The Olive Tree in Southampton

I visited with my sister last Friday. The food was very overpriced for the execution. Mushrooms on a wedge of bread, mushrooms has no seasoning at all. I then had the ribeye steak which was saturated in salt, I tried to continue eating this but physically felt sick after 1/4. This came with a mushroom which was rubbery and unseasoned undercooked fries. I ordered 2 oysters and 3 arrived at the table. We were sat right next to the kitchen window and the chef then creepily said the extra one is from me…… when asked how my meal was I didn’t feel comfortable being honest with the chef right there. As we were leaving a table behind us then started to complain about their steak too!

American tourist coming from a cruise ship. I asked Matt if I could get a drink and snack at the bar. He said yes. When the food was coming he told me I had to move to a table. He made me move to a table away from the window. Even though the service wasn't great I would still tip because in America that's what we tend to do. He charged me and I asked about tipping. He said I was charged the 10% service fee. I said on the menu that's for 2 or more people. He said that's not right. They charge everyone like America right? I said no it's optional. He said you can decline it but I didn't know i was even being charged it because I am 1 person. I determined he made me move to the table so he could charge the service b charge. It was very sneaky. As an American im willing to tip even if the service is poor. However, when people are sneaky about it I will definitely not recommend this restaurant and I've told several people of my experience and I will contact their management.

We've been to The Olive Tree a few times now and it's been great every time. The staff are very attentive and the food is lovely, especially a roast on a Sunday!

Amazing Sunday roast. Quite pricey but was worth it. Service impeccable.

Beautiful and very good restaurant with a mesh of cousines taste. Very cozy atmosphere and the service is outstanding!

Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by a rude man with a lot of attitude. We came to try the sunday roast. The waiter made it seem as if the restaurant would be full and we should be grateful that he is seating us without prior reservation. We sat down and ordered a couple of appetizers and the beef and chicken sunday roasts. The only appetizer that we like was the arancini. We ordered some type of chicken which was quite bland. We could audibly hear the waiter having a shouting match with the kitchen while eating which isn't very professional. As for the sunday roasts, they came with an assortment of vegetables and bread. The vegetables were nice, and the sauce was a 6/10. The bread was extremely stale. The chicken was also pretty good, but the beef was extremely tough and left my jaw sore after trying to have a couple of bites. I should add there was a very kind and well mannered lady who served us at times. Overall, inconsistent food, mostly bad/rude service. Woudln't recommend.

Went to celebrate our sons birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 . Thanks for the wonderful service to all at the Olive Tree . everyone enjoyed the food 😋.

The overall food and ambience are great. But if you ever wanna throw a party there, No. Service was pushed and my guests felt awful being pushed.

Can never fault the food , amazing quality, friendly staff.

Came here for dinner as a walk in from Ocean Village. The design and location of the restaurant are good and the service friendly. That’s where the good stuff ends though as the kitchen was a total let down. We had calamari and cauliflower starters which were OK, although the popcorn cauliflower was on a bed of thick, stodgy curry paste which made a mess of the dish. Our main courses were very poor though. Two of us had the mussels special which were some of the worst I have ever eaten. Tough, dry, tasteless and chewy. I’ve absolutely no idea what the kitchen did to make them so bad - maybe left them in an oven for half an hour. They were bad but at least not off. The mushrooms on toast we also ordered was thick, stodgy, salty and pretty horrible too. Tellingly, by far the best dish we ordered was the sourdough bread but I guess this is because they buy it in and can’t really mess that up. The drinks we ordered took a long time to arrive as well. The atmosphere was marred by a very noisy Charter Yacht company table next to us. They were the epitome of a toxic, male dominated, staff night out. They were drunk, loud, inconsiderate and utterly unable to see the impact they had on the lone female staff member they had on the table of 10 (+9 men) and their fellow diners. I guess this is not the restaurant’s fault but it did ruin the atmosphere. £120 for 3 people for not that many dishes or drinks. Food was bad and the atmosphere not great either. We won’t be back despite the location and I’d recommend you try almost anywhere else until some changes are made to the kitchen as other reviews seem to be saying the same thing (wish I’d read these before walking in).

