The Bay Tree

We stopped by this quaint little resto for a quick bite and did so mainly because their online menu offers many vegan options. This needs updating because there is a stark difference between the online menu and the menu in the restaurant. Lots of options marked VG (for vegan) on the online menu were not vegan when viewed on the restaurant menu. The chef was kind enough to clarify this and gave us some options. We were a bit skeptical about what might be on offer. We opted for the Aubergine starter alongwith the dolmades (rice stuffed vine leaves) and were pleasantly surprised by the amazing flavours the dishes carried! There was a unique blend of indo-middle eastern aromas and spices making them absolutely delicious! We didn't have enough time for a main course, but having more vegan options on the main course will definitely help. The quantities were generous and filled us without making us feel heavy. If you're in the vicinity and want some tasty vegan food, this is a great choice!

Great food, staff and atmosphere. I got transported back to the days I visited Egypt and Istanbul. I had the Lebanese kibbeh, baklava and hibiscus tea. I'll definitely come back with friends and family.

My friend and I were wandering around the area, cold and hungry, looking for vegan options for me, then found this restaurant online. We popped in for warm drinks first, then ordered mains. Unfortunately I can't find the menu here to give the names of the dishes and we didn't think to take photos but both meals were beautifully presented and delicious! I had a thick 'stew' with aubergines, mushrooms, broccoli and red peppers, which sat next to saffron rice, gorgeous hummus and fresh salad. My friend also had an amazing spinach dish (with couscous) that looked like an Indian Saag but had more interesting flavours than any Indian saag that I've ever had. That also came with a separate salad and hummus. For desert, I had Baclava and my friend had chocolate orange cake, which, again, were delicious and both very generous portions. Service was excellent and, as an unexpected bonus, we had a surprisingly long, deep and meaningful conversation with the owner before other customers arrived. It was lovely to make that connection, as people rarely seem to engage with each other these days. The owner's colleague also had a very pleasant vibe. I have only given 4* for atmosphere but this is only because I was hoping for a VERY warm and toasty refuge from the cold outside. Nevertheless, it was warmer than the previous place we'd just tried and which didn't even serve decaf coffee. I'll be moving into the area in a few weeks, so I'll definitely be back regularly to work my way through some more tasty vegan dishes on the Bay Tree's menu and I'm sure my friend will also pop in for breakfast occasionally, if they still do it ....

Great food. Friendly service. Nice background music (quiet). My friends and i have been there about four rimes now. We always love it! Thank you very much!!!!

Food doesn't look, feel or taste like housemade. Fish and chips looks like it came frozen. Braised lamb shank not braised at all. Beef burger is dry and not "smokey" at all. Wouldn't recommend.

We had a lovely lunch. Really interesting menu. Service was slow but our waiter advised us in advance and it really wasn’t a problem.

Really enjoyed my lunch there. Nice wee place, tasty and flavoured food. Hope to visit again to try their aubergine meals 😋

The best Aubergines I ever eaten. Not sour, tasty, tender and flavored. Nothing else to say than Amazingly Delicious. It made my day. Thank you

Were it possible, I would go with 3.5 stars here. My food was delicious. I had an excellent lamb stew with accompanying brown rice, then followed that up with a tasty order of baklava (my all time favorite dessert). I also enjoyed the fresh mint tea. The eatery was comfortable and quaint as well. What holds them back here is the quality of the service. The ordering process was slow. I never got the glass of water I asked for. Even getting the check was a far too lengthy process.

Went here last week and have mixed feelings. Service was great not too pricey but the Moroccan spicy burger was extremely bland. The tables are too close together and if someone had sat at the table next to me I would have left. This is not about covid its about personal space. Wouldn't go back .

The Bay Tree Cafe Bistro is a lovely wee Mediterranean style cafe that sort of feels like a quiet haven on the hectic Great Western Road. I spent a while reading in here yesterday with a coffee, and the atmosphere is so lovely; with pleasant staff and a man in the corner smoking a hookah pipe, what more could you ask for? Decent coffee, delicious food (the Persian chicken wrap was so yum), I'll definitely be back here!

