Cote Reviews 

What a fall from grace… this ranks as my worst meal anywhere in 2026 and I eat out 10 times a month. Begin with the welcome, the Maitre D, was on a private so just pointed at a table. We should have left, staying was our mistake. We ordered some drinks, a minute steak and fries and two vegan burgers. The steak was tolerable. The vegan burgers were grey and entirely without flavour served in a brioche bun with a smear of something oily and a wedge of cabbage that had been dipped in mayo (rather than little gem lettuce… they had apparently run out and made an uninvited substitution. Initially they told us it was lettuce (it so wasn’t) and the sop was that we only paid for one when I challenged the quality of the food. Next time don’t grab your Cote, just run!

I used to like going to Cote St Pauls and have been there many times over the years. This time i had to leave my table to chase up on my wine order half way through my meal as wasnt delivered and again to get the final bill. The service charge is automatically added to the final bill. I requested that the charge was removed, the Maitre'd was quite huffy and didnt seem interested. What a shame this flag ship well located restaurant has fallen so far and i was amazed to see the Trust Pilot reviews regarding the chain. After many years wont be returning to Cote again.

Avoid the Windsor/Eton branch near the bridge, got severe food poisoning from having a Sunday lunch.

A disappointing experience at Côte Brasserie Wimbledon
Jul 2026 • Friends
An astonishingly disappointing experience at Côte Brasserie, Wimbledon

I have never before been served what was described as a panko-crusted plaice fillet, only to discover that there was no fish inside the breadcrumb crust at all.

The waiter/manager serving us was dressed in what appeared to be his normal everyday street clothes: a dark printed shirt over a rather worn-looking pair of trousers. This did not suggest the professional impression one would expect from a restaurant of this type. Far from it.

I ordered the Plaice Frites, described as panko-crusted fish fillets with crushed petit pois, house-made tartare sauce and free-flow frites. When the dish arrived, I tried to peel off the breadcrumb crust to check the fish. To my complete surprise, the breadcrumb coating was empty — there was no fish underneath it. I called the waiter/manager and showed him what had been served, and asked him to take it back to the “chef??!"

I then ordered the Breton Fish Stew, described as containing mussels, prawns, sea bream and new potatoes in a tomato, white wine and chilli sauce. Unfortunately, there was no noticeable chilli, only a small sliver of white fish and three small prawns. No side plate was provided for the empty mussel shells. The two pieces of toasted baguette served with it, were burnt on the side and served without butter, nor garlic.

My friend ordered a burger, without the Comté cheese. It arrived with over-cooked browned onions, mayonnaise and pickled cucumbers. That was so below par, that he only managed to down a part of it.

The overall experience was extremely disappointing, to say the least. The food did not live up to its descriptions nor to our expectations; the portions were underwhelming, and the service and presentation fell well below what one would expect from a restaurant such as Côte.

Sadly, this was a very poor experience and not one we would wish to repeat.

Went to Cote tonight in Chester very disappointed
food was good but extremely small potions and it is very expensive we only had 1 starter and 2 mains
Starter was the soufflé it was so small
No vegetables accompanying
Mains they are extra
Had 1 soft drink each bill came to over 74 pound left feeling hungry but wasn’t going to pay nearly 9 pound for a minute pud
Service was Ok staff were friendly
Not good value at all

I am a supporter of Cote. It normally delivers exactly what it says on the label. Not today though. Lunch @ 1320 x 2. My simple Caesar was not even simple. The lettuce was not baby gem, no cheese, no anchovy & half a boiled egg. Just not good enough & returned to the kitchen. The chef should never have allowed it to go out & the servers should have known better. Is this a sign of where Cote is going in a competitive Guildford world. If it is there is a serious problem.
This is a genuine criticism..,not a competitor!

Cote Wokingham was exceptional as always. Serena and team always on top of everything and the food, wine and service were excellent. We loved the new menu! Will return soon!

