Côte Brasserie - Bristol Clifton

Just a lovely lunch here with the Happiest Menu offer. Such a nice experience, and food and drink really hit the spot. Wanted to particularly mention Melissa who looked after me. I arrived without a booking during a busy lunch service and just after an older customer had fallen over. She showed incredible professionalism and grace, and the service would be seen as excellent even if I wasn't aware of the drama going on. Under the circumstances it was exceptional.

An exceptional experience from start to finish — 10/10. Our server, Nikhil, was attentive, professional, and personable, ensuring everything ran seamlessly throughout the meal. The on-duty manager, Sandra, was incredibly welcoming, taking the time to seat us personally and talk us through the beginning of the dining experience, which immediately made us feel valued. The cocktails were superb, the food was consistently delicious, and the overall atmosphere was relaxed yet refined. A truly enjoyable evening, and I will absolutely be returning to Côte Brasserie.

We booked a family lunch for 12 on Monday, and from start to finish our waiter, Julio, was attentive, polite, and accommodating. We ordered a mix of set menus and à la carte, and both the food and wine was excellent. Real value for money. Thank you, Côte CV, and we’ll definitely see you again soon!

Lovely food, friendly staff, but we went on a quiet Sunday so very few people in and we were the last to leave. Service was a little strange as we gave our food order befire being asked for drinks, then received the starter before our wine (which we had to request again), but still would recommend and return 😊

Lovely service with lovely food! We were able to eat outside which was really nice and we got lovely served by Bertalan who was really nice and very helpful. They had decaf caffe which would have been great to be added on the drinks menu. Also if there was a barrier for outside for people to go around the street could have been better since a lot of people were walking by the table. The crab mayonnaise was incredible! They told us that the grilled salmon is sourced from UK so we got it and it was just the good balance of healthy food with high quality fish! The fish parmentier was also very great with a lot of different textures coming together nicely :)! The staff were all wearing protective visors which was great as well. Having more space for outside dining with some warm heaters for winter could be a great idea if they want to expand the capacity as well. Highly recommend!

We always enjoy our visits to Côte and this one was again excellent. Our server, Victor, went out of his way to make our lunch perfect. The menu is French bistro, very well cooked and quickly served. Casual, lots of family and friends groups on Easter Sunday, of course. You can't go wrong here. Highly recommended.

Had the best Valentines evening! When we first arrived we were seated in a very noisy area by the bar with lots of kids/families around us, usually we don’t mind this but for our Valentines meal we were thinking something more quiet… so we politely asked if we could be moved. We were moved instantly, with no fuss made! Me and my partner were very happy with our new table and had an exceptional Valentines meal. The food quality was so good and timing was great considering it was busy! The waitress who looked after us was amazing. So lovely and friendly! We can’t wait to come back in the future! Thank you!

Always consistently high quality food prepared to perfection! Cosy ambiance as well and very attentive staff. We had a sea bream, which comes with rich creamy sauce and deliciously melts in your mouth. Lamb roast was superb as well with a side of roasted veggies It’s great to have traditional French crepes for dessert as well, I wish there were more varieties though.

It is a really nice place to have your dinner with friends. Service was great and staff were friendly.

Stunningly delicious meal! scallops were slightly overdone but still tasty. Pork belly was best I've had and the choux bun with pistachio was stunning! The great customer service made the evening so enjoyable and we can't wait to return

Excellent restaurant with a great atmosphere and friendly, efficient staff. I had the camembert cheese soufflé to start and it was delicious! The cheese sauce that came with it in particular was incredible! As a main course I had the Basque county chicken, which was cooked to perfection... The meat just fell from the bones and the accompanying roast potatoes and gravy just made the dish. The place is on the pricier side of dining in Clifton, but I didn't feel it was overpriced for the quality of the food. My one complaint? 5 quid for some bread!!! I live on the continent and bread is served as part of the meal, so having to ask for it AND pay was a bit of a shock, especially given the continental style of the restaurant! That aside I had a great meal and would recommend the restaurant.

