The Olive Branch in Worcester

Rude staff/owner/Manager We book a table for a sat nigh for 4 and when we got there they said there was no booking. The manager/owner talked to us like we where lying about the booking even after we showed your phone with the call done to them . All the interaction the manager/owner kept being rude and questioning everything we where saying. So unprofessional and incredibly rude. Being there many time but never again! AVOID

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal on Thursday evening. Nibble starters followed by 5 tapas which we shared. Plenty of food for the two of us and really tasty. The staff were very friendly and professional. Really couldn't fault them or the food at all thanks. Very good atmosphere as well.

We booked here for a Saturday lunch time treat and were so happy with our choice. The food was stunning, such delicious flavours. We had a mix of sides and Tapas to share between 2. The Truffle potatoes and the trio Funghi tapas, I would particularly recommend. There was such a large selection of dishes for all diets. We shared a white sangria pitcher also which was nice and fresh. The staff were friendly and efficient. The atmosphere was buzzing but did not feel too crowded. Would recommend booking. All in all a great dining experience and would visit when back in Worcester.

Incredible food, superb service visited with friends on a recommendation and will be going back!

Absolutely the best experience we have had when visiting Worcester. The staff were helpful, service was exceptional and the food was fabulous. Michelin standards... Better than some with a star.

Tasty food, good service and overall nice vibe inside. We enjoyed our paelas and selection of tapas. Staff was very attentive. Will definitely return.

We didn't have a reservation, and they were able to give us a table for four people. Ordered 4 tapas meals and a side order of garlic flatbread. The food was presented on wooden boards, it was hot and tasted fresh. We all loved it and would highly recommend. Staff were warm and friendly

The food here is as good as the one which I have eaten in Spain... one word to describe it: "excellent...!"

Food was first class, staff attentive and friendly. Beautiful place and great atmosphere.

Food was hot and had a good selection of tapas. Waiting staff friendly and polite.

A hidden gem in Worcester with the most delicious tapas and cocktails. Excellent service too, can’t wait to go back.

We’d booked a table for 6 at Impasto, but was later contacted to say that they had accidentally booked our table at Olive Branch (I understand they share the same kitchen with Impasto) so we’d have Impasto food but served via the Olive Branch. Therefore this review won’t include any comment on the food served here. I wouldn’t recommend this place at all. We were seated in the cellar, at a table for 6 very close to the door, which was really distracting as people often rushed past in very close proximity to some of us. When taking our food orders, the server then forgot to ask one party member for their order. They didn’t apologise when we pointed this out. I didn’t get the sense that the server was wanting to be there at all, he interacted very minimally with us. It then took 70 minutes from being seated to receiving our food. We received no apology for the wait. They had also made a further mistake with somebody’s order, bringing two of the same sides when only one was requested (server had written the side as “Z. -product name-“, which was misinterpreted by the kitchen staff as “2 -produce name-“). We sent this back immediately. Nobody came to ask us how our food was. I could hear other tables around us also complaining about the long wait. It took a further 15mins after sitting with empty plates for them to be taken away. We requested the bill - this took another 10mins and we had been overcharged by around £40 (£16 of this was an optional 10% service charge, the rest was overcharging for the meal). They had put through all our pizzas as £17 when they should have been £12. They had included the mistake (second side). We asked for the service charge to be removed, as the waiting time for food was unacceptable. Again the server did not apologise. It took 3 further bills to get the correct amount. The second bill had redacted the service charge and side, but we remained overcharged for the pizzas. We brought this upstairs to the manager, as by this stage we had been at the premises for 2hours for a 1 course meal and we were now running late for an evening event. The third bill from the manager then charged the correct amount for the pizzas, but added back on the service charge, making it a higher total than the second bill. We again requested the service charge was removed AGAIN, and finally were charged the correct amount. We were stood in the main entrance for a good 10 minutes sorting this out. I understand that The Olive Branch don’t have Impasto food items on their cash register, which complicated things with the bill. I’d say don’t offer the service if you are struggling to this extent.

Some of the best Mediterranean food we’ve ever tasted. We had the Greek meze sharing platter and two tapas dishes and everything was faultless! Staff were extremely busy but still very attentive and sorted the issue with our bill straight away. Highly recommend and can’t wait to come back

Service was a bit slow,however the place was full. Christmas parties. The food when it came was amazing and I was very happy with the quantity on the plates.

