Grape and Olive

Not great, but ok. Setting was nice, but I think the efficiency element of things might have helped regarding food service. Pricey for what we had !

I’m writing this review about 5 Years after the previous comments here, and we called here on the way out of Cardiff after our Son’s graduation, and the place was a total DUMP, full of pissed people at about 2:30 in the afternoon, we walked in, and straight back out again, as the atmosphere was quite intimadating

Do yuppies still exist? Whatever they are, they’re in here drinking £4 pints of Peroni, eating warm focaccias filled with organic pan-​fired (what else do you shallow fry in?) chicken coated in authentic Italian pesto and rustic salad, all the while sat in an ocean of beige, mistaking inoffensiveness for stylishness.
The Grape & Olive is in a bizarre location, stuck on the end of Wedal Road. It finds itself surrounded by a medical centre, an old people’s home, a graveyard (no direct relation) and a council recycling facility (ditto). It used to be a Charlie Chalk’s years ago, and if only they left the ball pit in the basement, then there would something interesting and fun here. Instead you’re left swimming through a sea of self-​satisfaction and smugness.
The service here is generally excellent, though with Brains cutting back hours across the board, it might not be long before the quality of service dips, through no fault of the staff, but because there simply isn’t enough of them.
The proximity to Heath Hospital means that there is a pay and display car park, though this can be claimed back from the bar. Another hindrance to this awkward place.

A strange location for a gastropub with slight delusions of grandeur — a council recycling centre is next door, for instance — the former Allensbank pub is rather a lone ranger in Heath. You can’t imagine many of the adjacent residents developing much of a taste for the dishes at the Grape And Olive’s more cordon bleu menu extremes either. But while they pull off their borderline overpriced fancy food with relative aplomb, at busier points the service leaves a little something to be desired. Put simply, if you aren’t a suit-​clad businessman running up a sizeable tab after using the onsite corporate meeting facilities, expect to wait a while before you can even order.

It’s too bad Grape and Olive isn’t in a more convenient location.
Situated on the periphery of the city centre’s orbit, it’s arguably a bit remote for those without a car (forget about finding it if you’re a tourist), and my annoyance is compounded by the fact you have to pay for the privilege of parking in their car park. The staff will validate your ticket, but it’s an unwelcomed hassle, nonetheless.
Once you make it inside, Grape and Olive does offers a fine dining experience, marked by beautifully presented food and helpful and friendly staff. But I somehow feel like I’m dining in a hotel restaurant — there’s not much to distinguish it from its competitors in terms of interior design — it just seems sadly bland to me. But they do offer free Wi-​Fi, making it an ideal location for a business lunch.
The menu, however, remains its saving grace. It’s always refreshing for pizza enthusiasts to dine happily alongside red meat aficionados (I was in the latter category and found my steak to be cooked to perfection), so major points for Grape and Olive’s extensive menu which is sure to satisfy all palettes.

This is a beautiful restaurant that creates divine and tasty food. Dine and wine whilst you experience the exotic Mediterranean cuisine with a combination of the taste from a contemporary style like restaurant and its soothing atmosphere.
Within this place you can eat your meals inside or outside; you can book to arrange a private function suit however you wish. They have a bar with plenty of chilled beers and wines. It is a relaxing complex and its decorations made me think of a waterfall or they made me feel like I was in a calming Spa environment.
The staff are quick and friendly, the food looks too good to eat, too good to destroy as it is presented to you neatly and ever so prettily, so much so that you daren’t touch it incase you’ll destroy it! But it is also very worth it and I absolutely recommend it to all… It is near to the Heath Hospital in Cardiff. There prices are reasonable enough per person.

I’ve eaten at this restaurant a few times, and though I can’t exactly put my finger on it there’s something a bit off about this place.
For starters it’s in the most bizarre location, it’s very close to the Heath hospital, and overlooks a road, not the most attractive of locations. What’s more whilst they will validate your ticket, you have to pay to use the restaurant’s car park, which is really an unnecessary hassle.
All this aside though, I can’t deny that the food is very good. They’re definitely your brasserie style dishes, with a slight Italian edge. I’ve always found the fish to be very good and not too pricey (all the main dishes bar one, are under £15). If you do ever eat here I would definitely recommend getting an Antipasto platter to start, and as a vegi I’m very pleased that they also offer a Vegetarian Antipasto alternative (so many places ignore the needs of Vegetarians). It should also be of note that the food is incredibly well presented.
I really think if the Grape and Olive was in another location, say Cardiff Bay perhaps, I would be a big fan. As it is the restaurant feels very out of place. If you can overlook the surrounding area, then perhaps The Grape and Olive is worth a visit. Whilst however the food is good, there are plenty of restaurants in Cardiff, that offer similar food but in far pleasanter locations.

Previously a children’s Fun Factory pub operated by a national chain that has been taken over by the local brewery S A Brain and turned into an eatery and bar, with a couple of well equipped private function/​meeting rooms downstairs. The total refurbishment is of high quality and transformed a no hoper business into The Grape and Olive, shame about the name, The Olive Tree it should have been, that would give it that extra edge it deserves. Good selection of beers and wine, short menu with a lunchtime specials selection which seems to work well. The interior is modern and cool, plenty of pale wood furniture, leather sofas and chairs around a large horseshoe bar with the kitchen alongside. If you like you can sup your drink at the bar or on a high stool and watch the chefs prepping up and cooking through a large plate glass window, bit like a side show. Outside there is a large elevated deck area with tables and chairs for the better weather or for the odd smoker who needs his space. The total eating area is broken up into smaller open planned sections, divided by partions and they have an intimate feel about them. The service is slick for drinks either at the bar or to the table, we ordered at the table along with our food. The pasta was fresh and a delight, salad crispy green and well dressed with additional quality oil on the table if needed, my companion had oven baked cod, which again was cook and presented well. Lunch with drinks and a couple of glasses of wine came to around £30 for two of us, not bad. Parking on site is ample but with the odd twist that it’s pay and display, they have had problems with people parking all day, you know the types, too tight to pay £5 to park their cars in a car park. On a plus side your £1 fee is fully refundable at the bar against drink and food, and you are limited to a three hour maximum stay. You hear one or two people griping about the scheme, but hey, they are just the professional moaners, life’s full of them! All in all a pleasant experience, a credit to the new owners, if it was in town it would be heaving with people, out here in the suburbs it is comfortable, just an enjoyable place to while away a long lunch.

Whilst I agree that the food at the Grape and Olive is very good, I have to say I find it to be quite expensive. Its good for a special occasion (and yes, the pizzas are quite big enough for two) but I wouldn’t visit regularly. The décor inside is nice, quite modern and bright, but I did not find the staff very welcoming. I visited in the middle of the week and they were not busy, so no excuses there, they just didn’t seem interested in serving us well. Hopefully that was a one off, it won’t stop me going again, if only for the pizza!

Since this pub underwent a revamp and a change of name a few years ago it has improved immensely. The Grape and Olive is now a modern friendly bar with a bit of a buzz about it. The staff are very friendly and it is well worth a visit for a mid week pizza one of them is big enough for 2 people! The other food on the menu is also really good and quite reasonably priced — they do some really lovely snacks and starters. One downside is that you have to pay for the parking but you can reclaim it when you buy food or drink. This measure was probably put in place to prevent visitors to the nearby hospital using the car park instead.