GastroRanking
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4,5

Based on 422 opinions finded in 3 websites

4.0Ambience4.5Cuisine4.0Price4.5Service
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Wonderful food! Service was top notch and very friendly. Definitely recommend this place to everyone!

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Steve Tennyson . 2023-09-04

MORE AT Google

Lovely ambiance in garden. Great service. Superb thin crispy fries. We had taramasalata and pitta starter, and a variety of beautifully presented, open faced sandwiches: roast beef, goats cheese and salmon + prawns. They know what they’re doing.

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Miles Protter . 2023-09-02

MORE AT Google

Came here for a late lunch. A little pricier than other options but still a great option. I got the dressed crab salad and would recommend.

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Shirley Wong . 2023-08-26

MORE AT Google

Great restaurant on Battle High Street.

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Chris Williams . 2023-07-13

MORE AT Google

Beautiful court yard, lovely girls serving, fabulous food, reasonable prices ,overall a lovely experience, definitely going there again

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Sue Ingleson . 2023-06-25

MORE AT Google

Really tasty hanging salmon skewers. In the words of Arnie S ‘I’ll be back!’ 😀

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Wendy Kennard . 2023-06-18

MORE AT Google

Lovely food as usual. We have eaten here many times over the past 3 years and we are always delighted with the selection on the menu, Sandra's advice on which wine to have and the service. Local 'home cooking' at it's best and the prices are competitive. Just had a wonderful lunch there. Highly recommended and they use local suppliers for meat etc.

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Andy Wilson . 2023-05-17

MORE AT Google

We went because of the 4.7* review score. The service was very friendly. But the scampi came out under cooked. We said about this and they were very good about changing it. And it came out under cooked again. And my wife who ate a little of it had a stomach upset soon afterwards . Prices were expensive considering the small to medium portions. If you look at the most recent reviews you will see a much lower score.

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Elayne Coakes . 2023-05-02

MORE AT Google

We left feeling pretty disappointed. Lovely place and lovely staff. Food was nice enough but the portion was very small. Had vegan kebab but for £11.50 it was just one tofu and veg skewer and a couple of small pieces of pitta so we had to go home for more food as still hungry

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Gemma Baker . 2023-04-09

MORE AT Google

Probably the worst meal I’ve had in years. The restaurant is soulless, the serving staff uninterested and the food overpriced and poorly cooked. From greasy samosa to moussaka swimming in grease it was a very disappointing experience. The only reason for not complaining at the time is I would not have wanted to wait for replacement food or to be invited back. This was both a meal for my Birthday and to use a gift voucher from family. One to be forgotten quickly.

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Gavin Buss . 2023-02-05

MORE AT Google

This little Gem in Battle is not too be missed Great food atmosphere and service. 9 of us had beautiful Sunday lunch none of us were disappointed Sandra catered for all dietary needs including GF, Dairy Free and Vegetarian our table looked lovely too.

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Deborah Ingold . 2022-12-06

MORE AT Google

Great dining experience, a delicious fresh choice of food, delightful staff and calm atmosphere - highly recommend

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Jonathan Sandford . 2022-10-10

MORE AT Google

Very friendly service and delicious, freshly cooked lunch (we both had the Cajun chicken skewer)

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John Cassidy . 2022-09-11

MORE AT Google

What a wonderful experience, Sandra and her team provided excellent service. We both had taramasalata for starters which was excellent, followed by one steak and one seabass for mains, both were cooked to perfection (as was the vegetable side dish) and utterly delicious. Can't wait to go back.

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Tim Burgess . 2022-08-03

MORE AT Google

Gem of a place. Warm welcome, lovely decor and fresh and tasty cooked food for our family of two adults and two young children. Plus a lovely g&t and glass of Pinot. Classy without being pretentious - so nice to find somewhere this good! We will be back!

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Sue Massey . 2022-08-03

MORE AT Google

Popped in for a spot of lunch. The cajun spiced children skewer was delicious. Lovely friendly staff. Highly recommend 👌

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Corrine Mitchell . 2022-07-07

MORE AT Google

Almost walked past, well worth stopping in, beautiful food and friendly service.

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Jake Norman . 2022-05-28

MORE AT Google

Went there for dinner. Probably one of the best steaks I've ever had! Lovely restaurant and great service. Totally recommend this gem!

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DI Owst . 2022-04-23

MORE AT Google

Brilliant service and phantastic food

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tctwc tctwc . 2022-04-06

MORE AT Google

We had a lovely meal here last Saturday evening, great service, quality food and very reasonable prices will definitely return.

