Today we went for lunch at the Golden Grill in Turku, Finland. Verdict: well, some parts were very, very good and others not so great, but more about that later.

You’ll find it in the Hansa shopping mall in the center of the city. It’s up in the food court, although it’s its own separate restaurant so you won’t need to deal with the hustle and bustle that goes with food courts.

Positives

The Golden Grill is a nice looking restaurant and with a menu to match, there are a heap of positives about the place.

• Easy location with undercover parking.
• It’s a double story restaurant with two lifts that run the whole way up the mall (it’s on the third floor). There’s also wheelchair /pram lift going from the food court entrance So its got easy access.
• Great views overlooking the town square.
• The food court playground is tucked away right near the entrance to the golden Grill, so it’s great for kids. You can actually eat down there too, even if you’re having the buffet.
• Prices are good, The average price for an entrée was 8.90€, burgers 15€, steaks 28.90€, finger food 16.50€, kids meals 8.50€ and desserts 5.50€. There are lots of lunch specials and the lunch buffet for 10€. Restaurants are typically more expensive here.
• Nice selection of drinks, they should be able to cover everyone’s tastes. All the usual stuff, non alcoholic and alcoholic wise.
• Right, now….the food… So damn good! Sam and I had a caesar salad each, he a crab and me a chicken. They also came with the best bread either of us has ever had. And trust me, we’ve tasted a lot of bread. Great sized meals too. We highly recommend either one of these dishes. Lil miss had a kid’s meal with meatballs and chips which was just as yum.
• The menu is really drool worthy, especially the burgers. I really wanted one but decided to try be a bit healthier. The one I was eyeing off in particular was a salmon avocado one. They do entrées, salads, burgers (they have black Angus too, which can never be bad, can it?) steak, which look equally as awesome, finger food, desert, kids meals extras and a complimentary coffee bar.
• Weekdays they have a buffet, with a reasonable selection of main courses, salads and desserts. It looks lovely.

Now the cons

I’ll be honest there weren’t many at all. But… One thing that’s really, really important is customer service. Bad customer service can eclipse all the good and ruin everything.

Yes the food was down right delicious! But the hospitality was totally lacking (which unfortunately isn’t uncommon), a little smile and good attitude goes a long way. Lucky this isn’t a country that tips!

So, if you’re not too fussed about customer service but like a nice meal, then we highly recommend the Golden Grill.
Otherwise, as good as the food may be I’d consider skipping it and spending my money elsewhere, as there are so many great restaurants to choose from.

❄️ I can only speak for our experience, and I’m sure there are lovely staff working there. If you do go there I hope you have a lovely meal, time and service.

Have you been to the Golden Grill? If you have, what did you think?