Cote Brasserie - St Albans in St Albans

I missed eating at Côte St Albans, it’s now reopened after a redesign and it’s even better The food is always good, carefully made and presented, great cocktails and excellent hot espressos Big thank you to Nikhil, a really friendly and helpful guy, he knew the menu and wines really well and helped me find the right meal, all with a great smile - he is part of a great team - I’m very glad to have Cote back in St Albans ?

First time back after a refurb and the place looks great. The staff are new and muddled through with a smile and professionalism - they were great considering its only been open a short time. The food however, very disappointing. My grilled chicken was so dry it was difficult to swallow. Its recommended to be served with a Diane sauce. Mine was served luke warm and thick and made the dish even more difficult to swallow. That was my experience, there were faults with all of my parties dishes. It felt like poor quality ingredients, prepared without love. Such a shame. We didn't complain, paid up and left. Very unlikely to return.

Four of us arrived at 3.30. Service was slow, staff unattentive. Starters were quick, we then waited 35mins, after 2 prompts, for our mains. My husbands Beef was pretty much pure fat. I was extremely unhappy .... however.. I complained to Joanna the General manager and she was impressive. Polite and fair in her response, and unexpectedly waived the entire bill!!!... this I did not expect. The atmosphere and decor is lovely...most of our food was good... Will definitely give them another go...

Always enjoy good at Cote, whichever branch. On this visit to St Albans it was a cold morning and we wanted a warm location and a good breakfast. As usual they did not disappoint. A French and and English breakfast with the unbeatable black pudding they serve and hot coffee. What could be better. Not cheap but worth every penny. Staff and service was impeccable and well warrants the service charge.

Lovely meal in a lovely setting. A few hiccups with the food served, but the staff were amazing & it was all sorted quickly & to our benefit. Would definitely recommend and we will be back. Thank you so much

I've been going to different Cote restaurants for the past several years. Usually the quality, taste and quantity is really good. I've been recommending Cote to several friends. However, the service at the st Albans Cote branch was really bad. When we arrived, there was no bread basket offered, then when I asked about the changes in the menu, we were told, the menu is what it is without the waitress even going to ask their colleague about the dishes we were asking for that we've had previously at other Cote restaurants. We didn't feel that we were looked after. Overall, the quantity for the dishes we ordered has been reduced and the quality has been reduced as well. E.g the French beans looked like old stock. There was no brioche with the chicken liver parfet dish and the portion size was substantially smaller. We won't be returning to the St albans branch.

Menu not available as advertised.

We went as a group of 16 for a Christmas dinner and had a good time ;-)) Food was good, waiters were smiling;-)) It could have been slightly more organised as they knew our choices well ahead of time- so the starters & meals could come out at the same time - but in general it was nice experience

Excellent value and service in true Cote style.

My wife and 4 month old baby tried to go in for a coffee. She was told she cant get a table as a single person and was left to struugle with the door on her way out. And it was raining.

Can't wait to go back. The festive menu was delicious

Went out for work Christmas dinner but sadly no Christmas spirit... No Christmas decorations, no lights, no Christmas music. Dull and disappointing. Would not recommend.

A great evening out for a meal. Very good food and even a separate menu for gluten free people 😁

Very reasonably priced and delicious breakfast. The tomato sauce was a bit cheap and rubbish and the loos a bit smelly. Service good though!

Great spot for brunch. Brilliant for families. Thanks to all the team for a great visit.

Nothing was too much trouble. We were well looked after. Staff are superb. We'll be back! Food is delicious and great value for money.

Lovely lunch at Cote with attentive waiter

Had a lovely meal with my cousin

We celebrated my daughter's 21st birthday tonight, there were 15 of us altogether and the whole experience was absolutely wonderful! The food, service, attention to detail, absolutely everything was perfect. A huge thank you to our waiter and all of the staff for making this celebration so special.

As always Cote provided an experience tailored to my needs - it was obvious my friend and I wanted to chat so service was quick, discreet and minimal. But always attentive. The St Albans restaurant is a lovely place for a meal

Disappointed they no longer do the best dessert (Praline crepes, in case you weren't sure!)

