The Gramercy

1

© ITP Images

 

• 
• Picture 1 of 2
• 

The Gramercy looks so inviting – its ‘50s Manhattan chic has been traded for a kind of homely continental vibe. There are wide, comfy booths and a long stylish bar, and the menu shows such promise, a rich diversity of European-inspired dishes on offer. This could have been a seriously classy contender. But that’s where it stops. The mood might have been set by with some quaint chanson jazz or even a vague nod to taste – but no, it’s an iPod lurching between genres with jarring irregularity. Service is cold and inefficient, and the food isn’t as good as the menu would suggest, and keep in mind this is not cheap pub grub – many dishes flirt around the Dhs100 mark.

By Time Out Dubai staff
Time Out Dubai, 21 March 2012

• Previous reviews
  • 15 April,2013- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 24 August,2010- reviewed by Daisy Carrington

• Share | |
• E-mail:
• 
• Print:
• 

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.

User reviews:

Posted by: stoater on 10 May ' 13 at 03:54

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Edited by TimeOutDubai.com

I booked a table for 10 people only to arrive and be told no one had actually made my reservation and they could be very generous and accommodate me in a tiny booth or a tiny table 6inches from the deafening band. One of the party had to sit on a small table and management were quite happy with this level of service. We were looked at vacantly by staff when we had the audacity to be annoyed that no table was arranged for us. We ordered a selection of bar snacks and then main courses which were, for the price, terrible. If you are going to charge 80+ for a sandwich and fries and least use better quality ingredients than Burger King. I ordered the steak sandwich which was disgusting and made with cheap meat, when you could find the tiny amount of meat, and no one else's food looked appetising at all. In a country where there are plenty of restaurants I expected Gramercy to at least try to match the same standard of food and service but they fell remarkably short and even better, didn't seem to care. The bar was incredibly loud and smoky, to the point that I lost my voice the next day because I had to shout to try and speak to the person next to me. I gave up all hope of speaking to people across the table, I just looked and smiled and hoped I was giving a correct response! All in all, I would never even entertain the thought of going back and by the attitude of the staff Gramercy couldn't give a damn.

Posted by: aparna on 27 Apr ' 12 at 12:21

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Edited by TimeOutDubai.com

We went for the jazz Friday brunch today and it was a disappointment. 1. The place was empty. Ours was the only table 2. There were flies on our table and no one could be bothered 3 no jazz at all. If you advertise jazz brunch then at least stick to that. No music . Nothing. So please don't cheat clients by calling it a jazz brunch. 4.food was very average. Huge portions with no taste So please dont waste your time and money going here

Posted by: Joozer on 09 Jan ' 12 at 13:40

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Just been down to the gramercy for the first time for lunch and I had to take a moment to praise the exceptional service! attentive, polite and a good laugh.

try the surf and turf, proper delicious!

Posted by: Kenny G on 02 Dec ' 11 at 09:13

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

We opted for the Jazz Brunch.. What a mistake! Gramercy is in fact a bar. Period. Not a resyaurant. Not a lounge. 'Brunch' comprised of up to four courses from an unimaginatiive and limited menu. All courses had to be selected on arrival!?!. Food was bland at best. Draft beer was extra. Water was extra...a whopping 15 dhs a bottle for local product. (Isn't that illegal?!)....in a city that boasts so many fantastic venues, it will be a cold day in Dubai before we return.I would suggest the management take a look around also.....

Posted by: H. Hussain on 04 Nov ' 11 at 13:45

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Ok Here's the thing, I had bought a couple of vouchers on Groupon Dubai to dine at this restaurant. With just 2 days left for it to expire, I called up the restaurant to make a booking for a table for 4 and the voucher clearly stated "1 groupon per 2 people". As 2 of my friends might not make it for some reason, I called up the restaurant to make sure we can use both the vouchers (worth Dhs.200 each) by just 2 people dining and I was told yes.
We arrived at the restaurant and one of the servers took us to the table.
I hand over the vouchers and ask the server "Can both of use these Groupon vouchers worth Dhs.400) and we got the green light, so we order our food from the menu (2 drinks, 2 starters and 2 maincourses which were more than Dhs. 530 but we didnt mind paying the difference) but then 10 minutes later a waitress comes over to our table and says we can only use one voucher of Dhs. 200 worth and the balance had to be paid by us.
I had demanded to speak to the manager and who turned out to be the server we were served by and spoken with in details.
The lame excuses that we got them not accepting both vouchers was just unbelievable. I had decided to cancel the whole order and make a new one based on one voucher amount.

Now don't get me wrong I have been to restaurant before enjoyed my time there and that is the reason i bought the vouchers in the first place so wold mind paying for the whole meal in cash either but it was just the way situation was dealt with by the manager. We were almost ready to pay for our amount which was Dhs. 238 when our 2 friends called to say they are joining us after all.
They came ordered drinks and food and we asked for the bill.
2 starters and 2 maincourse along with 6 drinks in one single bill. So we ended up using both vouchers on the same bill anyways. Correct em if i'm wrong but what was the big deal?
The Managers service attitude, the way he dealt with us totally turn of off even though the food was delicious.
I would think twice about spending my money at a place like this and will make sure my family and friends will never give them a dime for their business.
Its a shame our experience had to end this way.

