So good we went twice...... Dinner was the first time. Incredible meal. Lamb shank was unreal. Wow. So good. We also had the salmon. I would go back for both. Then breakfast the next day. Bacon waffle....... Wow. What a great restaurant. Staff was super friendly and food was cooked to perfection. Thank you. read more

Run, don't walk to this restaurant!! Awesome food and service! If i could give it 6 stars I would! I had the Grilled Elk Tenderloin with prawns. It normally comes with mashed potatoes, but I don't care for them so they gladly substituted mushroom risotto. Also came with fresh sauteed veggies. The meat was cooked perfectly, soooo tender. Risotto was spot on! Veggies are veggies, but they were good too. A totally sublime meal. My friends were equally impressed with their food also. Others had salmon, chicken cordon bleu and a corned brisket special with a yummy sauce. I WILL be running back to eat here again and will tell all my friends!! read more

One of the best places to dine in the winter months in Murphys . Excellent food, nice menu selection. Amazing cocktails . Highly recommend read more

The breakfast was good. Loved the latte. Service was good. The restaurant was clean and comfortable.

Omg! Absolutely delicious breakfast burritos with roasted chicken was perfect as well as the eggs been & waffle. Will definitely be back. read more

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The food is really good. The portions are sizeable. The service is very friendly and quick. I got the eggplant sandwich which was delicious. We went with our baby and dog, and the wait staff ensured both were comfortable. We enjoyed the outdoor seating at the back. read more

A year late but it was that good! This is a meal that my boyfriend and I speak of all the time. We live in Sacramento so it's a long drive for us but it was phenomenal! Boyfriend got the pork chop with apple bacon, bechamel and veggies. I mean, just look at the picture, he said it tasted like heaven! I ordered the seasonal veggies over mushroom risotto. I was surprised at first but oh my was it delightful. Each veggie was grilled to perfection and diverse on the plate but was cohesive with the over all dish. It felt like fresh veggies picked from a garden, my kind of eats! Hope they keep these two things on the menu because we want to come back. The service was lovely too while we sat on the patio but the food was the star of the show. Yum! read more

Grounds Restaurant - Seasonal grilled veggies over mushroom risotto- yum! 10/10!!! - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

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We were looking for a fresh, cool salad and found it here. Great service too. Grounds never disappoints, except when they are closed on Sundays. We were forced to try the Alchemy and won't do that again. read more

Once again they hit the nail on the head. They adhered to the CDC guidelines clean and sanitized. But what makes this experience so enjoyable was the over the top staff. We arrived a half hour before end of lunch service and they treated us with open arms. Unlike other establishments that push you to order and kick you out the door upon closing they let us relax and enjoy our meals. The eggplant and mozzarella open face sandwich with pesto was flavorful and tender. Served with a green salad it was more than enough. The BLT was made with the original smoked applewood bacon. Thick cut of bacon served on sourdough bread. Just like Ma use to make on the prairie. If your driving buy Murphys stop and and take a load off. read more

Ate outside. wonderful! Hubby had perfect rib eye and I had chicken. Morgan was our waitress and was charming and attentive. We will return! read more

This is a truly wonderful restaurant. The food is excellent, the decor is popping and their outside patio dining by the fountain is the quintessence of wine country bliss. They bring you warm baguette with butter before you order which is very though. Some of their best dishes are the elk medallions and the calamari steak. All the appetizers are delicious, and I love that they serve them with a charred lemon, delicious and beautiful. The calamari and the bruschetta are amazing. For dessert, don't miss out on the italian lemon cake, just the way grandma used to make it, not too sweet. They have an espresso machine and make wonderful coffee drinks, so essential after wine tastings or before walking over to the wonderful Murphys Creek Theater for a Tennessee Williams play or a Christmas special. They dont have a kids menu, but they give the option of ordering from their sister restaurant next door, the Woodfire grill which has quesadillas, burgers & fries. They do have kids pastas and burgers that are not on the menu, just make sure to address that with your waiter so they don't charge you entree prices for a kids meal (my only peeve about this place is a recent waiter who was obviously new and unprofessional and actually tried to chastise us for not paying entree prices for the plain pasta kids meals he offered himself. Not ok to be rude to guests and will cost him his tip next time, but he was an odd duck, usually the service is great) read more

The food is amazing and a very friendly staff. The breakfast has a ton of flavor and very filling.

