The Olive Tree

Really good Mediterranean food, just on the edge of York city centre, and very accessible, good friendly service. We had 2 starters between and shared a main which was a good move as it was large portions, so good value, and chilled vibe, and not too expensive either which is good for York

Be careful. We looked at the menu in the window and decided the two course special was a decent deal. Once we were in we were handed a menu that showed no mention of any specials. We had to ask if the special menu was available and low and behold it was. Why did we have to ask for the special menue, could it be because it would have cost a lot more had we not asked? The meal was not bad but nothing special. When we were presented the bill there was an extra charge for a bottle of water that we neither ordered nor drank. Will we be back?? I don't think they would want us back! Be aware here!

Slow service, but they were busy. Staff friendly, just a bit run off their feet. Food is good. Desserts are NOT homemade. Wine about £20 a bottle. Mains around £12-17 each. Desserts (£5-7). Gorgeous view of the York Castle which is directly opposite. Get a window table.

Was just a bit...meh? Felt like I was eating in a dingy hotel in the 80's. Didn't have any lemonade, had one vegan option - I know being vegan is my own choice, but when most other restaurants have at least 3 solid vegan options (not just a veggie option without cheese), it's all a bit mediocre. Reasoning for visiting was a last resort, as everywhere was booked up in December due to the markets.

Very busy but squeezed us in at short notice. Had to wait a while but food cooked to order - lots of choice and delicious pizzas. Great view of Clifford's Tower.

I spent Christmas day there with my partner. The price of the three courses was good and the food really nice and well presented. Staff was helpful and cheerful. The place is located next to Clifford's Tower so the view was outstanding. The decoration of the restaurant was not what I expected judging from the name of the place but it was okay.

We went here on Sunday evening, there was only one other couple in the restaurant when we arrived, sometimes you think "oh why is it so quiet" we went in and ordered our food, so glad we did the food and service was excellent not rushed even when we were the only 2 left, we think its worth a visit to York just to eat here, 5 star food and service, you cannot do anything about the atmosphere when you are the only couple in there but we loved the evening thank you. Glyn & Julie (Leeds)

Was booked into a nearby Hotel where the food was poor so booked in for our 2nd night stay . It was very quiet when we went in but as we waited for our food , what turned out to be a couple of regular customers entered . A good sign and so it turned out to be . I had a tuna steak which was lovely and my partner maybe choose a safe option , Lasagne but it wasn’t the normal pub grade it was delicious. Only thing let it down a little was the wine which must have been the cheapest. Maybe check the bottle yourself so see what you’re being given . Would we go again next time . Yes we would .

I quickly picked the Olive Tree based on a quick scan of its rating, not noticing that all reviews are 2-10 years old. While the staff was friendly and our wine decent, we found the food very lacking. The spaghetti with meat sauce could have been prepared out of a can and Tesco packet, and the seafood paella (for two) was almost unrecognizable; basically cooked riced with tomato sauce and a few bits of what appear to be canned clams and a couple pieces of calamari. We tried a couple of bites but found it inedible and left. On the plus side, great view of the Castle tower outside.

After not being able to travel to the UK for several years (COVID), we did a bit of a whistle stop with family visits in Glasgow and Edinburgh/Queensferry and headed to York for a couple of days. We'd been forced to travel by coach due to industrial actions with rail travel and it was a bit of a slog. We'd arrived in York early evening and checked into our Airbnb. We decided to walk toward the city centre to check it out, after walking around for quite some time, as we approached the York Castle, we noticed The Olive Tree restaurant across the street from the castle. It was about 6:00 pm and the restaurant was nearly empty. The hostess seated us quickly. We ordered the Bruschetta and the Avocado with Prawns for starters and they were both very good. We had the Spaghetti Bolognese and two specials; Italians Sausage Pasta and a broiled fish dish. The food was absolutely fantastic! We'd had little in the way of expectations as we were really just looking to grab a bite (after ploughing through M & S sandwiches and Walker's Crisps on the six-hour coach journey) to fill us up before heading back to the flat. We found both the service and the food to be well-beyond our expectations -and, we noticed that food delivery services were continually coming to the restaurant during the time we were there, suspect most of the establishment's business may now be for take away.

Booked a table for 8 people for a special birthday meal just 48 hours in advance after our booking elsewhere fell through. Staff were very accommodating and a warm welcome was received. Food and drinks orders taken promptly and service was efficient and unobtrusive all evening. Food was brought out quickly and was on the whole, very good. One or two dishes were a bit on the skimpy side, portionwise. Overall, a nice evening which was enjoyed by all.

Really delicious steak I had for the main course, so did the starter. The King prawn is highly recommended.

Best place we had dinner at! The service wad great, the menu options looked great and my food was delicious. I had the rocket salad and based on that i knew this was an excellent place. My main course was the salmon and shared the chocolate cake and lemon tart. I highly recommend this place.