Orange Tree Restaurant in Torbay

Highly recommended. One of the best restaurants in Torbay, and more affordable than some of similar standard. Once again we had an excellent meal, very tasty and well presented. Service was perfect: slick, professional and friendly. It's a lovely restaurant, cosy and welcoming, fresh and clean. Vittorio and Tatjana were very helpful in advising on, and amending, dishes for me - gluten free but also with other intolerances.

A wonderful Evening with spectacular food (every time we have been). The Service is like nothing else in Torbay. We always look forward to a evening here.

A miserable experience, not helped by being the only people in the restaurant. So, an off night it seems given the other reviews. The menu content reads well but the execution was poor and not good value. the "Tournedos with Wild Mushroom and Shallots" was very average, indeed the fillet was tiny. As for the Madeira Jus - very sharp with no depth. We will not return.

An intimate, cosy and lovely formal atmosphere with superb food at reasonable prices. Fancy getting dressed up for a special occasion? This surely has to be one of the best places to eat in the south west.

Well overpriced considering the lacklustre service and poor food quality. Not sure the overcooked and gristle filled piece of meat I was served for £40 was even fillet steak, as it claimed to be on the menu. Had to get up from the table and find someone to ask for the bill. Tasteless dessert. Overpriced wine served in glassware that should have been replaced several years ago. I don’t want to be sitting here writing this about a small business trying to get by in these hard times. But more than that, I don’t want anybody else to be spending their hard earned cash on this food and experience. Go to No 7 or The Elephant instead - similar price, amazing food and faultless service.

We came to the orange Tree with friends, to celebrate a special occasion. Our friends had been there many times in the past, but it was our first time. To say we were impressed, was an understatement. The food was absolute perfection. I had the Fillet of Beef and it was delicious and cooked perfectly.. the starters and desserts were equally as impressive. We travelled over from Exeter, but it was worth the journey (and then some!) The service was faultless as well, the girl waiting on our table, was lovely, accommodating and a pleasure to deal with. We will be recommending the orange tree to friends and family and we will be sure to come back in the near future.

We have visited this restaurant many times over the years, albeit not recently, but it must have changed hands since we last visited, so be aware of the age of the 5 star reviews, and it WAS a 5 star back in the day but unfortunately not now. Only three tables out of around twenty were being used on a Friday evening, which was extremely unusual from past experience, we frequently had to book well in advance, but now we know why. The front of house staff were new so understandably found it hard to provide extra details around the menu but were extremely friendly and pleasant 👏 For £100 per head food unfortunately was well below par. The breadcrumbed scallops for starters were cooked ok, just not the melt in the mouth experience we expected. The Devon Ruby of fillet was actually cooked very well and we liked the wild mushroom sauce. However the accompanying vegetables were poor. Grilled mushrooms and tomatoes were basic and not what we would have expected from a top restaurant. With this came some very basic vegetables, green beans, some sort of mashed potato/swede which was bland and runny, boiled carrots and two types of potato. We could not fault the volume of the food, just the quality and flavours were not what you would expect from a luxury restaurant. We shared the trio for desert, again this was ok but not amazing. Looking at prior reviews now, there are a variety of highs and lows and I am pleased that some guests had a great experience, but unfortunately not us. Maybe it was the main chef’s day off, if not, then this restaurant is in trouble so should seek help.

We waited a long time to eat here, as we have heard good things and like to eat good food. We Knew this had been awarded a Michelin star in 202. The menu want great. I had scallops to start they were under cooked swimming in so much garlic butter. then we had fillet steak my mushroom and mustard sauce was bland served with a whole tomato bland the mash potato was watery plane carrots & green beans no flavour at all. my partner had a red wine sauce also tasted of nothing. The staff were all young and like robots. Very disappointed and won’t be recommending this restaurant to anyone.

Excellent food , attention to details was second to none .

Took my mum out for dinner we both had the fish and chips it was lovely and fresh all staff friendly especially Tom Chloe Shania and Lottie thanks for a lovely evening

We came here some years ago when on holiday, and returned again while in the area for a couple of days. We were really looking forward to it and were not disappointed! We all went for the tasting menu with wine flight. Beautiful food, and we discovered some new wines also!

We booked this as part of a long weekend in Torquay having walked past it many times in the past. We had a friendly welcome and were seated quickly. We had all looked at the menu before hand so had a good idea of what we wanted and were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately overall the food didn't live up to our expectations. My husband had the lobster bisque with a scallop which he enjoyed, my one friend had a beetroot and goats cheese starter which was nice enough, but two of us had scallops. I saw other reviews saying for £16 they would have expected more than the three scallops they had, so I was more than surprised to just get two, and they were not great, and lacked something. For mains I had lamb, which was again a very small portion and for some reason mine was smaller than my husbands lamb, it was nice enough and in a very tasty sauce but served with green beans, carrots and something we were told was swede but it was white and tasteless. We also were given both daphenouise potato and mini wedges, both nice enough but not sure why we needed two types of potatoes. Our one friend had hake which he said was nice but that was served on top of even more potatoes. My other friend had chicken which she really enjoyed but it was served with fridge cold veg which took a while to be heated up and she had almost finished her chicken when it came back out having been heated up. Overall for the high cost it was very disappointing and didn't really live up to our expectations.

