My wife and I first tried this restaurant shortly after it opened, and while the decor is nice and the staff is receptive and courteous, the food is flat out lacking. I tried the pork chop the first time, and what saved it was the mashed potatoes it was paired with, adding to the flavor. This time I tried the fish and chips, and again, very bland and flavorless. Â The fish was fried perfectly, and was flaky, but it has absolutely no taste. We won't be returning, but I wish them well...
Review Source:First time here for dinner on a Friday evening, Card&lobster guac was good but light on the crab & lobster, still good. Fish & Chips best I have had in the area by far but not a fan of the shoe string fries that just my personal taste. My wife had a NY steak and it was cooked perfect all the way through. She also had a strawberry Cosmo but the forgot the liqour.
Service is friendly but slow, both waitress in the bar appear more concerned with their hair than the guests. Manager was a friendly guy actually Irish and not a plastic paddy( my great great grand father is Irish, ur not)
My son was getting married down the road at the Stonewall Golf Club and we needed a place for the rehearsal dinner. Â A friend recommended the Grafton knowing it had a reception area in the back. Â We setup a meeting with Justin (one of the owners) and checked the place out. Â The room was large enough, food seemed right, price was good and they had a decent selection of beers on tap. Â Justin worked hard with us to come up with the right menu and price we were looking for. Â I felt he was trying to save us money, not soak us for every penny. Â Communication over the weeks was very good and we felt everything was in order for the event. Â We arrived a little earlier to setup flowers we had bought for the tables. Â The staff quickly jumped in to help. Â They got the appetizers out and drinks rolling as the guests started to arrive. Â The room looked great (they had just laid new hardwood floors) and everyone was enjoying each other's company. Â The staff walked around ensuring no one had last minute dinner order changes as well as filling drinks. Â When dinner arrived I was surprised at the size of the 14oz NY strips. Â They were huge and gorgeous. Â Dessert followed and was equally tasty. Â Justin stopped in several times to ensure there were no issues and everyone was taken care of. Â I can't say enough about the staff. Â They were great and very attentive. Â I know other posts didn't have as good of an experience with their staff, but that was not an issue with us. Â It was a special day for our family and Justin and his team made sure it felt that way. Â I would definitely recommend the Grafton and have done so. Â Our family will also be frequenting the Grafton for food, drink and good company. Â Thanks again Justin and team for a great time.
Review Source:My girlfriend and I visited here recently on a Friday evening and found the place to be much improved over the Bungalow Alehouse which resided at this location before (and wasn't very good). We arrived after our friends, and it was pretty much standing room only for the first hour or two we were there.
The service was top-notch and the prices decent -- two issues we definitely had with the Alehouse previously. My girlfriend had the Grilled Atlantic Salmon and she was very pleased. I had the Fish & Chips and found both to be very good.
The beer selection was pretty good as well. They had my favorite on tap, Starr Hill's Northern Lights IPA. They seem to feature a lot of local breweries (Lost Rhino in Ashburn and Starr Hill near Charlottesville, among others) so that's always a plus in my book.
We will be going there again, soon!
We went here at noon on a Sunday and there were very few people in the restaurant. Â We were the only table (of 5) in our room. Â The service was extremely slow. Â We ordered our food and it took a long time to come out. Â My son ordered the Breakfast Burger and the egg on the burger was overcooked to the point it was brown and the edges were burnt and the burger was missing the bacon. Â We sent the burger back and it came back out with the bacon, but the egg was still over cooked. Â Not quite as bad, but still brown. Â A fried egg should never be brown. Â The manager who brought the burger back out didn't even apologize. Â I got the Greens Salad and asked for grilled chicken. Â The salad was ok, but either there was no vinaigrette on it or there was so little you couldn't taste it. Â My Grandmother got the same salad and she said the same thing about the lack of dressing. Â The grilled chicken was cold. Â If a person asks for grilled chicken on a salad, why on Earth would you assume they would want that chicken to be cold??? Â My youngest son got just a kid's cheeseburger and he didn't eat much of it because it was dry. Â My wife liked her California Chicken Sandwich.
