We took the last Saturday morning tour prior to Christmas. The crowd included a number of San Antonio area folks who brought out-of-town holiday visitors. The weather was pleasant for the outdoor portion of the tour.The tour would be much more interesting in a different season, such as spring when the trees were in bloom, summer when the olives were visible, or fall during the harvest. Lunch and the servers were pleasant, but the crowd was at the maximum they could handle without serious problems.We are investigating the olive orchards in Texas for a source to buy a few trees for our retirement retreat. I think Sandy Oaks will be a good source for the varieties offered, we just wish there was more emphasis on table olive varieties, but the mission here is mainly olive oil.We saw a large coyote hunting for his or her breakfast as we drove in, so this location is also a possibility for wildlife viewing.
I had the pleasure of visiting Sandy Oaks while in San Antonio attending a conference. One of the “day networking trips” was a bus ride wine tasting tour that ended at Sandy Oaks . We were greeted by Sandy, who is the owner of the Olive Orchard and beautiful facilities/buildings that are on her property. She gave our group of about 30 a great tour of the grounds and shared her knowledge of Olive Orchards in Texas. After touring the Orchards we were taken to the machine that processes the olives into “olive oil”, again Sandy explained the process in detail, her passion for what she does really showed throughout our experience at Sandy Olive Orchard! After seeing the amazing machine that was imported from Italy, and learning about the process of making olive oil we were taken into the facility where the cooking demonstration took place. Sandy’s main chef has been trained overseas and has great passion for what she does! Than came the food!! Sandy’s chef gave a great cooking demonstration, as she was doing the demos food started pouring out of the kitchen, to say the food tasted amazing is an understatement!! Sandy Oaks Olive Garden is a hidden jewel just outside the city of San Antonio, Texas. I highly recommend to anyone who wants to be treated and feed well to visit Sandy and her well maintained facilities!
This place is beautiful! About 25 minutes south of San Antonio and well worth it. We went for the tour of the orchard on Saturday morning and stayed for lunch. The owner, Sandy, was the one giving the tour and it was so informative and interesting. You see the olive trees learn how she got started, learn about olives in general, see the machine and where the oil is pressed. So so worth the short drive out here. Lunch was good, not very many selections, but was good. The olive leaf tea was so yummy. Everything they sell in their gift shop is made there on the property, you have to go and visit this place!!!
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed visit to Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard. Was much more there than expected. Enjoyed all the staff and of course Sandy. We came for the tour, but with young granddaughter in tow and a very hot day elected only to walk the grounds a bit and listen to Sandy giving her initial tour brief in gift shop/restaurant. Did not know what to expect, the place was a pleasant surprise, well maintained, and learned a bunch about Texas olives. I should have done my homework a bit more and noted that there was also a restaurant there (online menu). With the granddaughter, we just settled for olive oil ice cream. Table setting for eating is very nice. Recommend as nice stop for couples or seniors.We of course bought a few bottles of olive oil and some Texas olives. Price of products was not inexpensive, but a good investment in Texas. The quality of the olive oil was VERY good. Much better that expected. Thanks Sandy and your staff.... next time we will take the tour.Only suggestion is to offer an earlier tour time to beat the heat..
Not too many people can say that they have ever been to an olive orchard. It was a novelty visit and also an experience to see all the neat things in the gift shop that can be made from olives, including tea!
Came with my sister and had a fantastic time. We arrived around 11:15 which gave us time to enjoy the olive oil samples, as well as other products (olive oil leaf jelly, olive butter, and skin products) in the beautiful gift shop. Then Sandy started the FREE tour at 11:30 which lasted about an hour - she was very informative, friendly, and clearly passionate about her work. We also got to learn about and see the olive oil making process/machines. Our day ended in the delicious restaurant, where we enjoyed olives, olive oil, olive tampanade, olive oil leaf tea, and olive oil icecream (the icecream is a MUST TRY!!). The service was quick, the prices were very reasonable, and food was very fresh. Wonderful day, will definitely be back!
What's a nice Kitchen like this doing in a place like an olive orchard? Cooking up some mighty spectacular dishes in a fine country setting, that's what. Just a few diners when we went on a weekday, but we were told that the weekend lunches get pretty crowded and reservations are almost mandatory to ensure you will be seated.Yes, this is really a working olive orchard. So what does that mean? It means that you absolutely have to try some of the fresh pressed olive oil, jelly, butter, and other products; some infused with herbs, others made with only the wonderful fruity olive oil produced here. With a basket of warm from the oven rustic bread and an oil sampler, just bring me a bottle of wine and that's a lunch that would make me very happy. But wait! There was much more to make me even happier. Earthy and satisfying butternut squash soup with cream, gorgeous portabello fries with truffle aioli, crispy lump meat crab cakes, lightly grilled, tender and juicy chicken breast, very tasty fettuccine with pesto, artichoke hearts and olives, and hearty smoked beef ribs with crispy country potatoes and a lightly seasoned cabbage slaw. This was a meal that could easily hold its own against some of the new highly touted chef run eating establishments in San Antonio. With a bottle of good wine, it was just a spectacular experience.The most affable cashier/receptionist/hostess/server provided us with a personal tour of the olive presses and adjacent banquet hall since there were no other customers at that time.. The walk was mandatory after that load of scrumptious calories. Tours are normally scheduled ahead and are a fun way to get a look at the whole oil producing process.Well worth the drive if you are coming from San Antonio. Well worth the drive if you're not. They also have theme dinners prepared with fresh local ingredients throughout the year
Have attended the last two passport destinations at sandy oaks and each time was thrilled with the evening's food, wine, and ambience. I was not originally sure of what to expect and as we drove up, it looks like nothing in the middle of nowhere, but the service both nights was fantastic and I really learned so much. For foodies, this place is a secret we might not want to share.
The olive orchard & restaurant is just barely outside of Loop 1604 off Hwy 37 (exit 122) & truly not far from downtown SA. Wonderful day trip, browse the nursery, have a leisurely lunch followed by a stroll to the Gift Shop. Huge selection of Olive trees & homemade olive products- Oil, Soap, Scrubs, bread & spreads. Fresh seasonal menu & event space for parties The proprietress gives tours on Saturdays & is always available to share tips on growing olives in Texas.
Our first experience here was attending an Owners Dinner here. It was not cheap but it was in the owner's own home and was magnificent! The 5 course meal with wine pairings was prepared by a really talented chef. Presentation was wonderful, food was even better! The owner is a VERY nice lady who really loves the place and it shows! The gift shop had a great selection of olive products which were ALL reasonably priced and for the most part manufactured with the olives from the orchard itself. What a treat. All I can say is.....GO!!!!!