Superb food stopping two doors away for a break ,staff very nice.thankyou

Another superb evening in The Orange Tree Restaurant. Great welcome from Maira and Milena. We had the same table like last time (great memory). We treated ourselves with the Taster Menu for my wifes birthday and we had bottle of our favourite bubbles (Cristal Champagne). Each course that came out was superb and the service from new staff was very polite and friendly. As usual our experience was outstanding. Vittorio’s cooking was the absolute best. Best taster menu in Torbay, definitely be back soon!

Where do I begin. The food was ok. The starters were ok. My girlfriends scallop was severely overpriced compared to most other restaurants. 16 quid for 3 scallops with garlic butter? The mains were pleasant enough and probably the best part of the meal. The pannacotta dessert also had very weak flavours. We ordered a bottle of wine to come with the starters. Didn't get it. Just got an apology and that was it, so ordered two glasses instead.  Later we ordered dessert wine. That came after we had finished the desserts. The staff weren't that attentive or enthusiastic. Also during our visit we overheard other customers saying the food was pretty 'secondary' and another man had his beef too chewy which they did nothing about. I know other restaurants that would have replaced it for a whole new dish for him. This restaurant is mediocre at best, and should not be allowed to charge the prices it does.

Expensive for what was delivered. Old fashioned and unimaginative menu. Outdated decor. The steak was OK, but the vegetables were bland and tasteless. And certainly not reflective of the prices being charged. The service however was friendly and attentive

Very disappointing. Went for my husbands birthday and had taster menu and wine flight at £130 each. Service was fantastic, however, food was very lacklustre. Soup was acceptable. Goats cheese was literally a bit of cheese slapped on the plate with a beetroot slice and dash of puree. Scallop and lobster bisque had the smallest bit of scallop and bisque was very average. Sorbet was delicious. Tournedos had sinew and the onions on top were so overcooked they were hard and dry. Menu said seabass however, we were given hake, which was served on a tepid plate of ratatouille. Last course we opted for cheese board. The cheese and grapes were served extremely cold and therefore had no flavour. You would think spending £300 you would get a superb meal. When you look at the pictures online there is no comparison. Not a patch on the Elephant and sadly we will not be returning.

A very pleasant evening enjoyed by all. We will be back.

Returning to one of my favorite restaurants, the atmosphere envelops with its warm embrace, and the staff radiate friendliness. It's a genuine pleasure to revisit this fine establishment, never failing to leave me and my family with positive memories.

I was treated to a trip to the Orange Tree to celebrate my birthday. I had been looking forward to a visit for a while having heard good things. We were greeted warmly and the decor and ambience were welcoming. Service throughout was good. However, the food is what let the place down. Starting with the mushy, old green olives left on the table as a nibble. My starter was described as Lobster bisque with seared scallops. There was one slightly overdone scallop in my soup. My partner's starter of goats cheese and beetroot lacked the finesse in presentation that one might expect from a £16 starter. My main course was a real let down. My chicken supreme was over-cooked and slightly dry. Vegetables were plentiful and well cooked but overall the standard of cooking and presentation was closer to that of an accomplished home cook rather than a higher end restaurant, which is what the Orange Tree appear to position themselves as. My girlfriend's seabass was overcooked. Wine by the glass was reasonably priced compared to bottle prices. Overall I left feeling very disappointed and glad that I hadn't paid for the meal myself. Not somewhere I will be returning to.

We went for my husbands birthday as his parents were down from London. We thought we would treat ourselves. Whilst the food was good, it was massively overpriced, especially the scallops- £16 for three lonely scallops in a shell plate. Again, the main corses were nice but I have had the same elsewhere, better and more reasonably priced. The service was good but we won’t be going back as there are far better options, at far better value,in the local area.

We ate here on the 28th of December for my 30th birthday. We were originally planning on going to The Waddling Duck Bistro, but they were closed over the festive period. This restaurant did not disappoint. On arrival, we were greeted & shown to our table, politely asked if we would like our coats taken away for us. The service was fantastic, the ambience was nice and calm with low volume music and the place was busy. The food was flawless, everything had such flavour. We ordered starter, mains & shared a dessert. We will certainly be booking a table here again, a really good find that we didn’t know about as locals!

It is hard to be negative about The Orange Tree. The food was good, the Lobster bisque lovely, bass and lamb well cooked with lots of vegetables on the side and a nice cheese board and apple tart. The staff are great and the location and interior are good. I would give it five stars except its all a bit dated! If you are looking for a good meal in a fine dining environment you should not be disappointed but don't go expecting cutting edge cuisine with a modern décor etc!

I have written 5 star reviews for this restaurant in the past, but sadly it was definitely not 5 star this evening!! The napkins were wet, which is small in comparison to the food. Most of our party ordered the steak, which is excellent but the potatoes and veg were icy cold. As it had been put on our plates, some of us endured but my parents had theirs taken and reheated, which then had food being eaten at different times. As we were a party of 7 everyone's potatoes and veg were icy, so no excuse from the kitchen. We got apologies from staff and complimentary limoncello. Sadly it ruined my mother's birthday. The menu has also not changed in the several years we've been going

A warm welcome but didn’t live upto expectations. Not exceptional food that you would expect for the price. Over rated and expensive.

