The Olive Tree in Test Valley

Dreadful inedible food. Mussels shredded and disintegrated. Steak baguette. Uncooked tough awful tasting steak. I have never ever written a review before and never ever in my 78 years had such awful food. Waitress was friendly and helpful. Nice surroundings. Just need new chef

I was a bit concerned last time we ate here. Our table was visibly dirty with crumbs from the people before and, instead of wiping it down with a cloth, the young male waiter decided to just brush the crumbs away with his hands as we sat down. Germs often aren’t visible and I’m pretty sure a food inspector wouldn’t be impressed. My burger was also quite cold when it got to us. A pleasant experience otherwise!

Olde worlde with a modern twist. Steak sandwich was good.

Great location and interior decor. Staff were great, helpful & friendly. Unfortunately food was very average. My burger was ok but not great and my husband had the mussels which so rich in cream & butter he could not eat . So two mains & 2 glasses of wine at £52.00 . Mmmm not enjoyable so sorry cannot recommend &!we will not be back.

Lovely pub garden. Dog friendly inside and out (but not in restaurant so you eat in the bar). Attentive and friendly staff. Good menu and variety of drink options.

We booked a table for lunch with 2 friends. Seated in the lovely restaurant at the rear of this traditional old world pub in Romsey. Service was very friendly and professional. I ordered the sea bass, my wife and her friend had the chicken supreme, and our other friend had the Moroccan chicken thighs, all of us thoroughly enjoyed the food, which was beautifully presented. We will return and sample more on the extensive menu, and would recommend this to others looking for quality cuisine in the area.

We have enjoyed steak frites and roast beef today: both excellent. Good service. Lovely relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend.

An amazing Friday night. Great music, great atmosphere

Found this lovely pub. By accident friendly staff & the food was lovely definitely recommend 😊

Came down for rhe Beggars Fair and had an amazing afternoon in this great pub the owner/ manager went out of her way to make this visit even better for us

Freshly cooked delicious food. Blessed with a warm sunny evening in the garden. Plenty of room to enjoy eating with friends. Recommend.

Lovely gastro pub.Staff friendly and helping.Meal was excellent.

Such an amazing view it was our anniversary and the staff and food was all exceptional couldn’t have hoped for better. I’m vegan and the vegan burger and aubergine croquettes were 10/10 pixie was our server and a fellow vegan she was great! Also vegan chocolate mouse wow !

Miss-selling and rude! Went to the Olive a month ago and ordered 2 Espresso martinis, the board in the garden showed they were £10.95, when i went to pay i was charged £26 for 2, i questioned it and the lady apologised and said the board is wrong and they will change it. I then went in on Saturday and i ordered an espresso martini from the bar menu which stated it was £9, i was then charged £14 for it?? i question the guy at the bar and he was so rude had no clue what he was doing and said ‘oh it must be wrong i’ll get it changed’ how has it not been changed since the last time i come in? surely it’s wrong to be quoting lower prices on your menu?? i then ordered food and the same guy at the bar clearly had no idea what he was doing couldn’t find the food on the till and put through the wrong items. doesn’t seem like anyone knows what they are doing and they clearly make up the prices as they go along.

Oh dear,how disappointing. Had the steak and "gourmet " chips. Absolutely no seasoning on the steak and cold chips for £18!! And to add insult to injury over £10 for a glass of red wine. Saw a young member of staff sneeze twice into her hands,wipe them on her apron and then serve a customer beer with her hand right at the top of the glass!!!! Hoped we'd found a gem but just another ordinary pub trying to look posh!!! Avoid!!!

I can only assume that there has been some rebranding here as the signage now declares this simply to be “Olive by Nicholas James.” Whatever the case, this is a very stylish and smart bar and restaurant, and although we were only here for drinks it is clear that they still have “pub” as part of their business profile. Service was very good and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to what is a very comfortable and relaxing place to have a drink or two.