Although not a frequent patron, it's very pleasant to be called by one's first name - especially by an employee, I barely recognise. (I never have been very good at remembering people who don't owe me money) I have been here before with my blonde boss, a frequent patron who is received most graciously. Perhaps the connection to her was the catalyst. As well as this pleasantry, my stop off for a late impromptu lunch was remarkably agreeable. The French onion soup was very good, but there could have been an improvement with the croutons - a minor matter. The Seabream that followed, however, was superb. Compliments to the chef. All this washed down with a large glass of very acceptable Muscadet. Service was gracious, I complimented Louise W on an excellent presentation of 'l'addition' - An observation on this last item. I really do prefer to leave the 'ServiceCharge' or the tip as I would rather call it, at my own discretion, rather than an arbitrary imposition - however, it does declare that these are indeed emoluments for the staff, which is reassuring. Overall, it was a very pleasant lunch in salubrious surroundings.

Amazing spot for food in clifton. Blue light card discount made it extra special and mean we coild order more food and wine! Will hopefully be going back again soon!

Had a lovely time with my wife, who is amazingly beautiful. First time I've ever took her out on a date in 15 years! She was loving it, the food was amazing. But, I've never paid 8 pound for a beer! I've literally turned teetotal now. So thank you Cotes for making me a sober man, although i still take a lot of drugs

My friend and I have been to many Cote restaurants- we thoroughly enjoyed our experience in this one. Our server was charming and very accommodating when we asked to sit in a particular part of the restaurant. We didn’t fancy the offer on the set menu on this occasion but all our choices were delicious. All in all a very enjoyable experience.

Located in Clifton, it’s a franchise although always ensures quality, reasonable pricing and attentive service. Staff is quite friendly and efficient, food is generally served “fast” and there’s is a wide range of options, all brasserie classics. There is also daily menu options at weekend and for weekdays 2/3 dishes set price menu.

Overall great experience but we left with mixed feelings. Surprisingly the food was not the most outstanding. The service was very good, very friendly staff balancing in a great way high class etiquette and the easy friendly vibe. The food was tasty but half of the dishes and drinks we had, had some ingredients that just didnt fit the taste. For example Crème Brûlée was great but the sauce on top was super weird and not matching. As a dessert it should have a great final touch but it was very disappointing. The creme caramel on the other hand was perfect but the plating wasnt very impressive looking at all the other dishes as it was just floating in a sauce which wasnt easy to eat from a plate. The mains we had were great, the salmon was perfect with the fries and green salad. But the spinach side was also one of the weird tastes. The starter with baguettes and some tomatoes also had unusual dressing so we didnt eat the tomatoes at all. And unfortunately, I must add that the place needs some cleaning as there were alot of food pieces under many of the tables, including ours.

+2

one of the fancier meals we had in the UK, we were on tour so i don’t know how much the meal was. calamari was delicious, so were the mushrooms on bread (tasted like yummy mushroom soup!). chicken with fries & mushrooms was pretty good, chicken was on the dry side. chocolate mousse was the best thing i’ve ever had 💘 ice cream & crepes were mid. service was pretty good & the restaurant was beautifully furnished.

+6

It is a good place. There is a gluten free menu which the dish duck leg was the best of the day. Very juicy and tasty. The mussels were not bad but there were few pieces not fresh enough. Other than that the burger and crab toast were delicious. The price is fair enough. A reminder, it is highly appreciated there’s a quick lunch menu, though it still needs to prepare for a while before serving. So don’t expect you can finish a lunch within one hour. No rush I’ve learned in UK.

Found this spot by an impromptu google search looking for a good mimosa for my birthday. What a lovely setting. A few opportunities include consistency in customer centricity; waited a bit to place an order asking the host for service who wasn’t very polite though smiled with others, may be it was because I didn’t really blend in. The waiter was however warm and lovely along with the team who served my meal. The meal was nice, if from SA, almost at a Hussar grill level, with good flavours and a perfectly done steak. They also serve a 2/3 course option which provides good bang for buck. A real treat overall!