Overall, this place needs people in kitchen who know how to cook and who are able to turn food out a lot faster. Â 90 minutes for lunch is ridiculous, especially when the restaurant is nearly empty, and the food wasn't even cooked properly and it didn't taste good.
We won't be coming back here.
I met up with a friend for lunch.
I was interested to read Neal E's review and wanted to try the Lost Rhino, Faceplant.
We decided to sit in the bar at one of the many tables, it was Fri afternoon around 130p,  so it was  slow.
Ryan was behind the bar and took care of us.
Lynn had a Blue Moon, double orange. I had the Faceplant & found it to be a tad harsh and heavy and leaning toward the hoppy side.
We shared the crab and lobster dip and chips, it was quite good.
We each had the crab and seafood chowder, it was better than average.
Too bad it was chilly and windy, otherwise we would have tried the patio.
Plenty of parking, professional staff, good food and service.
Over all a very good expereince and I will return to try another Lost Rhnio brew.
Been here a few times for drinks and apps and decided to go for Mothers day brunch too. This place is a huge upgrade from ATR and Bungalow that used to sit in this spot.
Let's talk about my drinks and apps visits first. Service in the bar is great and there is an eclectic crowd and everyone seems casual. The drink service was good and the apps were amazing and the staff in here were great. This was a busy Saturday night too. Based on this experience I decided to try Mothers day here.
We usually hit Stonewall country club/Brass Canon restaurant for this event with a group of 7 but I decided to give these guys a go. They had multiple seating's which was smart to avoid a huge rush for seating and at the buffet. Seating here is not as convenient as it is at the club and we had some issues with our table for a buffet seating where everyone is getting up. If you are in a booth it will be a pain.
We were in the first seating at 10am and it took our waitress a good 10-15 minutes to come over and say hi and take drink orders. I am not sure how this was possible since nobody was really there yet. But we came here for the food and it was amazing. They had all kinds of breads, lobster mac and cheese, amazing French toast and more good stuff. In the end we were extremely happy and all was good and we will go back next year.
I knocked off a star because the servers here need some improvement and the host never called me back to confirm my reservation. I called him in the am on Friday before MDay and he never called me back even though he took my number and said he would. The Irish guy who may be the owner and the Manager seem to be rock solid.
I will continue to go back and expect them to keep improving. We needed a great place like this in GVille.
Not a good first impression - went to Grafton Street at 1:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. It was not too busy except for ~ 15 people at a table in the bar. We were originally in the bar but realized after 10 minutes of waiting without menus or a server that the bartender was manning all tables at the bar. We moved in to the restaurant where we put in our drink and lunch order. We waited another 25 minutes with just water!! The bar was backed up -- presumably since the bartender was also a server -- meanwhile there were two other servers hanging out at the front with the hostess. The kitchen was backed up and they couldn't even get our appetizer out. The Caipirinha drinks were very good and the food was pretty good but it wasn't really worth the wait...
We spoke with the manager, Greg, who tried to defend the poor service rather than apologize and try to make it right. I wonder if this place will make it if they can't handle ~35 people in their entire restuarant. 1.5 hours for lunch!!??!! Not sure we will go back...
My husband and I had dinner at Grafton Street today and the food was terrific. Â We ordered the Cowboy steak and it was cooked to perfection and seasoned perfectly. Â It was truly one of the best steaks I've ever eaten. Â So glad we decided to try this restaurant vice going to Ruth Chris as this is much closer to home and the steak was better than Ruth Chris in my opinion. Â Excellent food, drinks and service. Â I plan to take my daughter and her family when they arrive Memorial Day weekend.