I had the tender duck with the red cabbage sauce. I don't normally eat cabbage, but this was delicious. And the waiters were lovely. The deserts were splendid. I highly recommend this place.

Visited with the family for my sons birthday, to start with the French Onion Soup was tepid! Then the chips & vegetables came out cold, which the manager Lina replaced with no apology. Then the chicken was not cooked properly, again, no apology. Then they completely forgot my son’s birthday, that was clearly noted on the reservation. The food was overpriced, and it was only when we ask for the bill that the manager, I thought they would offer an apology. Won’t be returning this place has turned into another franchise, faceless, overpriced eatery!

Excellent! Everything was lovely on each occasion I ate at Cote.

Went for lunch, was okay but nothing special, has to ask for our drinks and food as they were taking a long time. Also water…. Food was okay but no rush to return

Great service and food.We will definitely be back.

Went for my daughters birthday,lovely experience.We were given 2 complimentary glasses of bubbles,the server commented on daughters handbag,she said it was a birthday present,next minute the bubbles arrived. Food and drinks were great,bottle of Cremant delicious,scallops and moules were amongst the food ordered,pretty much perfect,cheese board and Calvados to finish,along with candle in cheese and Happy Birthday sung by the staff.Nantia was our server,she couldn’t have been more professional and helpful a lovely lady. We enjoyed it so much will be in for lunch soon. Many thanks.

excellent food and service. good selection of drinks.

Three of us had an excellent lunch of two courses, with high quality ingredients. All the staff were very friendly and attentive. We'll be booking a table again soon, and recommending Cote to our friends.

Great staff, excellent food, super evening. Thank you

Went as a group of 16 for a birthday meal, had to pay a deposit and pre-order due to the amount of people going. We waited for over an hour for the starters to come, and when the main courses finally came out, they arrived without sauces, no steak knives, steaks not cooked to how we liked it, and waited ages for more drinks. Seeing as they had our order days in advance it should have been easy for them. Their excuse was that it was so busy, however there was a lot of empty tables. I won’t be going there again and wouldn’t advise anyone else to.

Only best of the best words i can write for this restaurant in a nice, quiet and beautiful town nearby London, Saint Albans... Me and my friends enjoyed the food we ordered,tasty and well cooked...clean and tidy space, clean toilets and all the credits to our co-patriot super waitress Nantia who  bewitched us all with her amazing service, social character and positive vibes..thank you Nantia and thanks all for the good food and atmosphere...We with definitely return soon..

An amazing restaurant to enjoy a lovely romantic meal. Food was first rate and the service was impeccable. Reasonably priced and lovely atmosphere throughout the restaurant. Would highly recommend this restaurant.

An unpleasant pungent smell wafts through the entire restaurant. The food was late, it didn't taste good. Unfortunately, it was not what was expected.

If you've got a food intolerance/allergy, the service here is incredible. Staff took great care over my friend's requirements and were really knowledgeable and helpful.

Celebrated my graduation here and we had an incredible time. Our server was super kind and the fact that they had a special gluten-free menu that was delicious really touched our hearts. Everything was good....so good

As a group of friends who get together for a meal in St.Albans a few times per year, we decided to have a change of restaurant from our usual haunt and decided to go to the Cote Brasserie instead. Service was good and prompt, and we didn't feel rushed, although it was a Wednesday evening, and the place was only half full at best. They had a special deal on steak meals, I had the ribeye, my friend had the sirloin..... they looked almost identical, I though I could spot a ribeye in a line up of steaks, but here I couldn't. We both thought our steaks were tough and a bit gristly, and I have had far superior steaks from Aldi at £6 per steak. Others in the group thought the food was ok, but nothing special, and we will be back at Lussmans for our next meal out together where prices are comparable, but the quality is more assured.

Very lovely restaurant with delicious food and amazing servers

Very delightful. Wonderful staff, food for 16 served hot.

Staff were very friendly, pleasant and efficient. Limited options dairy and gluten free but what i did have was very nice. The atmosphere was pleasant on a thursday night.

