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The Gramercy Grill
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
2685 Arbutus StVancouver, BC V6J 3Y4
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 730-5666
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for The Gramercy Grill
15 reviews in English
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Review from Shannon M.
Burnaby, BC
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
I haven't had a great dine out experience in quite awhile. Most people agree that it has been going downhill in the last couple years. Gramercy Grill was a pleasant surprise.
Gramercy is part of the $28 menu. We started with the carpaccio and the mussels. They were decent portions and both were delicious. Our entrees were tasty as well - we had the duck breast and veal. We both finished everything on our plates, including all the veggies. The dessert was a bit anticlimatic only because it was quite tiny. It was still good.
Service was decent. It was kind of strange because we didn't have a specific server. We were asked for drinks and orders twice. Better 2 servers than none though!
When we got our bill, the server gave us a coupon for $20 off a 2nd entree. I don't find myself saying this too often but I think I will be back! I think they did a great job with showcasing their menu. -
Review from Cathy S.
Updated - 1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
The roller coaster ride of Gramercy continues. A gift certificate combined with Dine Out had the makings of a nice, inexpensive dinner out. Inexpensive, yes, nice, not so much.
On the plus side, their Dine Out menu is far more extensive than the typical 3-3-3 options. They had 6 appetizers and 6 entrees to choose from which was very nice. They also have a decent wine list, and I was able to order one of my favorite Pinot Noir, See Ya Later, from it.
For appetizers I chose a sautéed prawn in a tomato ragu with crumbled feta. Although tasty, temperature wise, it was tepid at best. My husband ordered the tomatoes and bocconcini which was really tasty. We also ordered a bread basket which we were told would arrive in 7 minutes because the kitchen was late getting started on it. It was after 7pm, I would say that you are really late getting started on it!
For mains I ordered the seared salmon with nugget potatoes and seasonal veg and my husband ordered the prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and seasonal veg. Both of our proteins arrived at the table cold, as in, the fat on the prime rib is still white cold. My husband sent his back to be heated but I chose to keep my salmon because the fish was cooked well and I didn't think any good could come from refiring it.
I had a perfect sight line to the kitchen and food was not lingering on the pass, so it was coming out of the kitchen cold. The restaurant was also not a full house so I'm not sure what their problem was.
I was 3/4 finished when my husband's plate returned along with the tardy bread basket. What our 40 minute wait was for was apparently some totally undercooked baguette pieces and two tiny cubes of cold corn bread. There was not a trace of golden color on those pure white dough ball baguettes. Had the server not told us that we would not be charged for it, we would have refused to accept it.
Lastly, for dessert we ordered the lemon tart and the flourless chocolate torte. The lemon tart was wretched, the only thing you could taste was an overdone crust. The chocolate torte had a nice flavor, but in keeping with the evenings theme, I thought it was undercooked. They delivered a second set of dessert in error after we were finished with ours, but really, one set was definitely enough.
Gramercy, don't serve us cold and undercooked food, we still have $ 50 on a gift certificate to spend with you! I am thinking that a few glasses of wine on the outdoor patio when the weather gets nicer might be the safest way to spend it.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/20/2011
Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and… Read more »
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Review from Fritz S.
10/25/2011
I never heard of this place until i got a gift certificate for my wife and I to come here.
Located in the Hip n Happening Kitsilano, this place is not that bad! filled with tall young, good looking servers full of energy. As soon as we arrived, it was already busy as F#$k.. but we were seated right away.
You know this place is fancy when they serve you some hot sexy ass bread and butter, son!!!! "don't mind if i do pretty server lady ;)"
We started of with the seared Ahi tuna w/ orange ginger vinaigrette, very light and flavorful, it was all gone before we knew it! so good!
second course was the seared duck breast medallions served with butternut squash croquette, pomegranate reduction
& cabernet jus.. another winner over here! duck was perfectly cooked, had a sweet and salty component to it, very delicious!! And to end off our evening, we had their creme brulee :D
We had a wonderful night here at Gramercy and look forward to hittin this place up real soon!Listed in: Yelps "Thirty Day Challange"
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Review from D. F.
