Grenville Hotel & Restaurant

What happened to the Grenville? I recently attended a shower here. It was horrible. The once wonderful, elegant hotel and restaurant is now terrible neglected. Chairs ripped, walls need painting, rugs ugh. I food was ok for a brunch. No one works there. I never, ever saw the waitress, ever! As a guest, I personally cleaned off three tables of dirty dishes after lunch was finished. The dishes had sat there for over ½ hour after we had finished lunch! I picked up three tables filled with dishes and put the dishes on the buffet table. So other guest started doing the same! Horrific! No one came in to help. I finally went and ask for help at the FRONT desk! Then the waitress came in, ¾ of the way thru the shower! No water was replaced at the tables unless once and awhile you caught a glance of the waiter you saw. I thought he must be from another party and just stepped in for some reason but I don’t think there is another room for a party. Then I realized later on the Mimosa dispenser was empty for about ½ hour and there was no glasses available next to it anyway. Had to leave the room and find a waiter to replenish it! If the guests didn’t do everything, nothing would have gotten done! The shower would have been better at a private home, nicer atmosphere, just as much work, at less annoying, and cheaper. Please do something to bring the Grenville back up to much better standards and service.

Allow me to begin with a simple statement: this was simultaneously the worst buffet I have ever been to, and the most expensive, at 36 dollars per head.
It all started when I got in line and waited about 20 minutes past my reservation time for entry into the shabbiest dining room I have ever had the extreme displeasure of dining in. The seat padding was ripped on every seat at our table, and the floor sagged like the breasts of a 90 year old trapeze artist. Water was poured after a 5 minute wait, and there were things that looked like sea monkeys floating around in my water glass.
Brushing this all aside, I figured that the place would redeem itself with the quality of its food… but, I was wrong.
Literally every item offered up for consumption was worse than the last — the shrimp had not been properly cleaned or de-​veined, the chafing dishes were dirty and not replenished once during our meal, and the omelette chef was picking his nose while making my omelette. The «breakfast» portion of the buffet, which consisted of three unreplenished chafing dishes, was piss poor, and the syrup for the waffles (which were nowhere to be found anyway) was on the dinner side of the buffet, all the way across the room. When something did finally get replenished, a young man with torn vans came out with a clear bucket filled with shrimp, and dumped it on the shrimp table, and about half of what he had dumped wound up on the floor, where it belonged. The other food was of such incredibly low quality that I dare not dignify it with a mention here but let it suffice to say that I would rather be force fed Russian prison cuisine than to dine here again.
Did I forget to mention that this was mother’s day? My poor mother.
The desert table was a disaster and I was ready to leave… and then came the check.
35.99 per person!
It came out to 112 dollars for the three of us — no alcohol, no carving stations, no quality food, and wait staff dressed in t-​shirts and jeans.
If you want a good experience, do not go to the Grenville Inn. If you want clean food, do not go to the Grenville Inn. If you want to enjoy yourself, do not go to the Grenville Inn.
If you want shitty food, at a shitty price, served by shitty people, GO to the Grenville Inn.
I award them no points, and may God have mercy on their souls.

This review is for the hotel. It’s homey and quaint, clean and comfortable. This is not a big chain big box hotel so don’t expect that kind of place. Really close to the ocean. Friendly staff. We booked last minute and afterwards I panicked a bit bc of the bad reviews but it is actually a nice place.

Horrible. They allow private parties to take over the restaurant which makes access to the buffet impossible, inconsistent service, cold atmosphere. Buffet is not ready at 10 even though that’s when the brunch begins. Horrible experience though the omlet guy knows what he’s doing. Too bad. Only caters to the local sour puss fossils who don’t know anything else.

Just had Thanksgiving dinner there, and I can’t recall a worse dining experience. The entry way was a cluttered, cheaply furnished mess, what I’d expect from some no-​star highway trucker motel. The hostess was disorganized and unwelcoming.
When we arrived for our 5:00 reservation, the buffet was decimated and trashed. Much of the food — basics, like turkey and sweet potatoes — were empty. Some were eventually refilled, some (sweet potatoes) never were. The buffet area was covered in spilled remnants of the day’s service. There was a line of people simply waiting for plates. The desert station, with a chocolate fountain and a scattering of apple pie slices, looked like a pack of grade schoolers had been allowed to run amok upon it for hours. My heart went out to the poor guy working the carving station, giving up his Thanksgiving to spend the afternoon and evening apologizing to customers for the lack of food. This is for a buffet requiring reservations — they knew exactly how many covers there were for the service, and when they would arrive. Inexcusable.
This is a difficult review to write because the Grenville is a special place with great history. But it needs new owners who will make the necessary investment and effort to bring it back to something resembling what it was and what it’s location deserves.

