The Grove Wine Bar & Kitchen

Although I'm not normally i n the area, I don't mind making the trek to the Grove. The food is enjoyable. My boyfriend and I are are typically pretty serious about cuisine and we recommend the Grove. Pros: Food, wine selection, atmosphere Cons: Distance from the majority of Austin more

We've been here several times already. The bruschetta is super-- you can pick and choose-- we've tried them all and love them all! Nice wine selection and beer was good too. The waiters are wonderful - our first waiter, Ian, recognized us after our first visit and every time we arrive, he's there to welcome us again! The pizzas are really good, but the salads are my favorite. We also have tried the crab cakes-- very good. We sometimes get take-out from there, although they quit taking orders around 6pm unfortunately. All in all, we are so glad this place is open and appears will STAY open!! Pros: great food, nice ambience, friendly waiter Cons: often crowded and a bit noisy more

The Grove is a great idea and a much needed addition to the Austin restaurant community. The atmosphere was comfortable and inviting, modern, and stylish. The staff was polite, knowledgeable and friendly and the food was delicious. My husband and I enjoyed the perfect amount of crisp in our pizza crust in addition to some excellent lasagna. And the wines are dizzying ? both in taste and by-the-glass selection. We can't wait to spend a warm afternoon on their enormous outside deck! Pros: Perfect Staff, Wine, and Food more

Being a self-proclaimed ""foodie"" - I'd just like to share my experience(s) at The Grove. I'm a home-chef and I like to drink - The Grove works out nicely for me as the food is top-notch and they have an excellent selection of wine as well as knowledgeable employees (notably the manager - himself being a wine expert). I was there day one for opening and I continue to return for the various dishes they whip up. Knowing that the place was started by Reed Clemens of Reed's Jazz and Supper club - I knew the food would rock right from the start. The outdoor patio is very pleasant even when the weather isn't. I agree - the wait is a bit much sometimes but if you don't like it - either deal with it or GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. To me, good service and food comes with a wait - all chef's and patrons know this - if you don't - stay home.\r \r I highly recommend stopping by and having some bruschetta or stick around for dinner if you can. Try a flight. It's worth it. The Spaghetti Bolognese is excellent as well as the bow-tie pasta. Sometimes they offer something special for dinner - always excellent in my own opinion - especially New Years night - I had Reed's special which was Jalape?o Cheese Grits, Sliced Sirloin topped off with fresh steamed Vegatables. \r \r One thing I'd like to address - The current crop of reviews - Writing a review and describing your ""horrible evening"" because you had to wait 20 minutes? 18 people? Are you stupid? were flat out rude about the whole process - then recommending another restaurant and boasting about it? That's not a review. Sorry you're not patient - Sorry you happen to endorse a competing restaurant that throws shameless plugs at the new place in town. Shame on you.\r \r For me - I'll continue to dine at The Grove - hey, I like it there - I feel like family.\r There's a lot to say about The Grove - non being bad - if anything - a nice new addition to the incredible Austin cuisine fusing many elements of food forming a delicious nirvana in my mouth. Pros: Great Wine selection / Friendly service / Tasty food Cons: Sometimes there's a wait more

The Grove is an up and coming force in the Austin restaurant scene to be reckoned with...a complete wine bar and Italian kitchen that will entice even the most finicky of palettes. From the generous size of the appetizers to the oh-so-delectable en trees, everyone will find something they will fall in love with at The Grove. Truly, a taste of la dolce vita in the West End. more

The neighborhood and the entire city have a lovely new gem in The Grove. From the gorgeous setting to the sleek decor; the superb wine list to the reasonably-priced, creative menu, you simply can't go wrong here. I've been many times since they opened in December and have yet to be disappointed. The entrees, which were great to begin with, have been fine-tuned over the weeks, getting progressively better. Not only are there tons of amazing wines on the list and in the flights, but there are plenty of excellent bottles for take-out (and you get a discount on bottles you buy to bring home). The wait staff has always been very attentive. I noticed a couple of negative reviews below and can't believe it. The likely explanation seems to be that perhaps the reviewers underestimated how packed the place gets, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Personally, I'd rather eat at a busy restaurant than a dead one, and I'd be very forgiving to anyone who is trying their best to serve a party of 18 during a Friday night rush.\r \r Try the bruschetta and the bolognese. And hang out on the patio with some wine while you wait for your table. Beautiful spot, fabulous food and drink, and a wonderful staff. Sounds like a recipe for longevity. Pros: yum. Cons: it's almost always busy, but it's a nice place to pass time with good wine more

This new, Italian wine bistro has become so popular among west Austinites that there's usually a half hour wait (at least) every night, and they only take reservations for 5+ parties. Sometimes it's worth the wait, and sometimes it's not. I went there last night and ordered their ""Stinky Cheese"" pizza, which was basically bread layered with super rich (and not very good) cheese. My friend ordered the chicken pasta, which was much, much better (and I don't even like pasta). The salads are overpriced and sparse and the atmosphere is a little stuffy. However, they have an outside deck on which pets are welcome, which is a real plus given that pet-friendly restaurants are few and far between in Westlake. \r \r So, in short, the pastas are good; the pizza and salads need improvement and are overpriced, the ambience is stuffy inside the restaurant, but is wonderful on the outside decks. My suggestion would be to go on a lazy Sunday afternoon with your dog, order some wine and pasta and sit outside. Pros: Outdoor deck that allows pets Cons: Salads and pizzas are overpriced and sparse more

