Orange Tree Restaurant

This restaurant is a real gem! The food is fantastic and so tasty; I can’t think of one thing I didn’t like when I ate there. The staff are also wonderful, they are so attentive and friendly; you truly feel welcome. Its décor is lovely and you can tell they take pride in this family business. It is more expensive then most places in the Torbay area, but it is also worth the price. Perfect for a romantic night out :)

Went here for a nice dinner the other week and was just blown away by the food. I’m from America, and over there we constantly joke about how bad British cooking is. This place proved me wrong!
I’ve been gluten-​free since March and have found the UK to be extremely friendly towards Celiacs/​Coeliacs. The Orange Tree was no exception: the menu even indicated that many of its dishes were suitable for people with gluten allergies and intollerances. I told the waitress I couldn’t have wheat, and she pointed out which menu items I could have and withheld croutons from my soup.
My dining partner enjoyed the homemade rolls and breads, but I can’t comment on them, alas. They smelled good! For an appetizer, I had the White Onion Soup with Devon Blue Gougères, which was delightfully creamy and rich. My dining partner had the Tian of Vine Tomatoes with Baby Artichokes, which arrived in a delightful tower of tasty. For the clearing course, we had the Tipsy Lemon Sorbet (with white port) and the Pink Grapefruit Sorbet. Both excellent.
The main courses arrived to our delight: I had the Sweet corn Polenta with Aubergine Involtini (Grilled Sweet corn Polenta accompanied by Aubergine filled with Goats Cheese and sun-​blushed Tomatoes, finished with a Red Pepper and Pine Kernel Dressing) since I’d been eating nothing but steak and chicken for the last few weeks and wanted a change of pace. I adore polenta and aubergine (eggplant for other Americans), but I’m not such a fan of goat cheese and raw red peppers. However, the goat cheese was more like brie than feta, and the peppers were cooked to perfection. The pine nuts were lovely, and the polenta was quite crisp.
Said dining companion had the ‘Orange Tree’ Tournedos with Foie Gras (‘South Devon’ Fillet of Beef, pan-​seared and oven roasted, topped with sautéed Foie Gras finished with a rich Madeira and Morel Mushroom Jus and White Truffle Oil). I tried a bit of the steak and the foie gras; both were rich and tender. Love at first bite.
Dessert: I had the ‘Orange Tree’ Crème Brûlée, which was a traditional crème brûlée with vanilla bean and Grand Marnier. My dining companion, not continuing his trend of ordering dishes that started in «T» (though the Trio of ‘Orange Tree’ Desserts looked tasty) had the Summer Berry Pudding with Raspberries, Red Currants and Wild Strawberries accompanied by Clotted Cream and Honeycomb. Oh, how I adore you, clotted cream.
The service was a little slow, but the restaurant’s elegant atmosphere and the five or six other tables of rather happy older couples made it a great experience. Perhaps they should switch from elevator music to Sinatra, but all in all, it was a lovely meal and evening at the Orange Tree.

This is a simply outstanding restaurant with great service, food and a great winelist. If you are coming to Torquay for a special occasion then this is the place to come, or possibly the Elephant or No7 for fish.
If I would have to make a critisism it would be that the menu (that changes seasonally) perhaps could change more extensively. In my view the best in Torquay. We have been about 20 times in the last 5 years and have recommend literally hundreds of guests and always receive great feedback. Les Routiers restaurant of the year 2008.

Great place to go, very good food, good location and very good value for your money brilliant.

In our opinion, and we certainly HAVE opinions, this is without doubt the best restaurant in Torquay. The service, ambience, menu, style, wine list and food are excellant and completely worth that little extra that one pays in comparison to some other other good restaurants in the bay.
Whilst being of such a high quality, this restaurant is in no way stuffy or elitist. The staff are friendly as well as efficient and inconspicuous. An exceptional dining experience.

Many of the finer restaurants in Torquay do not open for service until 7:00 p.m., which is the case here as well. After you have enjoyed a day taking in what the area has to offer this provides a relaxing setting for your evening meal. Dress is nice casual to formal. Wearing a jacket for men is comfortable.
Many would not consider taking young children to an upscale place for dinner, but we like to be adventerous. The staff were absolutely splendid towards us. We arrived when the restaurant opened and they provided a table in the back corner so that we wouldn’t disturb other guests. They did not have a high chair, but they allowed us to bring our portable booster seat with us.
We brought some crayons and a coloring book for the children. The service, the wine, and the food was absolutely wonderful. There is quite a variety of choice on the menu for this type of restaurant and it would be nearly impossible to go wrong.