Cafe Rouge

We went for lunch today and ordered from their «Menu Rapide.» The service was certainly not «Rapide.»
The Croque Monsieur was made from ordinary white bread and was barely warm when I received it. It was pale and pasty. The Mac au Fromage was hot but dry. The soup of of the day was good.

It was a lovely evening for outside dining and chose a table at this venue. The service was prompt and the food tasty. As it is a French restaurant everything had that flare… Including the waiter!
The location is perfect and the building suits, would go again and again!

The best thing this branch of Café Rouge has going for it is it’s location. This stretch of Hampstead High Street could easily be in Paris with loads of pseudo-​French cafes lining both pavements.
Café Rouge is one of the original chains of this type and hasn’t really changed since the 90’s, I think even the menu is still more or less the same. Perfect if — like me — you are a fan of croque monsieur.
Still, today’s visit was an utter disappointment from a service point of view. The restaurant itself was empty with everyone favouring the outdoor tables and a rare sunny day in London. Makes you wonder why the staff were so reluctant to come outside …
No problem going inside to order a coffee, but being ignored when you are ready to pay is no fun. Each time the waiter came outside he chatted with a couple of guys at another table, even stopping for another chat with the long-​awaited bill in hand. Needless to say he didn’t stick around to take the payment — the only reason he received a tip was because I ran out of time, leaving my money on the table.
PS apparently there is free WiFi but it didn’t work today.

When staying with a friend in Hampstead, we wanted to get a late dinner. Everything was closing down on the High Street, so we decided to give Café Rouge a try. The service was fast and efficient, and the food was great. Definitely a place I would come back to.

It’s November and I’ve made the mistake of taking my breakfast al fresco. So yeah it’s cold, but not as cold as the service from the staff in this place. After waiting 20 mins to be served I enquired as to where the waiting staff were. I was intercepted by man the air of the last Bourbon kings of France and proceeded to divert me from my path, I quickly told him that I was waiting outside and asked for a menu which he gladly gave and returned to my seat. After another 10 minutes a lovely lady asks me what I had wanted… But she had only served me because two gentleman had come outside for a tea/​coffee. I ordered, and received my order in good print timing but there was a small problem.
What I had ordered was a ham and cheese omelette, what I got was a salmon and cheese omelette (btw who actually likes salmon & cheese, sounds like a frightening prospect). So I asked for it to be changed but got a distinct feeling that it was begrudging and that maybe the chef was a bit miffed. I was too hungry and cold to care. So gobbled it up, paid my bill with but consumed with indignant perturbation. No need for the snobbery. Paying customer and all that. Omelette was nice though… Just hope they didn’t think i was a random tramp making myself at home outside Café Rouge Hampstead… that stuckuppery was unfounded unnecessary.

Went to Café Rouge because I like french food. The Cage Imaginaire nearby was fully booked so I came here. Le Cage is superb but more expensive 20% more.
The food is good at the Café Rouge but being a chain its fairly standard. The square potato thing was out of a mould I am sure.
I had beef bourgignon for the main and the meat was nice and sauce good but nothing fantastic.
Had a tarte tatin for dessert which was also OK but not fantastic. The starter was unmemorable but probably pâté knowing me.
Some café rouge’s are better than others! Staff were busy and relatively unfriendly because of it.
I had the impression they didnt want our custom. However I think if you visted on a quiet night it would have been better. No half bottles of wine so had two large glasses instead. Meal including drink was £40 of which £28 would have been food!
Its a chain so its going to be adequate rather than great.

Having lived out of the UK for much of last year, it is a treat to see London and the rest of this grey and peasant land with fresh eyes. One of the aspects of this that I particularly enjoy doing is visiting a lots of places that I would not normally have visited around London and the wider English towns.
Well, doing these things, it is often necessary to grab a bite to eat. Sometimes there is also the need to go with standard chain restaurant high street grub. Café Rouge has been one of those great companions during this time of exploration.
In particular, the one in Hampstead has been the favourite that I have visited. Obviously, there is the hokey French touches to the décor and design of the place, and the ‘Ello ‘Ello accents that dog the staff. However a lot of the prix fix menus offer really decent food for a very reasonable price. Some of my favourites here when they have it, are the Toulouse sausage salad, the escargots, and the garlic mushrooms. Anybody who knows me knows that I do like to attack bread when is at arm’s-length and Café Rouge does great bread!
I must commend Café Rouge on the operating a very slick, well put together operation that does seem to be fairly consistent across the most of the outlets in England.

I’ve been meaning to visit this location of Café Rouge for quite some time now. As I walk by this restaurant often, I have always thought that this location was especially quaint and inviting, more so than the others I have seen.
So we went for dinner and snagged some outside seating in the front of the restaurant, which is quite lovely. It is definitely a prime location to do some serious people watching. Bur we sat outside for about 10 minutes before we were greeted or given any kind of service. However, when we were serviced, our waiter was kind and helpful. I ordered the ½ kilo of the mussels and a side salad. Overall, I was somewhat disappointed with my meal. The salad was fine, just typical for a side salad, but the mussels were not very good. The seasoning was nothing special and the size of the mussels themselves were extremely small. However, the portion of even the ½ kilo «starter» was quite large.
Overall, my experience dining here was «meh.» If I come back again I doubt it will be for food but instead just a enjoy a coffee and the cute atmosphere.

It’s a Sunday night. What can we do? hmmm Hampstead. so off we go, grab a crêpe and head to Café Rouge, as we had already eaten we were just looking for somewhere to hang out.
Our two friends were waiting for us at a table. We sat down, and had to wait 10 minutes for someone to come and take our order. We ordered a round of drinks and just started talking. We then managed to get the waiters attention and ordered more drinks and a crème brule. The crème brule was good, but not fantastic, it was still really cold inside :(well it still tasted good.
After the crème brule and drinks we decided to leave, we stayed about an hour. Although the service wasn’t fantastic, we have been here on many occasions and the food is always very good and the service is good also. The chips are great and so is their breakfast :)

Café Rouge on the Hampstead high street is inviting, cozy, accommodating and what matters to most of the working class… AFFORDABLE! It’s a great menu with friendly service. It gives that cheers vibe… like everybody knows your name. It’s made me loyal to the entire chain, like if I’m in a different city and there’s a Café Rouge. then I’m good!

Yes, the Café Rouge in Hampstead is part of a chain. But once inside it doesn’t really feel like it.
There is loads of space but it’s used well. You can pop in just about anytime for meals, coffee, desserts, or whatever takes your fancy from the French inspired but unpretentious menu.
The usual choices include steak frites, poulet Breton, salmon fishcakes, and mussels. There’s always a special on offer but someties it’s so popular that it sells out.
The atmosphere is warm yet lively — there’s often a buzzy feel on a Sunday afternoon as shoppers take a break from the temptations of Hampstead High Street. Diners of all ages are welcome and so are groups.
Edith Piaf, of course, is often heard warbling through the air and the waiting staff are all fluent in French. (They’re also quite nice about my lack of fluency! More than you can say for a ‘real’ French café!)
A safe choice for a nice meal in a pleasant surroundings.