We have been before and had a lovely meal and great service but Saturday night we were Very disappointed!! We visited for my 50th Birthday as a small table of 6. We were asked to pre order, so it should have gone smoothly. To start we ordered drinks and the waitress got the order wrong. Then we had our starters served and one of the party was missed. When the waitress came back to check everything was ok, we pointed out we were still waiting for one starter. The plates were cleared and the waitress was clumsy and lacked service skills. The mains were served and the waitress could not pronounce the names of the dishes and was confused about what went where. All the food was luke warm including the sides. The waitress dropped one of the sides onto the table. At this point everyone was just trying to enjoy the evening and not make a fuss as they didn’t want to spoil the evening. The mains were cleared and I asked the waitress if we could add some extra deserts to the order as some guests had decided to have a desert after all (not pre ordered) The waitress said yes and then returned with the pre ordered deserts and a menu. So we order 2 further deserts and only 1 arrived. My husband had to get up and go and find the waitress to chase the other desert. He also had to get up and leave the table twice to ask if we could order more drinks. In typical British style nobody wanted to complain or make a fuss about the poor food or service in case it ruined the evening. We ordered port and cheese and in the end spent over £500. However, it bugged me that the experience had been so bad. So, I called and spoke to the manager to let him know we were unhappy. He informed me that it was the waitresses first night (not my fault) he apologised very reluctantly but we won’t be going back. It would appear the resultant can’t cope with food for parties of 6 and are unable to provide the quality service you would expect from the restaurant reviews.

Decent enough food if slow service...the Hake left a little too long under heat. Uncomfortably cold dining room and had to ask for our drinks twice before they arrived. If the Orange Tree strives to be a top class restaurant they should improve their tiny toilets...the size of a small cupboard!. No room to stand up and open the door at the same time... a no toiletroll holder! its the little touches.... A pleasant enough meal with perfectly polite waitresses.

Fantastic dinner for two at The Orange Tree last week. Never been before but had heard good things and was pleased to see reviews were correct. Food was excellent, great wine list, very attentive service, would recommend

Most amazing staff working here. The food was spectacular and we really felt cared for. We were invited for a drink on the house as we left due to it being so quiet but we were driving so had to decline! Also they did a lovely little platter for our anniversary. I'm so sorry I didn't get the name of the woman who waited on us, but she was a star and so lovely!

Took advantage of this restaurants on line booking service and reserved a table before we arrived in Torquay. On arrival we were shown to our table by a lovely young lady who seemed to be in the process of being trained. The decor was basic but elegant, tables well spaced so not on top of other diners. We were given the wine menu which is extensive and something on there for most budgets, we chose an excellent Ripasso which complemented our food perfectly. For started I had goats cheese and my partner crab, both well presented and full of flavor. Mains consisted of Sea Bass and a fillet steak, which were equally as good and served with a large side dish of veg which were delicious. We both agreed it was one of the best dining experiences we had enjoyed in a long time. We found the staff professional and customer focused and really felt our custom was valued, a rare quality these days. The bill was as you would expect for a restaurant of this quality but the memory of the food has stayed with us long after the price was forgotten. Fabulous, we will return.

Starting with the food - a special mention for the perfectly cooked lamb and fillet steak and I particularly loved my goat's cheese starter even though I'm normally not a big fan of goat's cheese but this was exceptional. But really everything we had was perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. The service is excellent - everything brought when it should be and we were checked on regularly to see if anything was needed (often not the case these days) I find I always have a much nicer experience at family run businesses because of the attention to detail and the Orange Tree is no exception. It's easy to see the effort that Vittorio and his wife, Tatiana put into this restaurant making sure that their customers are happy and on that note, my friend was brought a beautiful plate of petit fours to mark her birthday - a lovely touch - thank you Orange Tree. We'll be back as soon as we can.

Dated restaurant, but great food, and some different dishes. We had the tasting menu with wine pairing, amazing. £270.00 for the both of us, expensive but for a special occasion perfect.

We visited for a friend's birthday and had a fab meal. We dined from the a la carte menu and there was a great choice, particularly for one of our party who has egg/nut allergies. The staff were very friendly and personable, and the service was efficient. They helped make it feel like a special occasion!

It's always a pleasure to dine at The Orange Tree, and Tatjana, Vittorio and their team work hard to make the experience an enjoyable one (even the simple steps from booking a table to arranging a taxi at the end of the evening). The menu is excellent, each dish attentively prepared and presented, and the extensive wine list surfaced some new favourites. Highly recommended for lovers of quality British and European cuisine.

We had a lovely meal with tasty seafood starter, wonderful Tournedos fillet of beef followed by a a great trio dessert selection! A great menu selection to suit most tastes! Thanks for a great meal out!

The food was mediocre for the price point, extremely disappointed with our visit. The veg sides looked and tasted like they were microwaved supermarket veg bags. The mains also lacked quality and attention to detail. The folks at the table next to us sent their mains back 2 times and at the end decided to leave without eating.

Outdated decor, mouldy water bottles. Food orders confused, poor quality food, vegetable sides were abysmal. Royally overpriced. Great way to break the bank and a waste of calories. Waiting staff were lovely and apologetic about the food.

With some great reviews we were looking forward to eating there with two friends last night. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!! The service was poor (they brought some water to our table then forgot to come back to take our drinks order!, we had to ask!!) when my friends gin & tonic arrived they had poured all the tonic into the glass drowning the gin! when we questioned this we were told ‘that’s what we do here!!’ but they did replace the G&T. The waiter passed plates across the table and didn’t serve the ladies first (training issue!), the plates were cold as were the side plates of vegetables. The bill wasn’t itemized and we didn’t leave a tip and won’t be going back.