Review Source:Comfortable atmosphere, we went for Easter brunch and returned for Mother's Day . I really do believe they out did themselves. They had a vast selection of breakfast items as well as dinner. The  Prime Rib is always my favorite. Plenty of sides and pastries. Just as we were stuffed to the brim the waitress brought a big platter of deserts and said they were all for us. (We were too full so we wrapped them to go). It's nice to have a restaurant that's not a chain restaurant in the neighborhood. You can tell that the servers really care about your experience.
Review Source:Had a strong first visit to Grafton Street over the weekend.  Called for a early reservation Saturday night.  Like their predecessor Grafton Street has a strong lineup of beers  which includes some smaller named breweries.  The food menu has most of the standards but also includes a few flat breads, a seafood risotto, lobster roll, and a hanger steak.  Between the three of us, we got roast 1/2 chicken, the seafood risotto, and the crab cakes.  We all enjoyed our meals, the risotto was the star.  The crab cakes were good, but I felt they could have used some kind of remoulade and I feel that the side that comes with the crab cakes could use some work.  Its a roasted corn, bell pepper, and butternut squash sautee, a bit on the sweet side to be paired with crab.  This plate really needs some color (see picture), perhaps less of the squash sautee and add some of those green beans.  If I order the crab cakes again i would ask if something could be substituted for the corn and squash. Â
Will certainly be making a return trip to check out the bar scene, apps, flat breads, and steaks. Â I really hope that Grafton can make a go of it here, Its bothersome that this location can't hold down a steady restaurant.
Had a wonderful meal with my husband and daughter. My husband (really picky about his crabcakes) said they were perfect (he NEVER says that!). My New York Strip w/gorgonzola butter was prepared medium rare and was very very good. Our daughter loved the fish n chips. The craft beer selection is great, love the interesting and beautiful seasonal cocktails, and the staff was welcoming and attentive. Oh! The vanilla bean creme brulee was fantastic! Definitely give Grafton Street a try, it might become your new favorite.
Review Source:Last weekend was the second time that my wife and I have been to Grafton Street and this time we went with my parents. Â When I walked in I was greeted by the same hostess from last time, still as unfriendly ever. Â Lighten up girl! Â
We had a reservation for 7:30 but we arrived a little early and they still seated us. Â The service was a bit slow at first because they were extremely busy and, apparently, their computers went down. Â We weren't in any particular rush so it wasn't a big deal.
We started with the onion rings and calamari, both were very good. Â The calamari was cooked perfectly and the breading was light and flavorful. Â The onion rings were also very crispy and really good. Â Both came out piping hot.
For entrees my wife had the soup special, a spinach soup, and the ham & andoille sausage flatbread pizza (without the meat). Â She was surprised to hear that the soup was actually vegeterian (no chicken stock!) and she thought the flavor was wonderful. Â She also liked her flatbread.
My dad had the fish & chips and while shoe string fries aren't really "chips" he was really happy with the fish. Â It was nice thick pieces of cod that were seasoned well. Â The breading was a tad thick, but still my Scottish dad was very pleased.
My mom had a salad and the Tex-Mex eggroll appetizer. Â The salad was fresh and while the tex-mex rolls were a bit spicy for her she still enjoyed them.
I had the NY strip which was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and the shoestring fries were nicely seasoned and crispy.
During the meal both the manager and owner came by the table to check on us and apologize for the waits of the evening. Â
We have so few non-chain good restaurants here in Gainesville so it's nice to have an alternative to the usual places.  We will definitely be back and  I can only hope that this lasts longer than and of the previous restaurants that were in this space.
As others have commented, limited menu and high prices for what you get in terms of quantity and quality. Frozen fries a la Mickey D's...c'mon! Â Fish and Chips at Glory Days is better and much cheaper. Crab cakes are mediocre. Service is sub-par...couldn't get a soda refill until I had finished my meal because waitress was nowhere in site with only a few guests on an early Sunday night. At this price point, I'll stick with the GAR chain. Too bad.
