Rats Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture

Review summary

1. C

   Cliff VIP

   Greater Boston120 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The service was excellent. While the food was good, the selection was too limited for my liking. The atmosphere is amazing.
   

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2. j

   julie VIP

   Philadelphia30 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Grounds for Sculpture was gorgeous as usual, but Rats needs a refresh. We were very hungry, but didn't finish two of the dishes we ordered, mussels and roast chicken, because both had a bad aftertaste. The broth for the mussels, which I normally can't get enough of, was heavy and too strong. The chicken had a strange yellow gelatinous sauce that was really unpleasant. The cod was good, but for $41 I was expecting more than just a piece of fish. Some color on the plate would have been very welcome. Although the dining room was almost empty, our server sat a large, loud party within inches of us when there were other large tables available farther away. This ruined any chance of a relaxing meal. We left without ordering dessert, and our bill for two was still nearly $200 with tip. Rats! Won't go back again, unless I hear there is a major overhaul.
   

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3. b

   bhavini

   New York City1 review

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Had the prefix lunch which included complimentary admission to GFS, great deal.
   

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4. AS

   AnitaS VIP

   New York City19 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Ive been coming to Rat’s restaurant for many years, have had many family parties here and It’s always a wonderful experience and the wait staff is always excellent. My only complaint is that today when I had lunch there, the menu was extremely limited. There really weren’t many choices of appetizers and the entree selections were also much fewer than in the past. I hope that changes when the spring season gets underway as this was a disappointment.
   

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5. P

   Passionatefoodie

   Atlantic City7 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We loved the ambiance, and the service was wonderful. The food is average or slightly above; but the experience overall was great. .
   

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6. J

   James

   New York City9 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on March 1, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Overall Food was delicious and hot when served. Service was excellent! A wonderful slow paced meal with plenty of time for conversation and savor the food and drink. The tables were too close together. A little cramped and the noise level was fairly high due to the closeness of the tables. Even low conversations were easily overheard.
   

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7. E

   Eileen

   New York City13 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 1, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Any was an absolute gem! Dinner was great would recommend
   

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8. G

   Greg

   New York City12 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 28, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Always a wonderful meal, delicious wine, and a great evening
   

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9. JF

   JulieF VIP

   New York City9 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on February 28, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   We love this restaurant and have been coming for years. This visit was kind of disappointing. I had Rat’s Rotisserie chicken salad. The flavor was good but there was less than 1/4 cup of chicken on the salad. This salad should have been priced as $10 not $20. Our waiter was unfriendly. No smile. No interaction with us except for taking and delivering our order. As though he didn’t want to be there. Maybe he was having a difficult day. I think the feedback should be given though, as the service is part of the experience. Hopefully our next visit will be better.
   

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10. A

    Amanda

    Chicago3 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on February 23, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4

    Sadly, Rats has gone to the dogs! I used to come often pre-Covid and the food, service and ambience was always top notch which makes my experience today all the more regretful. First, they are sorely short on staff, both kitchen and table. I had to wait an unconscionably long time for the food and I noticed I was far from the only one in the restaurant who experienced and was unhappy with the incredibly slow service. When I went to the front desk to ask about this, instead of apologizing I was told it was very busy. Yet, there were many tables empty! When I'd ordered, I'd asked if we could buy admission tickets with the meal and was told yes. I was NOT told that they only could be bought with the "fixed price" menu. Had I known that, I would have ordered that menu and saved a bundle. Instead I ordered the items separately, not wanting the desert. The caesar salad was horrid. The lettuce had ends uncut which made me question how it could have been carefully washed and, on top of it appearing wilted -- though I found out later that may arisen from the grilling, the actual lettuce was the part one normally tosses. They agreed to refund it. I then waited and waited for the one waitress who was servicing the whole room to come to table with the check and finally gave up and went to the front desk to the surly man who had claimed before the place was busy. He was not any more courteous this time. All in all, not a pleasant experience and from the looks of other diners, I was not the only one displeased!
    

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