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Kevin Freed . 2022-01-18

MORE AT Google

A small group of us ate here last night from the Christmas menu. It was £22.50 for 2 courses and £27.50 for three. We all just had starters and main courses and generally the food was superb. The portion sizes were really big and the quality of the food was great. I liked that you got vegetables for the table and you could help yourself to as much as you liked. The service was attentive and there was nothing for us to grumble about. We'll definitley return again.

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Michelle Twin Mum . 2021-12-17

MORE AT Google

Stopped in for sunday lunch. Great food! Impeccable service. Reasonably priced. Highly recommended.

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Tim Veal . 2021-10-24

MORE AT Google

Great food and the staff were really friendly.

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Sue Coleman . 2021-09-21

MORE AT Google

Excellent customer service and friendly. Our first visit for a girlie lunch. Lovely comfortable calm environment. Nothing was too much bother. Great friendly interaction with my 3 year old. The food from the lunch menu was AMAZING, TASTY and a good price. Thank you Sweet Olive. We will be back x

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Tash Hayler . 2021-09-16

MORE AT Google

Lovely place. Great service. Amazing food. Compliments to the chef.

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Julia Deeprose . 2021-08-29

MORE AT Google

Lovely food, lovely staff and great service

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Beverley Chambers . 2021-08-24

MORE AT Google

High quality ingredients, we'll prepared!

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Chris Notton . 2021-08-17

MORE AT Google

The sweet Olive is a wonderful place with wonderful staff. The location looks very modern and up lifting I would 6 but I can only give 5. The steak was fantastic

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Michael Pointer . 2021-08-16

MORE AT Google

We’re glad we stumbled across the Olive for lunch. We enjoyed our tasty, fresh food in the pretty courtyard. Service was perfect and delivered by ladies who really cared that we had a good experience. We did!

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Katie Hart . 2021-08-06

MORE AT Google

Having recently moved to Battle we are so pleased to have found a really decent restaurant. This is our second visit to Sweet Olive and once again very yummy food with lots of choices and excellent service. A big thankyou to the owner Jane and Shellie our server they made us so welcome and even remembered us from our previous visit. I must say my fish & chips were the best I have ever had even beating the famous fish restaurant in Battle. Well done Chef. Well done Sweet Olive we will be returning again soon.

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James Donnelly . 2021-07-24

MORE AT Google

Amazing food, amazing atmosphere, amazing staff. Would recommend. Secret gem in battle. Would give more stars if I could!!

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Ems Littl Cabbage Baby . 2021-07-23

MORE AT Google

We have grabbed a bite in The Sweet Olive after a beautiful morning at Battle Abbey Museum. Food and service are great and prices are fair. Don’t miss it.

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Yalin Sevgör . 2021-07-17

MORE AT Google

Excellent Fillet steak again. Why can't others cook it like this?

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Clive Foster . 2021-06-26

MORE AT Google

Delicious food and friendly staff. Fantastic place.

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Jacinda Revill . 2021-06-05

MORE AT Google

Simply superb....hanging kebabs 🍢 were delicious. Good range of starters and a varied cheese board to finish. Well worth a visit. 😛

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Stuart Ball . 2021-05-30

MORE AT Google

Had a lovely lunch here! I had the Vegan superfood bowl, or the superbowl as the waitress called it :) my wife had the smoked mackerel pate. Was still hungry so ordered some halloumi fries & sweet chilli dip all very tasty, thank you

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Tim Reed . 2021-05-22

MORE AT Google

Perfect portion sizes, beautifully displayed, fantastic atmosphere and a great price!

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Layla Davis . 2020-12-11

MORE AT Google

The best lamb shank in a long time 😍 loving it 👌😁

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Aleksandra Pienio . 2020-12-06

MORE AT Google

Only been once but food was very good

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Henry Taylor . 2020-11-01

MORE AT Google

Wow! Absolutely perfect! Had an evening meal here for my birthday and it did not disappoint. Smoked mackerel pate for starters was delicious followed by the steak which was beautifully cooked, loved the choice of a rosti instead of chips- yum! Thankfully, I still had room for the brownie which was of course, also a winner. My husband felt the same about his meal too- smoked salmon, steak and banoffee pie! Friendly and attentive staff, relaxing atmosphere and tasty, honest food which you’ll want more of. Will definitely be going back- thank you!!

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Emma Taylor . 2020-10-24

MORE AT Google

Fantastic staff , and the food was amazing ,the steak is a must have. Could not recommend this restaurant highly enough!!!

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Sam Butler . 2020-10-10

MORE AT Google

Had a fantastic lunch here. Had the mozzarella and tomato starter, followed by the roast beef dinner with Yorkshire puds, veg and roasties, partner had the lamb and then we shared the brioche butter pudding. All were very tasty, very reasonably priced. Service great, very clean. Sat outside and was dog friendly outside too.