Review Source:Went there for a 2pm late lunch and there were 3 other groups in the bar area and looked like 2 groups in the dining room.
No one greeted us in the bar area, looked like a bartender was working this area alone. Â He was friendly, but not a polished waitstaff for the prices on the menu (for lunch!).
I ordered Fish & Chips (which the bartender recommended) and it came with shoestring fries, the fish and batter wasn't cooked all the way. Â The tarter sauce tasted off (not bad off, just not like I was expecting).
My hubby had beef dip that gave him an upset stomach afterwards. Â
Lunch with an non-alch beer and iced tea cost $34+ tip and we had stuff with fries!!! Â I would have been fine if it was good tasting.
We told the bartender that I didn't like the f&c and he said "sorry" then walked away with my filled plate. Â Keep in mind - he had at this point 2 other tables, so he wasn't really busy. Â
The table closest to us had ordered 2 entrees and when they left they were mostly still intact plates of food. Â Didn't over hear anything, so not sure their situation, but they didn't ask for a doggy bag and the bartender didn't really seem to notice/care of why he's taking almost full plates back to the dishwasher.
We might try again for happy hour some day... but it'll have to blow my mind for us to make it a 3rd time.
Music was odd mix that sounded like someone's random ipod set to "popish". Â
Other than the Irish stuff on the walls, it's hard to tell why they call it an irish pub.
Limited menu and small portions made this a bit disappointing for the money. Â I had the grilled tuna salad, was told it was 8-10 ounces of tuna and was actually three small chunks of tuna. Possibly a very generous five ounces, more'n likely four.
The menu was very limited,, with no healthy or grilled seafood options. While the food was very tasty and the service great, the price ad limited menu options won't make this a regular "go to" place.
I start off by saying it is a very nice place! I will not agree that the food and service is great. I went with a group of friends and family for dinner on a Saturday night and the place was half full. We ordered some appetizers and they were just ok. We all ordered a dinner and were very dissatisfied with the quality of the food. My pork chop was so over cooked that it was burned on one side and the sweet potato hash was discusting, my wife's ribeye steak was very small for a $25 steak and grisly, the fish n chips where good, the shrimp salad was plain tasting and only had 3 shrimps for I think $15 or so, I can go on but I don't want to sound like a complainer. Â I will go back and give them a second try to see if thing have gotten better. I also want to say the price point is to high for the portions you get.
Review Source:My husband and I went on our first date night without kids (well not including our month old son) in about 6 months. While it would have been magical to go for Valentine's Day unfortunately daycare wasn't hosting their Parent's Night Out until the following evening. I was a little bummed because most establishments have special drinks and menus planned to accommodate the "romance" on Valentine's Day and then are back to normal the next night. Surprisingly this was NOT the case at Grafton Street. After a lot of research I really wanted to try this new place mostly because it as close to home and was promising (via the article in Bristow Beat) an experience I would get in or around the city.  My husband went inside to "put our name on the list" while I parked the car, but right away called me to come in as they were seating us. When I walked in they took me to the table (not even needing to ask where my husband was seated I guess not many people were walking in with an infant in a carseat) which was a smaller table in the second dining room that was situated in an alcove made by the doors which offered some privacy that was much appreciated. The acoustics of the restaurant were great, we were in a room with a larger group of people with kids and didn't hear any of their conversation!  The gentleman that seated us was passing out roses to the women in the restaurant and wishing us/them a Happy Valentine's Weekend - I mean are you kidding there was ROMANCE in this restaurant AFTER Valentine's? Count me in EVERY year! I was so amazed by the ambiance in the entire restaurant and really felt like I was in the city at one of their high end restaurants all in Gainesville. I was impressed and amazed and in love a little. Our server was very prompt to take our drink order and made an amazing recommendation for a cocktail, Caiparinha Revisited, I would highly recommend this drink to anyone that like citrusy drinks!  