The Bay Tree Cafe Bistro

I’ve been in twice; once just for a takeaway coffee, and once for breakfast. For breakfast, I opted for eggs, bacon and chips (had to get a bit creative to make something gluten-​free) and my companion had eggs, mushrooms and a potato scone (he’s vegetarian, not gluten-​free.) Both meals were eaten, but they were both quite greasy. I think maybe the eggs were cooked in a lot of butter (hey, that’s a good thing for some people) and it was just all a bit heavy for early in the day. The coffee was not very good either.
I saw another review about them not having gluten-​free options; I did have a bit of trouble negotiating something I could eat, so I think this is a legitimate concern. However, with new laws in place requiring restaurants to provide accurate information about allergens, I think one could make it work if they had to. It wouldn’t be my top pick, as there are other choices in the area that make it easier for you.

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.

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.

Had a really good meal here the other night — I’d happily return for another helping !

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 café the food was be fresh and healthy but both my courses seemed to be deep fried.

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

The Bay Tree Café Bistro is a lovely wee Mediterranean style café 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!

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.

I thought would give Kelvinbridge another try after a disappointing trip to chrubini, another café. . 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 café in kelvinbridge !

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 nice café, 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

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. Décor 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 café used to have has been replaced with coffee coloured leather seats and swanky but simple décor.
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!

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.

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 café 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!!!

Having just visited the Bay Tree I am pleased to write its 3^rd 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.

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.

The Bay Tree was a Lebanese restaurant /​café, 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.