the grove

after having dined at the likes of merideths, spqr, depot, fine dining etc i was really looking forward to dining at the established and well renowned the grove which had a michelin chef and had won several metro restaurant awards.

when we arrived, and the restaurant was all but empty, we were seated at what i considered to be the worst table with the worst lighting. when i commented on this to the maitre de (who also turned out to be the owner michael dearth) he dismissed this and tried to justify it by saying we had been seated in the most romantic spot. after being moved i couldn't but notice that the "romantic spot" remained empty for the duration of our meal.

for our meal tonight we ordered thedegustationmenu, a bottle of red and two glasses on white. with an end price of $380 we were expecting exceptional food and service.

unfortunately, we left disappointed.

the seven coursedegustationwas good, but not exceptional and not comparable to other fine dining experiences i had had previously.

the deserts were great, as was the espresso that accompanied, and i have to commend the patisserie chef.

both the fish and and venison were very good, but not amazing, and the other 2 courses were not memorable.

whilst the food was generally quite good, i didn't think it was fantastic, and personally i go to fine dining restaurants to be blown away by the gastronomy, not to simply think it was pretty good.

i had two issues with the service:

1. after spending $80 on a bottle of wine we had to ask for our glasses to be topped up. it may seem minor but when you're at a fine dining restaurant this should not happen.

2. the waitress said our next course was veal ... when she checked she confirmed it was venison. again, maybe a simple over sight, but not one that should be expected to happen.

when we left i commented to the maitre de / owner / michael dearth that i thought the food didn't meet my expectations and was a bit "average" he lost his temper and had a go at me.

all up i thought the food and whole dining experience was about a 7/10 ... so well below what i would expect from a bill of $380

i've dined at the grove 3 times in the past 6 years. each time was there was a different head chef. never the less, there was an amazing consistency in style and experience. i always order thedegustationmenu. it is a journey of dishes that delighted the senses. the atmosphere feels like a michelin star restaurant...simply elegent. the wine list is always outstanding as one of the owners is a sommelier. the service has always been good as well. the backers of grove must be congratulated for supporting the industry development. several of the head chefs that have come from the grove - i.e. meredith, sid, benjamin bayly - have gone on to well-recognised careers of their own.

superb sophisticateddegustationof 7 courses highlighting fresh seasonal nz produce. can’t fault the food. wine matching comes in two options; regular (nz winery dominant) or premium that introduces boutique international wineries. the atmosphere is romantic / intimate and tables are nicely spaced (*during covid restrictions so must be). staff are attentive but not invasive and finished my dinner with a birthday card signed by all staff on the night and a rich choc lamington with a candle - thanks!

we came here a few months ago for our anniversary. so review is a bit late. we had he 9 coursedegustationmenu. my partner meat, mine vegetarian. when we first walked in, we felt very out of place. a very high end venue! but our waitress made us feel right at home. explaining everything to us and tending to our every need. our meals were nothing short of fantastic. we tried so many new things, squid juice, quail and raspberry caviar to name a few. you don't get to try these things in south auckland 🤣 all of our meals were beautifully presented, and tasted fantastic. we have big appetites and could barely finish. fantastic meals, presentation and service. very expensive but well worth the experience.

the grove auckland is one of the best restaurants in auckland, if not the best. conveniently located in the auckland cbd, the grove menu offers a tantalisingdegustationshowcasing the best of new zealand produce.

michael and annette dearth opened the grove restaurant in 2004 when this american couple decided to call new zealand home. they are also the owners of the grove sister restaurant baduzzi.

amazing service, amazing food! there’s nothing to fault about this place. highly recommend. the waiter was super nice and detailed every dish when he served it. thedegustationflowed at a natural pace and we were left feeling pretty full after it.

we did the 7 (5+2 dessert) coursedegustationand 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 coursedegustationoption is delightful
excellent service and surroundings
try it

wonderful service and delicious food!  a really great experience - expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for!  we had the 4 coursedegustationand 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 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 coursedegustationmenu 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.

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 coursedegustationmenu 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.

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 smalldegustationof 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!

the grove certainly stands out for it's excellent service, decadence in use of quality ingredients, and unique flavor/texture combinations.

beautiful pristine environment, attentive knowledgeable and friendly staff, along with phenomenal food and a theatrical flaming dessert - this is a place you'll be highly impressed with.

over the course of three and a half hours, we got to experience the seven coursedegustationmenu.

key highlights include the mind-blowing snacks that started thedegustation: oysters, caviar, tapioca crisps, lamb tartare and delicious truffle.

every dish was exquisite and well complemented, but my personal favorites and recommendations would have to be the scampi, crayfish and wagyu beef. i'd love to go into detail on how amazing it all tasted but you need to just try it for yourself.

without a doubt, this is one of the best and most sophisticated fine dining restaurants you'll step into in auckland - i can't wait for the next excuse to be here again.

simply superb . has a minidegustationon friday night and it was amazing . friendly knowledgeable staff very attentive and helpful. the food was fantastic and i loved that you can pick the courses from a list which suited us as we aren't dessert people . cannot recommend it any higher it was one of the best meals i've had in auckland

voted metro's best fine dining restaurant this year, i can see why. from start to finish, it was an enjoyable, exquisite and intelligent  dining experience. 

we had thedegustationwhich was amazing and the service was impeccable.

just keeping this one short and sweet, no complaints, fine dinning at its best.