We booked two rooms at the Grenville and spoke to the receptionist about canceling both rooms after seeing the condition of the rooms, which were unclean, moldy and the linens were soiled. They did not give us the opportunity to cancel but we refused to stay at the hotel although later on we found out from the manager this was a possibility upon checkin to cancel. When we finally requested to speak with the manager to reverse the charges, he/​she was not available so we were told they would get back to us the next day. We called countless times to speak with them, along with our credit card company and there was no resolution until an entire month later when they refunded us the tax. It was terrible customer service and a incredibly disappointing hotel!

Holy crap. Literally. Party of 4 on a DEAD Saturday night, 7:30PM, possibly 4 other tables including ours, & when the super dry mashed potatoes on all 4 plates crumble & break up into chunk pieces, you think more than likely they were yesterday’s potatoes, &/​or sitting in a steam table and plated without any love or a care of proper food service, red flags are raised. My wife and I also have had better «crab» stuffed shrimp frozen from Shop Rite. Also, the «Sea Bass» which I’m very familiar with its beautifully large flakes of meat was instead a flat, small flake flounder or tilapia, & I didn’t say anything because I was too hungry, & too tired & I should’ve taken a picture, but overall, the food truly, truly outright sucked, & the service was truly no better. Our water glasses sat as empty as the surrounding tables. We filled our own glasses more than once including when our server decided to literally have a seat with some friends at a nearby table. Our empty salad plates sat with us nearly the entire dinner. This place stopped caring years ago. I actually used to chef there for my first summer out of Culinary school in 1997. I’m surprised they continue to manage to stay open. The fact that they are still open for business goes to show that most people are not interested in great food at all, but more so seriously crap food with a decent location.
P. S. It pains me to write horrible reviews…

Upon your initial approach down 35 in Bay Head, NJ, you may be weary of your chances in finding a parking spot, being just two days before the 4^th of July. But alas, you will be able to park right in front of the rain leaking, aqua blue awning that welcomes you. You will look up in awe at the soft pink and baby blue colors that compliment the steel scaffolding strategically placed on the south side of the building. Entering the front door, you’ll cast your eyes upon the office depot furniture that pay homage this 100 year old victorian building, and will feel a warm welcome by the awkward silent stares of three young women enjoying a sit and a chat. One young lady dressed in black will ask in shock and exclamation, «Oh, you’re here for lunch?!», and then will lead you to your own personal 80 seat dining room. The cavernous silence will be soon interrupted by the gentle sounds of bad 80’s rock. Fortunately, if 80’s music isn’t your scene have no worries, it will soon be drowned out by the ominous sounds of an unknown source. But not to fear, you will also be distracted by the comings & goings of the chef & someone wearing an apron, both in ratty t-​shirts & athletic shorts. Oh my goodness, & the food! After a half-​hearted explanation of the scattered & random menu, you will cross your fingers & order to your delight. After waiting an inappropriate amount of time, you will receive warm store bought rolls & rancid butter, oh joy! Your gurgling stomach will remind you of simpler times, back in the good ol’ days, when chefs didn’t have to concern themselves with silly health codes. Alas, after only 35 – 40 minutes, your «food» will arrive! So exciting! You will look down & ponder the cornucopia. The chicken wrap with slimy potatoes & oil… lots of oil, I mean, really a lot of oil, will bask on your plate. the Caesar salad from a bag will delight you as the best menu item, but the pasta of the day will astound you! Old box pasta served with frozen mismatched vegetables in an olive oil sauce? And, last but not least, the pre-​boxed crab cake over house aged, yellowing & wilted mescaline salad. What a culinary feat! You will never have anything quite like it. You will be offered coffee or tea, if you are still there. Though, if you want to split this astounding meal with your companions, be prepared to receive no receipt whilst singing a bill for the entire amount of the meal. Cheers!