Staff had a bad attitude and service was incredibly slow. I hadn't checked the reviews on here before going - only on Google which was rated much higher from fewer reviews. If I'd seen the TA rating I wouldn't have come as they're all accurate!

Went in this lovely pub for coffee and cake, great cake, and a great price. And a well done to the bar staff dealing extremely well with a very rude bloke who I was stood next to at the bar.

First impressions were great, lovely table and decor, however the first impressions unfortunately, were short lived. We waited over 20 minutes for our drink order, had to prompt to then order our food (45 minutes after we sat down) then go to the bar and order our own drinks, and then wait another 45 minutes for our food. The roast dinners weren’t the greatest either, roast potatoes were rock hard and burnt Yorkshire puddings - not expecting the world but when you’ve waited 45 minutes and paying nearly £20 per dinner it was disappointing. My son’s chicken goujons surprisingly looked better! We were never asked how the food was, never apologised for the delay and a complete lack of cleanliness of the ladies toilets, which dreads me to think what the state of the kitchen was. I appreciate it was Mothers Day and a busier Sunday than usual, but sadly today’s experience has really put me off returning, which is a shame because the venue itself is lovely.

Well we booked for our anaversary, 5 days before and phoned again to confirm our booking, wich was OK on arrival we told we would have to wait while a table was made ready, so we ordered drinks and was told there was a nice log fire in rhe lounge, we walked over with our drinks and found the local swillers hugged togeather round the fire wich was really a small gas fire, the place was very chilly, we were told our table was ready, it was at the back of the dining room it was empty of diners , I thought OH DEAR ,as we sat down we were told that 4 items from the mains section were not available, wich included the STEAK, DUCK , SALMON AND SOMETHING ELSE, wich left us FISH AND CHIPS SOME MORROCAN CHICKEN AND SOME KIND OF FISH WITH A SALAD AND A BURGER WITH CHIPS, I went for fish and chips thinking you ant really go wrong with that and the wife ordered the morrocan dish, we sat with our coats on to keep warm , and after40 mins the foid arrived, my fish was really a peice if skin in batter that was in rock hard batter at the ends and soft and guey in the middle, the chips were like house bricks, My wife's morrocan dish was slimy and really unappetising and tast really sickly, she ate a bit and gave up the rest, the sweet was sticky toffee wich was just a cake with some kind of sauce she found date stones in there at least we thought they were,, my chocolate brownie was identical bothered an inch wide and 5 inches long with with the same sauce and a tablespoon of Ice cream they cost £8 a portion YOU REALLY DONT WANT TO GO HEAR , OVER PRICED POOR QUALITY FOOD , WAS GLAD TO LEAVE THE WIFE WAS UOSET WITH THE WHOLE THING, total cost £66 , The place needs a change of management attentive staff, , and a chef who understands real food, VERY DEPPRESSING CAPT NELSON DIGBY RN RTD

Warm and friendly, great food, but expensive x

Lovely lunch, we visited on a Friday, busy but didn't have to wait long for food or service. Waitress was friendly. Flatbreads tasted lovely, very filling! The atmosphere is nice, cosy. Really enjoyed our visit.

It a nice place - quite rustic and cozy we liked the open fire. But the food is very overpriced for what it is. Had the Ho sin Duck and the portion was tiny for nearly £16. My wife had a burger which was average at best.

After reading the reviews, I was nervous about eating at The Olive Tree. We we there on a Tuesday evening and were only one of 2 tables eating so it was a quiet night but there was still a nice atmosphere. The bar seems limited as there were no non alcoholic gins available which was a disappointment. I have to say though that the food was great. We all enjoyed our mains and desserts and would go again. It does seem that it's a bit hit and miss, but our experience was good so don't let all the negativity sway you.

