Côte Henley on Thames in South Oxfordshire

I tend to like Cote whenever I go. This one has a particularly nice interior & I’ve always found the team here to be exceptionally welcoming. The breakfast complet is exceptional value.

First visit to this restaurant. Great staff and great food! Will be visiting again. Six year old grandson eat all his lunch - which was welcomed as we all had a great time. Wish we had found this brand earlier.

We decided to visit Cote on last sunday. Arrived around 5PM. Based on good rewievs. Inside out of around 10-11 tables two were occupied. So not very busy. Inside 4 waiters slowly walking around. We ordered meals. Waiter very chatty but at cost of attention of our orders. Ordered 2 dish deals. Portions bit small for a price and very long waiting time. Bear in mind that it wasn`t a peak time. Plus we got our meals and drinks. But we never got our ordered dessert. After over an hour all together, we called a waiter. And she brought a bill without even mention missed dish.... It was not a pleasant visit, not very keen to tip, for obvious reason. But find out that service is already added to the bill. Rather dissapointing experience.

Great atmosphere, lovely staff would definitely visit again :)

In February I went to celebrate my husband's birthday with our family - my son, his wife and three children, 11, 9 and 7 - and my daughter and her husband and two children, 4 and 5 months. I had booked the room at the back of the restaurant which seats 12 and was perfect for us. Two of the children and my daughter-in-law require gluten free food which was one of the main reasons for booking at Cote, and the choice was very good. In fact, the 11 year old said he could not believe such a lovely restarant catered for gluten free food. The whole experience was superb, enhanced by Leonie, who could not have been more helpful or accommodating. She actually made our day an event to remember. I would certainly recommend coming especially to make use of the room we booked if accompanied by children. Our grandchildren would agree and, apart from the baby of course, all said they had a great time.

Went with my partner and friends for my birthday. Both my and my partners French onion starter soup was tepid at best, just above cold. The mains, first the dried chicken arrived on a plate, 5 mins later vegetables later followed by the potatoes another 5 minutes later, after we had to ask for them, we had to send back to get it warmed up. At £250 for 4 people very disappointing.

Pleasant lunch Food not great but okay

Lovely brunch Especially considering we were a group of 15. Great value. Leonie and her team could not have done enough for us. Thank you

Came for coffee and something sweet, really great place , had a nice window seat ,great service .

Another delicious meal at Cote in Henley, amazing staff, great food my local go to place Every dish that we have had from here has been excellent. Yesterday I chose the fish with white wine leek.so good Normally I go straight for the moules but I’m trying different dishes and so far there all excellent I highly recommend for the food ambience and service

I visited yesterday afternoon with my family. Staff were very helpful and food was good. Recommended

It was great. Great time, great food, confit pork belly was delicious, great service thank you Grace and Rūta.

Nice place and good food but they just can’t cope with lots of people. Half-term, kitchen backed up following an hour’s wait for food. We cancelled order and took two children to another restaurant.

Service was slow, despite it being quite and plenty of staff. but food was delicious

I went there on Saturday for dinner with my family and staff and atmosphere were amazing. I waited more than 1 hour for my food, but this is not the problem. I ordered for myself tartare steak which I pass to a family member and I started to eat the steak that I ordered for my toddler with chips . After 2 days I was diagnosed with food poisoning from this steak ! I’m really happy my child didn’t eat it and I did . To all the people that order for their kids BE CAREFUL what you order for them it can be dangerous .

My partner and I enjoyed a delicious breakfast here during our visit to Henley-on-Thames. There was a great selection of gluten free options, and very little waiting time- perfect!

+ Good food although on a few occasions the breakfast (egg royale) wasn't great + Lovely wine + Good service + Lovely place + Good value

Lovely service but the food is unfortunately lacking. Chewy calamari (taken off the bill when mentioned), very dry burgers in slippery buns, ultra dry dauphinoise. We have been to several Côte brasserie and the standard of the food is just not good enough here. The service is faultless but would you go back to a place where people are lovely but the food not quite right? No, we wouldn't either.

