The Sooty Olive in Derry

Food really good today, and waiting staff very helpful and attentive

Great dinner spot in Derry. Recommend the curry.

Excellent ! Food is great & is matched by excellent service. We had to phone twice to alter our booking & the person we spoke to was exceptionally helpful & friendly, this created a great first impression which was matched by every part of our experience.See you again soon.

Their Sunday dinners... I feel like thats all I even have to say. So tasty and the service is amazing!

booked us in at short notice. Friendly staff. Excellent food.

We went today to the Sooty Olive on recommendation of our friend. We took the train from Castlerock as we are spending a few days there. We were completely blown away by this beautiful restaurant. From the moment we arrived the restaurant we were so warmly welcomed by all the extremely friendly staff. The food was just outstanding and is 10 out of 10. I had a delicious curry with really is the best I have ever had. My husband had the Hake special which he said was to die for. We were served by such lovely staff and they were all so attentive. The customer service is outstanding in every aspect. Elisa was our main waitress and all I can say is she is a complete sweetheart and just made our evening so special. We highly recommend The Sooty Olive. Its 4 mins walk from the train station. Why not explore the old city of Derry and finish up in The Sooty Olive? You will so love it and we cant wait to go back!! thank you so much.

Unreal atmosphere, little bit cramped with many people but other than that great!

Always a fantastic experience, food is superb, the staff are friendly, very experienced and always on the ball. Youd think with such top quality food and staff itd be expensive but its not, its very reasonably priced. Cocktails are out of this world.

Poor service. Waited 45 mins for our mains to arrive. Too long. I was very hungry. Need to do better

Food was excellent service was good party of 11 shame that charge extra 10% as there was 11 of us and nearly every thing on the menu has a surcharge so your really not get a 2 couse meal for 25 pound.

Meal was beautiful.we were seated as soon as we arrived drinks order taken then food order.everything was prompt.cant fault it.

Very, very friendly and their in-house pesto will bring you back for more. Excellent.

Tasty food, good portion, lovely staffs

Usually a great spot. Been going here for a few years. Since covid though, their customer service hasnt been quite as good, Zara being the exception, shes amazing. Food was always top notch, although the standards seem to have slipped massively. I would never complain about a meal in a restaurant. Id rather out it down to an off day. 2 in a row is time to find a new place. I hope they pick things up again soon, as it was one of the best in the city.

Very poor ! Used to be a great place. Waited 1 hour for food. Quailty really has gone down hill !

Favourite restaurant in Derry! Always have the nicest meal- the food is amazing and the staff are so lovely. We visited last night for my grannies birthday and they went above and beyond to make sure she had a special evening. Thanks again!

Amazing food and top service as always 🙂

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere and above all excellent food. Visited at least a couple of times, the quality and consistency of the food and service is fantastic.

Excellent food and pleasant staff. Worth a visit you wont be disappointed.

The most amazing food. Great service and incredible quality. Looking forward to the next visit

Food never disappoints . Staff top class . Zara very attentive and AAA service at all visits . My favourite restaurant .

Booked Saturday lunch at The Sooty Olive for my wife’s birthday with a couple of friends.We had the three course lunch menu with all dishes cooked to perfection. I had the brill special for main which was fantastic.It is easy to see that the chefs take pride in there work with the standard of cooking and presentation.The front of house staff were pleasant and looked after our requirements.There is good wine selection at reasonable prices .A good way to spend an afternoon and we will be back soon.Returned a couple of times since with the same result .

We had the most amazing meal. Even the fussiest person couldnt find fault. The atmosphere is vibrant & the staff are so friendly. Definitely well worth a visit

Service was horrible last night , server didn’t even set the table and didn’t give us menus. After giving us 10 seconds they were hassling us to order straight away . Then offered us their special and overcharged us as a party of 2 paid £112 for a starter each and a sharing main course . Not to mention charging us another cocktail which we didn’t ask for. My girlfriend felt sick so we left and on the way out the staff were talking about us amongst one another at the till. Very dissatisfied

Beautiful meal. Friendly, efficient staff and fabulous cocktail bar. Loved the experience.

Absolutely fantastic restaurant. Delicious food and excellent service! My only issue as there was no cider available, which seemed a bit old. Well definitely be back!

After our fist visit since Covid we were sorely disappointed.The staff and service was exceptional, but unfortunately the food was sadly lacking. Portion size and presentation were disappointing. The food was bland and tasteless. Due to the number of exceptional eatries in the town, we will be giving the Sooty Olive a miss in the future.

The service was exceptional, staff couldnt do enough for you, very accommodating! The food was absolutely beautiful and the espresso martini is superb. Definitely be back.

