Banana Tree Henley — Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

Very disappointed to be writing a negative review. Disappointed as I was really looking forward to this restaurant coming to Henley. I’d read the reviews from some of their earlier branches (Soho etc), and it seemed like it was going to be great – a good addition to the Henley scene.

It didn’t start well when we tried to order just a small selection of starters between a large group. The waitress was insistent that the portions were small, and we should order more. Rather a strange upsell – but whatever. We had to be insistent that we only wanted a few dishes. We then ordered beer (none were actually listed on the menu, sizes or prices). Our choice ended up being a small can of craft ale, that was delivered to the table and not poured, or offered to be poured. Who drinks out of a can in a restaurant?? (and they were over £5, so close to £10 a pint given the size of them).

And then the starters came. They were really not good. A plate of calamari came up with a few morsels of small, straight pieces – no rings, not particularly crispy, for £8.50, and the Thai chicken wings (also over £8), were 6 tiny pieces from wings that had been broken apart into the drumstick, flat and tips, and again not really Thai Crispy Sticky wings in my opinion. Both felt almost pre-cooked.

At this point, we decided to cut our loses and said that we weren’t going to order mains. The waitress reminded us that they were small. Thanks.

The restaurant did not charge us for the food, so fair enough, but the waitress did inform the table as we left that “Never mind, you obviously won’t be regulars”. I was gob-smacked she said that.

Overall, I left with the impression of a ‘large chain restaurant run by accountants’, rather than a ‘niche small chain serving passionate food’, like The Giggling Squid just across the road.

And for completeness, we ended up at the Argyll, ordered a plate of their wings, which came up as a massive bowl of large, crispy, spicy full wings. They were great. We ordered several plates more. Enough said.

Update: The restaurant has responded and said that we 'refused to pay and that was not a nice experience for the staff'. We absolutely never refused to pay - indeed we were grateful when the restaurant offered to redeem the food, and we were...

We recently visited Banana Tree Henley, and our dining experience was fantastic! From the moment we arrived, the staff was welcoming and attentive, making sure everything was perfect throughout our meal. The atmosphere was vibrant and family-friendly, which made for a delightful outing with our kids.

We started off with the 2-for-1 Lychee Cooler, a refreshingly exotic drink that was the perfect way to kick off our meal. The flavors were beautifully balanced and felt like a real treat.

For the kids, we ordered the Chicken Nuggets Meal. The nuggets were crispy and well-seasoned, and our little ones absolutely loved them. It was great that the Orangutan Kids Menu offered a variety of options, and we were pleasantly surprised that kids eat free! The complimentary kids desserts were an added bonus that made the children smile.

The Chicken Satay Sharing Platter was a highlight — the tender chicken was covered in a deliciously rich and creamy satay sauce. The Papaya Salad was fresh and tangy, adding a nice crunch that complemented the meal perfectly.

We also had the Chiang Mai Se, Teriyaki Chicken, and Beef Rendang. Each dish was bursting with flavor, from the spicy and aromatic beef rendang to the savory teriyaki chicken. The Prawn Laksa was another standout, with a creamy and spicy broth that left us wanting more.

The meal was rounded off with great value, thanks to the 20% NHS discount and the “Kids Eat Free” offer, making it a fantastic experience for families. The optional service charge of 10% was well-deserved, as the team worked hard to make sure we had an enjoyable meal.

Overall, Banana Tree Henley exceeded our expectations with its delicious food, friendly service, and family-friendly perks. We will definitely be...

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but my mother treated myself and my sisters to lunch, and we wanted to go somewhere out of Reading, and a restaurant we hadn’t been to before. We were so excited. We were presented by a member of staff and shown to our seats, we actually were given the option of another table to have more room and somewhere to place my stick. We didn't realise the Cocktails were 2 for 1, so we dived in. My twin and I went for the same drinks, but Ursula suggested we go for different ones, and have 1 of each. Which, of course, we did. We struggled to pick what we wanted to eat as it all looked and sounded amazing, we really did struggle. When we finally chose, we just couldn't wait, I went for the Vegan Green Curry (think that was the name), and some noodles shared with mum, my sister had these sweetcorn bites which looked divine, I had the Vegan Spring Rolls, I don't remember what else we got, but the moment we bit into the food, we could not get over how delicious it was. When we requested other things, like me asking for extra sauce, and other bits, we were always greeted with a smile, and you could tell they wanted to serve. Ursula was amazing to us, she was funny, interesting, passionate, and she made my mum a Lemon drink as they didn't do what my mum asked for. Ursula did not fail, my mum loved the drink and wants more. We were too full for dessert but we were satisfied, we had a great laugh with Ursula, and a lovely wonder into the shops and got some lovely things for ourselves. We will be going back for sure. Thank you Ursula and the staff at Banana Tree. From the 4...