Lovely lunch on New Year's Eve. Relaxed, comfortable and the food was overall delicious.

5*+ What a place. Excellent food, service and ambience. We arrived to be greeted at the door by two helpful members of staff. Could choose where we wanted to sit. Attention throughout, good advice on food and wine. Excellent attentive service. Thank you

Very impressed. The whole experience was very good indeed. I thought this Restaurant was so much better than the Cotes we have experienced in London. Good Service from all staff. Food presented well and tasted good. Excellent for the price. Space between tables and booths. Especially worth comment is the ambience. On a Friday lunchtime there were groups of 2-4-6- well dressed smart people who knew a good deal from years of experience.

We visited last night (New Years Eve) and had a fabulous time and festive menu. Our waitress "Leonie" was absolutely fabulous she was so funny and attentive to every detail. We will be seeing Cote Brassiere again frequently in 2025!!

So consistent, fast and good value fixed menu

Monday 23 December. Took our granddaughter for brunch. 3 meals arrived lukewarm. I complained to the manageress, I had to get up out of my seat to do this as she avoided me. She said she would replace. Next 3 breakfasts came and exactly the same. She was not engaged in her role. Cost of breakfast removed, no offer of complimentary drink. She couldn’t wait for us to go. I have subsequently heard that a number of Henley residents have experienced the same. A lot of competition in this town. She needs to be retrained in customer service and the food should not be left hanging around. Restaurant half full.

Food was ok , not amazing for the extortionate price. Service good

I love to come here to work and treat myself to something delicious to eat, but it is also my favourite place to meet friends as my dog is always made so welcome and I love sitting near the blazing fire in this cold weather.

Super Christmas eve brunch. Staff were wonderful, food delicious

The food was lovely, and the menu had a wide choice of delish meals to choose from, which we'd be happy to come back and try. Leoni our server really made our evening. Her interactions with the kids kept them entertained and her rapport with our whole table made us feel like valued customers.

The food and waiting staff were good. Our evening was spoilt by the surly host/manager. We had booked the table for an early dinner and arrived at 17.15. The restaurant only had a few customers. We asked if we could have a larger table than the small one offered and were told 'no' we were offered another table which again was small and asked again and were told 'we have 100 bookings tonight' (Monday night in early December.) Reluctantly we accepted the table which was too small for the meal we had the moules had two side bowls. We noticed that at least three other tables (for three or four) had only two diners seated at them. The same host seated two rather loud people right next to us on a table for four who only wanted coffee and messed up our drinks order - serving two glasses of red rather than a red and a white wine..... Furthermore by the time we left - about 7.30 - there were at least 7 other tables which had no one seated at them. So obviously we were not told the truth which really disappointed us and spoilt what would have otherwise been a nice early evening supper. Rather than stay for a dessert and coffee or another glass of wine we decided to leave and find somewhere else so obviously not a sensible commercial decision on the part of the host/manager. We told her what we thought when we left but she denied that she has misinformed us. Such a shame.

Tasty breakfast at a decent price.

The staff were very helpful and attentive and the food was amazing, particularly the chicken liver parfait and sea bass. They made my birthday feel very special and we will certainly visit again.

We arrived without a reservation on a busy Henley Christmas Festival night, fully aware that securing a table might be a challenge. However, Ruta was absolutely wonderful. She greeted us warmly, acknowledged the restaurant’s busy state, and still managed to find us a great table. Throughout the evening, all the staff were friendly and attentive, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience. We had a fantastic time and will definitely be back. Thank you Ruta.

