the grove

we did the 7 (5+2 dessert) course degustation and it was nothing short of outstanding. there are no menus in this restaurant so the staff have to know everything... and they did. the timing of the food was great so that you didn't feel rushed nor were you sitting there waiting wondering if it was over. atmosphere was great in that we were seated in the middle and we could still have a quiet conversation without the need for shouting to be heard. the grove pricing (i think) is well aligned to the experience and i would highly recommend it for that special occasion. spend: $349 includes non-alc drinks excluding tip. my wife and i thoroughly enjoyed it.

this is a top quality restaurant
possibly the best in auckland
fine-dining has been mastered here
back in the day these premises housed the excellent le brie french restauarnt
which is still missed to this day
but wow what a institution has taken its place
the food and wine standards are to die for
the 5 course degustation option is delightful
excellent service and surroundings
try it

cons: pricey... (but worth it!)

the place is humble and very relaxed as it is situated beside st. patrick's cathedral, less pedestrian giving it a private feel. my wife and i went here to celebrate our anniversary and we were given the best seat. the 7-course menu was a gastronomic experience and it exceeded our expectation. the kingfish ceviche, the wagyu steak and the bomb alaska were just beyond!!!  the chili-lime cocktail absolutely surpassed the hype that my wife had another round.

wow. so good. great service, interesting and tasty dishes. i thought i might be hungry given after i wasn’t!! an experience you shouldn’t miss 😊

last week, i had the opportunity to enjoy a three-course meal at the grove and i absolutely loved it! the grove was where i began my first fine-dining experience a few years back where i had a five course degustation. this time, we opted for the three-course set menu with appetizers and petite fours before and after the meal.

a fabulous place and experience for the whole family! the food and wine plus service explaining each course made the whole experience magical! our whole family enjoyed our meal and experience here -attention to detail is everything - we highly recommend!

i was saddened by the recent closure of two of our favourite fancy dining options (clooney and merediths) so i booked a surprise birthday dinner for my wife back at the grove, where we hadn't eaten for many years. this is the first time i've been here since ben bayly became chef. the short summary: it was superlative. we opted for the 4-course version of the menu, and as many people have noted, that was plenty of food, due to the protein-rich 'snacks' that came before and between course: fried oysters, a fantastic japanese savory custard, a deep-fried pork cube, all of them single-bite taste sensations. the savory courses we had were the tuna (fantastic horseradish sorbet), the hapuka, and the wagyu beef. the stand-out dish of the three was the hapuka, served on a pea purée with some fava beans. there was a failure of communication over desert choices, but we were the winners in the deal, as it meant that we had a raspberry souffle each and also tried the 'black forest'. the latter was very good, but my advice: eat the souffle. great and genuinely pleasant service, and a smart and contemporary fit-out (though not as striking and memorable as the late, lamented clooney.) a genuinely five-star experience all round.

wonderful service and delicious food!  a really great experience - expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for!  we had the 4 course degustation and the staff really made you feel special.  they explained every dish in detail and couldn't have been more helpful.  the fresh menu is just superb and there's an added bonus of valet parking.  i can't wait to go back!

oh my word.
we ended up sitting with the staff enjoying the wine and learning all about why they were paired with each course (our choice, they didn't ask to join us!)
simply put, the best experience yet in auckland.
food explained every time it was served, wine match given by staff who knew what they were talking about.
no complex "showy" plates or next to nothing. great flavours with wonderful design.

oh dear. where do i start? as a very fortunate traveller that has been to many fine dining and michelin star establishments around the world, i had high hopes for my first three hat restaurant experience in auckland especially since i’ve really enjoyed myself at other two and three hatted restaurants elsewhere in nz. service was the biggest issue. it felt loose, clumsy, disorganised and rushed. case in point, one of the servers couldn’t wait to collect our plates even though one of our diners was still eating. another example was how our first dessert course of our seven course degustation menu was brought out while we were only half way through our palate cleanser. what is the rush? we never completely felt at ease the entire time. the food was very hit and miss. one of the seafood dishes was served with snow peas where the tough stringy bit had not been removed. when this was brought up with one of the servers, she stared at me and said that the outer skin is not to be eaten. i have cooked with snow peas countless of times and i can assure you that it can be eaten. besides, i’m pretty sure the golden rule is if it is not to be eaten, do not put it on the plate or tell your diners before hand. both dessert courses were very average and lacking in balance of flavours. also, if you are going to ask for feedback, be genuine about it. do not ask just for the sake of asking. all in all a very disappointing experience.

wènt to the grove for a shared birthday. ambience was great and loved the perfumed candles. staff were friendly and welcoming. we had the 7 course degistation which was a journey on its own. the food was wonderful. at the end the two birthday people got a special birthday surprise. all i can say is yum, yum, yum. so pleased we came. the staff were also very supportive of our 7yr old grandchild. thank you

simply amazing! first of all i think they have the best service compared to all the other restaurants i have been too, our waiters were charismatic, funny and knowledgeable. we tried the four course degustation menu and it was more than enough and worth every penny.
they start you off with little dishes that are free and part of the experience and wow just wow i loved every bite.
i love how they use locally sourced ingredients which makes the dishes extra special, they tell you where all the ingredients are from when they present it which i think is great.
we tried the kingfish, crayfish, rabbit and soufflé and i won't go into detail because the flavours were so unique you must try it to experience it.
my personal favourite was the rabbit( the one shaped like a tree) i thought it was a very creative and innovative dish which uses many well considered elements. in short, it was bloody delicious.
i loved how they torched the meringue at the table which added to the experience which is very fun. it was also delicious hahahah.
they also custom make mocktails according to your taste which i love, and the mocktails we received were right up my ally.
with all the dishes the gave before, between and after our courses we ate about 9 different things altogether and for 99$ that is definitely worth it.
great for date night. will definitely come back again when they change their menu.

had 5 course dinner with my girlfriend here to celebrate her birthday. the customer service were great and food were fantastic and nicely presented. the place of course look great too.

customer service: 9/10

food: 8/10

atmosphere: 8/10

date: june 2017

i really enjoy food and this was a great place to be in! im happy i had the chance to have food in this place it was completely delicious! if you are ever in st. auckland please stop by the grove. what an amazing restaurant, the atmosphere is really nice the food is great and the owner obviously demonstrates interest in making the place better!

came here to celebrate but at the very last minute. now when they say they specialize in degustation, they specialize alright! such thought into presentation and flavour. the amuse-bouches were all amazing. we had the small degustation of 4 courses which was heaps. the highlight was the crayfish, definitely worth the extra. we were lucky and didn't really have any aversion to any particular foods but i was really impressed with how they checked on the phone and when we arrived if we had any dietary requirements. pricey as expected, but it is a special occasion kind of place. we had an amazing dinner and would most definitely come back for the next occasion. you cannot live in auckland and not come here!