Dog friendly. The absolute best fish and chips I've ever had. I can't say enough for how good the food was 🐕‍🦺👍

Overall, good night ,good food, but not the best

What a shame about this place! It's right next to the harbor with nice views, but the food is the worst! The service was okay, we ordered the shared seafood platter, and nothing tasted fresh. I ordered crab on toast, and it was one of the worst meals I've ever had—the crab smelled and tasted off. I asked the waiter to check the dish, and he returned saying the chef had checked it and claimed it was fine. I was sick the whole night! The fish and chips were just okay. Despite the awful food, we paid the full price, including the service charge. What a horrible experience!

Go for lunch most Sundays.Best roast in town reasonable price large portions.Happy smiley staff

Do not visit this restaurant. We took our visiting friends here for dinner Saturday evening as we love Carnicero (the same owners) so expected a great meal. However, it couldn't have been more of a disappointment. We were seated and left for a good 20 minutes before being able to order drinks, and another 20 minutes before we could order food. The restaurant was maybe half full. The food then took an entire hour to arrive and many dishes were overcooked (ribs, beyond burger, lamb kofta). When we brought up the long wait for the mains with the waiter, he simply told us that we should've expected to be more hungry as we didn't order starter: placing the blame of the long wait for our meals on us because we chose not to order starters! We also mentioned the poor standard of our meals and he told us he hadn't had any other issues with food that day - no sign of an apology. He seemed to have an answer for everything, not acknowledging anything we were saying and was beginning to become confrontational. This is when he stated he was the owner - I've never come across an owner of a restaurant to be so rude and defensive. We were not asking for anything, just simply stating that our meal was disappointing. At this point, we asked for the service charge to be removed, paid and left. Will certainly not be returning. This restaurant is far below standard of all others in Ocean Village. A real shame.

I recently dined at the Olive Tree Restaurant in Southampton, and unfortunately, my experience was somewhat disappointing. While the ambiance was pleasant, the staff seemed indifferent to our presence. Throughout our meal, no one checked on us to see if we needed anything, which was surprising given the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy. The food was just "okay" – nothing special, which was very disappointing. Additionally, we had to wait 10 minutes for our bill, which added to our frustration. I hope the management can address these issues to improve the overall dining experience for future

Wanted to go for a drink and light lunch with a view as we were in the area and the weather was beautiful. Bar staff were friendly and helpful, server was brash and rude to me and my family and polite and charming to other people. Very much felt that the server didn’t like us. Made our time there horrible and not the event we had hoped for, didn’t stay for lunch in the end. Didn’t want to spend time and money somewhere we didn’t feel welcome. He seemed to have a problem with me as soon as I walked in and went to the bar to get a drink for my 4 year old. He was kind enough to abruptly tell me “We do table service! what do you want we do table service!” As he was walking away. Not a great place to take my 60 + year old in-laws as they found it very displeasing. Great view poor staff. Wouldn’t go again.

Restaurant is nice and good interior. Food is good, but nothing special. Bad organization for waiters. You need to wait so long for order and also for everything. Much of unnecessary steps for waiters, looks like they don’t know what to do.