Normally excellent, perhaps an off day in the kitchen, or the cost-of-living crisis has caught up. We will go back, and re-assess. FoH still top drawer, although there was a scary concierge. She barked at us when we clearly didn't want to sit next to the wide open front door. We laughed afterwards, but cowed, still sat by the open front door, which was beyond breezy. Little things, ordered bread; no sideplates and had to air-butter. Wine glass had lip marks; asked for another which arrived still unpolished. Crab rarebit starter was 70pence worth of ingredients, but cost £12. Forgiven if it was awesome, which it was not. Ribeye med-rare, was dry, no flavour, clearly a sad cow, not allowed to lay on fat, and not hung sufficiently long enough. Pot of bearnaise sauce was barely a table spoon, served with a crusty skin and cost £2.50. Truffle chips were good at the top, but the serving pot had 5 desert spoons of oil sat in the bottom (measured as I bailed it out), so half of the fries were saturated. Minute steak was badly butchered, and nearly a third was gristle, sinew and the unpleasant kind of fat. 6th or 7th visit to this branch, and every time before they've been amazing. Something has changed. Please unchange it.

So glad we went here for breakfast. All the wait staff were super professional and polite. The breakfast deal was great and super tasty. Definitely will consider Cotes in other locations for a breakfast or brunch.

An amazing breakfast with great service!

Delicious food, but quite pricey.

We would like to congratulate you to your new restaurant manager Leoni, we met her yesterday afternoon on the 9th November 2024, she is such an effort to your business. She made the extra mile not only with us. Thank you Sari&Philip

Live music from Jason Stretch was perfect. Will definitely come back for that!

We were welcomed by Ollie and seated in a window seat, he was kind, attentive and professional. Our drinks were ordered and arrived quickly. We just wanted a quick lunch and my guest chose Salmon, I chose a House salad. Both were top quality and the waitress was friendly, efficient and also attentive. This turned out to be a really good experience and everything was RIGHT. I can recommend the team here very highly - THANKS.

Delicious simple French style food. Friendly and attentive service. I drank too much and told off by my wife. Will come again.

Lovely restaurant and warm welcome from the manager Leonie and her team.

Drinks were lovely, service and atmosphere great and the food was ok.

First time for us,with family. Very noisy table next to us celebrating. Had steak frites, not the best and a bit pricey.

Very average breakfast tbh , not to be recommended!

Food was very poor, steaks were overcooked and cassoulet beans were undercooked

It was nice to have a vegan breakfast although the portions of everything were very small. A tiny thimble full of beans for example. Service also quite slow when it wasn't very busy. Pleasant visit though and reasonable price.

A lovely setting friendly staff and great menu choice

We ordered pasta , baguette, icecteams , first thing the food came after 25 mins the food we ordered is just kids menu , the ambience is so dead that even you’re a lively person , you’ll be cold being there !! I’m not gonna go ever !!! Such terrible place

Ate at this restaurant on a busy Saturday and luckily got a nice table by the window. It was quite busy but the staff were charming and efficient. We had the set meals which were very nice but we would have liked some vegetables even frozen peas would've been nice. Otherwise it was an enjoyable occasion with my lovely friends going back 50 years.

Our waiter Simon was amazing, welcomed us at the door and took us over to our table. We were celebrating our anniversary and he made the night very special ! Amazing service and outstanding knowledge of the menu, he ensured that our dishes were cooked how we liked and ensured that our glasses were never empty ! I will definitely be attending again, amazing location as well in the centre of the town not a far distance from the river for lovely evening walks and nearby to local stores.

Not as nice and experience as our previous Côte meal in Canterbury

Food good as always, service a little lacking - slightly slow on this visit.

Staff were really lovely and it's a nice setting, but the food wasn't up to usual standards, but have noticed this at other sites recently so maybe it's a produce issue

Although the full English was trying too hard to be something more than it needed to be, the service more than made up for it. I can't remember being served by such a joyful soul who was both prompt and attentive. Will definitely be back soon. It was also one of the best deals money wise, inc a deal for drinks was around £14

We had an amazing time at this Cote today. It was almost fully booked, so really thankful to the staff for accommodating us. Very nice people and welcoming. Food was really good. We loved it there. Btw perfect place to go with kids, they had a really warm atmosphere.