Very nice mix of Mediterranean food and wine

Noisy is being polite, the noise level was unbearable, couldn't hear anything with the group I was with. Food good, service not the best, slow at times bearing in mind we had pre ordered and management rude!! Overall not a great experience so would not return.

Food was excellent. Highly recommend. Would go back next time I’m in Worcester.

Very tasty food, friendly staff. Great rooms in the cellar.

Lovely lunch. Would recommend the flat breads.

Great food and brilliant service.

Cracking tapas/Mediterranean spot in the middle of Worcester, just off the high street. Good food, warm welcome, good wines and decent value overall.

Charged a fortune £16 for plain pasta and sauce for a child. Was enough that could have been a Tapas dish for £8..... Not going there again!

Excellent tasty food and good service, despite being a very busy lunch service.

A Mixed Experience at the Mediterranean Restaurant I recently visited the Mediterranean Restaurant with high hopes, drawn in by its inviting ambiance and friendly staff. The interior was delightful, and the staff members were incredibly polite and welcoming. However, my dining experience took a disappointing turn when it came to the food. My companions and I opted for a variety of dishes, including Greek, Spanish, and Frito share plates. To our dismay, the food was rather average, failing to meet the elevated expectations we had for Mediterranean cuisine. The flavors lacked the authenticity we anticipated, leaving us longing for a more genuine taste experience. Additionally, we ordered some tapas, only to find them drenched in an excessive amount of oil. This not only affected the taste but also made the dishes feel heavy and less enjoyable. While the restaurant's ambiance and staff created a pleasant atmosphere, the subpar quality of the food left much to be desired. Despite the friendly service and appealing decor, I left the restaurant feeling unsatisfied and wishing for a more authentic and flavorful Mediterranean dining experience.

Absolutely loved this beautiful restaurant, the atmosphere was amazing, it was full of customers, the food was just gorgeous , starters , mains, and deserts,( yes! We had it all) staff were amazing considering it was so busy! From start to finish we loved our first visit here. I don't think it will be our last visit either

Felt rather characterless compared to expectations, staff were all quite friendly, food was also okay, we did have to send a dish back to be heated but would visit again as it may have just been a hectic night.

Excellent Tapas selection. Fine wine. Wonderful location. Great Service. If you've not been...what are you waiting for?

Nice wee place, downstairs is a bit tight height wise, but great staff.

Paella Niro was just a plate of mush. Unseasoned and bland so it was returned and they refunded without question. My husbands pasta dish was very nice though as were the dipping bread. I would return but would try the Greek dishes instead.

Very good tapas. Lovely table downstairs. Worth a try.

I'm visiting from Melbourne, and the best words I can find are "bloody fantastic"! The calamari was a little chewy, but the tapas and mains, well, I didn't want it to finish! Well done!

Food was lovely, the waiter was good and was having some banter with us. I guess cus some of our party are regulars. I've marked the atmosphere 3 ✨ as the table layout wasn't good meant 2 people myself + another had our backs to most of the rest of the group..

Very busy, staff were friendly, when you could get their attention but they were run off their feet. Asked if we would like water for the table, we said yes but didn't arrive. Asked another waiter, he said he'd get it, didn't. Asked a third waitress for tap water, she arrived with bottled water! Food was very tasty, had flat bread with tzasiki and nduja for starters, chicken tagine with rice and flatbread for mains. All delicious.

Food was first class,coupled with friendly efficient staff in a relaxed atmosphere.

It's a lovely place to go out and eat with family and friends. The menu is nice but could change one or two things, as I wouldn't pick some of it as I don't eat sea food. But overall the food is nice.

Did not feel very welcome upon arrival. The seating is too crowded, and the servers seemed to not really know what they were doing. Maybe just a bad day as I've heard such good things, but I wouldn't get the tapas again as it was all deep-fried and lacked variety. Lovely building and some good offers though, I would go again.

Delicious well priced food. We had the 5 tapas dishes for £30 and that fed two. Delicious food and fast service! Would highly recommend.

Just stopped for coffee which was really good and sat outside on one of the few sunny days. Have to ask at the bar and then they come and take your order

First time I ate so sour Cesar. I thought mess up Cesar it’s hard, but this place show me it’s possible. Chicken was okay, but sauce which in it was horrible. And Peach tea has a strange taste, I think I never come back.

Love there is a vegan menu , nice choice too thank you. Service good when we had it but felt ignored for long periods and stuck alone in the basement (attractive as it was tbf). Service stepped up later, perhaps evening crew. Food itself was fine, my paella lacked saffron taste but nice and hot and good portion even for close to £16. Would return, but not to the basement area.

