The Orange Tree Bar and Grill
📍 1.7 miles from bet365 Stadium
About this Pub
Why it's great for Matchdays
Football Ground Guide lists The Orange Tree (371 Newcastle Rd, ST4 6PG) among the best places to eat near the bet365 Stadium, making it a convenient pre- or post-match option. It’s a bar & grill with full menus and set meal times, so groups can get proper food around kick-off, and breakfasts are available at weekends for early starts. CAMRA’s WhatPub also notes lunchtime and evening meals plus a large car park surrounding the building, which is helpful for drivers on matchdays.
Recent Fan Reviews
We booked a table for my dad’s birthday meal (5:15 reservation, we arrived at 5:05) and it turned into one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve both had. My dad had travelled from another city, and I’d been raving about this place as somewhere special to take him for his birthday. On arrival, the lady at the desk greeted us and explained our table wasn’t ready but it would be 10–15 minutes and we’d get a text once it was. That was completely fine with us, especially as we’d arrived a little early. But by 5:50 there was still no text. Meanwhile, people who arrived after us were being seated. I rejoined the queue to speak to a member of staff and a woman in front of me, who had just entered the restaurant with a 6pm reservation was shown straight through, despite us continuing to wait. When I questioned this, the same lady who had greeted us was clearly flustered but came across quite rude as she insisted it was “first come, first served” when I pointed out others had gone through before us. She brushed it off by saying she hadn’t been on the desk at the time so it was out of her control, they had two large parties in. There was no sympathy, no remorse, and no accountability. I spoke to three other groups who were also frustrated and completely left in the dark about what was going on with their bookings. It wasn’t just us, the front-of-house was disorganised and dismissive this evening. We were told on two occasions that the table we’d been allocated was still occupied by people who had been there since 2:30, meaning they had been there over three hours. In our opinion, guests should be given a time limit to avoid the chaos and disappointment caused for everyone else. Instead, paying, reserving guests were left waiting and frustrated. To try and smooth things over, a gentleman (who didn’t even work there but at The Broughton) kindly stepped in and offered us complimentary drinks and starters. We reluctantly took this, but unfortunately I was served an alcohol free pint I hadn’t ordered and an undercooked and cold starter. The bar staff themselves were excellent. Clearly run off their feet but attentive and doing their best. The gentleman from The Broughton also went above and beyond, but it shouldn’t have been his responsibility to fix things. The main course, when it finally arrived, was delicious, but everything leading up to it was below par. For my dad’s first visit, after travelling from another city, and for his birthday meal, it was embarrassing and hugely disappointing. Despite the good food in the end, the experience has let a bitter taste, resulting in my dad not wanting to return and a dampener on his birthday.
Booked table for two for dinner. Drinks and starter was good, specially we did enjoy our starter because it was full of flavour and warm .( pork belly and beef strips) BUT the main meal was absolutely a disappointment, we had two different steak (fillet and sirloin) and paid around £37 for each of them The meat quality was so bad not tender at all, the fillet cut was so small , main came slightly cold . I MIGHT go back for the atmosphere and drink but not for food at all
The service was absolutely fantastic—so charming and heartfelt. The atmosphere is lovely, and the food is truly delicious, clearly made with love. It’s definitely a place worth returning to.
Such a lovely night, we're not local but got recommended by a local friend and we were so impressed. Such lovely food, atmosphere for a Wednesday night especially and cocktails 😍
January 3rd, my partner and I came in for an anniversary meal. We’ve had positive experiences with you before, which is why this visit was particularly disappointing. On arrival, we informed the manager of my life-threatening allergy and were reassured that anything ordered would be thoroughly checked. once seated, we waited around 10 minutes before being approached, the interaction felt abrupt, and honestly just rude. When ordering drinks, we asked for two pints of draft Coke or Pepsi, but were instead brought two bottles of Diet Coke at nearly £4 each. We weren’t told draft wasn’t available at the time of ordering, despite nearby tables receiving draft drinks, including the table right next to ours, which was confusing and frustrating. When we queried this, the response was quite sharp just “we don’t do draft” , and there was no apology or clarification. When ordering food, I chose a starter, unavailable, chose another, unavailable, chose a side, unavailable. I understand this can happen, but it would have been helpful to be told earlier, as we spent a long time choosing. More concerning was being told at the end of our order ,”no allergies right” despite having already made this clear on arrival, I carry an EpiPen for my allergy, as it really is serious. And this honestly scared me, why has there been no communication. I was told the chefs would be informed right away and that we’d be updated , but our food arrived around 25 minutes later with no reassurance regarding allergens, no mention of it at all, as a manager bought out my plate, I do believe the allergy had been mentioned, but I find it unacceptable no reassurance or prior acknowledgment was given Unfortunately, my steak (ordered rare) was also extremely overcooked and burnt. At that point, we didn’t want the evening to become more stressful, and after unsuccessfully trying three times to get that same waitress’s attention to complain . we decided to leave it and move on with our night. Both my partner and I work in hospitality, so we completely understand how busy and pressured services can be. However, the lack of communication around a serious allergy and the general level of care on this visit were disappointing, especially compared to our previous experiences. We genuinely love The Orange Tree and do intend to return, but I felt it was important to raise these points so that issues which are easily fixable can be addressed for future guests.