Fantastic dining experience with amazing food, the service was fantastic, worth every penny

Lovely ambience, soft music playing in the back ground. Staff were very polite. Wasn't rushed at all which was nice. Food was absolutely amazing , the flavours were out of this world. Will definitely be going back. Thank you so.much for making our evening with you memorable.

Fantastic food and friendly staff. Great meal out for my birthday.

Very nice evening of food and wine. Warm, friendly service. Will definitely be returning.

They gave us a vegan tasting menu (which I had booked well ahead) with a matching wine flight. The food was really good, 2 of the 6 courses were sublime. The courses were all like reasonable starter portions, so we were truly full afterwards, so don't worry they aren't stupid tiny portions. And the wine really complimented the food, and it was lovely that the waitress would explain what it was and what it would taste like (like a mini wine tasting!). The downside was the physical restaurant itself: it's right next to the road so you can easily hear all the cars driving past, some parts of the decor are in need of sprucing up, the toilets aren't great (men's soap was falling off the wall, and they're super tiny), all of this is not the fault of the staff, who were clearly working very hard. There was also a couple of staff being trained at the time, who didn't know how to serve properly - it's not their fault either but not a 5 star service. It's just that we spent over £200 for 2 of us, which is by far the most ever spent on a meal (it was our honeymoon, so they did give us a little pretty plate of fruit at the end, which was really sweet) and we would had expected it to be more classy than it was. Vegan friendly is quite hard to find in torquay, so I would still definitely recommend to a fellow vegan.

A realm of culinary marvels, presented me with an extraordinary dining experience. The starters showcased pan-seared scallops with pea and avocado purée, a harmonious fusion of tenderness and vibrant flavors. The main course featured tournedos accompanied by wild mushrooms and shallots, an impeccable balance of succulence and earthy richness. The amaretto crème brûlée, a sweet finale with a hint of sophistication, left a lasting impression. Orangetreerestaurant is a culinary sanctuary where attention to detail and remarkable flavors converge. The chef's selection of wine was a spot-on accompaniment, enhancing the overall experience. A visit is highly recommended for those seeking a captivating gastronomic revelation.

Seems to be a different restaurant I.e. not the usual thing. Bit expensive

Took my partner here as it was one of the best rated in the area, and it definitely didn't disappoint. After speaking to someone on the phone before they opened, I was able to visit and drop off some flowers to be brought out after our food. I requested a song to be played as we finished our meal. After I proposed to my gorgeous girlfriend, and got the answer I wanted. The staff were very accommodating making the night extra special with the little touches they added. Food was really nice and the presentation was.something else. Would definitely go again for a special occasion. And I would like to thank the staff massively for making the visit and proposal extra special. You are all amazing thank you so much x

Shamefully there were no shows and we ended up the only ones in there. Kids upstairs running around ruined the remaining atmosphere of just the right background music at the right volume. Pity, as the food was excellent, and obviously, being the only ones in there, the service was excellent. Nice touch at the end, bringing petit fours on a Happy Birthday plate for my wife.

Nice food and when we went there wasn't too many people. This restaurant is a top fine dinning restaurant as the prices show, but well worth a visit. Plan to return.

Waitress was excellent service is brilliant and the food was superb best in the world

Unfortunately this restaurant was an absolute let down. With the food, decor (especially the carpets) and the staffs attitudes. Don't bother!!

Dine in Christmas Day after fire closed the hotel. Food was absolutely amazing ! Staff wonderful , look forward to eating there again soon x

Husband surprised me with the most wonderful evening here for my birthday! The Orange Tree is a beautifully decorated intimate restaurant with real old world charm - for one thing it's quite rare these days to be greeted and chatted to by the restaurant owners but here Vittorio and his wife, Tatjana go out of their way to make you feel welcome and it does make you feel valued. And as part of that old world charm, Vittorio brings a wealth of experience and knowledge not just to the food but the wine as well - the Orange Tree's wine selection is second to none. As for the food, it was absolutely delicious. I would say that I'm not usually a big fan of goat's cheese but the Skyla Goat's Cheese with Charred Fig was amazing - I could have had that as a main! The Risotto had the best flavour and garnishing I have ever had in a risotto, even in Italy. Just divine. Husband had the Tornedos with blue cheese sauce and it was cooked to perfection - clean plates from both us I can tell you. And desserts - Creme Brulee and Pannacotta, mouth watering so compliments to Martin the chef! Another really important part of any dining experience is the service and I have to say, all the staff are excellent - Mila, Phoenix, Anna and Carolina were so professional and pleasant to chat to I had to know their names! All in all a huge thank you to everyone at the Orange Tree for making my birthday dinner so special. I love the Orange Tree so I recommend this restaurant to everyone - it's perfect for couples but suits bigger groups too!

A lovely birthday and great food

Will be definitely coming back. Thank you

The food yet again was phenomenal. The only slight criticism is that I wasn't keen on the wine you get with the taster menu(the red wine and port) and would of liked two bits of bread with the parfait. I only gave a 4 star on the atmosphere because it was a really quiet Saturday night and there was only a small amount of customers in. The people are so lovely as well!

Table booked for a birthday celebration. Unfortunately the food was cold, portion sizes small and service rude. Won’t be returning. Save your money.

The food was possibly the worst I’ve ever had. The staff rude and the food fake.. totally overpriced. Feel so disappointed as it was for my boys birthday.