The worst restaurant I’ve been to in a long time if not ever! Under cooked risotto, over cooked, inedible fish and the rudest restaurant ‘owner’ I’ve ever encountered!! We came for a nice evening, my sisters have young children and this was a long over due girls night, our waiter (who we later found out was the owner) was rude, condescending and had an answer for everything!! We did chat to him about his awful attitude, to which he replied that he’d done 450 covers that day, I understand working in hospitality is hard but no one deserves to be spoken to the way he did to us, especially paying customers. He always needed the last word and when we told him we weren’t happy with the food his response was ‘why didn’t you tell me earlier’ in a very pissed off tone. It’s very sad that he clearly has no passion for his job or business. His attitude is just not what you expect at a restaurant, and maybe he just start hiring nice, personable people and he should take a step back from waiting. Service was also ridiculously slow, it took over 20 minutes for us to get our first drinks, we then found out they didn’t even have what we had ordered, so had to wait even longer for replacement drinks!! It was a shame that we spent I rare child free evening in such a negative environment. We will not be returning and I warn anyone thinking of booking to book somewhere else, it is not worth your time or money!

The worst restaurant I’ve been to in a long time if not ever! Under cooked risotto, over cooked, inedible fish and the rudest restaurant ‘owner’ I’ve ever encountered!! We came for a nice evening, my sisters have young children and this was a long over due girls night, our waiter (who we later found out was the owner) was rude, condescending and had an answer for everything!! We did chat to him about his awful attitude, to which he replied that he’d done 450 covers that day, I understand working in hospitality is hard but no one deserves to be spoken to the way he did to us, especially paying customers. He always needed the last word and when we told him we weren’t happy with the food his response was ‘why didn’t you tell me earlier’ in a very pissed off tone. It’s very sad that he clearly has no passion for his job or business. His attitude is just not what you expect at a restaurant, and maybe he just start hiring nice, personable people and he should take a step back from waiting. Service was also ridiculously slow, it took over 20 minutes for us to get our first drinks, we then found out they didn’t even have what we had ordered, so had to wait even longer for replacement drinks!! It was a shame that we spent I rare child free evening in such a negative environment. We will not be returning and I warn anyone thinking of booking to book somewhere else, it is not worth your time or money!

We pre-booked dinner for a Friday night. Got seated immediately in a comfortable booth. Then it got very slow. Having ordered the food and a couple of simple drinks, we were literally forgotten about for nearly an hour. When mussels and ribs arrived they were clearly overcooked. At the checkout we were asked about our experience. When highlighting the long wait time and poor food delivery, the waitress started to argue that the food was delivered within 45 mins and not an hour, and that somehow it was ok. No apology or humility, very arrogant and presumptuous. I am gutted that the Friday dinner experience was so spoiled by the incompetent service

Very understaffed, long wait times, average food. I was there on a Friday night. It was packed and despite best efforts the front of house were not coping. Possibly the place is better on a quieter day.

Lovely family meal today, mainly all had roast dinners but the food was great and fantastic portions. Cauliflower cheese was the best! Staff were amazing, extremely friendly, attentive and brilliant with the 2 kids in the group. Highly recommend for dinner, relaxed atmosphere and couldn't have asked any more of the staff.

Amazing food and service! Would definitely recommend :)

Wobbly table, poor lighting, not the best service and the worst was overcooked steaks (asked for medium rare, got well done) which were also too chargrilled so ruined the flavour. Halloumi fries were good though.

5* experience here in every way. We were a family of 6, celebrating our daughter's Graduation day. The service was friendly, professional & attentive. The food was delicious and the cocktails & wine too. We would definitely recommend and can't wait to return.

5***** in every way. Service, food & drinks excellent. Very professional & friendly service. Food & cocktails were really good. Highly recommend.

Food was fantastic: the seafood linguine, especially, was superb but the bar was lacking compared to the food. A very dry vodka martini tasted like they’d not only put a tonne of vermouth in but also put lemon juice in it :/ However, would still highly recommend overall!

not really great service, food not really that great and terrible value for money, don't waste ya time

Long story short there was a particular waiter (possibly even the person in charge of the shift) who clearly felt making us comfortable was a bit of an imposition, telling us in a sarcastic tone he would come back tomorrow when we asked for more time to decide on food, and refusing to either shut the door or move us to a different table when we objected to sitting in a draft. He only took action when we were about to leave without ordering food. All of the other staff members were great and the food was good when it finally arrived which took an absolute age, but won’t be returning.

