The Olive Garden in Argyll & Bute

After having many trips to Oban, this was my first visit to Olive Tree, excellent welcome to a nice large table. The space is excellent allowing privacy between tables. Menu was mostly fish. Lamb tagine was my choice, it was delicious. Steak & chicken was chosen by the rest of the group. The chips were a letdown & the cost taken off the menu thanks to efficient staff who made apologies. Would definitely return.

Excellent fish restaurant with some other meals as well for non-fish eaters. Very nice service and quiet atmosphere overall, would reccommend.

Excellent food, excellent service, excellent staff made this a wonderful visit for all the party I was with. 35 diners all catered for and all with done smiles. Excellent all round.

The dinner here was an excellent choice...the staff were efficient...friendly and very professional.... especially Jacob who is very good at his job ...the food was delicious and the wait staff were so amazing at their various tables ...will definitely go back ...highly recommended ❤️

Booked in advance for a party of 10. No complaints from anyone. Food was very fresh, well cooked and tasty. Lots of seafood available plus a good choice of other options.

Popped in without a reservation as we had just arrived in town. Wonderful service and excellent food. What a deal on the early dining price. Mussels were delectable with a slight sweetness. Tried Cullen Skink for first time. Very nice and loved the smokiness of the halibut. Tortellini was perfectly prepared. Bread and olives were a nice start with good dipping oil. Ended with slightly sweet cheesecake and a berry topping. I wouldn't miss this place while here. You'll enjoy it.

Great food and really attentive and friendly staff.

Excellent food, really pleasant, friendly staff and

Lucky to have a table for early dinner on Saturday night with a 10 mins call before we arrived. Forgot to take photo of the starter. But sea bass is the dish definitely to be considered, perfect in cooking the sea bass with crispy skin and texture. Risotto is ok to match with the fish. Linguine is good too. Deserts is fast to be served but sure not the focus of the restaurant. Do appreciate no service charge was added in the bill. Just give what you want with fairness in this busy restaurant.

Some friends recommended we eat here if ever we got a chance . We checked into our hotel and headed over to see if we could be accommodated . Sure enough they had a table free, wahoo we thought. The ambience and de or of the place is very tranquil . Our waitress was wonderful , very knowledgeable of the menu they offer . We had an amazing evening for a late birthday treat . Food was amazing , truly beautiful and big portions too. We will head back there when given a chance .

What a lovely place this was. As a solo traveller I sometimes find it difficult to get in somewhere late on, and a Friday night, without a reservation. I found the Olive Garden very welcoming and accommodating. The service and food was first class -- well done and thank you.

We dined there only once during our short visit to Scotland/Oban. We visited right after 5pm. Staff was refreshingly attentive and respectful. The service was really fast, food was absolutely delicious. Steak was just as ordered, chips were perfect. Seafood chowder was absolutely delicious.

Just had a Beautiful meal with Mum & Dad as a early joint Birthday Celebration as Dad's Birthday is 2moro & My Birthday on Sunday, the meal was really nice & All the staff were very Friendly & Professional & will Definitely be back & would Definitely recommend to anyone, thank u again for everything.

My Airbnb host recommended this restaurant and overall I liked it. The fish & chips I had were the best I had in the UK on this trip. The large piece of Haddock was tender and juicy inside and crispy on the outside, like the fries. I think my waitress was new to the biz. She was nice and helpful when I ordered, but then ghosted me after my food arrived. Nice atmosphere, somewhat formal looking but not stuffy. I would eat here again.

When I entered this place the receptionist had some issues with me that I was unaware of , food is generally inspired mush,the decor made me feel gross, at wish Texmex was still there

Service was fantastic. Only had time for a beer because of our own complications but the wait staff were very friendly and helpful in accommodating us.

Large, quite dark restaurant with a small, quiet outdoor area, where we were welcome with our dog and were served in a friendly manner. Food freshly and deliciously prepared.

Turned out to be a great restaurant. Delicious food and excellent service.

We were greeted well, treated well, the service was great. The food was absolutely spectacular! I highly recommend.

Fantastic dinner: Mussels were divine, as was the Cullenskink, the salads, super fresh seafood. I just wish we had room for dessert. Great attentive service.

