The Grouse in Ballymena

Nice atmosphere decent food and good service

Had heard good reports about The Grouse, looked forward to trying it. 3 of us went, 2 meals came out, we then asked where the 3rd meal was, the waitress only listed 2 meals, so 2 of us were finished by the time my mums meal came. Food was cold, plenty of staff but very unorganized, would not like to experience here on busy day.

The restaurant, though bustling with customers, maintained efficient service. Orders were taken promptly, and food arrived quickly. The honey chicken was flavourful, but the portion sizes were underwhelming, considering the £16 price. I was expecting more than half a plate!!

Great food. Service abit slow but it was a Saturday lunch time..Lasagne and burgers delicious, homemade.

Had the Christmas Dinner absolutely beautiful , great service .

Great food and a nice place to relax and enjoy a drink or two.

Great place for a meal, really friendly staff

Food was reasonably priced and delicious. Portion sizes were generous. Staff were super friendly. Great place to eat, I would highly recommend.

Ate here for my birthday with my husband and it was great. Food was lovely, very generous portions, but the staff really made it, they were fantastic. We had such a good night. Would highly recommend if you’re in Ballymena.

Casual & friendly. Slightly open and loud but to be expected at busy times. Staff are well keyed in, attentive. Food was above average.

It was very good, im glad we booked. We may have been forgotten about initially, but things sorted themselves out. id recommend without doubt

Loved the fish and chips,fresh and perfectly cooked absolutely delicious 😋

The decor was lovely and very relaxing atmosphere.....We just wanted something quick to eat as we where going to the match. Very good service and food was amazing. Staff where so nice. We definitely are going to go back. I had the bbq chicken cheese melt and it was really good. My husband had the goujons. Food was so fresh.

We had a great time here on Friday night with friends for dinner and drinks and stayed for the live music in the bar afterwards. Food was at its usual best and served by chatty staff which created a good atmosphere. The only downside was we stayed out longer than planned it was so good.

The waitress serving shooters on a tray ripped me off! She made me pay the first time then came back saying that the payment didn't work even though I had withdrawn it twice! Music too loud at the night club, my ears are bleeding, great!!

Top class establishment. Food was good

Great food friendly staff good atmosphere

Joined friends for a meal here recently. Was really good and great value for money. Would highly recommend

Excellent restaurant, just what we needed. Delicious and good value food. The staff were attentive and professional all evening. A relaxing and special meal in pleasant surroundings. Easy parking in the large public car park nearby.

Excellent restaurant, just what we needed. Delicious and good value food. The staff were attentive and professional all evening. A relaxing and special meal in pleasant surroundings. Easy parking in the large public car park nearby.

Booked a table at the grouse for Sunday lunch after a recommendation from a friend. Very glad we did. Everything was top notch. Great choice of roasts available as well as al a carte options. We were welcomed by very professional staff who looked after us well.

Few drinks with friends a couple of weeks ago. Atmosphere in bar was fine, ordered 2beers, bacardi rum with coke for around £15, what is I would be say normal price in these days. After we moved to disco place security guys was polite and profesional but music was only and just techno style and too loud. Not very enjoyable at all. We cant hear own words.

We were shopping in Ballymena today and ended up in the Grouse for a little drink and something to eat, well all l can say is the food was absolutely delicious, the service, the staff and the lad behind the bar was A1, certainly be back again without a doubt. 👍

Definitely return again, excellent service and never had a disappointing meal would definitely recommend

We had booked a table over the phone but when we arrived there was no booking. We did however get a table. The staff are all very good and friendly. The food was awful. We were given a discount but would have preferred to have paid full amount for good food. Waiting time was far too long. I would definitely not recommend the grouse for a meal.

Food of very high standard and cooked to perfection. Matched by our waiter who was attentive and friendly. A busy place for a Thursday evening.

Very poor, long wait, service tried there best but cold chips and poor quality steak

Fantastic food and affordable prices

Great service, lovely decor, lovely atmosphere, huge portions and every dish was incredible (chicken wings, fried Brie, stuffed mushroom starters and Gammon, egg & chips for main) Highly recommend. We are in Ballymena for a week and will certainly be back!