Best Tarte Tartin I've had in years. The staff were excellent, having worked in the hospitality industry it's always good to see such efficient well trained staff

Great team work Cote - couldn't fault the welcome, service or the food. Lovely dining experience 👌

We've been to Cote a number of times, though this was 1st time in Henley and my wife & I agreed it was the best visit yet to a Cote restaurant.

We have been going to this Cote, and others for some years now, and liked pretty much everything that they've done. We've been to several in London, Oxford, Reading, and very recently Winchester. Something awful has happened - it's almost like there has been a takeover by accountants - the food quality has plummeted to the not-really-worth eating. The staff are still sweet, but they must be worried - We ate there just last Tuesday and had two very poor ratatouilles, one abysmal tuna Nicoise and a mediocre Breton fish stew. With three desserts, one bottle of water and a tip, it was £105 for four people, which would be reasonable for worth-eating food, and was utterly unjustified for this meal. If this were the first slip up, it could be forgiven as an off night - but we were at Winchester recently and the ratatouille there was also awful, and comped off the bill, and the chicken was returned to the kitchen for another try. Maybe, between the different types of meal, the take away to eat at home and the heavy marketing, they're trying too hard without paying attention in the kitchen. Until something changes, Cote is off the list of places to patronise.

We went for an evening meal. Initially it was all OK then the service dropped off a cliff!

Lovely place and really nice food.

I wished I had tried it days previously. Absolutely fantastic service atmosphere and the food is unbelievable. Head and shoulders above others in the area within a similar price bracket but so much better quality and value for money. 5 star service from Leonie and Simon.

Given time to peruse menu. Not rushed through meal or dessert. Time to catch up with friends in a clean and welcoming cote in Henley. Served by a very friendly Josh. Been before and will definitely be back again too.

My friend and I went for lunch today. Fortunately the meal was served in large bowls as my friend, to our horror, was suddenly unwell and had to be ill into the bowl. I told a staff member quietly what had happened and we were immediately shown to the disabled toilet for my friend to recover. This was so thoughtful as we'd have been uncomfortable in the ladies if others were present. When we came back the staff removed the bowl and were so discrete. They did not charge for the spoilt meal and were extremely professional throughout. The food was actually really good and I thank the staff for their kindness today. Great service in a horrid situation.

As usual, a warm welcome from the team at Cote. An unhurried experience so that we could enjoy the meal in our own time.

Really lovely place, great atmosphere and food was extremely good value for money. Would recommend……5*

We had a lovely family dinner here (2 adults, 3 children, 1 baby in highchair). The staff were very accommodating and found us a large table in an alcove. The food was excellent as was the service. The he restaurant is also in prime position in the centre of Henley. Would highly recommend.

Lovely friendly restaurant with the wonderful new manager Leonie. She is an asset to the place friendly caring and customer ficused

Lovely service and food. Love it here!

Very, very nice place. We had the champagne breakfast on the Saturday which was lovely. I had the gardeners Breakfast, Sis had a cooked breakfast excellent value for money at approx £22.00. We enoyed our breakfast and good service; be it a little slow when waiting for the bill, we returned on the Sunday. We can only assume, it was a different chef, because something had changed. The both plates were a smaller, the ramekin the beans were in was smaller, the tomatoes had been taken off the vine, because they would have been too big on the plate if left vined; unlike yesterdays, everything was smaller, but equally as tasty.. Hence the 1 star removed. Service again was very good. I would 100% recommend here for breakfast. Very good value for money.

This has to be the best gluten free menu we have ever come across, bravo! Overall food and customer service was second to none.

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and good food

Breakfast meal was smashed avocado with tomatoes - very disappointing, not recommended, avocado so thinly spread on tiny pieces of bread that you’re not able to taste it. I have usually avocado type breakfast in restaurants and this was the worst experience.

Not a traditional English venue

Very nice food and friendly helpful staff.

We had the best family celebratory meal! Extremely welcoming and attentive staff and we will be back soon!

