The Orange Tree

Love this place.
You walk in and smell the gorgeous lillies in the entrance way.
Go to the bar and are always served without waiting in non hectic times and minimal wait in hectic times,
Staff are all lovely and really good, smiles all round here!
It is set back from a main road, and has an air about it of calm class.
I regularly go here with females friends for drinks. Great for lunches, great for dates (pre-​boyfriend times!), good for evening drinks. An solid all rounder that is always reliable and a solid bet for a decent drink in decent surroundings.
Think I am back there tonight as it goes…

I have been here twice in two weeks as I cannot get enough of the food, atmosphere and drinks. You can get an amazing triple sunday roast for no more than £15 and many more dishes for even less. So many amazing dishes to choose from and a great selection of drinks on offer. Staff are lovely and smiley. Definately one of the best gastros in London. Cute dogs and children welcome.

Love going here during the winter, open wood fire burning in the back keeping you warm. Nice choice of wines and food to eat. Also decently priced. Great for summer too, sit near the pond and chill.
Came here for lunch and woah, their portions are huge, so if you’re not so hungry, best to share. I went for the Halloumi, Chips and Salad, with Tartare sauce, a take on the good olé fish and chips. It was so delicious, the vegetarians will love this dish. It’s not too heavy either, that is if you’re sharing!
The desserts look pretty impressive too, although just could not stomach that. Maybe next time :)

My experience here was just ok. The setting is lovely. Quite a beautiful, modern gastro pub that is dark and warm. Came with a group of 10 girlfriends and the service was average. I enjoyed the wine selection, however I ordered the grilled fish and was very underwhelmed. It tasted ok, but was nothing exciting to the palate or the eye.
I would come back for some relaxed cocktails, as it’s a lovely cozy upscale pub.

This was my second time to this restaurant. We went on sunday for my birthday meal. It’s a lovely place with delicious food however the reason why I am giving 4 stars is because when the waiter gave us the menu he did not let us know that there was no chicken left for the main courses. We all chose a main course with chicken and then we had to choose something else. I chose the garden salad with goat cheese which was very tasty and the desert was lovely too. The staff is very friendly and the location is great.

Hmmm… There are times when you feel like it could’ve been SO much BETTER than your experience. And so it is with our Sunday lunch at the Orange Tree.
I rang ahead and booked a table for 4 for 12 noon — the minute they open. So, in theory we were their first table of the day. We arrived a little later (kids = slow). I had wanted to share the (good) experience I’d had a few weeks ago with my nearest and dearest. Overall I felt like they couldn’t really be bothered. It’s down to the waiter — he was smarmy and slow. I can’t stand it when waiters are slack and then try and cover it up with greasy apologies. Yeah yeah, you couldn’t be asked to come over and take our wine order and when it arrived AFTER we’d finished our main courses (as I’m putting the last bite in my mouth, you put two glasses on the table). That’s not really cool. Is it? NO IT’S NOT
He just didn’t pay attention. Didn’t make eye contact. Was in a hurry for us to choose the first thing on the menu of the day. Yeah, go with the fish. It’s delicious.
Er… This is a restaurant. EVERYTHING is going to be delicious mate.
The presentation is nice, the adult portion sizes (for the price) are modest. I looked at the children’s portions and thought «you could’ve doubled that». They were both saying, «I’m still hungry». Not great.
So how was the fish? The pollock to be specific was bland.
I had scallops to start and their were so few and they were so small. My comparison is an absolutely sublime scallop starter I had at Le Deuxieme in Coventry Garden a few years ago. Sublime! Just sublime. These were small and few in number for £10! Come on people — I know your kitchen CAN. Just do it!
It is a lovely setting, all the windows, the interior is light wood-​Nordic and a cheery fire always makes you feel welcome. But I was disappointed — my last visit was good but this one (when they made much more $$ out of me), left me feeling cheated.
Going back? Can’t answer that

Went for a late lunch midweek; friendly staff, nice wine list & really nice lunch menu. But the car park, omg! I know this sounds daft, but all the scrummys had taken over the car park and you couldn’t get in for 4x4s and sprogs running around… thought the parking was for the pub … Sort it out!!!

