FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you’re coming by for a visit soon, chances are you might have a few questions on where to start. Here’s a few we’ve answered for you that we hope will help.
What is The Grounds of Alexandria?
We’re a cafe, restaurant and event complex that specialises in creating memorable moments, and has over the years become famous for our iconic garden setting and themed installations. We offer dine-in reservations at our Cafe and our restaurant (The Potting Shed), takeaway from the Cafe and our Garden BBQ kiosk, and private dining experiences such as high teas and banquet feasts. We frequently host school holiday workshops and activities too!
Unless there is a special event on, there is no entry fee to visit The Grounds of Alexandria – you simply need to be dining at our Cafe, The Potting Shed, or Garden Bar & BBQ.
Do you have other venues?
Yes, we have The Grounds of the City, our restaurant in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. We also have The Roastery, our new venue at the historic South Eveleigh precinct, opening soon.
Reservations
Bookings for smaller groups can be made online where available – for larger groups, please contact reception directly on (02) 9699 2225 or by our email enquiry form.
Please note that while we accept walk-ins daily at our venues, wait times can vary depending on how busy we get.
Don’t feel like waiting for a table at The Grounds of Alexandria?
If you’re visiting The Grounds during the day and you don’t want to wait for a table, we also offer takeaway from our Cafe and Garden BBQ, which you can eat in our beautiful garden takeaway area.
The Laneways
Our famous displays and installations are set up in the laneways that connect our venues. Our laneways are freely open to Grounds customers from 7:30am to 4pm, 7 days a week, no booking or ticket required. After 4pm, access to these areas becomes exclusive to guests dining at The Potting Shed (our onsite restaurant), or attending a private event at one of our venues.
When visiting, you’re more than welcome to walk around to take photos, but please note that we do not allow professional photo or video shoots within the laneways.
Getting to The Grounds of Alexandria
We strongly recommend using public transport to visit The Grounds, as parking onsite and around Alexandria can be difficult during busy periods.
Public Transport
The nearest station is Green Square, located a 10 – 15 minute walk away. St Peters station is also a 20-30 minute walk away. Buses between Wolli Creek, Randwick, Mascot and Redfern stop frequently outside of our complex.
Route updates, timetables and travel information is available on the Transport for NSW website, or real-time travel apps.
Taxis & Rideshare
Taxis and Rideshare (e.g. Uber, Ola, etc.) can drop off / pick up on Huntley Street or Bourke Road. Set the destination as The Grounds of Alexandria, or our street address (7/2a Huntley Street, Alexandria NSW 2015).
Parking
The Grounds of Alexandria has onsite parking on a first come first serve basis, meaning availability is very limited during holiday periods and on weekends. Street parking can generally be found within a 10-15 minute walk. There is also a paid public car park available at Sydney Corporate Park (Alexandria) located 10-15 minutes walk south of The Grounds.
To park onsite at The Grounds, enter via 2 Huntley Street (behind our Cafe) and speak with one of our friendly Grounds staff who will be able to help you out. Alternatively, the suburb of Alexandria offers all-day and timed street parking; be sure to obey all parking signs and restrictions.
Please note onsite parking is limited to two hours during daytime hours.
Alcohol
All of our venues are fully licensed to serve alcohol during standard trading hours. We do not allow BYO.
Dog Policy
We love dogs here at The Grounds and welcome them in most areas, even inside The Potting Shed and the terrace section of the Cafe.
When making a booking, please advise if you will be bringing your pooch and we will be sure to book you in the right seat.
Just a few housekeeping things when bringing along your dogs:
- They must be on a leash or harness at all times
- When dining in, they must be seated on the floor at all times
- We can provide them with water, but not food, and we kindly ask that you do not feed them from the table
Enquiries
Got any questions or need assistance? Our friendly reception staff will be happy to help. You can contact us directly on (02) 9699 2225, or by submitting a general enquiry form.
Reception Operating Hours
Monday – Friday: 9am – 8pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 5pm
Please note that we are not able to answer any enquiries outside of these hours.
International Numbers
Please note that we are not able to make calls out to international phone numbers, so if you are unable to reach reception, please submit a general enquiry form so we can contact you via email.
Getting to The Grounds of the City
We strongly recommend using public transport to visit The Grounds, as parking in the CBD can be extremely difficult.
Please note that there is a known issue with walking directions on Google Maps which may take you to the wrong location. We are located on George Street, directly across the road from the QVB.
Public Transport
The nearest train station is Town Hall. There is direct walking access to The Galeries shopping centre from Town Hall station – we are located on the ground floor of The Galeries. We are also within walking distance of St James and Museum stations.
The nearest Light Rail stop is QVB on the L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford lines – The Grounds of the City is located just next to the stop, opposite the Queen Victoria Building.
Bus routes, timetables and travel information are available on the Transport for NSW website, or real-time travel apps.
Taxis & Rideshare
Taxis and Rideshare (e.g. Uber, Ola, etc.) can drop off / pick up on Druitt Street – car access to George Street is not possible as it is a pedestrian-only zone. Set the destination as The Grounds of The City, or our street address (500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000).
Parking
The Grounds of The City does not have parking facilities, however there are paid public car parks in the surrounding area, including at the QVB (access via York Street).
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COPYRIGHT
Unless otherwise indicated, copyright in the information on this web site is owned by The Grounds. All rights reserved.
Contact:
General Enquiries: (02) 9699 2225
or complete our online form here.
Who can I send my feedback to?
Please let us know your feedback by contacting our reception team using the details provided above.
OUR VENUES:
The Grounds of Alexandria
The Grounds of Alexandria Cafe
The Potting Shed
The Garden Bar & BBQ
Sydney CBD
South Eveleigh
For information on our events spaces, please visit the events section on our website here.
OUR SERVICES:
POLICIES
ZERO TOLERANCE
The Grounds does not tolerate any abuse, harassment of or threats made to any of our staff under any circumstances. We reserve the right to refuse service / entry to or terminate a call with anyone in violation of this policy.
PRIVACY COMMITMENT
The Grounds understands the importance of the trust you are placing in us. It is our commitment to you that we maintain that trust. Our team are instructed to ensure that your privacy is protected. Furthermore, the law requires that your rights to privacy are protected. National Privacy Principles, the Privacy Act and general law place strict requirements on us to treat certain information collected as confidential.
SHARING INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES
The Grounds does not share, sell or trade your personal information gathered online or in our venues. This includes but is not limited to your name, email addresses and postal addresses.
PROMOTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
The Grounds will only send you updates and promotional materials if you want to receive them. If you prefer not to receive information from us, let us know by clicking on the unsubscribe link contained within the email.
ONLINE ORDERING SECURITY
Protecting your personal and order information is a priority at The Grounds. We want you to be able to order from The Grounds with confidence. As such we have created a secure transaction environment.