Review The Grand - Wellington

Excellent meal, fast efficient service. We hadn't booked but the sorted us quickly and the meal came out in good time. Would really recommend. Also good value.

A very nice evening chilling here. Wasn't too crowded but did start filling quickly. Noticeable history prints displayed throughout the restaurant and a great read. Beautiful rooftop garden bar which we hope to enjoy another time.

Enjoyable lunch here at a reasonable price!! But alas none of our favourite seafood chowder at our last two visits there!! 😔 😢 But luckily last visit last week there was seafood chowder on the menu, but alas with only one piece of toast instead of the usual two pieces. Still, customers can't be too choosy!! 😁

Attended a 21st on level 1. Good atmosphere enhanced by being part of a family occasion. Self select music available, continuous finger foods. Tab running so don't know about cost of drinks. 10pm under 18s left. Parking a little difficult, maybe 500m to nearest parking area but no biggie.

Great food and service. Great to have a gas fire for winter warmth. Stone grill steaks are the way to go

Wonderful service! Will definitely be back, I ordered a Jerk Chicken Burger and it was delicious! The service was also immaculate, with helpful and friendly staff eager to make your time here as enjoyable as possible. A++

Monday night 2 for 1 hot grill steak night was great. They also had $12 jugs of beer too!

Hubby's first time with Stonegrill left with a few toasted knuckles after a beautiful meal. I had a pork rack and was told the chops were decent... well one went home in a doggy bag. Friendly, helpful staff, an all round excellent experience. Definitely recommend!!

Such a beautiful restaurant. Historically placed in the middle of Wellington. They serve Stonegrill as well as "pre-cooked" steaks. Food is good and staff was nice. There are tv for the sports interested guests.

Popped for a meal with family and had a great time. Staff were super attentive, food was great, atmosphere just right. Good kids meal options, with a bit more variety than most places offering kids meals. Will definitely be back sometime.

Visiting from Auckland and staying on Courtenay Place, my wife has never had stone grill before so this was the perfect place and opportunity to visit. We ordered the MT VICTORIA RUMP -TWO FOR $35 deal and 2 kids meals. The food came out well timed, and the presentation was great and sides plentiful. The staff were very polite and accommodating, even helping us with the pram in and out the building. I never go to a restaurant with high hopes but this place exceeded our expectations: food, service, and price wise.

Had dinner with my parents. They wanted to have beef wellington. We also ordered the steak on special and the portions are huge! We had to take away half of the steak.

The tiger prawns were absolutely to my taste. (Only remembered to take a photo when I was almost done.😋) And the chicken parmigiana was great. Great portion, it would be even better if the chips were cooked a bit longer. The staff was super friendly too!

Came in with my mother and special needs Grandmother who can sometimes come across as quite rude. The staff were so lovely and accommodating to us even when they really did not have to. The young lady with the blonde hair serving the tables on Thursday evening was awesome and I would highly recommend this establishment to anyone.

ABV bar on the roof above the Grand. A highlight of the Wellington experience. Views over Courtenay Place. Sheltered from the wind. Cosy wvwn on a cold afternoon. Bus stop immediately below. Lift takes you to the roof but the old style hand operated doors and two steps up off the street have me wondering about wheeled access. Cocktails creative, decorative and in my case served with due ceremony. Food range excellent for a bar. Quality experience.

Stayed at a hotel close by and ended up having 2 meals here. Very inviting attentive service. Great food. Was shown to the rooftop bar which was great.

The Grand's $12 lunch menu absolutely punches above its weight in terms of quality and quantity. This chicken corn soup was absolutely delicious! It was creamy, well seasoned, and each spoonful had plenty of meat and veggies to ensure a filling meal 😍 The service was lovely, as always, and the ambiance very comfortable.

We really enjoyed our meals the flame grill sirloin was cooked beautifully and my chicken medallions were yummy great services and lovely atmosphere.

I've been here a few times now with friends and I've waited to give it a few visits before I voiced my opinion to give it a fair chance....<br/>The food was average...nothing to write home about.<br/>The service was below average...the staff gave off a vibe that made me feel as of they didn't want to be there, and they didn't want to be annoyed by my custom either. Not very friendly or welcoming at all. <br/>We won't be going back in a hurry....if ever at all! <br/>There are plenty of other places that actually deserve our business.

We enjoyed the lamb shank and and the Island Bay surf and turf. Perfect pub food for a cold Saturday night.<br/>I didn't enjoy the bar manager's attitude. He referred to the female wait staff as "my girls" and called me "my dear" twice. Yeah, nah. It's the twenty first century and that's not cool.

We visited here a month or so ago and it was a nice restraunt. The food smelled amazing and I loved the idea of cooking your own steak on the stones. I didn't get the steak though because I had to try the beef burger they made. It was amazing and mouth watering and was very fulfilling. I also had the scallops which were yum too although a bit too chewy.<br/><br/>The only thing that let me down was the service which was less than stellar. Our waitress seemed like she didn't want to be there at all and was not giving off the greatest vibe. Might have just been a bad night so will have to see next time we visit.

Meals were good and service was really good. We've been here a few times and never had a problem with the food or service. Boys had the stone grills and I had the flamed grill steak meal which was cooked to my liking. Mushroom sauce was really nice.