This is the best food Ive had in the city. Small and friendly atmosphere with great service. Ive just booked another visit post lockdown and hope theyve kept standards high. The anticipation is building...

I would like to thank the restaurant and its staff for a wonderful time last night there was a party of 8 adults and 2 children.The food was unreal the staff were brilliant so bubbly made us feel really at welcome.See you all again soon

Absolutely amazing restaurant. A real gem!! Food was exceptional, service so helpful and friendly and the current social distancing measures were working almost imperceptibly. Overall, top marks. Well be back!!!!

Wonderful food, great atmosphere and really professional staff.Compliments to the chef, again.

I was on holiday from england when we came across this place. I had the stake from the lunch time menu and i can 100% say it was one of the best meals i have ever had! The pepper sauce was perfect too along with the chips. Just brilliant. All the staff was very friendly and i cant wait to come back soon. Well done to the chef and all staff.

3 courses for under £25. All very tasty. Friendly and efficient service. Strongly recommend.

Had a two course meal with ribs and burger, side of salad. Very nice. Ribs were falling off the bone, burger was a miniature tower in its own right, but overall great meal and good portion sizes. Comfortably full, not over full at the end of the meal. ;)

The food looked almost 2 good 2 eat and actually tasted even better than it looked. Great selection for adults and kids, and very reasonable prices

The Sooty Olive is a first class experience from start to finish. When you walk in youre welcomed by a comfortable waiting area and are promptly attended to. The atmosphere in the restaurant is exceptional with enough space between tables, Music which doesnt blow you away and a nice lighting.To top this all off the food is always fresh and the prices more than reasonable. I must also pay respects to all of the staff who have clearly been well trained.This is my first ever review however very much justified as Ive never been disappointed by the Sooty Olive.

Fine dining at its best and doesnt cost the earth. Lovely environment, the staffed are very attentive. The food was the best thing Id eaten out in a long time. A wee hidden gem in the waterside. Will most definitely be back. Highly recommended

Food poisoning— Admittedly, we arrived at a late time. About 30 minutes before they closed. We had let them know that we would be late and they told us it would be fine. We had a great meal with gracious hosts. The food was pretty good. Triple cooked pork and the cod. I had the duck which I didn’t love, but it was soft and tender. Again, nothing to hold against the restaurant. We tipped extra because of our guilt for arriving so late. We had a good dining experience. However, my traveling companions both had food poisoning and were throwing up and were ill for 2 days after we ate here. Since we hadn’t eaten that day— this is 100% the source. Too bad! I’m sure it was an accident and not on purpose.

Fabulous food. The staff are extremely pleasant and friendly. Apparently the restaurant is shortly to have a revamp, which I think it does need. We asked to move tables, due to the harsh lighting. The staff obliged immediately and we were very happy at our new table. Really looking forward to returning after the revamp. Definitely recommend this restaurant due to the lovely food and the wonderful staff.

Beautiful as always. Terrific food and helpful friendly staff, nothing too much trouble for them. We just love dinning here !

Amazing food, beautiful presentation. Incredible staff. Always such a treat to visit the Sooty - no wonder why we always come back. Impeccable standard! Prices are also serious bang for buck!

What a fantastic evening spent at The Sooty Olive Restaurant in Derry, the food was amazing and cooked exactly to our requirements,the staff were so attentive and friendly and the atmosphere was busy and yet still lovely and intimate thanks to the layout of the restaurant 10/10

The food here is quite good the staf is very good and the decor is nice, over all we had a nice expierance here, it can be busy so you should book ahead,

Excellent restaurant, some of the best food in town. Friendly and helpful staff. Reasonably priced too.

Great service by all the staff. The food was good, but nothing exquisite. The restaurant itself is a lovely place to eat a meal with family or for an occasion

Was here for the first yesterday been wanting to try this restaurant for so long and it really didnt disappoint. The decor and lay out inside is just lovely and the food is fantastic, plus the staff are so nice and helpful and attentive. Will definitely be back.

Its difficult to give this place justice in a review. The service is excellent, we had a server who was on her first night, and whilst she was nervous, she was a consumate professional throughout.The food as always was excellent, I think Ive shared pictures of the meal separately but again the pictures dont do it much justice. Ill just saw if they had a duck based dessert Id probably have that as my duck starter & main were perfect.

Best meal Ive had in Derry , the football special ribs are amazing .. sea bass was perfect tooAnd the sticky toffee pudding was amazing

Unquestionably the best restaurant in the City and beyond. Ive never had a bad meal in Sooty Olive be that a meal for two or large party group.The menu reflects the season and you can always expect high quality dinning at surprisingly affordable prices. For less than £80 two people can have 3 courses and wine, with excellent service and a great all round experience, would get 5 Star + from me