Fig and Olive Restaurant — Restaurant in Orihuela

It's a hard one ... the food was more than good, it was excellent! Initially, the service was fine, but once the lady owner had left, it all seemed to fall apart. We waited what seemed like forever for our dessert to appear - and it wasn't as if they were taken by surprise: there was no menu choice for dessert, and there were only 3 tables of diners left.

What happened during coffee was an embarrassment for the restaurant ... or it should've been. A member of our party spilled his coffee all over the table and all over his own clothes - an accident, and nobody's fault but his own. The staff didn't notice, so I stood up and went to ask them for a cloth or something to mop up the mess. By this stage it was clear that the staff were in 'we've finished working' mode, and were standing around the counter chatting. One of them produced a couple of bits of paper towels/napkins and handed them to Tony. No 'Are you OK?' No clearing away of the soggy mess on the table. No offer of a replacement coffee. They must have seen us going backwards and forwards to the bathroom to get more paper towels to mop Tony's shirt and trousers off, but no further offers of help were forthcoming. 10 minutes later, just as we asked for the bill, someone asked him if he wanted another coffee ... too late by then. Finally, the bill came, with the spilled coffee included: we were surprised, and asked the waitress if the coffee was indeed charged for ...'Yes', she replied. There then followed some kind of discussion at the bar, and the coffee was then deducted from the bill.

Conclusion: better training for the waitstaff. The quality of the food and the upmarket nature of the restaurant was badly let down by the attitude of a couple of staff members. Efficient table service is not the same as personalised customer service. The owner has the perfect attitude - sadly, her staff don't. Over the years we've had some fabulous food at the Fig and Olive, but this left a bad taste- excuse the pun. Moral of the story: better training, and the owner should stay until the...

I always feel I am experiencing a “special & secret“ dinner in a private location when visiting this restaurant, that I am not sure I want to “out”.

We have been coming here for many years now and it is the one place that is consistently exceeding expectation in terms of food and service. The owners are extremely knowledgeable about their fresh produce and wines, plus their staff are also very attentive, you never feel like just a number or holiday maker when coming here.

Upon arrival we were given a complementary appetiser of bread, aioli and olives which was a lovely touch. My husband and I shared the burrata salad, which was an enormous portion with some of the best tomatoes we have experienced, my son went for the chicken skewers that were equally delicious.

We then opted for the fillet steak (perfectly cooked), coq au van (which was presented beautifully) and the chicken saffron risotto, I had been dying to try a risotto all holiday and was not disappointed at all with this, as it was very delicate and so tasty. Finished off with a lovely bottle of red (chilled to the perfect temperature). I cant wait to return and I hope the husband and wife duo continue with this...

We visited Fig and Olive last night for the first time. The locality did not look as though it would house a superior quality restaurant, with great ambiance and style, but it does. The tables are well spaced, and the staff rigidly followed Covid guidelines, which is important to us. The decor is very pleasant and coordinated, and would not be out of place in a high class London restaurant. The service was very friendly and attentive, the last heading 'front of house' welcomed most guests as if friends. The menu is extensive and varied, including special dishes. We had steak salad and chicken skewer starters, with a hake with lobster sauce, and the pork special to follow.. All of the food was very well presented, ample in quantity, brimming hot, and with subtle and nuanced fresh flavours. I could not manage a desert but my wife had a hot chocolate pot that, she said, was excellent. I highly recommend Fig and Olive, it will most certainly become now one of our regular places to eat...