We had the Chicken and Avocado salad and the Fish and Chips it was very nice<br/>The duty manager was very friendly <br/>Good value for money <br/>Will definitely come back<br/>We did come back and had the open chicken sandwich and open steak sandwich <br/>Helena Loau

Went with a group for lunch. Service was efficient and the meals came out quickly. <br/>I had the open steak sandwich, which was well seasoned and reasonably priced.<br/>One of my fellow diners had the calamari, which I tried. It was fried well and very tender - not tough at all. <br/>I will get this next time.<br/>Recommended

We went here for a small Christmas gathering.  The staff were very friendly and warned us of the wait time before we placed our order. My calamari entree was totally lovely (and really large!).  The fish (battered hoki) and chips weren't as nice (I know this sounds dumb, but the first smelt offensively fishy), so that put a bit of a dampener on the meal.  We used an Entertainment voucher for our meal, but they forgot to take off the price of the main in question, so hopefully we can get that fixed later today :)

We were visiting Wellington on a road-trip with a couple friends and were looking for a casual dining experience. That’s when we stumbled upon The Grand and had a great experience. <br/><br/>The service was great from start to finish. Very friendly and personable wait staff (I believe our waiters name was Brad). Efficient service and great atmosphere made for a pretty easy going dinner. <br/><br/>The food was also very good value. I ordered the fish and chips which was enjoyable and delicious. <br/><br/>All in all we were very happy with the great service, great atmosphere, and delicious food.

Oh, this is one of my favorite places. I came here with my family quite a few times especially on Monday - 2 for 1 Mains & Stone Grill :P . I always get the 'Island bay surf and turf' and it's great but I never get the bigger one can't finish it with all the chips and salad that it comes with. Everything was excellent; the food was good, waitress/ waiter was friendly, the place was comfortable (inside), just waiting for the order was a bit long.

Food was amazing! And really well priced. <br/>The service was great, nice and fast. My burger was huge just exactly what I needed. Loved it! Totally will be back again!

I came in with some mates for the $12 lunch deals so I don't really know what I was expecting. My boyfriend and I got a plate of nachos each but because I'm vegetarian and he's not they must've got confused because they brought two meat ones out! The mistake was quickly corrected though and was brought another plate free of charge. My mates calamari looked kinda sad and limp. We ordered a jug and they forgot to bring it so we asked again and then they took ages. So yeah average.

Came here with a large group & they handled us well. It wasn't busy, but they managed to get all of our meals out at once.<br/>We ordered a range of meals from steaks to burgers & all were pretty good. I ordered the lamb which was nice but a bit expensive for the size of the rack.<br/>No room for dessert, but the drinks menu was good & had most things.

Service ok. Foods average with good portion compare with they special lunch and breakfast offer only $12 & $8. Maybe we should try on dinner

Food was amazing and good sized portions . Staff were very helpful and very friendly. Great atmosphere and good vibes. Would definitely go again.

Went there Friday night with partner and his mum and aunty was amazing night atmosphere and staff were friendly and kind and I must admit loved it thanks again, highly recommend meals were on point not disappointed at all 😊

Ordered the polenta calamari and it was amazing! Would come back here purely to order it again. A very casual spot and typical pub feel but I honestly can't complain about how tasty the calamari was

Have been here before and had good experiences but cannot recommend and won't go back. Asked for the steak sandwich with a side of fries. The sandwich came with 'mushroom sauce' which was just a large amount of gravy with a few mushrooms, making the bread of the sandwich extremely soggy! Waitress was inattentive and forgot that I ordered fries to go with the sandwich. I reminded her about the fries but they were never brought to me. I got a pitiful 'oh sorry' when we went to pay with no offer to compensate in anyway. I will not go back. Very disappointed for a place I have often recommended to others

Went for dinner and had the Char Grilled Sirloin Steak which was average. But enjoyed the dessert meal even more. The Lemon Meringue Pie is one of the best I have tried. The service is good and the sitting area is lovely too.

Made the most of their $12 lunch menu and it was pretty good. The servings were generous. My partners fish was bland and the chips were.. Chips. My chicken sandwich was good but nothing too special, quite cheesy if anything. The service was really good and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere.

I went with a friend.  I had the stone grill Mt Victoria rump 400 gm.  My friend had the stone grill Island Bay surf and turf 200 gm.  I thought it was very ordinary, nothing overly exciting.  If you haven't had stone grill before, one tip is that it cooks very quickly.  If you don't like your steak over done, keep the raw meat on a separate plate.  <br/><br/>Another tip is that the stone grill goes out after 20-30 minutes.  My friend cooked his seafood last when the stone grill was going out so it ended up left uneaten because it wasn't cook.  <br/><br/>The service was okay.  The waiter was helpful in explaining how to use the stone grill.  However, they did forget my cup of hot water until I reminded them.

The most incredibly terrible service I've received in over five years. Staff were incredibly rude, unhelpful and disrespectful. I generally find hospo staff very pleasant and nice to deal with but not this group. They forgot our order, were rude when we asked what happened, wouldn't answer any of our questions directly but just made excuse after excuse.

Called in for breakfast, had eggs Benedict with bacon, was very impressed with the service and the food, not badly priced either, will be back again

I didn't get to have their mains but I had the entré and that was very delicious 😊. Bacon wrapped scallops with mustard cream sauce I think very yummy. Next time I'll have a meal.

If you're feeling like a big hunk of meat for dinner, you won't go wrong at The Grand.<br/><br/>Met a group of friends for dinner and all six ended up with steak. I had a stone grill which I recommend if you don't mind sitting in a sauna. The stone is so hot that the meat sizzles and cooks while you eat it. Great if you are particular about how you like your steak done.<br/><br/>I only had one drink; a Rosebud. It wasn't quite the same as others I've had unfortunately. Felt like it was missing the passion fruit but it was ok.<br/><br/>Service was good. We had some really helpful wait staff who were happy to give us advice when needed. And they didn't mind one of my more particular friends substituting parts of his order.<br/><br/>I don't know what was GF on the menu so stuck with what I could work with so that was disappointing.