My wife and I visited The Grove for the first time on Saturday, 3/1/2008. We had heard that it could get pretty busy so we got there around 5:30PM and were able to sit at a great table outside on the deck. (FYI - By 6:00PM the deck was full).\r \r Our server, Melanie, was terrific. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and very attentive. My wife just casually mentioned that we were going to be sharing our entrees. When they arrived, they were already split on separate plates without asking. Our water glasses were never empty. What more to ask for? \r \r My wife does not drink wine and I do not consider myself a connoisseur of wine in any manner so the whole idea of ?Flight of Wine? in an accessible location in Westlake was intriguing for me. I tried the Tuscan flight and appreciated the information card that came with the glasses. \r \r The best part, however, was the food. We started out with the crab cake appetizer which was very good. Lot?s of crab ? less cake and very full flavored. It only got better. \r \r We then split the Steak Salad and the Jrk Chicken Pasta. Both were superb. The combination of textures of the steak, greens, pecans, tomatoes, and organic cheese topped with a buttermilk dressing was perfect. The quality and freshness of the ingredients was evident. It reminded me of the summer meals I had growing up that my Mom made using fresh fruit and veggies from our backyard garden that I picked for her. The Jrk Chicken Pasta was extremely flavorful and rich. It had a bit of kick to it which was quite pleasurable. \r \r We topped it off with the Chocolate Bread Pudding. Although not wine connoisseurs, we know our chocolate! This one of the best desserts I?ve had. The bread pudding was covered in whipped cream with some raspberries. It had terrific flavor yet was very light ? not so heavy and ultra-rich as many chocolate desserts can be.\r \r Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable way to start our evening. We?ll certainly be back. Pros: Superb food, great service, nice ambience, fun wine flights. Cons: Minor - We were not asked preference of inside vs. outside seating. We had to ask. more

I thought it was wonderful but very very busy. The food was great, the wine unique and price was reasonable. Most noteably, there was a great crowd of people. I'd definitely recommend to anyone. Pros: Most Everything Cons: Very Busy more

We arrived as a group of 18, most of us from our company in Westlake Hills. We went there to sit outside on a beautiful Friday evening and relax with drinks and dinner. We left totally stressed out and angry because of the rude and slow-to-no service and headed straight to Bistro 88 for great wine and lovely service. After waiting 20 minutes at The Grove just to get a waiter to show up to bring us menus, we waited another 20 minutes just to get our 1st round of drinks. Forget getting a second drink -- it's just not going to happen. Pay attention owner --- Westlake Hills residents only support restaurants who treat their customers like their part of the family -- look at the thriving Bistro 88 and the 2 hugely successful Mexican restaurants inside the Westlake Hills loop. You're already outside the loop, (Loop 360) and now you are about to make that ""literal."" ADVICE TO POSSIBLE CUSTOMERS - stick with the tried and true so you don't end up angry on a beautiful Austin evening. Support the Westlake Hills restaurants who appreciate their customers...not with an attitude that they are doing you a favor by letting you sit a table. GO CHAPS!! Pros: Beautiful Westlake Hills evening outside under a gorgeous tree Cons: Nobody will even bring you silverware, water, cocktails, food --- anything!!! NOBODY!! more

COULD SOMEONE GET US A DRINK?? Westlake crowd waiting at tables on the patio with no food, no alcohol, and a manager who couldn't care less. This is just one more Westlake restaurant who will sink before it gets launched because they have lousy management --- even with it's great location and beautiful courtyard. But with a ""waiter"" named Todd who is extremely rude to the customers and a manager who'd rather check himself out in his reflection in the window than speak to customers, kiss The Grove goodbye. Pros: Lovely setting Cons: RUDE WAITERS AND RUDER MANAGER more

My fiance and I just went to this restaurant for the first time yesterday. When we first got there, the place was completely full so they said it would be a 25 minute wait. At first we were a little disappointed because we were pretty hungry, but the atmosphere of the place was so laidback that we really didn't mind much. One of the bartenders came over to where we were sitting and offered the wine menu to us, so we sat down with a glass. After only about 10 minutes of very relaxed waiting, the hostess took us to our table. The atmosphere was great! Everyone around us was just eating and drinking and talking and looking like they were having a great time. We really like the decorations of the place too. They were sort of modern and just had a very chic, relaxed vibe. For an appetizer, we ordered the Calimari with Chipotle Marinara. It was SOOO good and there was tons of it! The marinara had a really good smoky flavor to it too. Of course we couldn't start the meal without trying one of their wine flights (they have about 12 different ones, I think). I had Flight #1, which was three different sparkling wines. One of them was from New Mexico and was veeery interesting and so good...so much so that we ended up buying a bottle while we were there to take home! And you get 25% off the bottles! My fiance had Flight #8, which was three different Tuscan wines....also VERY good! The restaurant owners really did a good job putting the flights together and we're already so excited to go back and try all the other flights. For dinner, I ordered the ""Bowtie Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Carmelized Onions in a Gorgonzola-Rosemary Cream Sauce"". It was SOOO savory and delicious! I loved the creaminess of the sauce and the rosemary was the perfect amount. My fiance ordered one of the custom make-your-own pizzas. The ingredients were so fresh! He had the spicy italian sausage, Roma tomatoes, and Basil pesto. The pizza was GREAT and so big that he only ate half! We love the Grove! Pros: food, ambience, wine flights, great place to go for long conversations with good food and wine! Cons: place was packed so the parking lot was kind of full....but it was so worth it! more