L'oliveta at Summerhill in Basildon

Lovely freshly cooked food, hardworking waitresses ensuring tables are cleared promptly. Just well worth a visit

Several tables clearly allowed mixed households. We didn't feel safe.ee ate quickly and left as we paid before we noticed what was going on.

We had lunch one weekday in early October.Summerhills garden centre has a very nice Christmas display, so the on site restaurant was busy.The food is "very average". All day breakfast is OK, it's cheap sausages, bacon etc combined to produce a just about acceptable meal. On site there is a Gibsons Meat shop, selling what muct be amongst the best meat in Essex - it's just a shame the restaurant doesn't buy from them . The chicken/bacon mayo sandwich was the same, low quality chicken with small amounts of chicken/bacon and vast amount of cheap mayo.Most of the staff wore masks, but with no social distancing between themselves taking place. More serious was the fact that the one man (who by his actions appeared to be the manager), didn't wear a mask, and was serving customers/handling food exactly as he would have done in the past. Now, he may have a clinical reason not to wear a mask, or he may have decided he isn't covered by the legislation - I simply don't know. Either way around we are not going to go back to the restaurant when this is their apprach to Covid 19.

Shocked that I was refused an extra cup for a pot of tea as it was 'policy' to only give out one. When politely asked for another cup as my friend and I only wanted a quick cup of tea (and not 5 cups each), we was met with rudeness from the member of staff attached. Disgraceful customer service, I could have gotten over bring refused the extra cup, it was the rudeness that upset me and will ensure I do not return again. If we had not of already paid then we would have left there and then. I understand this is not the first time she has been rude to customers so clearly needs to be sorted out.

Me and my friend came here on 25th September and ordered food and a pot of tea. We intended to share the pot of tea but when we asked for another cup we was refused and the girl was so rude to us. If we hadn’t have already paid we would have left.

We went for lunch , despite many notices, too many people were not observing social distancing or filling in the requisite forms . Tables were also too close together . I had salad Nicoise which was delicious , I was surprised to be served olives with stones in them ! Some items in the menu are overpriced, bangers and mash nearly £10 whereas normally that would be £ 4/5.

Visited here for lunch and had a lovely prawn salad. Staff friendly, helpful and nice to chat with despite the place being quite busy.My only (small) complaint is margarine on the lovely bread. Will ask them next time if they have butter on the premises instead.

Went here over this Christmas period...was lovely atmosphere and very helpful...children loved the Christmas display...will be going again soon..

As always this is a wonderful place to eat. The staff are always friendly and helpful. Lots of choice of food. Always freshly cooked and well presented. At reasonable prices. I like the way the staff bring the food to the table and always check that every thing is ok. The setting it really nice. The mixture of fabrics on the chairs is very inviting. A must to go when visiting Summerhill garden centre

Very good food , wide range on the menu staff helpful and efficient Can get very busy so pick your time Best food out of all the garden centres I have been to by far !!

went in here for a quick lunch Was very busy managed to fine a seat Ordered food and did not have to wait long for it Nice food Need maybe a better range of soft drinks

I visited recently for lunch with my sisters, we had ordered and taken our seats, we noticed it was busy so expected to have a small wait, but having only ordered 3 sandwiches didn’t expect to wait to long. As time went on the couple next to us noticed a delay in the food, they had also noted that other customers that had come in after them and us had already had there food brought out. They questioned this and was told it would be out soon. They chased again and was told it was coming, when there food arrived they were offered refills on there drinks. We questioned where ours was and was told we were next, when other people’s food come out before ours I went up to the till area to ask where ours was as had now been well over 30minutes. I was told it was just coming and they had had an issue with there new till system. I mentioned that it was still a long time to wait and that it would have been nice to have been informed of the issues. To this I was told “well then have a refund and leave” such awful customer service to speak to a customer like that! I said what was the point as the food was now coming. When the food was brought over the waiter just said ‘it’s here now! We are only human’ again awful customer service, I am not sure why he felt the need to go on, as after all this was the restaurants problem not mine for the delay, we were offered nothing like the people next to us, even though by then we had all finished our drinks! The food was nice however, horribly rushed to be put together, the sandwiches should have been garnished with, salad, coleslaw and crisps, not one of ours came with all the garnish! We didn’t have the time to complainant at the time however we will not return, as the customer services was rude and non existent. I had emailed to advise of this and after 2 weeks and 2 chasers have had no reply!

