The Grand Cafe

We went to Grand Café for dinner as a Father’s Day treat for my dad, but it was a huge disappointment. The food was mediocre at best. The portions are small for the price compared to other nice restaurants in Jeff City and the preparation left much to be desired. My dad’s fish special still had bones in it but you couldn’t see that because it was covered in a topping, so there was a near choking incident. Even things like the carrots were undercooked. We tried to complain to the waitress but once she took our order we didn’t see her until she brought our check. She was quite busy and very brisk in her manner. She seemed haughty when we paid for part of it with a gift card and didn’t thank us as we left. Maybe it was an off night, but there are much better restaurants in the area for the same or better price.

I came in with a group of 5 people for lunch and the servers were very courteous. Service was very good throughout the meal. We each had different dishes (ranging from the spicy chicken sandwich to Waldorf chicken salad wrap), and each of us were very happy with our selection. Everything was fresh and seemed to be made with high quality ingredients. I would recommend this place to a group looking for good variety within traditional American «staples.»

where the waitresses think that you’re invisible.
don’t know how many times both waitresses passed our table without bothering to inquire if we had been taken care of. we were on their main path to the kitchen but they were oblivious to us.
eventually the guy behind the bar, who apparently was the owner, came over and things improved.
faded glory. the ceiling has the old fashioned decorated ceiling tiles but sadly many are missing, perhaps no one is making them any more.
the menu is divided into «small plates» vs. dinner selections, but the truth is anything that they serve is a small plate.
the duck that they professed was «slow roasted to medium rare, glazed with a cherry ginger compote» actually came in a hoisin sauce. their online menu has been corrected to say hoisin sauce.
been there, done that, won’t be back

Great menu and service. Started with a ginger Manhattan. Cheese bacon soup. Pork tenderloin stuffed with pears on a bed of kale and bacon. Delicious bread pudding for dessert. Nice quiet ambiance. A definite keeper.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the high level of cooking and attention to detail at this really terrific restaurant. I sat at the handsome bar and had lamb chops with fries, salad and broccolini. Everything was cooked and seasoned to perfection and delicious. Lamb chops were exactly medium rare as ordered and came with a bright, fresh chimichurri sauce. High praise also for the french fries. So few places are able to get them really crispy and flavorful. I suspect they were fried twice. There were some excellent wines from smaller wineries on the menu too. Service was friendly and attentive. This is a real Midwestern gem.

Dined here 2x in 18 mos. Both visits in beautiful weather and able to sit on the sidewalk tables. This café has a loyal following and wonderful wait staff. Less impressed with the food. Way better than ok but not as good as the weather today and my waitress who was a rookie but very good. The 10 oz surf and turf looked like was 3 «Mediterranean shrimp, cooked size was for the trio was the size of a k-​Cup and the 10 oz filet, cooked medium, was served as a 6 oz medium well. Love the sidewalk and the service. Next time it’s something new.

The salmon antipasto salad was outrageously good. Service was quick and the ambience was very enjoyable. It proved to be a very enjoyable late lunch menu.

Fantastic restaurant, phenomenal service (thanks to Kelly). I had the salad, and tuna platter. Yummy.

Delicious food, friendly staff.

This is perhaps the best place to enjoy cocktails in an after work happy hour or celebrate a special occasion with dinner.
All of the cocktails are expertly crafted with house made infused liquors. It is amazing to see an establishment take pride in what they serve and seek out or create the perfect ingredient for the job. With a menu that changes with the season you will never get board with what the bar has to offer.
Now to the food. When I first came to Jefferson City a friend described The Grand as the best meal he has ever had in this part of the state. I, of course, did not believe him. Boy was I surprised. The appetizer my wife’s and I shared was unbelievable. Meats were prepared perfectly and the house made sides paired nicely with the entrées. We finished our meal with one of the best crème Brûlées I have ever had.

Inconsistent. Nice store front café with a friendly hipster vibe, close to the capitol building, but way noisy. Could have been seated at a small table by the bathrooms, but chose to sit close to the front door where we were chilled everytime customers came in. Very good service. Food presentation was monochromatic beige except for a couple hidden sprigs of broccoli. Wife’s ginger/​pepper tuna was excellent; my poached halibut was dry and bland; vegetable bisque was an unexpected treat. Overall adequate, but not worth the price.