Visited today there were 4 of us. We had the set menu it was excellent and well priced service good too very cool and really enjoyed the food

Visited the Henley branch and was very disappointed. I ordered Plaice Frites,
Panko crusted fish fillets, crushed petit pois & housemade tartare sauce with free-flow frites
Sounded good but fillets is plural implying more than one. The one that was served was very small and it was difficult to find any fish within the thick crust of panko and when I did find some fish it was an unbelievable colour for plaice. It was brown! The peas on the other hand were delicious and service was pleasant. Don't think I'll bother again though.

One star only because zero stars isn't an option!
I visited Côte St Christopher’s Place on Saturday 11 July with three friends after a shopping trip to London. We wanted to finish our afternoon with what we expected would be a lovely dinner and a bottle of wine at a restaurant that has previously been reliable and consistently good.
The restaurant was not particularly busy, either outside or inside. Despite the warm weather, we chose to sit indoors to benefit from the air conditioning.
Unfortunately, the experience went downhill almost immediately. We stood at the entrance for around five minutes before anyone acknowledged us and showed us to a table. Once seated, we waited a further 15 minutes before having to ask someone if we could order a bottle of wine, some water and a large glass of ice.
Our bottle of Mirabeau Azure Rosé (£41) eventually arrived after another 10 minutes, but it was disappointingly warm. When we mentioned that it wasn't chilled as we would have expected, the waiter dismissively told us it had come straight from the fridge and merely added more ice to the ice bucket.
To make matters worse, the glass of ice was small and most of the cubes were frozen together in large clumps, making them difficult to use. We had to request more ice.
After pouring our own wine, we then waited another 15–20 minutes before anyone came to take our food order. By this stage, we had been sitting there for well over half an hour and had completely lost confidence that the food would arrive within a reasonable timeframe. We therefore decided to pay for the wine and leave.
When the bill eventually arrived, we were charged £51.70, which included a 10% service charge. When we asked for the service charge to be removed, the waiter explained that he was the only waiter working. Realy no sympathy with that situation, poor staffing levels are a management issue and should not become the customer's responsibility.
The service charge was eventually removed, although we still ended up paying £47 for a bottle of rosé, water and a thoroughly disappointing experience.
It's such a shame, as Côte has always been a dependable choice in the past. However, on this occasion the service was appalling, and judging by other recent reviews, we are clearly not alone in feeling that standards have slipped.
On a positive note, we found another restaurant just down the street where the food, service and staff were exceptional, and it completely salvaged our evening.
Sadly, we won't be returning to Côte.

Terrible ! Steak was cold and hard drinks were not what they were on the menu ?! When server got drink wrong added it to bill and also GUESS WHAT : £21 QUID SERVICE CHARGE ?!!!!! 220 quid for 2 small steaks a calamari two prawns and a few drinks ?!!!

Pretty awful really at Cote Clifton Bristol on Wed July 8th at 0810 for breakfast with a friend. The place was empty but it took quite a while for the only person there to take our order for two basic breakfasts. We must have then waited another 20 minutes to get our food.

Meanwhile the three outside commercial sized bins bins were emptied and to my horror they were then trundled through the restaurant into the kitchen area.

There was nothing special about my £15 breakfast, 1 egg, 1 sausage, a few mushrooms, half a tomato and a bread brioche, warm rather than hot on a warm plate. Tea was extra. My friend paid I did not see the final bill but I guess for two it was around £40. Compared with the 'Spoons' £3.19 breakfast deal plus £1 for unlimited coffee served within 10 minutes it was a rip off.

Friends told me since the takeover Cote had gone down the pan...in this case the frying pan!

We ordered the 'new' brunch burger which we ordered at 10.45am. We were told it was only served from 11.30am. We explained that that wasn't stated in the promo email we received,
Whoever took our order said he would check with the kitchen staff but that it should be fine to order earlier. There was no mention that it wouldn't be Ok. We had to ask where our food was. They made us wait 45 minutes for our breakfast, which coincidentally didn't arrive until 11.30am. It was far from busy either! Our son's order was incorrect and the buns were not brioche buns as stated in the email. False advertising or many levels.
We all agreed the service and the quality of the food was below standard. We won't be returning there any time soon, even though we have been going there for around 14 years and we had my husband's 50th birthday celebrations therel
We also went there for dinner recently and it was very poor. My son's order was wrong on this occasion too. Sadlv, when Gheorge and his team left, it all went downhill. Whoever you have working in your kitchen at Reigate needs a talking to, because you don't come down into the restaurant and walk past the customers you are keeping waiting for so long! Côte, I really hope vou take this feedback on board, as you have lost us as customers and we certainly won't be recommending you any time soon.