Pasta was very very very garlicky and hot, run out of fish and chips. Service was good

Below average food which is over priced and altogether underwhelming. Party of 11having different dishes and no one truly enjoyed it. Soggy pasta, tasteless dishes and premium prices. I asked for ice cream with a 8.50 dessert instead of cream and was advised I’d be charged a pound! very poor show

A busy restaurant for sure but good food, atmosphere and a varied selection of drinks ensure a great night! Husband and wife lead a dedicated team of local youngsters and a special mention for Lola who was excellent!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Formal sitdown meal with delicious food freshly prepared. Reservations Necessary, especially in summer. A good choice of different types of food on the menu. Food came reasonably quickly, just took a while to get our bill. Very good location near the train station.

my wife asked to have a dish,that dosen't appear on the menu .the boss cheff came to our table ,and with my wife ,they fix really a excellent dinner .i had roast salmon with paeia ,the taste was very very good , the service was excellent to. in a very fair price for dinner for 2 .

Overpriced food, very low quality italian food. The seafood risotto and the seafood pasta are not recommended. Service not up to price standard. We expected way more.

Nice place on the port. Friendly service. The food perhaps too English in taste did not meet our Italian taste. The fish was good but served on an overcooked and bland paella or rice. The pasta with venison ragout is good but the sauce is too rich in onion, the same goes for the fish linguine. Digestion was difficult for everyone. Some vegetarian dishes available.

Arrived after a day trip to Mull and Iona Warm welcome and lovely service throughout. Food delicious. Served very hot which was great. Portion sizes a delight and a little challenge. One person had sea food and really enjoyed it all. One had risotto Both dishes thoroughly enjoyed

Alors je ne comprends pas comment peut-on donner 4 ou 5 étoiles à ce restaurant. 12 huîtres commandées en entrée. Les huîtres arrivent déjà détachées et en bouillie dans leurs coquilles. Plat principal: linguines aux homard. Tellement d’ail qu’on ne distingue même pas le goût originel du produit. Immangeable. Les moules au vin blanc. Là aussi, l’ail était de la partie et les moules n’étaient pas de toute fraîcheur. Je ne recommande pas ce restaurant….

Good fish restaurant where we only got a table for 4 people on the second attempt. When we were there, we were surprised that many tables remained empty - for whatever reason. In any case, the food was great and so was the service.

Very, very attentive and nice employees. Thank you for the lovely stay!

Every time we are in Oban we always visit the olive garden for a meal. Amazing food and nice staff, some more that others. Would definitely return and recommend to friends and family.

Came here for dinner. Husband liked his langoustines and asparagus risotto. My salmon was overcooked and the paella was underseasoned. Server not a happy camper.

Came here for dinner. Nice ambiance. Husband had langoustine appetizer which was on special and which he enjoyed. Followed with asparagus and pea risotto which he also liked. I had the salmon on a shrimp paella. Salmon was a bit overdone and paella was very 1 dimensional and underseasoned. This would have benefited from a veg of some sort. Server was a young guy who seemed not to be happy with his job. Not sure I would go back.

Didn’t sit inside we just went to the take away bit for two teas, a glass of milk and some cakes. It was a lovely day and the bench outside was free so we just sat and had a lovely break from the busy. Lovely tea and fantastic cakes. Served by a young man with curly hair that was extremely helpful and even bought our drinks and cakes out to us as we had our young son with us. Very pleasant place and I would recommend.

An international restaurant, their treatment is excellent with customers, there are halal meals available (tell them and the chef will tell you what halal food they have)

Lovely meal here, not much to add what hasn't been already said. Will emphasize that both the waiting team and chefs work tirelessly to deliver and they do!

Very good dinner, I highly recommend this restaurant

How this restaurant gained an award is beyond me! It is an example of poor Scottish customer service. I’m a visitor to Oban on a boat. But I’m from Helensburgh, a near town with lovely restaurants with kind friendly staff. This was an anniversary meal, with my husband and sister in law. I had mussels to begin. These were nice, albeit a bit small. But my main course was bad, with tasteless dry salmon and a small salad in a bowl with very little dressing. I did not want to make a fuss, as it was a special meal and my family are not the complaining types. Thus, I kept quiet and ate about half but when the waitress asked how it was I could not lie, this I told her, how bad it was. She said she would tell the chef. It was then a very strange customer service approach happened. She went away but coming back with our pudding - not the best, but not as bad as the salmon - said nothing about it. I thus asked her how she got on with my complaint but she was evasive. Even when our bill came I had to ask the outcome whereby she went away to speak to her boss and came back to say they would take 10 percent off. It was a fiasco, to say the least. My complaint was trivialised, the staff were dismissive and I felt stupid. I expected to feel great after the meal with family but I left angry.