The interior of the restaurant/bar is quite nice, however the meals weren't that great. The $12 lunch menu drew us in and I guess you get what you pay for. I had the $16 sirloin steak and my partner the nachos for $12. The guacamole on his tasted off and my steak was over cooked when I asked for medium. The staff were nice and meal service time was good. Hence the 3 stars instead of lower.

I had a steak sandwich on their express menu for $12...have to say it was the by far the most delicious meal I've had. Great quality food and it was a big dish too. The setting was great and the customer service was lovely. Definitely recommended to anyone looking for a place that is affordable and worth your dollar will go again on my next visit to Wellington!

Went there for dinner on Friday night with some friends. Wait staff are nice and friendly but their food is way below average. We started off with calamari rings which were a little soggy but ok. Two of us then had the 500g steak which was on special that night. The steak was extremely tough and full of grissle and the chef looks like he doesn't know how to cook steak properly (ironic since this is a steak house) my rare steak came out more medium well and my friends medium steak came out like cardboard.<br/>Our other friend who is vegetarian asked what vegetarian options they had to which we were told the only thing they had was a vege burrito. This was inedible. They had pretty much got a whole lot of random veges and rolled it in a totilla. There was no flavour some veges were half cooked and others seemed raw... pretty much it was disgusting.<br/>Won't be going back for the food anytime soon that's for sure especially when you are spoilt for choice on the Courtenay strip.<br/>The only good part of the meal was the beers which were cold and refreshing.

Ordered lunch steak and came out more on the blue side , mostly fat and uncutable even with a steak knife , portion sizes are excellent .Although every time I go here the steak is terrible I find the pictures of colonial wellington and the upstairs pool and decor of the outer bar area to be fantastic . Nice place for a few beers and a catch up while watching highlights/ the game

We stopped here for one of their cheap breakfasts.<br/>I liked the setting with their comfortable booths, fireplace and wood floors. Our waitress was very friendly and took our order quickly. All the staff were dressed very professionally.<br/>I wouldn't go here if you want a quick breakfast, ours took forever to arrive and there weren't many people seated. Even the drinks took a while to get to the table.<br/>My coffee was really bad. I took two sips and was done but it was very pretty. It was bitter and lukewarm when served and even with sugar it still left an awful after taste. The waitress did notice that I had left my coffee so she asked about it specifically and they kindly removed it from our bill when I told them that it wasn't particularly nice. Our waitress then told the barista who went to check that their machine was running ok. I thought this was great and very well handled.<br/>I enjoyed my breakfast. I had the vegetarian breakfast but added a sausage to the side because I'm not actually a vegetarian. My boyfriend had the big breakfast. I enjoyed my food despite the long wait. I would probably suggest some bigger plates or a side plate as I struggled to manoeuvre everything around my plate and it became a bit messy at one point.<br/><br/>Overall it wasn't a bad breakfast experience.<br/>I would probably pop in for a quick bite to eat if I was in the area.

I can't give a five to The Grand Steak House, so I decided to given a 4.5. Me and My partner went there specially for stone grill, It was fun that you can cook your steak whatever way you like! Just my partner's 200g looks bigger than my one. Staffs are nice,  everything just great! Would love to go back! Maybe with a voucher, lol...

Visited for lunch today with friends and had a great meal! Very good food, service was fine and good environment :) thanks for having us! Very reasonable prices as well - especially good for students!

Came here for 2 4 1 stone grills a couple weeks ago and it was amazing. Service was awesome, friendly staff and food was delicious. First time having a stone grill and definitely won't be my last.

Sent twice to the Grand Management via email (16 May, then again 25th May), but promptly ignored. Now posting here for others to realise the quality of service at The Grand.<br/><br/>To whom it may concern,<br/><br/>I have just come from your restaurant on Courtenay Place at around 5:20pm after attempting to book a dinner for two to celebrate our wedding anniversary this evening.<br/><br/>Upon entry and waiting a few moments, we did not find any staff member at the entrance gallery so we proceeded to the bar to attempt to gain service and confirm a booking.<br/><br/>Once getting to the bar, just as I noticed a lady walking towards us, I heard "you can't have that here!" in a rude, non-discrete voice coming from my left. Upon looking over, I noticed one of your staff, who was cleaning the tables, was the one who said this. By this time the staff member who I had noticed and made eye contact moments earlier was in front of me. She ushered us to the front of house, at which point I asked why I was greeted in such a manner.<br/><br/>The lady told me "he is right; this is just our policy here". I advised her that we were simply at the bar because we could not get service at the main entrance, and that it was extremely poor service. Point being, if she had been at the door we would not have had to go to the bar, and if the staff member cleaning the tables was customer focussed he would have asked us if we needed help, and offered to keep my coffee behind the bar if I had intended on dining at the time – we actually wanted to book for 2 hours later and were simply passing through). A few further words were exchanged, however the staff member maintained her stance that the male (who she told me was named Harry or something similar) was doing the right thing, implying that I was wrong to do what I had done.<br/><br/>I found the attitude, service and manner of your staff extremely impolite, I was frankly shocked that an establishment would expect people to book, eat and drink at a premises which allows customers to be spoken to in such a way, without staff even bothering to ask if they could assist us, or explaining their policy before yelling "you can't have that here!".<br/><br/>Hopefully my email will shed light on service at your establishment and its' need to improve if it is not to discourage patronage.