Vancouver, BC
8/21/2011
Even though Gramercy Grill is right in my neighbourhood, for some reason it took me years before I finally got around to trying it out. Since that first time, I've been two more times.
All three visits were quite good I must say. I've enjoyed the food each time.
One time was actually for a New Years Eve prix fixe and even though it was a full house the wait service was friendly and attentive.
My third visit was using one of those social shopping coupon deals and the service was still just as good as my previous (non-coupon) visits (as it should be, but some places don't always live up to that).
In fact the wait service has been good each time I've been. My only criticism I guess would be that sometimes you end up standing around a tad too long upon first entering the restaurant before being greeted. Once they do greet you it's friendly enough that I was not that bothered about it.
Not sure when I'll be back, but I'll probably be back before the year is out. -
Review from Maria W.
Vancouver, BC
8/18/2011
I'd driven past this place a few times with of my good friends, and she mentioned that she wanted to try out this place...then a groupon popped up for here. So we decided to go and try it out.
It was a nice summer evening, so we had a late dinner. It was so nice out that I asked for patio sitting when I got there around 8:30pm. The first half hour out there was quite pleasant, but it got pretty chilly after, so we asked our server if we could be moved inside. They were very accommodating, and they moved us to a table by the window so we could still enjoy the outside view.
For starters we got the garlic prawns and the crabcakes, which were recommended by our waitress. They were both quite tasty, and well done. Lots of crab in the crab cake, and nice and crispy on the outside. The prawns were a good size, and well seasoned. Overall our starter dishes I would say were quite good...4 stars.
For our main meal my friend had the seafood pot (with a large variety of seafood) while I had the dungeness crab penne. My friend liked her dish, though I found it could have used a bit more taste...it seemed a little light on the taste. My crab penne was made with a rich creamy sauce, topped with parmesan cheese, and lots of fresh crab. It packed quite a punch in terms of taste, though the penne was a little undercooked. If you're not a fan of undercooked pasta, maybe stay away from this dish. Overall the main dishes were alright...3 stars.
Finished off our meal sharing coffee and dessert. Had the creme brulee. Was very well done. I'd say my favourite part of the meal! Coffee was good as well. The perfect end to the meal. 4.5 stars for dessert!
The service here gets 4 stars from me.
One tip though, if you're planning to come here on a summer night, it can get quite busy, as we tried twice previous to this, but couldn't get same day reservations. Apparently once their kitchen is at capacity, they will not take any more customers, even if there may be seating room.
Overall review gets 3 stars, mainly because (if not for the Groupon) this place is a bit overpriced for what it has to offer. -
Review from Joanne M.
Vancouver, BC
7/18/2011
I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting pretty sick of pretentious hipsters serving me at restaurants. Why do some of them choose customer service as their career of choice...they're not good at it. Anyways, they have a whole bunch of "I'm better than this job" servers at this restaurant and it really annoying to deal with...especially in the morning when you just want to start your day right. The food was pretty good, the fruit seemed like it had been cut a few days ago because it was softening on the outside but somewhat crispy on the inside. I wouldn't recommended the fruit. The mains themselves were pretty tasty. I got the crab benny and my partner got the veggie hash. Both came out fresh and we were stuffed by the end.
I'll have to admit though that I still get pretty weezy about my experience because the fork I used for my fruit salad tasted like old oysters. I'm assuming it didn't get washed properly and I quickly switched my fork out with the table beside me because my hipster waitress wasn't around. Pretty gross when you expect a nice piece of melon and you end up with day old shellfish in your mouth.
Definitely does not deserve anything higher than a three. -
Review from Theresa W.
Vancouver, BC
1/31/2011
Came here for a later dinner the other night, and was really happy with the whole experience. The place is cozy although the bar area makes the dining section a little bit more casual (and noisier), but since we got there so late (8:40pm), it was starting to die down a bit.