The pomegranate basil martini is delicious The food is amazingly fresh! The staff is friendly too. Definitely worth the wait read more

Grounds Restaurant - The pomegranate basil martini is delicious - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

We had a great dinner here. I ordered Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was so tasty and tender. I recommend dinner here. White tablecloths, friendly waiters and great wine list. Ambiance isn't bad, but not fancy. I would return here in a heartbeat. read more

Delicious and filling food. Friendly waiters. Quick and efficient service. Highly recommend. read more

Grounds Restaurant - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

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Super cute small restaurant! Everything we ate was delicious and served quickly. We were able to sit outside with our dog in a beautiful back porch area. I would recommend for a quick lunch stop. read more

Grounds Restaurant - Cheese Burger - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

Pretty mediocre breakfast burrito and the potato pancakes are lackluster and slimy but the coffee is good

We have loved dining at Grounds when visiting Murphys as the food and experience have been always been great. This time was pretty disappointing, and similar to what another reviewer posted. My husband had the pork chop which was really dry, and the potatoes and the carrots came out cold. I had a taste of his food and none of it tasted fresh. The server returned to our table and said the kitchen was remaking his food, but what she brought out was his original meal that had been REHEATED. Not good. On a positive note, the staff were very polite and friendly, and my baked potato was very good. read more

My wife and I got to this place at 7:38 PM. They (supposedly) close at 8:00 PM. We called before we drove there from Angels Camp, 10 minutes away. When we got there, I asked for a table for two. The "host" left for moment, then came back, looked at us and said they wouldn't be seating any more people (even though several tables were open). "I thought you closed at 8:00," I said. "Well, tonight we're closing early," I was abruptly told. I can't prove racism, but he didn't say they were closing early until he saw my non-white wife. I felt (and my wife felt) that we were mistreated and disrespected. I wouldn't go back to this place if the meal was free. Terrible vibe. read more

I have not ever been that thrilled with the food at Grounds. Yes, I have been there for both lunch and dinner. Eggs had to be sent back because they were scrambled too dry. The service is usually good. Will I go back maybe. read more

Travel pitstop, decided to get a stretch and some grub at Murphy's Main Street drag. Whoa, on weekends, this street is jamming in this small mountain town. The narrow street filled with boutique shops and restaurants are crawling with business and passerbys. And not one chain on this whole strip. Even though quite challenging to move around and/or park, it was quite a refreshing look. Liked the looks of this place. From the outside it looked like an old bank, with the tiniest of a sign. You definitely have to be on foot to find the store front. Inside is very American bistro, which I liked, casual but with a touch of style. I loved the vintage pics of famous rock stars in their mugshot photos, very entertaining. Cup of Clam Chowder (soup of the day) (3*) Very thick and very chunky. Not very clammy though, more like a veggie chowder. And a tad bland, had to adjust at the table. But I'm also ordering Clam Chowder 200 miles from the coast, so this is more on me. Chicken Caeser (2*) Super simple salad, but I'm a huge stickler for it just for that reason. Without add-ons, its 4 ingredients. Chopped romaine, croutons, dressing and parmesan. All ingredients get tossed together and more parm usually goes on top. The tossing makes it cohesive, and 'makes' the salad. If it is not tossed, it is literally just 4 ingredients laying on top of each other. Which unfortunately was the case here. They even just drizzled the dressing onto the lettuce. And when croutons aren't mixed into the dressing, it is basically cold, stale bread. It needs to get coated with tasty dressing to turn it into a tasty salad component. But the dressing wasn't bad and the add-on grilled chicken was fresh and tasty. I just had higher hopes cuz this place seemed more 'restaurant-y' versus 'café-ish', if that makes any sense haha. Bloody Mary (4*) Pretty decent, slightly on the thicker side. Not too spicy, though I'm sure you can request it. Definite hit of some sort of garlic flavor. Just missing a celery garnish for that refreshing bite. 3 monster olives were good, but got real salty towards that 3rd. The good is water is filled here pretty good. Grilled Eggplant Sandwich (4*) Served open face, which we overlooked, so had to eat with knife and fork, instead of picking it up. Nicely grilled eggplant, very fresh tasting. Could've used a brushing or squirt of something vinaigrette like, cuz eggplant is basically a sponge. If you neglect to season the eggplant with something tasty, it will just seem like a warm sponge. The good is, it is topped with a touch of pesto and nice slices of smoked mozzarella. Nice blend of flavors, albeit being on the milder side. Good chewy bread on the bottom makes this dish a winner texturally. Flavor wise, I'd request one of their dressings to help accentuate this light dish. They also do breakfast and dinner, but in specific hours. Nice find out in this town that I had no idea, offered so much. Food 3 stars, but will round up for the friendly small town service. Most employees carried a genuine smile. Ain't gonna see that in the more populated parts of city living. read more

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Food was delicious! I had the herb omelet and my hubby had braised chicken omelet. This is getting a 4 because the waitress was emotionless , never smiled and didn't make for a pleasant experience; it was just like she was existing and really hated her job. read more

I'm disappointed with their deceptive billing. As you will see on the scan of my bill, they added the gratutity not only on the food but also the tax. But what is very disturbing is they also "Suggested Gratutity Amounts" on top of the Total Due which already included a 20% gratutity! So they actually suggested a total gratutity of $52.06 on a meal charge of 121.50...which would be a 42% gratuity. Their calculations were prepared by their computer so human error is not a factor. They must have programmed their computer to perform these calculations. read more

