Côte Royal Festival Hall

Very busy so service too slow . Waited 50 minutes for even wine and water to arrive but staff aware and took wine off the bill at the end. Food fine and good value. Staff pleasant and working very hard just rushed off their feet.

Advertised as a preshow menu, the meal was unhurried because of the efficient and attentive staff. A very pleasent early evening. Will be returning soon.

Food was good; atmosphere and service are far better than at other Côtes (Barbican).

We had an excellent dinner, from the good value early evening set menu. Roast cod with ratatouille was particularly good, but everything was tasty, and there’s a decent selection of wines, many by the glass. Service was friendly and efficient. Environment is comfortable and smart, though a bit noisy when the restaurant is full.

I have been dining at Cote Restaurants all across the country for the better part of 5 years, and have always found the service and staff to be highly professional and personable. However; it has to be said that on my most recent visit to the one at Royal Festival Hall, my expectations were hugely surpassed! I took along a couple of friends who were visiting from overseas on this visit, as they hadn't had any home cooked food for quite some time. We were warmly welcomed by the manager Halo who sat us at a wonderful table he stated was “the best one in the house”, and he wasn’t wrong. Not long after we were sat, a young lady brought over Kir Royal cocktails. I mentioned to her that we hadn't ordered them, and she informed us that it was to help us celebrate our "good news". Somewhat surprised, my friend asked the Manager, and he said that he overheard us talking, as he was seating another table. He then told us that one of the Kir Royals was made with lemonade (so that the lady could partake in the celebratory toast) Talk about being aware of your guests...WOW! When it came to ordering our food I enquired about the free cocktail as mentioned in the promotional email but hadn't realised I was meant to ask for that in advance when booking but Halo was more than happy to let us have them as part of the promotion. We were thrilled with him doing this for us and it made the occasion more special. The cocktails were absolutely lovely (again one was made non-alcoholic) with a terrific zesty tart twist to them I hadn't had something with a rhubarb flavour for years! The atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxed, and although it was filled to capacity, it didn't appear un-managed, and my friends couldn't stop commenting on how amazing and vibrant it all was. I was so proud of my decision to bring them here. The Manager checked in on us periodically throughout the afternoon to ensure we were happy with everything. His warmth and friendliness just shone through and the level of service we received from him and the other members of staff was above and beyond what we would expect. The food on this occasion really hit the spot with us and was an added bonus to a great day with friends. Please pass on our thanks to Halo for a fantastic afternoon! It was brilliant, and we look forward to returning and once again being a recipient of his exceptional service, and we’ll be sure to bring the "new arrival" with us. Warmest regards Oilibhéar

Been to other branches but first time here. Comfortable and relaxed room but draughty - we had to ask for the door to be closed. Food standard Cote fare: good chicken liver parfait, poulet grille tasty but not very hot and the portion size of the potato seems to carry on shrinking. The creme caramel lovely as always. No deal on offer so seemed a bit pricey overall. Staff sweet but service very slow.

A really lovely restaurant with great food and wine and very helpful staff Good atmosphere and the ambience is not ruined by excessive noise and music

Good location in the railway arches on southbank. Standard core fare which is always good and something for all ages. Staff of seemingly all London chains slightly undertrained , careless and overstretched. But overall not bad and a reasonable price.

Love Cote - don't want to have to review it every time I eat there though.

This branch is always busy but it feels quite stressful and chaotic. It was the same on a previous occasion. The waiters are pleasant and efficient but it was a long wait and I had to leave half my food to rush off as I was performing in a concert at the Festival Hall. The manager is rather offhand and unwelcoming . It doesn’t compare with other Cote Branches unfortunately.

I am delighted that you can rely on Côte not to devalue their product offering over time, unlike other food outlets. However, I booked over a week ago and was slightly disappointed that the table we were given was at the back of the restaurant, in the 'cavern', rather than at the better-lit front which was empty at the time. In this particular case, the 'cavern' was not very well ventilated and we all came out with our clothes smelling of cooking! Other than that, well serviced, but the waiter was not up to speed with current drinks requirements and the request for cucumber instead of lemon in a Gin-and-tonic rather threw him! Now, why have you put 'out-of-6' stars as an option when 5 is usually the norm? I'll still give you 4. Is that so you still get 5-star reviews??

Extremely good as usual apart from the fact that my companion's goats cheese salad had huge chunks of vegetables which marred her enjoyment.

It was a wonderful meal with super-service all round ! The food was truly amazing. The beef tartare, prepared with cognac was outstanding, accompanied with beautifully toasted bread. We couldn't have prepared that any better - pure delight. My mom had the duck which she loved and I had the Breton Fish Stew which was a total highlight. Beautifully cooked fish / seafood in a wonderful and and perfectly prepared and deliciously flavoured juice/sauce. I absolutely loved that and would highly recommend it to anyone !!! We had the Tartin de Pommes as a desert which was another treat, not too sweet and accompanied by beautiful ice cream. This will be one of my top favourites indeed and my mom and I will definitely be coming back more than once !

A frequent customer of other Cote restaurants where I am always impressed with the level of service, and the uniformly excellent staff training, a first visit to this branch was disappointing.

Took my Son and his girlfriend for a pre-show dinner and it was their first time there. As one is a vegetarian, it was nice to see a good vegetarian menu. The food and service was good as always.

Nice welcome from the manager. Coats taken and placed on coatrack. Served efficiently. Food good. Fresh water served immediately (as always). Gluten-free requirement handled well. Both desserts delicious. Bill brought promptly. Third visit here.

First time at this particular Cote, but I'm a big fan of the group. Food is always reliable and excellent value if you have either of the set menus.