Good food, poor service!
Had good meal but trying to order dessert very poor service and that was from lady on front desk! Some staff wandering around or some on their phones, when finally got attention told to wait, so much for customer service when challenged she said had to see to someone else who had just walked in, forget that she had been playing with her phone and the customer who has been there for over an hour but suddenly she becomes attentive and vocal when I complained to another member of staff!
Cote you need to do some training in your Barbican restaurant!!

Had lunch at the Shrewsbury branch 6th July. Was given incorrect information by waitress which incurred us paying more than we should have done, even though the manageress informed her that she was incorrect,( unaware to us until later), whilst the correct information was not relayed to us, resulting in a higher bill than necessary. The pasta dish was lukewarm and on requesting parmesan it arrived when the meal had been half consumed and we were charged extra for it. Extra fries took ages to arrive as did my beer. I could go on. But at the end the manageress was very rude and unhelpful not wanting to admit fault. Then they had the check to add a Service Charge

Sent three separate messages to the Salisbury branch of Cote Brasserie. None were either acknowledged or answered. Customer service?? I think not.

We ordered the 'new' brunch burger which we ordered at 10.45am. We were told it is only served from 11.30am. Whoever took our order said he would check with the kitchen staff but that it should be fine to order earlier. They made us wait 45 minutes for our breakfast. Shocking service and came to £130 for 5 of us. No mention beforehand of how much the burger would be even though we did ask. We all agreed the service and the quality of the food was below standard. We won't ever be returning there, even though we have been there numerous times. There were only 3 tables when we arrived, so to make us wait almost an hour for a breakfast is just not acceptable!

I have been a frequent visitor to Côte for a long time and have historically enjoyed consistent quality, value and service, which is why I was particularly disappointed by my most recent visit. It feels as though the standards are slipping.

I ordered a medium-rare steak, but it arrived almost well-done barring a small hint of colour in the middle. I sent it back, and the server took the plate away. She returned shortly after to double-check whether I meant it was under or overcooked, which was quite surprising given it was so overcooked.

Matters worsened when she returned with the exact same piece of steak. It was now cold, and she informed me that the chef insisted it was, in fact, medium-rare. It is frustrating and mildly embarrassing to be dismissed when the error was so visually apparent. I've had steak a grade off before and I don't usually send back as I hate the waste. While I accepted the offer to have a new steak prepared, the delay meant my family had finished their meals by the time my food finally arrived. The replacement was very much rare (certainly not medium rare), but I didn't want any further fuss and I am happy enough with rare steak anyway.

The most disappointing part of the visit was the lack of any apology offered throughout the process. It was made out that I was just a difficult customer who was in the wrong. I would love to see a return to the consistent quality I have experienced here in the past, but on this occasion, the service and kitchen standards fell well short of expectations.

Cote Liverpool

June 2026
Booked meal for our Wedding Anniversary.
Asked me if it was a special occasion and mentioned Anniversary.
In the past received a complimentary glass of wine.
Cote no longer offers this. So why ask??
Panko plaice I looked forward to was off the menu. Not what you want to hear in a restaurant.
The prawn starter was fine.
Salmon instead of plaice tasted burnt as did the fried potatoes. ? The seasoning.. The sauce was not nice.
Three times of asking before I received my water.
Very poor salmon dish.
Service ok . Staff friendly.
Overall not a pleasant experience.
Had better meals here in the past.
Also their prices keep going up due to prevailing woes for the restaurant industry.

Visited the Tunbridge Wells Restaurant today. Had a lovely lunch with my husband. Thank you to Gabi for such great service. We will be back soon.