Graycliff Restaurant — Restaurant in New Providence

We were on a cruise, and I booked directly with Greycliff for their famous afternoon tea. You pay in advance for the tea and gratuity.

Google says it was a 13 minute walk from the cruise pier, but it was really about 30 minutes total since we we had to walk about 3 cruise ship lengths on the pier to exit. I had printed a map before we left home, since we would not have have cell phone service. It felt like a safe walk from the ship to Greycliff. There was a man in the triangular crosswalk selling a few snacks in his stand, and he gave us pointers on where to cross safely.

We arrived an hour early. Derrick, the host greeted us warmly and graciously invited us to take a walk in the garden or sit in the sitting room area while we waited until the kitchen opened and then he would be glad to seat us early. We walked down the stairs to the garden, past the moss covered statues, to the pretty mosaic pool. There was a fish pond with koi and turtles, and I sat on a padded chair to watch the tall bamboo sway in the breeze.

30 minutes before our 12:30 pm reservation, we checked back, and Derrick gave us a lovely table with a view of the Governor's house. This mansion dating back to 1726 retains its charming, historic elegance where royalty and celebrities have dined and stayed.

Major, our waiter, was warm, friendly, and made us feel like "beautiful people" and well taken care of. He happily indulged my picture taking and enthusiastically took several pictures for us. The Caribbean tea he recommended was a lovely complement to the sandwiches and desserts without being too fruity or sweet. Definitely come hungry, it was a huge tea with whole sandwiches cut into four slices: egg salad with a spike of onion, smoked salmon with onion and capers on a bagel, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches. There was chocolate cake, coconut cake, two types of cookies, a scone, and Greycliff chocolates. Major took excellent care of us keeping our tea cups filled with a smile. We had a lovely experience! Thank you!

The bathroom is located down steps off the porch. It would be a challenge for those with mobility constraints.

Over 30 years before, I had come to Greycliff for a lunch on my college graduation trip. I had wanted to dine at a 5 star restaurant and where celebrities ate (Winston Churchill, Roger Moore, Brooke Shields). I remembered the attentive service and elegant environment. It was my first time in such a fancy restaurant. It was a very special experience to return again and see the gardens and pool this time.

A little further past Greycliff is their chocolate shop as well as a place to get cold chocolate drinks. I had a sample of the chilled white chocolate, and it was so delicious. There is also a wine making/tasting place along the block, and you can mix your own wine through a...

Visited Graycliff in May '22. Decor is old school but that is their thing and thene. There is a beautiful pool on the grounds with painted tiles - a throwback and I loved it. You have to go through this vaccination song and dance to walk in the door, even though visitors can't get onto the Island without being C19 free. They don't really even look at the card. Your document could have said Mickey Mouse on it and the doorman wouldn't have noticed. Silly.

Staff was not unfriendly but wasn't as friendly or as courteous as you find at the resorts. The drivers we had on the island were all much friendlier, engaging and fun. No one was rude but dinner felt a little too business-like and lacked any charm. It was like they know they have you for an expensive $800 meal and automatic 18% gratuity so why try. Unfortunate.

So, the wine list is one of the reasons we came here. The book is about an inch thick. The server said I'll give you a minute to look and he wasn't kidding. He was back asking for a selection in less than 5 minutes. It would take an hour to give it a real flip through.

The Burgundy and Rhone selections were more pedestrian than I had hoped. Many selections but nothing very cool or interesting that didn't cost $1000s. They have the DRCs and some other marquis names at the accompanying crazy prices. Even looking for some good values in Beaujolais yielded only Deboeuf and Jadot (Jadot Beaj-Village was $80 - yikes!).

But, with only seconds to spare before the server returned a second time, I found what might be a couple of the few value or mis-marked selections - Ch Meyney '96 and '95 for $116 and $120. We ordered a bottle of each. Definitely chalked up a win finding these overlooked gems at such a price. Meyney is a consistently overlooked St Estephe chateau and I'm glad to see it was not priced like the other wines. They must have bought these bottles decades ago.

The 96 was showing better than the 95. Definitely recommend ordering these. The 96 had a lot of charm and was peaking. The 95 was more tannin and the fruit was fading (not quite as fleshy as the 96).

The food was good but not great. I had the wagyu tenderloin. It was cooked just right but I'm not convinced it was really wagyu. It lacked the tenderness I expected from wagyu.

We were given a quick cellar tour. They are very proud of their cellar and they should be. I saw some great wine down there. Again, very rushed and they didn't care to talk shop with someone who knows something about wine.

All in all a fun meal with friends but it was pricey and could have been made much nicer with some more personalization and...

The restaurant is definitely a special occasion restaurant. It’s classic old world charm with excellent service. We had so many people tending to us that I couldn’t keep track, but Lock-something (I forgot his name) and the bus boy (his name starts with a “C”) stood out!

We ordered the following: Seafood medley in bechamel sauce Cheese and truffle purses with butter, sage and truffle oil 10 oz grilled filet of antibiotic free prime beef, red wine reduction and Bernaise sauce Slow oven roasted crisp duck in a Bahamian citrus sauce escoffier Mashed potatoes Creamed spinach Guava souffle Graycliff Bahamian bread pudding with vanilla gelato

I really enjoyed the seafood medley appetizer and my husband enjoyed his cheese purses. Originally my steak was overdone but it was quickly rectified by the waiter who’s name starts with “Lock”. He was so gracious about the whole thing, which I really appreciated. The duck was excellent. The skin was nice and crispy and the meat was tender! The mashed potatoes and the creamed spinach were also good. The guava souffle was delicious but I wouldn’t order the bread pudding again. It had too many spices for my taste. Overall it was a good meal with excellent service, especially by Lock-whatever his name is.

There’s is a $4 charge for sharing appetizers and a $10 charge for sharing an entree. If you don’t eat a lot, it might be worth it.

I heard that their wine cellar is outstanding but we only had sparkling water and two diet Cokes. They had an interesting looking mocktail which I would have ordered if I had seen it before I ordered my second Coke.

There’s no parking so you have to valet for $10. Remember to bring extra cash for that...