Gramado's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Marlborough

MAKE RESERVATIONS!! Otherwise you may not be able to get in, as they can be fully booked for days at a time.

My (Brazilian) husband and I absolutely loved our meal here. Everyone working here was really kind and friendly, and all seemed to be in a good mood, which makes the whole experience so much more fun.

The food and drinks were great. I'll go in order of the meal:

The caipirinha tasted exactly as it should. The pão de queijo was indistinguishable from what I've had in Brazil, and the spicy guava sauce on the side was amazing. (Brazilian husband reports that it tastes like his childhood, but he had never paired it with PdQ before). The escondidinho was delicious. Never having had it before, I loved it and would absolutely order it again. The Brazilian old fashioned was really good. Personally I'd just order a second caipi next time, but I'm glad I tried it! The moqueca was the only place where I can complain at all. It was delightfully creamy and flavorful, but the portion was quite small. It was maybe 1/3 the size of my husband's order of feijoada. The feijoada was really good and even came with orange slices, which is familiar in Brazil. The pudim (Brazilian flan) was super tasty. I'm not a sweets person, but I really enjoyed it anyway. My husband describes it as "richer and more complex than the Brazilian ones."

In closing: both my husband (Brazilian) and I (American) loved this meal. He says the flavors were very familiar, and I say it was delicious. Thanks, Gramado's, for...

Oh my god! I never write reviews for NZ restaurants and have broken my own rule. As the food of the NZ restaurants are usually subpar, doesn't measure up to performance and the restaurant isn't even worth mentioning. I just came back from Italy and tried some Michelin star restaurants. I am a food connoisseur and this restaurant was good or even better then some Michelin star restaurants! The food was fantastic.

My brother is a chef and it is never the restaurant that makes great food. It is the chef that makes a great restaurant.

Where to start? The food was excellent and their speciality is Brazilian dishes. The staff were friendly and helpful. The atmosphere or ambience of the restaurant was great. The lights went out and people and guests were encouraged to sing happy birthday. I think their were 3 birthdays in the restaurant that night. The mood of the restaurant is reflected in their free Wifi password "Talk to each Other". Most people bury their heads in their cellphones and ignore the person they are suppose to be with in the restaurant. You get the picture.

Other signs that the restaurant was good. The whole place was booked out. It was completely packed and was lucky enough to get a free table. For our European cousins who are use to eating late around 9-10pm as is the custom in Europe. They close at midnight. Another plus.

Finally, I tend not to eat desert and the restaurant brought out a free sample of their desert. Another acolade to their bow and why this...

My friend and I came here for my birthday for dinner and I got the warmest welcome!! Saulo even tacked up a birthday banner for me! He even sat down with us for a personalized touch to explain the menu!

Everyone walking in said that their hotel recommended it as the top place to eat in town and I can see why!!

Here you get amazing one on one service and attention. Great suggestions through the evening from drinks, entrees to mains!

We started with refreshing mojitos with incredibly fresh mint! Then we had a local wine!

We had the Brazilian cheese bread with a yummy dipping sauce.

My friend ordered the steak and I had the lamb. They brought out a plate with various levels of spicy chilis with their own unique flavor and heat profile. My heart felt filled (I love spicy things)!

When I told them I was looking for more heat, he brought out a Brazilian ghost pepper or a Carolina reaper — it was Russian roulette because he didn’t know which one he grabbed!

Loved the spicy homemade hot sauce with the steak which my friend so graciously shared! The lamb has a more delicate taste which would be overpowered by the various chilis. Still loved the supple and tender meat!

We ordered dessert and of course the whole restaurant was singing happy birthday! Which dessert did I go with? You got it the chocolate lava cake volcano with homemade chocolate chili sauce!

We had a fabulous experience here and I 100% recommend you try… But it does get super busy so I highly recommend getting...