Grounds Restaurant - Double Gratuities! - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

Wow-Whee! Thank you, Morgan, Taco, Addy and the entire Grounds team! We enjoyed all of you and our delicious meals during the Murphys Witches Crawl weekend (Broomstick Ball) / October 2023. Obviously, our group of eight couldn't get enough of 'Grounds,' we had dinner Friday night, dinner Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning . . . all INCREDIBLY awesome! We loved the modern interior decor with famous mug shots and the charming patio under the awnings to keep the fall rain sprinkles away. We will be raving about all of you and the amazing food at Grounds for a very long time! read more

Breakfast was delicious, super tasty. Service was apathetic. My tip, order everything you want at once.

Came in on a Thursday....plenty of seats available, ordered a wood burning pizza and it was yummy!!!!! Will be back for sure read more

Grounds Restaurant - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

Great place for breakfast or dinner, with a small outside courtyard. Well appointed inside, and staff is helpful and friendly. It is where locals go when they want a nice meal. read more

Average food, average service, the WORST bloody mary ever and the manager wouldn't know customer service if it hit her in face. They made me pay for the bloody mary after I took a sip and sent it back right away. They got my 12 dollars but lost my business for life. Plenty of really good options in Murphy's instead of this place. Dont waste your time and money. read more

Came by here for breakfast, but we were late. It was New Years Day, we decided to sit outside because they had great outdoor seating. I truly wanted breakfast, so I ordered a side of bacon along with my Cobb Salad. It wasn't bad, I mean how can you mess up a salad. Good portion. Three pieces of thick cut bacon. We had mimosas, nothing special about it. Our server was very attentive and kind. Their lunch menu consist of a lot of Mexican food. I'm Sure I'm coming back soon to Murphy's. I definitely will have to try breakfast. read more

Grounds Restaurant - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

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im a local gal and decided to take my best friend out for a celebratory meal in Murphys. Based upon the reviews, we ended up at Grounds. it was a breakfast/brunch type meal SpanishOmelet for her and Burrito for me. She had a Bloody Mary in a 10oz drink glass and I had an Americano.. Now Im probably a bit critical of the restaurant business because of my experience in food service and dont get me wrong, the meal was fine and service was ok, but the bill was a big shock! not only was the food highly priced, Eggs and veggies and cheese pretty much, but we asked for a side of salsa and were upcharged almost 2.00 more for a teaspoon of homemade salsa. It cost 54.08 before tip. Total with tip 64.08. The meal was average and not a great deal of food. The burrito was about the size of Jack in the Box Breakfast Burrito except there was no Meat ordered. Ordinary Breakfast with an inflated price. Fair warning! read more

I think Grounds is horribley underestimated. The family and I were staying in Murphys during the weekend of June 8th. That Saturday we were beginning the trek out to Jamestown to catch our train in Ralitown. We were looking for a place for breakfast so I checked out Yelp the night before and found Grounds. What intrigued me was the braised chicken omelet. Chicken in an omelet? I guess it is like trying to put the egg back in the chicken. It was a quiet morning when we arrived at Grounds. We were seated right away and Cyndi was our server. For my breakfast, I had the braised chicken omelet. It was really good. Now to why I feel Grounds is underestimated. There are several options in Murphys for dinner, but I don't think Grounds is thought of as one of them. In fact, my wife looked up dinner places on Yelp and Grounds didn't come up, but we decided to give it a try. We arrived around 7 and were seated at the same table that we had that morning and had Cyndi as our server. I didn't pay attention at breakfast, but apparently Grounds has a full bar. Naturally, I had a Maker's Mark Manhattan. I have to say, it was one of the best I've had. Perfectly prepared with bitters and all. The Mrs. had a Bombay Sapphire Martini. I will tell you that the drinks are VERY generous in their size. The dinner menu, just like breakfast, is simple and straight forward. In trying to decide on an appetizer, I noticed other people around us were ordering the fried prawns. They were actually bacon wrapped Bourbon glazed prawns. Yes, you heard that correctly. To add to the deliciousness, they were served with a sweet chili Sriacha sauce. The Mrs. had the fried chicken sous vide. The chicken is sous vide for 6 hours and then flash fried before landing on the plate. I tried it and it was the best unconventional fried chicken I have ever had. In fact, it was the only unconventionally fried chicken I've ever had. It was paired with with house mashed potato, sauteed heirloom carrots and carnival cauliflower. I decided to try the forager mushroom risotto. It was beautifully prepared with crimini mushrooms, garlic, parsley and shaved pecorino. It was actually a very light dish. The portions at Grounds are very manageable. Which is great after a day of wine tasting. Murphys has several choices for dining, but I suggest you give Grounds a try fro breakfast and dinner. read more