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Rachel S . 2020-09-20

MORE AT Google

They had only just reopened so the service was a tad clunky but totally forgivable. Food was very good and I suspect once they have got into the swing of things will go to superb. We will return to confirm our belief this wool improve to 5 stars!

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clungunford . 2018-11-14

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Very wonderful service...bit expensive but lovely service friendly bar man ...never ate there but the menu looked divine

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Gmacfamilyholiday . 2018-03-12

MORE AT TripAdvisor

This was an excellent gastropub, with great food and great service. We ate here several times and were never less than very happy.

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Tony G . 2018-01-29

MORE AT TripAdvisor

I have family coming to visit at the weekend, and was so looking forward to taking them to my favourite local restaurant. I went online to book a table and was completely devastated to see that The Sweet Olive has closed! I first ate here on my very first week living in the area and it's been my favourite ever since. It's such a great shame you've had to close down and my heart goes out to the owners at this difficult time

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Victoria J . 2018-01-22

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Have been here a fair few times before and enjoyed it very much, so bought a £75 gift voucher for my parents for Christmas. Yesterday, I found out that it had closed. I am now seeking a refund, should the owner respond.

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markbrowne2010 . 2018-01-15

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Restaurant had closed 4 days before we got there. Had accepted booking and money but made no attempt to let us know. Took over an hour to get there. Very disappointed. Hope no one else is caught like this.

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indyjude . 2018-01-10

MORE AT TripAdvisor

The best food around for miles, what happened!!! I am at a loss for words to understand the closure, fantastic food, great staff and excellent service.

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Fletchem27 . 2018-01-05

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We had a booking and lunch voucher for today, special occasion and looking forward to it. On arrival building appeared vacant with notices stating that due to unforeseen circumstances premises closed. Not sure why we weren't contacted to advise that restaurant closed as had an hour's journey to get there. Very disappointing to say the least.

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stevemoon2018 . 2018-01-05

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Just had an email to advise me that this fabulous Restaurant has closed it's doors on the 3rd Jan 2018. Totally gutted as it was really a fabulous place to eat.

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RoobarbT25 . 2018-01-04

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We have not been to this local restaurant before even though it has been recommended numerous times. We have eaten at the establishments that the previous owners now run and were unsure how the existing people would measure up. The evening was a great success and everyone enjoyed the atmosphere, service and food. I have to admit tat I wasn't overly impressed with my turkey main course, but it didn't spoil the experience and we will add this place to our list of places to recommend.

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GAR4898 . 2017-12-14

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Fabulous place, really great lunch. Ok first the bad stuff... well there isn't any, my husband and I made a mistake ordering the wine, ordered rose instead of red but had we not liked the rose then they were more than happy to change it. Canapés were lovely and a really nice touch, my gravadlax was tasty and the plate was very well presented. Husband had the French onion soup which was amazing. Mains, I ordered beef cheeks and husband had cod. Both dishes looked stunning and were tasty. I had Xmas pud for pudding, it has got to be the best one I have ever tasted. Normally only have a couple of mouthfuls of Xmas pud as it's quite filling but this one was light but still had all of the traditional Xmas pud flavours. Husband had the chocolate mousse, he cleared his plate so he liked it.

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Lindamille . 2017-12-06

MORE AT TripAdvisor

What a find - this place is amazing. Wonderful in every way - food, service, ambiance and value for money. The fish main course was perfectly cooked, and the brownie was the best I've ever tasted (and I've tasted a lot of brownie...), served with absolutely scrumptious chocolate ice cream. Cannot recommend highly enough - only wish we lived nearer.

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Tilly1001 . 2017-12-02

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Out for a walk and dropped in for lunch. Very good and reasonably priced mussels and fish & chips. Beer's good too - in this case Mr Chubbs from West Berks Brewery.

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Paul D . 2017-11-26

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We visited the sweet olive with a travel zoo offer which was good value . The smoked duck starter was good although the Gravadlax was small and a little dry . The tempura fish presented on a pea risotto was well cooked and tasty . A little surprised that there was only one draught beer available . Service was pleasant and efficient .

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David C . 2017-11-17

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We had a wonderful evening a few weeks ago at the Sweet Olive who hosted us for our annual cricket club dinner. Debbie and the Sweet Olive team put on a really good menu with plenty of choice and were very helpful and accommodating with some special requests and adding in extra guests at the last moment.The food was excellent and service throughout the night was attentive, pleasant and prompt, no mean feat when dealing with 40 people all eating at the same time.All of this contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I’m very much looking forward to my next visit for dinner or lunch at the Sweet Olive.