+1

We went for a birthday meal and understood from past experience that a celebration drink would be offered and it would be complimentary The waiter said I’m not sure, I will ask management ‘ He returned with 3 glasses of Cremant put them in place and said ‘Sorry you’ve got to pay ‘. Difficult / embarrassing to say No or I’d rather have something else The food was delicious but the service very slow despite the restaurant being fairly empty - mid week January lunchtime We called for the bill at the end and although we had told the waiter initially we were having the special January offer for two courses, he insisted that we find the QR code This was not easy ( apps , wifi issues etc ) and until it was found this was another embarrassing 10 mins Why so complicated? It detracted from what should have been a relaxing the celebration

Great atmosphere for brunch on Boxing Day with the family. Staff were very friendly and caring. Service was slow - Drinks and food both took 15-20+ minutes to come after ordering each. Croque Royale was delicious, but the portion size was extremely small for £14 (also didn’t arrive with fried egg). Other family members ordered the Cote Breakfast (the full English equivalent) which again had very small portion sizes for a £15 meal. Great atmosphere and quality of food but portion size and long service times really did let the experience down.

We visited last Thursday at 6.45 with a group of 10 colleagues visiting us from around Europe. We were greeted warmly on arrival and seated in a quiet part of the restaurant at the back. Service started well, food orders were taken around 7.20 and our waitress upsold us some breads and olives as the wait for food would be 25-30 minutes and wanted to keep our guests happy. These nibbles arrived after 15minutes and were good quality and tasty. 45 minutes after ordering the main courses were nowhere to be seen. We asked our waitress and told they’d check the kitchen. After over an hour we’d heard nothing further and asked again, to be told they were on their way. After around 75 minutes we approached a manager at the front of the restaurant and we finally got an apology, some free drinks (including a lovely bottle of wine) and reassurance that our order was coming now. After 95 minutes the food finally arrived. It was very good and everyone enjoyed it - but waiting over two hours after you sit down for food to be served has somewhat ruined the experience. It was embarrassing to be hosting visiting colleagues and forgotten about at the back of the restaurant. The apology and offer of additional drinks and nibbles on the house could also have come much earlier - after a 45-60 minute delay front of house staff should have owned the issue and been empowered to keep guests happy. Other smaller tables around us and in the rest of the restaurant seemed to get their food quickly and have an enjoyable evening - i would just recommend you don’t visit with larger tables or get sat at the back!

I visited Cote many times in this three years in UK different city. Obviously, food portions becomes smaller, price increases vigorously, fully understood as the living crisis. Still good price for food and drink ( same level as bar and pub). As French restaurants franchise, interior decor is united almost the same, classy. However the one in Clifton, I visited on Sat that you couldn’t enjoy the dinner with friends in relax atmosphere. Very pushy, under pressure. The mains pass to you when you just got the starter a few minutes. The lamb rump is overcooked (not medium rare as I ordered) and no sauce,the dish as you can see on the picture. Dry, very dry! My friend have had steak but waitress forget to bring him the meat knife. Remind 2 times until the steak gets cold. Too busy restaurant on Sat but not enough server.

Management needs to review their seating policy. Don't put people at the bar when there are many empty tables - supposedly all booked. Prioritise the customers that have turned up and they will spend more

Not what I was hoping for. Have been before and it was decent. Nice people. Waited for starter - cheesy onion fougasse… warm on top, cold underneath. Didn’t complain as was hungry. We arrived at 8pm. Mains arrived at 9.40, but only after following up a couple of times. We think our order was missed, some mistake with their app, or they were just too busy and shouldn’t have accepted the booking. Staff were polite but took a long time to work out the problem with the lost order. A long wait for underwhelming food.. frites were like oven chips - steak not really seared.. tasty but over done Misses’ fillet was small and overdone which was a bit disappointing for £40. Manager gave us some money off the bill, but still paid £106 for something I could have cooked at home. Could do a lot better. Also, there is a pretty limited menu and the ‘all you can eat chips’ seems a little out of place.

We have been coming here over the last five years and the menu has been in decline. We went last week and were disappointed to learn the chateaubriand for two was taken off the menu (the reason for the visit). The special 'Breton fish stew' was uninspiring (Salmon is Breton???). We tried going again today tempted by the Bourguignon Burger (booked specifically for that in-fact as advertised on their app) only to be told they were no longer offering it because they had run out. I would have expected management to have been on top of procurement for what is essentially a key dish for them but clearly there's room for competency here. They need to seriously reconsider their menu and return to higher standards. Even their cocktail menu has taken a huge hit of choice. Unfortunately I can't say we will be returning and would recommend people try Hotel du Vin (Bristol City) for ambience/quality/variety or at the very least a different Côte. This one's lost something...