The service was very friendly. Not the fish. Blandly meaningless! Fish soup, on the other hand, was ok. The menu was more fake than real. But in a 4-star restaurant the toilets should also be checked and cleaned from time to time. The men's toilet was extremely unclean and according to the cleaning list it had not been checked all day!

Really nice restaurant, the food and service was great. Location wise it is great as it is next to the train station. highly recommend the seafood chowder, lobster & mussel linguine & deep fried haddock. We requested for alcohol-free, to which they can. Thank you !

Award winning food across from the railway station in Oban! Not the same Olive Garden as in the States, this place is far superior! The baked cheesecake is amazing!

When the hostess of our guest house recommended the Olive Garden, the first thing she said is that "It's not YOUR Olive Garden!", and thankfully, she's right! This restaurant is not part of any franchise. Located on the South Pier of Oban, this large restaurant has plenty of seating. We did not have reservations but we arrived at opening time and were seated immediately. It gradually filled up as we dined. The husband ordered a soup which is our new favourite: Cullen Skink. For those who are unfamiliar with it, it is a Scottish soup with many regional variations. All recipes require finnan haddie or smoked haddock; i am trying to find a local source so i can re-create it. With fresh caught seafood on their doorstep, it's hard to go wrong. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

I had the venison ragu, which was OK, and of an average sized portion. DW had the catch of the day. Hers was tasty and a better-than-average portion. Visited 28 June.

Beautiful fish restaurant, food beautifully served by attentive waitresses.Lovely wine choice.our bottle complimented our dish .

Restaurant rather good overall focuses on Italy but not only. We found space without reservations even though the best restaurants in town were full.

Great to book, but always chance popping in. So worth it! If they can find you a table they will! Always made welcome, and as I'm celiac (gluten free), I know they take the utmost care in preparation. and I'm safe to eat there.

Our hotel recommended this restaurant to us and we were lucky enough to get a table on a Friday evening without a reservation. The food was delicious - we both had cullen skink, I had the asparagus risotto and my partner had the fish and chips. Staff were friendly. Atmosphere was relaxed. Would recommend.

I had dinner in this restaurant with my family because I was looking for a place that served oysters, my wife and I had 12 for 28 pounds and a very good plate of salmon and prawn linguine. All very very good and you can feel that fresh products are used. I highly recommend it especially in the evening as you have a fantastic view from the outside. Thanks and see you next time!

Das Lamm und die Muscheln waren sehr lecker. Die Angestellten sind sehr freundlich und schnell. Ein schöner Ort um ei e Mahlzeit zu sich zu nehmen.

A large restaurant with well spaced out tables. Very friendly staff. Menu was good with something for all tastes. I had venison ragu and my friend had seafood linguine. Both were lovely. Prices reasonable. I voikd see why it has won awards

Arrived in the restaurant to a very welcome reception. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The service was prompt and food was tasty

Had a love venison pasta dish with my mother, it was very tasty. And good end to a good day too.

Wonderful service from Natalie 10/10 !! Would defo return fab evening

Restaurant was in great location after ferry tour. Stayed open later for us and other customers happily. Best oysters I’ve ever had and caught close by. Our server was knowledgeable and very pleasant. The restaurant is comfortable and has a nice atmosphere.

This place is amazing, they don’t do reservations it is first come first served and there is a mini waiting lounge with a sofa and some chairs that you can use before being seated. The place was packed, but we didn’t wait long, like 10 minutes. In this time multiple waitresses came and assured us that it wouldn’t be much longer which was nice to hear. The food was amazing, we had the cullen skink which came with bread and a soup of the day for starters, they both came with toasted bread and butter. Both were amazing, the bread was soft and cruncy at the same time. The soups were creamy and delicious. For the main dish we had the mussels, which come in 3 flavors that you can choose from - standard, cream sauce and tomato sauce with chorizo. I chose the latter and it was amazing, full of flavor, creamy , pure joy, it also came with extra toast and butter (yay!). The second main dish was the seafood risotto which was also creamy delicacy. The waitress was extremly friendly and attentive even though the place was packed and she had to serve many tables. For drinks we had the Sangria which was delicious and freshly made. The athmosphere was very friendly and laid-back and we felt very welcome and relaxed. Would definitely come back.

Fabulous meal at Olive Garden Oban. Spacious seating giving privacy to each tables. Exceptional food, service, staff and portions. We were very spoilt thanks so much . We look forward to returning when next in Oban.