We had the Calamari and a side salad to start with and both were amazing. The calamari had an amazing lemon-thyme aioli which was a little spicy but perfectly balanced. The side salad was my favorite thing, a goat cheese, walnut, and cranberry salad that just sang.  Our meals were perfect as well. I got the ribeye with the mashed potatoes and gorgonzola butter and the husband got the NY strip with the vegetable medley (which happened to be asparagus) and the red wine demi-glaze. Again, amazing. I just loved every note of the meal. The steaks were perfectly cooked, so much so that my husband was questioning his medium rare steak. I had to explain to him that he was in fact getting it medium rare and for once the restaurant wasn't overcooking his steak to a medium.  Dessert was a perfect end to the meal. My husband got the chocolate brownie and I got the vanilla bean creme brûlée. The brownie is one of those desserts that is so rich you may want to share but end up eating it all anyway...I am not a chocolate person so it was a little much for my liking but the creme brûlée was beyond fantastic. Perfectly cooked and not grainy like most other restaurants I have been to. Not only were the staff hospitable and courteous but the other patrons were friendly as well. The large group with kids came over on their way out to say hi (the kids were looking at my son throughout the meal as he was looking around) then a father out on a date with his daughter came by on their way out as well. I felt like this is a place where people go to make friends because we are all living in this area as well.  I will definitely be back!
Review Source:I've been into Grafton Street twice now since the opening. Grafton Street is the new restaurant in the space that used to house The Bungalow Alehouse.
The first time I came in for lunch, I sat at the bar and had their version of fish & chips. The fish is served with an Aioli and malt vinegar. The "chips" are actually Frites. While the fish was hot, crispy, and tasty - the Frites were lukewarm.
The second time I came in during the evening - again sat at the bar. I was in to sample their wings. I'd been told that they retained the wings from the Bungalow Alehouse - which I was hoping was the case - as I was a fan of both the Habanero and Three Mile Island wings. The Three Mile Island have been re-named "Diablo" wings. I ordered one of each - each order contains 10 wings - extra crispy - as I hate wings with soft, skin. I also ordered a pint of Faceplant IPA (Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA):
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Flostrhino.com%2Fbeers%2Ffaceplantipa.php&s=5967d19b050427623e2f2f926f21be466a9facd5de6abf6f19388f5948a879f8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://lostrhino.com/bee…</a>
The Diablo wings are coated with a spicy Diablo sauce - but by default the sauce is not served on the side. I love the spiciness of this sauce - and always order a side of it to dip the wings in. The wings come with a side of Blue Cheese and/or Ranch, and celery sticks.
I was happy to find the wings were as delicious as usual - the same wings as before! The Diablo wings were not quite as well done as I would have liked, but still very good and the Diablo sauce is a kick ass sauce - combining really good flavor with some serious heat! Yummm!!! And the Habanero wings are a delicious intersection of sweet and heat!
The Faceplant IPA was pretty good! Nice hoppy character! I had ordered the Ranger IPA - but they were out if it.
The ambiance at Grafton Street is quite a bit more upscale than the previous restaurant - and the bar has been moved to follow one of the side and back walls - providing a lot more table space in the bar area.
Pros:
- Good craft beer selection on draft - from what I recall - the offerings they currently serve include: Faceplant IPA, Ranger IPA, Monumental IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, and quite a few others.
- Wings are still the same delicious wings as what was served at the Bungalow Alehouse!
- Nice ambiance!
Cons:
- They don't serve one of my favorite Ales that was carried by The Bunglow Alehouse - Raging Bitch IPA
- No 20 oz Ale pint glasses like Bungalow had (except for Guinness)
- The flat panel HD TVs on the wall behind the bar are to small - they should be at least a 55" flat panel HD TV
- Frites were lukewarm - not hot!
