Graze Wine Bar
Reviews · · · ·Rating: 3
We ate dinner here in March 2026.
Sourdough with olive oil
Chilli cheese popcorn
Roast pumpkin with macadamia
Fried oyster mushrooms with smoked ricotta
Rosemary cheesecake with meringue
Hot cross bun with quince
Approaching Graze Wine Bar, we were nervous. Most of the time we eat at a bar it’s not good news. Bar snacks tend to be a throwaway affair for drunken diners too tipsy and lazy to go elsewhere. When we saw the menu was only on a chalkboard, our trepidation intensified. How very wrong we were.
Graze has a thoughtful dining menu focused on small bites. Yes, the menu is limited. Yes, it’s on a chalkboard. But we have since appreciated this is because the menu changes regularly and they’re trying to put out good food … and succeeding. This place has ambitions, and isn’t just about drinking wine. They even had a lovely cocktail menu, and the waitresses describe the meals as they arrive, which is a real hallmark of fanciness. And lest we forget the cloth napkins and individual rolled hand towels in the bathroom.
Everything was good, and some were great. Leading the charge was the sourdough. Hot damn. It was dense and a bit dark, with a killer salty olive oil. Simple perfection. The other standout was the pumpkin which had a superb mixture of flavours and textures, even if our waitress stumbled over the ingredients and didn’t know what nasturtium flowers were.
We expected the popcorn to be hot with stringy cheese, but were disappointed to find it room temperature with dry cheese. Fixing this seems like such an easy way to bump that dish up from good to possibly even great that it’s weird that they didn’t do it. And c’mon people, it’s Wellington, it’s feeling particularly autumnal lately, how about you provide some blankets for your outdoor diners?
They weren’t kidding when they described the ricotta as smoked, the flavour was very been-in-the-fireplace. Unfortunately the first mushroom the Fee-Rex stabbed her fork into was so crisp it splintered in two and went on the floor, but the dish was still pretty good. Both of the desserts were enjoyable, and inventive which we really appreciated. And you’d best believe we are here for the seasonal Hot Cross Bun offering.
Bookings recommended.