I had been looking forward to dine out since I'm a huge sucker for sablefish, and their Dine Out menu had a lot of great options for me and the husband to enjoy (okay, so maybe I had both our menus picked out already before we even got there...) so the restaurant pick was a no-brainer. But to my dismay, they were out of both the creme brulee and the sablefish that evening. My heart (and stomach) gave a sad whimper at the news, but our server was so kind - he checked and double-checked to see if maybe the kitchen had some hidden away somewhere, and when none was found he laid down all his recommendations on the remaining menu and gave detailed descriptions for us to ensure we were making a good second-choice.
In the end, the night went fabulously. The food was delicious, the portions were great, their chocolate torte was heavenly, and our water glasses (and my hot water cup) was kept full all the time.
Plus, they gave us a $10 off our next meal there. Not sure if that's for everyone, but it was certainly a kind touch! I'll definitely consider coming back here for another try. If you're still looking for a Dine Out 2011 choice, I highly recommend this place, they've got a good spread of food on their menu! -
Review from Anne R.
Vancouver, BC
1/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm giving Grammercy 4 stars because there's always room for improvement, but it's a solid, familiar friend in a great location with unpretentious service and consistently tasty food. I'll talk about our accidental Dine Out experience first, then some general notes on the restaurant.
We ended up here two nights ago to celebrate a huge achievement by Boyfriend, hoping to just eat off of the regular menu even though it's Dine Out season. We were told they were only doing the Dine Out menu ($28). We were seated near the bar for a bit while our reserved table was clearing out. We don't really care when a restaurant 'keeps you waiting', we totally understand and of anything are thrilled that we're eating at a place that's so popular people don't want to rush to leave.
It was nice to see Grammercy trying some new items. Their regular menu is not large, although that allows them to master each dish they offer. So to try out a few new options was fun and worth it. We ordered the seared ahi tuna and the beef carpaccio to start, followed by the chicken breast with truffle tapenade and the mushroom/asparagus risotto. The chicken was incredibly tender and the risotto very flavourful. For dessert we had the cheese plate (very small for the extra $4) and the warm flourless chocolate torte (wow!). We had a bottle of red and two dessert coffees (try the Pick Me Up!) as well.
It was not as cheap as our usual visits to the restaurant, but then again we rarely order desserts and dessert drinks. I'm going to write a bit about our usual experiences here, as I think it's more important to document.
They show important sports games on a few TV's which are gracefully placed so as to not interfere with the casual-fine dining feel of the restaurant. Surprisingly, this adds to the magnetism of the place--people choose to eat up at the bar, interact with strangers over the game, and cheer. This is not your typical sports bar crowd, either.
The restaurant has a happy hour every day from 4-5:30 with cheaper appetizers. It's not busy at that time, and yet you somehow don't feel out of place. It actually feels like your living room just got a whole lot nicer and there are friendly people bringing you tasty food. As for dinner, I am not a mushroom fan, but both the Mushroom Tart and the Oyster Mushroom Orecchietti are scrumptious. The Tagliatelle with chunks of Italian sausage is always perfectly prepared and large enough for leftovers.
Even as we go to Vij's, Bishop's, Pied-A-Terre, eventually Hawkworth if it ever opens, etc, we will continue to hold Grammercy in a special place, and it will remain our steady stand-by for everything from a special occasion to just not wanting to cook at home. -
Review from Patrick N.
11/26/2010
We went there for to have an American thanksgiving dinner. Food was good, service was slow. We were there for a 7:30pm reservation, and managed to get out of there by 9:30pm.
The service highlights:
- We arrived, got the wine order, and then waited 30 minutes for one soup and one salad.
- The entries came about 30 minutes (see a trend?) later. It was good, but not great. The turkey was good but the portions small. I don't think this is representative of the meals here -- we saw other entries of larger portions.
- Finally got to dessert. Coffee was ordered with the dessert, but it took another 10 minutes to get it. It was being made when it was ordered, and it seems she forgot.
- Asked for the check. The wait person we had helped the people behind us, went behind the bar, came back, took the dishes if the people next to us, left, another wait person came by, I asked him for the check, and the check came another five minutes later -- finally.
It seems that the place isn't staffed to the proper levels: all the tables weren't full, and there weren't a lot of people helping us. They didn't seem particularly organized either.
It's rather surprising, because the place isn't necessarily cheap. -
Review from Katie F.