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davekilcoyne . 2017-11-12

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So I was looking for something good in the countrside where I travelled to have some relax ouside of London, and I found this Didcot area very nice to stay. The roads are narrow like hell, villages quite even more, during the night you can see the bright starts all around.And to support this experience i went to the Seet Olive on 9th and 11th of September. First a dinner, and on the second occasion a quick lunch. Dinner was real perfect, I had starters with very tasy olives, and duck breast, and the duck lever pate. For dessert I had fired banana, and all the dishes was really perfect. Not just tasty, but also you could saw the care the Chef done. The gin selection is unbelievably amazing, I tasted half of the available ones, because could not reach to the end of them. Highly recommended.On 11th I ordered a good steak, which was very tasty together with the sauce and fresh mushrooms and veggies, it was a very refreshing meal, absolutely recommended.The restaurant is in a very very tiny village, which makes the atmosphere very friendly. The villagers coming in for the night having some drinks, the feeling is very local-like. I enjoyed it so much. Furnitures and rest rooms are clean and nice, the whole building is very beautyful in my opinion.Staff was very friendly, the Manager had good taste in Gins, and the waitress was helpful and very cute also.I highly recommend to spend a dinner there. Romantic, or friends, or even just alone to get to know the locals.

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afdsfdsa s . 2017-11-07

MORE AT TripAdvisor

After our unfortunate experience back in October when the main menu at lunch time was mysteriously removed as we studied it, we decided to try again at what has been our favourite local gastro-pub. Sunday lunch for three was excellent. As well as the usual roasts, roast pheasant, now in season, was very welcome addition and very well done. My goodness, what a blazing log fire does to a restaurant 's ambience. If there was a supplement to sit near, but not too near, a good log fire I would happily pay it. Running a good fire in a public place does need time and careful attention, but well worth the trouble. The fire draws so well here that I did wonder if there is a fan up in the chimney. So we are happy to be back.

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Isambard . 2017-11-06

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We’ve visited Sweet Ive in two previous occasions and have always been impressed. This visit was no exception. Six of us had dinner there on Thursday and each of us chose different dishes. We couldn’t fault any of it. The food was really lovely. The service and the ambience were perfect. We shall definitely return.

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Carmel H . 2017-11-04

MORE AT TripAdvisor

About 40 of us attended a sports club meal at the sweet olive and had a great evening.I have to say I was impressed with the timings, quality and portion sizes of the 3 course meal I had. We had lots of choice within the set menu (about 5 options per course) and the chef (and staff) got everyone’s meal out very promptly, presented beautifully and very tasty I think they may have gotten a new chef recently, who seems pretty good to me. Very enjoyable evening for everyone, with very fantastic service.

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LubyMoleSmith . 2017-10-28

MORE AT TripAdvisor

My husband and I had a great experience last night at The sweet olive. The food was delicious and the service was fast and friendly. We really enjoyed the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and will make another trip there in the near future :) my husband enjoyed the great selections of gin too!!

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helenporter_6 . 2017-10-28

MORE AT TripAdvisor

My dearest friend Chrissie and I had lunch at The Sweet Olive on Wednesday 27th September. We arrived in good time and had choice of table. Neither of us chose a starter so it was a main course only order for two. I chose the local shot venison with loin of rabbit, black pudding, fondant potatoes and vegetables.Considering how few covers were filled we both considered that the wait for our meals was unusually long. However, the food arrived and presentation was fine. I started eating my food and moved a scrawny rabbit leg to the side of my plate almost without thinking. It then dawned on me that the menu stated loin of rabbit not leg. I pointed this out to the waitress who went off to check with the chef, she came back full of apology offering me another dish, or a free dessert to compensate. After weighing up the wait we had already experienced I suggested that maybe an additional piece of venison would be adequate for me and quite fast to prepare. The venison also seemed to be loin so not a huge size to cook. Further inspection of the rabbit leg showed it to be so tough where there was a miniscule amount of flesh that it was impossible to remove it from the bone, I think it was better served in the stock pot.We continued to eat at a snail’s pace waiting for this extra piece of meat, all the time our food getting colder and colder. I asked twice how long it would be and again the waitress apologised and asked the chef. At this point I had practically finished a rather cool meal and then the meat arrived. I was now pretty disappointed, eating only one half of one piece because it was pretty grisly and nothing like the other slices of venison already eaten.Finally I decided to have the meats wrapped to take home for the dog!We did have a small issue with the dessert but not worth making a fuss over, and we enjoyed the complimentary cheese board.Overall we were not impressed and would need a lot of persuasion to return.Sue Galsworthy

