Graffi Grill Midtbyen — Restaurant in Trondheim

Edit: This place has really gone downhill since I first reviewed it. The food and prices continue to be decent, but they really better be. You've heard the expression "you're paying for the atmosphere"? Well they've cut out the atmosphere and passed the saving on to you. I don't want to be waited on hand and foot, but I do expect to be treated with a modicum of respect. I expect the staff to come up with more believable excuses (or to pick one and stick to it) when a simple request to be seated in an empty section is denied because the waiter doesn't want to walk another few meters. I expect to not be asked if I want to "round" 2 kroners up to 50 kroner. I expect to not have to wait on hold for what's essentially a slightly nicer Applebee's because their online reservation form doesn't have a queue system. Believe it or not, they'd get another star from me if they let me seat myself and go get my food from the counter.

Original review: I constantly hear about this place, but I'd never been before yesterday. To be honest, my expectations were not very high. My initial impression was that this would be fairly overrated, filled the the brim with patrons, offering (in typical Norwegian fashion) uninspired and overpriced dishes.

My expectations were blown out of the water. Even after ordering and allowing myself to get excited over the prospect of a pulled pork sandwich, I repeated the age-old "too good to be true" mantra, having never paid less than 200 kroner for a meal at a restaurant that would actually leave me full in Trondheim. But the food arrived no more than 8 minutes after ordering, and it was more than enough to sate a peckish lunch palette. Although the sandwich was unwieldy (which limited how much I could wholeheartedly claim to have enjoyed it), it was reasonably tasty (although lacked a certain punch) and was absolutely worth the price. I'd go as far as to say that the fare here is unbeatable--maybe not in terms of atmosphere or even taste--but without a doubt in value.

To anyone with the actual audacity to complain about the price: name me a single restaurant where you can order an entree and a drink and leave feeling full for under 160 kroner in Trondheim. I'll hold my breath. I doubt even McDonald's can offer that.

My only complaints are mild, and they regard atmosphere. Although they have outdoor seating, it wasn't exactly enticing, even on a hot, early summer midday. The interior is very dimly lit for lunchtime and the music (while decent) was, as it often is at places like these, just a little too loud. The worst was probably the bathroom, which was an absolute mess. A quick peek at the charts revealed that it hadn't been cleaned for 3 days. The lighting is so ridiculous that it goes beyond discouraging unsavory drunken activity--and straight to encouraging poor aim, which I'm certain one would find evidence to attest to if a walking cane weren't necessary to find the actual toilet.

But all in all, a surprisingly pleasant experience. Will...

Accessibility: Ramp entrance, and a lift located at the back of the building for prams and wheelchairs to access to upper floor.

Atmosphere: Wonderful atmosphere, and stunning lighting. I was located on the balcony above, and it provided a lovely view of the restaurant. All tables also had a few tea lights on, which added to the cosy atmosphere. When we arrive the restaurant was busy, but still several tables were available. As we ate the restaurant became pretty much full at around 7pm.

Staff/Norwegian/English: Staff were kind, lovely and patient. Happy to talk in English, and also patient if you would like to practice your Norwegian (like myself). Orginally provided Norwegian menus, but I was offered English ones should I need it.

Menu: Plenty of options on the menu, there is something for everyone! Staff are happy to check any queries you may have about any of the menu items. Items all list potential allergies.

Waiting time: We ordered our food traditionally rather than using the app, so food took a little longer but nothing outside of normal expectations eg maximum 20 minutes. While we waited we were given a cold jug of water, which was refreshing and good for cleansing the palette between dishes.

Taste/presentation: All the good we has was lovely, flavoursome and hearty. The food was presented well, and added to the experience. We recieved a good size portion of food for every dish, which was wonderful. My only "con", would be that they didn't ask me how I liked my steak. I had the cut steak, and it was slightly over done to my preference but still was delightful.

Cost: The food is quite pricey, there's definitely cheaper out there but for the experience, portion sizes and quality of food, it's very...

Low for atmosphere and service because the place was very loud (20:30 to 22 o'clock, Friday) and the food took long to arrive + it was difficult to communicate with the waiters (had to scream and repeat a lot to be heard and it is difficult to get their attention). When you get a grillfest you can order as much side dishes as you want without extra payment. However, you may not learn about this. Or you can try using it but you never get hold of a waiter or they forget they had to bring you something. Other than the sides, everything you order needs to go through an app. What makes the app a bit akward is that you need to tip and pay before having received the food. It is also difficult if you are allergic to a lot and need substitutions to get something you can eat. Following up on whether the order was right is also difficult as, again, you can't get the waiter's attention. The allergic person in our group didn't get what they ordered or at least the final result was very simple and boring. The food is tasty but the grillfest used to have garlic mashed potatoes. Without it as it is now the fest is less balanced. After 22 o'clock when the place quieted down we got a lot of attention from the staff and they were all very nice so I guess we may give the restaurant another try. Maybe we just...