CHarming hotel, the porch is a nice place to eat (if the food were better). We went for the Sunday buffet. There were not too many offerings. Stood and waited for the omelet maker to acknowledge me (He was talking to the manager for 10 min). There were 3 tables seated, so he should have had too burners going– had only one while he bragged that he was a hreat omelet maker and had been trained by the best (NOT) I got my omelet before my Dad who had ordered before me! He ordered 2 eggs over easy, they gave him fried, I guess the expert omelet maker didn’t know that you have to flip eggs over once to be considered over easy. Also, eggs were made in oil, what the heck???
Other offerings– bacon-​burnt, sausage (I don’t eat that) pasta– overcooked and not great, fish-​?? Some kind of chicken– not good either. They had a tower of English muffins but nowhere to toast them and slim bagels. Who eats untoasted muffins and bagels??? The 2 waitressed kept trying to take our food before we were done (and our flatwear). I had to stop her from taking it by putting my hand over it! They weren’t crowded and it was a buffet, come on.
Some cakes and a mini chocolate fountain with a strange assortment of put together things to dip and soggy (unfrozen) cream puffs. No fruit or nice pastries. Oh, I almost forgot, burnt home fries, too. Coffee was undrinkable. (And this is for many restaurants, not just this one– wash out the coffee pots once a day, makes the coffee taste terrible if you don’t!!)
SO the manager (who, I feel was not dressed to look like a manager of anice establishment), urged us to write a review on our way out and insisted we take more than one card for Unilocal.So, there ya go. I feel that this place is so charming and would be a lot nicer with a a la carte breakfast, and do a few items and do them well. PLease get someone who can cook though. Fresh blueberry muffins, nice home fries, basic omelets, toasted homemade nut bread or raisin bread, decent bacon, maybe some nice salads… now Im hungry.

My husband and I had a great time at the Grenville celebrating my birthday. If you are a wheelchair user, they do have an accessible entrance. Ramp is in the back and goes in through the dining room. The 1880 historical site is whimsical and fun. Our room had a private bath with tub and a little balcony. The beach access near the hote is not accessible, but there are places you can drive that have access including the Jenkinsville boardwalk that was recently rebuilt and very accessible. The food at the Grenville is very good, especially Sunday brunch and dinner. The staff is gracious, warm and really helpful. This is a dog friendly property.

Negative reviews of this place annoy me. Harry and Renee could not provide a more gracious environment. We originally looked at the Grenville to host our wedding, but unfortunately our guest list grew too large to make it work. However, it provided the PERFECT setting for a shower. They could not have been more lovely and more patient working with my (slightly high strung) mother and the day turned out perfect. We had the back portion of the dining room and Mom picked the served lunch option rather than the brunch buffet since there would be some guests with mobility issues. The space was set up beautifully for us and they catered to our every need. The food was absolutely delicious. Our options were the loin of pork stuffed with spinach and roasted peppers, chicken francese and a mediterranean pasta. Everyone was more than pleased with their meals and even our most finicky Sicilian grandma cleaned up her plate of pasta! The cake (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting) was so good that many of the guests had multiple pieces and they boxed up the rest for us to take home. The servers were wonderful, kept everyone’s glasses full with wine and mimosas and a wonderful time was had by all! Thank you so much to everyone at the Grenville for making my day so wonderful. I cannot wait to host another celebration there or just come by for dinner or brunch. It was absolutely perfect!

My wife decided that we should do something «special» for our anniversary. So she booked us a weekend getaway at the Grenville. There was nothing special about this place.
First, we arrived around 9:30 pm to an empty front desk. Our room bill (with home address in it) and room key (old fashioned) were waiting on the counter for us to pick up. Not exactly security minded at this joint. Then, the next thing you notice as you walk through the hallways is that this place could use a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. Maybe some new carpeting as well.
Next, we come to the room. The first thing we noticed is that the walls are paper thin. We could hear our neighbors on all sides talking to or yelling at each other. I’m just happy we didn’t have any heavy moaners in the house. The bathroom is tiny, and there is a notice in the shower to keep the door closed with the fan on when showering. Keeping the door open while showering will trigger the fire alarm.
The bathroom sink was actually outside of the room, and there were no tissues, a hair dryer, or a shower cap in the room. There were no closets, nor was there a mini fridge or an alarm clock. And, finally, we come to the bed. I believe the mattress is an early 2000’s vintage. It is basically concrete now. My back aches as I write this. «The sheets are soft», interjects the wife.
As a side note, the restaurant stinks. The service was minimal and the food was worse. I had the fusilli ala vodka. The sauce was overcooked. My wife had Chicken Napolean that she says was mediocre at best. Huge portion sizes though.
My advice: go somewhere else!