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_peterandsue31 . 2017-10-18

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I visited with a friend for Sunday lunch on the basis of recommendations from others. A preliminary phone call just one hour before we wanted to eat produced a surprised reaction from the person fielding the call which should have been a warning. Yes there was space were told in a tone which indicated some astonishment at the question and indeed when we arrived at ca 1.30pm the restaurant was mostly empty. It remained that way throughout. My colleague has a starter of gravadlax pronounced to be good and followed up with roast partridge - also approved. My starter of goats cheese, fig and smoked duck was just that - an as described combination but no synergy. The main course of a 'cassoulet' of local game + bacon was small but utterly lacking flavour or seasoning. Basically a rather tasteless game stew to which a few kidney beans had been added. I ordered a cheese board for desert. The guy taking the order didn't know which cheeses they were offering (said on the menu to be local). When it turned up in included rolls of hot bacon stuffed with warm cheese! Again the server (a different person) was unable to identify what was being served.Overall disappointing and not worth the effort of going to the 'middle of nowhere' to experience.

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Richard C . 2017-10-15

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Unfortunately our experience did not live up to our expectation. There were 4 of us and we all agreed that the food although reasonably presented desperately lacked any real flavour or seasoning, probably due to the lack of experience in the kitchen on the night. The appetiser only came with six small pieces of dry bread and a tiny amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar despite there being 4 of us. The starters needed a dressing on the salad. The risotto rice which came with tempura sea bass was over cooked, totally tasteless and way too much and when we pointed this out to the waitress her response was '... well the chef isn't Italian'. The Thai salmon broth was thin and tasteless again lacking any real authentic Thai flavours and the sauce that came with the undercooked steak was also too thin and watery.We were the last to leave despite it being only 10:00 at which time the staff had already locked the ladies toilets!Overall a very disappointing evening especially given the price, which was probably due to relative inexperience of the kitchen staff in charge last night.

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Peter B . 2017-10-15

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Great. Friendly service Debbie, the owner. Real restaurant food, with interesting variations, at great prices. Wide drink selection. A real treat, which we've visited several times since we happened across it.

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tonyg428 . 2017-10-04

MORE AT TripAdvisor

We have eaten several times at the Sweet Olive for lunch and dinner, most recently in August. It has always been excellent and I have written that on Trip Advisor. I wanted to thank two dear friends for their help over recent months and since we are all "foodies" the Sweet Olive seemed the best choice, I thought. I booked for lunch using their website, having checked the menu available, also on their website. On arrival I ordered a bottle of fizz and some bread and olives to munch while we looked at menus.I did note, incidentally, to the waiter that a dish with two green olives (with stones) and four small black olives, plus a teaspoon full of balsamic didn't seem much of a deal for three of us. The menus we were given were bar menus, limited to say the least. A bar menu lunch as a reward for help didn't seem appropriate so I asked for the full menus, as listed on the website. I was told that the menu has just been changed. "Well OK, bring us the new menus then" I said trying to be helpful. They arrived and we scanned and prepared to order. "Sorry" said the waiter "the only menu available for lunch is the bar menu". "So why give us the full ones then?" "Because you asked to see them" Names like Basil are crossing my mind."I'll ask the chef what he could do now from the main menu" said the waiter. There was one starter and one main, neither of them what we wanted. Customers choose what they want to eat in restaurants not chefs. I paid for the fizz and we left to get a really good lunch at Rossini. It would not be rocket science to e-mail people who book for lunch over the website that the menu at lunchtime would be very limited and not the one they read when they checked the website. I doubt if I'll be back. So I am now reviewing a restaurant where the only thing I ate was two olives (with stones) and a piece of bread.

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Isambard . 2017-10-04

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4 of us visited The Sweet Olive Saturday evening, Sept 23rd.2 of us had starters , which were good. The Scallops with black pudding and The chicken and tarragon terrine. The main courses, however, were all disappointing. One had a Special of the day, Loin of pork , which was disappointingly tough.One friend had Pan seared Sea bass with Thai style noodles,razor clams and king scallops. The clams and scallops were missing, but there were plenty of noodles!The other 2 ordered medallions of local venison and rabbit with fondant potatoes and black pudding.. The rabbit was a very tough leg, the medallion of venison was delicious but not much bigger than a 2 pound coin and the black pudding was just very dry.At nearly £19 per dish, we would also expect a somewhat larger portion, with all the stated ingredients present, and to a higher standard.We thought the manager's reaction could have been betterWe did get a reduction in the price, but still paid over £ 80.The service was good.We had been before, last in May, and then thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

