September 2023 by j s
Often dine at Cote and my favorite restaurant is Woking. This branch comes a very close second with great staff, food , atmosphere and beverages. Credit to Ollie, Tasos, Domas and Emilian
September 2023 by ZinC369
COTE BRASSERIE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL It was a glorious Saturday afternoon and I came up from Dorset to have a fun girly lunch with my friend Ewa. We entered Cote around 1:30 and were greeted with a lovely welcome in a bustling bistro. When the front of house asked ?Any allergies?? I replied ?Yes, children. A quiet table please.? We were escorted downstairs - who knew Cote has a massive downstairs!? and were given a nice quiet table for 2. My friend Ewa didn?t like sitting on the chair side of the banquet seating table: ?A tray might fall on me?, she explained. So we moved across the floor to another table and I took the chair side of the table and let Ewa have the cushioned bench. This is a very important part of the story so pay attention! We both ordered the confit of duck which was tender and juicy, perfectly prepared to accompany our lovely bottle of French Rose! The service was excellent but not intrusive and we had wait staff that were fun to chat with throughout our meal. Now here comes the best part of the story. We?d ordered dessert, we were chatting between ourselves and out of no where, what felt as if a sea gull had just plunked some whacking great package on me, it made that much of thud on my back, on my shoulders and in my hair. One of the waiter?s had dropped a tray with a bowL of heavy cream or sauce of some kind and when it hit the floor, the goop jumped out of the bowl and landed on me! Much to my surprise, I remained calm. Perhaps it was the surprise of it all that kept my fiery reaction to such things at bay. Immediately there were 2-3 waiters with cloth napkins attempting to ?clean me up? and whisked away my navy blue designer coat to dab it down with clear cold water. The charming manager Ollie, checked on the progress of the coat and then came to the table with a face full of apology. He could not have made more of an effort to make up for the accident. And that?s what it was. An accident. He offered to pay for our bottle of wine. We let him. I suggested he buy Ewa and I each a final glass of wine. He offered to buy us a bottle. I didn?t let him do that and I know I could have milked it! Ollie provided two very full goblets of their very best Cote de Provence Rose to compensate for the situation. And that?s what this review is about. The food at Cote is consistently good no matter which one of their many locations you go to, this explains their success in the market. But management, personnel, training and interpersonal people skills are what the hospitality business is all about and Ollie represents the Cote brand and the industry at its best! Thank you Cote and Ollie for a fabulous, fun afternoon! Cheers!
September 2023 by 696sheenam
Amazing service and food for a large group x 21 last minute extra people were added, and menu choices changed but the team were so happy and helpful and made everything possible my two waiters were Simone and Ariadna and they were careful to ensure we got the best price and we were not over charged which was very kind - this was a corporate dinner
September 2023 by 499lizt
Had dinner here last night with a friend before a play at the National Theatre. We had the Prix Fixe menu which was excellent value with two courses for £16.95. Both of us started with a pear & walnut salad (pickled pear, baby spinach, endive & toasted walnuts, drizzled with a Roquefort dressing) which was delicious, followed by seabass (in a red pepper beurre blanc with sautéed baby potatoes, endive & black olive tapenade) which was also lovely. Great efficient and friendly service from our waitress, would definitely recommend.
September 2023 by Kim Cooper
Celebration meal after daughter's graduation ceremony at The Royal Festival Hall.We are great fans of the Cote restaurant chain, the food is excellent and staff stand out for their friendly welcome and attentive service. We chose the Royal Festival Hall branch as we knew that it would be the perfect end to a day of celebration and it was!. The set menu is incredibly good value.
