Grotto is a gem! The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and our server was great. The hummus was the best I’ve ever had, and the Chicken Karaage was fantastic. The sushi looked incredible too—can’t wait to go back and try that next!
Sarah Marie Raymond
Went for the five course Valentine's Day dinner and was not impressed by what we were served. The food was less than mediocre and it is to be expected that when you spend almost 300 dollars after gratuity that you should have a wonderful dining experience. The nigiri wasn't of high quality and the rice had little to no taste which seemed to be the theme of the night.... The following courses were no exception the scallops had no sear and werent cooked all the way through giving it a weird texture and again there was no seasoning... The mushroom ravioli had no seasoning and was over cooked... The beef tenderloin was nicely cooked but had zero seasoning and no crust and a plain boiled potatoe was not a fitting side. I will give props to the front of house staff they were very friendly and approachable but I suggest that a head chef that knows how to properly prepare food that is worthy of a heavy price tag be brought in or this will be another failed restaurant that has potential to do great things on the downtown scene!!!
Laura Knight
It has some really great tasting dishes but unfortunately the service was quite slow Servings are small and It's a bit on the pricey side
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare Tower, Pork Belly Bao
Cassandra Currie
Maybe we caught them on an off night or something, but honestly, my overall impression was “it’s ok, but definitely not worth what I paid”. We ordered 8 different tapas, plus dessert, and the quality was all over the place. The fish taco (pictured) was very good, as was the crème brûlée and the garlic shrimp, but the lobster bisque tasted like watery tomato soup, and everything else was somewhere in the middle. Service was ok - very slow for how busy they were (or weren’t), but our waitress was friendly. The ambience is good - dark and cosy with Spanish-inspired mosaics - although I was sad when they switched from Latin/mariachi music to more generic stuff partway through our meal. Ultimately, way too expensive for such average food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee, Carnitas and Blackened Cod Tacos, Gambas Al Ajillo Garlic Shrimp
Marc Beaupre
Food is great but extremely overpriced.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare Tower, Caesar Salad, Gregory's Famous Chicken Sandwich
John F
There were only 2 tables and we had to wait for more than 30 minutes for a couple of drinks. The servers were friendly but could be more attentive to the wait times. We waited patiently without water but had to leave even before our drinks came.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jason Baldachino
Food was fine - not exceptional but of good quality and will appeal to most palettes.
Service was... unbelievable. We were given no plates (at a tapas restaurant). We were given no silverware. After multiple requests, we recieved one set of silverware. This was then taken away with the first tapas and the rest of the meal we ate with our fingers....
We asked multiple times for water and did not receive any.
They were a bit busy, but this was hands down the worst service I've ever received at a restaurant. May not have been the waitresses fault.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Patrick Graham
We came here for dinner one night as their tapas menu seemed more interesting than the gastro pub or other options.
They have an outdoor patio but it looks more like a rail car as you step up into it. It is on Water Street but the kitchen is accessed off the side street so the servers were running back and forth to get orders.
For drinks we ordered 2 Frozen Rose Sangrias which were cool and refreshing to help beat the heat.
We ordered 2 Baja Cod Tacos, 2 Pork Belly Baos and some Pan con Tamate (bruschetta made of tomato, garlic, olive oil and you can add sea salt to taste). The cod tacos were crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside, the pork belly was crispy but moist due to the fat and the bruschetta was flavourful but the sea salt put it over the top!
We were still hungry so we also ordered a Bianca Flatbread. The garlic cream sauce and Brie made it creamy while the caramelized onions gave it some sweetness. The herbed mushrooms and prosciutto took it to a whole other level!
To finish off a great meal we shared a Dulce de leche Crème Brûlée. It was sweet, creamy and decadent and the perfect way to complete the evening.
If you want great service, food and atmosphere this is your place!
Vegetarian options: They have good veggie options such as Margarita Flatbread, Pan con Tamate, Pepper Soup, Saganaki, Salads (Goat Cheese & Caesar) and Shishito Peppers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee
Elizabeth Burry Studios
As a native of St. John’s, I get the opportunity to eat at many places around the city. This was hands down one of the best meals had in a long time. Food was hot, delicious and presented beautifully. Drinks were absolutely amazing. Tuna tower , Ribs , Boa, We’re just a few of the delicious dishes we enjoyed tonight Julian was an awesome server. Very attentive and fun conversation. Highly recommend this restaurant if you would like to have fabulous tapas and an enjoyable evening. Definitely recommend and will be back there real soon.
Horrible services. I asked for a sangria pitcher an I got a glass of sangria. So, I ordered another glass of sangria and I didn’t even got it. Not napkins, forks or plates on the table.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Nancy Adams-Clarke
Absolutely horrible service. We ordered beverages and received them. Then nothing. We received no service, no food, nothing. 30 minutes later our server told us she forgot us. 30 more minutes later we paid for our beverages and left. Maybe the food is good, maybe it's not, we will never know. (The blueberries in my beverage were nice)
Service: 1
Milo G
Not exclusively Spanish food imho but a very good world kitchen selection in small portions. Try the tuna one, it was spiced to perfection.