Visited The Grand last Sunday for dinner with friends. We got there and seated ourselves. We were offered menus and water pretty quickly. Service was prompt and before long, we had ordered our entrees and mains as well as drinks.<br/><br/>We shared the crumbed camembert, grilled prawns and the mushroom stack between four of us. Everything was great, although the mushroom stack was a little disappointing being just two mushrooms surrounded by other veggies BUT it was tasty all the same!<br/><br/>Our plates were cleared shortly after we had finished and then our mains came out. I ordered the stonegrill and was so glad that I did. Only complaint is that the salad was more of a slaw but without sauce.<br/><br/>Overall, we had a great dinner wish was about $30 each between four which was great, considering we had entrees, mains and drinks. Staff were on the ball and the food was tasty. Will definitely return!

We ate on a Tuesday, arrived around 7.30pm. It was busier than I expected for a Tuesday but still lots of tables free. We had booked but asked to be seated by the fire instead of the assigned booth as it was freezing outside. We sat down and were given menus, about a minute or two later we were asked if we were ready to order (we hadn't opened our menus) we had to ask for a drinks menu and decide on the spot what to drink. Drinks arrived promptly, once we had decided what to have our order was taken, no problems there. Starters arrived, we had prawns and calamari, the prawns were amazing! Calamari was also nice, for mains we each had a stone grill, my only criticism is there was no dressing on the salad so it was left as it was just a plain salad of lettuce and not very enjoyable, I would've loved the option of a sauce or garlic butter for the steak as well. We were not offered any more drinks although our water was topped up, we eventually asked for more drinks. Once we had finished our mains we waited about 10mins and our plates still weren't cleared, guessed they didn't want us to have dessert so we got up to pay. As we were leaving someone came to clear our plates. To sum up my experience, the food was great, the service was very poor. I would go back to get the prawns but I would love better service! Shame it was for a birthday, would've loved some dessert!

My experience is better than most of reviews here. Our mains were pretty good, at least my steak was good enough. I think this place needs improve small things. 1st, the garlic bread, honestly, the worst one I ever had. The bread was overcooked to burned with minium garlic butter. 2nd, When doing the stone grill, this place needs better air flow. The whole place smells bad enough. We will be back, but not in hurry.

I really regret giving this place a second chance!!<br/><br/>The first time, I ordered fish and chips. One of the two pieces of the battered fish reeked a stale odour and taste. Surprisingly, the other fish was ok. This was pointed out to the waitress who took the fish away (apologetically) to the kitchen. We were given a 10% discount <br/><br/>We thought we would give the restaurant another chance and we returned to dine again the following week. I ordered fish and chips again. I was amazed to find that once again one of the battered fish was again not fit to be eaten. I complained and it was pointed out to us that the fish was cooked from frozen and was supplied by the biggest fish distributor in Welllington!! We were not going to be given a discount this time since we had previously been given a discount for the same reason!! It was our own fault since we had re-ordered the same item on the menu!!!!!<br/><br/>You would think that it was in the interest of the restaurant to be aware if their food is sub-standard and to remedy this as soon as possible. Needless to say, we will not be returning again to this restaurant and will also be directing our friends also to go to alternative establishments.

1 star for the waitress that served us! Myself and 6 friends went for breakfast on 15.01.14. Although the waitress was pleasant, we only saw her when she took our order and not at all after that. The food was average at best and the milkshakes ordered tasted like they used off milk. The coffee was burnt and the sugar I was given for the coffee looked as if it had never been cleaned - all blocked up with liquid. The manager (a foreign woman) had zero customer service skills. Was extremely rude and didn't care at all about her customers and our complaints. She left my partner waiting 15 minutes at the bar so he could get change for the gaming machines. Although the decor of the bar was lovely, it is completely let down by unwelcoming staff and an appalling manager. I would not recommend this place to anybody. We certainly won't be back.

Really regret sitting down in this place...... It started off well with a nice guy to greet us, then we were given the most miserable, not friendly waitress..... Who took r orders and a friends drink order and made a sharp exit, when she returned with r friends drink i asked her is she going to take everyone elses drink orders, the response i got was why didnt u say!! Erm... Thats ur job!! She then came back to tell us 3 of the 9 meals we had ordered they had no sausages left... I thought a waitress checks at chefs station and then advises the diners what specials r and whats available... My husband was ready for us to leave then only that we,d ordered and our elderly guests were comfy after r long walk. That was when i googled this place and realised we werent the only ones to have had this experience. When we paid my husband complained to the guy at till to be told theyve had complaints b4, as we said if we owned it she wudnt still be there.... Would defin8ly not recommend here the food was defin8ly frozen and no atmosphere. Would keep on walking next time.

Feels weird to go back and review this almost a year later, but I'm just doing an obsessive little MenuMania catchup session lol!<br/><br/>I went here with my bro-n-law for a steak when I had temporarily fallen off the vegetarian wagon...<br/><br/>And OMG - if you're gonna kill a cow - THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD COOK IT! One of the best steaks I ever had, served on a sizzling platter.<br/><br/>So. Damn. Good.<br/><br/>Thank you cow.

My family (parents and two University student daughters) had some drinks and nibbles here and found the place really pleasant. Great decor, very comfortable and relaxing upstairs garden bar. The juices we ordered were delicious and the nibbles were a good size and a good price (3 for $25). The service was fantastic, so I was surprised to read the other reviews on this website saying the service was so poor. Our Irish (I think) waitress was lovely and the man checking on the upstairs area was very welcoming. Would go back again!

