Cote Brasserie - St Martin's Lane in City of London, Westminster

I travel extensively in Europe and this is the worse meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant that claimed to be French cuisine. Stay away. McDonald’s would be a better value for your money. Both the wine selection and the food were horrible.

Delicious food, very reasonable prix fixe menu - perfect for a lovely restaurant meal before the theatre.

Cote always has good food, reasonable cost and good service.

What has happened to Cote? We had a dreadful meal on Tuesday in St Martin's Lane - the food was simply not very nice and they forgot to credit our bill as promised when we complained about the uncooked and truly awful (not) melted camembert (a manager came over and apologised and promised to take it off the bill which didn't happen and we only realised afterwards as we were in a pre-theatre rush). The steak tartare was sinewy and the 'half' chicken was a couple of fried pieces and was like school cafeteria not a West End restaurant. Wish I'd taken photos especially of the chicken. Used to be great, now is a shadow of its former self. We did have a nice waiter though who was charming, but he couldn't make up for the rest of it (low service score was thanks to the manager's reaction to the camembert and the fact we still paid for it).

Slow service, tasteless food. Strongly not recommended

Visited this restaurant before going to a show in the area. Have dinned at various Cote restaurants and enjoy the food and atmosphere Friendly and welcoming staff and as was not too busy was given choice of table. Service was good, not rushed but friendly and helpful staff Has the the platter of meats for starter - very nice with nice selection of hams and salamis - very enjoyable main was mussels with frites - good portion and very tasty and enjoyed them. Always one of my favs. Followed by a strawberry creme bruille which was very nice. A nice large glass of white wine. A very enjoyable meal in a nice environment and friendly staff. Would go back and recommend. Always good food at which ever Cote restaurant you visit

Excellent meal after the theatre. Staff were very friendly and the service was great. Complimentary glass of bubbles for a birthday celebration. The venue was roomy with plenty of space between tables or booths. Recommended if you are in the area.

Another super evening at Côte on St Martin’s Lane. Fabulous service from Sylvia and delicious meal. French onion soup scrummy & steak offer with wine was perfect. Will be back!

Went here to celebrate friends 80th. Was bit disappointed that even though I had mentioned it when booking online, there was no acknowledgement of the occasion for her. When we had been to Cote at Sevenoaks previously, they had given us a bottle of free Prosecco. Staff were friendly but thought some of the food portions were small. I started with the bacon salad, the croutons were soft and seemed like they had been soaked in some stock. The baked ratatouille I had seemed very unbaked - it was a shallow dish of tomato sauce, few tiny bits of aubergine, lots of white beans, no sign of onions and then on top, raw courgette slices! Not the best. My friend whose birthday it was had a salad for her main, it was on a side plate and very small. Came away feeling disappointed and not sure I would go back again.

Had a very good brunch. Not at all crowded, prices OK considering the location. We always like the ambience of Cote - relaxed brasserie.

Visited with friend pre theatre. Serve was good but the food wasn't even mediocre it was poor in taste and the presentation was awful. We won't be going back.

Second time going to a Cote restaurant in London. Ordered same dish; beef cheek bourguignon. It was as good as I expected. Very delicious. Table service was better than other one we went earlier so three fives is my rating.

Delicious Crème caramel and absolutely iced coffee 😍👌🏻worth the try!

Sadly, the food was dreadful. Three of us ordered a tuna salad and we think that there was no chef on duty as the meagre salad was drenched in dressing and the baby tomatoes had been added randomly-one person had lots, the other just one. And one tiny anchovy tucked under the tuna. Truly awful and a very poor reflection on the restaurant and London too, given the number of tourists in the restaurant

Nice Creame Caramel but the service was below average

Adam deserves everything he gets and more !absolutely fantastic gentleman, he makes sure you know what your drinking and eating explains is specifically and makes your experience so much better - you my friend are what hospitality needs. Food is gorgeous, I really enjoy the food here

Went with my mom for a quick lunch before the show. I have tried their food in other venues across London and it's always lived up to the standard, including this time. The chicken liver parfait is very nice, so as the seafood stew. Atmosphere is warm and welcoming and service is quick.