We ordered spinach which never arrived. It was irritating to see it shown on the bill and then deducted as a gesture of goodwill. There was no goodwill involved, we did not get it so not charging us was hardly a generous gesture

So enjoyed our meal here. The food is excellent, the service likewise, very welcoming and attentive in a friendly way. We also liked the ambience. We’ll come here again and recommend Cotes highly. Thank you.

Very professional and prompt service. Food excellent. Even came after us when my mother left an item of clothing behind, which was really very kind.

As ever an awesome dining experience, great food and service all at reasonable prices. Truly value for money.

Very good experience overall for the money. Service was excellent and friendly. Food was good without being excellent. No complaints. We had a good time before going to the BFI

Good food although you should change your menu more often. Very noisy! Still keep coming back.

The setting and the service were great although the food was a little disappointing.

Excellent food and fantastic waiter. Scenery was very good as we sat outside

We are regular Cote Brasserie diners. We like the varied food menu and the specials of the day. The wine menu has some interesting finds for all pockets.

Enjoyed another lovely lunch at Côte. The two course menu specials are great value and the wine list has an excellent selection. Always a great ‘go to place’ for a lovely meal, service and price!

Food was brilliant, it was my gf’s bday and the staff sung happy birthday and made her day thank you so much, Bouba served us and was great, Tom

Amazing service and staff were super friendly and helpful. Food was amazing and cooked perfectly. Staff were exceptional, very friendly and welcoming, was very pleased with the service.

I have been to better Cote restaurants. The service was slow and this was comped due to us being seated later than our booking time. I was grateful for the manager to remove the service charge from our bill without me complaining. Wasn’t given complimentary water until I asked. The food was nice but again, I feel that I’ve experienced better Cote’s elsewhere. The Southbank is such a hub for tourists so maybe this affects the restaurant and it’s service.

A very pleasant dinner after a concert at the South Bank. We had the February Cocktail and a Kir Royale, both were very pleasant. The meal was delicious, boeuf bourguignon and lamb rump, perfectly cooked with a good selection of vegetables followed by Creme Caramel and Ice cream. Though the restaurant was quite full, it wasn't too noisy and we were able to carry on a conversation without a problem. The service was very good and helpful and very prompt. All in all a very pleasant experience.

Food is absolutely unbelievable! Couldn't of asked for anything better 10/10 and will definitely be going again! Staff were very friendly and attentive will be recommending to friends and family!

Have visited various Cote establishments in London and the South, always receiving good service and delicious dishes. This was no exception, despite raucous neighbours the staff ensured that, nonetheless, our experience was a pleasurable one.

Lovely food, gorgeous wine (nice and chilled), perfect location and wonderful staff. But be warned you must book on a Saturday it is super-popular. Thanks for the gluten free menus - always allreciated especially with the reassurance of flagged food when served.

A lovely meal well presented and most enjoyable very convenient for our concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Great place to meet friends and family. Very good quality at a very good price.

The Cote Brasserie consistently has very nice food which is always good value, especially for central London. The staff are very welcoming, friendly and helpful.

Asked for table by window and not next to door. Table allocated matched our request. Food was excellent and service unobtrusive and prompt.

we go to this chain a lot because of its reliability and were not disappointed with our firrst time at the South bank venue. lovely service as well as good food, although a couple of pieces of squid in the linguine dish were rather overcooked

been to this cote previously and very good food standard, bit noisy and hectic pre theatre dinner but only to be expected along the south bank at 6 pm

We enjoyed this lunch time meal very much. Given the Côté is a franchise we feel it is very good and reaches a high level of quality.

Highly recommended. Standard french dishes with modern twist, well presented, nicely cooked, delicious! Prices are reasonable, service last night at south bank was excellent.

Nice relaxed ambience but with the door open and air conditioning on it was chilly - asked for it to be turned off which it was but was put on again later. With it off it got stuffy so prob. needs to be reset lower. Staff nice and initially attentive but service got slower and slower - long wait for bill.

A very friendly welcome, great atmosphere, excellent food as usual. Highly recommend Cote restaurants, I have never been disappointed. The birthday treat of Kir Royale was very welcome and much appreciated.

The service was very good and fast. Our waiter was very attentive. Food was delightful as always. And it was followed by delicious complimentary cocktails. 10/10

Cote lost the plot on this occasion, fortunately not for our table. The lunch interval for the Festival Hall was 12.30'till 2pm and the kitchen could not cope with demand. I felt sorry for those who had to abandon their meal or had none at all. Our waiter who came f rom Chicago was excellent. Maybe next year things will be improved. We have dined at Cote on many occasions in many places; some good some not so good; Guildford is definitely our favourite - it's all down to staff training.

Very friendly staff, all greeting you with a smile. Excellent food. The steak came as exactly how it was ordered. Yum!!!

We had a good meal from the current set menu while we were waiting for a concert in the RFH. The food and wine were excellent and the staff friendly. Only negative was a slightly worrying tardy delivery of our main course but fortunately we had left plenty of time. Enjoyed being on the covered terrace with blankets round our knees, by choice.

Excellent meal. Service faultless. Food and drink excellent especially the Rhubarb Martini. Very enjoyable.

The place was busy and the staff seemed overwhelmed. First of all, on the pre-theatre menu, the asparagus soup was off. We arrived at 6.05pm; the starters arrived at 6.40pm. Then, when we had finished the starters, we were told that the sea-bream ordered was off. The substitute steak came promptly, but it was all a rush to eat and drink in time for a 7.30pm concert at the RFH. No time for Cote's excellent creme caramel! The food was good, as ever. The bill was reduced - not requested b y us - which is certainly a point in their favour.

Always good food and friendly service. Good value for money too.