Canteen - Royal Festival Hall in Lambeth

Warm, friendly and bustling venue. Steak frite is a staple and is always lovely. Mike and the team all do a fantastic job and really make the place what it is.

I REALLY wanted to like this place as it's got a lovely ambiance & lighting upstairs and the location is great for a post-theatre meal. The staff are also lovely. However, I've come twice now, and on both occasions the management has been a bit shambolic. On our first visit, we took a while to be served, and once finally served and given our order we were told both dishes on the menu we had chosen had actually sold out for the day so we had to pick something else. Surely this is something you'd expect them to tell you sooner! The food was fine, but the tuna steak was served almost cold. The second time we went just recently a week or so ago, we chose dishes from the fixed price menu, only again upon ordering to then be told they aren't serving those at that time - again you'd expect to be told such things earlier, not after you've already chosen what you want to order. The food was okay, average - not bad but not the usual cote standard - and the loos are disgusting, and located quite near the kitchen which is really off-putting. We also would have been appreciated being told the table we reserved was going to be downstairs the second time, as this was another disappointment - the ambiance is not particularly nice downstairs and I probably wouldn't have booked if I knew that's where we would be seated.

Good standard of food nicely cooked and staff were friendly and attentive without being too full on. Good value for money.

This place offers an unforgettable dining experience in the heart of London. The atmosphere is cozy and stylish, with attentive staff ensuring top-notch service. The menu showcases seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients, with dishes that are both visually stunning and rich in flavor. A must-visit for anyone looking for exceptional cuisine in London.

I came here for a light lunch. We ordered a few small dishes and they looked beautiful and tasted fresh and interesting but not over complicated. The service was good - lovely place for a bit of elegant food before a show or an exhibition.

Food was good, service quick. The sitting is a bit tight, across the path from the festival hall, but it’s ok

Had an excellent birthday experience here. Service was exceptional, attentive without being overbearing, and were even offered free fizz for the birthday occasion. Prix fixe menu is extremely reasonable for the location and food was excellent. Particularly careful about any allergies. Staff couldn’t have been more friendly or organised. Note card only but they warn you of that on booking which is no issue for me.

Fantastic evening for my partner's mum's birthday! Delicious food and great service. As a coeliac I felt like I was in very safe hands and even had too many food options to choose from (which is a rare problem to face as a coeliac!) with a completely separate gluten free menu. I think this restaurant will become a more regular choice for us.

Delicious food as usual, and great attention from Mahir, definitely recommend

Nice to have the option to still sit outside.. and I loved the vegan option. Delicious! We certainly enjoyed the complimentary cremant. Many thanks.

Nice vegan option and friendly staff.

Everything was lovely, service was quick but attentive so we didn’t feel rushed, food and drinks were great. Had the Camembert and calamari to start which were both lovely. Rib eye steak to share for main - recommended as medium came much closer to rare but we love that so not a problem. Chips, sauce, beans and salad were all lovely.

Food very reasonably priced for a lunch in a good location. 2 courses for £18. Great choice.

I enjoyed a very good meal with a friend at the beginning of August but one thing irritated me. The Kronenbourg lager was marked as 5% on the menu and I assumed it was brewed in France. When it was served I checked the label: 4.6% - for the UK market. I told the waiter that I was not getting what I had ordered and he just smiled. I think you should give customers what they think they have ordered, not UK-brewed adulterated versions.

Warm ambiance excellent dishes and friendly service make this a great place for dinner

Excellent service on Saturday night when we dined as a table of 3 at 19.30. Plenty of space. Great food selection, taste and quality, Hosts and staff where exceptional, Over top scores for their nature

Staff are very pleasant but super impolite manager

A chance booking with a great waiter who turned out to have been at drama school with an actor who we were seeing at the Old Vic that evening. A great character. A good experience.

I booked a table for 13 (reduced to 11) for my birthday at Cote. It had taken me some time to find a central London venue that would take a party of that size at a reasonable price, and it turned out to be the perfect venue. We had a table downstairs, the service was excellent, we were even given a complimentary glass of prosecco each. We were not hurried and the final bill was very reasonable. Highly recommended.

Clean, pleasant place, delicious dishes and excellent service. An oasis. I recommend.

very bad service and the attendant is so rude

Small, overpriced portions of bland food. Certainly didn't expect a £20+ meal to be microwaved.

As usual a great choice of food and great friendly and helpful service from Ariadne.

We had a wonderful lunch today. The food was delicious - two of us had beef bourguignon, one tuna nicoise and one burger. Absolutely delicious! Service was fantastic - from the serving staff to the manager. Highly recommend!

