The Olive Tree in Southampton

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

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 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.

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 ,

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

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.

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!

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

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!

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.

Excellent food and service. We'll be back.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Fantastic restaurant! Steak cooked to perfection and atmosphere really nice

Lovely roasted dinner thanks 😊

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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...

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

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...

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...

Exceptional food and service. Restaurant has a lovely ambience and a great view of the marina. Four of us dined at The Olive Tree. We were all happy with what we ordered and can not wait to go back.

We arrived this evening excited for a 21st birthday celebration meal, but sadly left disappointed. The ‘owner’ is really passive aggressive/ patronising. When asking questions about the menu, asking for steaks to be cooked a bit more as they were clearly underdone and left with the ‘owner’ asking ‘are you sure you want them cooked more as the chef said they are fine’ and once the steaks came back, being told ‘in my opinion they are now too over cooked.’ It’s not about what YOU personally think, if a paying customer asks for their meal a certain way or questions about the menu, then surely as an ‘owner’ it’s your job attempt to correct these issues professionally and create an enjoyable experience for your customers. Then after all of this, attempting to guilt us by saying the other gentleman working now didn’t get a tip as we asked for it to be taken off, due to the awful service from the owner! After our experience we felt really disrespected and as if we’d wasted our money, to be honest.

Delicious lunch excellent seafood sharing plate with good wine and friendly service

A delicious meal with family recently at The Olive Tree for a birthday celebration. The seafood platter was enough to share between 4 people. We then had chateaubriand and it was cooked beautifully. Much better than other steak restaurants in Southampton. Good wine selection and...

Really nice venue - had trouble booking online and could have done without sarcasm . Hope someone has checked the online booking. I’m used to booking online with many other restaurants and this one wasn’t user friendly.

Lovely food and amazing service. All staff were friendly and genuinely seemed to care that we had a good time.

Love this place, went for Sunday lunch amazing. So friendly and food was really good. Will be a regular place for us now. Would love pigs in blanket and stuffing in future

My wife and I were taking a walk around Ocean Village and decided to take a drink at the Olive Tree, the staff were very welcoming and happy for us to sit at the bar for a drink even though they are primarily a restaurant,...

Me and my partner love coming here, the food is always amazing, good quality and reasonably priced (and the pork belly is to die for). The staff are always very professional, friendly, polite and very chatty. They are great with the children as well, my niece loves coming here with us

We decided to try the olive tree for somewhere to celebrate an 18th birthday, it was perfect, food was lovely and the location was great too, they sat us at a table with a view across the harbour they were so nice and attentive, and they went above and beyond to ensure we had a nice time, even surprised us with a birthday candle on the dessert and sang happy birthday which we thought was a lovely touch, we are so pleased we chose the olive tree, and I would 100% recommend and thank them for a great evening and making it so special.

We chose The Olive Tree's private dining room for a family lunch for 22 people. It was a special occasion (a memorial get-together postponed due to Covid) with people travelling from Kent, London and Orkney - so the pressure was on! The place honestly could...

I went for lunch and I really recommend this restaurant. The food was delicious and they serve a good portion. The roast dinner is delicious. And the staff is very friendly too.

The Olive Tree is amazing. The staff are so attentive and welcoming, they can’t don’t enough for you. The food is always perfect, I regularly come here and we’ve never had a bad dish. Great atmosphere and the place is always spotless. If I could give more than 5 stars then I would. Highly recommend.

We have found this restaurant by coincidence as we couldn’t get a table in one of the other restaurants around. From beginning to end, it was a delightful experience: The service was immaculate - super friendly, always attentive, and very helpful. The food was extraordinary: I had many roasted seabasses in my life and this one is definitely in my top 10. The styling and decoration of the place is quite eccentric, but very curated. Strong recommendation, we are going to be back soon. 🤗

This place has the ability to be amazing. However, the food we had this evening was not up to scratch and the attitude from the manager was under par for such a place. We ordered a vegetarian antipasti. Well what we received a tray of cut vegetables and a dollop of houmous. What I will say is Bobbie, the waitress was an absolute dream and super attentive. She was probably the only good thing about this establishment.

Great Sunday roast. Too big for one person to finish. Long, long wait in being served.

We arranged a business meeting for lunch for 10 people and were treated so well to and full La Carte menu as well as the lunchtime special menu. The food together with the service was excellent, plus, a wide choice of very reasonable price wines,...