The worst food &amp; customer service me &amp; my husband have ever experienced for lunch. Waited around 40 mins for food to come out and there was maybe 4 other people in restaurant so not busy. Food came out and cold chicken and cold chips, my husband was so hungry he ate half &amp; when waitress came over to ask how everything was we complained, her response oh well nothing we can do about it now cause you ate some of it, no free drinks were offered just there too bad attitude. Bad Customer Service, Bad Food &amp; over priced will never ever eat there again

The worst place I have ever been to in more ways than one. Extremely arrogant service particularly the 2 girls working on Fri 25 October between 10am-12pm (just highlighting so others who may be good are not affected)..bread in the b'fast was stale...more than anything else it was complete lack of warmth in service. ..refused a tobasco sauce (saying they have run out only to find someone bring it and dump on the table)...very poor service overall right from the outset..would not bother to visit again.

We have had dinner at this establishment before and had a reasonable meal. However, today's lunch was anything but enjoyable. The food when it arrived was tasteless, the mash cold ,the steak tough and gristly and a salad that looked as if it had come out of a prepack bag. How hard can it be to get these basics right?

Four of us dined at the Grand Steakhouse on Sunday night after attending another fabulous WOW show. What's the problem with Wellington restaurants on a Sunday night? Particularly a WOW Sunday night. Most places were either closed or wouldn't take us even though there were vacant tables, all seemed in a hurry to get home? What happened to making money and customer service. We thought Wellington was the capital city. <br/>Anyway, the service and the meal was fabulous. We all had steaks, 2 had theirs already cooked to perfection and 2 of us had the Stone Grilled steaks, they came with a side salad and homemade very tasty chips (with the skin on) and I had a hollandaise sauce with mine. Will go again next year, in fact will make a booking and recommend the Grand to our friends.

Very disappointing - food was greasy and overcooked, and service very slow. Ran out of time to eat full meal while there so asked for kid's ice-creams to go - was presented with the ice-creams in takeaway coffee cups and no spoons - as they didn't have any. Won't be going back.

Once seated tried to attract attention of waitress to order drinks who eventually begrudgingly came over. Not hospitable at all. Food tasteless. First time I've ever had a tough T-bone steak, vegetables cold and tasteless, my friend's chips soggy. I'd rate The Grand a zero. Very disappointing. Don't waste your money.

Service was satisfactory, food terribly underwhelming. Mash was plain, dry and there was no cabbage and bacon through it as the menu stated. Bearnaise sauce was white and thick and tasted of greasy mayo. They also make the worst margarita in the world. Someone needs to show them the sugar syrup... Wouldn't go back or recommend them.

We love the Grand! My grandsons aged 9 and 6, love The Grand breakfasts, the wonderful service, and especially Yvonne, who at their request, taught them how to say thank you in German. While they love the food, they really insist I take them to see Yvonne, she greets and meets my grandsons the same as all her adult customers, friendly, professional service. We three always feel at home at the Grand. My fav is the fish and chip $12 lunch meal, which I think is the best in Wellington, and I've tried quite a few. Great service from all staff who have served us. We'll be Back!

Went along before meeting friends for night out though reluctant from reading previous reviews. Can't see why now. This place was amazing considering the price &amp; food quantities. It's not a white table cloth affair but I don't think it tries to be. We found the food very tasty (&amp; filling), the menu quite various &amp; a good ambience, it's busy but there's lots of character to this place &amp; not just another bustling restaurant I thought. I was stoked at my steak size which was cooked perfectly and contented with the overall costs. It's very open which I like and we'd a few drinks in the garden upstairs after which I thought is a good touch. <br/> <br/>Went back again for a lunch a few days ago which prompted me to write a review. It was busy but the staff who seem to be multinational made sure we were kept informed of our meals &amp; what time to expect them. Again, the price was right for a reasonable lunch. I'd a great bangers and mash, my friend I envied had a massive beef nachos. I'll very likely go back with my partner to gorge on those steak meals.

Food was terrible. Ordered the Beef burger and it was tasteless. No seasoning whatsover. Bread was tough as a piece of mutton and presentation was sloppy. <br/><br/>The service was equally bad. As I stood at the bar to get a jug of water, one of the staff members came behind the bar, looked at me and then walked off without asking what I wanted. <br/><br/>The fact that you have to pay an extra four dollars for some soggy looking fries was the final straw. Never again.

If I could rate with 0 stars I would. <br/><br/>The service I had here the other day out shined any other service I have ever had before, it was horrific.<br/><br/>-Our meals were "forgotten" about. After waiting an hour for our meal, we asked the bar staff where our food may be, he replied he didn't know and questioned the kitchen staff who said they never received the order. After further waiting another 25 minutes for the food it arrived, cold, and very unappetizing. My friend got the BLAT, it was limp, bacon like rubber, and dead tomatoes. I got "bangers and mash", was cold to eat, sausages burnt and mashed potato was the packet potato (YUCK)<br/><br/>-The staff were EXTREMELY rude, i was ignored twice at the bar, then stared at by the waiter (like he had no idea why i was at the bar with my eftpos card out) and reluctantly served me. After leaving, i turned to see them pointing and talking (blatantly about me and a friend). The waitress was standing behind the bar txting.<br/><br/>My experience overall was horrible, I used to send a lot of business up there, but now i actually tell people to STEER CLEAR. It was a waste of money and I left feeling unsatisfied and amazed that the staff could be that rude! <br/>Even after complaining about the meal, service and general state of our visit the manager then replied "Well that's your prerogative..." and walked away. <br/>Paid for my meal, turned around and will never return. Absolutely terrible.