The food here is amazing! Everything from the pakora to onion rings are amazing - they have dishes from all over the world, everything from turkish to greek influences, and some other mediterrenean dishes. Yummy yummy. The staff are pleasant and will even give you back stories of the dishes... waaay! (I always wanted to know how cous cous is 'farmed'). Also, as mentioned above, it is BYOB, but wait, there is NO corkage, I repeat, NO fee. Decent? I'd say so.

Having just visited the Bay Tree I am pleased to write its 3rd review and point out why I will certainly be popping into to this little coffee shop come European café more often. I've often walked past The Bay Tree and noted its cosy humble atmosphere. Inside it is warm and welcoming, low lighting, Simon and Garfunkel playing quietly from the speakers, wooden furniture and floorboards and Middle Eastern ornaments sit on the high shelf of the back wall. The staff are very friendly and there are daily newspapers to read whilst you sip your coffee. The coffee here is very good, they serve coffees with a little individual Hershey's chocolate which is a nice touch. The menu is comprised of Middle Eastern dishes and there breakfast menu is the most impressive, they offer 5 or 6 different types of continental breakfasts which I will be sure to try when I next visit. I would highly recommend visiting The Bay Tree for a quiet half hour to yourself.

Great menu with a wide range of Mediterranean style dishes and prices. The service was fantastic, very attentive, friendly, efficient but not over-bearing. Food arrived in good time. Great atmosphere with relaxing music. Decor is very tasteful. Great location for enjoying the West End and good proximity to other bars and clubs. great for having party ,free corkage :) which we enjoyed it the most. still can smell the food yammmy !!!! bay tree's is well worth a visit. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

The Bay Tree has existed since I was a tot, but for some reason I'd never been in! Until yesterday, when a friend and I went for a wee romantic Valentine's lunch. I think this place used to be veggie, but now it does all sorts of Mediterranean meaty nibbles! There are Turkish lamb kebabs, yummy vine leaves stuffed with feta cheese and massive plates of hummus! The green walls and stripped down vibe that the cafe used to have has been replaced with coffee coloured leather seats and swanky but simple decor. My friend and I went for the 8 quid pre theatre menu. We didn't make it past the starter since the dollop of hummus was enough to keep us going ALL day (not even an exaggeration), so we prededed to become pains in the arses by asking for a doggie bag. The woman serving us was very happy to oblige however, and the service was friendly and relaxed. 24 years without The Bay Tree was long enough. She is now going to become a part of my life!

OK OK where to begin??? I've been coming to the Bay Tree now on and off for about....15 years?? Is that right....jeez. I remember being dragged to the Bay Tree when i was a kid by my veggie and at the time vegan mother, you see at that point the Bay tree was very much different from what it is now. Back then it was a veggie/vegan hippy fest where i had to smuggle in a cheese roll and a packet of crisps to fight off the hunger pangs and make sure there was no room for someone to try and feed me a low fat soya free range organic muffin....Begone hippies, or i shall breath hot dog breathe in your general direction!!! Now though the Bay Tree is a kick ass wee Lebanese restaurant which does a fine impersonation of an all day cafe to boot. Find it on Great Western Road and sneak in for a mid day coffee, some cake, or even some amazing fresh soup. All the grub is well tasty too and reasonably priced considering the quality. The last time i was here we had our little one with us and the waitresses were oooing and ahhhing all over her which was nice. It was however a tad cramped, yet the great service made up for this. Great grub, fantastic ambiance and service to kick the ass of any other service..oh and its definitely not fricken vegan!!!!

On the plus side there's BYOB with free corkage and the staff are nice. The pre-theatre menu (£7.95 for 2 courses) seemed like really good value but the food was a bit disappointing - wee bit bland and processed. Maybe we made the wrong choices though because most of the other reviews I've read have been pretty positive. I've heard that breakfast is good so would like to come back to try that.

The staff were friendly and it's BYOB which is great but i was disappointed by the quality of the food. We had the pre-theatre menu which is £7.95 for 2 courses and although this is a great offer i felt the food was very bland and processed, in fact i didn't eat most of my main course. I was hoping as a Mediterranean cafe the food was be fresh and healthy but both my courses seemed to be deep fried.