Good service from the staff. The food was very mid for the price and £4 for a childs jug of dilute juice is unjustifiable, given that about 20p worth of product actually goes into it. We enjoyed it ok but we'll probably not go back.

First time having a meal in the Grouse I couldn't recommend it enough the food was first class the staff were brilliant very friendly nothing was a bother to them . We will definitely be back . The Grouse will definitely be my choice for a night out for a lovely meal with family an friends 😋 .

Went out for dinner with the girlfriend, best salt and chill about, the staff were brilliant and the kitchen staff know what they are at 😮‍💨🔥

I am totally blowing about with this restaurant & bar I decided I would give this wee place a try … wow the food really did not disappoint ! Me and my partner had the 3 courses for £25 for starters we both had the cheesy garlic bread followed by our mains which where salt and chilli chicken & chicken Atlanta and finally for dessert we had pavlova … Emma & her team are doing an incredible job . The praise needs to be giving . We will be back without a doubt 🍹🍲

I would highly recommend The Grouse. As the staff are very friendly, very efficient & very attentive. We were made to feel very welcome & very well taken care of during our meal. Food was first class & it was the nicest Roast Beef Dinner that I've ever had. So will definitely be back & it's a lovely venue. Well done to everyone on Sunday, especially with it being Father's Day. Even under extreme pressure the staff were very professional & delivered first class service. So thank you everyone for a lovely afternoon. 😊😊👍👍

Best spot in the town for food and drinks….. The Grouse never fails to disappoint us New stuffed mushrooms wow!!!! Brilliant addition to the menu food always beautiful and well presented and the staff are super friendly & welcoming 10/10 as always guys

Guy who we first met who took us to our table looked bored and fed up, with next to no interaction. When seated the decor of the place is lovely, and the menu looked good. 3 courses for £22 on a sunday. Starters came quickly and were tasty. Then proceeded to wait 30 mins and still no mains. Said to another guy working there and he said he would check. Came back after 10 mins and said will be another 5 mins. 45 mins between finishing starter and main course coming was shocking. No apology or explanation. The food was good albeit the portions for main not the biggest. Unfortunately what could have been a good experience was overall a satisfactory down to service.

Took wife mum & dad for Saturday meal. Booked in advance which was great. Hadn’t even sat down or taken my coat off and was asked for drinks order. At least let us sit down first! Menu is basic but not bad. Average price for a prime restaurant. I ordered chicken Maryland and my misses ordered Fried wedges of brea as she’s vegetarian. Food took about 25-30min which was about right. My mum’s chicken and mash had no veg and my Maryland was quite dry so ordered veg and gravy. 10 minutes in I asked again for it and after 15 minutes and half way through I had to go up and ask manager for it. Veg came out shortly after then after going up again my gravy came. Very disappointed in the service as my dinner was not great as it was dry and they had the cheek to charge me £3.50 for gravy and £4 for veg. I probably won’t go back as meal and dessert(overcooked sauce on my pudding and not real banoffee)for 4 came to over £100 and dessert was very disappointing. It’s a shame as it’s such a lovely place to go.

The food was absolutely delicious and the staff were friendly. Thanks so much.

Very rude staff and average food

Love the grouse, great for a meal and a few drinks. Live music makes it an all round good place to meet up with friends for a night out.

My husband and I had eaten here before and the food was always good. Unfortunately that seems to have changed. We ate here for lunch and the food and service was terrible. While the portions are huge, size does not equal quality. I had a steak sandwich which should be pretty simple however with the amount of cooked tomatoes in the sandwich, the plate was swimming and the bread was soggy. The steak was full of gristle. Husband had steak and requested medium cooking however was well done. Service was also lack lustre as we waited for 45 minutes for our food to arrive and there were tables who arrived after us who had finished eating by the time our food arrived. We weren't asked once how the food was, during the meal or at paying the bill. Very disappointing overall.

Delicious food, gorgeous decor, perfect for food and drinks or a bite to eat when you’re in the town shopping. Staff are always super friendly too.