Out with friends, we needed somewhere we could rely on. The Côte in St Martins Lane was the obvious choice, clean, smart, and with quality food that you can rely on, it was an easy choice. Strangely, our waiter reminded us of ‘Ten second Tom’ from the film ‘Fifty first dates.’ We’d ask for something and then, several minutes later, we’d have to ask again. Unusual for a waiter, but he didn’t remember a single thing all night. Which meant we didn’t have a sweet, having him asked us if we were ready to order, and we saying ‘Give us a moment more’, he never came back, and we had simply gone past the need by then and asked for the bill. But we’re not there for waiters. We were there for the good food and wine, and we had that in abundance. I started with the Crab Maison, but in truth tried everyone’s starter - strange. They were all great. I then moved to the Breton Fish Stew, a regular for a Cote, and it didn’t disappoint. Filled with sea fare and really tasty. I added a little tobasco, but it was good as it was. And that was all washed down with the house white which everyone loved. Truth is, I couldn’t try anyone else’s main dish because all the plates were clean come the end, and that speaks reams. We had booked just on the cusp of the theatre goers leaving, so the restaurant was quiet and relaxed. A lovely evening and great meal, and all agreed, we’d had a good day. The Cote Brasserie finished it off for us beautifully. Huge thanks Cotes.

The prix fixe is a good deal (for London), This location gets packed full of theater goers and service can get slow,

3rd September. Good seating position by door for four people . As regular diners at the Canterbury branch we were very disappointed with the experience here at this branch. Whitebait was majorly over cooked ( in fact very little fish remaining) The other main meals which I thought should be the same at all branches just wasn’t up to the standard. Wine waiter was good but waiting staff not so. . Also bottled water grossly expensive and warm the wine waiter did however bring us ice in a glass. .would have thought at the very least the whitebait should hve been knocked off the bill

Gristly steaks very disappointing. Followed up with e mail but totally ignored hence this poor review. This is situated in the West End for goodness sake people here from all over the world. Come on Cote ACT now !! RESOLVED SATISFACTORILY & WE WILL BE GOING BACK AGAIN. WELL DONE COTE.

Always great service and food. Highly recommended.

Can hardly believe that in such a full restaurant the food and service was just as we always experience at our local cote here in Marlow.

Booked pre theatre supper here a couple of weeks back so was surprised somewhat to be shown downstairs to ‘our table. Yes it was busy as to be expected on a Saturday but not sure what the criteria is to be able to secure a ground floor table. As usual, our food was very agreeable, we had four different main courses, duck, salmon, fish pie and chicken salad. Chocolate fondant and chocolate salted caramel tart for dessert went down a treat. I think the portion sizes are a tad smaller than they used to be but that’s probably not a bad thing. What is a bad thing though is the overcharging on our bill. Two carafes of wine instead of two glasses, made quite a hefty difference. The explanation given was a change the buttons on the till. I have to say our server was effecient, and very polite, he was working mainly on his own and very apologetic when told of the error for which he quickly rectified. We’ve always been great supporters of the Cote chain, but have come away this evening slightly uncomfortable about our experience at St Martins Lane.

Our second visit to a Cote in a week and our first in London. The atmosphere was a bit more hectic than our Cote in Edinburgh and this impacted on service and atmosphere, but fortunately the food/wine was excellent. My partner had the Fish Parmentier which she thought was great, while I had the superb Confit Duck A L'Orange. Both meals were also accompanied by an excellent green salad which really set both meals off. With our meals we both had Longue Roche white wines which also were a great accompaniment to our tasty shared Cheese Board with four cheeses.

A superb breakfast in nice surroundings. We had the cooked set breakfast and were very impressed. Staff were friendly and efficient and the prices very good.

One of the Best Restaurants in London, for Sure!!!

Myself and my friend arrived feeling hungry after a long walk and looking forward to a tasty French meal. It is a lovely restaurant with pleasant and efficient staff. I ordered Fish Parmentier from the main menu and was presented with the tiniest, shallowest of dishes I have ever seen as a main meal. This was disappointing and certainly did not warrant the pretty steep price. You need to do better than this Côte to secure return visits from your customers.

Arrived at 17:12pm .. were served 3 courses, drinks , used the bathroom and out by 17:55pm. They have a children's menu but if you're one adult with 2 kids I expect like us they will want you in and out. Been to this cote many times with adult friends and never had this happen, when we are ordering lots of drinks to go with the meal.. Food was good and value for money as always.. but the speed our courses were turned around in and how quickly the table was cleared made us feel very unwelcome. Won't be visiting with my grandchildren again any time soon.. 43minutes must be an all time record.