It had been awhile since visiting (pre lockdown) but always good food and friendly people. Food portions don't look alot when served but they are ample . I visited with my husband and adult son . Delicious chicken dish with creamy sauce

Absolutely lovely meal and obviously very popular as the place was packed. Ordered 6 tapas between two which were delicious but last two we got to were nearly cold. It might be nice if there was a way to serve them on really hot plates (they were cold) or served on those little tea light things that keep stuff warm. Service was slow but they were very busy and we weren't in a rush. So not a huge issue. Staff all very pleasant and polite.

Taken here for birthday meal. Food wonderful. Super selection. Great Drinks selection. Nice special offers. Lovely atmosphere. Friendly staff.

Really nice place, food was spot on. Definitely recommend.

Popped in for lunch at recent visit to Worcester. Place packed (always a good sign) but they fitted us in. Fantastic tasty tapas. Deals on the tapas in the week too. Would definitely go back.

The food was top notch. Rich and tasty Try the tapas. Service was excellent. Obviously a popular place but we didn't need to prebook. All in all a lovely dinner

It was a little noisy as the restaurant was packed I think maybe this was because of the low ceiling. This would not stop me from going again. It was worth a visit

This restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere! Felt a little rushed and pushed out for turnover.. but I understand why! The server was very friendly, and the food was tasty. Need to try more options next time!

My numeru uno romantic meal destination whenever in Worcester. If I hadn't eaten so much sumptuous food and drunk quite so much fantastic wine I would definitely have been on for a happy ending to the evening. Alas, fell asleep in taxi on way back to hotel and the moment passed 😪

Brilliant. Excellent food and great service.

Very delicious food served here. I've been here a few times and tried things from the paella (shared and black), seabass, greek meze and the chicken tagine. All were delicious and bought out in good time. Cocktails are lovely here too Only thing to be aware of is that they charge you £3.55 per a bottle of water. Albeit it's very nice water but it can catch you off guard if you're just wanting tap water. Not a criticism, just something to be aware of as the staff do not make it more clear and will offer you water without telling you they're going to add it to the bill.

Great spot for lunch, the food was amazing and fabulous independent establishment in Worcester

the outside of the restaurant is deceiving and we were pleasantly surprised by the inside dining area upstairs from the bar. We had the 5 dish tapas deal and all dishes were delicious. The paella was very tasty and the trio of mushroom was lovely. Relaxed dining, staff were pleasant and attentive but not intrusive. Good selection of dishes. Would highly recommend.

I loved this place, so atmospheric. Food was delicious!

The best Tapas in Worcestershire by far

Very expensive, the food was ok service was good. Definitely not worth what they charge though. We had a group of 16 and Tapas alone was £30 a person, not including drinks. Not enough of each dish for everyone to have some of each plate. They also charged £15 per child, no dishes for children were bought out. They also added a 15% service charge to the bill which is very high for the UK. Won’t be going back, nice atmosphere but for the price there are much better options and the food is sub par.

Gorgeous food and great service

Atmospheres depend on where you sit,and of course who you are with.The staff were great! They gave us special attention and we were offered a surplus pizza! It was a good space for a quiet chat with a friend. Sunshine would have been better.

Great food, good service, reasonable prices, will definitely try again

Starters weren't worth the bother, main courses were good (though the husband didn't like it at all), service good but didn't really appreciate eating my dinner in what resembled a Victorian sewer and I thought it was rather expensive for what it was.

Great place to have a meal! Lovely staff and surroundings. Would recommend the veggie meze board delicious!

As per usual, a lovely evening of great food, interesting wine selection, friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere. The acoustics are always a bit tricky for my hard of hearing Mother in Law but can't hold that against the venue - I think she appreciates not being able to hear me!.....

Great food and very friendly service. First time back for a while. Visited for a business lunch. Noone was disappointed. Service great and food was fantastic as always. We had a number of sharing platters and they were all great.

Excellent food. Lovely atmosphere. Service friendly but slow - a great place to spend a leisurely afternoon or evening, but not for if you have plans after!

Love this place, food and service excellent

Super delicious food, nice choice of both Italian and other Mediterranean dishes, fab service too

Food lovely but service shocking, took over an hour for food and then some items missing, other people ordered after us and finished eating before we even got ours , shocking service and not even an apology just ignored us. Stay away

Superb! What a find, snuggled in the heart of worcester. Great quality. Will definitely be back.

