in their jobs and it’s no wonder, fantastic place. Thanks for bringing a whole lot of class to West Auckland!!!

Shame on you for tonight. Several issues there was no consistency. The portions were pathetic. $12 for literally 5 chips. And food wss taken away while there was food on there. I have to point out that while we did order them, we were told that the bowls were for 4 people which they were really not. We then order and the first to order was last to come out. And it came out once everyone had finished. We then went onto speeches and were rudely interrupted mid speech for a f*ckin dessert menu. No compensation was given when complained to and we were told there excuse was theyre new. It was not a busy night yet shit service and when we go to pay, they didnt give us receipts, they dont do split bills, and she had to calculate it right there and then. Would not recommend going there to anyone and the playground does not compensate for the "food". These are not shareplates they are for kids only.

Fantastic. We enjoyed an exceptional experience which ticked all the boxes for the adults and children in our group. Delicious, inspired menu for adults, and children’s menu offered great choice of cuisine styles suitable for the littles. Awesome service, we were looked after by Ben Bayley himself who whisked the children off to choose their homemade ice creams. Exceeded expectations. We’ll be back.

First time there today. I couldn’t fault it. Beautiful atmosphere, fantastic food and coffee, and absolutely wonderful, friendly staff. Will definitely be back!

Went in this morning for my birthday brunch with my daughter. Got seated and waited 35 minutes and never saw a server. Thanks for a real happy birthday

Love the facilities the atmosphere - its fantastically appointed!! Menu NEEDS changing or certainly expanding we've been few times now & its limited i think by our 2nd visit we'd done everything on the Menu.. We considered going last weekend & thought what we order ? We know the Menu off by heart & just decided actually no - yet the place is so dam Funky we actually would have love to come.. Shame you lost Damo, havent had any wait staff since quite as good but you did have one out of the bag there! Kids love the place - they are not so fond of your kids menu.. We are happy to spend the money on good food & no doubt the food on main menu is superb but please expand the menu! Of course leave the beef on hankerchief pasta - flat iron steak but perhaps add some more to the entree list at least ?? Some big boy fries in kids size would be good - a kids size steak ? The spicey sausage too many flavours for a kid - if i wanted to feed them a toastie for dinner id do that at home.. Kids pasta maybe..

Massive shout out to your team who made our Staff Christmas Dinner so enjoyable on Friday 12th! Im gluten intolerant and our waiter was absolutely awesome with making sure i was looked after, along with the rest of the group. What an amazing place! I've not had that much fun in years!! Have told all my friends and family about you guys. We will be back for sure!!

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

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. <br/>Plus they have a large selection of hand-made gelati!!

I ordered the chicken burger which arrived in a very over cooked, unappealing, dry coating. My friend had a beef burger with equally dry and over cooked bacon. A replacement was offered but turned down. Expensive burgers at $25 each. Lovely venue but average service. One waiter reached across the front of me and another addressed us as 'you guys'although we are both mature women. Limited menu choices and dishes not identified as dairy free, gluten free etc on the menu. Overall disappointing and expensive probably won't return.

Awesome addition to west Auckland. The food and coffee are delicious. The interior fit out is beeeeeeautiful, with ample seating.<br/>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<br/>None the less, it’s nice having something of this caliber close by. (And the food is good)

or never was there a tale of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo” Shakespeare has obviously never seen the grounds. <br/><br/>Picture this : <br/>A Saturday night, a nice meal with family. Only to arrive at this restaurant. First, you scan the menu only to find that they don’t serve spaghetti. Disappointed but still with a shred of hope you decide to choose a drink. You find that they serve smoothies, how amazing! And yet when you try to order one they tell you they don’t serve them after four. THE EMBARRASSMENT. How were you meant to know this? It wasn’t advertised anywhere! Clearly, it was a scam to make you look bad in front of your younger brother. A horrible experience all around but their cocktails were soothing. <br/><br/>I gave it one star because I couldn’t give it none.

The food here is actually not bad but portion sizes are very small and it gets quite expensive. Nice environment especially if you have kids. Was disappointed at the service though as the staff somehow seemed very unfriendly and impatient.