I’m usually not a fan of garden centre restaurants or tea rooms but I have to admit that on a rare trip to Summerhill’s I was pleasantly surprised by the menu, food quality and service. Most other garden centre restaurants, cafes or tea rooms and normally staffed by non-interested low cost staff, but this one was efficient in every way.Thoroughly recommend it, we’ll go back there again !

Summerhill is a good garden centre, and is especially known for its extensive Christmas displays (very extensive in fact !).The cafe is fine, it's exactly that - average.OK it was a Monday afternoon, but there was only a very limited range of cakes on offer, Additionally the cooked food looks fine, exactly that, no more - you don't see other customers food, and think "I would like that, it looks wonderful".Not as good as the cafes in other nearby garden centres.

One year on and an amazing improvement. Very good food, particularly the Italian inspired. Very good service. It can get incredibly busy and hot. Sort out the aircon and it would be a wonderful restaurant. Really worth a visit.

This cafe/restaurant is indeed popular and you can see why. The service is great and the menu is varied. Add to that you just have to take a look round Summerhills when you visit - it's a win win! Especially with the Christmas decs up now. Great for a drink or lunch while shopping in the many small shops housed at Summerhills also.

Arriving around 2pm on a Sunday the restaurant was pretty busy but thankfully we still managed to find a table, you choose from the menu and then go up to order, there was a small choice of kids meals, the main menu consisted of sandwiches, panini's, jacket potatoes, pizza's, pasta, fish and chips, a small selection of vegetarian meals, burgers and more! They also have freshly made cakes on the counter which look delicious!

Pleasantly suprised at the menu, a good selection of Italian dishes and English dishes, from small to bigger meals, visited whilst meeting up with friends and all the food including pizza, jacket potato and quiche, served were good sizes, prices and served nicely, would definitely visit again, staff were all polite and personable, I liked the atmosphere and the seating and tables were well set out.

First visit but will be back. Excellent service, friendly staff and very pleasant ambiance. I would recommend the Calzone Carne Piccante and garlic bread. The milkshakes was also excellent (I had two)

Hubby is in a wheelchair,so found the arch entrance,so easy,was greeted by a waitress she was so helpful,hubby had cheese jacket,I had prawn salad.the quality of the food,is superb! Well done to the chief! We will be trying more from the menu.the carrot and orange cake was to die for! We will be coming regularly.

Visited here one weekday with my daughter. Was surprised to see so much choice on the menu. Decided to go for a jacket potato with beans and cheese which I read comes with side salad and coleslaw.

I has the haddock and chips were good, a salad with it and really not nice peas.

I am writing this review to commend the chef on the wonderful Penne Arrabiata. Absolutely delicious! Full of flavour! Other meals were also very tasty and freshly prepared! Great little place in the garden centre.

Popped in for a quick lunch. There is plenty of parking and despite being Saturday lunchtime there were spare tables available. You queue up to order and get drinks. You then collect a number and the food came 10 minutes later. I had cod and chips which was lovely and for two of us with drinks lunch came to just over £20.

I have heard mixed reviews about this place but thought we would give it a try.

Friendly staff, comfortable surroundings lots of choice great food. Would definately recommend eating here.

Wo go here quite regularly on a weekend as they do lovely breakfasts, lunches and snacks at a good price.

Read the variety of reviews and there were quite a spread.

Fantastic service,excellent prices, food was absolutely superb with great choices totally recommend and will come back

First time visiting the staff was lovely and very clean the food was yummy yummy and deiverd with a smile

We was out and about so decided to pop in for a bit of lunch. two Jackets with cheese and beans and two Latte's just over £20 thought it was a bit expensive for a cafe. But the jackets were nice and hot and didnt have to wait to long for them being it was very busy. maybe there could have been a bit more salad on the side.

We have visited a few times for sandwiches and drinks.

Lunch was cold and manager was extremely rude ! Will not be going again !!!! The pots of tea are huge so I asked for another cup to be told no.