I wouldn't dine here again even if it was the last place on earth!<br/><br/>My friends came up to Wellington for a few days and the 6 of us decided this looks like a nice place to eat dinner, we were wrong.<br/><br/>Upon being seated, we made our decision on what we would like and went ahead with ordering, we made a few changes to our meal and the waitress decided it was appropriate to pull a face at us for doing so. I found this extremely impolite and highly unprofessional. <br/><br/>About 5 minutes later our drinks arrived, Our juices tasted vinegary and were unpleasant to drink so we left them, my friends father had some black tea and he noticed on the side of the cup a bit of tea scum that looked like a skin texture. <br/><br/>We had ordered some garlic bread and Camembert, the Camembert was about 3/4 cooked and looked like it had no life to it.<br/>Also the garlic bread was extremely dry and lacked any garlic butter or inspiration to it.<br/><br/>We all thought well this can't be too bad let's just wait for dinner to arrive, We were wrong once again!.<br/><br/>Our dinner arrived and the chips were like gumboots, they were under and some over cooked, they bounced around on the table like a tennis ball.<br/><br/>The garden salad had no dressing on it and was as dry as the Sahara desert.<br/><br/>The only good part of the meal was the Steak which was cooked perfectly.<br/><br/>So we attempted to eat our meals and only ate about a 1/4.<br/><br/>Upon visiting the counter to make our payment we decided to pass on some constructive feedback and the manager looked like he was fit to handle any kind of feedback, he quickly defended our statement and said no one else had complained tonight.<br/><br/>We decided to split up the bill and he replied with "What the hell do you want to do with the receipt" I was absolutely shocked to hear this, from a Manager?<br/><br/>We quickly paid up and headed out of their to never return again.

Terrible - I wouldn't give this place a star if I was offered free dining for a year.<br/><br/>In Wellington for an event with a few friends. 6 of us went in for breakfast on a Sunday early afternoon. The initial waiter (Hosea) was actually quite good but being new to the job, took a few minutes to get into his "stride" so to speak. We asked for a booth setting so that we could all sit together and he found us one away from the other patrons (perhaps 3 other tables in use), and we ordered some drinks and the food. That was where the service ended.<br/><br/>We ordered our food and it arrived with a scowl. The lady actually barged my shoulder and put our plates down with a bang on the table. Not a good start to the meal, especially at their prices. My friend (who is a chef himself at a very popular, busy eatery) had ordered the OP steak which the menu says is served on the bone. When he questioned where the bone was, he was met with a blank look and a "huh" from an apparently French lady. He politely explained and showed the menu stating "served on the bone" and her reply was simply that it didn't have a bone. I had ordered a breakfast with side of chips - the chips tasted like they had been roled in dirt before being fried in week old oil. I left more than 3/4 of them.<br/>The lasy returned to ask how the meal was so I commented that the chips were not very nice. before i finished my sentence she had stormed off so quickly that some chips fell on the floor as she whipped the plate away from the table. No apology or discussion had.<br/>We then saw the note on the menu stating "one table- one bill" so we all sorted our money. The same lady then asked whether we would pay separately or not. We decided to just carry on with the one bill as we had already sorted it out, ad i asked if perhaps in future they could ask when taking orders whether it would be one bill or individual bills, especially if they they keep the note on the menu saying there's no choice. Her reaction was to shout "Are you just trying to piss me off today" before storming away from us without providing the receipt, and refusing to come back. No-one else would come back over to us either, so i must presume she was the manager as the other staff seemed terrified or serving us when she wouldn't.<br/>Overall, it was disgrace. Poor quality food, shocking service and to top it off while i waited 2 minutes for them to provide a receipt I saw the cook (I refuse to call him a chef) scratching his head over a plate waiting to be brought to other diners. This place is not worth it's location, and it certainly is not worth it's name - unless "Grand" is meant to be ironic.

A large group of us (49) had dinner at The Grand on Friday. Now, a group that size is normally a recipe for disaster but we had a great night and came away absolutely full after our meal. Each course (entrees and mains) was simply huge, so much so that just one course would have enough for us. We started by sharing an entree of buffalo wings, which were deliciously marinated. For my main course, I had the Island Bay Surf and Turf stone grill, which was a 200 g rump steak, prawns and scallops with a side salad and chips. While the chips were quite ho hum (not crisp), the scallops and prawns were a nice touch to an otherwise steak-based meal. My partner had the gigantic 600 g T-bone steak with mushroom ragout and baked potato. The service was surprisingly good for such a big group. I am really pleased to see The Grand has turned things around since the last time we dined there (and since the reviews below were posted). We will definitely be back.

We also thought we would give the Grand another try, after having a couple of negative experiences. Two of us had the Grand Burger, which includes beetroot, tomato and bacon. No complaints about the meat patty, which was very 'grand' and meaty. However, only one of us got any beetroot and tomato and the bacon on both burgers seemed to be made out of plastic. The fries had been overcooked, dark brown rather than golden. The third member of our party had the polenta fish and chips. This didn't seem too bad, but again the chips were overcooked. So, sorry, we won't be going again either.

