Cafe Rouge Kew Bridge

Good view but mediocre service and food.
what takes from the quality of the service is how slow it is. otherwise, the servers are nice and welcoming. our drinks orders were taken right away and they took quite some time to come and no one came to our table for 10 minutes until we had to call a waiter and tell them that we’re ready to order. the drinks came even later
I ordered the Eggs Benedict and after a long wait they came with a hollandaise that has noticeably started to split and the poached eggs were over cooked and the yolks weren’t runny. I didn’t want to ask for another one because of how long it would take and the fuss it would make
The location and atmosphere on the other hand were pleasant with the windows looking on the river

A nice spot along the Thames for a coffee, or lunch on the weekend, with a great view of the river and a local feel.

Terrible service — some of the worst I’ve ever experienced in my year of living in London.
My partner and I visited last Sunday, keen to have a nice relaxed lunch. The weather was dreary, which probably contributed to the place being half empty.
Despite the fact that this place was no where near capacity, we waited at least 30 minutes for our simple starter (to share — cheese and bread), and after that, at least another 25 minutes for our main meal (steak frites for my partner, and a baguette sandwich for myself).
The starter would have only taken only a couple of minutes to throw together — there is no cooking involved in serving bread and cheese. While we were waiting for this, we kept looking around and despite the waitress noticing this, she ignored us until I called her over to ask what was going on.
She said that they were «really busy» because they were «short staffed». Well, it’s a good thing the place wasn’t anywhere near full, otherwise who knows how long we may have waited.
Furthermore, if they knew it was going to take such a long time, some forewarning would have been appreciated, as we were very hungry and may have just skipped the starter.
After eating the starter and waiting again for a long time for the mains, I complained to the same waitress that the wait was beyond reasonable and that I feel the waiting time is really poor. The response was defensive and snappy, and she stated «I know you’ve been waiting. I’m going to fix it… I’m going to do something about it». I thought maybe that meant an offer of a free coffee or something, or eliminating some cost from the bill, but no. I noticed she swiftly finished her shift and quietly left the restaurant all together.
We were charged the full bill, and not offered an apology upon exiting the restaurant.
Such a disappointment. We actually really wanted to get some desserts as the menu looked nice, but didn’t want to give this dreadful place any more of our business.
Whilst the food was ok, and I like the décor of the restaurant, I can’t overlook this poor customer service. We will not be back.

Yes, it’s a chain. But of all the Café Rouge locations I’ve tried (including Chiswick High Street, St. Paul’s and Bath) this is the BEST! Great views of the Thames, lovely al fresco seating in the patio, and great customer service.
Tip: If you’re on a date, try not to be on your smartphone at the table. The manager gave me a stern word — which was refreshing and appreciated by my diner of course!
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a great value Sunday brunch in good atmosphere.
This place only lost 1 star because there were alot of prams and got a bit noisy on Sunday mornings :)

Nice setting is where it ends. Sticky tables and waiters who seem to be doing you a favour by serving you. Disappointing food, sad experience allround. Passable for a late afternoon drink by the river, just set your expectations.

I’ve visited this branch a couple of times before and been a bit disappointed by the service, but last weekend really took the biscuit! My boyfriend and I were really looking forward to a chilled out sunday brunch and fancied Eggs Benedict and he wanted to go to the Strand on the Green branch.
We wanted to sit outside as it was a nice day so we went inside to check in with the waitress before sitting down. We were greeted with a sulky grumpy girl, who begrudgingly showed us to a free table.
After a bit of a wait she came and took our order of 2 hot drinks and 2 eggs benedict and then took the order from another couple who were seated nearby.
We waitedand waited and waited! The other couples’ drinks arrived and they had drank them and another couples drinks arrived but still no sign of oursso after 15 minutes we asked another waitress, who was very apologetic and went to find our order.
Then a waiter came out with 2 eggs benedictand gave them to the couple who had ordered after us. that really got my goat (which was already snorting from the drinks muck up.)
Then the other couple got their breakfasts. and then ours arrived.
My boyfriends looked perfect, but minehmmm. The poached eggs were all broken and it looked a sloppy– I could’ve done better but I’m rubbish at poaching eggs, but what really bothered me was when I cut into the eggs there was a large brown blob-​I know that sometimes you get a bit of blood in the occasional eggbut it wasn’t
I went to find the waitress (the already apologetic one). She came to have a look and explained that the Chef uses vinegar in the water to poach the egg, but they had run out of white vinegar and were using Balsamic.
I was pretty miffed (I’m not usually sulky or a complainer or fussy) but I chose to just eat the thing (sans brown blob) and never go there again! Needless to say they did not get a tip.
I would recommend that if you are looking for a decent brunch head to the Copper Cow in Grove Park, because that’s where I wanted to go, and bloomin’ well should of that day (not listening to my boyf again! ;))

There are numerous Café Rouge brassiere style restaurants in and around London, as well as presumably much of the UK. The style is relaxed, and food pretty good value.
During week days there is a set lunch menu with two courses for about £9 and three courses for £11. Otherwise ordering off the menu is a little more expensive, but still good value for the quality of food served.
My favorite location is upstairs, on the balcony overlooking the Thames, of the Strand on the Green branch near Kew bridge in West London. For some reason the upstairs area usually appears to be closed, possibly because it makes the restaurant easier to manage when there are not so many diners, but it is always worth asking to see if a table up there is available.
A relaxed lunch with a view over the Thames, particularly if it is a sunny makes for a great afternoon in London.

Cheap and generally very classy. Their lunch set menu is ideal, and can make eating out easy on the pocket. Whilst it may be cheap, it still retains that elegant feel that will impress anyone that you might be taking out with you. Gets my vote!

Café Rouge has been plugging away at the french brasserie for the masses angle for several decades now. A tried & tested formula, its been through its ups & downs and is in someway a shadow of its former self. The portions are less than generous, the food is OK, but the service is good. If you’re up a for a passable Baguette au Poulet, Moules or Boeuf Bourgignon delivered quickly then CR is OK. This branch benefits from a great location on the Thames by Kew Bridge. Upstairs has a balcony with great views over the river. Family friendly too & perfect for those kids/​grandparents/​family outings.