Excellent can't wait to go again

A large party of us (11) were trying to find somewhere to eat on a busy Henley Royal Regatta evening. Cote were very helpful and after a short wait they were able to seat us. The service was good and the food was far better than I had been expecting from a chain like this. Thoroughly recommend.

Wasn't overly excited about a visit to Cote but the team running this outlet were superb. They work like a team and were slick, efficient, customer focussed and smiley. The food was great and this was a Sunday evening at the end of Henley Regatta week when they have no doubt work long and arduous shifts - congrats on providing a great dinner.

Superb food, great atmosphere and value for money

Excellent restaurant. Friendly staff. Good menu I had the cheese souffle and Mushroom Bourginon which were delicious followed by a selection of 4 cheeses. The sassy rose cider is highly recommended.

Below the average Cote standard. 5 tables and 5 waiters but food still comes barely warm. So either chef doesn't know what he/she is doing or they don't. Either way the customer pays the price. Disappointment in general.

Great Cote breakfast Altho not a fan of the beans

We came for a lunch with some friends and I would like to say that it was absolutely perfect. Lovely ambience and different to other Cotes. It was definitely worth visiting Cote Henley and I would like to thanks Ruta for arranging this for me! Couldn't really catch the names of our servers as there were several but they were all lovely and checking on us from time to time! Cheers!!

Always very nice staff and good food. The live music makes a lovely atmosphere at dinner

Always great to just pop in. Lovely coffee. Great atmosphere. Service was really good, I was checked on several times. Really can't fault it.

Lovely breakfast and helpful staff.

From arrival to departure the staff were amazing - it was a double celebration of birthday / anniversary and we were offered cocktails on the house, which was so lovely. All of the people who waited our table were brilliant, extremely friendly, helpful and really made our experience - it was our 2nd visit to Côte Henley and we are visiting again in a few weeks.. in a word… “ fabulous” thank you ! 🙏

Overall a disappointing dining experience. We were a family of 10 meeting up from all corners of the UK plus from Australia. We had to ask twice to order drinks. The main course (no one ordered starters) took 1.5 hours to come out. We asked twice in this time when would we get served. Four of our party ordered well after the others as they arrived later. Their meals came out first and on enquiring where the rest of meals were the waiter apologised and said the order had been lost! We were not asked if anyone had any allergies. We were not asked at any point if everything was ok or if we wanted desert or coffee. Overall Food is average Customer service sadly lacking.

It was a very relaxed atmosphere, a friendly team and a great selection (I'm a pescatarian). The food came fast enough that we were not made to feel like we were being rushed or neglected. Very clean and lovely food. Location fab too. Would recommend.

Ordered a ribeye steak. Was quite thin and over cooked.

We thought this Cote was exceptional we booked a table for 7pm & we welcomed & seated very swiftly.There was a musician playin the guitar & singing I was concerned that my husband would moan but we both really enjoyed it!The waitress was extremely pleasant not over the top very helpful in a natural way.The food was very tasty & never disappointing....all in all lovely evening thank you

This is our local brunch place. Perfectly pleasant.

Zimon was excellent really welcoming and knowledgeable about the menu! Really enjoyed our evening thank you

Great starter as a lunch. Delicious.

Food was ok off set meal menu.. Service was ok until we asked for a steak to be cooked a certain way which the reply was only one way as it was the set meal! Then when trying for the bill took ages so friends left as they had to get train so left cash only to be told we don’t accept cash ( not mentioned ) Ridiculous staff so under trained & no idea how to converse wasn’t that busy not sure why bill took 25mins to arrive. Lazy lazy lazy Bad management.

Live music. Lovely food. Sensible prices

Thanks for doing so well today, especially the manager who sorted things out for us. Looking forward to our next visit.

Great service, good food, wonderful live music.

Love this Restaurant! Had Breakfast in the charming courtyard. The service was exceptional and the French Breakfast was delicious. Would highly recommend