Sunday Brunch was fresh and delicious. The wait staff was attentive and nice. It was a very good value for the price as we treated our children and their spouses and it didn’t break the bank. Very nice historic room, warm fireside dining on a cold January Sunday afternoon. We all agreed it was delicious. We made reservations for 1:00 (last possible reservation was 1:30) and my husband and I took notice that there were some chafing dishes that were not replenished and some in our party missed out on chicken and some desserts that «ran out». That was the only disssapointment, so next time I will arrive closer to noon. Love the BYOB. We will definitely return.

We stayed over Saturday night to attend a wedding nearby. Everyone from Renee who took our reservation to Alan at the front desk to the chef in the restaurant was wonderful. It is a very friendly place. The room was small but clean and functional. The furniture was really lovely and there was a beautiful quilt on the bed.
We didn’t have a fridge in our room and needed to refrigerate something. Renee was happy to put it in a fridge for us.
We have a rambunctious dog and we were worried that he might cause trouble so we left our phone numbers. Alan assured us they would call if there was a problem. He also printed directions to the wedding for us.
We had the buffet brunch on Sunday. The wait staff was attentive and kept refilling our coffee (this is very important to me in the morning!) The chef went out of his way to make my oemlette exactly as I requested. He was generous in sharing his recipe for the delicious butternut squash. I would like to go back and try some of his other creations. The bread was fresh and the bagel was as good as the best bagels in New York. The coffee was also good.
We will be happy to come back! Thanks!

This is one if cases where I wish Unilocal had a no star option. This is such a waste of a wonderful old hotel and a perfect location. First off we were the only patrons in the restaurant at 7:00 on a perfect fall Friday evening. Based on that alone we should not have stayed. But we did. When we asked for the appetizer that we wanted we were told that they don’t have it anymore. Then When we asked our server to describe a pasta dish that was on the menu he described it as weird and oily. So we passed on that. My finance ordered a chicken dish that came with a long metal strand from a steel wool pad cooked right in. When we notified our waiter he just said… hmmm strange. I can only hope that this place is for sale because this grand old hotel is being destroyed by whoever runs it now.

Stayed one night. The building is pepto-​bismol pink so you cant miss it. Same guy was there for check in and out and he seemed more occupied in talking on the phone and cleaning than checking us in or out.
The room was a nice size and had a fridge in it. The bathroom was extremely small and the room could use some updating, but it was clean.

This review is for the restaurant only. Went on a Saturday night at 7:30. I stayed at a B&B a half mile down the road which was great. (The Bentley Inn.) My sister-​in-​law made a reservation here because it was the only place in Bay Head that she was able to make a reservation one day in advance on this particular Saturday night. We did not check the Unilocal reviews ahead of time… The place is lovely and we were happy to get a table on the covered porch. There were three other tables occupied when we arrived. The nicest thing I can say about our waiter is that he was inept. We tried to get his attention several times as he walked by throughout the evening only to be completely ignored. We waited over an hour for our dinner to be served and not once were our water glasses refilled. I got up from the table three times to get a nearby pitcher of water to serve the table. The food was decent when it finally arrived. Due to the amount of wine consumed and the pretty setting, we were able to laugh at the experience and enjoy the night. Most definitely will not be back to partake of these $ 25+ entrees though!

Stayed here as a last minute decision and only wanted a one night stay. Many places required 2 even later in the season.
Very nice and friendly staff. Super quiet hotel. Neat and clean. Very close to beach which made a trip to the beach at night easy and fun.
Bathroom in the suite was small but that was about the only downside.

Immaculately clean and inviting. I stayed here for a Mother’s Day visit and was greeted promptly, even though the dining room was really hopping.

Pet friendly which is hard to find. Staff very friendly. The rooms were outdated but clean. Great location.