Often use Cote where ever we are as you can be assured of great food and service. Cote St Martin's is just as good. Friendly efficient service, great food, spatious restaurant and in the heart of the West End. It was my wife's birthday and we visited Cote ahead of the theatre. They kindly gave us 2 complimentary Kir Royales, which was a lovely gesture. Highly recommended.

Very busy but very professional. Great food good service

Great value prix fixe menu. Fantastic for pre-theatre dining. Friendly, attentive service.

Me and my friend came in on Wednesday evening without a reservation. The lovely Asian lady on the door managed to find us a table - we were rushing to go to the theatre ad were in and out withing 50 minutes. Great service and a happy team even though they were super busy.

As a senior entertainment and hospitality manager of 40 years standing I have brought thousands of people to Cote Martin’s Lane because I know from experience that they won’t let my diners down. Sofia, Natalia and the entire team at Cote Martins Lane are amongst the most efficient, polite warm and friendly people working in the industry, and they are rightly praised by all the guests I send here. My visit today was excellent as always- the warmest welcome, attentive service, great food and drink and a special atmosphere- five stars all round! 🥂

The hostess, Sofia who on as a hostess now as I type at 16:45 is the rudest women and incredibly hostile. I gave my name and arrival time of 17:15 I was early so thought I'd have a drink first as it is never fully seated at this time, I was answered sharply with we are fully booked we're always fully booked. To which I replied yes, but when I come in at this time there are always seats so coming in earlier isn't an issue. She then asked me twice if I booked the right venue because she couldn't find my name, I spelt it twice, then without apology said she found it because she was looking at quarter to five even though I said five fifteen. She should be serving steak with the chip she had on her shoulder. Its a disgrace to walk in , do no wrong and be 'greeted with an attitude. I want a reply to this.

Pretty average - they took one of our meals off the bill because this was what the avocado on toast looked like... They replaced it but the second version was no better. Lots of much better places to eat in the area in my opinion.

We visited this branch as we love a Cote and it was just what we needed after a long day in London. Food was delicious as always and from the front of house staff, to the waiter to the manager (special mention Natalia! 👋🏻) everyone gave the best customer service experience. We will return, thanks!

Great food, great value every time.

Have been here a few times and unfortunately tonight the service was disappointing. My main course arrived and was not what was ordered - wrong vegetables and no sauce. Rather than take the plate away, it was left in front of me for almost 10 minutes. The food got cold and when I asked for an update the waiter said angrily he had “been in the kitchen 3 times” following up for me. Not ok !

Cheap-ish pre theatre food. Always fast service. We went round the corner for pudding because something in the restaurant didn't smell right. Probably on someone's shoe... yuck! We told them as we left and although they seemed to get it, what could they do?

Can’t complain. A very reasonably priced minute steak frites for a pre-theatre meal. Prompt, good service and comfortable.

Had lunch with my husband and a friend. Husband had rather a small Confit of Duck. Fortunately he has a small appetite. Our friend ordered the Salmon dish and we were all alarmed at the small portion. Looked rather like a largish Fish Finger. When it was mentioned to 2 waitresses it was shrugged off and not taken seriously. We really should have asked to see the manager. Unfortunately you have lost 2 regular customers.

Very good food and wine selection. The duck in orange sauce as well as the pre fixe steak (up grade to the sirloin well worth it) were delicious. Moules Frites were good but sauce could have had a bit more wine added to make it exceptional. The crepe with cherries was nothing exceptional - just a dab of cherry compote and chocolate sauce ( I should have tried the cheese plate) but the chocolate mouse was good. House Cabernet was very good. Service was excellent and very friendly.

Cozy and busy ambience and interior. The Camembert appetizer was well made. The tenderloin steak was very good and tasty.

Visited with friends before a performance nearby. We all had different meals (Pork belly, fish pie to name two) all said the food was good and presented well. If we had one criticism as a party it was that the portions are not that big and certainly smaller, then some nearby establishments we have used. The deserts are also very limited in choice so in my opinion is part of the menu I think could be improved. In saying that the desserts chosen were very good, The prices are about the same as nearby restaurants overall and the staff very friendly and attentive. I would certainly try the restaurant again if in the area.

We needed a place to go that was relatively quick and this was perfect. I loved my food, my mustard dressing made the salad so good! Our waiter checked on us and our food came pretty quickly. The restaurant was very cute and they gave me candles, ice cream, and sang for my birthday.