The olive tree Well this was the place for a 21st birthday The starters came out 2 of had to send back as food was not cooked properly. Main menu a bit slow to arrive i had the ribs let's just say I wouldn't order them again,as for the desserts very small portions for the price I had the ice cream I would of put a photo of this on but it was so small camera would of struggled to see it This was a first and last time for me to eat at this place

First time dining here and reviews were ok so we tried it. It seemed really chic and chilled. We ordered two starters and mains. Unfortunately the starters came crisp to the taste. The immediate display of it was obviously overcooked, the chicken was rubbery as it was overcooked and burnt basically. Trying to get the attention of staff was a task in itself. I feel if you looked a certain way you were better addressed and served...remember this is on my own experience here, and I genuinely say say this in truth. I can go to the cheapest most mediocre of places and service and food is amazing...so it really isn't about the "look" of a restaurant. Unfortunately will not be dining here again. When disputing the "optional service charge" we were met with abruptness from the staff member who then went over and talked on us to his colleague, very unprofessional. *dogs were allowed to sit in also with owners (barked a few times) *short staffed

Went here for Sunday lunch and had roast chicken. It was a really nice place with a good atmosphere and service as well as great food, which was fantastic. The only thing I didn't like was the cauliflower cheese which was not very nice, I think they put in too much mustard or something. Other than that all perfect and would definitely go back again.

very nice restaurant and food. the creme brulee was amazing

Amazing place ...good service good ..food ...coctails superb thankiu guys for looking after as...thanks alot from Arkadash

The atmosphere, food and cocktails are amazing! The quality of steak is excellent and cooked perfectly. Medium rare steak with a lovely taste. 10oz Hampshire sirloin with added king prawns absolutely fantastic. Lots of space inside the restaurant and the decor is very tasteful. The service is fantastic, the staff are all so friendly and real! I love it when the staff speak and joke with you, it makes you feel super comfortable and welcomed. Thanks so much to all here, visited on a Friday evening as a table of 4, early evening. Highly recommend!! The Mai tai cocktail is delicious, and the cocktails my friends had also looked good! Would love to try more of them. I am also gluten free and there is an excellent choice of food! All steak sauces served are gluten free as well, I had peppercorn sauce and an extra red wine sauce, superb!

Good - as always. We used to visit the Olive Tree frequently, then got out of the habit. We decided to go again and it was good as we remembered.

Great setting, good service, great food, reasonably priced.

Although the restaurant was incredibly busy and there seemed to be a shortage of staff the food was not compromised and was delicious and hot. Lovely staff and would return.

Was pretty average especially for the prices being charged..

Went for drinks only. 🍸 Bar staff was very friendly and welcoming. Drinks were tasty.

I never order a steak in restaurants because invariably it comes out overcooked. I'm so glad I chanced it here, a great cut of meat served beautifully blue but with a perfect amount of char. Starter was delicious and the dessert was amazing with great choices available for all 3 courses. Great wine and cocktails list too. Service was a little disorganised, I think I ended up with at least 4 people serving me throughout the meal and while all of them were lovely it did mean things got missed.

Great view of marina. Serves moves slower than in glacier. In fact I am sitting in the restaurant still waiting for my main. We had to wait ask for menus, ask for water and after 30mins I walking to the bar and asked for a glass of water. This is with only 6 tables of people outside. One of my party is Italian and used to slow serves but even they where saying that the wait was ridiculous

We had heard really good things about the Olive Tree but unfortunately left really disappointed and won’t be going back. Food was okay but the service was appalling - waited 30 minutes for a booked table reservation and then 40 minutes for food. Such a shame!

Go for the chateaubriand, great value for steak lovers!

Food was absolutely delicious, great service especially amazing when there were over 20 of us.