Just had a late lunch. Loads of staff but such poor service. Took ages to get food and when we finally got our food, children’s meals didn’t come out until we asked 3 more times by which time we were finished ours. Offered us children’s ice creams which we ordered but they never appeared. We paid £66 and I think the worst we have had in a very long time. We won’t be back.

Went hear for a quiet night out with a few friends. Great atmosphere and friendly staff, had a good night

Not as nice as last time hardly any meat an loads mash

Visited the Grouse on Friday and won't be back for a long time ,we both had honey Chili chicken it came in a small bowel with triple cooked chips again a small bowel with a thimble size amount of garlic mayo not even a small garnish on the plate a bit pathetic looking to say the least

Had lunch with a friend here yesterday. Have been prior and always very welcoming staff and good food at fair prices. Felt a bit rushed at some points when barely finished, our plates cleared. Barely had a chance to look at menu and staff over. Appreciate speed of service but maybe over eager inexperienced staff or maybe they were needing our table...though other tables were free. Would still come back

Only had a quick shandy. But very friendly.

I got the garlic and bacon bread, absolutely rotten, literally rustler burger cheese and forgot my garlic mayo not a big deal until then it came to the main dish was absolutely dreadful, chilli chicken or veg pasta, it tasted like it had been sitting all day, the sauce was very nice a bit spicy. Then I had gotten the sticky toffy pudding and it wasn’t even warm 🤦 my mother had gotten the steak as her main and all it was, was pieces of fat lol. We also had gotten 3 cocktails which were quite good but for the price OF £83.00 it’s a disaster would not recommend

Lovely food here definitely enjoyed it

We had lunch here recently. They weren't very busy, and we only ordered two main courses. The problem was that we waited over 30 minutes for the food to arrive, and both meals were only slightly warm - I suspect it had been sitting ready to be served for at least 10 minutes. Other tables were also waiting a long time for their food. To be fair, they did rush through the order again, but this meant another 10 minute wait although the food was nice when we finally got it. In total, we waited over 45 mins between ordering and eating - I'd hate to see how they would cope if the restaurant was actually full.

Got to be honest our experience was not great. We where a party of 8 one vegetarian and one wheelchair user. The vegetarian options where nonexistent on the menu and while there was wheelchair access once we got to our table other patrons where seated at other tables which blocked access to the loos and exit. There would have been a real issue in the event of an emergency. The vegetarian ended up with some chips and vegetables that where side dishes. Service was erratic with quite a wait between the first and the last in our group getting their meals.

Stopped for dinner after shopping and made very welcome by friendly staff. Great location and beside large car park. Beautiful decor. Food very tasty and well presented. Plenty of choice and well priced for large portions.

Traditional restaurant, large portions, fast service

A real treat.worth a visit. Unless your starving, don't order fish and chips. Was massive.

One of the best places to eat in Ballymena. Great staff. Ben and Phoebe very attentive. 5*

Asked several times on arrival for drinks order and explained each time that we would choose wine once we had decided what we were going to eat. One waitress was quite rude saying 'Are you ready now to order drinks' One of our party found her chicken to be slightly pink in the centre and told the waitress who took it back to the kitchen. She came back to say that the chef said he had checked it before serving and that it was just a vein. A replacement meal was offered but as we were going to a concert nearby we were caught for time plus the person felt a little put off eating anything else. When it came to paying the bill there was no discount offered and when staff were challenged they just ignored us. We asked to speak to a manager but were told that this was not possible.

Called here on Friday for the first time before shopping and found it very on trend with drinks and food. Lovely decor with a luxury feel. Great location in the town centre to watch everyone coming and going. Great vibe about this venue too. Super food and friendly people and staff. A great all rounder.

We hadn't been in a while & on this occasion I was disappointed. Maybe a walk-in for food at 8.30 pm with closing at 9 pm wasn't what those working that night wanted, and I know from past experience the Grouse could do much better. Greasy scampi..wilted lettuce. Waiting staff not properly trained. No tea/ coffee available at 930pm. (The machine was cleaned!) Took our money & never asked if we enjoyed our meal. In Kathleen's day, this just wouldn't have happened.