Good restaurant with a nice selection, we had pasta with seafood which was very good. Unfortunately, the risotto with asparagus wasn't to our taste and had little to do with a classic risotto; there was also a lack of seasoning. The ambience is rather dark inside.

Very attentive staff, water came immediately. Lots of fresh seafood and salad choices. Quiet, lovely, peaceful atmosphere. Food was really good, risotto seafood and Olive Garden salad were both quite good.

As good as ever, accommodated us on a Friday evening without a booking. Nice, helpful staff, good food and we’ll certainly be back.

The food was outstanding and the service was lovely. The seafood was fresh and absolutely delicious! We would highly recommend.

Ausgezeichnetes Essen, sehr freundliches und professionnelles Personal. Die Muscheln und der Fisch waren einfach perfekt.

The early evening menu is great value for money. Very busy restaurant popular with tourists and locals. The young pleasant staff worked extremely hard.

Very good, tasty cuisine and a very warm welcome, I recommend!

Starving our first night in Oban and ordered heavily at this very nice establishment with a great location. Very clean and very good service. Then the food came... Oysters were good. Shrimp bruschetta starter is death by mayo. Wife's salmon and my langoustines were both badly overcooked. Might have been a bad night for the chef and not always like this, but it was an expensive lesson in bad seafood in the "Seafood capital of Scotland".

Staff need training in table service

Choose The Waterfront instead, it's next to this restaurant and it's the same price range although quality is 100 times higher. The only positive thing about our experience dining here was the service, they were all kind and attentive. The food's quality was pretty low taking into account the price. We ordered the £24 seafood linguine and the £19 ragu pasta and they were both disappointing. Pasta was overcooked, tomato sauce in the ragu dish was not homemade but the worst was the seafood. It's not fresh even though they advertise it as such and they are located right next to the harbour and the fishmonger. My partner has a very sensitive stomach and is perfectly capable of recognising fresh seafood, this was not the case. We ended up spending roughly the same as the previous night when we dined at The Waterfront where all the food was delicious and fresh.

Food was great, nice and local ingredients, service was fast on early evening, and staff was organised. Highly recommend. I had a parpadelli with veggies, a tomato soup as an entry that was pipping hot. So we had to eat slowly and that gave enough time for the mains to be cooked to perfection. Atmosphere, was quite homie.🏡

Amazing Sunday carvery second time both times absolutely fantastic one of the best places in oban. Great friendly staff welcoming and fast service looking forward to going back.

Great menu great seafood service was amazing food was amazing staff couldn’t do enough for you check back on you’re meals to see if everything was what you wanted

Delicious early evening meal with lovely service

The service was very good and very attentive, mind you it was a bit quite. The food was excellent the oysters were so fresh tasted the sea, properly prepared to eat with seperate red wine vinegar and shallots as well as tobasco. (Tried oysters in an other restaurant and had scrap the sides to release to be able to eat and only lemon slice). We both went for Mussels starter I had the tomato and chirizo loads of sauce, partner had them with white sauce and garlic both were so flavourful and loads of sauce to spoon up with tasty bread. I had the seafood risotto excellent (loads of salmon and prawns with several mussels on top did not have season) Wife had the seafood linguine which again was excellent lots of prawns some scallops and chunks of salmon. Highly recommend

Lovely restaurant with great staff!! Big shout out to Lexie - she was great We will make sure to pop back in when we are in Oban again!,

First class food and service would definitely recommend to anyone

A nice local independent restaurant. Usually busy in the summer but much quieter in the off season so it's easier to get a table. Food is of a Mediterranean concept so think pasta, seafood and comfort foods. It's tucked away next to the railway station and near to Witherspoon's and McCaig's Warehouse by the taxi rank.

Honestly can’t stress enough the service was first class and the food exceptional with a lovely relaxed atmosphere

Bonne surprise pour ce restaurant recommandé par des locaux. Le menu de fête a 25 pounds n'a certainement pas déçu. Le Cullen skink, mélange de haddock fumé, pommes de terre et lait était excellent. En plat principal, fish and chips et risotto de langoustines avec pavé de saumon étaient parfaitement préparés et les portions étaient généreuses. Le personnel était professionnel et compétent. Je recommande. Le seul bémol pourrait être le cadre un peu froid et la température plutôt basse mais c'est décembre en Ecosse après tout....