Great food, friendly staff, very helpful

Beautiful cooked seafood and arancini. Great service Thank you

The staff were friendly and helpful with me being a gluten free diner a really fantastic the cfeme brule was the best and creamiest I've ever had 💋 👄

Good service, but price and food are just average. One-time visit only.

Picked the lunchtime set menu. Wasn't disappointed! The only place I have ever had better carbonara has been in Italy, and the truffle arancini were fabulous.

Impeccable service and some of the best seafood in Southampton!

Always great meal great group people

Friendly staff and excellent service. The food was lovely - would recommend the Sunday Roast.

Amazing amazing chicken burger and chips

excellent meal, live very close so thought we would try it, very glad we did. Rig eye was spot on and nice refreshing desert. only downer is the price of the wine, but that’s normal these days .

First time having a roast dinner here and it was brilliant. It’s difficult to find a good roast dinner but pleased to say I’ve found one! Service was quick, the staff were friendly, and portions were large. Overall very pleased and will definitely be back.

It’s hard to find a restaurant that serves a roast dinner as good as one made at home, however the Olive tree didn’t disappoint. Highly recommended. Fast friendly service, relaxed atmosphere and food amazing.

Excellent service complimented with very good food. Abundant portion sizes and very flavoursome. Highly recommend 👌

Great food and service well worth a visit

Visited on Saturday evening a table of six. Nice restaurant/Location with friendly staff but we experienced very slow service presumably a staff shortage. One meal and one side order was served over ten minutes later than the rest of the table but that would not have been such an issue if the food was good. It wasn’t for three of us .Haddock (X2) had an unpleasant taste and the seafood linguine tasted of nothing but salt not even a hint of garlic, chilli or dill as described on the menu. Not one staff member at any point asked if the food was OK (too busy). Not wishing to spoil the evening for everyone we we paid the bill including service charge and left.

Went to the Olive Tree to celebrate Mothers Day on Saturday as we couldn’t celebrate on Sunday. The service was horrendous and ruined the evening. We waited over an hour to have our starters and whilst we waited we were not asked if we would like any more drinks. The starter was a sharing board of cold meats so not sure how that takes over an hour to be served. Staff were swearing at each other with us being able to hear the conversations which wasn’t really professional. We then waited a further hour for our mains, whilst waiting for these we watched multiple tables turn their food away for being the wrong orders. Once ours arrived there was things missing on the plates that were stated on the menu. Food was cold as if it had been sat there waiting for other parts to be cooked. We didn’t even want to look at desserts as didn’t want to wait any longer. The service in this place really let the restaurant down and we were really looking forward to trying the Olive Tree as we love carnicero.

The waitress was extremely attentive and checked in multiple times if everything was well. The food is really good but a bit salty, so I suggest ordering a bottle of water. Good portion sizing and they made a change to make my meal vegetarian. Much appreciated of course. Can't say much about atmosphere since I was the only customer I think. Would visit again.

Booked a 2pm table online for Mother's Day last week and had an email confirmation. Only to have a very rude man call me late afternoon over a week later to cancel my booking for 2pm because I had not paid deposit, said he tried calling, sent emails and text , I hadn't received anything ? Rudely said didn't I realise its the busiest Sunday of the year All they would offer me was 6ish I was taken back by his rudeness and oddly enough within a few minutes of ending the call I received an email to say booking cancelled, that was the only email I received, since confirmation booking ! Wonder if they had overbooked Really disappointed ,

One of the best meals I've had in ages. Friendly service. Happy to alter the dishes for food allergies. Left to loiter after meal, without being rushed, but it was quite quiet. Ideal venue, and great food if you are visiting Harbour Lights Picturehouse or want food outside of the Harbour Hotel.

