Harden's survey result
Summary
“Chris Cleghorn produces high-quality fare with a range of tasting menus” at this long-established and well-renowned venture (currently Bath’s only Michelin-starred establishment), in the cellar of a comfortable independently run hotel. This year’s average food scores were particularly high. There are still quibbles raised by some about the “slightly sterile basement dining room” and that a visit is “not cheap”. Such concerns were mostly drowned out this year, though, by the majority who pronounce it “virtually perfect in every respect: a Treat with a capital ‘T’!”
Summary
“Excellent in all respects” – nothing but upbeat reports this year on Chris Cleghorn’s well-known and much accoladed basement dining room: the only Bath restaurant with a Michelin star and with a long history as a foodie Mecca. The dining focus here is on the six-course and nine-course tasting menus, but if you just want to pay a visit they do serve breakfast and a simpler lunch. Nothing but praise too this year for its basement quarters, which fans say are “perfect for a special celebration”.
Summary
Chris Cleghorn’s “very classy and well-composed” cuisine maintains this well-known basement dining room as the town’s most accoladed foodie hotspot (it’s the only restaurant in town with a Michelin star) and he offers a variety of menus (with vegan and vegetarian options) focused in the evenings on tasting menu formats, although – unusually – they allow you to pick out individual dishes from them if you don’t want ‘the full monty’ and to pay per plate. The dining room itself is well-appointed and pleasant, but the constraints of this basement space are griped about even in the most favourable of reports (“tables close together…”, “room is a bit spartan for food of this quality…”).
Summary
Chris Cleghorn’s “very classy and well-composed” cuisine maintains this well-known basement dining room as the town’s most accoladed foodie hotspot (it’s the only restaurant in town with a Michelin star) and he offers a variety of menus (with vegan and vegetarian options) focused in the evenings on tasting menu formats, although – unusually – they allow you to pick out individual dishes from them if you don’t want ‘the full monty’ and to pay per plate. The dining room itself is well-appointed and pleasant, but the constraints of this basement space are griped about even in the most favourable of reports (“tables close together…”, “room is a bit spartan for food of this quality…”).
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Olive Tree, Queensberry Hotel?
Owner's description
Proud to be one of Bath’s longest established independent restaurants, The Michelin Star and 3 AA Rosette Olive Tree, nestled in the basement of The Queensberry Hotel continues to receive rapturous praise from guests and locals alike. This contemporary British restaurant offers deformalised fine dining under the direction of award winning Head Chef, Chris Cleghorn, who honed his superior skills as the protégé of a trio of world-renowned Michelin Star chefs, (Heston Blumenthal, Michael Caines, Adam Simmonds). Using a combination of classical flavours with modern cooking techniques, Chris creates his own unique style, crafting menus that showcase the very best of British.
Prices
 Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.50 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
Restaurant details
The Olive Tree, Queensberry Hotel Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Food was brilliant with some standout dishes (veal, duck, caviar & maple syrup) but unfortunately, all absolutely let down by the service. Had to ask for cutlery for 2 of the 9 dishes as food was served without. Staff gossiped about clientele within earshot and there was no personal touch in the hospitality, which I do expect for £155 per head. "
"The nine course tasting menu is imaginative, beautifully presented and very tasty with some unusual flavours. The three starters were particularly enjoyable. The wines in the wine flight were well chosen to match the food and came from a wide range of countries."
Russell St, Bath, BA1 2QF
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Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12:30 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12:30 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 12:30 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