Very conveniently situated near to Trafalgar Square, this is one of my favorite restaurants to visit when I'm in Central London. The Set Lunch is good value at £18.50 for 2 courses and £22.50 for 3 courses.I had the Charcuterie Board as a starter, Seabass for my main & Ice Cream & Sorbet for dessert, accompanied by a large glass of Rose wine and a flat white coffee. All the food was excellent - well cooked & beautifully presented. The waitress who served me was Sylvia and she was excellent. Some people may find it daunting to go into a restaurant on their own for a meal but Sylvia was very friendly, welcoming & attentive. Other staff stopped by my table to say hello & check that everything was alright. Well done to them all.

As always Cote delivered. Friendly helpful staff, quick service, excellent food at a great price. One of the few places that make you feel welcome if you're on your own.

Great food, exceptional service from Patrick!

Not as good as other Cote we have eaten in. Tuna Nicoise had just 1 potato and one egg, very small portion.

Booked the table online the day before as we went to the theatre for a matinee. Had a nice seat by the window for people watching. Service was very good and nicely paced. Husband had his usual (French Onion soup and moulles and frites!) - it's what he goes there for! Nice and not too busy.

Nice setting, good menu options, good food and service

Excellent food and service. Particularly liked having a cheese board where you can choose which cheeses you want (with a great choice too!). Not over-priced for central location.

Great experience! We were looking for a place to grab a bite after a show at Noel Theatre and the brasserie was amazing, served us till 11 and had great wine, good food and amazing service!

We booked for an early, pre-theatre meal. The restaurant was bustling without feeling crowded. The service was fast and efficient. My bacon and egg salad and grilled chicken in mushroom sauce were delicious. The Merlot was smooth and very drinkable.

Charming French restaurant that offers a delightful dining experience and attentive service.

It was busy for dinner, but service was excellent. One of the best spots I ate in London during my trip

I went because they had gluten-free food on offer, because my partner has celiac disease. So it met those expectations but the quality of the food is not very good either. Acceptable.

I came to try sweets and coffee, and it was a nice experience

Reliable as ever and a new menu to boot. Handy as a pre-theatre stop. Fresh food and quick service on our last visit.

Horrible service. The service is very, very bad, and when I asked for the service fee to be removed from the bill, Twitter misled us with what it said 👎 The cream caramel is good, but I will not return it.

Lovely brunch. Good food and service.

You can have a wonderful breakfast here. There are milk alternatives such as oat milk and vegetarian and vegan options. Service very attentive 😃

Excellent gluten-free menu. Great service and food. Only downside is noise.

Ate there 2x for dinner during a recent visit. Food is well prepared and served promptly. Decent (but not over sized) portions. Staff stands out...Friendly, professional and there when you need them. Above all, fair pricing makes this a "go to" place for us.

The waiter was very rude when i told him i want to sit outside he was talking to me in a rude way and in a degrading manner i told him he was being rude for not even setting us in a table he told me i was being rude for demanding a table. This is very unacceptable service behavior.

It was a lovely meal and a nice atmosphere also the staff are lovely

Lovely meal had at this restaurant

Cote continues to deliver good food, good service and enjoyable places to eat - all at good value for money - keep it up please!

The onion soup is great, even better than the one in France~

Dropped in for a coffee. Pleasant and quick service.

Côte used to be a good chain restaurant where you would expect good quality tasty food. Our last experience was disappointing. Set menu provided good value for money price however my sea bass was very very basic with sauce out of a packet rather than cooked from scratch.

This was the most wonderful dining experience that we’ve had so far in London. Our server, Frank, was amazing and he was so kind. The food was absolutely delicious. For me, the absolute highlight was the way that this restaurant deals with food allergies. They asked me if I had any food allergies as they seated us, and when I replied that I do, they brought over a tablet that listed all of the ingredients used in each recipe, and further broke down the ingredients for the ingredients to the ingredients, for example, all of the ingredients of vegetable stock that they use in their recipes were listed. The impact of this had me so happy, comfortable, and confident that my meal was completely allergen free 😊 highly recommend this restaurant!

Good food, very attentive customer service and a very good atmosphere.

Great place, excellent service, even though there were two large parties of 10 or more. Wine was corked but no issues they replaced it right away. Food was done as it should be. Great desserts. Highly recommend.