I went here today for lunch following a wander around Romsey. It was 12.00 (noon) and firstly I could not have a large glass of wine as they did not have a measure for it and secondly was told that the kitchen was very busy due a large number of bookings. Following a check with the kitchen, it was okay to order immediately - I was on my own so this was not going to be a large order! The food was good, except far too much onion in the salad, and I was enjoying a nice relaxing lunch until 3 young lads came in and sat near me. Their language was not great with quite a few swear words and one of them was vaping - which I didn't think was allowed in pubs/restaurants.

Really disappointing, took my mother in law out for a nice meal. They had very little left on the menu, service was slow and not very warm. We ordered Espresso Martins which were served in a wine glass. The bill was over £150 and I wouldn’t recommend. I rarely put negative reviews but this was very disappointing.

Environment lovely, Staff and service very good hence 2 stars But the food is appalling. Had the Sea Bass with Rice. Fish was well cooked and the veg too but the whole dish was cold because it was served on a cold plate. The Sauce was the only flavour that could be tasted because it was all emerged in what seemed like a packet sauce . The other meal was Prawn Pasta. Again cold and the sauce tasted like a week Heinz spaghetti hoops sauce which again flooded everything with the same flavour. We were hungry with limited time so we ate most of it. Was going to pay and just leave but they did ask how it was. So we told them. Took £20 off of a £44 bill. Nice gesture but we definitely won't be back ever. It wasn't even worth £24. Try to improve and let us know when you have.

Nice place to have a pint good offers not to expensive

Was a bit concerned after reading other reviews but we could not fault this pub. Mix up with booking but that was sorted quickly, a misunderstanding on both sides, we think. No complaints with the food, it was very busy ( Xmas eve) but food was still served promptly and was good quality.

Fantastic pub, please fix front door, very very annoying that it does not close properly

Food was awful (not that anyone asked) Pretty sure i would still be waiting for a drink now if i hadn't asked, then still went to the bar to get it. My Wifes food was borderline warm. Mine was cold! Worst of all no one cared in the slightest (from the looks of other reviews the staff are used to it)

Rude is an understatement…I have never met bar staff quite like it. I was completely shocked by my visit to this place. Being told by staff they could not serve particular drinks even though the bottles were on the shelf, cold coffee (eye roll when I asked for a fresh cup), staff are argumentative and extremely miserable, and to top it off, I had to wait over an hour for an item from the menu (after being told most of the items on the menu weren’t available). If you value your time, money and sanity, stay far away from this establishment!

No complaints here Fabulous Pub and service with a smile Great variety of drinks and fabulous menu have enjoyed a huge Sunday Roast and the best burger in Romsey Staff always friendly Polite and happy to help and doggie treats for the pooch

What a shambles! One member of staff that couldn't cope with taking our 5 was taken from their memu, and when he handed it over to his 18 year old colleague, she completely messed the order up! When we told her, she argued with the 3 of us and would not have it that she had made errors with every part of the meal. She then went off, and the chef/manager came out and told us that we had upset his member of staff. We were not rude, and no voices were raised. All we tried to do was tell her she had got the order wrong. The chef/manager would not accept that errors had been made. All he could focus on was his member of staff, who was apparently in tears! To our surprise, a couple of local men that had clearly had too much to drink decided they wanted to get involved and became very aggressive towards us, to a point where one of their girlfriends had to drag her fella outside because he obviously wanted to fight! This could have all been avoided if the waitress had said, "There must have been some confusion with the order, and let me try to sort it out. Instead, she argued with us, in front of other customers, and caused what could have been a quite serious situation. We visit Romsey on a regular basis. This is one place we absolutely won't be visiting again! However, If you're looking for a "punch up", it's well worth a visit!

Great atmosphere until after 9pm when the music was so loud we were all shouting at each. Food service was fine. Food is good and choices had plenty of options. Good selection of beers and lagers. Friday night night has 2-4-1 cocktails.. I think daytime, like Sunday lunches, it's the best for grub, drink and chat without shouting.......

