So when I visited the Grounds of Alexandria last year, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was back again for round two. This place only keeps getting more popular and it really shows… In fact, my friends and I went on a Monday afternoon and had to endure an hour long wait, while last time it was only twenty minutes! Apparently parking’s also pretty atrocious, so walking from Green Square station might be something you want to consider. After all, it only takes about fifteen minutes and you’ll need to walk off the inevitable food coma!
Part of this place’s appeal is that everything’s so photogenic. Vintage-style lemonade stand with pretty signage? Check. ATM hidden within a red telephone box? Check. Mounted deer head on the wall? You get the idea… There was even a florist selling rainbow roses that I kinda wanted, but at $5 a pop it definitely wasn’t happening!
I ordered the Grounds’ signature burger, and oh my. I’ve been looking at a disproportionate number of burger pictures lately and after weeks, the craving has finally been satisfied! This one was pretty good as far as burgers go – the toasted brioche bun was nice and soft, and I really liked the mayo and crisp lettuce inside. Oh, and can I just say that I love the chips at this place? I was so full that I didn’t really get to enjoy them properly but they were delicious, especially with the chilli mayo on the side! They kind of remind me of the ones you can get at the Snag Stand, which are a hybrid between regular chips and wedges.
Our whole group got drinks to-go and I have to admit, it was pretty comical to see so many drinks being served in bubble cups instead of the usual mason jars! Thank goodness I did get one though, since I could barely finish my iced tea and ended up drinking it on the walk to the station. Anyway, my friend really seemed to enjoy her beef ragout stracci despite none of us being sure about how to actually pronounce it (isn’t that the worst)? Same with the steak sandwich, although I noticed that they changed the bread since last time! Despite this it was still huge and seemed like a battle to finish…
Lemons and strawberries today, bread and pastries tomorrow. Speaking of lemons, during the wait we tried teamonade which tasted more like lemonade than tea, but it was still pretty good! It’s inspired to me to make my own lemonade with pretty garnishes sometime.
While I like food I’m usually someone who’ll snub a restaurant at the mere sight of a line, so this was definitely a rare occasion! I thought the hype would die down by now but apparently not, so that may determine whether I decide to come back again or not. Nevertheless, if you’ve never been and have FOMO (fear of missing out) I recommend trying out the Grounds for yourself. It’s certainly an experience!
