Tucked away deep in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria lies a mysterious wonderland, filled with cosy corners and food options to suit any taste. Whether you’re looking for a delicious dining option outside the bustle of the city, or you’re just “doing it for the ‘gram”, I highly recommend setting aside an afternoon (or a morning) to get lost in the magic at the Grounds of Alexandria.
I first discovered the Grounds on Instagram. I was seeing content creators posting photos of amazing food in equally amazing surroundings. At first, I was a little unsure what this place was. Was I looking at a restaurant in a very beautiful setting, or some sort of a nursery/garden centre with a restaurant attached to it?
I was intrigued enough to do some more research and discovered, courtesy of the official Grounds website, that “the Grounds of Alexandria is a landmark cafe, restaurant and bar, garden, bakery and patisserie, coffee roastery, animal farm, florist, markets and more”.
It is important to clarify at this point that I am not a foodie in any sense of the word. All those super artistic Instagram posts of very photogenic Aussie brunch flatlays would look horribly out of place on my feed.
What fascinated me were the pretty pictures of the surroundings in the Grounds. I had seen enough to want to experience it for myself, so I marked it as a “must do” for my few days in Sydney.
Given that it was a little less than an hours walk from my accommodation in Sydney CBD (according to Rome2Rio.com), I decided to head off on foot. This may be a bit further than some of my readers would enjoy, so for anyone making the trip, consider some of the other transport options given on the Rome 2 Rio search.
Roughly an hour later (Rome 2 Rio is generally pretty accurate), I arrived at my destination, located in a formal industrial precinct from the 1920’s. My first observation was that I was not escaping the crowds as I had hoped. It was just a few days before Christmas and the place was alive with the holiday crowd.
My second observation was that I was entering a winter wonderland in the middle of the Australian summer. The place had been transformed with a Nutcracker and the 4 Realms theme, complete with white fir trees and a snow machine inside the main entrance.
Such was the buzz there on the day, I couldn’t actually get in the main entrance with the crowds and their cameras making the most of the sight of snow in summer in the Sydney suburbs. I had to work my way in through the shop itself and find a back entrance into the Grounds.
Once there, I set about snaking my way through the crowds to explore the various areas and find myself some sustenance after my long walk.
There are 3 main dining areas; the Cafe, the Garden, and the Potting Shed. The Potting Shed seems to be the less casual option; with full table service and later opening hours, it is described as “a lively place to meet, eat, drink, relax and chat your day and night away”.
I myself was drawn to the more laid back atmosphere of the Garden, with it’s various self service options and communal seating. The Garden is also home to the Grounds resident pig Harry Trotter and his pals.
After 10 minutes of queueing (not bad at all for the Christmas season), very efficient service and a further 10 minutes waiting for my pizza to be freshly baked, I was ready to start the battle to find a seat in the courtyard. Probably the greatest challenge of the day, I eventually had myself comfortably seated at the end of one of the long tables to enjoy my fresh food and a sneaky afternoon glass of wine.
The verdict? This place is absolutely worth the trip out from the city, whether you decide to walk as I did, or take a taxi or some other form of transport. It was very crowded on the day of my visit but the beautiful Nutcracker and the 4 Realms theme more than made up for the crowds.
The food and wine were delicious and the service quick and professional. As a solo diner, I generally prefer casual settings like the Garden, and the Potting Shed was so crowded on the day that it was not a realistic option anyway. I would love to return though, to enjoy a leisurely brunch in this beautiful setting.
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