While walking pass in royal festival hall, me and friends we felt right away the friendly atmosphere in the restaurant we decide to stop by. Service was absolutely great. Food very delicious. Best Cote ever, Fernando made the experience even better. Will be back soon!

A warm welcome by the manager Fernando at the door. A truly ambassador of the brand! Me and my friend thanks to his recommendations we made a fantastic drink and food choices. Highly recommend! Definitely will be back soon! Thank you.

Shamiah I’m so sorry if not spelt correctly was a delightful lady. Attentive, polite and a credit to your team

The best experience ever. The food was marvellous and we will definitely be back! The general manager Fernando took care of us and we had an amazing evening! We observed how he was managing the restaurant and how he was supporting all the staff and guests at all times! Very good service and food quality!

Amazing place to dine in with your family or friends on a weekend! The food was just the right combination of all flavours! Along with a very good Sirloin we enjoyed a red bottle of wine Cotes-du-Rhone “Elements Luna” which i think everyone MUST TRY!!! Fernando, the general manager was an amazing host and took care of us the whole evening! The staff were very friendly and polite which as well contributed to our dining experience! Definitely will be back!!!!

A family gathering of first cousins to celebrate a birthday, they made a real fuss of us and gave us a bottle of wine on the house 😍 very generous thank you xxx

We had our friends do/lunch today and I've never had such lovely warm service and great food. Lovely restaurant ambience and waiter was epitome of beautiful French service coupled with warmth and great humour. I'll be going back with my family. The food was delicious.

Dior was our waiter. Thanks for fabulous dinner guys!

I visited this restaurant on May 27th on a whim and was greeted by Shamiya, our waiter. She was an absolutely lovely lady, very attentive and polite. The food was well-prepared, served hot, and tasted great. The atmosphere added to the overall pleasant experience. Highly recommended!

Booked for a family meal to celebrate an occasion. Staff were lovely and made us feel special. Also accommodated a celiac in our party. Food was very good and not too expensive given the location.

After persuading the staff not to shoehorn 7 of us onto a 6 seater table, the rest of the meal was uneventful and typical Cote.

Always love to visit Cote. Food always good and great service.

Went for a fast lunch, nice offers, still same nice quality from 5 years ago, enjoyed the starters, the sirloin was too cooked but the waitress overheard us and deducted it from the bill which was very nice. I enjoyed visiting one of my favourite restaurant franchise in London again.

We had such a wonderful dinner at Cote - we were there for our anniversary, and the staff welcomed us and wished us a happy anniversary, and brought us complimentary drinks. They were so lovely to us in general. Food was really tasty, and the atmosphere was buzzing but gentle. Really idea location for spending the rest of the evening on the south bank. Would absolutely recommend.

The service is nice, and the creme brûlée is very delicious and distinctive 😋, it has a mango and sour taste 😋🥭

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and appreciated that we weren't rushed as we had a lot of catching up to do. Everything was served in good time & the team were attentive but not intrusive.

The service was impeccable. The staff were really helpful. Our daughter was super happy with her meal. Fernando came to our table and made us feel welcomed. Great atmosphere and we are definitely going back again.

We were a large party. We had good food and attentive service through lunch and into the afternoon - very much appreciated.

Lighting is very bad. We went on a sunny afternoon and it was very dark inside. We were seated at a table under the stairs, so 2 people of our group hot their heads when trying to get up. The vegetarian options were very limited. I got the vegan burger, and it tasted awful. I know Côte is known to be expensive, but when you consider what you get for your money at this branch, you realise it is an extremely overpriced bad experience. The only positive part of our experience was the staff; they were very friendly and professional.

The staff were lovely and the service was good, as well as the location being extremely convenient. However, the food was what I can only describe as average. I had onion soup to start which was OK but lacking in flavour. I then had the chicken salad as a main course which was very limited in the selection of leaves/ vegetables and had overly dry chicken, again with little flavour. Followed by a Paris Brest that was rather dry and crispy. I’ve eaten at several Cotes before and never been disappointed so my expectations were pretty high.

Pleasant, friendly and charming staff,tasty food and a good atmosphere.And so very conveniently situated for the South Bank events!

We booked a pre-theatre meal and were welcomed on arrival and our request for a window table met. Adrian who looked after us was brilliant,ensuring we were looked after well. Our meals were delicious and of great quality quantity and presentation. We will return very soon.....thank you!

We celebrated my friends birthday and we were beyond please with the service and food. They really treated us and made sure we had everything we needed. Such a great experience and it really made my friends birthday so much better. Would recommend this place!! The atmosphere is lovely and the food is delicious! Thé fougasse (bread) is a must!