No food available at 6.30pm because they were too busy despite the place being less than half full, and no live music as advertised on the printed menu. No apologies given so clearly not interested in their customers

Oh dear ! I have used this bar / restaurant many times and normally been quite happy with the experience.However this morning I called in with a friend and ordered two hot chocolates. We were told by the girl behind the bar that she could not “do”hot chocolate as she had not been trained . We were incredulous at hearing this information! However this being the case we said that we would settle for lattes instead . These were duly brought over to us . Both were tepid verging on cold - unbelievable . Next time we meet up in Romsey we will be giving our custom to one of the numerous coffee shops in the town .

Excellent food, great food and welcoming service

7.30 asked for 2 portions of chips , no food to busy , 20 people eating out the back , 6 people in bar area, so no food to busy , would not recommend, under staffed

Realy nice place to go. Friendly and cozy pub in the center of Romsey. Nice food

Very good food was good a little pricey for what it was but still very nice. However sadly my girlfriend’s mother had a glass of wine splash over her by the waiter.

Burgers amazing Sea Bass amazing

Friendly service, food although lunch snack was lovely.

Firstly, great service from white/blonde haired guy - thank you. Waitress at table appeared uninterested and certainly wasn’t on the ball with regard to drinks order. Food was nicely presented but mediocre. Chimichurri butterfly chicken was lacking in flavour. Harrisa fries also lacking. Side of...

Last night our family met to have a dinner together. We all ordered steak. Only 2 of the party said their steak was fine, the rest of us were really disappointed. I had travelled up from St Austell and the toilets at The Olive Tree...

Can't complain 50% off drinks 4-6 bargain.

Terrible! Don’t waste your money! I pre booked for lunch with my daughter. They had my contact details but couldn’t be bothered to call and tell me that no desserts were available due to a fridge malfunction. The lunch we were served was awful!

The staff are unhelpful and miserable. The sign advertising the 2-4-1 drinks is misleading. There are plenty of friendlier pubs/restaurants to visit in Romsey.

Welcoming place. Good service. Good food. Nice choice of wines by the glass. We go regularly.

Went for a drink with a friend after seeing the sign outside for 2-4-1 cocktails all day. When I ordered I was told it was actually only from 6pm and when I mentioned the sign I was told "Well the sign is wrong". I'm not sure what dictionary they're using because in my book "all day" doesn't mean only from 6pm. The staff all look completely miserable. A real shame as I came for a friend's baby shower a few years ago and it was really lovely. I can see why the reviews are so poor.

Went for a drink with a friend after seeing the sign outside for 2-4-1 cocktails all day. When I ordered I was told it was actually only from 6pm and when I mentioned the sign I was told "Well the sign is wrong". I'm not...

Einfacher Pub, der mehr verspricht. Ein oder zwei Bier ok. Essen leider nicht zu empfehlen. Qualität und Zubereitung niedriger Level. Preislich dafür viel zu teuer. Toiletten verschmutzt und zum Teil zerstört. Die Einrichtung wie Tische und Stühle stark abgenutzt, was dem „Pub-Flair“ zugute kommt. Aber auch die Sauberkeit lässt zu wünschen übrig. Wir haben den Besuch bereut.

Generally an okay place, however there are several food options that are always not available so check with the staff before you take a look at the menu.

Good pub. nice atmosphere, good food. Only complaint is in the evening more than half the pub becomes reserved for diners and frequently the majority of tables seem free whilst those just there for a drink are cramped in the front section or cold in the back.

Sadly once again very disappointing. Half the menu not available including fish and chips!! The steak and chips just came with a small leaf of watercress! Very overpriced. One meal was sent back as cold. Beer not kept well and cheap wine.

Birthday lunch with my sister turned out to be awful. Person behind the bar was suffering from lethargy and rudeness. Would not serve a 175ml glass of pinot grigio, said I had to buy 2 x 125ml - why? We ordered 2 small bites plates...