This review is relative to the positioning of the restaurant, i.e as a high-end fine dining experience. For me it was decidedly average- after dinning at "the elephant" the night before this was a disappointment and is not in the same league. We had the tatsing menu with wines. The wines were "french" and " from the middle of Spain" I did request more detail but non was forthcoming. The food was uninspired with the exception of the chocolate granola with the duck parfait (although neither of us could discern any truffle). I had to reject my steak, as it was served VERY well done despite ordering it rare. They were very apologetic and made good - BUT this is a school boy error, one I could ignor in a chef and brewer - but in a high-end restaurant is unforgivable. The venue is tired and in need of redecorating. All in all I would encourage you to save your money and go to a local gastro pub or treat yourself to The Elephant for a treat

Our only disappointment was not to have been hungrier as we only had a main course and it was fabulous. I had the Fillet steak & my husband had the Duck. Our waiter helped us with a wine choice after listening to what we were debating and recommended a great Red that we could have drank all night! Thank you 😊

I have been traveling to Torquay for around 30 years. This is the best restaurant I have eaten at. Come here. You won’t regret it.

Was the worst tasting menu I have ever had. Was looking forward to going there for a special occasion . Thought I'd have the taster menu which I expected would showcase the best the chef had to offer. I was bitterly dissapointed . The bench mark was set low with industrial part baked bread rolls. Better are to be had a hundred yards down the road at the local supermarket the coop . 2 big bowls of soup were served which I thought was a bit heavy for a taster menu. The 2 slices of duck breast were a little dry .the presentation was fair enough although a bit dated by today's standards with decoration consisting of flowers and pea shoots. The main course (beef)was stuck to the plate although the taste was good .the sauce had been reduced so much that it was like super glue (not that I've tried eating super glue) I over heard someone else in the restaurant complaining that the meat was stuck to the plate. The vegetables were very poor and poorly presented for this particular menu. The beans were very underdone not even cooked to al dente and the dauphinoise potatoes the driest I've ever had. For pudding they had run out of what was mentioned on the taster menu so my freind had a melange of whatever was left over. I had the cheeseboard this was nicely presented . Came with olives although unless I was prepared to pick them out with my fingers no cutlery was offered . As far as decor is concerned quite intimate although dated. But the carpet was noticeably sticky underfoot not so good. When it came to the bill no discount was offered and in fact I could hear the chef complaining that I had underpaid by £100 . This was not the case .the waitress collected the credit card to process leaving the cash on the table .I heard her calming him down assuring him the balance was on the table. (Not really a discussion you want to be hearing ) the front of house manager said that they had a problem with the ovens which is why the bread rolls were poor. However a week later freinds visited and were given the same rolls so makes you wonder ? I thought this was a Michelin star recommended restaurant. I might be mistaken 🤔 there are other restaurants near by charging maybe a nominal amount more for a taster menu but so much better and worth the extra. Needless to say I won't be returning. I really think that if they didn't have the provisions in place they should have simply warned us at the beginning and asked us to choose from the al a carte instead. . Also I paid £10 more than the price advertised without explanation.

Food & service excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening and would wholeheartedly recommend here for dinner if you are in town. Only one sitting per evening is a lovely touch, makes you as a diner feel special. I’ve read the other reviews, we are also from London and having the same quality meal & dining experience in zone 1 would cost double. There are a couple of things the restaurant could do to elevate … maybe add focaccia or olive bread to the choices of bread / add olive oil & balsamic with the butter on the table / m ditch the white bread rolls that are out of place and look cheap vs. everything else) in the establishment … but I’m picking as I want them to succeed. This place isn’t hip, but classics done well with great wine - big 👍🏻

Outstanding! Superb food. Superb wine. Superb service. A lovely, smart, relaxed atmosphere with attentive and friendly service. A faultless evening. We’ll be back, as soon as possible!

Pienamente rispondente alle aspettative. Ambiente raffinato, menù vario ed originale, carta dei vini molto ricca. Buon rapporto qualità prezzo

This is a must visit, we went for anniversary and was not disappointed. The food is exceptional and the staff are really friendly and helpful. The food takes a little time to come but you soon forget when you eat it. It is a little expensive but I would definitely pay it again. Thank you orange tree!

Wonderful. Great service and food. Our second visit and would definitely recommend this restaurant.

A memorable experience. The tasting menu with wine flight was superb. Well balanced thoughtful matching. Loved every bite from start to finish…still able to move afterward! Staff informative,efficient and friendly. Coped brilliantly with customer on crutches. Looking forward to going again. .

Very disappointing. I’m not sure where the reviews have come from on this but they don’t reflect the actual food. As you walk into the orange tree you are immediately thrown back into an early nineties Italian Restaurant - plinkety plonk Musac playing and pictures of Italian scenic views etc… The starters priced at £14:50 were not great. The crab bisque was watery , over salted and probably not homemade. The Parmigiana was adequate. Bread was also offered and this was the little part cooked rolls you buy at sainsbury’s - I should have walked at this point. The main courses were worse ( if that’s possible ) - I had the chicken supreme , cheap cut chicken which was watery and definitely not free range or even of any decent quality. The sauce was tasteless and runny again. The asparagus was undercooked. My wife had the Hake - she said it was ok but it was missing both the Samphire and Spinach which were described in the menu. The menu says the restaurant offers the best of the South of Devon - yet it serves Scottish bottled water when other restaurants offer local Devonshire bottled water. The petit fours at the end were delicious - laughably we were told that the petit fours were actually baked by the chef - insinuating nothing else was 🤦‍♂️ The waitress was excellent. The Orange Tree is a failing restaurant , with a chef who is either under qualified or just doesn’t care. The owner is buying very cheap ingredients and is either deliberately not noticing how sub standard the fayre is or is deluded into thinking it is wonderful.

