Côte Royal Festival Hall Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff were friendly, efficient and friendly."
• "The wait staff were incredibly friendly and helpful."
• "Friendly staff, as to be expected."
• "The service was very prompt and nice, SO many different servers."
• "Many thanks for such great service and great quality food."
• "Management and staff were very professional looking after us throughout our dinner."
• "The staff. The decor, were lovely."
• "Extensive gluten-free menu. Food tasty and nicely presented, lovely helpful staff."
• "Service is attentive and friendly, with ample options for those with gluten or other allergies."
• "Staff were attentive but provided space to talk. The menu caters for vegans."

Cons:

• "Very bad manners!!! The waitress treat us like teaching students… her boss was very unprofessional."
• "One used the word ‘ladies’ approx. three times per sentence which felt a little demeaning."
• "The server was stressed, inexperienced and it appeared generally shortage of experienced staff."
• "Waited an hour and a half between courses."
• "The attitude of multiply members of the staff was just absolutely appalling."
• "The waiter was rushed off his feet and unable to give his best to all his tables."
• "Service is bad, empty tables and still say they fully booked. Then sends you waiting an hour outside."
• "Waited 20 minutes to be served, two wine choices not available, staff member was aggressive."
• "The waitress said it was worth waiting and made an inappropriate comment about the physical attributes of his female colleague."
• "Poor service with no apology. Forgot to bring out half the order and had to be reminded twice."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was reasonably priced and very tasty. I’d recommend the vegan burger."
• "The food was as excellent as ever, excellent gluten-free options."
• "Fillet steak cooked to perfection. Fougasse was amazing."
• "Great menu of classics."
• "Meat was cooked perfectly (rare of course) and spinach or fries were really tasty!"
• "The food was delish and we had a lovely evening."
• "Celebration meal after daughter's graduation ceremony at The Royal Festival Hall. The food is excellent."
• "Good quality good for the price with excellent service."
• "The food is somewhat formulaic, but it is to be expected from a successful chain."
• "The pre-theatre menu (2 or 3 course) is a great deal!"

Cons:

• "Nearly everything about my meal was perfect minus the crepe tasting like it was 100% salt."
• "The crab has much more brown than normal - it usually is white."
• "My pork belly was served like a ‘dead plate’ from the kitchen."
• "This time, my starter Salade Rachel was very tired (definitely not made fresh) and my partner's plate of moules - 1/3 were empty."
• "Very disappointed to find out at the end of our meal that cash was not accepted."
• "The fish was lovely and HOT 'as it should be' BUT the white sauce and potatoes and broccoli was LUKE warm."
• "Pork tenderloin was dry and overcooked. French onion soup was tasteless."
• "French onion soup - about enough for a gnat, duck salad - very little duck."
• "The lamb was fatty and tasteless which, as a decent home cook, I can tell you is well nigh impossible unless you used some unbelievably cheap cuts."
• "The main complaint is that we were not given the specials menu until we asked for it and then they were all Prestige side up."

Ambiance and Location

Pros:

• "The atmosphere of the restaurant and the setting it's in were also great."
• "Situated directly opposite the South Bank Centre, this restaurant is ideal for a quick bite."
• "Really Nice place for French tourists willing to take a break from British food."
• "The restaurant is located in a brutalist jungle, by the royal festival hall and the Hayward gallery, evoking feelings of excitement."
• "Great staff, hospitality and ambience, first class for all events held at Southbank Centre."
• "What a fabulous location looking out over the Thames. It's a very open space and plenty of areas to have an unhurried drink."
• "Nice place in the downtown. Really good foods for great prices."
• "Outstanding, exceptional, fantastic. Three words that describe this place the best."
• "Very nice atmosphere, was seated straight away even though we were slightly early."
• "The pre-theatre menu (2 or 3 course) is a great deal!"

Cons:

• "On a busy afternoon the original greeting was a bit off putting. After passing us several times, asked if we had reservations, then pretended to squeeze us in."
• "Very disappointing with our meal here yesterday. French onion soup - about enough for a gnat, duck salad - very little duck."
• "Terrible service, Waited 20 minutes to be served, two wine choices not available, staff member was aggressive."
• "The food is somewhat formulaic, but it is to be expected from a successful chain. I have in the past rated it higher, but on this occasion the service was quite poor."
• "Good food. We had the worst waiter in the world. Comically bad. As we weren't in a hurry it didn't matter."