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We going through this area and wanted to try something new. This place is fabulous!! Food is delicious, service was great---we had breakfast. The French toast was amazing. They even have kids size French toast. Will definitely plan to go back and try lunch or dinner there. read more

Great fun during our 25th anniversary weekend day trips dining at Grounds Restaurant! We didn't have a reservation and they were fully booked but had a very long communal table in the front near the bar. We ordered appetizers that were amazing and shared them with some locals that did have a reservation but ended up with more in their party then would fit at a table for four. This proved to heighten the fun factor of the evening. Food, service, atmosphere...it was all amazing and we will return as Murphys holds many fond memories from my childhood years with my parents and brother! read more

Grounds Restaurant - Was seated at the communal table...Great way to make friends with the locals! - New American Near Me - Murphys, California

The maple syrup at this place gave me and all my friends stomach problems. I threw up at around 2 am after having they're French toast. The service is also quite slow. read more

It was almost 4:00 on a weekday. Between a tasting at Hatcher across the street, & dinner reservations at Sarafina's, it was time for coffee. I've had Grounds on my list for awhile, but somehow was under the impression it was just a cafe. Scoping the scene out front, making sure they weren't about to close (like Aria down the street, which closes at 4:00), a server was bussing a table & asked "Did you want to come in? We're not serving food until 5:00, but you can still get coffee..." Thinking she must be referring to standard cafe fare like soup & sandwiches, I told her that was no problem, since we only wanted coffee. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door & saw that it's a full service restaurant. And a nice one, at that. Casually elegant, Grounds looks like the classic little restaurant. The light walls juxtaposition w dark wood. It's warm & intimate. Lots of windows, & great light. There's even a patio. The counter at front is tiny, but exactly what we needed. Our gracious server made us cappuccinos, & then went on w prepping for dinner. We were the only customers, in the entire restaurant, they were between lunch & dinner, & we only ordered cappuccinos. Yet we were welcomed without hesitation, & no one minded in the least. That says a lot about a place. The cappuccinos were great, service was great, & I can say that the food looked & smelled great. I witnessed the chef (presumably) bring out an entree for a staff member. I think it was the rib eye. Whatever the case, it was food stylist perfection. I'm having dinner here next time I'm in Murphys. Or breakfast. Or lunch... 4 stars. read more

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We had a good lunch at Grounds today! Tasty food, friendly (but slow) service, and a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. We came here on a Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend (4th of July) with a party of 7 (4 adults and 3 small children), and were greeted by a friendly and accommodating staff. We were given a spacious table in the back, as well as 2 high chairs and a booster seat, which we appreciated. I enjoyed my chicken mozzarella sandwich, which was served with greens. My husband thought his burger was decent, but they made it medium well, while he had requested it medium, which was disappointing. We ordered a side of grilled chicken and a side of avocado for my 14 month old, which was a perfect choice. We were glad to have the ability to order these as sides, and my daughter quite enjoyed them (the chicken was tender and moist). The restaurant got quite packed soon after we arrived, and unfortunately, as a result, the service was quite slow. It took a while for them to take our orders, and after that, it took a while for our food to arrive. The staff was both apologetic and friendly, which we appreciated. The space is modern and attractive, and the back patio looked lovely (though we ate indoors). I was disappointed they did not have baby changing tables in either bathroom. Overall, we had a nice lunch here, and were glad we came! read more

Always a solid stop. Great breakfast. Full bar. Friendly staff. You can't go wrong here.

I'm updating my last review and again it was a great lunch outside in a perfectly sunny spot ...and I ordered the BLT on sourdough, with salad and blue cheese dressing....winning combination and ended lunch with the chocolate peanut butter torte....perfect ending to a perfect lunch...Kyle, was our server and he was super busy yet attentive and made sure everything was up to par....always fun to eat here! GO! read more

I've been eating at Grounds for many years, not as much lately. Breaks my heart that they've let the food go downhill. It has amazing ambience, very nice people working there, and a great menu--not too many items, but a variety of foods that met a variety of food preferences for vegetarians and meat lovers. Unfortunately, the food ain't great. I beg you, Grounds--get simple again, and turn out some wonderful food. You don't need to try to be fancy (I mean, it's Murphy's, for gawds sake. We have low expectations.) Just be delish. If you need to remember what delicious tastes like, just walk down the street to Rob's Place. read more

Went here on the first night of our girls trip and it was delicious. My friend had the filet and it looked amazing. I got the fried chicken and it was tender and crispy. It's served with mashed potatoes and a creamy gravy that was good. Carrots seem to come with most dishes which I was worried about but they were good- well seasoned, not mushy. Got to say that this place had amazing cocktails. Have a couple basil lemon drops and loved the ambiance, food and service. Great spot. Will be back. read more