Had the tasting menu with wine. We were really impressed. Left feeling full and the variety if flavours was impressive. Great service too.

Celebrated our wedding anniversary with dinner here. Fabulous food,fabulous service and a portion of celebratory petit fours to finish

Excellent food and service, the menu left us with more choices that we wanted than we could eat. Good varied wine list. The restaurant is very comfortable and the staff bent over backwards to make it an enjoyable experience. Well worth a visit.

Super service and first class food

This place feels straight out of the 70's it just missing napkins rings, foil butter and a bread basket on the table. Food, starters and mains very uninspiring, I ended up with Gnocchi in tomato sauce which was more like something for a toddler, terrible. Service excellent. A Vegan chocolate slice was totally amazing, desserts here seem very strong.

Good food but pretentiously overbearing for what it is

The food is amazing, as is the wine selection. We had the famous tasting menu, and it was delicious, each morsel a perfect combo of beautiful to look at, with tasting like heaven. Highly recommended, we will be back in a year, hopefully.

For Londoners probably not "fine dining" but it may be so for the West country. Irrespective, the food is excellent and service very good. The Torrnedo fillet steak & lamb with all its accompaniments and the vegan dark chocolate dessert were excellent. House malbec was ok..needs to be better for fine dining. Didn't like the choc fondant. They kept talking about creme brulee without shortbread....to me that's how it should be anyway and it was good.

Fine dining at it's best to celebrate thirteenth wedding anniversary, friendly waiting staff.

I don't believe it is right for a restaurant owner to lie in response to an honest review, so I am here to provide receipts. (Update: There should be 3 photos attached to this review, unfortunately 2 don't seem to show for anyone but me -reported perhaps?- they show an email exchange between myself and the restaurant as described below. The 3rd shows a screenshot of the original restaurant response. I have tried reattaching the images to no avail which is why the review has been updated a number of times.) I booked our table at The Orange Tree in mid August. My original request was whether they did a vegetarian tasting menu - I did not ask if they could make us one specially. Vittorio confirmed that they did and asked for details to book. I responded to prebook 2 vegetarian (not vegan) tasting menus for early Sept. My email was received and confirmed by Vittorio himself. The photos added to this review clearly show this. Further to my original review I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Original review: Disappointing vegetarian tasting menu. In short the food was not bad, but not great and ultimately not good value. I would not recommend this restaurant for vegan /vegetarian diners wanting a tasting menu experience. I'm writing this review because I think it could easily be better and I hope the restaurant will consider these points as constructive criticism. I'll begin again with some good points - the restaurant was cosy if a little tired and the staff seemed nice. Service was relatively quick too. Now the more unfortunate points - I booked weeks in advance online, pre-booking 2 vegetarian tasting menus (£70 pp) with wine flights (£25 pp) £95 per person in total. When we arrived we again requested the vegetarian tasting menu, and were given a brief rundown of the courses. The courses were all vegan despite them having vegetarian options on the menu. Our tasting menu it turned out was just the vegan menu from top to bottom - however we had cheese as our dessert rather than the chocolate. It felt lazy, unimaginative and added together the cost of all these courses ordered separately is only £67.50, and the wine £22.50. I think they realised this, as the drinks we had on arrival were given on the house at the end of the meal. A nice gesture, but if we'd realised we were just getting the entire vegan menu we would have ordered different courses separately. Now on to the courses - the overwhelming flavour of most courses was salt. 3 out of the 4 cooked courses were topped with pea shoots and truffle oil. Unfortunately we both dislike truffles, not the restaurants fault but it's a pervasive smell and it would have been nice to taste a range of flavours across the courses. The roast parsnip looked the best, but was ultimately not very exciting or tasty to eat. The gnocchi was quite stodgy. We left full but not excited by the experience. One final point - we didn't complain about the food or ask for no truffle oil. The main reason for this is because when experiencing a tasting menu we choose to trust the chef and enjoy stepping out of our comfort zone to try ingredients we don't usually like. We chose the restaurant based on it's inclusion in the Michelin guide and inclusion on several lists of best places to eat in Torquay. While it might be great for meat eaters, for vegetarians it is currently not.

My wife is currently suffering badly from long covid, coupled with an MCAS diagnosis, which means she’s on a low histamine diet. Whenever we’re in Torquay we eat at the orange tree, so I emailed them in advance to discuss my wife’s dietary requirements. The owner phoned me and arranged to prepare specific vegetables to accompany her mains. When they took our order I reminded them of my wife’s diet needs and he immediately recalled our discussion and said that they’d prepare a specific terrine of vegetables. We had an amazing meal, as always, fantastic service and we were incredibly grateful for them going above and beyond to support my wife.