We went there on a Sunday for lunch, and have to say I was extremely disappointed. Not only was the restaurant over crowded, it was noisy and warm. Felt like they’d tried to cram in as many tables as possible. You were constantly having to squeeze in and out of your chair to let me pass, not to mention crying babies and noisy children. I won’t be going back in a hurry. This is more ‘Harvester’ then ‘Gastro pub’. It’s a pity as we really are so limited to good places to eat in the area.

Went to the Orange Tree for a ‘family’ Sunday lunch which is always fraught with potential disaster given that the age range goes from 8 to 82… and ‘la famiglia’ owns restaurants so we are über fussy and horribly critical… we all like to outdo each other in the finding fault stakes.
We were bitterly disappointed… the food, atmosphere, portions and general gorgeousness of the Orange Tree left us all a little po faced with nothing at all to complain about… my dad who always… always orders the wrong thing in restaurants actually got it right loved his fishy starter and roast beef with proper huge yorkshires, nicely rare meat and good roasties that weren’t the typical soapy offerings that have been cooked 3 days in advance you get in so many places on a Sunday. It worked out to around £20pp with wine, beer and water and having tried a few other palces in the area I would recommend this as head and shoulders above the rest…
NB My dad did of course findsomething to moan’ about…‘the portions are just too big’ he was heard muttering as we left. It’s so true that you can’t please all the people all of the time. Booking essential.

The Orange Tree has changed hugely since I first went — back then it was a pubby pub — carpet, wooden tables, and spoons with numbers on for your food. It has since had a complete refurb and is now a very sophisticated eaterie. All the furnishings have gone decidedly upmarket. It does Mediterranean food (Italian/​Greek) very nicely and, as it’s almost always busy, there’s a really buzzing atmosphere. The refurb has been such a success that you have to book a table to make sure you get in. A friend and I tried to get a table on a Tuesday night (which we assumed wouldn’t be busy) but were turned away as they were fully booked.

I’m not a drinker but I love the Orange tree. I am a snob and I feel quite a «posh totty» sitting at this pub with my non-​alcholic cranberry juice in hand, assuming my hair is bleached and I look high end.
The Orange Tree is a beautiful pub with a pond, right near the woods that surround Totteridge Village. If you like to take exercise outdoors, it is a good place to come afterwards, to convince those less keen to take exercise with you that going for a walk is a good way to spend time.
I usually sit at the tables outside because there are good views to be had. Inside the pub it is all wood and elegance. The Orange tree also serves delicious looking food but I am yet to try it. I come here because it makes you feel wealthy, even when your bank account says otherwise and over the umbrella shrouded tables outdoors, I’ve hatched many a business scheme.
5 stars for the feeling you get from going to this pub. Buy a copy of Tatler to get the full effect. Oh and I shouldn’t use the word «Posh». It’s insanely low class.

When you visit the Orange Tree you feel like you are in the middle of the countryside yet you are only minutes away from Whetstone high street. I love this place and I go here at least once a week to get away from it all.
The crowd are all rather affluent types and the place is totally fitting. I like to sit outside either on one of the 12 or so bench tables or if I can grab it, a bench that sits at the edge of the quaint little pond.
Surprisingly to my delight sitting outside does not have the usual ‘I cannot breath from smoke’ that I find in most outdoor areas making it one of those rare occasions when you can enjoy a beer outside without passive smoking.
I always choose Leffe, it is on tap here along with Star. I have yet to try the food menu which is popular here and always very busy with waiter tables. I absolutely love this local and highly recommend it.

You do need a car to get to this place as it’s not situated near a train station, however, it’s worth it. It takes up a big space and has ample car parking facilities. I would particularly recommend going here after a Sunday drive as the roast dinners are delicious. The prices are also reasonable. It does tend to get very crowded as this reflects in it’s popularity so you might have to fight for a seat. It has a rustic, cosy feel though and is worth the effort.