A very good place to eat and friendly service 😀

Exceptional sea food meals. I had the olive garden chowder, muscles, prawns, salmon. Perfection! Main seafood linguine, again delicious, just superb, pudding, sticky toffee was light and so much nicer than the usual stogy ones u can get in some places. My daughter had lentil soup, followed by corn fed chicken and roasted veg. She said her was perfect.

My wife is a coeliac and the olive garden couldn’t have done anymore for us everything was talked through with the staff and she had a superb gluten free meal with 3 courses I would highly recommend this restaurant for any sort of meal

I really enjoyed creamy fish risotto, followed by my first ever tasting of a Spanish cheesecake - but not my last! 👌

Nous y avons dîner hier soir le 19 octobre 2023 et nous nous sommes tellement régalés que nous avons réservé pour ce soir. Nous y avons mangé hier, la' soupe au haddock, puis le steack sur toast pour min mari, moi le suprême de saumon. Excellent. Ce soir, antipastli en starter puis lamp ( tagine) pour mon homme et le risotto avec crevettes, mussels et saumon. Une tuerie. L'accueil est extraordinaire et le service par des jeunes Excellent. Quand à la cuisine un immense bravo. Excellent et parfait. Nous ré commandons sincèrement cet établissement. Val et Alain jeunes mariés (55 et 59 ans ) en voyage de noce. La même table ( la plus près du bar et de la vitrine des desserts). Merci

We passed The Olive Garden on our walks into town and laughed about it since we know it as an American chain restaurant. I overheard a local barman recommend it to another American tourist and we decided to give it a try. Got early reservations on a Tuesday evening and boy, are we glad we did. Best meal during our 10 day highland trip. Seafood Linguine, Seafood Risotto, Langoustines and Seafood Chowder were amazing!! The menu has items to satisfy every taste, even sirloin steak for non seafood eaters. If you find yourself in Oban, don't let your American sensibilities keep you out of this amazing eatery.

Delicious food and staff were very friendly.

Went for evening meal. Service was good, restaurant filled up very quickly. Food OK, but main courses were very small, almost children's size portion. Left having spent £60 (no alcohol) feeling hungry. Would not return, and establishment seems to survive on tourist trade single visits, as I cannot envisage a local returning , just to leave hungry.

We have been to The Olive Garden many times over the years and it is always great. Last night was no exception. Food was delicious (that seafood risotto - magnificent!), staff were lovely - and I'm going to give a special mention to the tables (you weren't expecting that were you!?) It's so nice to go to a restaurant where you aren't squashed together with your own party or with other diners. Decent sized tables and room to move your chair when you need to. A lovely dinner and a lovely evening

The Olive Garden is brilliantly located between the railway station and the port at Oban. The menu offers a great variety of food, including local fish and seafood. The service is excellent: and the owners are there and make the experience of eating at The Olive Garden quite special. Thank you to Colin and Joan, and the team. Very helpful.

Great service however pricy starter and mains could be larger. Great service but let down by portion size. Would not return as better in town.

Ein kleines Lokal mit stolzen Preisen. Abends sehr voll und dadurch auch sehr laut. Nichts für ein gemütliches Dinner. Speisen und Getränke waren aber gut.

Great fresh oysters, fish and chips and seafood chowder. Service was prompt, all of our dishes were well prepared, served fresh and hot. Adequate and reasonably priced wine selection. Pleasant surroundings. Located within steps of the ferry and train terminals.

Good food, polite and friendly staff, relaxing atmosphere. Good place to go to by yourself. I think this might also be a good place to go to with friends and colleagues.

A really special meal. I had languosteine for entree Followed by mussels for main. Very tasty and definitely more than I can eat .

Very good food and service, but not quite great and/or memorable.

A really enjoyable evening. V good and friendly service. My wife had langoustines and said they were the best she’d ever had. Tiramisu also excellent, despite unneeded cream. Thoroughly recommend!

Very pleasant restaurant with good cuisine. Motivated staff and good service.

If I could give this place 100 stars I would. It was a pleasant find, lovely welcoming staff, beautiful deco and AMAZING food. Even though we live 300 miles away we will be coming back. Xx

Convenient location in the centre of Oban. Friendly and welcoming staff. Pleasant & spacious inside. Food was good but perhaps a little overpriced? Wine was certainly overpriced in our opinion. Others may disagree. Not an unpleasant experience by any measure. The staff were great, however the prices brought down our overall review score slightly.

This is one if the best restaurants we have eaten in. Food is amazing and staff are outstanding.

We had a lovely meal in the olive garden. Food was great as was the service and atmosphere. Would go again.

Good food and good service. And affordable