Went in here for lunch today and was sorely disappointed. As we arrived we were shown to our table and given menus. We then sat for 20mins before I gave up waiting for our order to be taken and went up to the counter despite table service. Once our order was taken the food arrival time was just as slow. Someone at our neighbouring table actually got up and left as they couldn't wait any longer. We opted for the Business Lunch menu. We assumed that as it was titled so it would be quick and we'd be in and out in an hour... Aye Right! The food finally arrived and we've never tasted anything so dry and bland. We had the Vegetable pakora, Hummus & Falafel for starters and I had the Turkish lamb kebab for main course. No flavour, no spices and exceptionaly dry. My Friend had the fish and chips for main. The Fish was dry and resembled something you would pick up in rush at Farmfoods. All in all very disappointing. I hate, giving bad reviews but I'm afraid I couldn't let this one go by.

Having been back a couple times for dinner, I thought it was time for an update. They have gluten free options labelled on their menu. My first dinner experience was pretty good, though they almost glutened me due to bread in the salad (thankfully I saw it and got it replaced.) The second time, they did gluten me, though I'm still not sure how. So while I can't recommend this place for gluten free diners, I'll say that the food was pretty tasty and my partner enjoyed his vegetarian mezze platter. If you don't have dietary restrictions, they've got some good lunch deals during the week and decent food outside of breakfast.

A nice cafe, light & airy with a good atmosphere. Does decent coffees & cakes,%10 student discount and has wireless, so you can take a laptop along. Full breakfast is my favourite breakfast dish ,Lebanese Minto drink worth trying ,massive chicken wraps ..... A great place to spend evening

Small, tacky and not very clean! Salad was definitely too old to be served and coffee was burned (yes they managed to burn the coffee!) Toilets - SCARY! I also enquired about the 'Free WiFi' ... waitress wanted to charge me £10!

A bit embarrassed some people find their food bland, and what kind of foodie i am if i liked it? I do agree that you should not go if you don't have the time (ie : lunch break from work), but I also believe that the longer it takes to make your food the fresher it is. I also agree with GF girl re: not being careful enough about some ingredients in their food and there is a problem with the menu not being detailed enough. On a good note: nice staff, and a decent flafel. they even put it on their a vegan breakfast how cool is that? Oh, and no hookas, or maybe I missed them?

Great vegetarian friendly food at reasonable prices plus BYOB with no corkage! A regular haunt for me and friends before a night out. Nicely decorated with friendly staff. Can't fault the place.

Friendly help and good scones! We loved the service, food, and beverages.

Looking for breakfast one morning I stumbled across The Bay Tree and it's Arabian breakfast. It's not clear from the menu, but it's actually a very tasty pastrami sausage omelette with a tattie scone and some other traditional Scottish breakfast additions. A fantastic find and I've subsequently returned to The Bay Tree for many a lazy Sunday brunch. They offer all sorts of interesting Middle Eastern cuisine and used to serve homemade Turkish Delight with their cappuccinos. For lunch, I recommend the Lebanese cobba - a relative of the falafel.

Absolutely dreadful service. We went in for morning rolls and waited for 30 minutes. We were completely ignored by the incompetent and disorganised staff. It wasn't even busy. I could see by looking into the kitchen how clueless they were. Eventually when we asked for a refund, they couldn't even work out how much we were to be refunded. Very disappointing as I am a local and would like to support smaller places like this. Paul

The Bay Tree was a Lebanese restaurant / cafe, in recent years it seems to have drifted towards a more European / Italian theme which is a shame because the food was amazing. They still however have kept some of there best dishes, the baked aubergine is a must and the vegetable tagine is perfection. They also do traditional turkish coffee for the caffine addicts.

I thought would give Kelvinbridge another try after a disappointing trip to chrubini, another cafe . . happily surprised this time, warm, welcoming cosy place, informal and relaxed . . lots of lovely veggie food couscous, hummus, falafel and a host of turkish treats ! . . what a delight, the wide tea selection is a mixture of western and middle eastern to replace the booze which is unusual for here, a lovely cafe in kelvinbridge !

Went in for gluten free meal, was told they don't do anything gluten free... This was a surprise considering their listing says they have an extensive range.