We dined here as a family on mother's day. As expected it was busy but the food was delicious from a well priced set menu. Great wine selection too. Staff were friendly and attentive. Nice vibe and cosy atmosphere. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Called into the grouse with my friend and asked for a table for two to which they said they were fully booked so we left go other food and came back for some drinks. We only left for just over an hour to come back to the same tables being empty and half an hour till kitchen shut. So they weren’t fully booked they just couldn’t be bothered taking on another table. We stayed for some drinks which were fine but very expensive wouldn’t ever back and I’ll tell others not to either

We were sat at a really wobbly table that wobbled to a degree your drink would spill. We asked could we be moved table to one of the many free 2-seater tables and she said all the other tables are booked, including ones that 2 people had been seated on after we had asked, so it was definitey possible to have been moved. We said to the blonde waitress out table to too wobbly who deadpan responded ‘o people normally put something underneath’. She then came over and tossed 3 beermats onto our table for us to attempt to stop our table wobbling and walked away. Rude and not our responsibility to give ourselves a stable table to eat our dinner on. Then after our starters came we waited one hour for our main before asking a waiter could he please check on the progress of our mains as it had been an hour (tables around us were receiving their food despite coming in after us).Then when the mains came out one of them wasn’t as ordered. They did correct the mistake when staff were notified but i suppose after an hour of waiting these things become more frustrating. I also noticed people got the same starters we got except in much bigger bowls/ bigger portions of the same dish (during our hour of waiting when inevitably you start gazing around you). All topped off with waiting ages at the bar to pay while loads of staff ran by. We would normally get dessert and teas but didn’t bother as were fed up at that point. At the end of our meal there was no ackowledgement of any of our issues. Very disappointed today.

Visited here tonight, food was lovely and well presented! Also Ben was very helpful and accommodating, went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed, thank you Ben! Will definitely be back😊

I had many recommendations to eat here, after a morning shopping, we stopped for some lunch. Were seated and order taken, service was fantastic until this point. We watched as diners around us, got there food swiftly. We waited 35 minutes for food to arrive, only after prompting a waitress, our starters panickingly arrived 10 minutes later. After finishing this, the plate was left on the table with empty glasses for a further 10 minutes as staff walked past taking plates to and from tables around us. After over an hour of waiting we eventually we asked to cancel our order and leave and the attitude we got from multiple staff members was horrible. Particularly I assume the manager. No apology given, no compassion, just contempt that we would not be paying for the mains that had obviously rushed through the kitchen. The restaurant was not particularly busy, and we had ordered wings, a salad and sandwich... very disappointed and would not recommend.

First time at the grouse complex for an anniversary meal with my wife. I must say the food was excellent the service from the staff was very helpful kasper the frount of house was excellent in his job kasper and Courtney serviced our table and realy attend all our needs with drinks and extra food klaudia behind the bar was realy friendly and she also had nice soothing music playing in the back ground thank you every one for a fantastic evening I will be back again we realy enjoyed ourselves

A lovely bar amazing food and the loveliest staff ever 😋

Pleasant and fast service, great food and well looked after

They serve the best food in ballymena, always fresh and the prices kept reasonable. Great offer on 2 or 3 courses so I had the 3 courses today. Goats cheese 3 ways for starter, spanish chicken with chorizo cream sauce, mash and tobacco onions, fresh fruit pavlova. Never had a bad meal in it. The staff are always friendly and polite.

As always dropped into the grouse when we in town shopping and as ever the food and service was excellent! I had the steak on the bone which was cooked perfectly, washed down with a pint of harp! Can’t go past the grouse when we are in town, look forward to the next visit.

I think Management really needs to find a happy medium of encouraging staff to be available but not walking past every 3 minutes and 5 different staff asking the exact same questions. We were trying to have a long awaited family catchup following a funeral and couldn't get the peace to eat or talk. There is attentive service and then there is disruptive and this was definitely the latter. The waiting staff were young and seemed compelled to follow each other in a line of 4 or 5 and do a revolving walk past every table asking the same 2 questions over and over.