Be warned horrific booking system. Had email confirmation of a confirmed booking for Mother’s Day lunch at 2.30pm on Monday morning. Email stated only nowhere that the booking was provisional and stated deposit only required over 6 people. Contacted at 9pm on Tuesday evening by a very rude gentleman who said they had no tables available and it was my fault for a) ‘leaving it too late’ and b) not reading the small print on their website that stated a deposit was required on Mother’s Day and c) had a debate with me over how many hours it had been since my booking. This is horrific customer service

Had a great Sunday lunch last Sunday with friends at The Olive Tree . Great service and even though it was a wet and windy Sunday, the staff were helpful and attentive!

Beautiful food and amazing service. Had no doubts after dining in Carnicero that The Olive Tree would be just as incredible and it really was. The service is second to none and food was incredible. Thanks for a fantastic evening!

First time eating here last Sunday. Had the scallops and Chateaubriand. Absolutely outstanding meal. Really nice guys running the place as well. Recommended.

Great food. We had a three course lunch midweek and it was lovely. Ok maybe a bit pricey for a "working day's lunch" but definitely worth it. We will visit again. One thing I would prefer differently was to have more tables looking at the marina outside rather than being hidden in the back, but I'm mediterranean so I'm a bit biased

Excellent food and service. We'll be back.

A friend and I visited this lovely restaurant for lunch and a catch up with each other. The welcome was warm and friendly. The menu is varied and there are many lovely dishes to chose from. The service was fast and very efficient and the food was hot, tasty and plentiful. Although very quiet as it was a very wet and windy day the restaurant had a good atmosphere and we would definitely recommend it. We will return at a later date to sample some more of their lovely, reasonably priced food.

Went out for our anniversary last night 20th Feb had a very nice meal followed by a cheese board food was absolutely delicious, but I couldn't wait to go home as we were so cold it ruined our evening to be honest as we were uncomfortable sitting there eating, were planning on going Saturday with quite a few family members and friends but because some of them are elderly we cannot expect them to sit in the cold.I think these needs to be sorted as other than that it would have been exceptional.

My girlfriend and I went here for Valentine’s Day and I cannot overstate how much we regret that decision. To start off with, the pricing was absurd for the product that we should have gotten (more on that later). £55 each for an appetizer, entree and desert is about the price you’d expect to pay at a high class establishment and this place is anything but. The ambiance is fine but nothing special, and they kept switching songs when something would come on the playlist that they didn’t want to play. As far as service goes, everyone was friendly but not attentive (again, more on that later). The food itself was exceedingly average. Both our entrees were fine, but the steak dish that we had was vastly undercooked (ordered it mid-rare and got it somewhere between blue-rare) and with a side we hadn’t asked for since by the time they got our dish out they’d run out. As for the deserts, the sticky toffee pudding was fine, but the chocolate with strawberry salsa was a mistake. The strawberry salsa was overpoweringly bitter and made the entire dish a bit dreadful. All of that would have still made for an ok enough dining experience, except that the staff made a major error on our visit and did nothing to remedy it. We ordered all 3 of our courses about 2 minutes after a couple next to us, and received our appetizer only a minute or two after them. After this we finished our appetizer and watched as they received their entrees and we received nothing. 30 minutes passed and we still had nothing and neither of us had spotted a server in just as long. Finally around the 45 minute mark we found someone (not our server) and asked what was happening with our food. He checked and came back and apologized, saying the kitchen had lost our ticket and it would come out shortly. 20 minutes after that (more than an hour and a half after we had arrived) we finally received our food. And, as I noted above, the meat was cooked incorrectly and one of the sides we had ordered before our 60+ minute wait had run out and had to be replaced by something else. Mind you across this whole period, our server had never once come to check on us or our food, and when it finally came out he didn’t even acknowledge the mistake on their end. Our meal concluded with the underwhelming deserts I’d mentioned before, and the restaurant did nothing to acknowledge or apologize for their mistake. I’m not one to ask for handouts, but given this meal was for a special occasion and a mistake on their end had resulted in a less than special dinner, it would have been appropriate to, at the very least, apologize for the massive delay. The food and service were both thoroughly underwhelming and for the price point this is resoundingly the worst meal I’ve had. Had it been 50-75% of the price I would’ve given 3 stars, but you can’t charge near 5 star prices and deliver 3 star food and service. I’ve given 2 stars because their normal menu pricing seems like it would probably be fair for the food and experience. But for special occasions, your time and money would be better spent at a spot where you know what you’ll get, or at home.