Came here tonight with my mum for some food and was delightful. The service was incredible and very accommodating- I’m gluten free and dairy free and was informed about what was in the dishes that could be changed which was really appreciated. Adam was so so lovely and great craic. Our meals came out in great time and were delicious. Thank you again! Highly recommend :)

Unbearably hot restaurant, two items we tried to order were unavailable, main courses were really not warm enough. Disappointing as other Côte's have been much better.

As well as the really great food, the service was excellent. Cote stands out for mature, professional, warm and courteous service. It's quite unique compared to other chains.

One's of the best restaurants in London in my opinion 👌

Other than London prices, we had a good meal, friendly staff, good IPA.

I’ve been dining at Cote Restuarant’s for about 12 years plus and I feel it has lost it’s edge. The tables are to close together, which doesn’t create a intimate dinning experience. detracts from creating pleasant. It’s more of canteen feeling.

For good food, good service, and an authentic French feel, look no further than Côte St Martin's Lane. I would suggest booking, especially at the weekend, but it is worth it.

A little slow service great place very good food

I had pre booked table for our group of 7 ladies as we had tickets nearby theatre matinee performance, arriving at restaurant greeted by friendly staff showed us to our table, staff quickly noticed one place setting missing , rectified immediately, the male staff who served us friendly, polite, happy to take our group photo, the food excellent, thank you to everyone at Cote St Martins Lane

I’m usually a picky person about food.. but that place has such nice food!! I’m impressed. And the price is very good for the quality!

Lovely lunch. Great central location. Fitted us in without a booking. Tuna Salad and steak were perfect.

Very nice, good food, simple but tasty, excellent service, thank you

Unfortunately, when I tried onion soup, it turned out to contain alcohol I tried the sweet beetroot salad, I loved the beetroot with pistachios The cream is a sweet caramel similar to Almarai cream caramel 😁

Difficulty throughout. Greeter couldn’t trace our booking. Inordinate delay in producing tarte tatin. Tarte tatin seems to have deteriorated in quality. Friendly but detached service. Prices still acceptable though.

We went to the restaurant as a group and we pre-ordered the food. The middle of the tuna was not cooked ,it was raw,even though I mentioned it needed to be well done. I complained about it to one of the waitresses and she brought back the food to the kitchen, so the chef can fix the issue but when I received the fish, it was still not cooked properly.

Pre-theatre meal of tartiflette and a glass of wine was delicious and served in a timely manner

We ate after Saturday show. The service was fast and friendly without feeling rushed. The food was good and reasonable priced. I would recommend to eat here before a show because of the speedy service.

Good food and service. One of my favourite restaurants.

Always good food and a nice atmosphere. A chain that isn't like a chain. Which is nice.

Met my 2 friends for a chat on Friday as I haven't seen Lisa since 2017 so very place 👍

Went for our 33rd wedding anniversary on 16 Feb, but the occasion was spoiled by a thoroughly nasty manager who threw a childish tantrum on the night - as it appears from recent reviews she has done to other customers and even her own staff. Fortunately the Cote cuisine was as good as always, but the event was spoiled by this awful person who should not be fronting Cote St Martins. Get rid!

A very busy restaurant a stones throw from Covent Garden and a few theatres. Food was amazing and good portions but at a fairly expensive price. French Onion soup was to die for and Steak was cooked just how we liked it. Somethings had sold out? Gluten free avalible! BOOKING IS A MUST! Was happy with the quality of service but when it came down to allergens waiters seemed clueless... thrown a tablet to check our selves and not too bothered/seems to have forgotten even after we said. Nevertheless would return and recommend for anyone looking for a french restaurant in the city

Lovely food and great service . Buzzing that night

This says it's accessible but it isn't! I rang because there is a step in and was told there isn't a ramp. ! Nearly 30 years since legislation legally obliging venues and restaurants to make reasonable adjustments. Disgraceful

Good food but service was badly lacking. e.g. Kids meal says "choose a main and a side." We chose "steak frites" but couldn't get a side of broccoli with that because the frites (seemingly an intégral part of the main menu item) was already considered a side. Manager's explanation "the steak-frites on the kids menu is new." 🤷🏻‍♀️ Broccoli still don't appear. Overcharged initially on the bill; we spot that and it gets corrected. Then, when paying our bill of £63, one person pays £33 and the second person (me) fortunately spots that they've charged me for £36. It takes longer than it really should - and for another manager to come over - before they cancel that transaction and charge me the remaining £30. That said, the weekday prix fixe and the kids menu is really well priced, tasty and with good options so I will be back to a Côte soon, just not this one.