I must be crazy as I've given the Grand a few tries. After last weekend I felt I had to review. Not surprised to find many poor reviews on various websites. <br/><br/>First visit was for breakfast. I waited at the bar to be seated as two staff members chatted at the back rolling napkins. 5 minutes later one lazily walked right passed me, no hello or anything. I left.<br/><br/>Second visit, the grand has a huge Wellington phoenix plaque on the front "home of the phoenix" so I decided to bring my partner to watch the game. When I asked what screen was showing the game, the staff member didn't even know what I was talking about. Finally she found out that the game would be shown at the second level. We went up only to be met by another staff member telling us the level was not open yet. The game had started at this point. We went to the garden bar to wait,no staff member in sight. Finally the second floor opens, we order some wings and cheese quesidilla. the wings were tasteless, the breading tasted like fish and the quesidilla was blah. <br/><br/>3rd visit, I am know questioning my sanity. We tried again this weekend for the phoenix game. We ate before going!! We were happy to just have some drinks. The second floor never opened. We sat in the garden bar again to wait as various staff members walked up and down the stairs and two others sat on break watching TV. No rush to open the second floor with not much happening downstairs. I would be embarrassed to own such a beautiful place and then fill it with crap food and service. The rent must be quite high and I'm sure they won't be attracting return clientele(crazy me excluded.) 3 strikes your out "THE NOT SO GRAND" 0 STARS

The service here was terrible, right from when we walked in we were ignored. The duty manager didn't want to seat us once she learned we didn't have a booking, although this was mid-week and the restaurant was empty. <br/>We were ignored for ages with the menus, nobody took our drinks order until we asked, and then we were never asked again if we would like another drink, when we had finished eating they cleared the table and that was it, we were completely ignored yet again - no offers of dessert menus or coffees.<br/>We went to the counter to pay and were ignored, again the duty manager, who was clearing another table walked past us - in front of us! waiting to pay, didn't acknowledge us whatsoever then went to the pass to take some food, we had to ask - again - for someone to let us pay.<br/>No complaints about the food however the service was terrible, we will not be going back and wont be recommending it to anyone either.<br/>The staff here need some serious training.

All I can say it was a really unpleasant and embarrassing dinning experience. I want to give them 0 star.<br/>My friend and I went there for dinner last night, The waitress directed us to the table in by the bar and because the table next to us were having stone grill so it was a bit smokey for us. So we asked the waitress if there were any other tables inside we can sit. She said no they were all book. And you know what? We finished our very unpleasant dinner 1 hour and half later we didn't see many dinners come in. Those tables didn't have the "Reserved" sign on them and they were completed available during our dinning. I didn't know why she couldn't let us sit somewhere else. After set down, we were thinking which one to choose between T-bone steak and OP Steak. The T-bone steak was 600g and the weight of OP steak was not shown on the menu. So I asked the waitress (same one who gave us the table) how big the OP steak was. She told us the OP steak was 1kg. So we decided to go for 1kg OP steak. After we got the meal, we were shock - I never seem 1kg steak on a plate before so don't know who big it is, but definitely not the size we got on our plates. So I went to ask the waiters in the bar. The other waitress came to our table and took a look, went away and came back in a few minutes, told us the one we got was 300g OP steak!!! I told her the other waitress told us the OP steak was 1kg. And she walked away again. The waitress served us came back, told us:"Oh i am sorry, the OP steak had a bone and we removed it, the one we serve is without bones." What??? from 1kg to 300g and you tell me the 700g disappeared is for the bone???? She said sorry but I didn't see her felt sorry at all. She asked if we would like a free drink, both of us don't drink so i had a diet coke, my friend had a normal coke. She came back with 2 glasses of diet coke!!! Well never mind, we didn't say anything about this one. I wasn't happy about my meal at all and didn't really eat it. Several waiters and waitress walked us by and saw my unhappy face and just walked away. I didn't want to eat so I called my boyfriend and asked him to pick me up. When my boyfriend walked into the door and grabbed a chair set by me, one of the waiter came to me and asked if i was happy about my meal. (that's so funny, my boyfriend is a huge and solid guy when he walked in 4 of waiters and waitress looked at him at once, maybe they thought I called somebody and wanted to threat them?) I told the waiter I wanted to swap my 300g steak to T-bone steak, and he did so. I still not quite understand why they didn't come to us at the first place, why waited until the big guy walked in?<br/>This is a really unpleasant and embarrassing dinning experience, I will not go there ever again.They really need to be trained by good hospitality.

Had a beautiful dish here. The catch of the day which was Hoki with a creamed caper dressing which was devine with a mash which has bacon and cabbage through and a nice little leafy salad. Was very impressed with the look of the dish too with a lot of effort in its presentation and the decorative touches.<br/>Service was ok, we had water glasses on the table but no water etc and didnt try to up sell at all. Probably could have twisted my arm for a 2nd glass of wine or dessert. This is the only reason I didnt give 5 stars :)

very satisfied of the food in The Grand. Particularly Steamed Mussels and Stone Grilled Steak. Waitresses are passionate. I'm not keen on their desserts, not creative and old fashion, like cheese on-board. Just give one suggestion: employ more waitresses, sometimes we can't find them.

We had diner here two of us. Ordered a beef rump on grill stone, one price $30ish for two. Food was average particularly the beef was too difficult too bite, maybe due to the cutting problem. However the sauce was good. Service was good tho. will go n visit again with the hope of being better.

My partner and I were looking for a place for a nice lunch on a cold and (really) wet day. We decided to give The Grand a try especially with their $12 lunch specials. <br/>It was busy as to be expected and we were greeted and a nice booth-style table was given to us. The waiter was very helpful and our order was taken promptly although I requested a wine list (very affordable) but nobody came back to check. <br/>Once the meals have arrived I gotta say that I didn't expect much for $12 but our meals were GREAT. We ordered fish and chips and open chicken sandwich. Our meals could easily be charged between $18-$20 but for the price that we paid - bargain. Chicken sandwich was flavourful and well cooked just a little too much cheese for my liking while fish and chips were moist, crunchy and hand cut fries looked interesting. On that note the fries needed more cooking as they were a bit soggy. However delicious lunch.<br/>We had a wait for quite sometime at the bar before we could settle our bill as the staff were running around trying to make sure that their customers were not left out. Gotta say they could use another staff (or 2) during a lunch rush to ease the pressure for them, and for us.<br/>We thoroughly recommend The Grand for any occasion and despite other not so positive comments it's a great place to come.