Definitely returning back. The food, staff, and atmosphere just perfect. Size of food generous and so tasty .

Great paella and not bad prices either

Excellent food. Excellent service. We were put near where the waitors were working which wasn't great but they did try and sort it out. Definitely worth going again

This is probably the best restaurant in Worcester and surrounds - fantastic food and great ambience and reasonably priced - a must to visit before anywhere else Up date - visited tonight 27/1/23 - great food but took 30 mins for the starter to arrive due to mix up in the kitchen but all sorted. Still fantastic food and nice ambience. The downside is that it's quite a cold place and often the heating is not adequate particularly in autumn/winter 😔

Lovely food, excellent service, very friendly A+

Always reliable. Upstairs can be quite noisy when it's full.. voices carry in an echo environment.

Superb as always. Great staff and food is excellent

By far the best restaurant I have visited. The quality of food is superb, and the service is amazing.

Here for friends birthday, forgot to put our order through at till ,starters didn't come out together, very blend , mains good ,but not once was we asked how our meals were, we mentioned when we asked for bill, did knock some off and lady was very apologetic,

Amazing food.Prompt service friendly staff.value for money. A real treat

Never been disappointed with our visits here. The food is first class. The Moroccan Lam I had tonight was gorgeous!!

Had Christmas lunch here highly recommended

Great food menu with decent selection of spirits and also cocktails is an option. Staff were friendly though there can be a wait for a table so would be prudent to book in advance. Only negative was charged for water so suggest asking for tap water. If you go for the Paella make sure you have an very big appetite as it is huge but so delicious.

Have been eating at the Olive Branch now for years as love the location, setting and atmosphere as well as the food, BUT, as others have mentioned, the menu really does need an overhaul as the same meals have been on there for ages....

Birthday dinner with friends. Place was super busy but they were on top of it. Great service, absolutely excellent food. We'll be back

Excellent food. Service was a little slow but it was exceptionally busy. Still thoroughly recommend for the quality of the food.

I've been coming to the Olive Branch for over 6 years now with friends for a Christmas treat. Whilst the food is always excellent, the menu has not been updated in all this time and I'll be honest, its getting a bit tiring now. Even with only eating it once a year! 😂 my friends love it, which is why I continue to go back. But feel the experience could be made better with updated food

Superb tapas, fresh food cooked well. Really enjoyed our lunch there. Friendly staff.

Really Really good in every way

Interesting place off the main pedestrian thoroughfare but we were attracted by the music! Nice range of excellent tapas, very busy and lively, staff exceptionally attentive. We left stuffed and happy.

Fabulous tapas menu, inventive cocktails super friendly service

Staff were quite prickly and charged us for 2 drinks although we only ordered one. Asked for tap water and was charged (£3.55!) for mineral water. Tapas are pretty good and well priced before 7 on weekdays, patatas bravas and lamb tagine were good, chimchurri steak was disappointing as were the mussels and chorizo - the chorizo was hard and like it hadn't been fried up. Other restaurant, Impasto, is much friendlier and I think the food is better too.

Absolutely amazing. Had to be in and out quickly and the staff were very accomodating!! An entire vegan menu with beautiful, fresh, flavoursome food. Best food I've eaten in a while!!

Honestly amazing please go here food fab and staff fab !

Great place! On our way back from grandparent duty but was our anniversary so wanted somewhere beautiful and romantic. This place for the bill! Mrs B had the sea bream while I scoffed the tagline! Lovely food and great staff. Thankyou olive branch.

Nice place with fantastic service and the food came out very quickly.

Great location, lovely interior and the food is incredible. We had a sharing menu as part of a work event and every single dish was cooked to perfection & full of flavour. Really looking forward to going back.

Amazing food, first class service and a very well run restaurant. Highly recommended

Went for a light tapas lunch/snack. Excellent selection and really tasty, particular favourites were the sardines and chicken paella. Would have been 5 stars but mussels were a bit overcooked and chewy. Will still go again though.

Good food! I really enjoyed my food. I had paella sardinia. 💙💙💙 serving size is good too. Clean place, and friendly staff.

Nice tapas 5 for £30. Very enjoyable and would definitely go back (have been a couple of times before) the food wasn’t the warmest, in hindsight we should have sent it back but it was edible. Staff are lovely and menu has a great range.

Best food ever, the 5 tapas for 30 was sublime and worth every penny. Welcomed warmly at the door by a friendly team of young enthusiastic staff. Will definitely come again and also try the sister restaurant impasto as recommended by the olive branch staff!