The Grouse in Ballymena

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.

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 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.

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.

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😊

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 👌

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

Had the Christmas Dinner absolutely beautiful , great service .

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!

Waited too long for drinks went bar quicker

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

Lovely place, nice food, reasonably priced.

This is our fourth time to have lunch in The Grouse over the past few months and we have enjoyed every visit. We have seen it both busy and quiet and have been impressed every time with the friendly reception and the reasonably priced and...

Friday night went with family.steaks were terrible.it was obvious they had been pre cooked and reheated.i returned my steak to be recooked.that took for ever to find a staff to complain to.our bill was around £200 and will never be back Will not recommend here to anyone

This Place has changed a lot. Waited a long time for food to arrive. Had to ask for tartare sauce which should have come with the scampi.. not very nice. Won't order that again.

I visited the grouse a couple of Sundays ago for their Sunday lunch menu. I had the turkey and ham and my husband had the roast beef. The starters and desserts were delicious. The prawns especially. The quality was 10/10. I also visited last Wednesday with my sister for a midweek dinner from their new mid week menu. I had the mushroom bruschetta and chicken Atlanta (a grouse classic) and both were fantastic. At £18 for two courses you couldn’t get better value anywhere. The waiting staff were lovely and courteous. Didn’t get the ladies name but she was so professional and friendly. Best spot in ballymena for any occasion really. Excellent wine selection and the cocktails are all delicious and much cheaper than some other local restaurants/hotels. The grouse are ticking all the boxes, well done.

We met up with friends for dinner at the famous grouse. We hadn't booked and it was very busy but the staff were brilliant and sorted us out. The food was superb and the 2 courses for £18 was a great hit. We will return.

The food was not as good as it used to be. The steak was not cooked as ordered. The service for the most part was poor. The bill had overcharged and had to be rectified as well. Waiting time for service was unusually poor. Been...

The food ok, my meal was very enjoyable my husbands was OK, steak chewy and the skinny fries tasted like oven chips. The service however leaves a lot be desired. The food was slow but we can forgive this as it takes as long as...

My husband and I went for a late lunch on Saturday. We ordered the ‘House Burger’ and the ‘Vegan Burger’. Unfortunately both were dry, overcooked and tasteless. The vegan burger was especially disappointing. It was so dry it was hard to chew and only came with rocket and onion. No pickles, tomato or cheese to add flavour. The only dip was a small dish of relish and the gluten free bun (which was unnecessary as I am not coeliac) was again dry and inedible. Very disappointing and unfortunately I would not recommend.

Really unimpressed took my son for a special meal sunday 22nd October waited 45 mins for 2 turkey dinners my food was cold i didnt ask my son what his was like. He ordered dessert has to approach Supervisor 30 mins later. My son decided he would take his dessert home which was s chocolate brownie. I asked was there ice-cream and fresh cream to be told yes. He was give a carton with brownie and sauce nothing else. Very disappointing at 😞

This was our first time here, and I fell like I’ve been missing ou all these years. Fantasitc food, and really great service. I had the chicken stack which was lovely, my partner had the burger, and said it was one of the best he’s ever had - that’s high praise indeed! We’ll defo be back.

This was our first time here, and I fell like I’ve been missing ou all these years. Fantasitc food, and really great service. I had the chicken stack which was lovely, my partner had the burger, and said it was one of the best he’s...

OK, it was a great experience. 4 siblings out for lunch. Food was very good staff very friendly. Once main course was over service was a tad slow but remained very friendly. All fresh products I have to say. Yes, we did leave a tip.

Located in the heart of Ballymena, this place has a lot to offer. From friendly staff, great value and a well balanced menu to a great choice of drinks and a lovely atmosphere! The place to be !!

Tome enough. 2023 update - dandered in the day (Sunday) for a pint while I figured out what I was going to do for lunch. Every table in the front bar was reserved which made me wonder what was happening. Decided to give the Sunday lunch a go, now I know why all the tables were reserved: the food was class & set menu great value. Had salt & chilli prawns and a steak which were both really tasty & cooked to perfection. Nice to know there's another decent place to eat in Ballymena.

Out with friends shopping in Ballymena the Grouse was recommended and it did not fail. Ambience was good staff very good food and drink we enjoyed very much

Very friendly staff Great food Gluten free friendly

Having an incredible dining experience once is special but when you repeat it again its worth writing a review. It's not easy eating out as a coeliac so when the service and options are as good as they are here, and as consistent you wouldn't...

Stopped by this place on the way back to Belfast from the Giants Causeway. Absolutely loved the food and the vibe.

The food and the service were both excellent. Reasonably priced with a great vibe about it. Will definitely be back.