It was a disappointed visit at the grounds. Bad service, the food was very slow depite only few tables today. Fish portion very small for $35. Dessert was disappointed for $13. Will not return. The only positive thing about here is the dinning enviorment.

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.

I went there for a work lunch last week and to be honest I was underwhelmed. It’s be a while since I’ve been to The Grounds so I had forgotten what it was like. <br/>The three stars are for the service, flavour and presentation of the food. Everyone at the table said how yummy the food was. The service was great and cheerful and the restaurant is nicely presented. <br/>Stars are lost for seating 5 men at two small tables, the price and the serving sizes. Unfortunately I couldn’t take photos due to it being a business lunch but there is no correlation between the price and the dining experience. <br/>Luckily for me they weren’t open on Tuesday when I was looking for a place for another business lunch.

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.<br/>We we're greeted and seated very promptly by friendly staff, and once we ordered the food, it came out fairly quickly.<br/>Portion sizes were perfect for us and the food was so delicious I forgot to take photos before digging in.<br/>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!<br/>(excuse the terrible photos, I took them quickly so I could get back to scoffing my face)

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.<br/><br/>1. A guide to NZ's best pies<br/>2. A guide to NZ's best curries<br/>3. A guide to NZ's best burgers<br/>4. A guide to NZ's best Peking Duck<br/>5. A guide to NZ's best Big Breakfasts  <br/><br/>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.  <br/><br/>Big Breakfasts are separated into 2 categories.  <br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>I live out west in Avondale, this is the first time I've traveled further west to get brunch, but it's worth it.  <br/><br/>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.

To start off with the positives; it’s got an amazing playground for kids, it’s prob the best kid friendly cafe I have been to. And there is nothing I do not love about the interior design. It is modern and sleek (we were placed in the area call the library! How cool is that.) <br/><br/>Food however were very average, only plus side would prob be the fact the ingredients were fresh? <br/>Menu was interesting, but of Asian fusion going on with Italian food as well as your usual cafe food. <br/>I had the brunch burger, I only remember the bacon taste as it had over power the whole burger. My lovely wife ordered fucille pasta; pasta itself was decent (freshly made), but the taste was a bit blend no depth of flavour. <br/><br/>This place is perfect for those family or friends with kids catch up! With lovely indoor and outdoor setting to suit all family. But for foodie wanting that special tickling feeling on their palate, this is not the place for you! <br/><br/>IG worthy: 4/5 interior design is good but food presentation is rather home cook like<br/>Food: 2.5-3 <br/><br/>

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.

Nice environment and interior. The food arrived very efficiently and was good overall. I ordered the eggs florentine with salmon, and the salmon was a little dry. There was some complications with booking a reservation. When my aunt called there was no one who answered the phone. I would recommend as a good spot to bring children as there is a park on location for them to play in.

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.

Coffee is really nice! I think it’s best coffee around West Auckland. They are using organic coffee beans. And environment is very nice! Service is very good. Enjoyed!

Perfect place for family lunch with BIG playground for little people! The menu is short and simple. We had kimchi&rice, brunch burger, king salmon, meatball from kid menu (which is pretty decent size for kid and adult if you want). The service was alright, little bit hard to get attention though there were many waitress walking around. Favorite dish was kid meatball to be honest - perfectly cooked pasta and yummy meatball.

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.<br/>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.

Located beside Whoa! Studios, there is a giant and amazing playground just outside the cafe. There are two entrances, the tuck shop (where they have ice cream) and the restaurant, labeled. The restaurant itself was quite nice with the kitchen on one side and a bricked off dining area on the other with an upstairs dining area. The restaurant is also connected to the shop and theatre of the studio.<br/><br/>I quite like the hot chocolate since it was sweet and chocolatey. We ordered the roast pork pancakes to share and I had the fusilli pasta. The roast pork pancakes were ok, nice flavour and the crackling was crispy. Pasta was nice but not that shape I expecting (I was thinking more spirally). We then got some ice cream afterwards, we picked flavours from the tuck shop and it was served at the table. I had the triple chocolate one although tasty, it was more bitter than sweet.<br/><br/>I do think that this is a really nice place just to spend some time over lunch. There are quite a few parks inside but we ended up parking on the street nearby.