Service is absolutely ridiculous!!!! Opening of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. I was meeting friends for dinner at The Grand and arrived later. Upon arrival at the restaurant I was not approached by any waitress/member of staff so had to find my friends and seat myself. I was not offered the opportunity to order by any waitress as none checked on the table at any point during the meal. We had to ask for another round of drinks order to be put in, for our plates to be cleared from the table, and to have the dessert menu provided. We had the dessert menu for nearly half an hour before an order was taken. There was a 45min wait on a bowl of fries when I did finally get to speak to a waitress. Desserts did not match menu description. Fries were like the soggy leftovers chucked out by KFC - but without the chicken salt. Staff were snooty and seemed only to provide service when customers had got out of their seats to ask for something. Also they don't let you split the bill. I will not be back, and neither will my friends. I only hope that they think to improve their service when we have a greater influx of foreigners here for the RWC! It's hardly a good look for NZ restaurants.

5 of us dined at the Grand, Courtenay Place on 11 August 2011 using 2 Spreets Vouchers that entitled us to any four mains and four house drinks. <br/> <br/>At the time of booking and as stated on the voucher, I advised the staff member we were using the Spreets voucher and upon arrival we also presented them to the wait staff. We were advised that it will only need to be presented when paying. <br/> <br/>My partner asked the wait staff what their House drinks included and the waitress listed a number of tap beer and informed us the juices were also included. When it came time to settling the bill we were charged for the tap beer and juices. <br/> <br/>When querying this with the Manager who had processed our bill, she informed me that the beer and juices were not classified as 'house drinks'. I explained the situation of how we were informed by the wait staff these drinks were included as a house drink. <br/> <br/>The Manager acknowledged the error but was not prepared to rectify the issue and refund the money for the drinks. She offered to provide me with another 3 glasses of wines, of which I informed her was a ridiculous offer considering I was the driver that night (and the other diners were at the next restaurant for dessert). This did not promote responsible host management. After repeatedly informing her that if we were provided with the correct information in the first instance we would not have ordered the beer and the juices. In front of an audience of customers, the Manager (in a fury state) opened the till and refunded money only for the 2 glasses of juices. She was not willing to refund the money for the beer and I allowed her the opportunity to resolve this problem as we would have liked to return for another meal in the future. I informed her that as this is unacceptable and has presented us with a negative experience, we will advise all our friends, family and work mates not to dine at the Grand. The Manager's response was 'That is fine'.<br/> <br/>It is a shame the Manager did not consider what the consequences were especially when the actual costs of one beer would have been next to nothing. Instead this has cost them repeated business not only from us but business from people we share this experience with.

Had some bar food and a few drinks upstairs during an All Blacks test. Don't bother with the bar food. One of our group ordered 'large' nachos, was charged for small, paid extra in a second transaction for large, and received a measley serving. Complained to the bar staff and was told that there was no difference between the small and large nachos apart from the price. Ridiculous. Nothing was done. We later complained to the waitress who eventually got the manager, who offered us one drink as compensation. By that time the test was over and everyone else had finished their food/drinks and were wanting to leave. But thanks for the effort.<br/><br/>Poor frontline service (while at the bar we overheard another patron complaining his tap beer was flat, his complaints were totally dismissed) and poor food.

decent food...very comfortable seating and amience..however service could be improved<br/><br/>I will definitely go back

reading the two reviews I was a bit optimistic about going here, but I did. My experience was good. I would definately dine here again. My husband had a small problem with some of the service - felt they weren't attentive enough, but overall I think they did a great job. The lady who served us was fab. The food is great, but could definately do with a bit more seasoning by the chef. Overall I enjoyed it. The bread and dips were a bit of a let down, charging $12.50 for a sliced loaf of sour dough and two very small dips is a bit pricey. Wouldn't have minded paying that price if it was better presented, but a sliced loaf doesn't quite cut it. Dinning experience 7 out of 10, food price 6 out of 10, food 8 out of 10.

I agree with the above. I was shocked at the size and quality of the meal I had last night. I was going to a movie with a friend so decided to pop over and try out the Grand... We ordered the 'chips and dips platter for two - $27 and still can't believe what they served. A plate of plain packet corn chips with 2 tiny cups of dips and a medium cup of sour cream with jalepenos. I am still in disbelief they can charge $27 for corn chips and dip! I was in a hurry to catch a movie so didn't have time to complain (i have never complained at a restaurant before) but this is extortion!!!

Went here for brunch May 8th. I was very underwhelmed.<br/><br/>I had the scrambled eggs, sausage, baked beans on toast. My wife had pancakes with berry coulée. My 5 year old son had a bowl of fries.<br/><br/>I have never had a scrambled egg breakfast where the egg was perhaps a single egg. The piece of toast was the size of my 5-year-old's hand. I could not believe it.<br/><br/>My wife's pancakes were dry, over-leavened and of an unpleasant texture. The berry looked like it came out of a tin.<br/><br/>My son's fries were soggy, limp and looked like the dregs of the bag, as at least half were less than 1 cm in length.<br/><br/>Do not waste your money

Great service from Shannon as our waitress <br/>The coffee was perfectly done!!<br/>Breakfast was priced right!!