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F4928TRninak . 2017-09-24

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I came across this restaurant on Travelzoo. What a little gem. The food was amazing. A good selection on the menu especially as I am very partial to fresh crab! My husband chose the rack of lamb which was plentiful and delicious. (I had to try some!)A very friendly restaurant/pub. We were talking to another couple and discovered that my husband knew the brother in law of the gentleman we were talking to. Incredible as we live in Oxford and they lived several miles away!Looking forward to a return trip for lunch very soon

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carol c . 2017-09-22

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Went here for lunch on Monday and yet again fantastic food and service.Thank you all at the Sweet Olive a brilliant lunch as always.The staff are lovely and so welcoming - thank you all especially Debbie.Can't wait to see you all again.Anyone who hasn't been here make a point of visiting you will not be dissapointed

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josephine K . 2017-09-11

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Visited with Trazelzoo voucher, good value for money, really good food, great menu and now new two course menu, well worth a visit.

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LaLaOxford . 2017-09-06

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Lovely to see a place busy on a Monday eve which can only be as a result of the fare on offer. A la carte still available alongside the steak menu if it's not your thing. Must shout out however the steaks are of such a good quality & melted in hungry mouths so would encourage a try :) Such a warm atmosphere here brought about via the front of house team & a well executed service. My only reservation is to stop praising this venue so highly as we'd like to keep it to ourselves!!! Debbie & team delightful & clearly are working very very hard in a tough market. I hope they are rewarded by many return visits from all in the local or not so local area. Go visit. Do it!

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Trustytraveller2000 . 2017-09-05

MORE AT TripAdvisor

Superb food, beautiful and very well-considered decoration, really friendly owner!!! I would definitely recommend this pub to everyone who appreciate to be really well-treated from the beginning to the end!

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Celina M . 2017-09-05

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Had rack of lamb and have to say it's the best lamb I've ever had. Lovely atmosphere and great wines. Little bit pricey but well worth it.

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Kev2049 . 2017-08-27

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This is a lovely venue and was our first visit. We arrived early as it was a surprise birthday lunch. The staff were very welcoming and showed us the children's play area and garden where we could wait. We had a private section for our party which was decorated with balloons and fairy lights. The food was hot, well presented and tasty and the children were well catered for. The birthday cake was delicious!! I wish we lived nearer but definitely hope to visit again.

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PJ1605 . 2017-08-26

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Saw a Travelzoo offer for two courses, decided to give it a go. One word verdict: superb. Old pub in a pretty village, good garden (did I glimpse petanque and Aunt Sally courts?). Inside decorated just right, fairy lights very effective! Wonderfully friendly welcome and service throughout. We tried the sweetbreads, warm makerel salad, salmon lollipop, duck and chicken starters; burger, lamb, crab and duck breast mains. All beautifully prepared and presented, and delicious. And we managed some chocolate and affogato's (affogati?) for dessert. Good range of beers (West Berkshire brewery on tap) and a very interesting wine list. Really enjoyed this place.

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Paul W . 2017-08-25

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Extremely high standard of food. Excellent service. Menu is more fine dining really and more of a restaurant than a pub as such. I would love to go back and try the Sunday lunch some time. I am sure it would be just as excellent. Thank you.

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Smudge1367 . 2017-08-22

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I contacted Debbie and asked if she could arrange a surprise birthday Sunday lunch for my wife. This would be for 16 people (including 5 children under 5) and, apart from choosing the food, left all the arrangements to her. On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Robert and I discovered that Debbie had decorated the room which we had to ourselves. The main courses were delicious and the sweets – well – we couldn’t have asked for more. The service was not rushed and the children were served first which prevented them becoming bored. To top everything at the end a beautiful birthday cake was produced. I can’t thank Debbie and her staff highly enough – they did everything they could to make the day perfect. We will be eating at the Sweet Olive again and certainly recommend it without reservation. The whole experience was brilliant - thank you Debbie and Robert for making a special day truly special and one we will remember for all the right reasons!

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Geoff W . 2017-08-20

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As we were staying over in the area, we picked up a Travelzoo deal at this restaurant - lunch for two.The meal was superb, staff very attentive, pleasant and not pushy. Excellent lunch even without the Travelzoo deal well worth the money.

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denisepaulbarney . 2017-08-13

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My wife and I met an old friend who we hadn't seen for a few years. He travelled by train from London and we drove from Cirencester. I don't know the area so this choice of pub for a meal turned out to be inspired. All three of us came away saying this was the best pub lunch we'd had for a longtime.