The starters, the steak dish and the Sunday roasts were absolutely delicious and without fault! The restaurant interior is beautiful and sleek and the service was fantastic. I wished I lived nearer as can’t wait to go back again one day!

Good place for dinner dates. Very good variety of options on the menu.

First time here. Lovely lunch, attentive staff ans wonderful food. Highly recommend. Lovely setting

I would highly recommend this delightful family restaurant. The service was impeccable the food as good , lovely atmosphere and no delays from starters to desserts wonderful place .. you must go and see for yourselves.. ASB

Unprofessional Owner The owner of this establishment demonstrated a lack of fundamental customer service skills. Other customers have reported similar experiences with the owner's other business, carnicero. In my interaction with him, he spoke in an argumentative and confrontational manner that was unprofessional. I find it surprising that he has been in business for so long with this approach. I would have been fired from my customer service job if I spoke to a customer in that manner. It's worth noting that he did not disclose his ownership until I requested to speak with a manager, despite responding to my messages personally. If you are considering visiting this establishment, please be aware that the owner is unlikely to address any issues that may arise. During a previous visit with my family, despite pre-booking, our order was still incorrect, and some items were missing. we did raise this and the food never came out. Furthermore, the bill was incorrect, and When we brought this to the attention of the manager, we were met with a dismissive attitude. The only reason we booked a return visit was because of a voucher we needed to use, which is now in the bin.

Loved this place, great food, attentive service and a superb location

Had my 50th here Jan 2024 Where do I start!! Firstly my family were not aloud to put 50th confetti on the table. We were not aloud up to the bar and the service was incredibly slow. Secondly two family members couldn’t make it as they had covid but we still had to pay for there meal as apparently they are pre cooked. Then finally we had to wait ages for our food. Everyone was eating except me still waiting for a further 10mins. Pre cooked food ay. Service charge was paid because we are good people but it was definitely not earned by a long shot. I would never go here again or even recommend the place. One member of staff was friendly and nice. 1 out of 10. The one is for the food. It was nice.

I went with high expectations, as their sister restaurant Carnicero is arguably my favorite place in Southampton. Ended up going for dinner and was coincidentally taken for lunch the following day. While no complaints, it is not as clear cut a winner as Carnicero. For dinner, I started with the steak tartare. It was good, small amounts of tartare over four airy crackers, but not incredible. For a main, I had the hake and that was great. The herb crust had lots of flavor, the fish was fresh but the meal was stolen by the incredible gnocchi, I am not a huge fan normally but these were fantastic. Service was friendly but it felt like they were still figuring it out, given that there were almost as many servers as covers, there seemed to be large gaps in the service. My lunch was also good, and service more efficient. I had the barley salad with prawns, a little disappointing as the prevalence of capers overpowered the rest of the meal. Not bad, but a little too caper heavy. In terms of ambiance, they did a fantastic job with the fit out and it had both a clean and modern look. Overall a good meal but not yet Carnicero.

Loved the place! Good food!. Perfect spot for hanging out with you favourites or loved once. Good customer service as well. Overall an amazing restaurant with a view of the docks

Fantastic restaurant! Steak cooked to perfection and atmosphere really nice

Lovely roasted dinner thanks 😊

We booked The Olive Tree for the celebration meal after our wedding at the local registry office. We booked the “tree table” which was perfect as it seats 10 (we had a very small wedding). You can see it decorated with fairy lights from the ground floor. You cross a little bridge to get to it so you feel special and slightly separate. Our arrival drinks were a unique take on a winter Aperol spritz and felt very special. They were delicious. We were welcome to take everything at our own pace and were treated very well throughout our time with them. We chose the Olive Tree because the food is lovely, and it’s fancy enough to dress up. It’s also got a family run vibe which meant the kids in tracksuits didn’t feel out of place. I cannot recommend more highly.