August 2023 by Natalia Strainu
We had an amazing expansion at this restaurant. Steaks were cooked to perfection. Staff delightful ?. Will come again
August 2023 by Kevin Barrow
Such great service and great quality food. We had the French breakfast - scrambled eggs done to perfection, and the black pudding was the best I have ever tasted (and as far as black pudding goes, I am a connoisseur!!).Many thanks
August 2023 by edloon
We often use this branch when visiting London as we step of the train at Waterloo and it's a short walk away. We were the first and only customers for a while and there wasn't a staff member to he seen as they were downstairs but once spotted we were greeted warmly and seated. My partner had her favourite veggie breakfast, never disappoints washed down with a glass of bubbly. My choice of croque Madame was up to its usual standard. The chap who I think was French and possibly the manager was very friendly and found time for a chat about our plans for the day. There is a consistency about Cote that we like whichever branch we choose. Not a massive menu but plenty of choice and always cooked and presented well. We are never hungry when we leave, not nouvelle cuisine but homely French bistro food.
August 2023 by S R
Food and atmosphere were fantastic. The drinks and service were great. Strong recommendation for a nice restaurant in the area.
August 2023 by John
This was a great experience. The staff were friendly, efficient and friendly. The food was reasonably priced and very tasty. I?d recommend the vegan burger in particular. I?d definitely come back here.
August 2023 by SWJ57
Lovely venue with al fresco seating, so we ate outside. Service was attentive. Initially, we thought it seemed quite pricey (yes, we know this is London!). However, when our food arrived it was delicious and value for money. No qualms in recommending this restaurant, especially if you are then off to an event in the RFH. Can recommend Crab Maison & Poulet Breton!
August 2023 by CazzaBarnes
Visited here for the first time and will definitely return. I had the fish parmentier which was full of flavour, fresh and piping hot. The service we had from Mahir was excellent and one of the reasons we?ll return. Thank you Mahir
August 2023 by lyndas961
This was an excellent meal with great service. I fancied two starters instead of a main course - the waitress didn?t bat an eyelid. I had crab pate and salmon croquettes- my husband had the fish parmentier. The service was quick - the staff attentive and the warm chocolate fondant delicious. I would have no problem with visiting here again, when next in London.
July 2023 by Miranda Kemp
Awful. We've eaten a lot at Côte and always been very happy. This time, my starter Salade Rachel was very tired (definitely not made fresh) and my partner's plate of moules - 1/3 were empty. His steak was fatty and undercooked, as were the chips. Puddings were better, but burnt to the sides of the dishes so it took a lot of digging to get them out. Plus the mint leaves in my drink were blackened and clearly old. Really disappointing, all round. Still, we complained and they gave us a discount for which we were grateful. ??
July 2023 by Mipanko
We had a disappointing visit to his branch of Cote which was littered with niggling little annoyances. 1. Booked online for a 4pm slot but no confirmation booking arrived (not even in junk mail) although we did take a screenshot of the booking. 2. The a la carte menu is left on the table, but we had to ask for the prix fixe menu. 3. One of us ordered the cheese soufflé starter which comes with a pouring chive and mustard sauce and was impossible to eat with a knife and fork so we had to ask for a spoon. 4. When the mains arrived the dirty plates from the starters hadn?t been cleared and the waiter had to juggle with the mains while trying to clear the used plates. Then we had to wait with the mains whilst he disappeared to find us new cutlery. With a 4pm booking we weren?t eating at peak time so they weren?t busy and the plates should have been cleared away earlier as there were numerous waiters milling around. 5. I ordered the sea bream which comes with samphire, courgettes and new potatoes. Maybe they want you to order extra sides but at £18.50 for the ?a la carte? dish which I?d ordered, I feel that if samphire is stated, there should be more than the single tiny sprig I received. I complained about this and the waiter did go back to the kitchen and returned with a small dish of samphire. 6. Weirdly, we received an email at 4.52pm, approximately around the time I?d complained about the lack of samphire, thanking us for cancelling our booking. Perhaps they do this so that the system doesn?t send out the auto-generated email asking how well they did! 7. The chargrilled chicken breast that came with Paillard salad main was dry and tough and not pleasant to eat. 8. One of our glasses was chipped and we had to point this out to the waitress, who apologised. After all these petty annoyances we paid without bothering with dessert and coffee which we normally would have had. They did add a discount of £5 to the bill but automatically add on a 10% service charge. There are plenty of other eateries around the South Bank so I think we?ll be giving this Cote a miss from now on.