I took my family to The Olive Tree on Sunday for a roast and they were skeptical the roast was going to beat their usual eatery but the comments were it was by far the best roast they’ve had and great value for money. Also dog friendly which I want aware of so it saved us sitting outside as it was a bit chilly!!

Booked a table for my mums birthday and the staff and food were amazing throughout! Have also been here for Sunday roasts, and I cannot recommend highly enough!

Gorgeous place . Good service .

We visited here for a family birthday Great atmosphere, friendly staff, very attentive, food was amazing and great value for money

Had a table booked today for 6 plus a high chair. Most of us had the roast and all agreed how delicious it was! I will also add our boy has a milk & soya allergy and they made him a suitable meal from scratch. Having eaten a few roasts ‘out’ this one was definitely up there and reasonably priced. Service was good, made an effort with our little 2 year old which is always nice to see. Will definitely go back 👍🏻

Looks fancy but food is small portions and not tasty. Add on that the team can’t even calculate the receipt and forgot to add the deposit and even after three times calculation I still ended paying more than I should and they go ( we owe you )

My family and I are regular customers at the Olive Tree, and it's become our weekly culinary haven. The food here is nothing short of a dream, with a special mention to the seafood platter and the fillet steak, which are absolute must-tries! But it's...

Lovely evening and venue for a family dinner. Staff were welcoming, friendly and helped create a relaxed atmosphere.

Food not very hot and a long wait to be served, but overall nice food.

My husband and I used to go to this restaurant when it was located in Oxford st. We thought it had closed but luckily for us it hadn’t. With a beautiful location and wonderful food it’s definitely one we will be returning to. The food...

Disgusted with the solution to a problem which on the evening I did not feel I could bring up. The visit was Saturday evening, I ordered fish and chips which was £17.50 I ate about 1/2 of it until I found a hair so I stopped eating was also put off having any other drinks or dessert. When the bill came I was given 10% food discount which was £7.10 which is not even 1/2 of what the fish and chips cost. Tried to contact the restaurant prior to review but was over a week ago and had no response

What an amazing find! It’s the first time we have visited this restaurant, but we will definitely be coming again. The place is bright, comfortable, and most importantly very clean. We had first class friendly service too. The choice on the menu is great… and...

Beautiful place, staff were so friendly and attentive. The steak was cooked to perfection and really tasty side dishes. Have booked for a birthday celebration in a few weeks! Excited to go back.

Food was unreal and the service was amazing such nice friendly people couldn’t recommend this restaurant enough will definitely be coming back

The views across Ocean Village make this restaurant an absolute Gem of a location. Whether it's a cheeky glass of wine, lunch, or full-on dining, the experience is exceptional. The pork belly with pak choi was tender, sticky and delicious, and the prawns were a...

A great location for a restaurant. We were looking out onto the harbour. The food was good, not huge portions and quite expensive if I'm being honest. The staff were lovely

Staff spot on, drinks were nice although small, food was average at best, considering the bill was over £100 for a shared mix grill and 3 drinks. It wasn't worth the money, steak was cold and tough, chicken was over cooked and dry and the ribs had no meat on them. Not impressed 😕

Great friendly service & food was amazing :-) Would 100% recommend if in Southampton :-) No issues with being in football shirts either 😀 #LCFC

Being vegetarian I was surprised that the menu had so many options to choose from. Starting with Beetroot terrine and finishing with Vegetable lasagne. Incredible experience and choice of food. Very attentive and friendly staff! Will be back soon! Thank you guys for unforgettable experience.

We had planned to come here for breakfast. When we arrived, we were told they hadn't served breakfast in months...... You know, despite the multiple signs clearly saying "breakfast: 9-12". Are you seriously telling me this restaurant is too cheap to put some tape over their signs? Super strange

Great for eating out overlooking Ocean Marina and all the yachts …suitable for families, couples, etc

Friendly service and great tasting food.

Best roast I have eaten in Southampton, Testament to the chef Lukas, I didn't even have to put any seasoning on it as everything was perfect. Will definitely be eating here again.

Without doubt, THE best roast dinner in Southampton, perfectly cooked, amazing flavours and beautiful presented Definitely recommend

Staff were friendly, but could have asked us for food and drinks quicker and more often

Wonderful restaurant great location with friendly staff and excellent food and service , always have a great time here. Recommend the Olive Tree Ocean Village for a great night .