The Grounds is one of those restaurants which when you walk in, you get that positive vibe about the people, the food and the overall dining experience.<br/><br/>True enough, we were right!<br/><br/>Such a lovely restaurant with high quality food offerings, amazing service, beautiful décor and space for events of any size.<br/><br/>Yes, it's a kids friendly restaurant. However it's also a brilliant place for date nights even if you don't have kids. We went for a date night on a Wednesday evening... Peace and quiet like a normal restaurant (as it's Whoa! Studios after hours).<br/><br/>Wagyu beef burger and fish of the day (snapper) were cooked to perfection! And so was their skin on skinny fries ... Extremely delicious and well cooked (crunchy on the outside, fluffy and soft of the inside).<br/><br/>We highly recommend The Grounds and will be back!

This is a family friendly place with children in mind. The staff were very friendly. The food was reasonable but not outstanding. However, I do have one pet hate - why do these places put salt in open containers where people have to use their fingers. This is very unhygienic. How can you be sure everyone has washed their hands.

Amazing place, the look and feel of the restaurant is incredible.<br/>Spacious but not empty, you cant help but look around at all the detail.<br/>Big glass doors and windows bring in a lot of natural light and the cool addition of the ice cream fridge and takeaway food for the huge play area outside. There is plenty of outside seating aswell.<br/>Once you're done eating you can also have a walk around and look at the toy shop and the studio.<br/><br/>

Second time round and it was a disappointing experience. The food was still very good which will be the only reason to bring us back. The drinks took years to come, it arrived mid way through our mains & desserts that were served. The service we got was horrible. The young staff needs some more training as we just didnt feel like we were welcomed throughout the night.

Amazing food! We ordered pork pancakes for starters and it was absolutely amazingly tasty; clam pasta and bbq chicken for main which was both very well cooked and everything was just perfect! The dessert just topped it in the end, cute little popsicles absolutely adorable and just the perfect size! Highly recommend this place not to mention the interior’s really cool as well 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 would visit again for sure!

**Keto friendly**<br/>Was blown away by this place. Very nice food. Great service, atmosphere and very kid friendly with a huge playground. Highly recommended and will be going back again ASAP !

Yum.....Totally impressed. Dining as a group of eight for dinner. 4 Adult, 4 Kids. Went with waiters advice so we ordered a whole heap of entree and mains as shared platters. Kids orders individually. An abundance of food and variety. Creamy, saucey and full of flavor. Kids loved that bouncy net thing outside - after a few beers even the Dads were in there! Totally awesome. Highly recommend. So nice to have something in Henderson that’s worth going to!!! Keep up the great work.

This is the place where everyone could sit in an elegantly designed dining hall to have some real good food and your kids wont be around to bother you as they will be kept busy in a one of a kind playground just outside of the restaurant. it's perfect!<br/><br/>

Absolutely loved this place. A little drama as we were seated outside and it started to rain but the weather is out of there control - the date smoothie was delicious but the dumplings and pork pancakes were even better so much flavour! The setting & decor is very cool! definitely my new fave and I can’t wait to go back!

Second visit to The Grounds a few weeks ago and it was similar to the first. Food tasty but not “wow” and service a little slow. For a reasonably pricey place, I expected more. The atmosphere and focus towards families is great and it is wonderful to have the outdoor playground however I think next time, we will have snacks and/or ice cream (very delicious) from the cafe instead of visiting the restaurant.

Had dinner here with a girlfriend a couple of months ago, we both LOVED the food and building. Was a little disappointed to be asked to leave just before 9pm. We may have ordered more drinks & coffee, literally had just finished our mains. BUT would go back again for sure - food was amazing and really want to try the upper level for a function.

This place is definitely a family friendly place. Loved the food and fitout and of course the cabinet of hand-crafted ice-cream. If you're looking for a nice meal and wouldn't mind paying a little more, then definitely try the menu with the cut fries.