The Grand is good served by family for family. No detail is left to chance. They only offer the finest foods, with the finest presentation. Experience The Grand as soon as you can. If they don’t rock your world, let me know!

Slow & unfriendly even rude & snotty ! They didn’t seem to have time for there customers. It’s okay to be pricey when there is good friendly service to go with it THERE NOT BETTER THAN OTHERS BUT THEY THINK THEY ARE :(:(:(I usually write only good reviews but actually left a little upset.

For Jefferson City, this is a nice take on what Kansas City does very well. Service was on point. Charcuterie plate was underwhelming in cheese and meat selection. Frites were great as well as the Grilled ribeye. The lamb was soft and succulent. I was pleasantly surprised to partake here.

Good and service is stellar. They know how to truly prep and plate a meal. We both had fish and both were very good and different. The drink menu was very unique and good. Drinks weren’t to sweet, sour or strong. Pricey but worth it for a night out. It’s a very small but cozy

I’m here visiting with the in-​laws and relied on Unilocalers to find a good place to eat. The Grand Café is a cute little place in the downtown area. We were promptly seated once we walked through the door. However, it took a while to get drinks because there were only 2 waiters for the entire place.
I checked out the menu prior to going and pleased by the choices. We started with the trio of bruschetta. This was the highlight of the meal. Combinations such as roasted garlic and blue cheese and red pepper and goat cheese were delicious.
The disappointment of the night? The main courses. I ordered the bone in pork chop with a five spice glaze. My dining companions ordered the special of the night which was salmon oscar. The pork was tougher than I prefer and didn’t have much flavor. The salmon was topped with crab meat and bernaise. The bernaise was so salty that my mouth puckered when I tried it! It was really bad. The server did take the meal back and offered other options for a sauce to put on the salmon. I guess the chef wanted the bernaise to taste like that.
My quest for finding the best restaurant in Jeff City continues…

We are from St. Louis and we’re looking to get out of dodge for the weekend. We decided to do the Jefferson City prison tour. We got in town just before lunch and decided to stop in to The Grand Café. The reviews looked good and they had a couple tables available. I ordered the portobello sandwich and the Caesar salad. My boyfriend ordered the grilled cheese and the beet salad. To say that we were blown away is an understatement. Everything was wonderful. We are VERY picky when it comes to Caesar dressing and theirs was one to remember. The staff was great and friendly as well. We ended up coming back for dinner that night. Needless to say, we would drive to Jeff City specifically to eat at this restaurant.

Wow. This took me by surprise. Great experience here. Fantastic wine list with wines that I actually knew.
I had the double cut lollipop lamb chops with a corn vegetable relish and gourmet fries. Lamb was perfectly cooked and presented. I finished with a flourless chocolate cake that was rich but a perfect portion.
Ambiance was nice and staff was super helpful. I’ll be back for sure.

Found this gem using my favorite review site while traveling on business. Ample wine selection, great service and even a better entrée menu. Been twice so far — tried the duck once and portobello filet the next. Both were fantastic! Next up — lamb chops.

The best thing about this place:
They have complimentary salt scrub for your hands in the bathroom. There is a little sign next to it describing how to use it; I used it and not only did my hands smell nice and lemony, they were so soft that I pet one hand with the other hand the entire walk back to the car. My hands are still soft from it, in fact.
The rest of the experience:
Sandwich at 2 stars + fries and service at 4 stars = overall 3 stars
I’m beginning to think that Jefferson City just doesn’t understand the Reuben sandwich. Its simple folks — corned beef, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, swiss cheese. I have been in Jeff City for lunch, and so far am 0 for 2 on decent Reuben sandwiches:(
TGC advertises its Reuben on the menu as being made with house-​cured corned beef and home made sauerkraut. The corned beef tasted like roast beef to me and the sauerkraut was really purple cabbage. Ugh! WHY???
The fries were natural cut and tasted like they were freshly cut. The server was friendly, funny, and anticipated our needs.
I’ll try somewhere else (but probably not a Reuben) the next time I travel to Jeff City for work.