Grove Brunch Café El Paso West - Healthy Brunch & Signature Cocktails — Restaurant in El Paso

A very nice looking brunch place that’s trying really hard to be spectacular. Sometimes there are restaurants that are making delicious brunch items using unique flavor combinations, and sometimes there are restaurants that are doing their best imitation of those other restaurants. I’m not going to say which one this place is, but 2 stars was basically for the decor of the place. It is a very beautifully decorated place. There are several 4 top tables, and a long bar height table for those willing to share a space, and an open patio if you don’t mind sitting outside. Very lovely atmosphere as well. It really reminds me of another brunch spot here in town, until you get your food. We asked the waitress for a recommendation and she replied, “most people order this one.” So we ordered that and few other items to try to get a good taste of everything from brunch to lunch. However, nothing was phenomenal, nothing stood out as a real hit. Everything was just, okay. Not bad, just “okay.” The idea of a good dish is there, but the execution is lacking. Everything is well designed, from the menu to the descriptions of the items, but there’s no soul in the food. Like the cooks are just going through the motions, to get the food out. My salad was supposed to be tossed in an Asian dressing, but the spring mix leaves were dry and the dressing was in a pool at the bottom of the bowl 😔. I also ordered a side of pork belly, because it sounded so good on the menu, I love pork belly, but it was just a piece of deep fried pork belly. No seasoning, and it wasn’t even fried enough to make it good on its own, it was still floppy and chewy. The one thing that really stuck with me was their Grove Potatoes. Not that they were anything to write home about, they were memorable because they were just okay. The Grove potatoes are the default side for most of the items on the menu. I looked around and noticed 90% of the people eating had the little metal bowl with the paper lining (by now it’s become cliche) with potatoes as their side. If you’re going to make potatoes be your default side option, then they better be the best damn potatoes in town. They were just “okay.” They were under seasoned, and they had a funny taste like maybe they weren’t made from fresh potatoes, like the taste of something sitting in a fridge without baking soda in the back (my daughter made the comment that they tasted like the fries from her school cafeteria.) I was really disappointed in everything. This place will probably be ok, because most people are impressed more with the look of a place, (Instagramability level is high here) but don’t go here if you want good tasting food. There’s another place in town that is the king of brunch, go there for the food, come here for the social...

I wish I could give more stars, everything was amazing here, ordered the French Toast, Kimchi Fried Rice and eggs + Pork Belly, and the red wine sautéed burssel sprouts. Buddy, if I could've kept eating, I would have. However, the portions are great and filling. The highlight of my order was the Brussel sprouts, they were the best I've ever had (and I really like Brussels sprouts), the prosciutto and red-wine used to cook them are such an amazing combinations it makes me think about moving the El Paso. Next, the Kimchi friend rice was hands-down, the most homemade flavor of kimichi I've ever had at a restaurant. It reminded me of my time in Korea. The owners do a very impressive job making the kimchi, there is no strong vinegar aftertaste, or any strong pungent flavor or odor to the dish in the least and to add the lemon thyme to the dish was a very good move. The dish comes with a small batch of arugala on the side, which compliments the kimichi and pork belly VERY well; next time I'll ask if they have some fennel in can throw in with my arugala. The french toast was a little dessert, and it was the perfect way to finish off the meal after the the other two savory dishes, the sweetness of the house made batter, fresh berries, and the delicious marscapone would go amazing with a cup of coffee. Of course, I can't leave off the mimosas either. Delicious and strong is all that needs to be said about that with varying flavors. The ONLY thing that I did not like, was that the bar next door was blasting less enjoyable music while I'm finding my peace in this meal over the music of The Grove, probably my own fault for eating in the afternoon rather than during breakfast hours. Not to rag on the other servers, but if you guys don't or didn't have Zeke as your friend for the duration of the meal, I feel sorry for you. He knows the ins-and-outs of the menu, he is friendly, he makes honest recommendations and suggested an alternative where he thought it would fit. 10/10 great guy. Will definitely sit as his table next time I'm in town....

So today I went to this establishment and with eagerness and enthusiasm ordered the Ribeye steak medium rare. Valeria took our order, she asked if we wanted drinks, I ordered a coffee. It was a party of 4. She brought 3 of the dishes and the 4th person in our party had to wait for her meal (All meals should come at the same time). My plate had a very small steak and did not look anything like a Ribeye and must've been perhaps 3 oz. It was well done! Have to also note that steak came with no steak knife and I had to get up and approach another waitress to request one. So I brought up to Valeria 's attention that the steak was well done and she stated she would return the plate for a new one. Meantime my party ate their meal and I waited another 15 minutes. At no point did Valeria offered to refill our coffee , I had to flag her to get refills.

The previous plate had regular potatoes which were good and when Valeria brought new plate, it had sweet potato fries, so I asked her about the potatoes and said she would place an order and should be done very soon. I finished my plate (this time, it was medium rare and very juicy) and eggs but no potatoes...she said that they were still preparing them. I just told her to forget it.

I asked for the bill and had a total of 140.00 which I wanted to pay but Valeria was nowhere in sight to grab card and bill, so I asked another waitress to charge me and suddenly Valeria shows up. Not a very good experience. I will never return to this place so as long as live here in El Paso

I did tipped Valeria 10 % as her service actually merit a lot less but no more that the 10 %.

Do me...