Extremely disappointed with the food . I had Mediterranean vegetable tart with not a vegetable in sight ,just a tasteless and bland bought in product. My husband had pork loin steak which turned out to be a tough chop which when provided with steak knife he was able to cut . Would not recommend for food

Coffee and non existent cake . 7 friends all in for their advertised £3.00 coffee and cake offered on the board outside today . Got in to order and informed there was no cake . So ordered just coffee and charged £3.00 per cup ....

Absolutely the best fish finger sandwich I've ever had. Will probably be back for an evening meal soon.

Went for Sunday Roast 18th June , very disappointed with the whole meal. Customer service was non existent and when we mentioned about the food they just wanted to blame the chef . When we arrived it took sometime for the staff to take our food order, it was not until i asked did anyone take the order after some 15mins, at no point did they ask us how our meal was . The person we assume was the manager on duty did not take any responsibility for the service. This is such a shame as in the past we have had an amazing Sunday roast with fresh veg/ stuffing etc. Will not be going again . Would not recommend unless there is a change in service and food quality.

Being generous here. We ordered starters and mains and they all came out at the same time. When I questioned this I was met with “oh you wanted them separately?”… the starter was meant to be a duck salad instead it was half a cabbage and a smattering of duck shavings, not worth the £9! Burger was average but the fries were ok. All the staff were either trying to impress their potential suitors or openly complaining about their job. Wont eat here again.

Always love it in here! Staff and amazing and attentive, food Is delicious and fast!

Very quiet for lunch, great wrap & chicken kebabs with chips. 0 alcohol drinks available

Food was AMAZING! 5 start for that. However the front of house were miserable, the girl at the bar looked like she didn't want to be there, and the what I assume to be manager was rude to the chef in front of customers! He...

Good great, service impeccable. We loved our waitress who explained what was and was not a proper lager. Thanks again

Great food, lovely atmosphere would definitely recommend.

Food was disappointing! We had a meal here, it's a nice setting. Staff were friendly (though service slow) but had to change drinks twice due to errors. Food came and burger was ok but most of the other dishes were very sad and not worth the money. Steak is attached, very thin and no option other than medium rare or well done! Medium rare then came well done. Quiche was bland, pork was dry, all round disappointing

I wouldn’t go back … the vegetarian options were limited. My food was tepid but the Vegetarian main vegetable tart looked like a slice of quiche. I didn’t make a fuss didn’t want to bring down the cheery vibe of a birthday meal.

A lovely friendly pub to come and enjoy wonderful food and a drink you could sit in front of the open fire and the fact they are dog friendly is a big bonus

Nice pub but let down by the food and the service. We had two orders that were mixed up by the waitress and the food was not value for money. The Sunday roast was dry and tough and the pork was cold, the potatoes were not good and there wasn't enough veg on the plate. The pudding was tiny for 8.50 it was shocking to be honest. There was no asking if everything was OK during the meal and there seemed to be a lack of attention in general. I wouldn't return I'm afraid.

The only issue I have as you walk into the pub, especially if it's a sunny day, is that the pub is dark inside until you get used to the light , friendly staff good beer selection

Terrible coffee a day rarely any cake!

We recently held a reception at the Olive Tree after my son was christened. The food was really delicious and the staff were very helpful and kind. Everyone commented on the great food and we look forward to going back soon.

Delicious. Fish and chips are amazing! Great service. Thanks

Quiet when we visited late morning, this popular pub was packed at 7pm. Interesting and large layout, with good selection of beers and friendly staff. Plenty of seating.

Dinner nice but not enough off it

Nice surroundings. No atmosphere in dining area as the only booking was mine, ie table for three at lunch time. Not at all cold in this area which is Pretty good considering the expense of heating at the moment. One big complaint from me is that more choice of meals should be available for Vegetarians and Vegans.

It was a real shame as I really like to have a drink in this pub but we arrived and we're given a list of things that were not available which was quite a significant proportion of the menu and then told it was a...

Really disappointing Sunday Roast. Had a table booked for 1.30pm and yet waited an hour for food. Chicken is not roasted but a pre frozen, chewy chicken breast. Inedible. Came with two little carrots, one small parsnip, some kale and boiled potatoes. NOT worth ￡16!!

