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.

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

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

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??

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.

Had a wonderful evening celebrating 2 friend's birthdays. Foid excellent.Wonderful staff.

Good food, good value for money, quick and friendly service - will be coming again. Just the job for pre-concert dining. Well up to the usual standard.

Really impressed by both the quality of the food and the service was immaculate. We were on a tight time schedule but service was fast and the staff were exceptional. Well done and we will return.

My family and I have visited various Côte restaurants multiple times and always enjoy it. However last night my mother and I decided to dine at your Royal Festival Hall restaurant and aside from the food, which was delicious as always, I have to say our experience was not good at all. It was a Tuesday evening so they don't even have the excuse of it being a Saturday. The gentleman that greeted us and who I believed to be the manager, told us that our RESERVED table would be ready in a couple of minutes and so asked us to wait while the table was laid. We used this time to visit the bathroom, stepping over a pile of spilled chips on our way, and for which there was a queue. My mother and I waited in the narrow hallway between the bathrooms and kitchens and at one point one of the waiters burst through the door from the restaurant with such force that he very nearly slammed the door into my mother's face. He apologised but still I don't feel like that should've happened. After our bathroom trip we returned back to the front desk expecting that our again RESERVED table would be ready by now, and the manager I assume thought we'd maybe left or just forgotten about us and had still not laid our table so we were again asked to wait while he did so - not impressed. It appears they were understaffed which I appreciate, but the service was slow and the staff were all rushing around and knocking chairs etc which didn't make it a nice atmosphere to dine in. At one point the manager was hurriedly laying the table next to us whilst cursing his staff under his breath but loud enough for us to hear, which is pretty shameful if you ask me. Anyway, we did not enjoy our experience here and will not be returning to this branch of Côte ever again. Very disappointing service indeed.

Had to wait 10 mins for a menu. Table sticky, wrong starter arrived for my husband so we ate separately. Having asked for bill another long wait.

The food was mainly OK, it's great that you have a coeliac menu but this time the service wasn't as good as usual. One main course, the salade nicoise, was majorly disappointing with no potato and no beans. The waitress agreed but when it came back it was little better - two small pieces of potato and three beans. When we asked for a replacement (risotto) it took ages to arrive so the rest of us had already finished. The waitress was brilliant and, without prompting, said the salad and risotto would not be charged. Even so it was disappointing compared to your usual service,

I spent an enjoyable evening with friends at this new Côte Brasserie by the Festival Hall. The staff were friendly and efficient and the food was very good, with a wide choice between the pre-theatre menu and the Prestige menu as well as àla carte. The prices are reasonable and the food is very good. We were lucky to be seated upstairs, though we did find the air -conditioning a little too effective. I shall certainly return there.

Good service despite restaurant being very busy. Our meal was served quickly and we enjoyed the 2 courses which were great value. Rather noisy but nearly all tables taken.

Very good experience overall. Efficient and friendly front-of-house and waiting staff, very nice food and good value. Four of us had the entrecote & frites, which were a both excellent - steaks perfectly cooked as requested.

Organised a group dinner for 12 people. The food was excellent, the food and drinks were served quickly and with courteous and friendly staff. Really enjoyed it!

A thoroughly positive experience in every way. Staff obliging and efficient and food on time and delicious. Would return if on the South Bank, and recommend to others.

An excellent meal with careful attentive service by friendly staff. When booking on line I had asked for a quiet table if possible and was delighted as my request had been noted and the table we were given was perfect, away from the main busyness of the restaurant. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Cote at the festival Hall. Thank you.

Fantastic evening- thanks to all the lovely staff and the delicious food! A well run restaurant with consistently excellent service and great food.

We are regular visitors to Cote and are usually very happy but sadly on this occasion our experience was disappointing. We had to wait 40 minutes for the first course to arrive by which time we were concerned that we would miss our concert. The staff were very pleasant but there were clearly problems in the kitchen. By the time we had finished the main course there was no time for desert. The waiting staff were extremely sympathetic but the whole experience was disappointing.

Had a great evening with two friends I hadn't seen for years. Great food; great wine. Friendly service from the team who didn't mind us still being there well after midnight!

Good food, first-class, friendly and efficient service in pleasant surroundings. The Côte formula is well-known and seldom disappoints and this one is excellent.

We were welcomed by Halo our host whom was wonderful throughout our evening. He was so warm and welcoming, checking on our every need throughout the night. Considering how busy the restaurant was the food was exceptional. The pork main that we had was absolutely gorgeous. My date for the night declared she loved Coté & wants to go back. It was a very special night for us. We’ll be back again very soon. Thank you Halo for making it so special for us.

A lovely experience as I was meeting a friend for a overdue catchup, service was brillient, when asked how my meal was I commented that the Pork fat/skin was soft and not crispy, when paying the meal was deducted from the bill! I wasn't even complaining! We sat at a table by the serving/clearing area which was a bit noisey when chatting so wouldn't choose that table again but otherwise food, wine and service was great especially the creme caramel. We will certainly be going again. Also I noticed how lovely the staff were to children and babies on other tables.

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.

Always good food and service, plenty of choice and relaxed atmosphere. ave been to several Cote restaurants and they were all consistently reliable - thank you!

Can't fault service, food etc. Downside was sorting out our table as we had reserved it on-line but staff had a problem in finding it. They did apologise profusely when they sorted it but that is the 2nd time we have had that problem at the same restaurant.

Côte has created an offer which ticks all the boxes. The food is excellent and original and the menu has something for everyone. We usually choose one or other of the set menus and they rarely disappoint. The wine list has some very good wines at the lower end. And the service is very good. Our Romanian waiter last night was lovely. Thank you for delivering quality at a very reasonable price. 😆

2 weeks ago I enjoyed a lovely plate of mussels. On the strength of that I ordered them again last night and was bitterly disappointed with the small and dried things that appeared. There were also 3-4 empty shells which didn't help matters. Although you responded with a reduction in the bill I did wonder whether yo have one quality for the fixed menu and another better quality for the a la carte. Would like to think this isn't the case but can you reassure me? Roger Lennard

Absolutely god awful service! We had to ask multiple times to be able to order, for drinks that were forgotten, for the table to be cleared... Then when there was a change of shift, we were entirely forgotten about. Absolutely disastrous. Our table was also right next to the coffee machines so every 3 minutes we had to pause all conversation since it was so loud. I usually absolutely love Cote, but won't be coming back to this one again.

Delicious food, excellent service from start to finish. Waiters were efficient, helpful and very friendly. We visited prior to watching a show at County Hall and this restaurant was very well placed for that. Would definitely recommend.

Good service, very accommodating. Staff were friendly and the service was good.

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.

pleased to be in Cote again as ours in Camden Parkway closed recently & we miss it a lot as many of us locally went there frequently. The food yesterday was really good as it always is except that the potatoes weren't quite cooked. We were given a generous discount off our bill for this however. Apart from that, the only issue was the noise level which makes conversation difficult. I'm not sure how you can address this but more sound absorbent surfaces might help?

This was a warm and welcoming location on a cold February afternoon. The staff were friendly and helpful and the food tasty. Our main course did take a very long time to arrive but the staff were apologetic and gave us a complimentary kir royals to compensate for our wait. Overall I would recommend this restaurant for a pre theatre meal .

Although we have enjoyed other branches of your restaurant in the past, and particularly the chicken, the three of us that ate this found it to be heavily overcooked, hard and dry, rather than the moist tasty chicken we have previously eaten. Although useful when we go to theatre in the area, we suspect we will not be returning.

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

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