I generally have very modest expectations of restaurants in garden centres. The food is usually very average at best, and there’s often a problem with clearing the tables. Most make service stations look upmarket. L’Oliveta was the worst I’ve come across but I should add that we didn’t eat there. After waiting more than 30 minutes from ordering and enquiring twice when we might get the food we’d ordered, we asked for our money back and left. You might think we ordered something complicated but actually all we asked for was two jacket potatoes. Should have taken 10 minutes at the most. Just hopeless and it’s a shame that there’s not a no stars category.

Been coming to sun hill for years, this new cafe isn’t great. Unfortunately the menu is so big the quality of food has severely paid. It’s also very very expensive, it wasn’t cheap before by any means but it’s just over the top for a garden centre cafe. Such a shame. £2.30 for a small one glass bottle of coke and £9.80 for a jacket. Crazy!!! Won’t return

Our first visit today, I thought it was very good. Clean restaurant and tables. Friendly and polite staff. All the food was well cooked and nicely presented. Reasonable prices. Can get very busy. Worth a visit

Little different from the way it was other than the addition of some Italian style food. The food we had was fairly average. But really is expensive. Two sandwiches, one portion of chips and two drinks for twenty five quid is steep.

I visited last week with family and my 2 year old. We all totally enjoyed our lunch. Super delicious food, really tasty, and the best pizza I've had in a very long time! Friendly staff and lovely clean restaurant. I will defiantly be returning.

Tried the new cafe/restaurant at Summerhills. The new owner has created more of a restaurant feel rather than a cafe. The menu is quite extensive now and you can still have coffee and cake if you prefer. The Room has been decorated, some coloured chairs brought in and an arch added at the entrance to create more of a restaurant vibe. It's a great little place to stop while out shopping at Summerhills or just to meet a friend for a chat and a snack. Would recommend especially the carrot cake. Waitresses were all young but very efficient and friendly. Owner was there and taking an interest in the running of the place, which is a good thing.

After a visit to the garden centre I thought I would go and have a snack.I was a bit dubious whether to or not after reading some of the negative reviews I’ve read on this site.

First time here; had a cuppa and was well worth it. Tea was gorgeous, place was spotless and a lovely feel. Will def come back.

I went with a friend last week. The decor has been greatly improved with new lighting and smart tables and chairs which are very comfortable. I am gluten intolerant and could choose any of the pasta dishes as the sauces were all gluten free and they had gluten free pasta. Also had gluten free bread and sausages. A vast improvement in my choices previously. Service was efficient and friendly. The only thing that I would say is that the food is over priced considering that it is a garden centre cafeteria.

Had a smashing lunch here today. Good choice of gluten free. Good service. Friendly staff. Slightly high prices but we will return.

What were they thinking?....it was promised to be better than that what was there before. Its had a redecoration, well some pastel coloured chairs added.

Place is very nice and clean. I had a English Breakfast and so far is one of the best I had in the area. Very good Sausages and Very fresh good quality food and portions well served.

Went here for a friend catch up chat and a drink. I was surprised it wasn't busy as it is a bank holiday weekend and the garden centre ect where this is located was full of people. There was no queue so collected a coke and water from the fridge and asked for 2 slices of cake which were give to us on plates. We were offered glasses and ice for our bottled drinks. staff were friendly and the seating area was clean and kept tidy. Chairs were comfortable. The only reason I have given here a average grade is because the price was fairly high and it was very hot in there. I would like to return and maybe try something off the menu. The carrot cake was very tasty.

Lovely atmosphere, food and staff. The staff were particularly kind and show great consideration to my elderly parents. Thoroughly enjoyed the coffee and food.

The best Cafe Restaurant ever ben to the service and and the New menu is very good can't wait to visit again

First time visiting the new restaurant at Summerhills. The man serving us, who i presume to be the manager, barely acknowledged us whilst at the same time watching every move we made suspiciously. Not a friendly atmosphere. The food itself was average, but overpriced. Would have been better off going yo Mcdonalds down the road!

Bear in mind we never had any problem with the old restaurant, Manhattans! (Unlike some seemed to!) The new L’Oliveta has only been there for a couple of weeks but we had very nice cappuccino there a week or so ago and saw some very nice food walking past so a week later we tried the lasagne, which was excellent. The jacket potatoes, etc., available before are still there but there’s a second menu with a more extensive (Italian) range.

Over priced in my opinion. Had a bacon baguette that was served with 2 rashers of bacon in a small baguette for £6.95. The guy service is at the till barely acknowledged us. Nice decor though