Excellent food with great prices and very good prices for alcohol

Called in last night for the set menu courses, great buzz in the restaurant with other customers! Food was excellent and service swift even though they were under pressure. The set menu was excellent value for money and will definitely be back!

I visited the restaurant this evening with friends. We arrived just before 6. 00 p.m. We had to go to a meeting at 8. 00 p .m. which necessitated us leaving the Grouse at 7. 30 p.m. One and a half hours is normally much...

We had a beautiful 2 course meal… excellent service - thank you!

My son and I have dined here a few times recently. Nice friendly staff. Food beautifully presented and hot. Our waiter was very helpful. He was the busiest waiter on duty. Always on the floor and bringing food from the kitchen. Other serving staff stood around at the bar chatting backs to the customers. A lot of face scratching ear tugging and nise rubbing put me off my meal. I don't want served by dirty hands. I mentioned this when paying the bill, which was duly noted by the bar person. Simple hygiene please.

Great food, horrible service, no drink refills, had to ask twice for the bill. Paying at the bar is rude.

Offer 2 courses for £18 and well worth it

We had a family dinner here tonight. It was very busy but the staff were great. The salt and chilli chicken is worth a mention as the nicest I have had. Everyone enjoyed their meal and the service. Best in ballymena for food and drinks.

Is this what Ballymena has to offer? Please tell me this isn't it. We waited a very long time to get our order taken, an unreasonably long time to get our drinks.... (25 mins) Then 50 minutes after our order was taken a waiter came...

My daughter and I called for lunch. Lovely atmosphere and staff. Fantastic food. Thanks so much to our waiter/barman Alan for looking after us, Can’t wait to return

Can't have a drink at the bar without loud mouths shouting rather then talking, They need to be told other people are sharing the same area.

Lovely food, pleasantly surprised. 1 star perished due to long waiting time for food. Otherwise, great spot.

Waited for 1 hour for food,when we asked why its take so long,answer was they lost or order. Disappointed

Zoe our waitress was lovely very accommodating and got us sorted ASAP throughout the evening

It's a very nice place with good food and the service is very friendly. The streets are funny to find a place to park, but we adapted.

really nice pub, lovely staff and tasty food

Lovely upmarket pub with varied menu for good value

First time here, came shopping to Ballymena and found this place as we walked outside of Fairhill Shopping Centre. Lovely old fashioned pub, we were greeted by staff quickly and shown to a table. Lovely young girl called Zoe took our order and recommended some...

We dined here tonight with family while on holiday from Canada. The food was delicious. I had lots of different smaller plates such as brie, bacon and cheese garlic bread and hot wings with blue cheese dip. All were amazing. An Irish coffee followed and...

We booked the grouse restaurant online after reading some reviews , I can definitely say it was an excellent choice, From we entered the restaurant we where greeted by welcoming and friendly staff members, our drinks order was taken and delivered promptly, We only had...

Had lunch here, and it was beautiful. Well priced with fast efficient service.

In the heart of ballymena lovely food

Family visit on father's day. Decor is beautiful. The place was very busy but food was amazing and the staff were excellent. Best location for shopping in between both shopping centres.

Great bar for meal,would definitley go back.

Had lunch today with family. Really nice food and well presented. Lovely staff chappie looked after us. Very prompt service all round. Highly recommended.

Very disappointing, steak was not as we asked and tasted funny. When we complained staff were polite but no solution or discount given. Wouldn’t visit again.

I must admit it's been a while since we have eaten in The Grouse Restaurant but today will definitely be the last. Starters were awful and the mains even worse, poorly cooked and presented food! For example the Atlanta chicken was a bowl of chorizo cream sauce with a very watery mash and a (small) over cooked chicken fillet! Was more like a soup by the time I got half way through. Waited quite a while for our drinks order and it wasn't that busy though the waiting staff were friendly enough. We did see other plates of food being heading back into the kitchen so we weren't alone, improvement needed!

Nice atmosphere, great improvement in staff! Food was good! But would love something more exciting! Monkfish, scallops , lamb duck etc!

Lovely place and food go try it for yourself 👍

The place was empty, service awful. More staff standing around the bar talking and watching things on their phones. One fella seemed to be doing it all. We waited 30 mins on our drinks. Cutlery threw on seats while they cleaned the tables, I have...

Had lunch here today with my sister as we always do when up in Ballymena & it never fails to deliver. Great staff & amazing food. See you again soon.

My wifes 30th birthday celebrations. We choose the smoking monkeys upstairs balcony lounge to have a private meal/party it was stunning. They had let us in the morning of to have everything decorated as we would like. The food... wonderful, couldn’t have faulted anything we...

A group of 10 had lunch recently and everyone enjoyed the experience. Food was served hot , portions were great and everything was delicious. Service was first class and everyone was friendly and welcoming .

Poor quality food staff will not listen to complaints