Came here for some appetisers while the kids played. The staff were friendly and the place is amazing, it’s so handy having a playground next to the restaurant and the ambiance is very relaxing! The food was yummy even though we only had appetisers we had dumplings, pork pancake and fries. Great flavours and I wish there was more, it was a bit over priced for what you get. But will be back to try the mains as we really liked the ambiance and it’s so handy when you have kids!

Excellent location. Great ambience. Attentive staff. Good food. Overpriced. <br/><br/>Still couldn't believe that a medium bowl of chips would cost $9.<br/><br/>I loved the Wagyu beef burger ($24) - medium rare patty, nicely seasoned. One of the buns was burnt, which slightly put me off.<br/><br/>Handmade pasta with pulled beef ($24) - generous amount of tender beef, couldn't complain about its taste. Pasta was chunky (in a good way).<br/><br/>I had their mango kale smoothie with chia ($10) to drink. It was not too sweet, but they couldn't hide the bitter taste of kale.<br/><br/>Staff were friendly and attentive enough to enhance the experience. My son loved roaming around the playgrounds of Whoa Studios so wife and I could somehow enjoy the food while maintaining our vigilant eyes on him. <br/>

I had little cousins and family over from overseas and came here for deserts and coffee. I didnt realize that it was late and they privately opened the place for our family! Katie (I think the manager there) was absolutely fantastic and very kind ! I came here with my fiancé for late lunch and the food+service was superb. Planning to come here for engagement lunch soon with the whole fam! Highly recommended and is also a fantastic place for kids to enjoy! It was my little cousins and family last night here and it surely was memorable ! Would love to thank again the crew and katie for this night! Very unforgettable:) xx

A fabulous restaurant run by a top chef with great atmosphere and quality food....and a world class play area for the kids. The ice creams are delicious.

The place is beautiful and makes you feel like you are invited in one of these cooking shows on TV. The food are master chef level but pricey for me judging against the quantity. I was left a bit hungry in the end. Great experience and service though!

Tried the cute little ice creams. Good show and nice playground. Parents can relax next to the playground while the kids play. Good atmosphere. Classy.

Last night my friends and I visited The Grounds at Whoa Studios<br/>What a fabulous night.From the moment we arrived at the bar Georgia and her team made our night lots of fun.The environment was classy, incredibly well furnished and presented. The wine choice suited us perfectly and the tapas style meal we chose was great.<br/>This place is definitely worth a visit. <br/>I'm always looking for business meets, this is perfect.<br/>Our evening finished with a lovely desert wine and a tour of the Whoa Studio itself. Fabulous night. Thank you team

Went there for my birthday, November 10, 2017. Booked for 2 adults and did say it was for my birthday and also asked to be seated away from families with kids. Was sat near a table with children. Asked to be moved and finally was seated among other adults. <br/><br/>Food overpriced, small portions and horrible tasting. Can't see how this is considered a family type restaurant. <br/><br/>Our waitress was not very attentive, rarely saw her, and never came back to see if there was anything we required.  We had to sit at our table for a half hour before we asked the lovely gentleman waiter for our ticket. The menu was lacking... no chicken dishes, no cream sauced type of pasta, horrible horrible horrible!<br/><br/>Once we left we were still hungry (I could not get through the Pulled Beef Short rib Pasta it tasted like a hunk of fat was mixed into it!) My husband ordered the Flat Iron Steak the size of a small cup and a scattering of salad leaves and a bread cup with something to dip the meat in?) We then went to Tony's Restaurant near the Henderson Mall and paid nearly the same price for delicious food and for 10x the amount with a wonderful waiter by the name of Steven that was very attentive... so attentive we left him a $10 tip! Tony's was even busy and yet we were treated like we were the only ones there. THAT IS HOSPITALITY!<br/><br/>My suggestion? If your going to have a small menu make sure it is darn good and a good choice! Also train your wait staff better! This place nearly ruined my birthday outing but was turned around going to Tony's.<br/><br/>I can honestly say I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone unless it improves but it has a long way to go to get there. <br/><br/>This is the first time that I have ever had to comment on how bad a restaurant was and my husband and myself have gone to many restaurants in Auckland and other areas of New Zealand. First time we have left feeling ignored, hungry and feeling ripped off. Was not even close to a pleasant experience. :(