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john w . 2017-08-10

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Fabulous food. Very friendly service. Well worth heading to Aston Tirrold / Upthorpe which are a pretty pair of villages with lots of walks if you are here in the daytime

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Lesley S . 2017-08-09

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My partner I came to The Sweet Olive to celebrate his birthday on Monday evening, having received great recommendations from friends.I have to say the food was totally and utterly amazing.We had the sweetcorn starter, sweetbreads, sun dried tomato pasta, and my partner had the rib-eye steak due to me reading the reviews on trip advisor. He was so pleased that I read them as he said the steak was beautiful in flavour and cooked to perfection. He had given up ordering steaks when dining out as so many times they were such a disappointment, but certainly not here ! He ordered the deconstructed tiramisu which was was served simple in its presentation (certainly not a criticism) and after one bite it left him speechless. The Sweet Olive have got it spot on, from the warm and cosy atmosphere, to the lovely lady owner who was so friendly and welcoming, to the waitress who sang Happy Birthday, and to the amazing chefs who produce such wonderful food. They all deserve a round of applause for providing us both such a wonderful evening and we thank you xx and yes, we'll definitely be back !

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Tracy F . 2017-08-09

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This pub used to have a great Alsace menu but it now has different owners and chefs. The menu sounds great and the puddings were indeed lovely, but my starter of a cheese soufflé was swamped by salad. So much so that it took me a while to find the onion marmalade underneath. The prosecco wasn't chilled, I couldn't finish my crab as it didn't taste especially nice but my cat loved it. The staff are very friendly but the romantic atmosphere was marred by bar staff loudly complaining about missing jellybeans and a glass. It would only need a little tweaking for it to be so much better.

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Gail Y . 2017-08-08

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We found this pub/restaurant quite by chance on Facebook and booked for Saturday evening.. It is situated at Didcot which was about an hours drive from our home, but it was worth the drive. Formerly known as The Chequers it is now updated and the restaurant has neat tables and the welcome is very warm. there are tables kin the bar area and also outside suitable for family lunches in the sunshine. The waiters were attentived and the food we were served was quite exceptional, served on platters or slates , everything well prepared and warm. My wifes deconstructed tiraminsu was a real new experience.A lovely evening , and as we drove home through the Oxfordshire lanes under a full moon we decided to visit again a.s.a.p Well done Sweet Olive,you are highly recommended .

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Keith C . 2017-08-07

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Highly recommendable. Food great. Staff friendly and helpful. Quaint cozy country pub. Would return.

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Karen T . 2017-08-05

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Nice to see Sweet Olive being a success We'd been here last year when the new proprietor took over & pleased to see how well she is doing. At the time she asked us as seasoned i.e. older folk what we thought and our comments then seem to still apply.Food is very good.Service if last night is anything to go by remains a weak area No wine list proffered as you give your order Eventually by goingvto the bar you get said list and after waiting 15 minutes you are told sorry I forgot that need so you get wine after your main course arrives. Then you have to remind them to bring G condiments as there are none on the table and they weren't offered as the meals arrived. Disappointing.It's not cheap to eat here and frankly I shan't hurry back until I learn through word of mouth as we live close by that the level of service gets the attention it should.Deal with that & I'd be happy to recommend.

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Graham H . 2017-07-30

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Monday Night - Steak Night - Absolutely delicious! every single morsel delectable, rib eye steak cooked to perfection and sides to match. Front of House so warm, bubbly and welcoming. Once again cannot fault the Sweet Olive - if only it was our local .........Cannot recommend it enough.

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Fletchem27 . 2017-07-27

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I love this place!Not much else to say....eaten here a few times...Fillet steak is buttery, soft and tender. The chips are proper hand cut chips, the food is stylish, innovative and tastes extremely fresh. I've not had a bad meal here.The atmosphere is great, very relaxed and in one of the nicest locations you'll find.If you haven't been , you must because you won't find a nicer place within the area. The food is not your usual mass produced rubbish you find at chain pubs, the chefs here are obviously very good at what they do.Rob the manager is a great host and Deborah the owner is a very kind lady, she helped me out when I struggled to get a taxi home one busy Saturday evening.Overall a lovely place to have a few drinks and something to eat, great food, friendly staff and a nice setting are what make this place special(The garden us fantastic as well)

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Matt C . 2017-07-22

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Love this place. Food great, staff fab and ambience is just right for a meal for any occasion. Menu innovative & hard to choose from as you just want to try the lot! Will be my first choice locally for the foreseeable. Hope it continues to do well, deserves to! See you soon!