My friend booked Saturday lunch for my birthday treat. We had a lovely leisurely lunch. The food was really good, well presented and good size portions. We were pleased with the wine list and to see Mermaid gin on the menu. The server was great, we explained we were having a catch up and not in a rush so they were really accommodating and slowed the service down for us. Can't wait to visit again soon!

Thank you to all at Cote - I had a lovely birthday celebration in your care this afternoon sitting out in your courtyard. Service and food both excellent and you made a special effort - we had a great time!

Called in here today. What great service from all the staff. Meal was excellent too. Well done to all at Cote Brasserie at St Albans.

Visited Cote with a friend on a Friday evening in August. The restaurant was not too busy, and we were offered a choice of tables. Our server was very polite and friendly and offered his opinions/advice when asked. The food was delicious and the atmosphere great for catching up with a friend.

Really lovely food and service. We were seated immediately and didn't have a reservation. Staff were courteous and professional. The Tomato Tarte is delicious.

We’ve been to cotes a few times and it’s usually good. This time it was ok, just a few niggles. My starter, the cheese soufflé, was not a cheese soufflé. I would have complained but we were with friends and I didn’t want to embarrass anyone or hold up or order. It was more like a panna cotta, certainly not what you get from the ivy round the corner. Initially service was slow but was ok. Portions were ok, pricey, and these days nothing comes with anything so ordering sides hikes the price up further. My moules frites were good though. They ran out of talisker when we’d only ordered 2 doubles and wanted 2 more. The excuse was that people had been enjoying it that day and suggested we try something else. The menu is fairly small for drinks and nothing else appealed. Staff were ok but lacked experience and were bordering on being rude. Won’t be back in a hurry. Shame.

Steak was lukewarm and very tough. I was seated in the window close to the door and it smelled of damp/mould. Service not great either - no smiles or eye contact from waitress and she felt the need to comment on how much I had ate which was weird considering I only had a Steak frites!

Would have been an excellent review except for the sad fact that our choice of quite an expensive wine was not available, otherwise a very enjoyable evening, good food and cooking especial;ly the manner in which the team dealt with our GF and DF allergen requirements and kindness with celebrating a birthday with us.

Met friends there Saturday lunch time! Excellent tuna nicoise and service… will defo go back 👍

tinguérem una cita ací i ens agradà molt el dinar, l'ambient i el servei

Come to this Cote frequently with my dad. I have been to a few Cote restaurants and this is one of the better ones. One time my chicken was a bit overcooked in the Paillard salad, but generally the food has been good and service very friendly.

Great Cote de boeuf, very flexible when it came to child's choice.

Absolutely amazing food with very welcoming and friendly staff. Seriously looking forward to our next visit.

I am a fan of cote. Great food, good prices and lovely staff. They had room for my pram and large parties.

Great atmosphere.friendly ,helpful staff.delicious food. Excellent!

Excellent service. Lovely food

Despite being very busy due to Father's Day, the food and the service were very good. Good variety on the menu and service was pretty quick.

Lovely staff, nice atmosphere, amazing wine and perfect Salmon meal. Loved our time there with a friend and the kids.

This was my go-to place in St Albans for a good steak. However our recent visit (In February 2023) we had a bad experience. 1 of the steaks was not cooked, to the point where it was cold in the middle. My wife later felt unwell. Not sure why but the standards have dropped, we have not been back since.

Overpriced for what it was, poor food and wine and poor service. You can get better food in a much cheaper place. And the whole place smelt of fish! Asked for a medium rare steak and it was medium to well done. The peppercorn sauce came in a tiny jug and literally had a dribble in it. The red wine wasn’t good at all and the white was ok. I’ve had better wine and steaks in Wetherspoons!

Lovely food & good service, but most importantly Henry & his team couldn’t have been more helpful & accommodating when my friend’s baby fell & hit her head. Including calling an ambulance, speaking to the paramedic, even seeking first aid help from the police outside & supporting us all throughout. They were, and especially the manager Henry, a credit to Cote.

On a busy fathers day from the moment we arrived to the moment we left the service was fantastic and followed up with a great meal. Cant rate the who experience highly enough.

Great food and a good deal if you order before 19:00

Absolutely superb place, the food was amazing and the service was excellent.