Posted by: hani on 21 Oct ' 11 at 10:33

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Romantic
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: jel gueco on 19 Oct ' 11 at 05:14

OverallDecorService

AmbienceValue

a good place to stop by for drinks :) nice ambience and attentive staff

Posted by: Kate on 17 Oct ' 11 at 08:40

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Went for a client dinner, and was amazed at the wine list - the staff were very knowledgeable and made a great job of serving a large crowd of us - we were served on time and the food was wonderful.

The jazz music was loud enough without being too loud and the staff were friendly and accommodating. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I will definitely be going back.

Posted by: Anthony on 09 Oct ' 11 at 04:07

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Probably the worst service I have experienced since arriving in Dubai, don't get me wrong the food was OK but how long did I wait? And when it finally arrived no body in the small group was served at the same time. What we ordered was no served, very drinks slow, no soft drinks only option. I let down of the highest order. This disappointment was mentioned to the most senior member of staff we could find and they offered a free drink next time we booked.

Posted by: Daniel on 01 Oct ' 11 at 09:23

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

I came with a group of six and we were all disappointed. Service is poor and the drinks are overpriced. The decor is nice and the food is good, but this is let down by slow service and apathetic staff. Our group got wrong orders and were short changed. Not only this, but there isn't a no-smoking section so you have to tolerate the smoke like you would in a cheap dive bar. The place has potential but there are other bars in the area that are cheaper and have better service. Avoid the Gramercy.

Posted by: sager on 30 Sep ' 11 at 14:34

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

WORST BRUNCH EVER.
We bought a bunch of coupons to have brunch at The Gramercy. We arrived at 1:30 and ordered, but received our main course at 4pm. The service was appalling, our waiter couldn't care less about our table. He was also rude at times. Bread baskets and some orders never came. They also made us wait about 45 mins between courses to receive - 2 tiny slices of bruschetta. which weren't tasty by the way. The temperature in there was ridiculously hot, and the music was not jazz as advertised. I have been there for drinks before, but this brunch was so terrible it completely put me off going there again.

Posted by: Joby on 14 Sep ' 11 at 05:00

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Not somewhere i would go for food again in a hurry, seems better suited to just being a bar. Might be better on a quiet night not a thursday, as it was too hot, too noisey and food was below average. Even glass of house wine had to be sent back as it was disgusting.

Not impressed in it as a dining venue!

Posted by: Joby on 13 Sep ' 11 at 13:58

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Not somewhere i would go for food again in a hurry, seems better suited to just being a bar. Might be better on a quiet night not a thursday, as it was too hot, too noisey and food was below average. Even glass of house wine had to be sent back as it was disgusting.

Not impressed in it as a dining venue!

Posted by: Chris on 24 Jul ' 11 at 09:47

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Oh dear...
Where to start.
We arrived and things looked promising. I had been to the Gramercy before in the evening and it was an OK so a brunch seemed a reasonable prospect. On the good side, the menu looked well balanced, the food is a la carte and there are a variety of drinks to choose from (so long as you don't want soft drinks or water. However thats where it all sadly ends.
We were seated next to the "jazz" musician who was basically a guy on a sax blasting it out into a microphone yards away from us over the top of the cheesiest tunes we all hated first time around. At first it was so naff it was funny but the novelty wore off after the third time I heard Baker street. Food and drinks were terribly slow coming out (one group were eating their deserts standing by the exit ready to leave). We couldn't hear ourselves over the terrible music so converstion was pointless and despite attempting lip-reading the plumes of relentless smoke being blown over us by the surrounding tables (yes there was no no-smoking area) made that impossible too. The final straw was an argument over the bill that took 30 minutes to resolve and finally when I informed the manager that I don't believe it is in the slightest bit acceptable to make people inhale smoke all afternoon in a restaurant, he told me "Well thats Dubai and if you don't like it go somewhere else". You can't argue with that can you. I didn't like it, I will go somewhere else and advise anyone reading this to do the same

Posted by: Kristen on 17 Jul ' 11 at 10:48

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Went to the Friday Bunch and it was the worst brunch I have ever attended. The service was slow and incompetent. An asthmatic snail would have been faster at getting the food and drinks out. Even worse was the fact that the entire venue is smoking, something I haven't seen even in Dubai in years. When we complained the Manager just snapped that they only allow it on Friday Brunch, supposedly as some sort of treat. Even the smokers we were with were offended by plumes of smoke wafting into their faces as they were eating. Additionally, it is advertised as a 'Jazz Brunch', but the music has nothing to do with jazz, just awful Kenny G type elevator music which is played so loud that it didn't allow any conversation at all. Diabolically awful.