Amazing right from beginning to end. Georgia (the newly appointed Bar Manager) served us and shared her extensive knowledge of the wines. Offered us a wine tasting experience. Of which we picked our two favourites. As recommended by Georgia we selected the “Salad of crispy beef”, “roast pork pancakes”, “charred trevally”, and “chef Rachel’s homemade dumplings” each and every dish was delicious, tantalising our taste buds with each bite we took. Leading us to order more. Thank you to the Chefs and Georgia for making our visit to the Grounds memorable. We will be back for Sunday night Burger Night and back to try the breakfast And the organic sparkling proseco. Love that everything is organic and free range and using fresh local produce. Fantastic THANK - YOU!!!!!

Fantastic place.<br/><br/>Great for family or even a date.<br/>I love the spacious restaurant and beautifully deco.<br/><br/>The staff was really friendly n the food r just delicious. Most of the dishes we ordered doesnt have meat n we are not dissapointed. The vegetable are rich in flavour. <br/><br/>I highly recommend this place.

Still thinking about the meal I had there last week.  Enjoyed an angelhair pasta smoked with charcoal very subtle with clam white wine sauce simply devine. Partner's meal a steak equally delicious and desert did not disappoint. Highly recommend will return.

This place has an awesome vibe as soon as you walk in - vines, massive hanging lights, and an open kitchen diners can look into, watching the chefs create their dishes. <br/>I told the waitress of my difficult food intolerances (low-fodmap) and was super accomodating. She went to the kitchen to ask, and came back and said we could pick anything on the menu and the chef will just change it up so it was free of gluten, diary, onions and garlic (my main enemies!) <br/>The food was lovely although for a family style of dining, the table could be slightly bigger! We had fries (must have omg!) beef flat iron steak, brocollini, grilled squid, and the braised duck pancake. We finished off with a wee icecream each that they make in house - I had the vegan coconut banana icecream and it was delish! <br/>Definitely be coming back here the service of the staff was wonderful and to be so accommodating doesn't make you feel so guilty eating out.

Actually I'm more prefer the breakfast, the price is very reasonable, my friend and I was going for the breakfast but they stop making the breakfast at 10:30am. And the lunch menu, um.... too healthy?! And not much option, I wish next time the chef can adjust a little bit the menu, and breakfast time can be longer a little bit

I've been looking for a place where my mate's kids can eat/play while mum and dad can have a good feed.<br/><br/>Ambience is nice and modern with a big focus on kids. Service is your usual standard but the staff are very friendly. The manager was particularly helpful as there were no high seats available so he sort of made one using a large pillow, he was very kind.<br/><br/>We had the pork belly slider, kingfish, grilled squid, flat iron steak, wagyu burger with bolognese and sausages for the kids. Everything was brought out in a timely manner, had good presentation but it was ok, nothing amazing though and a bit on the pricey side. I think the star of this place is the playground which is good for the kids.

Very disappointed with this restaurant. Very small proportion of foods were obviously overpriced. Their food on the menu were named fancy but that was it. What we got was a lot worse than we expected. If it was tasty i would not mind for small proportion. But their food was not that pleasant neither.<br/>Play ground for kids is lovely but it is way too expensive. Even we spent nearly $100 for food at restaurant, and we still need to pay $10 to use the play ground? It sounds kind of too much to me. I recommended this restaurant to my friends, and they came from far away. Then i felt sorry for them to waste their time and even ruined whole day that could have been more special because of their poor services.. <br/>

Had the worst experience ever, surely the interior is quiet welcoming and modern which gave a very good impression coming in, but the good thing ends there... food is average or below especially with the prices that sky rockets..@ but honestly need to train your waiter / waitress as they seem.to be undertrained. Food is not even half finished and these guys are coming over and asking if they can take the plate away assuming that I have finished eating... <br/>I've ordered a well done steak but received medium rare as outside was cooked nicely but inside dripping with blood...<br/><br/>Will never go back to this place....

