Côte Harpenden

We dined at 7:30pm on a Sunday as a group of 5. The restaurant was quiet upon arrival with quite a few empty tables. We were seated in a nice booth with just enough room for 3 per side comfortably. Drink orders were taken quickly although I would prefer a wider range of beers on offer, and certainly something on draught. When the beer bottles arrived they did have an oily substance on the outside. When commented on they were replaced (or at least returned having been cleaned) but on the second round, the same issue. Starters were universally good. The table enjoyed a mix of the Parfait, the Calamari, the Charcuterie board and the French onion soup and there was food envy all round the table! Mains next, a mix of Fish Parmentier which was particularly flavoursome, Steak Frites (excellent but not quite the advertised pink), Veal Escalope (very tasty and a decent serving, but be prepared for the extra cost of some sides to bring it to being a full course) and Cod Goujons (perfect for those who want their French cuisine to be a bit more Fish and Chippy!) Our only gripe was that a couple of the sides took a little while to arrive after the mains were served. All were devoured hungrily and there were a few rumblings about having to come back soon to taste more of the menu. We had a lovely Cotes du Rhone Red with the main course which was very smooth and served at perfect temperature. Finally we had all saved room for desert so Creme Brulee (very well flavoured and a nice crust, not too thick), Tarte aux Pommes (very good), a very well received Praline Crepe (good Creme Chantilly) and finally a Tarte Aux Citron. All the food across all the courses was universally excellent, prefectly cooked and full of flavour. The waiting times between courses were perfect for me, but possibly a bit long for some on a fairly quiet night. Certainly long enough for food to settle and a natter between courses. The bill at just under £45 a head was perfectly reasonable for the quality of food we received and a couple of very minor service points certainly did not detract from a fantastic evening. Highly recommended.

Lovely restaurant. The food is always nice. Vegetarian menu is so complete and tasty. The desserts are all amazing. Staff is lovely. Nothing to change. We will be back again soon.

Have visited Côte at various locations, on many occasions, over the years and never been disappointed. It’s lovely to have one in Harpenden now and the restaurant, food and staff absolutely meet expectations!

Lovely lunch and service good! The food was excellent and well presented. We all had desserts which were gorgeous! Thank you for a great time today !

We visited cote today after being offered complimentary wine following poor service on our last visit. Today was just as poor and not worth the free wine!

Excellent service as usual, we are now regulars at Cote Harpenden as we enjoy French food and glad food is not too spiced compared with many trendy restaurants

Beautiful settings but food very average, mussels were cooked beyond sensible and were returned. We asked for steaks rare, even gave another ‘we want them rare’ comment after the mussels and still they turned up medium well. They must do better

We had a delicious lunch: the crab bisque is delicious, the haddock from the April Specials Menu is "to die for" and it was all served by delightful, smiling and friendly staff. Many thanks to Ava and her brilliant team.

Great service, good food, thoroughly enjoyable, as usual. Enjoyed the complimentary gin & tonic and new spring menu is pretty good too. Will be going back again soon

Slightly cramped, good food, good service, no real complaints but if you’re looking for 6* then you’re not choosing high street chains. Was quite noisy by the time the restaurant was filling up.

Our dinner at Cote in Harpenden was the best meal we’ve had at any Cote restaurant in the UK, the food was as good, if not better than expected and each member of staff helped to make my wife’s birthday a very special occasion.

Super meal as usual. Service is always A1. Prices are real value for money & the food is always very well cooked, presented & hot. All in all a great value meal.

Great place to meet and dine. Service and menu with a great choice of food and wine

We enjoyed a lovely brunch, food was great, atmosphere very relaxing and great service and good value for money, we will definitely be going back. X

Great service Throughout our meal. The steak was served to our liking and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. As a family of four we have been several times and never been disappointed.

Lovely except hard poached eggs hard, ordered more they were soft but still cold (pre-prepped cold) and a bit watery, which was disappointing considering it was my 50th birthday!

Easy to book, even when I nearly missed out on the free cocktail for each person, they were helpful on the phone. Arrived and the table was ready. Very cheerful and polite waiting staff looked after us. Menu was varied and I knew to ask for the vegetarian menu. The only down side was that it was as warm inside as out and there was no aircon. First warm day in May...

Everything was as constantly good as it always is, from the service to the quality of the food. The waiters/waitresses are always charming and professional. They are attentive but not invasive and always pace everything perfectly. Our complimentary cocktails were a lovely touch and a fantastic start to a most enjoyable evening. I cannot rate this branch of Cote highly enough. Thank you

We had a lovely Easter Sunday lunch with perfect service and wonderful good. We had a gorgeous bottle of red wine with one of the best machiato coffees I've had in England. Thanks for a special day, especially the free champagne.

