Oliva Restaurant

David (26 November 2008)

The food is some of the best we've ever had in Exeter, the service was great and the overall feel of the place was beyond our expectations.

Claire (3 June 2008)

I have visited Oliva on three occasions in the last six months and have always found the food to be excellent. However, an occasional change in the menu would be appreciated. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive.

Unfortunately, this is all let down by the front of house manageress or owner. During my last visit I took my parents, who had never been there before, for their respective birthdays as a treat. The restaurant was busy and we had to take the first available table at 6:30pm, which was a little early for our liking but acceptable. We enjoyed our starters and mains. We were halfway through a nice bottle of red, contemplating what to choose for dessert, when we were asked to leave our table as the next booking was in for 8pm and they needed our table! We had to leave our empty plates on the table, take our glasses of wine and sit in the garden to finish. It wasn't a particularly nice evening so we had to drink and head out, thereby cutting our evening out very short. When I approached the manageress and owner and voiced my disappointment, she kept telling me it was written in her book that we would be out at 8pm. When I told her repeatedly we had not been told this and wouldn't have booked if that was the case, she offered no apology. I was upset as it was a special occasion and the evening was ruined.