Thank you vary much to all stuff for the great service and especially to Nadia .

If I could leave zero stars I would. Went here for my mums birthday and the whole experience was completely ruined by a lack of communication between the serving staff and the chefs as well as the chefs simply not caring one little bit. We sat down, ordered a starter and it had been on the table for 5 minutes and then the mains arrive. The server continued to try and put our mains down despite it being visibly obvious that we only just got the starters. Not one apology or acknowledgment for the error. We saw the dishes taken back to the kitchen and sat on the warm plate. We politely spoke to the manager and asked to ensure we were not served the same food which was sat on the hot plate for a good 25-30 minutes, we were assured it would not be served to us and he requested the chefs made fresh dishes. The chefs were discussing our complaint and staring at us during our starters which also made us feel uncomfortable. And then at no surprise it was served my salad leaves were burnt and crispy, my sisters burger and chips cold and my mums salmon was dry with a skin over the cream sauce from being sat under the hot plate. Completely careless and no regard for the customer. People spend their hard earned money to come out for meals and with the cost of living crisis it’s very far and few between where people are able too and it’s such a shame that big businesses and chain restaurants such as this simply don’t care…. Just a number. Will never return. There are fantastic independent restaurants in St Albans and these will be the only places we shall visit from here on out.

Very regular but very back service this time . Been coming here since it opened . Staff knew the food was not up to the mark was dry when asked for More gravy we were told we will Be charged that was odd and we were also Charged for mint in tea and small Bits that for so many years never .. anyways the staff was different . Mostly I give this place 5 stars

Excellent food. Lovely service. Would highly recommend

So disappointing, we've been customers for years specially for this branch. The food quality, price per value and the service really went down. Whatever you do don't ask for a coffee, looks like they don't have a barista anymore, even the fries were soggy and uncooked (in both cases we complained and got the same bad results back).

Super service and delicious food on a Monday evening in May. It was our wedding anniversary and the waitress clocked me saying “happy anniversary” to my husband which prompted her to bring two complimentary glasses of Cremant.

Friendly staff, delicious food and a good atmosphere.

Breakfast quality is rather poor comparing to Cote Windsor. Would think that quality would be the same at all restaurants. The server struggled to understand us, very noisy and breakfast quality extremely poor vs Windsor.

We visited Cote on the 1st of May, which was my birthday. We arrived at 1:00pm, we hadn't booked as it was a last minute decision. We have eaten at Cote probably 6 or 7 times before & love the food and the atmosphere. However, on entering we were told that despite most tables being free, if we had not booked, we would have to come back after 2:00pm. I asked were they fully booked and was told no, but that it was policy that if you hadn’t booked you had to wait until after 2:00pm. Having just come back from the USA, where service is paramount, I couldn’t believe the service at Cote. Very disappointing and needless to say we ate elsewhere at Megan’s, which was very good. Wake up to giving top service Cote.

Great service at this usually excellent restaurant. However, we had the new Quiche aux Champignons. This was a half-filled tart case with sautéed mushrooms in a liquid sauce and was not a quiche (no eggs). One of our diners ordered the praline crepe and it had little filling and no discernible praline. My elderberry crème brûlée was delicious. A sad event at this usually excellent restaurant.

Had a lovely lunch last week at Cote St Albans; the food is always good but the service was even better, Lee was great host and looked after our table with speed and friendliness

Had a really tasty Sunday dinner... the place could be cleaner but it was good enough to eat.

Having read a lot of the recent posts and having not been to Cote St Albans for a year or so I was a bit hesitant to go. But it was as good as ever. It is never going to be mind blowing, but for its price point, it’s consistently good in a lovely building. Don’t be put off the recent negative posts!

Very pleasant venue for a family meal. Busy but comfortable for a relaxing evening out

We came for breakfast today and realised they missed off avocado for veggie breakfast which they brought promptly. All fine. Then after we left we realised later they had missed the potato rosti as well from Veggie Breakfast and Full English!! Wish we realised then. Another thing… they didn’t ask us where to sit even when there are plenty of free tables. Sat us in the middle of hustle bustle of the noisy bar. They seemed to ask everyone else where they liked to sit. Really disappointing as I always thought côte had high standards.