Amazing service, great food and really warm atmosphere! The salted caramel tart is top

Hospitality at its best! Ollie and his team made us feel so welcome, and the staff went out of their way to make our friend's 80th an extra special event. There were several birthdays during the course of the afternoon and I noted that the wait staff made a genuine effort for each person. The food was excellent (incl a delicious vegan option) and we hogged our table for a long time with only a totally reasonable nudge to wrap up after several hours! Thank you, Cóte RFH!

Awwwwww so yummmmmmmy 🥹🥹😋😋😋❤️‍🔥

Another amazing experience at Cote - this time at the Royal Festival Hall. Friendly, welcoming and courteous despite me showing at 9.35pm for coffee and desert. Staff make or break an institution. Cote are exceptionally good at recruiting and retaining people with the right attitude. I have been to most of them in London in the last 15 years and many times. Cote also pay their staff above average as far as I know. Whenever I need to dine and there is a Cote nearby, I don't care about the other options. Unless there is an Ivy and I want a slightly more expensive experience.

We were of group of 19 that ate at this restaurant today and we had an absolutely first class experience. The atmosphere, service and food was phenomenal. Everyone commented on how lovely . The mushroom quiche I had was amazing . Considering we were a large group - the service was extremely excellent. I highly recommend this beautiful restaurant and and it’s wonderful staff .

Excellent value for money fixed price menu. Great location before shooting off to yhe theatre.

Everything is very good! I give it 5 stars!)))

As a brand, Cote Brasserie is a wonderful French bistro in London. The menu is varied and the dishes are packed with flavour. This particular Cote is struggling a bit with its identify. Is it a brasserie or a bustling restaurant. Is it a pub or an experience.

Food was poor, unpleasant after taste from pork belly. Toilets pretty disgusting. At over £30 for one main and small glass of wine, one would expect better.

I ended up coming here after a day out and about with friends & and family, and it was the perfect way to end our evening. The team was so lovely to us and so warm and welcoming. They made sure to look after us, and the food lived up to the standard of the service. Was so good we had to speak to the manager Oleg to give our positive feedback, and he was just as great. So far I think this is the best cote that we've been to so far. Thanks, team, and we will sure be back.

Oleg and the team made our experience at Cote! Had such a great evening and will definitely be back. Try the duck confit it’s delicious 😋

What to say about this restaurant? it is definitely the most amazing dining experience I have had recently! The service is top notch and and the food is delicious. I love the environment and atmosphere of the restaurant and it made me feel very comfortable. I super recommend this place and would 100% come back again! Thank you, Cotê! <3

My twin and I were given drinks on the house for our birthday. Service was great and my tartiflette was perfect.

Lovely family meal. Good selection obviously with a French style. All our mains and desserts were very much enjoyed.

very friendly and attentive staff, went above and beyond for us. food was tasty and service was fast. nice atmosphere too! had a lovely time

Great location in the bank of Thames. Genuine French food with great selection of wine. Highly recommend for a date! Service was fast and done in great manner.

I had a lunch in this place and I highly recommend to visit. Service was excellent and good delicious! Great location to start your London trip

This is my third time visiting this restaurant and we’ve had an amazing experience every time! The service is incredible and the restaurant has a lovely atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

We loved dining at Cote while in London. I especially loved the crepe with creme fraiche and bitter chocolate dessert 😋. The prices are very fair and the quality is always consistent. The staff ate lovely. My only negative comment (which only applies to this branch) is that we were brought a ceramic (I think one to pour sauce from) and it was chipped on about 6 spots around the rim... They should know when it's time to chuck out old crockery..

We had a wonderful evening here on New Years Eve, the team were lovely and friendly and made us feel special. The food and atmosphere was relaxed and the staff were happy to chat with us. We enjoyed a beautiful 4 course meal with drinks and then after our meal at around 11.45pm we were given flutes of champagne and shown to the private area outside overlooking the Thames to watch the London fireworks go off right next to us, it was spectacular! We can't thank Alec & the lovely staff at Cote enough for making this night special for us, we took our grandson along for a special treat, and he had a great night to remember forever!

I was refused service because I mentioned we were not here for dinner but for a quick coffee and dessert - even though half the restaurant was empty at least until 5pm and I was there at 16:15. Selective service is not a great sign for any place

What a fantastic experience! I came here with my girlfriend and her dad for a celebratory meal and the service was fantastic. Alba was our server whose warm approach, timing, and care ensured we had the best time. Mike, one of the managers, only solidified this fact by dropping in on our table and taking the time to check in to see if we were happy with everything. We were. It was the perfect meal made possible by all of the team at Cote Royal Festival Hall. I implore you to visit this site!

Loved everything about our visit. Couldn’t have been better.

Lovely Christmas venue, great value and excellent brasserie menu, staff really attentive, relaxed, fun vibe and great Christmas decorations!