Good parking. Spacious and nice modern interior. Food was just average though and some dishes are quite over priced for what you get, especially the pasta. Never had any pasta like that. They named it clam/angel hair pasta but it just tasted like salty black noodle. The burger was ok though. After finishing foods, my friends and I had pieces of small celebration cake that we brought on our own. I never had any problem having my own cake after meals for birthdays so many times in any cafes and restaurants all over Auckland before. Some restaurants even kindly provided spare plates and forks for the cake without us asking. Some restaurants gave us free birthday drinks or desserts. But this time, I was told off by someone(? Manager) when I finished the last bite of cake, that I shouldn't have the cake brought from outside because they sell desserts. He also added that this is probably the same in other restaurants too. YOU ARE WRONG!! I spent almost $100 here for lunch and at the end I got told off for just having a bite of my own cake. Don't you see people bringing their cakes to the restaurant for birthdays or anniversary celebrations? If I was going to the dessert/coffee cafe, I would never bring my own cake. However, a place like this, they only have a few dessert plates and some places don't even have cakes for desserts. This restaurant is even worse. They only have icecream with stick and chocolate fondant. I am a type of person who usually don't post comments or reviews for restaurants, but since I had the worst experience with both food and customer service, I had to write this. I understand every restaurants have different policies about bringing own cake for celebration, but most of the restaurants are usually ok with it. If the manager was not happy with our cake, he should have told us earlier when we walked in with a box of cake. My friends and I came here for a celebration lunch but ended up being upset. Really disappointing experience. I will never come back here and also wouldn't recommend all people I know to try this place. Good luck with your business.

Went here for dinner on a Saturday night.Beautiful food with beautiful customer service. There is a pretty amazing play area for kids outside the restaurant. Definitely recommend and can't wait to come back!

Such a gorgeous restaurant! With such lovely staff and delicious food! Absolutely fell in love with the steak, best I've had in quite a while. Will definitely come back! The mini ice creams were so adorable and so tasty. Everything is a fair price too!

<br/>My girlfriend and I had an excellent time!! We will definitely be back next time I'm up from Welly! <br/>Great location, friendly helpful staff, and of course the food ... the food ... absolutely tummy rubbing goodness!! <br/>

Today was my third visit, lunch with the wife this time. The atmosphere is fantastic, a real asset to West Auckland. The shared menu is a great concept, quality taste and service was great. Loved the homemade lemonade!

Came here with my family to celebrate my sisters birthday. My family and I were very impressed by the service we had. The staff catered to our requests and the food was amazing! We will definitely be back again! Thanks to the team at The Grounds.

I expected more from this restaurant. It has beautiful decor, a rather charming manager and that's really it.<br/><br/>First of all, we were given a 15 minute waiting time for our table, that was fine. What was not fine is that this waiting time extended to 40 minutes. We ended up getting seated near the door of the restaurant which was rather uncomfortable due to the constant stream of people walking in.<br/><br/>We were served water and noticed the cups were not clean. They had a odd odor to them. As if they didn't clean their dishes properly.<br/><br/>Service was fast when it came to ordering our food. It was pricey but the menu was quite fancy. I ordered the popular waygu burger. The waiting time was around 20 minutes which was quite good seeing the size of the restaurant. <br/><br/>When we got our food it was nicely presented but the problem with my wagyu burger was that it was too big, to the point where you couldn't pick it up at all. I ordered a medium rare burger and it was well done. They're trying to be too innovative and it's not effective. The burger was delicious but not enjoyable due to how difficult it was to eat. I reckon you could get a more enjoyable burger at McDonalds which is quite embarrassing. <br/><br/>This restaurant is part of wow studios which is now a landmark in Henderson, west auckland. I'd love for this restaurant to be on top of it's game to give Henderson a good name. Overall the restaurant has not met expectations but I all restaurants have room to improve.<br/>