My partner and I booked this restaurant whilst we were on holiday based on excellent reviewsWe were welcomed warmly and shown to our table,we had decided to have the tasting menu with the wine flight and we weren't disappointed.The staff were very efficient and we really enjoyed our meal and the experience.Well done

We booked a table well in advance but made a mistake with the date but they accommodated us without any fuss despite being fully booked . The whole experience was fantastic from start to finish and the prices were very reasonable considering the very high standard of food and presentation. We were not rushed and were made to feel at home. I definitely recommend this restaurant as its first class ! We will be back next time we are in Torquay!

I would highly recommend this lovely restaurant. The food was delicious and extremely well presented. I had scallops, which were divine followed by fillet steak with a tasty sauce and it was melt in the mouth superb! The cheeseboard completed our lovely meal. . The service was impeccable and we were even asked if we needed a taxi as it had started to rain. Will definitely visit again when in Torquay 😁 Jenifer and Lisa

Best meal I've had for a long time. Excellent well cooked food, good attentive service, and a nice restaurant. Highly recommended.

Celebrated our Anniversary here and glad we did. Food was delicious, beautifully presented and service was good. Would highly recommend for a romantic dinner for two.

went here as part as a weekend away , absolutely beautiful meal very nice food would highly recommend this restaurant nice friendly staff to

Wow! I had the most beautiful night at the Orange Tree, with exquisite personnel. I had never been to this restaurant before, this was my first time here, I came for a surprise birthday meal with my partner who had phoned up prior and organised it (in which they were very accommodating) we sat in the conservatory which was just stunning and I was overwhelmed with the night I had! I am Gluten Free, and the owner/manager was so lovely coming over to our table to tell me what they could do to make a dish Gluten Free for me, to make sure I could have what I originally wanted to, which I really appreciated. The waiters/waitresses were exceptional, super professional but really friendly which created a welcoming and warm atmosphere. The food was absolutely stunning! My partners a chef and he was very impressed! They even topped the night off with a special dessert dish with a ‘Happy 21st Birthday’ written in chocolate on it, which I just loved! I really appreciated it! The owner even offered to take photos for us! Making our first ever dinner out a memory that can be cherished! Everyone really excelled, you have a beautiful restaurant, and I can’t thank you enough for making my night so special. It was a perfect meal and we will definitely be returning! Thank you again, Devon and Lucy x

Had looked forward to our booking this evening as I love Crab bisque (which was on the menu). Both my husband and I ordered it but were terribly disappointed. It was so incredibly bland with no flavour of crab whatsoever and unseasoned. My husband had the turbot with seafood risotto which he really enjoyed but I had the sea bass with the pea risotto which, sadly again, was so bland. The fish was cooked beautifully but the risotto was so tasteless. I was then offered a chance to re-order to which I had the lamb which was perfectly cooked. The owner did speak to us but basically said he thought the bisque had so much flavour……..not really the right response to a complaint! Don’t think it is worthy of the Michelin recommendation based on our experience tonight I’m afraid

In short the food was not bad, but not great and ultimately not good value. I would not recommend this restaurant for vegan /vegetarian diners wanting a tasting menu experience. I'm writing this review because I think it could easily be better and I hope the restaurant will consider these points as constructive criticism. I'll begin again with some good points - the restaurant was cosy if a little tired and the staff seemed nice. Service was relatively quick too. Now the more unfortunate points - I booked weeks in advance online, pre-booking 2 vegetarian tasting menus (£70 pp) with wine flights (£25 pp) £95 per person in total. When we arrived we again requested the vegetarian tasting menu, and were given a brief rundown of the courses. The courses were all vegan despite them having vegetarian options on the menu. Our tasting menu it turned out was just the vegan menu from top to bottom - however we had cheese as our dessert rather than the chocolate. It felt lazy, unimaginative and added together the cost of all these courses ordered separately is only £67.50, and the wine £22.50. I think they realised this, as the drinks we had on arrival were given on the house at the end of the meal. A nice gesture, but if we'd realised we were just getting the entire vegan menu we would have ordered different courses separately. Now on to the courses - the overwhelming flavour of most courses was salt. 3 out of the 4 cooked courses were topped with pea shoots and truffle oil. Unfortunately we both dislike truffles, not the restaurants fault but it's a pervasive smell and it would have been nice to taste a range of flavours across the courses. The roast parsnip looked the best, but was ultimately not very exciting or tasty to eat. The gnocchi was quite stodgy. We left full but not excited by the experience. One final point - we didn't complain about the food or ask for no truffle oil. The main reason for this is because when experiencing a tasting menu we choose to trust the chef and enjoy stepping out of our comfort zone to try ingredients we don't usually like. We chose the restaurant based on it's inclusion in the Michelin guide and inclusion on several lists of best places to eat in Torquay. While it might be great for meat eaters, for vegetarians it is currently not.

There’s very much a traditional feel to the Orange Tree. The sort of traditional feel that is long gone from most of the restaurant industry. There’s much to like – a short menu that reads well and service that is generally fine (although a glass of wine ordered to go with the food didn’t arrive until it had been chased twice).A smoked duck salad was a light, summery starter. Three thin slices of duck breast sat on pea shoots and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Dabs of carrot and orange puree were really nice but the orange and horseradish cream needed more of both to make an impact. The other starter was a red pepper and butternut squash soup that moves you from summer to autumn and had a nice texture contrast from sunflower seed croutons.Fillets of John Dory were accurately cooked and were served with a nice saffron and pea risotto. A squid ink tuile was a dramatic bit of decoration. Game and ale pie was a bit disappointing. Not really a proper pie, with pastry fully enclosing the meat but really just a stew with a puff pastry topping (which was still a bit raw in places). It was served in one of those metal pie dishes you might find in pound shops or on a market stall. It’s the sort of dish my local pub serves and at much less than the £25 price tag here. It comes with decent mash and a red wine sauce. Main courses also come with your own individual dish of vegetables – something we’ve not seen in a restaurant for many a year. It’s another nod towards the traditional feel of the Orange Tree. There’s also a dish of potatoes to share – both dauphinoise and new. It would have made for a carb heavy meal (as both plates already had enough carb in the form of the risotto or pastry) had we eaten more than a taste of them. We’d had enough to eat by then so didn’t order desserts.

