A Grand Old House, Petra Plantation, Est. 1908,
A legend of the Island, this former plantation house established in 1908 is retaining the charm of the past catering to the present and the future.
With its panoramic waterfront seaside terrace, colonial style indoor dining, four private rooms serving local and international flavor, award winning Wine list, Cuban Cigar collection and live music, it is a must for romantic dinners, fine dining, spectacular weddings and business events.
Located in South Sound, this waterfront restaurant has a lot to offer with innovative ideas while preserving the culture, heritage, and history of the place. It is the perfect place for lunch if you are in town and do not want to be caught in traffic, or if you just want to enjoy your lunch with a great view. Today, Grand Old House remains one of the finest restaurants on Grand Cayman, with an award-winning wine list, impeccable service and sophisticated island charm. It’s seaside veranda offers the perfect setting for a leisurely lunch or romantic dinner, and it’s also been the site of more than one thousand weddings and countless community events and celebrations. As an enduring symbol of perseverance and good taste, Grand Old House is a unique Caymanian treasure. The restaurant can host up to 500 guests so we have plenty of room for any occasion!
Guests can enjoy a variety of mouth-watering international dishes with Caribbean flair, made from the freshest ingredients, embracing the farm to table trend that has become so popular on the island. You can choose à la carte dining at the water’s edge or in air conditioned elegance. The menu has a great selection from surf to turf.
For those who have dietary restrictions, a gluten free and vegetarian menu is available.
Many nights of the week you will be able to enjoy various island musicians. Grand Old House is the only place on island that has live music four to five nights a week, so you are sure to be entertained. There are different genres each night, suitable for all listeners.
After dinner, enjoy a cigar made by a professional in house cigar roller. The cigars are rolled on site by the restaurant’s resident Torcedor who hails from where else? Cuba! Vintage and limited edition cigars are available as well. For an accompaniment, try an Armagnac from the collection that ranges from 1888 to 1984.
Grand Old House is a great venue for corporate functions, travel incentives, Christmas parties, events, and weddings. In addition to offering an exquisite menu, their in-house wedding & event coordinator can assist you with all the details for your wedding including the ceremony, license, flowers, decorations, photography, entertainment and limousine services. Whatever your wishes they will work with you to ensure the wedding you have dreamt of becomes a reality. When you marry at Grand Old House, you weave the charm of authentic Caribbean plantation life together with contemporary elegance. It’s the Cayman Islands’ premier wedding venue. Indoors and out, ceremony and reception sites lend themselves to events simple and grand. Situated on the shores of the Caribbean Ocean it is the perfect setting for your special day; just imagine your ceremony with the beautiful blue ocean as a backdrop.
Grand Old House offers yet more options. If you’re visiting via cruise ship, let them pick you up in the morning and drive you to their unique setting. Use their bridal room to change into your wedding dress. They can arrange for your marriage license and all details. Have your ceremony and a breakfast, hors d’oeuvres or lunch party on the premises. Make your day unique and celebrate in style!
You can also stay connected throughout the entire property with free wifi. There is outdoor seating as well as indoor, air conditioned seating, equipped with four private rooms. The atmospheric Wine Room, which houses the restaurant’s extensive wine collection including their own-labeled premium wines, is the perfect place to have your next lunch or board meeting Both the Wine Room and the slightly larger Colonial Room with its own bar have provided the setting for many celebrations and are ideal for private functions. The Wine Room has a beautiful dining table that can seat up to 10 people, while the Colonial Room can accommodate up to 40 people. The Plantation Room seats up to 20 people and is a glassed gazebo with views of the ocean. All the wines displayed in the Wine Room are from the award winning wine list, carefully put together by the in house sommelier.
Out of the 230 restaurants in the Cayman Islands, Grand Old House is one of the four restaurants that received the coveted two glass “Best of Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator. They are also the first in Cayman to have a member’s only Wine Club. This is for all those who are wine connoisseurs as well as ones who want to learn more. The public are welcome to all events, With over 20 years of awards from the Wine Spectator Magazine you can be guaranteed to find a fine wine to complement your delicious meal.
At The daily Happy Hour (5pm – 7pm) on our waterfront “On The Rocks” Bar & Lounge, special prices are offered on drinks as well as an additional 20 % discount on the delectable Tapas menu Enjoy a cocktail and watch the sunset before you dine under the stars or on the water’s edge. If you are not too hungry, the outdoor lounge is a great place to have a few glasses of wine and tantalize your taste buds with the great selection of nibbles and small plates on the menu, created by their award winning chefs.
Originally designed as a stately Caribbean great house on the coconut tree speckled Petra Plantation, the Grand Old House was built by Boston businessman William Henry Law in 1908. The foundations are constructed with locally grown ironwood, an exceptionally tough or hardest wood in the world, which helped the house survive the strongest of storms, including a multitude of nor’westers, the no name hurricane back in 1932 and Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
When Mr. Law left the Cayman Islands, the Lambert family came to oversee his business and to live in the house. The Lamberts entertained frequently, hosting elegant parties. When the Lambert family left Cayman for Jamaica in 1925, the house remained in the care of Olive Hinds, the family housekeeper, for many years.
During its long history, the Grand Old House has been used as a Sunday school for local children, a hospital for soldiers wounded in World War II, a beauty parlor and a shelter for island residents during storms and hurricanes. Old-time residents even tell the story that a doctor once performed an operation on a dining room table.
In the 1950s, the house passed into the hands of retired U.S. Army Colonel Pirnie. It was in his time of ownership that Cayman’s first Rotary Club was chartered at the house in 1966. Grand Old House was then purchased by Bob and Jeanne Brenton and other partners, who turned it into a restaurant in 1969. At that time, South Sound Road was no more than a dirt track and the restaurant was lit by oil lamps.
Although there were not many tourists in those days, the restaurant became a favorite with residents. For several years in the late 1980’s and early 90’s, Grand Old House was managed by the late Friedman Paul Erhardt, a German who was better known on American television as “Chef Tell”. Currently, the Grand Old House is owned by a group of Caymanian entrepreneurs who have supported and maintained it in its original form with new additions such as the 5000 square foot, ocean front deck.
Grand Old House is a unique Caymanian treasure.
We Hope to welcome you at sunset and bid you farewell at midnight
Where tradition lives and life is Celebrated.