Oh dear Cote, how could you have lost your way? We have used Cote for 13 years, always using you when travelling as we would know that you served great French food at a good price point, that no longer appears to be the case. We visited Cote in Clifton last night and were so disappointed. The new menu is dire, very limited choice, no vegetables! Baguettes on the evening menu and we simply didn't get the endless fries thing??? We don't want piles of fries to fill us up, I had a home in France for 20 years, endless fries is not a French thing! Basically now you appear to be offering over cooked chicken and chips or a baguette. The food all arrived very quickly so we didn't feel anything was cooked for us, merely heated up and churned out by staff who made no effort to make us feel special, it actually took us longer to get ready to go out than the meal took to eat! Unfortunately we will not be returning to a Cote unless you revert to your previous great menu's. Really sad, we always loved your restaurants.

I went to Cote on Friday with a group of 14 for my friend's birthday meal. We had a very unsatisfactory experience. Firstly, we got to the restaurant and they sat us on two separate tables and then didn't help us to move the tables which left us sitting with a massive gap in the middle. Then we ordered wine and there was good service - the waiters were lovely and apologetic throughout this experience, but they were clearly very busy and stressed, so this was affecting the quality of service. We arrived at 7pm, ordered at 7:15 and then our food didn't arrive until gone 8:30. Many of us ordered burgers, some vegan and some meat. They had clearly cooked the wrong quantity because the waiters looked very confused and this led to my friend who is vegetarian accidentally being served meat and told it was 'definitely vegan'. Luckily she had not eaten it because we were unsure. They had also been informed that one of the party was allergic to nuts. So I am slightly concerned about their attention to allergies and dietary requirements if they were able to make a mistake like that. I asked the waiter if it would be possible to remove some money from the bill due to the slow service and the mistakes. They did, to their credit, remove £67 from the bill for two bottles of wine. I also suggested that they provided my friend with a free dessert since it was her birthday. They said yes and then proceeded to add it to the bill (which I asked them to remove). Overall, the experience was disappointing, littered with mistakes and still very expensive! I must also say the burger was pretty boring and cheap-tasting for £18. Probably wont come back again. (Want to reiterate that this was not entirely the waiting staff's fault and it was more a group effort eg overbooking for that evening).

Went there for a dinner with my partner, but the wait was too long around 45mins. It might be due to the Christmas eve’s rush, but that wait painted the picture for us. Apart from that the food was not the best, the chicken was dry and the Gnocchi was just okay (neither good or bad), The starters were fine, as I liked the King Prawn and Charcuterie and they complemented well with the drinks we had. But overall, personally the evening was not worth the money we paid. The staff and the service was nice.

We visited here on Valentine’s Day. Although the food was nice and the service was good, we did not have a good experience. My partner ordered king prawns when they came they were very small(in size and portion) . Other than that the food was good. They were very busy however the service was still good. However what really let down the experience was the table was near the fire exit and the table was very cold. I had to put my coat back on. As well as this outside the windows was the bins. There was also a smell that kept coming and going. The reviews looked good but sadly we didn’t get to experience that. In my opinion, for what we experienced it wasn’t worth the money.

My wife and I went there Friday 03.10.2025 and the food was very nice. I had a sirloin stake and it was lovely. We went there again yesterday Friday 10.10.2025 and I ordered the stake again. It was absolutely awful. It look nothing like the one I had previously my wife enjoyed her food. I asked for mine to be well done but it was like raw meat. I did not eat it and I told them I was not happy with it. They did nothing about it and charged me the full amount £30. they also gave us some free bread and butter as starters but the bread was so stale and we told them, they took the bread away and gave us more but they just warmed the bread they took from our table and brought back to us we did not eat it.