We had the most amazing Christmas dinner, 17 of us, the food was amazing, between us we had all of the dishes on offer and they were all superb! The staff were amazing and we could not fault their attentive service. We’ll definitely be booking again.

We booked The Olive Tree for the meal after our wedding at the local registry office. We booked the “tree table” which was perfect as it seats 10 (we had a very small wedding). Our arrival drinks were a unique take on a winter Aperol spritz and felt very special. We were welcome to take everything at our own pace and were treated very well throughout our time with them. We chose the Olive Tree because the food is lovely, it’s fancy enough to dress up, but it’s also got a family run vibe which meant the kids in tracksuits didn’t feel out of place. I cannot recommend more highly.

Pre booked group meal. Starters were OK although the crayfish had a cucumber surround that was dry and looked awful. They made a big deal all food was prepped in advance yet service was slow. I felt they were more interested in selling rounds of drinks than serving the food. The mains were good, the steaks were all cooked the same ( bit odd) bit mine was how I like it and was a really nice size and quality. However we missed our last course as service was so very very slow.

Fabulous meal, beautifully cooked, very friendly staff who gave up their Christmas day to make ours so enjoyable

Yet again, another visit to the Olive Tree, another great experience. From excellent food to an extremely warm welcome ! We decided to eat out for Christmas dinner this year, and weren’t disappointed at all. There was a really nice relaxing feel when we arrived for a couple of drinks before the meal, with no rush to get us seated. There was a great selection to order from the pre order menu. The 10oz filet was cooked to perfection for everyone in our group. I think we may have a new tradition for Christmas Day now ! Thank you so much to all the staff who made our visit such an enjoyable one. Can’t wait to go back.

Food and as tasty and cooked well, hospitality was good, worth a visit! Price was fair, with a good view of ocean village.

We decided to have our wedding meal here after going to the olive tree for a while it’s one of our favourite restaurants. Everything went smoothly, the staff are so friendly and you always receive a warm and friendly welcoming. The food is amazing and we’ve never had any problems out of all the times we’ve visited. But we are especially grateful for the hospitality we received for our wedding day. Beautiful restaurant, beautiful food and beautiful staff

Went for dinner at the olive tree after my brother and sister in law got married and on top of the amazing food the service was incredible they couldn’t do enough for us and catered for everyone’s needs! The little private room was absolutely perfect...

Feel awful leaving a bad review, have never done this before, but was so disappointed in my experience last night feel I have to share. Food was good, but service was awful. Not shown to our table, not given menus. Finally managed to get someone’s...

The Olive Tree is a regular destination for us and always enjoyable. Our boat is moored in the marina right next to the restaurant and The Olive Tree is always our first thought when we don't feel like cooking. The menu is quite comprehensive and...

We come in for a roast here every few weeks and the food is amazing every time. Today, we decided to pop in for a drink and as usual the service was absolutely fantastic, Amo was lovely as always and we met a new bartender Harvey - who was also very friendly. The both of them made our evening and we can’t wait to came back :)

Excellent food, superb service. Staff here are extremely professional, friendly and attentive. Lovely atmosphere, beautifully decorated. Certainly not cheap but you get what you pay for. Well done to all the team here.

Went for a family celebration meal and had an amazing time. Ther staff were friendly, the food was out of this world and the atmosphere amazing. The decor was great - christmas trees adorning restaurant and I imagine during the day the view out over...

We were the only table in all night. That should have e been a clear sign. Waited so long we had to ask the waiter if we can place our order. Staff were friendly but not attentive. My sauce, and my friends sauce were too...