If you love French food then you’re going to want to visit Côte Restaurant in Covent Garden. This restaurant is perfect for anyone looking to dine in a modern French restaurant. There are a number of sites across London. I headed off with a friend to enjoy a lovely meal in their restaurant in Covent Garden. The restaurant is easy to find and is just a short walk from the underground station. We booked in advance and it was lucky that we had. We arrived at Cote Restaurant at 17:40 for a 18:00 booking to discover that the restaurant was almost full. There were literally just a couple of two seater tables still available. These quickly filled too.
Côte Restaurant
The Restaurant
The dress code is casual so you don’t need to worry if you’ve been out and about in the area and go in as a walk-in.
We arrived a little early for a 6pm booking and it was already very busy. But, luckily there was a table for two available so we were seated straight away. I have to state from now the service was impeccable. Our server Miro was wonderful. He was friendly, chatted with us, and was also very efficient. We couldn’t fault the service. When we were leaving it had quietened down a bit and we even had a little chat about the local restaurants. He made such an effort to make sure we have a wonderful visit.
Food
You’ll discover a lovely range of modern French and European dishes to choose from. You’ll find a mix of dishes for those that enjoy their meat, fish, and plenty of vegetarian dishes too.
For the Table
Baguette
Warm bread is a popular way to start off a meal. This fresh bread with salt butter is served warm and is delicious. It has a lovely fluffy centre and was lovely and springy to the touch. The outer had a slight crunch to it. A great choice to start a meal. It didn’t last long.
Starters
It took me a while to choose which to go with as I couldn’t decide between a few different options. In the end we opted for the:
Steak Tartare
This had a great flavour. It was tangy with a mix of textures. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients. The ratio of steak to other ingredients (capers, fresh onion, herbs, mustard) was good and there was plenty of the sauce that coated it. The portion was a great size and was nicely presented.
French Onion Soup
Flavourful and comforting, this was a really tasty starter. There were plenty of caramelised onions in the soup and the cheesy bread that topped it was delicious. It was ideal to get those digestive juices flowing. The portion was just right and not too filling.
Both starters were ones we would order again!
Mains
No delays here in choosing what to have. I was in the mood for steak and I only eat fillet so that was that. The question was, would their peppercorn sauce be as good as mine?
Fillet Steak
I was served a good sized piece of steak and this was served with frites and a herb garnish. The steak was cooked to perfection. The peppercorn sauce was gorgeous and added a great flavour to the already tasty steak. This dish was really filling. I did struggle to get through the main as we had the two side dishes to accompany it.
Beef Bourguignon
Another great comforting dish for my friend. A tasty dish with plenty on the plate. The beef was a good size and nice and tender. The sauce was great and there were plenty of mushrooms and two yummy streaky bacon rashes accompanying this, served with mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes had herbs but these didn’t seem to add any flavour. The bacon was smoked and made the dish a bit too salty for my friends palette and when I tried as sample I had to agree. Altogether though a lovely dish, but, I was glad I had opted for the steak.
Sides
Creamed Spinach
Spinach was not overcooked so had retained its lush green colour. This was so creamy and moreish we enjoyed every bite.
Dauphinoise Potatoes
Creamy, rich and satisfying, these too were really good and filling too. Probably the dish we didn’t need as we were fit to burst by the time we finished – although we did leave a little.
Desserts
By the time we had made it to this stage we were both pretty full. But decided we couldn’t go too wrong with a refreshing sorbet. We indulged in a scoup of lemon and one of mixed berries. Both were wonderful and although full, we somehow managed to find room for them. The lemon had a lively tarty flavour whereas the berry was less tarty and nice and fruity.
Drinks
Plenty to choose from but our focus was cocktails. The selection available wasn’t particularly large. We both decided to enjoy a refreshing pink gin and tonic. This was ideal as it was a warm day and the restaurant was packed indoors.
We had a great evening out and thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Cote. Once finished we strolled around the area before retiring for the night. Fortunately we didn’t have too far to travel to the hotel.
Menus may have changed since our visit.
Restaurants and Sites in the Area:
Things to see in Covent Garden
Have you ever visited any of the Cote Restaurants? Have you dined in a French restaurant before and if so what types of dishes do you enjoy?
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This food looks very good. I love the simplicity. Simple food is always the best.
It really can be a good choice depending on what you fancy.
I love French food, but I never order it because the portions are SO small! These look so filling though. I love it.
It can depend on the restaurant. The portions here were good. I would visit again!
The photos of the food look so delicious. I really love the size of the bread.
I know, it was enormous!
This looks like such a lovely dining spot! I enjoy finding restaurants with great ambiance and quality dishes, and your photos really made me want to check this one out.
This certainly ticks all of the boxes!!!!
The french onion soup and the potatoes look divine. We’ll be stopping here the next time we’re in the area.
They were both really tasty. They are perfect comfort foods x
I must say, this all looks and sounds delicious, I always enjoy a good steak and I am a fan of creamed spinach too. Even better when you have lovely staff.
I agree, good service helps a lot!
Wow! All those food looks good. I can see how classy and cozy the place is with their food.
It is a great place to visit for a meal.
Looks like Côte Restaurant is serving good food and service. I will save the information to visit soon.
I hope you enjoy your visit.
Sounds like a great place to enjoy some French dishes! The food looks tasty, and I like that you don’t have to be dressy just casual. Really looks cozy!
It is a great place to go with friends, on a date or just a meal with the hubby.
oh wow…Everything looks soooo good…That onion soup, omg…I am literally drooling…I can’t wait to go there next time I am around, can’t wait.
You are going to love it there!!!
I do love Covent Garden we often walked through the area when in London. I am planning to visit with my Daughter a few times over the summer so this is handy knowing where to go for a meal as the food looks amazing
That’s great to hear. I am sure you will have a really lovely meal when you both go. Enjoy x
I still need to get to my local Cotes Oxford,as place and food look great
It’s such a great restaurant, enjoy x