Hadn't been for a while but could not believe the change. In a hurry so ordered the menu. Had to wait an age to be served and the restaurant was not busy. Another age for the 1st course which was meagre. Another age for the main course steak frites by which time I was too hungry to enjoy it and it was cold. It was not good value and we left disappointed. I went to the Ivy a few weeks before and it was streets ahead. If they carry on like this they will.

Disappointing. Apparently they were working with a new menu but the staff looked experienced enough to be able to deal with this without impacting service so badly. Our starters took an age, then mains arrived too soon and were clearly kept warm so that we then had to send back the two steaks when they were eventually served. The food itself is good but pricing suggests an altogether more high end experience than what we received. Really regret not asking for additional compensation - what was meant to be a birthday treat lunch ended up just being pretty difficult and very expensive.

Very passive agreement manager with terrible customer service. We arrived early for our reservation which we apologised for and understood it was a very busy time. However the man in charge of seating, with the man bun, who I can only assume is the manager looked at us like we were dog poo he’d stepped on and scolded us for being early extremely passive aggressively, talking to us as if we were stupid. He then sat my elderly parents who struggle with mobility on high bar stools at the bar without the offer of a drink. While we were sat at the bar a table behind us sat for twenty minutes cleared and ready for customers, we sat and looked at it for twenty minutes, as the time of our reservation came and went. He then came back and offered us the table, saying someone had cancelled so we could have the table, as if we didn’t have a reservation. Acting as if he was doing us a favour for giving us a table after our reservation time. My question is what had happened to our original table if that was such a big favour from him, could he not manage seating a group of three with a reservation then can he manage a whole restaurant. Our server was lovely though and definitely made up for the upset caused, so thank you to her she had beautiful ginger hair in plaits.

Not usually a type to complain however I booked a table for me and my partner to enjoy a Boxing Day steak together and chose cote because of its high stars and good reviews but we were completely disappointed. We arrived and it took a while to be noticed at the front of the restaurant but we were seated on a nice table. There was no mention of a limited menu before we were seated. As I was asked my order, I was told there were practically no “ big steaks left” and only 5oz tiny sirloin thin cut steak. I agreed to have the only steak available reluctantly and chose a side to be told that was unavailable too. My boyfriend originally wanted a sirloin but was forced to choose the chicken. When our food arrived, i didn’t receive fries and my partner didn’t receive his gravy he had ordered. I told the waiter what we were missing and he said “ of course I’ll be right back”. We never seen that waiter again. After finishing my meal I still did not receive my chips. My partner had to ask a different lady who then brought out “ double portion” but still no gravy. Not once during our meal were we checked on by anyone who had previously attended to us. Chicken was mediocre and didn’t meet expectations. As for the steak, it was tasty but not what I came to cotè for .I wish we were told at the start of our experience they had many things unavailable on the menu! Next time I will go to miller and Carter, where the service and food is always 10/10. Will not be returning or recommending.

Food was very good, but the experience was disappointing due to poor communication and service. From the start, none of the offers were clearly explained, a complimentary fizz was served then was removed because we chose the January set menu, which wasn’t made clear in the booking email or on arrival. (you cant claim 2 offers apparently).....Wine orders were repeatedly forgotten and arrived after courses were served. We waited over 30 minutes with no staff in sight just to order dessert, despite the restaurant not being busy. Where were the staff? On lunch? The set menu discount was also missing from the bill and we were only told at that point it required downloading the app, which was difficult due to no signal. No one told us that we needed it whilst ordering or, on the marketing emails. This was meant to be a special family lunch to remember my late father, who loved this Côte, so the experience was particularly upsetting and humiliating. They made me feel like a right cheapskate! As long-time regulars, this was a real let-down.