Just called in for meal. First class

Good atmosphere excellent food, dog friendly, all round good pub/restraunt

Another lovely meal at the grouse, I met up with friends for dinner and a few cocktails. We all ordered from the 2 course special menu which is great value. I had lasagne and chips followed by a chocolate brownie and ice cream. All four of us thought the food was delicious and the service was very attentive.

Out with a few friends for a meal at the Grouse before Christmas. I told staff before I ordered anything that I had Coeliac Disease and that it was really important that everything I was served was gluten free. Each time a course arrived I checked again and was assured everything would be fine. I started to feel ill about 40 minutes after finishing dessert. I was pretty sure that I had got some gluten so, knowing what was about to unfold, I decided to leave early to try to get home as soon as possible. I didn’t make it. I spent 10 minutes vomiting violently in a car park and then continued driving. Didn’t quite make it home and left a mess in the car. Then spent two hours on my knees vomiting in the bathroom. This is the usual outcome when I get a large amount of gluten. A little contamination just leaves me feeling unwell. But this was not just contamination. It took four days to recover. I messaged the Grouse shortly afterwards via their website to let them know but to date, a month later, I have heard nothing. Pathetic

Good food but very slow service

We dined here as a family on boxing day. We expected it to be quiet but it was busy. The food was delicious especially my favourte the brie. The fires all over the place made it nice and cosy. The staff were great. Cocktails here are fantastic too. Plenty of Christmas atmosphere still in the air.

Warm and friendly staff make you feel very welcome, excellent lunchtime menu and the food was excellent

Such a lovely place with a great atmosphere we had a great Christmas dinner in here tonight the staff went above and beyond

Lovely food, good vibe, friendly staff.

I came in to sample the Christmas menu and I was impressed with the vast range of options available. I decided to go for the deep fried Brie to start and roast salmon fillet for the main. The Brie was delicious and the cranberry sauce complimented it very well. I got a Generous portion of salmon which was cooked perfectly accompanied by veg and mash which was also very tasty. I would also recommend the flat white martini which put me in the festive mood. The staff seemed very helpful, pleasant and mannerly

10 out of 10 for food and service at the Grouse. We always book here to get together at Christmas. Cocktails were too good. There have been a few changes since we last visited with lovely floral decor added in the restaurant and more seating areas. Very busy and it had a lovely friendly atmosphere.

We went down to the grouse on Saturday and asked for a table for 4 for food and drinks. They were very busy and since we hadn't booked they said they could seat us in the smoking monkey. We ordered and paid for food and cocktails the bar staff told us to sit anywhere upstairs. Then right before our food came the manager asked us to move as the table was prebooked for a Christmas party (which didn't arrive until 1.5hrs later) when we explained there was no where else to sit and we had already paid for our meal we were told they would refund the money for the meal and there's nothing that could be done. The woman had a horrible attitude and was very rude. Honestly disappointing service. We got moved table to a dirty plastic table were we stayed to eat and we couldn't wait to get leaving.

The Grouse is just the best place around locally for food, there is no question about it. The chicken Atlanta is absolutely incredible! Food is always good, staff very attentive, lovely decor. The only thing that lets it down is the bathrooms, when you're walking out to them its like walking outside, they're not the best. But for food, it is just the best 👌

We had our Christmas work dinner in the grouse last night and want to thank all the staff for making it so good. The food, service and atmosphere were all fantastic and for such a large group of 30 we cannot fault a thing.

Went for a wee dinner and drinks with the missus tonight. Restaurant and bar both extremely busy but food still arrived in a timely manner and was absolutely beautiful. Wonderful Christmas decorations everywhere accompanied by great service by our young waiter Eva who was very willing to help in every way and even gave great cocktail recommendations. All over fantastic visit couldn't recommend the grouse more.

