The Olive Tree Restaurant — Restaurant in England

I don’t know what has happened to this restaurant but having had good previous experiences my wife and I chose to go here for our rare date night. We started by ordering an aperitif. My vodka martini tasted more like water than alcohol. Starters were average and that was just the beginning. Average mains followed but the food was just an aside. The service was disgusting and frankly rude. Whilst eating our mains one of the waitresses started to clean two tables next to us. Instead of taking her cloth, spraying it with disinfectant and wiping the tables down whilst we were eating she just sprayed the disinfectant into the air all over the place including us. I very politely asked her not to whilst we were eating. She laughed and just said I have to clean the tables. I then very politely explained what had happened to the manager who I think is also the owner. She seemed to take it on board and apologised. We finished our food and I went to pay. Asked if I wanted to add gratuity I said yes and added 10%. I don’t complain to get money taken off. In reality I shouldn’t have paid for anything. As I was walking out all three members of staff including the boss thought they would snigger and laugh. For a second time I politely spoke to the boss but obviously to no avail. What a way to run a business. We will never return to this shambolic restaurant and advise others to try all the other decent restaurants in Wells. Christmas will soon be on us and thankfully my company has heeded my opinions and we will not be rebooking here for this years Christmas dinner/party. That’s 20 customers...

Fair place. Food was adventurous and flavours were good although the meat seemed either over tenderised/marinated or was low quality. The steak had lost its natural structure and was ropey/powdery. The serviced was very rushed and in a panic. The first thing the waitress said to us before we had all sat down was "I need to take your order quickly as we need the table back at 8" so we were given two hours on the table but still got turned over in 1.5 hours. I asked for the wine list but it was also taken back from me before I had finished with it. A real premium part was the effort of the chefs and the quality of most ingredients. Very nice wine. Top level presentation of food. Clean bathrooms. Spotless kitchen. Top level hygiene from what I saw of the open kitchen. Very accommodating of toddlers with a clean high chair although the children's pasta came on a very hot plate, too hot for anyone. Comedy level of yellow hazard signs and tape which took away from the atmosphere. The decorating of the room appeared DIY level.

For the price I'd pay again for the kitchen and chefs but for the rest of it there are lots of the little things that could easily be improved with not much cost or effort to bring it up to the standard of a...

What an amazing restaurant experience we had here. We were a bit worried that there were not many reviews but took a chance and went one evening whilst we were in Wells. It is a new restaurant and I suspect the locals want to keep it quiet because it is so good! We didn't book but on arrival found that the restaurant was quite full (so will book next time!). Managed to get a table in the kitchen, which was good for us as we like the theatre involved in cooking. Just two chefs cooking for the entire establishment, but they did a fantastic job. Our Scallops with Black Pudding were perfect, as was the Braised Beef with veg. For pud I had Apple Tart Tatin and my better half had White Chocolate Cheesecake, both of which were was also excellent. The starter was washed down with a glass of Rose and the main with a glass of the Merlot. Again, the wines were excellent. The whole meal was "Historic" (to paraphrase a certain food critic). Certainly the best we have had in Wells. This restaurant is a gem, the jewel in the Wells restaurant crown. Not to be missed. Book ahead and have a...