Went for set Christmas menu. Food was lovely, service was professional. My grio was that I was charged for 3 courses when I only ordered and had 2 courses.

We were setting outside because it was so busy The food is so good and authentic👌🏻 We've been served by "Amelian" he was really active and never missed us outside😅 he kept is eyes on us all the time, special thanks to him💕

Tomas and his staff provided excellent service. The meal was as delicious. I highly recommend the Sirloin Steal and the Tomatoe salad. And despite the fact that our food took long to be served from the kitchen due to the fact that they were a full restaurant, I am always equally impressed with how prepared they are with gluten free and dairy free menus. Even though I am neither vegan nor vegetarian, it gives me joy to see that my friends are as properly catered for.

Nice option for kids as there is a special menu for them. Good meat and good service.

The experience was amazing and the food delicious. Also the staff was very nice, specially Jade and Domas who took care of us. I recommend this place and i will come back for sure.

The atmosphere and staff were good but I ordered the hamburger and the patty was totally burnt. And the portions were not that big for the value I think.

Lovely breakfast and service spot on!

Had a very great time. Food was nice. We had steak, calamari, crab, liver parfait. Maria was great. She took good care of us.

I brought my Aunty and uncle who were visiting me and they really enjoyed it- excellent food and service as always. My aunt is coeliac and she was well catered for - thank you!

Avoid the Cote restaurant at The Royal Festival Hall at all costs unless you want to be insulted. I am extremely disappointed that customers pay for a service, and the service providers charge you to insult you. We booked a table for 14 guests for the 29th of October at around 11 am. This is part of our regular sketch group meetup where we sketch and have breakfast/brunch. We have been here several times; however, this is the first time I've seen this highly rude waitress wearing a red top. She started telling members of my group to move out of the way and then gave me a horrid look, saying, "What is your problem?" when nobody actually had a problem. Is this the customer service standard at Cote? Instead of the expected etiquette and manners, which include phrases like "excuse me," "sorry," "please," and "thank you," this waitress gives the customer attitude instead. There were some rude moaning guests behind us who did not seem to like our group for some reason. Instead of maybe moving them to another part of the restaurant, the waitress started shouting at members of my group. English is not the first language for some of the members in my group, so they were very confused and unable to respond. This waitress took advantage of this. How dare any business behave this way with paying customers? I am actually appalled and not happy about the fact that the restaurant benefitted from a large payment from our group and misbehaved with us. I complained to the manager on our way out, and instead of saying he will resolve the matter, he tried to justify her behavior. There is NO excuse whatsoever for staff to be rude, particularly to my group, who are very calm, polite, and positive people. This results in poor management. WE WILL NEVER BE RETURNING HERE AGAIN.

Very disappointed to find out at the end of our meal that cash was not accepted. No signs visible to tell customers this, so I was not impressed. If your Wi-Fi breaks and card machines go down you would accept cash then. Very disappointing. Cash is king.

Very small portions... changed my choice of starter (we were a big group and had pre-ordered)... staff were nice though

Consistently impressive! Diyor, our waiter, was exceptionally kind and cheerful, enhancing our night. The food was perfect. Outstanding experience, as always!

Había mesas vacías dentro, el mesero nos dijo que solamente había mesas fuera. Nos fuimos inmediatamente.

Situated directly opposite the South Bank Centre, this restaurant is ideal for a quick bite before attending any event at the many venues along the river. The set menu was good value for money and had a choice of dishes to choose from.

Had the opportunity to grab a meal here before heading home. I'm a big lover of Cote and visit my local restaurant on a regular basis. Never visited this Cote, despite several regular visits to London for business and pleasure. But so glad I did on this occasion. Friendly staff, as to be expected (despite slightly underdressed manager (assume manager)). Fillet steak cooked to perfection. Fougasse was amazing. Had the wine I love. 5 ⭐ all round!!

Always have a solid experience of great food and service at Cote. This is one of my favourite branches. Shout out to Sam, who was our hilarious and fantastic waiter for the evening today.

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.

It's expensive for what it is, service good but the rest not very special.

Excellent service. Delicious bfast - would definitely recommend the French Breakfast. Black pudding out of this world 😋

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

Amazing experience. Food was the best o had lately when going out. Staff delightful and very professional. Loved the atmosphere!!!

We had an amazing expansion at this restaurant. Steaks were cooked to perfection. Staff delightful 😊. Will come again

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.

Somewhat standard fare and the atmosphere ruined by the building works which can't be avoided

Food is good but the male staff were all noticeably miserable and charmless.

I love Cote as I always know I'm going to get great food, great service and great value. It's my go to when meeting friends for dinner.

Came here after my graduation Excellent service & food was beautiful

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. 😞😊