I have now eaten here a number of times and it is so nice to go somewhere where you can eat really good food and your children can just go and play and leave you to it.The service is good, all though at times a little slow, the friendliness of the staff make up for any shortcomings. I have read a number of reviews where people complain about the kids menu, but I love that it is not like every other cafe and restaurant with crappy tasteless kids food and chips and  nuggets, I love the options for children, mine love the bolognese and in fact everything we have tried, if you want bland fried food for your children, do not come here.The icecreams are good, the drinks really good, the food tasty and different and I love that nothing is too much trouble for them. Coffee is also consistently good.Just to add - we saw this place one day whilst driving past so drove into the carpark to be nosey, a lovely man invited us in to show us around (it had not opened yet) he let the kids have a play and explained the whole concept to me, he sold me and we went back the next day for the opening - I have never yet been disappointed and will continue to make this place a regular.Thank you for bringing awesome and different to the west!!!

I was expecting a lot better from this place. Beautiful building and decor and outside looks like it would be lovely in the summer time especially if you have children. The food lacked flavour and was quite pricey for what we got. Wasn't very impressed at all. Personally wouldn't be back as the menu is short and nothing else on it interested me too much. Quite sad as I had hoped for a yummy lunch out. Although the ice cream was good!

We thought we would check out the Grounds for a late night port and some dessert. The staff are friendly and attentive and we weren't disappointed. Great wine list and we were lucky enough to try their new dessert which was perfection. Will definately go again and again 😊

Loved this place! Great atmosphere, food was so freaking delicious and awesome staff. Was busy but managed really well.  I had the Flat Iron Steak, yummo  I would suggest using the sauce inside the yorkshire pudding for your chips. Others around the table had other stuff I could try like the Short Rib pasta, Veal, Burger, all really really nice. Staff member Emma was amazing and helpful :)

Overpriced food that lacks taste seriously. Yes, they have family friendly environment and kind staffs but what good is it when you cannot get what you pay for?

We came here for breakfast. We ordered coffees to start which were very good. We then ordered a bene & muesli. My guest liked her bene but said the hollandaise could have been better with more flavour. I tried it and agree. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the bread was nice.<br/>The muesli was good, but my homemade stuff is better. I'm not sure if they make it in-house or buy it ready made.  My point is, that it was lack lustre. It tasted generic and I'd love to see someone put their personal touch on it. I'm not a fan of big chewy chunks of dried fruit in muesli or granola.  The yoghurt & fresh berries on top elevated the muesli and were very good.<br/>We also tried 2 of their juices. The watermelon/strawberry and the carrot/ginger/orange. They were absolutely delicious. We could have easily ordered a couple more and sat there sipping on them. YUM.<br/>  They love kids here. They have a gorgeous ice cream counter situated in the front, with ice creams on a stick in a regular or mini size. Everything is geared in a way to cater for children and adults. <br/>You can come on in and buy ice cream, cold drinks or coffee without having to go into the cafe/restaurant unless you want to.<br/>   The atmosphere is fantastic in and out. This place is really sophisticated on the inside with the warm decor but it totally caters for kids of all ages. I would not feel bad bringing kids/babies here at all OR bringing any of our corporate clients, as it is a flexible space and the two work beautifully together.<br/>  The staff are great. Friendly, helpful and happy to chat or explain anything. They know the menu and anything else you might want to know about the studio/show/playground etc.<br/>  Highly recommended as a destination for adults with children in tow, as you can enjoy a very good coffee while they play or eat, you can see them and it has a relaxing vibe about it. If I still had young ones and wanted to do the cafe thing I'd come here. It has something for everyone.<br/><br/>I will be back as I have heard good things about their lunch/dinner menu and I'm sure another visit will round out my experience here and give me a better overview of their food. <br/>With Chefs such as Ben & Mike over seeing the kitchen with their collective experience and an awesome front of house team, I'm hopeful our next visit will be just right.

Are you looking for are kid friendly cafe? Well this is one! This is one of Ben Bayleys restaurants! And we'll your there check out the shows and the. Big crocheted net!

Looking for a kid friendly cafe out west? Well The Grounds is the place to be. Toy store, kids cinema and modern playground - they have it!<br/><br/>This place is apparently owned by the owners of the grove. The ambience of this cafe/restaurant brings you to a cozy, modern and pinterest vibe. They have an ice cream area with organic choices. The menu is only a page long if i remember for food. But simple is always good. The prices was pretty affordable thinking that this place looks fancy. And Service is excellent. <br/><br/>Food wise it was average. I ordered the bacon bene and it was like your normal bene. Nothing to rave about. But I think the overall experience made this trip nice.