I visited Grafton Street on their opening night. Other places I have been are chaotic on their opening night. The whole evening, from being seated, drink and food orders as well as the meal itself was flawless. And let me tell you, the crab cake dish with asparagus was to die for! Others at my table had the wings, burgers and one even had the pizza. They all loved their food. The atmosphere is upscale and was very much needed in the Gainesville area. I recommend anyone go there, even to grab a quick drink. The bar area is spectacular! We also had the owner come by our table ensuring our needs were met. They were exceeded! I WILL be back soon!!!
Review Source:I ate at the bar and had the pulled pork dumplings and a New York strip steak w/ Gorgonzola butter. Â Â Both items were delicious and the steak was cooked to the proper temperate. Â The bar area staff was friendly and offered prompt service.
The bar has a good selection of craft beers in addition to your typical offerings from Bud, Miller, Coors. Â The bartender also has a few craft cocktails he created. Â I had the Whiskey Kiss cocktail which is a warming cocktail made with high quality whiskey and bitters which turned out to be a nice addition to a chilly winter night.
My only complaint is that the place was difficult to find in the dark as the sign was not illuminated. Â It was not until my third trip by the building that I noticed the sign. Â I understand the restaurant is relatively new so I only assume the signage is a work in progress.
Wow.....A fantastic dining experience! Â My wife and I took her parents there for their 45th anniversary dinner this evening . We had already read good things about the restaurant so we're anxious to give it a try. Â
We made reservations for 7pm and we were promptly seated when we arrived a few minutes before 7pm. Â Everyone really enjoyed their meals and the 2 steaks that we ordered were fantastic. Â I love steak and I'm glad I got the opportunity to try both the Black Angus Rib Eye and New York Strip. Â Both of which were cooked exactly as ordered and tasted phenomenal! Â They are easily the best steaks in Gainesville and could give the finer Steakhouses a run for their money.
Our server, the manager, and the owner himself made a great impression on us. Â Grafton Street is a superb new restaurant and if you don't give it a try, you're only cheating yourself.
Yum, yum ,yum...  Just what this area has been needing.  We started with the braised short rib and shiitake dumplings.  Fresh pasta dumplings, light but flavorful.  Then fresh greens salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and dried cranberries tossed in a champagne vinaigrette.  Main course was a grilled hangar steak with red wine demi glaze and Gorgonzola butter, garlic whipped potatoes, and roasted herbed tomato. Hubbie got a grilled New York strip equally as divine:). Lastly we finished the meal off with a vanilla bean creme brûlée and a Godiva chocolate brownie a la mode.  Service was spectacular...attentive and friendly.  We will definitely be returning soon!
Review Source:Agreed with the previous review, Gainesville does need more restaurants like this! Meaning, a place that has great food with a relaxing, upscale atmosphere...and not a chain. We took a client there for drinks and dinner on 1/31/13 and we all enjoyed the tex-mex apps, steak and salads. Great selection of local beers and wine too.
Very excited to have a restaurant like this open locally.
Visited here opening weekend for appetizers and drinks. We sat at the bar, which was full but not too crowded. Things picked up as it got later and it became standing room only after about 9p or so. They have remodeled to be what I call "American Irish Pub" theme, and its well done and looks nice.
Staff was friendly, attentive, dressed in button shirts and ties. Bartender was pleasant and kept our drinks full promptly.
Beers on tap are a nice selection of craft, including several local breweries. Bottles of macro where available and seemed to be popular with a few youngest drinkers among the crowd.
Food was great, though we only tried appetizers. We had Buffalo Wings, Short Rib & Shiitake Dumplings, and Chef's soup, Potato Leak. All of it was delicious, and well presented, and timely prepared. The menu is mostly American a hint of  Irish influence, like the Fish and Chips. The steak selection looks great, I'm anxious to try a meal.
Overall I'm excited for Grafton Street, it certainly has promise and left a great impression on us. It's clear they are going for a more upscale atmosphere, a very welcome change from the previous tenants at this address!
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