Grotto is a gem! The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and our server was great. The hummus was the best I’ve ever had, and the Chicken Karaage was fantastic. The sushi looked incredible too—can’t wait to go back and try that next!
Went for the five course Valentine's Day dinner and was not impressed by what we were served. The food was less than mediocre and it is to be expected that when you spend almost 300 dollars after gratuity that you should have a wonderful dining experience. The nigiri wasn't of high quality and the rice had little to no taste which seemed to be the theme of the night.... The following courses were no exception the scallops had no sear and werent cooked all the way through giving it a weird texture and again there was no seasoning... The mushroom ravioli had no seasoning and was over cooked... The beef tenderloin was nicely cooked but had zero seasoning and no crust and a plain boiled potatoe was not a fitting side. I will give props to the front of house staff they were very friendly and approachable but I suggest that a head chef that knows how to properly prepare food that is worthy of a heavy price tag be brought in or this will be another failed restaurant that has potential to do great things on the downtown scene!!!
It has some really great tasting dishes but unfortunately the service was quite slow
Servings are small and It's a bit on the pricey side
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare Tower, Pork Belly Bao
Maybe we caught them on an off night or something, but honestly, my overall impression was “it’s ok, but definitely not worth what I paid”. We ordered 8 different tapas, plus dessert, and the quality was all over the place. The fish taco (pictured) was very good, as was the crème brûlée and the garlic shrimp, but the lobster bisque tasted like watery tomato soup, and everything else was somewhere in the middle. Service was ok - very slow for how busy they were (or weren’t), but our waitress was friendly. The ambience is good - dark and cosy with Spanish-inspired mosaics - although I was sad when they switched from Latin/mariachi music to more generic stuff partway through our meal. Ultimately, way too expensive for such average food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee, Carnitas and Blackened Cod Tacos, Gambas Al Ajillo Garlic Shrimp
Food is great but extremely overpriced.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare Tower, Caesar Salad, Gregory's Famous Chicken Sandwich
There were only 2 tables and we had to wait for more than 30 minutes for a couple of drinks. The servers were friendly but could be more attentive to the wait times. We waited patiently without water but had to leave even before our drinks came.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food was fine - not exceptional but of good quality and will appeal to most palettes.
Service was... unbelievable. We were given no plates (at a tapas restaurant). We were given no silverware. After multiple requests, we recieved one set of silverware. This was then taken away with the first tapas and the rest of the meal we ate with our fingers....
We asked multiple times for water and did not receive any.
They were a bit busy, but this was hands down the worst service I've ever received at a restaurant. May not have been the waitresses fault.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
We came here for dinner one night as their tapas menu seemed more interesting than the gastro pub or other options.
They have an outdoor patio but it looks more like a rail car as you step up into it. It is on Water Street but the kitchen is accessed off the side street so the servers were running back and forth to get orders.
For drinks we ordered 2 Frozen Rose Sangrias which were cool and refreshing to help beat the heat.
We ordered 2 Baja Cod Tacos, 2 Pork Belly Baos and some Pan con Tamate (bruschetta made of tomato, garlic, olive oil and you can add sea salt to taste). The cod tacos were crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside, the pork belly was crispy but moist due to the fat and the bruschetta was flavourful but the sea salt put it over the top!
We were still hungry so we also ordered a Bianca Flatbread. The garlic cream sauce and Brie made it creamy while the caramelized onions gave it some sweetness. The herbed mushrooms and prosciutto took it to a whole other level!
To finish off a great meal we shared a Dulce de leche Crème Brûlée. It was sweet, creamy and decadent and the perfect way to complete the evening.
If you want great service, food and atmosphere this is your place!
Vegetarian options: They have good veggie options such as Margarita Flatbread, Pan con Tamate, Pepper Soup, Saganaki, Salads (Goat Cheese & Caesar) and Shishito Peppers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee
As a native of St. John’s, I get the opportunity to eat at many places around the city. This was hands down one of the best meals had in a long time. Food was hot, delicious and presented beautifully. Drinks were absolutely amazing. Tuna tower , Ribs , Boa, We’re just a few of the delicious dishes we enjoyed tonight Julian was an awesome server. Very attentive and fun conversation. Highly recommend this restaurant if you would like to have fabulous tapas and an enjoyable evening. Definitely recommend and will be back there real soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing drinks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Horrible services. I asked for a sangria pitcher an I got a glass of sangria. So, I ordered another glass of sangria and I didn’t even got it. Not napkins, forks or plates on the table.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Absolutely horrible service. We ordered beverages and received them. Then nothing. We received no service, no food, nothing. 30 minutes later our server told us she forgot us. 30 more minutes later we paid for our beverages and left. Maybe the food is good, maybe it's not, we will never know. (The blueberries in my beverage were nice)
Service: 1
Not exclusively Spanish food imho but a very good world kitchen selection in small portions. Try the tuna one, it was spiced to perfection.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Margherita Flatbread, Tuna Tartare Tower
Great ambience with delicious food topped with awesome customer service ????
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good food and super cool atmosphere but the portions are way too small for the price
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