Posted by: Bartail Flathead on 27 May ' 11 at 13:55

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Just went for the brunch here, and am amazed at the uncritical responses. Food wasn't bad at all - salad pretty good, asparagus quite tasty, fish cakes so-so, fish 'n' chips good though the chips were in fact spindly french fries, roast beef very good. So what was wrong? In a word - or rather two - service and management. It wasn't bad...... it was hopeless. 20 minutes to bring a drink, 45 minutes to bring a bread basket, an hour and a half to serve the starters. Several of our party went to the bar to order drinks as they got so fed up with waiting. Even then it took ages. They ran out of courses for our desserts - OK, these things happen - but still took over 30 minutes to serve whatever was left over in the kitchen. And we had told staff repeatedly during the meal we were in a hurry. There is no non-smoking section either which in my view is a serious error. I imagine some of the rave reviews I've read here were based on some of the clientele there today - no-necked Morelocks who were barely able to manage a sentence beyond ordering another drink and shrieking at the top of their voices.

Posted by: Bartail Flathead on 27 May ' 11 at 13:53

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Just went for the brunch here, and am amazed at the uncritical responses. Food wasn't bad at all - salad pretty good, asparagus quite tasty, fish cakes so-so, fish 'n' chips good though the chips were in fact spindly french fries, roast beef very good. So what was wrong? In a word - or rather two - service and management. It wasn't bad...... it was hopeless. 20 minutes to bring a drink, 45 minutes to bring a bread basket, an hour and a half to serve the starters. Several of our party went to the bar to order drinks as they got so fed up with waiting. Even then it took ages. They ran out of courses for our desserts - OK, these things happen - but still took over 30 minutes to serve whatever was left over in the kitchen. And we had told staff repeatedly during the meal we were in a hurry. There is no non-smoking section either which in my view is a serious error. I imagine some of the rave reviews I've read here were based on some of the clientele there today - no-necked Morelocks who were barely able to manage a sentence beyond ordering another drink and shrieking at the top of their voices.

Posted by: Mark S. on 25 May ' 11 at 21:25

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Just spent the evening at The Gramercy and have only good things to say!

The food was top drawer (have the osso bucco!) the staff are lovely, the decor made me feel like I was in new york and the live jazz added a superb touch! a must try if youre in the DIFC area

Posted by: robert.middleton@hct.ac.ae on 20 May ' 11 at 12:59

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Just had the Friday Brunch at The Gramercy and once again we find a venue reviewers rave about which scores C- in my book. Why? because the majority of Dubai diners have no idea what what good food looks or tastes like. A few beers plus convivial company and the food is "brilliant". At The Gramercy it is, lets be honest, just "OK". If you don't believe me visit Paris or even London, where people care about food and are trained in its preparation and diners, rather than paying exorbitant prices for Burger Bar fare like this, will go next door for food made by people who are passionate about what they do. Someone needs to 'fess up and tell it like it is. Dubai just doesn't match up. A few Eastern European waitresses in short skirts who look cute, but don't know what day it is, are no substitute for people who know and care about what's on the menu. Do you want specifics? My life is too short. I can understand that there are people who are attracted to places like this, just like there are people who think that Jack Vettriano is an artist or the Smurfs are real people, Am I a food snob? No, just someone who believes customers deserve better than this. Save your money, give it a miss. Make an honest omelet and enjoy it at home.

Posted by: George on 04 Feb ' 11 at 10:35

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Tho I have not yet sampled out the delicacies at Gramercy,I feel a strong urge to point out that i did find the Hostess and the GM very accomdating as I droped by for an interview,that they had time to attend to me in their busy schedule is an A+ for me.

Posted by: steve on 06 Jan ' 11 at 06:53

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Its brilliant, why go to all these dodgy bars when you can have a pint in style and watch all your sport on those amazing bigscreens its just what Dubai needed.

Service is amazing and the food makes ure tastebuds expload so good.

Posted by: fadi on 04 Sep ' 10 at 15:11

OverallDecorService

AmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

great place, refreshing to find a normal bar in dubai, understated with a very relaxing vibe and great service

Posted by: Noyz on 02 Sep ' 10 at 17:31

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Dubai witnesses the birth of a genuine concept: A Sports Brasserie !

Great Food, Great Cocktails, Great Women.
'Nuf said.

Posted by: eva on 26 Aug ' 10 at 11:43

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

very nice....food excellent. I'm not a sports person, we actually had girl's lunch there....but we did enjoy it very much!

Posted by: Graham on 26 Aug ' 10 at 10:05

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

I mistakenly stumbled upon The Gramercy while walking over to the gate from the Gate Village.

After taking a quick peek at the beautifully done interior I decided to return in an hour, The best description I can think of is Parisian brasserie meets Dubai.

After my meeting I returned a couple of hours later to sample the food and watch the Liverpool vs Arsenal match, it was an impeccable experience.

From the impromptu discovery to the food to the Tiger extra cold on tap to the service to the atmosphere..... 10/10!

It was slightly expensive, but my wife tells me that every restaurant is expensive when you order the steak, blah.... DEFINITLEY better value for money than Caramel or Zuma though (RIP OFFS!!)

Posted by: Lulu on 26 Aug ' 10 at 09:35

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Excellent food !!!! The staff are really pleasant
Love Gramercy, will definitely go back for more.

Posted by: chang on 26 Aug ' 10 at 08:51

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This bar is something that both DIFC & Dubai has been missing for a very long time. A bar dedicated to sports that has GOOD FOOD and a good selection of beer.