Lovely pub in the heart of Romsey. Great atmosphere and ambience inside. Good food menu and lovely decor. (Only thing missing is large glasses of wine!)

Went for Sunday lunch food was good but not enough of it eg a single chicken breast not carved, 3 small roast potatoes, a single sliver of roast carrot and of parsnip and a tiny bit of cabbage, gravy was nice though!

Fantastic meal as usual, the new menu is varied and of good quality, great portion sizes. Diane, the waitress, was very attentive. Thanks for a lovely evening!

Lovely place, nice staff and really delicious food. Loved it.

Beautiful interior, lovely polished brass tables and real fires to warm ourselves by. Friendly staff and super welcoming to dogs too. Dairy and meat options looked great when they came out but I was sad to see not many vegan options (a couple of menu items can be made vegan, but only by removing ingredients). Some more plant based cooking would be amazing to round the menu out neatly!

Poor welcome, uninterested staff , grandson of a staff member running round screeching, waited a very long time for food which when it arrived was tasteless, bones in the lamb shepherds pie, dry pork escalope, fried rice was a pile of mush - the food...

One of my regular haunts because of the great food and lovely staff. You can usually find a table here because they have plenty of room. Easy parking close by which is a plus in the winter.

Really warm and inviting, staff friendly and attentive even as they’re busy. Thank you Marie for fitting us in for food

The staff were friendly. They looked busy but they were professional, patient and ensured customers were seen/served promptly. Food was beautifully presented and tested delicious. There were alot of people but the atmosphere was relaxed.

Gorgeous food,(beef bourg) (lamb shep pie) and polite helpful staff. A lovely end to a great afternoon out in Romsey.. Thanku Jane(gf) and Pete.

Lovely pub but even though not very busy 45 min wait for food so didn't bother.

Had lovely fish and chips nice staff

Relaxing for early evening drink

My wife visited last Thursday and though the place was lovely the service was terrible. The barmaid ignored her when she wanted to order drinks and wondered off. There were no smiles or thank yous at all even when paying and just a curt 'slam the door on the way out' as they left. Very unwelcoming.

Lovely exterior and interior make for a great setting to enjoy. Unfortunately the Service lets them down with long waits and lack of attention. contacted via Facebook and email to reserve a table, no reply. Phoned and was told they don't do reservation on a Friday in the bar. Sat at a table where the neighboring one had a reserved at 1930 sign on it. Sort it out please.

Beautiful decor helps give a relaxed and pleasant environment. Staff service was efficient and friendly. Did not eat during this visit so I can review the food.

Friendly staff, great food and dog friendly

Service was unreasonably slow (took 45 minutes to be served a starter). Got order wrong with drink (given small glass of wine instead of large as asked) and a main (asked for no cheese and given cheese). Food was nice although massively overpriced (main of "Chicken Supreme" was just chicken and cost £16!!). Didn't really seem like custom was wanted. Thoughts were shared by the table next to us and it was not busy at all.

Intially looks good, walked in and didn't have any ale working, or draft lemonade/coke. Lad behind the bar said 'ill pop to the shop and buy some', only after we mentioned having none. Glasses for wine at the bar and all the tables are all dirty, as if they hadn't even been though the wash, bar didn't seem prepped for service. No care from staff, really gone down hill as it used to be such a positive place for a drink.

Slow service as no-one behind the bar when we arrived, live music 🎶 was pleasant and provided a lovely vibe, clean 🚻

Food was absolutely amazing, hats off to the chef. But service was so slow it became infuriating, had to keep asking for need course and also where it was. Waited half hour for a basic Prosecco peach raspberry fool desert, I wanted to leave but it was my wife birthday which they put in the booking and on the night never mentioned a thing. 2 and f the main starters were missing as well and not even the offer of at least a free drink. Disappointed and looking forward to other venues Romsey has to offer.