Very beautifuly presented and tasty meals. Ordered the Hauraki Kingfish and Kumara Chips. Nice relaxed environment, kid / family friendly. Will definitely be coming back for brekky or dinner.

Lovely friendly service but found the takeaway menu at the kiosk to be very restricted. For a family eatery I expected more than a ham and cheese toastie for kids for takeaway. The smoothie we ordered was also very watery and sour with loads of grit through it which made drinking it an unpleasant experience. The small ice creams were nice and the coffee ok. Maybe a different experience if we had dined in?

This place has beautiful decor. Amazing modern details. We waited an hour to be seated and their wait list system has crashed. Its probably teething issues. Definitely an area for improvement here.<br/><br/>We ordered kids burger, ham cheese toasties, kumara fries, wagyu burger and pork belly sliders and a brocollini sides.<br/>My favorite is definitely the pork belly slider. No fault there! Excellent and delicious. The let down was the kids mini burger which my kid refused to eat. It was a bit bland. The brocollini needed more seasoning. We also ordered a chocolate smoothie which was delicious. <br/>We also tried the ice cream and it was not bad. I like the idea of mini ice cream size for little ones. <br/>Overall a positive experience . Like it but not love it.<br/><br/>

The first time being there, and it is better than what I thought. amazing place, just different from lots of other places. Unique concept,the food is nice and great service. Everyone I spoke to just nice and friendly. Highly recommend, will be back. Thanks for everything

Most of the dishes are overly salty. Pasta is over cooked. It is a kind of restaurant people might be stumbled into. Beware, if your kid doesn't like the food provided by the restaurant, he can't have his own snack in the playground.

Trying to please everyone is nigh on impossible! But these guys have got pretty close. Lovely food (And a little different), great range of drinks / beverages, customer service awesome. Nice blend of classy but family. What parents don't love to have a wine or beer while the kids have fun in the supervised playground.<br/>The live show was a great as well...even their toilets are cool and well thought out.<br/>Kids loved it, parents loved it. And bearing in mind that they haven't been open that long I'm sure the they will only get better.<br/>A++ will be back!

The children's menu was not kid friendly at all, the portion sizes were tiny, our kids like plain burgers, eg no pickles onions, sauces etc , however no detail was written on the menus , so we didn't have the option to have it without. The adults food was delicious & tasty, however with the children unhappy & starving it was not that enjoyable. The service whilst friendly was sporadic. The food came out was in dribs & drabs. <br/>The manager listened to our feedback and was very gracious.

I don't normally take the time to review restaurants - but on this occasion I feel my experience at the grounds deserves my time. <br/>The food and service was out standing - Our table of 6 were all loving the unique flavours - well done to the grounds team. <br/>The atmosphere - late afternoon / evening was divine - with a sensational out look to park & designer play ground - like nothing you have seen before.<br/>So great to see such a unique and innovative set up - we will be back - often ! A++

Nice new place for kids to run around while the adults have a coffee and a meal. Just note if not going for the show, kids have to pay $10 to play in the playground. While the taste and the "handmade" pasta was a nice offering, I felt the portions were small for the price. We were told the menu was designed to be "shared". I can assure it if i had shared my $12 scampi roll and my $22 chili  clams pasta, i would probably only get one mouthful. Note the $6 buttered pasta and the $14 large Bolognese from the kids menu. Maybe I'm just not the type that can appreciate the finer things in life.<br/>Would I return YES (but only for a coffee/drink)<br/>Rating out of 5: Food: 4 Service: 5 Value: 2.5 Ambience: 5

I was extremely surprised in the quality of the food in this west Auckland hot spot. Kids were having a great time in the park like playground and adults can kick back and supervise while enjoying fresh and delicious food. Inside is funky and quiet. Service was awesome with plenty of staff. I will definitely be going back. Great good, reasonably priced, nice atmosphere.