Visited for breakfast in mid December. Our order was carefully taken as one vegan and one gf breakfast. We waited 50 minutes, the gluten free breakfast arrived with gluten bread, it was then taken back to the kitchen and was reintroduced a couple of minutes later. We were informed it was done anew but we couldn’t be sure of that, so cancelled the order and left. Shame because the restaurant is beautiful

Our favourite spot in Bristol...Not any more...❌ Dirty plates and non existent service... Very sad having to do this. My wife and I reserved a table for Friday night at our Favourite Cote restaurant. For the past six years, we have enthusiastically recommended this place to our friends and colleagues and have dined here dozens of times ourselves. We return frequently for our favorite dishes and the lively, cozy atmosphere. However, our experience today was disappointing. We arrived early and were informed that our table was not ready. Instead of being invited to sit at the bar for a drink, we were offered a table either at the very front near the toilet (which we had previously requested not to be seated at) or at the very back, which we reluctantly accepted. Unfortunately, we quickly realized that the service in this area was neglectful. A runner took our order, and another person inquired about our drink preferences. We were never brought water and had to request it, which the waitress then forgot. My wife ordered mussels for her main course and was given a fork and knife; we had to ask and wait for a spoon after the meal was served. We also had to request salt and pepper because both the mussels and the crab mayonnaise were bland and lacked basic seasoning. We found ourselves waiting repeatedly: for the waitress, the spoon, and then the salt. It was frankly frustrating. What we find incomprehensible is the inclusion of a service fee when the service provided was clearly subpar. We did not receive the usual level of hospitality, and more concerningly, my wife's starter was served on a dirty plate. Her starter arrived on a plate that was visibly stained and had an unpleasant "dish cloth" odor. After a brief discussion, we attributed this to a possible dishwasher issue and the plate being improperly cleaned. However, the dish itself also had a foul taste, which was completely off-putting. The server attempted to rectify the situation by removing my wife's drink from the bill. However, I want to emphasise that the issue is not the cost but rather the poor service and disappointing food hygiene. The question to ask is the staff overloaded with work? why allow bookings if there is not enough staff to cover the whole area of the restaurant? Our evening was spoiled and if we knew that we will not be accommodated appropriately we would have chosen another place. As simple, as that. JUSTIFICATION for the ratings: FOOD: calamari was too salty, mussels and crab Maison bland(no salt and pepper). Steak and peppercorn source perfect as per usual. SERVICE: the waitress that served us tried to rectify the issue and apologised for the issues that, clearly aren't her fault. ATMOSPHERE: we have previously informed the staff that we do not wish to be offered a seat at the very front or back of the restaurant, this especially being next to the toilets. We were seated at the very back today and there was no atmosphere there at all for our liking.

I booked a table at Côte Clifton for 9:00 p.m. on Monday, 27th October. The reservation went through online without any issue, and since the restaurant accepts bookings up until 10:00 p.m., we assumed this would be fine. We arrived at 9:02 p.m., only to be told that the kitchen had closed at 9:00 and they couldn’t serve us anything. The staff showed no interest in trying to help and weren’t even polite about turning us away—it was very much a “tough luck” attitude. There were at least three or four staff members still around, tidying up, with seemingly nothing to do between 9:00 and closing time at 10:00. If the kitchen truly closes at 9:00 p.m., the online booking system should not be showing tables available after that time. In the end, we went to The Ivy instead, where both the food and service were excellent.

Not what it used to be.(By a hundred miles) Very disappointing service and food. Confusion over ordering, as they had run out of a few of the fixed menu items and poor communication between staff. Multiple mistakes by staff and three occasions where I had to stand up and walk to staff for attention. After waiting over one and a half hours waiting for our main course between 1.30-3pm (one was completely the wrong dish and was returned) we had to cancel the desserts, as we ran out of time. The manager said he reduced the bill and apologised, but when I checked, after leaving in a rush, they still overcharged us for what we should have paid at full price, including a cheese course that we didn’t even get! Not to mention the 10% service charge we ignored because we wanted to leave asap. I’ve been here over 100 times since it originally opened and has become a very poor version of its former self. Will not be going back.

We were welcomed with complimentary beverages, which we were happy to receive. Our dishes arrived after considerable delay and were served cold, which was rather disappointing. When we kindly requested the service charge be taken off given, the waiter not only declined but suggested in an unfriendly manner that he was entitled to charge us for the previously complimentary drinks should we not pay the charge, which seemed rather irregular and coercive. He went on to inform us that he had no time for this and we could "pay whatever we want."? Whilst I do sympathise the demands of such a busy period, I was surprised by the response in which our genuine feedback was received. This experience fell short of the standards expected from Côte and unfortunately we are disinclined to return.