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Trustytraveller2000 . 2017-07-21

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My wife and I booked a table for 5 for a birthday lunch. The building is located in The pretty village of Aston Tirrold and the interior has a lovely decor and uses very nice antique furniture. Two of us had starters, I tried the sweetbreads with pea purée, which had an exquisite presentation and was equally superbly flavoured. I then had sea trout with a her crust, beautifully cooked and again with lovely presentation. Portion sizes were large and our friends who had the Sunday roast dishes struggled to finish them. The staff were very helpful and friendly and therefore it all made for a wonderful meal. This restaurant is definitely worth a visit.

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Robert J . 2017-07-16

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We had some really lovely food at Sweet Olive, the waiter couldn't do enough for us and everything was tasty and filling. If you're looking for something that's clearly a cut above a gastro pub then check this place out!

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Dan R . 2017-07-11

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Found this pub whilst looking through trip advisor for a nice dinner with my boyfriend. Never expected the pretty interior as we walked in and the welcoming staff! We were made to feel at home straight away as if we were regulars. The food was cooked perfectly and the intervals between courses were timed well. Will definitely be visiting this pub again!

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Emma P . 2017-06-29

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We went for dinner last night. This was our first visit since it changed hands, and it certainly didn't disappoint. There was a lovely ambience and all the staff were friendly and efficient.We had a fantastic meal. I had the crab lollipop,so innovative. My husband the scallops special, which he said was utterly delicious. I then had duck with an amazing pistachio jus, and my husband rack of lamb which he said was perfect.We also couldn't resist a dessert and both had the mango cheescake.I liked the look of everything on the menu, and it was difficult to decide what to choose. This means we will just have to go back again very soon!

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Cat050 . 2017-06-28

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We booked for lunch with a Travelzoo offer and had a super lunchThe risotto (daily special) was sublime and the cheese soufflé that my husband had was also excellent Mains were also excellent if I was going to be extremely fussy I'd say a little more sauce with the rack of lamb but accept that is a personal preference Puddings were out of this world we both had the chocolate assiette and that is probably the best pudding I've had for a long timeOur waiter Tony was lovely and his recommendation of the Edinburgh raspberry gin was spot onThe dining room was very pretty Overall a super experience for which thank you

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OxfordGirlOxfordUK . 2017-06-26

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We went here for lunch yesterday. What a lovely place.The staff were wonderful and the food was amazing. We both had a lovely lazy lunch sitting in the garden in the sunshine.We will definitely return - one of the best meals we have had in a long time.We would highly recommend this restaurant.

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josephine K . 2017-06-21

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Our daughter and son in law really spoilt us here. This is a lovely restaurant tucked away in the pretty little village of Aston Tirrold. Manager and staff here are extremely welcoming and attentive at all time whilst in no way being overbearing. Nice complimentary olives and bread and balsamic and olive oil. The menu is delightful with a rich array of meats and fish as well as a few vegetarian. Portion sizes are perfect and the food is cooked and prepared to a very high standard. Thoroughly recommended!

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Nick W . 2017-06-20

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Driven past this place off and on for a year. What a find... how could it have taken so long to eat there! Nice atmosphere, fabulous gin collection, saffron gin, wonderful rhubarb and ginger gin. Great service, interesting menus. Could not fault the starters and the presentation was super, mains were lovely, and one was vast. Puddings... too many good ones to choose from and none were Brakes brothers, all properly made puddings, which so often are a let down elsewhere..... Even the selection of coffees and teas.... looking forward to an evening meal there. What a shame they don't have rooms... Lovely sitting outside in the simple garden. Although its a bit of a trek, its going to become a regular spot for me.

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Isa B . 2017-06-14

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It's easy to wax lyrical about every detailed nuance in reviews like this.....I will mention a few but in reality, the best recommendation I can give is to ask would I travel 160 miles again, knowing that I was having lunch at the Sweet Olive? ....You bet I would !!Quiet village location, great gin selection, quality cooked and presented high end food, friendly and professional owner (thank you Debbie).Relaxed but not laid back! Tremendous.If you are local, or like me a distant traveller to Wantage, I would strongly recommend you book a table and enjoy this great find for yourself.Oh - And loving the concave rustic table in the garden!

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Helena B . 2017-06-14

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All I can say is that 5 of us had an absolutely perfect lazy Sunday lunch sitting in the peaceful sunny garden and it will be one of those lunches I shall remember in the dark days of winter. The food was cooked perfectly, presented beautifully and served with a smile. We will be back!

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SeptPrincess . 2017-06-13

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Big improvement since last time about 18 months ago. Not rushed, didn't smell of cleaning fluid, staff had time to interact. Interesting menu and easy parking. Food well cooked.

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PatrickQ186346 . 2017-06-12

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