The Grove Wine Bar & Kitchen - Cedar Park — Restaurant in Cedar Park

This is a long one, but if you are considering hosting any type of wedding-related event here (welcome party, rehearsal, afterparty...) please take the time to read about what happened to us.

We had our wedding on 9.18.22 and we wanted to host a welcome gathering/cocktail hour (something a patio or bar area would easily be able to accommodate). My husband and I went on a date here years ago in college and remembered having a good experience, so we thought it would be nice to revisit the location for our wedding. I called 3 weeks before our date and spoke to a lovely hostess or manager (I didn't catch their name) who told us that while they couldn't normally take reservations, she'd make the staff and managers aware of our event and said that the bar or patio would suit us perfectly. I was so excited to bring our guests to a place that we'd been on a date at years before!

So on the morning of our scheduled event I called to confirm our group size and what time we'd be showing up, as well as that it was for our wedding. The first red flag was when the person on the other end of the phone had no idea what I was talking about, and said they "might be able to accommodate us, but we really should have called sooner". Well as I mentioned I DID call 3 weeks prior, it isn't my fault that your staff didn't pass on the message properly. And it was too late to tell our many guests that we had to go somewhere else.

So we all start showing up, it was about 40 guests in total ready to eat and drink and have a great time (again, we're fine with open patio/bar seating). IMMEDIATELY a female manager with long curly red hair came up to me, grabbed my arm, asked if I was the bride, and when I said "yes" she told me I needed to "get my guests in order" and that we were "taking up space that could be used by other customers" and that we were to stay on one side of the patio and were not allowed to go inside.......I was SHOCKED. I reminded her that we were in the books and I'd called ahead of time, to which she smirked/shrugged and responded "If you'd called 2 weeks ago we could have accommodated you". I told her we called THREE weeks prior and she said "well I need room for other paying customers". As if some hypothetical customers are a better bargain than my 40 guaranteed guests? A groomsman and two of my dad's friends who are also in the restaurant industry had to step in and deal with the situation because I was so upset, and all the day before our wedding. None of us have ever experienced such an inappropriate and unprofessional interaction before.

Meanwhile, while I'm being told off by the insanely rude manager, the other half of our group was being attended to by John who completely saved the day. He told them to feel free to push tables together and was so welcoming. A completely opposite experience from what I was having to deal with. He ended up taking over the whole party area with the help of Leah and we didn't see the original manager again, thankfully. John attended to us throughout the many rounds of drinks & pizzas, and I am very grateful to both him & Leah for being so attentive & saving the experience.

Still, our "welcome party" ended up being the lowest point of our wedding weekend thanks to the rude curly-haired manager. I'm sad to say that we probably won't be back again, even though this used to be a favorite of ours. I never thought my wedding could be such an inconvenience.

John deserves a raise...

Really wanted to give a higher number of stars but had a mediocre experience., most of my complaints are with the service not the food. Weird from the start when hostess told us we'd have to wait 20 minutes or sit outside. We chose to wait for indoors and she sat us in less than 5 minutes. Which I know is nice but come on- there was no one else waiting. It was 1:30 on Sunday. There wasn't a need to put us on a wait list. Our waitress lacked interest in us and was almost non communicative. She seemed put out with getting our order - which is her job. She checked back once with us but was running around to all different areas of the restaurant and seemed bothered to take our order. She saw we had finished our food and just came up and told us "I'm getting your check"- we weren't offered dessert or a follow up about if we enjoyed our meal. We discovered after we got home that there are 2 charges on our account from them. When we called the person on the phone said don't worry one should drop off. If not WE can call back. They said the waitress probably just accidentally rang it twice... I sure do think this should have been told to us by the person making the error! The person clearing our plates actually told us to hand him that plate so it could get cleared. This happened 4 other times..... ummm isn't that their job. I really don't mind moving a plate or stacking a plate but to be TOLD to get the plate was really interruptive to my conversation with my family. When you're paying $50 for lunch I do expect more professional staff with courtesy for the customers. The tables on both sides of us had managers and people apologizing for their messed up orders. The entire experience gave me mixed signals. The wait staff was dressed in shorts and jeans and T- shirts while the hostesses were wearing dresses and heals. People seemed to be running all over but not taking interest or ownership of the customers at the tables. I've been to other Grove locations and they've got their Grove groove down, this place is still rough around the edges. The food was fresh, but heavily salted. The coffee was great. The were serving brunch and menu seemed varied. However- Cedar park & Round Rock have many great places to eat so I'll give This Grove one more chance to improve service and establish better training for staff before I decide to take my...

4.8 Stars! I'm not from around here & am always looking for Fun Fantastic New dining experiences, when out of town. This was a nearly Perfect experience!

Parking & figuring out where to enter was a bit tricky...LOL... I ended up entering on the coffee shop side. Once I figured out where the hostess stand was, I was told there'd be a wait. I felt very dismissed, as I was a single diner & could easily be offered any area near or at the bar. (Plenty of open seats there). I almost walked out, b4 I asked about the table near the bar... Stating, it looked open to me?! They said I could seat myself & offered no menu (which there was a stack right in front of them). After a few moments, I simply asked a hostess for one. She said the bar server would bring one, but complied with my request... However, in my opinion, I should have been offered one, on my way to the table... Or a menu should have already been on the table. Nonetheless, I'm Super Glad I didn't let that set the tone for my visit to this Sweet spot! The atmosphere is funky & classy at the same time. The out door area looked welcoming, but it was windy, so I dined inside.

Talia was attentive. She did a Lovely job of checking on me, making sure I had all I needed & had Wonderful suggestions! I Enjoy trying new foods. The coffee was Devine, & the Bruschetta board was Delectably Delicious. Seasoning was spot on! (I'm sensitive to heat, so the cayenne pepper was a bit much for me on the avocado, but I could appreciate how scrumptious it was & ate half). The Salmon & the mushroom w/Gouda were Amazing! That's all I could eat, but I savored each & every bite! I'm hooked & will be bringing a Friend next time!!

The restroom counters & sinks were nice enough, but the walls & toilets looked like they could use some power washing, recaulking &/or a bit of a remodeling. At those prices, I'm sure they can keep up with the bathroom, like they do the dining areas. Everywhere I looked it was Beautiful, chic or modern... They lost luster in the restroom.

Over all the service, atmosphere & food is what brings people back... I Will be back! Looking fwrd to stopping in next month! Can't wait to try...