We had lunch on Saturday,which we had booked earlier..we were greeted by a friendly guy,our waitress was very polite,after placing our order,we waited over 45mins before it arrived. I had a minute steak,which was ok,chips were hot,which was good!.. Overall ok,lunch...been to other branches of Cotes,I have enjoyed better..

I come with my Dad every few months as he lives nearby. One of my favourite Cote restaurants, very airy, lots of different seating areas and the staff are always great. Today I had the sea bass and it was really tasty. They do change the menu on a seasonal basis so there is always something new to try.

Had a great lunch here, would definitely recommend....

Marcel looked after us and made us feel special. Lee was also there to make sure we are fine at all times. Thank you

I had the chicken liver parfait as a starter it was absolutely exquisite. The chutney served with it was a perfect compliment. I think I would have preferred 1 more slice of toast with it, but then I like my carbs. Main course was the sea bream. Which was equally delicious - one thing I've learned in recent years is to "Eat the skin if it's crispy' and so much flavour and texture. Served on a simple bed of potatoes courgettes and samphire, and a creamy sauce. Afters was Almond financier with sour cherries and vanilla ice cream. Again absolutely delicious. Could have done with one more cherry to balance the almond cake, but we're talking the decimal points of a score here! £130 for the 3 of us service included, but there definitely would have been no arguments about the service, friendly and informal, but very quick and not intrusive. 10/10

Tired these days, and no longer great value for money. Lussimans is so much better and ghe last time we spent less money.

Often come to Cote with the kids. The kids menu is good, the kids always eat nicely here and staff are usually very friendly with them. The food can be a bit inconsistent at times but it between good and very good.

We were greeted with the opening line ‘We only take card payments no cash’ The decor was minimal and the food unedible. I had an over cooked piece of sea bream in a sauce like ‘Heinz tomato soup’.I also ordered a green salad which consisted of a handful of rocket AND a sliced Brussel Sprout!! I wrote in and complained and Cote couldn’t even be bothered to reply. Obviously they only want positive feedback.

Delicious lunch in relaxed surroundings

First time visit. Good food enjoyed by the whole group. Staff very helpful with allergy choices.

Best restaurant for food quality and consistency of flavours, service and cleanliness in St Albans, by far. Love your place. Subtle menu changes each season are appreciated, as are the deals sent over email. Staff are friendly and helpful/attentive. You don’t have to wait for your server- anyone will help you. Keep up the fantastic work.

Haricot blanc soup was fantastic. Sirloin steak underwhelming. Wine meh.

Very nice and friendly staff had a nice lunch

Order Sea Bream with lentils and tapenade. Fish over cooked. Then rum baba. They has no accompanying sauce & offered no alternative plus no rum in evidence at all. Sadly the food has slipped into poor chain restaurant food & not cheap!

We had a large group of international guests + we added a couple more on the night. So we were approx 30 people in total. The booking and pre-order process was smooth and easy. Two of our pre-order starters hadn't arrived with the day's delivery but we were offered alternatives of anything on the menu and the relevant guests were more than happy with that. All the staff were very friendly and attentive, and looked after us very well. The food was perfect - was brought out in a timely manner and was cooked perfectly. A large number of guests ordered the sirloin steak and each one was cooked perfectly and as requested. We had a wonderful night and wouldn't hesitate to come again.

Food was lovely but the poor service let everything down

Usual good choice of dishes and excellent service.

We had our first dining experience today and it was fab . From the moment we walked through the door till the minute we left the staff were very attentive and friendly. Lee in particular, he is the gentleman who greeted us when we arrived and he was so friendly and polite. The service was excellent just as all the staff members. Thank you Cote :-)

Really enjoyed lunchtime meal here. Mentioned we were celebrating my friends birthday when booking and we were given a glass of bubbly each when we arrived. The staff were attentive and the food was tasty and good value.

Very nice food indeed, table of 4 for dinner and 1 steak was under cooked, very quickly changed for a new one and cooked how it was ordered, the fish stew was amazing, highly recommend, I will be back for more soon.

Lovely food and drinks. Would definitely recommend.