Excellent meal and sevice thank you. We would recommend you to our Friends and family. Amazing steak and fish casserole. Staff were very welcoming and helpful

Great service and wonderful food. On the more expensive side but worth it. Decor was typically french, in keeping with the theme, even though not my fave decor. Great evening all around

Excellent meal and service. We always enjoy our evening here.

Staff are always polite and helpful, attentive but not invasive. It is a pleasant dining experience, and doesn’t have the rather forced and homogeneous feeling of other “chain” restaurants.

Always have a great meal here and service is always friendly and efficient. Sat in a booth with 5 others, did feel it was a little tight for 6 adults but not too big a deal.

Really enjoyed our lunch. The food and service were great.

My friend and I had a delicious lunch, the service was attentive, we were given plenty of time between mains and desserts/coffee. A very nice experience.

Enjoyable evening with good food and company. Restaurant very noisy however and difficult to have fluid conversation through the evening. Manager very appreciate of this and offered move to a booth when available. Thank you

Excellent Fathers Day lunch, which was universally enjoyed by 7 guests. The service was particularly good, with a helpful and attentive waiter. I would also mention that all the guests thought the quality of the food was first class. Tony Berry

Very pleasant lunch - usual excellent service, particularly the new recruit who struck just the right note. Food wasn't great but just ok - carrots so hard I couldn't cut them, steak not medium rare as requested but still very tasty. In fairness we were asked more than once if the food was ok and just said yes as easier that way and nothing was that disastrous.

The food is good and reasonably priced there is a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. I eould definitely go again and recommend the restaurant to friends.

Good food. Pleasant surroundings. Friendly staff. Service was quick. Set menus are fantastic value. We have enjoyed breakfast and lunch at Cote before. Our friends were impressed and we will all eat there again soon.

Great service great food well managed restaurant We all had a great night of good food,serviceand very good ambience The management is very good Well done to all the staff especially our waitress Thank you

Outstanding food - the whole party was very satisfied. The waitresses were attentive, but the speed at which the food arrived was average. Price range acceptable.

Always good at Coye Harpenden. Visited several times since opening and never had anywhere near a bad meal. Stall always keen and attentive and we like the way that the food comes from the kitchen on a large tray and the server leads it to the table.

Excellent brunch, drinks, atmosphere and impeccable service. All at a fair price. What’s not to like.

We love coming to this restaurant, great food that us consistently good. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back!

I was looking forward to a special meal and it was enjoyable but it felt slightly manufactured/mass produced for the price charged. The food lacked the professional touch that you would expect for the price charged. High street approach at restaurant price.

To be honest we were pretty disappointed. We waited ages for our drinks, it took half an hour for us to be able to order our food. Soups came out with no spoons and then we waited for the spoons to come. The roast duck looked like it had been under a heat lamp for a while and the ‘cherry’ sauce tasted like instant gravy with a few tinned cherries dropped in it. The veg with the cod goujons tasted like it had been kept warm for a while and was pretty bland. Don’t think we would bother coming back which is a shame.

Lovely lunch. Everything suited us - Harpenden was a great choice. Good choice of menus and drinks. Terrific food and drink too. Staff were efficient and friendly. Wouldn't hesitate to return anytime!

The food is always nice but as usual the service is a bit below par. We have to remind about things we are waiting for which shouldn't happen, particularly at a quiet time.

Good food, reliable quality. Not at its best last night. Meet and greet was slow all evening and the staff from the manager down aren’t very welcoming or particularly engaged with customers Also, acoustics mean it’s very loud Air conditioning at chilling temperature as usual here Good food though and decent value for money

Excellent service, excellent wine and most of the dishes were lovely. Having been to a number of Cote, disappointed with the amount of cheese on the French Onion soup compared with normal and the mussels were not great and a number were broken. Restaurant staff were fantastic and the waiter we had brilliant. Handled the feedback about the food really well. Lovely atmosphere and we will visit again.

Had an informal supper after a day out. Nice relaxed but efficient atmosphere and the food was very good.

Always an excellent experience staff are excellent food is always great value for money I would recommend to everyone a great selection of wines are also available

If you get there early this is a little bit of light and peace. The breakfast is just right and the service spot on.

As always the food was amazing and the service was exceptional, you will not be disappointed if you go to Cote in Harpenden. Staff are very friendly

It was not great tonight the food was not up to the usual standard..

Really good value for money, pleasant staff and surroundings. One of my favourite restaurants. Would definitely recommend it to all my friends and family. Will be taking my son for a meal there for his birthday.

Always an excellent place with excellent staff and great food.The staff are always very attentive and friendly the restaurant is nice bright and airy and the food always fresh.

The service was accommodating and friendly. However the food was not what we expected. The french toast was sent back- the side fruit was drenched in maple syrup and covered in powdered sugar. The bread didn’t taste great. The tea was very weak and we had to order an extra tea bag (which was kindly supplied with no extra charge ).