It’s such a shame I couldn’t give the Orange Tree 5 stars as the food and the waiters were amazing! The only problem is management.The minute we got to the restaurant the manager was extremely rude, claiming we hadn’t booked a table and that because they hadn’t rung us earlier that day, that the booking wasn’t confirmed (even though I booked months in advance and had had several email communications with them to confirm) - which I definitely don’t expect when I’m paying over £200 for a meal!After going off for a phone call, he came back and ushered us to a table saying nothing at all.The food was brilliant, we had the 6 course tasting menu paired with wines. It’s such a shame that as soon as you walk through the door you’re greeted in such a disrespectful way as the rest of the experience and the team were amazing. However it did put a complete downer on what me and my boyfriend were expecting to be a wonderful meal. Sadly, purely because of management I wouldn’t ever consider returning.

Great food . We had our anniversary there every year.

We booked a last minute weekend away to Torquay for 2 couples. Due to our late booking we struggled to find availability when trying to book restaurants. I emailed the Orange Tree who were originally fully booked, but left my details and requested they contact me should they have any cancellations. I was pleasantly surprised when I receive a phone call on the Friday morning to offer me a table for 4. This really was a stroke of luck on our behalf as when we arrived on the Saturday, the restaurant and it's staff exceeded all our expectations. We opted for the taster menu with matched wines and weren't disappointed. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for and every course looked beautiful and you could taste the quality of the ingredients and care that had gone into the preparation of every dish. We were served by a variety of staff members and everyone was polite and friendly. At the end of the meal they brought out a decorated plate with some complimentary chocolate brownies and coconut macaroons to help us celebrate a birthday. They had asked when booking if we were celebrating something and I said its was a belated birthday for one of our party as they had had a big birthday during lock down, but they noted the age and occasion and surprised us with the treat at the end which was unexpected but appreciated. All in all it was a lovely evening and I would highly recommend.

Myself and my carer visited Torquay from Brighton for a short break and this restaurant was recommended to us. Luckily one night I had rang up earlier and managed to get a table for 8.45pm. When we arrived we were shown to our table by 1 of the friendly waiting staff who offered us a starting drink while we looked at the menu even though I had looked at it online before we went and I knew what I wanted. I ordered the scallops, torrnedos and trio chocolate dessert. Every course was excellent especially the torrrendos which I had medium rare and it just melted in your mouth. It was 1 of my best steaks ever. The waiting staff were attentive throughout and I have a disability and all the staff tried to accommodate my needs as much as they could. This restaurant is definitely getting a return whenever I return to Torquay.

We went to the Orange Tree for our wedding anniversary and it did not disappoint. Superb food, beautiful restaurant but what really makes a restaurant special is the service and this was superb. Some high quality restaurants have staff who are professional but aloof, but here they were engaging, genuinely interested, and also warm and welcoming. Professional and friendly. The timing between courses was great. Too many restaurants rush things, but here it was a relaxed evening. And the food was excellent. Portions generous but not so big that you couldnt' indulge in three delicious courses. Thank you Vittorio and team for a wonderful anniversary dinner and an extra special thanks to Mia who looked after us so well.

I booked this restaurant for my husband’s birthday dinner while staying in Torquay based on reviews. It did not disappoint. Lovely atmosphere, friendly professional staff and amazing food. We enjoyed the whole experience.

Our first visit to this restaurant and from putting our first foot across the door there was a warm welcome.The whole staff team are first class, nothing is too much trouble as they support each individual diner to have a first class experience. Knowledge and understanding of their menu was brilliant as was knowledge and experience of the wine list. We asked for assistance and this was given willingly (yes, we enjoyed the Gavi enormously!)Food presentation was of the highest quality and simply beautiful. We chose the duck as our starter and for our main dish we went for the John Dorey fillet and the Chicken. Everything we had was stunning and exquisite in presentation, quality and flavours.We cannot rate this restaurant highly enough, it is a gem of a find as far as we are concerned and so much so we are trying our best to fit in another visit (with friends) before we depart for home.The hard work and investment by the owners has clearly paid off. Our message to anyone reading this review is that you miss/overlook this restaurant at your peril. One of the finest restaurants we have visited over many years and is a complete credit to the owner and his brilliant staff team. Well done!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lovely restaurant with lovely food and staff

The service and food were excellent in every way. We were made to feel very welcome from the start.The food was out of this world. My favourite desert until now was creme brulee but now it has been surpassed by the panacotta, mouthwateringly good. Will visit again without hesitation.

Excellent service followed by excellent food. This did not disappoint. Highly recommend the lamb and fillet steak meals.

Excellent meal enjoyed by our party of 3. We all had different dishes, Ravioli, John Dory and Lamb. All agreed that theirs was one of the best meals they had ever eaten.