9/2/2009
Took my in-laws here at the suggestion of one of my colleagues. I was intrigued when it advertises itself as a New York style resto - images of the NYC Gramercy, Gotham, etc... were floating through my mind when booking a table.
Didn't live up to this image unfortunately!
Convenient location and nice service, but the food is quite average and instantly forgettable at this price point. The appys were enjoyable, particularly the mussels, fries and meatballs. Mains were average, with a variety of dishes including the seafood bowl and red meat ordered around the table.
Definitely skippable in my books given the amazing dining options in the city. -
Review from claudia r.
Vancouver, BC
7/27/2010
This is one of my favorite places to go on a Friday night.
The people are fantastic, the wine is great, and the food is delicious. It's one of those restaurants where you can sit at the bar, chat with the owners, and just be taken care of.
I love the mussels and frites, clam spaghetti, and the Gramercy meatballs!
The brunch is also delicious (I love the veggie hash!) -
Review from Ysabelle R.
Vancouver, BC
5/10/2010
Went here for Dine-Out 2010 and had the duck, which was marvelous. The entrees are marvelous, but the appetizers were uninspiring and the desert (a ganache) was very, very miss. I would definitely go here again, but be a little more discriminating about what I order as it appears that this is a restaurant that just does a few things very, very well.
Oh, and don't bother if you're all about the sides. The sides aren't doing anything other than making the plate look good; it's all about the main.
Wine was terrific, our wait staff were wonderful even on an extremely busy night, and the ambiance is great. It's a very small restaurant, and the din got a bit too loud at times, but I was impressed at how intimate and inviting Gramercy Grill really is. -
Review from Joanne L.
Richmond, BC
10/23/2010
We came here for the BC Hydro Candlelight Energy Conservation dinner event and the restaurant was nicely decorated with beautifully carved jack-o-lanterns. All the appetizer items looked so delicious on the menu and we wanted to order all of them, but we got the beef carpaccio, chicken liver, and crab cake. All excellent! We had the trout and duck breast for entrees and both were good too. Except there were lots of fish bone in my trout that was left in the skin. Flavours were excellent and meats were cooked perfectly. The portions where just right as well. Had the apple crumble dessert and specialty coffees. Service was prompt and friendly even though they had a full house! Will return for sure to try all the other appies!
Listed in: First and Definitely Not Last
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Review from Emily S.
Vancouver, BC
10/16/2010
Don't expect anyone to pay attention to you, even if the place is fully staffed and your table of 4 is half the population of the restaurant. Feels like a Denny's, quiet as a mouse. No wonder this place is dead on a Thursday night. It takes a half an hour to get a drink, so I won't be coming back.
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Review from Evonne A.
7/19/2009
I had Sunday brunch at the Gramercy Grill with my husband and it was not a good experience! It surprised me because I have eaten there before and would probably have given this restaurant a rating of 3 1/2 stars. Today, I am giving it 1 star because my husband liked his hamburger. I thought the corn beef hash or the vegetable hash sounded good but couldn't decide which one to get. Our waitress suggested the vegetable hash and then add the corn beef so that way I could have both. Sounded perfect! The meal came and each time I put a cube of corn beef into my mouth it was mostly fat or was all fat or gristle. I took all the corn beef out of my dish that I could. Hard to tell because sometimes the fat looked like the cubed potatoes. This meal also came with hollandaise which was tasteless. Needed more salt and some lemon juice. I ended up leaving almost half my breakfast and a small plate of cubed fat/corn beef. The waitress came to clear our plates and never asked me how it was so I decided to say something. ........... I would have thought most people would ask was everything o.k. after looking at the corn beef/fat on the small plate. I told her my meal was not very good because of the corn beef being so fatty and she said "well we cook all our beef in house". WHAT DOES THAT MEAN! She didn't say anything else and after that comment what could I say. I didn't want to be rude and I just wanted to leave. Stopped at Terra Bread to get a plain yogurt to help settle my stomach and also to give myself a treat after that fiasco. Writing this helps me go on with my day and also put this out of my mind since it is now for the world to see. If you go don't get the corn beef hash........