We booked our lunch for 1.30pm and when we arrived we were seated at our table and told that someone would be over shortly to take a drinks and meal order. The waiter came over to take our drinks order but said that he could not take our food order at the minute as the kitchen was backed up and they had been asked to slow it down and that he would be back once they were ready to take our order. Our drinks arrived promptly and the waiter appeared again 20 minutes later to take our order which was a Christmas dinner and the Chicken stack. We waited and waited and we could see that a large table beside us got their starters then followed by their mains and had finished their mains and we were still waiting. Three ladies arrived 30 minutes after us and their meal arrived after 30 minutes and we were still waiting for our dinner. I then called over one of the waiters and explained that we had been waiting for an hour now and that the three ladies that arrived 30 minutes after us had got there meal before us, she said that she would let the kitchen know. Five minutes later another waiter called over to say that the hold up was the party of 24 beside us that had taken time to get out and that there was another large party to be served before us and that they would get to us after that. By 2.45pm and still no sign of our dinner we decided that we had waited long enough and how much longer were we going to have to wait. We went over to the bar and cancelled our meal and paid for our drinks. I know how a kitchen works and the dockets are prioritised as they come in for each table. If you have to many big parties all at once you need to space them out so as to let the kitchen cope and for diners like myself to get our meal at a reasonable waiting time. We normally dine here throughout the year and the service is very good but this time it was just utter chaos, we will remember to give it a miss next year in December.

We stopped for dinner and a tipple during our late night Christmas shopping trip in Ballymena. We love the location of the Grouse and at this time of year the fires are roaring on entry and they make a big effort with Christmas decorations. It did not disappoint and I had the Christmas turkey dinner but I opted for the atlanta sauce with mine instead of gravy. I could have drank the sauce from the plate. Great vibe and atmosphere and I know I will always meet a few familiar faces when I am in the Grouse. PS I love the way they always have hanging mistletoe.

We were here on Saturday 9th December. I never tasted food like it, it was unbelievable. A few of our party had the prawns and they said they were the best prawns they ever had. We had a waiter called Ben. He was so attentive and nothing was a bother to him. Also there cocktails we amazing. We all will definitely be back.

What a place!! Food gets 10/10 amazing Pepper burger absolutely delicious. The pepper sauce is the nicest ive had anywhere! All waiting staff are super friendly, young, well presented and jolly. best food and service by far from the grouse! Cocktail menu is superb! Well done guys

We had the most delicious food ever. The place was very busy. The toilets were clean, a very important issue for me. Service was excellent we were looked after by Ben who did an amazing job. He was pleasant,attentive and courteous.

So, they started by making excuses because there were three tables booked at the same time. 20 covers, all on a set menu, over 50% having Turkey & Ham. That's like a filling station complaining because 3 cars turn up, all wanting diesel. When the...

We go to Ballymena every December for a shopping trip and have ate at the grouse for the past few years. Beautiful place inside and out, food is amazing and decently priced. Cocktails 🍹 are amazing . We had lunch today and again was top...

As always the food and atmosphere were fabulous but the waiting staff were excellent especially Alan Smith. Can’t wait to go back for more of the same!

Food good and priced well, but more staff required and a touch of umph would help

For the price the food was lovely. Really tasty and well presented. Our waiter Kasper was so helpful with our veggie choice. Would definitely go back

Came in for something to eat and 1 dec walked into Santa grotto. Got a lovely beer and the bonus of a magnificent (early) Christmas dinner. Plenty of cheer and amazing service from the staff in a friendly, positive atmosphere! Top pub! Special thanks to...

Very nice pub on Ballymena. My partner and I take a day Christmas shopping and usually go in here for some lunch. Great food ,service and a lovely homely atmosphere

8 of us are on Saturday night before heading off to a birthday party. The food, service, atmosphere and staff were all amazing! Highly recommend

Very very disappointed as when I calmly explained there was no pepper sauce in our burgers, despite the waiter bringing out some eventually the lead waitress said I was mistaken, basically saying I was lying. The very worst customer service. Clearly none in our party of 8 will ever return or recommend The Grouse. And shame on the manager Josh Kennedy who ran off and hid rather than explain his staffs actions. This is the worse review of have ever written because no restaurant has ever responded to my polite complaint in any restaurant. All I can say is shame on you!

Restaurant really busy Service was fantastic,attentive,everything on time. Young girls doing a super job of hospitality The food was really really really good Fair play to everyone involved Super job