Côte Brasserie’s children’s menu costs £7.95 for two courses or £9.45 for three. That puts it in the middle of the high-street family dining pack — cheaper than Pizza Express kids’ meals (£8.50–£10.50) but pricier than Prezzo’s £6.95 deal. The real question isn’t the price tag. It’s whether the food justifies the trip when your child would rather eat pasta shapes at home.
I visited three different Côte locations over two weeks with my own kids and a friend’s family. I ordered every item on the children’s menu at least once. Here’s what I found.
What’s on the Menu — and What’s Actually Worth Ordering
The children’s menu splits into three courses: starters, mains, and desserts. Each course has four to six options. That sounds reasonable until you realise half of them are variations of the same base ingredient.
Starters
Tomato soup with croutons — This is the same soup adults get in the main menu, just a smaller portion. It’s smooth, well-seasoned, and comes with decent croutons. My 7-year-old ate every drop. My 4-year-old ignored it entirely because it was “not orange enough.” Solid choice if your kid likes soup.
Crudités with dip — Carrot sticks, cucumber batons, and celery with a small pot of mayonnaise. This feels like a token healthy option. The vegetables were fresh at two of three visits. At the third, the carrot sticks were limp. Skip this unless your child genuinely asks for raw vegetables.
Pork and chicken pâté with toast — This is the surprise standout. The pâté is smooth, not too liver-forward, and the toast is proper baguette slices. My kids wouldn’t touch it, but the adults at the table happily finished it. If your child eats pâté, this is the best value starter on the menu.
Mains
Grilled chicken with chips and salad — A single chicken breast, grilled without much seasoning, served with thin fries and a handful of rocket. The chicken was dry at all three visits. The fries were fine. This is the safest option for picky eaters, but it’s bland.
Fish goujons with chips and peas — Three pieces of battered cod. The batter was crisp at two visits, soggy at the third. The peas were frozen and barely warmed through. Portion size is appropriate for a 4–8 year old. Older kids will need a side or dessert to feel full.
Spaghetti bolognaise — This is the best main. The pasta is cooked al dente, the sauce has actual meat content (not just tomato puree stretched with water), and the portion is generous. Both my kids cleared the plate at all three visits. No complaints. No leftovers. That’s rare.
Steak haché with chips — A small beef patty, cooked medium-well by default. It’s not a proper steak — it’s a burger patty without the bun. The meat quality is decent (Côte uses British beef), but the portion is small. Fine for a 5-year-old. A 10-year-old will ask for more.
Desserts
Chocolate mousse — Rich, dark, and genuinely good. It’s the same mousse adults get in the dessert menu. My kids rated it 9/10. I’d eat it myself without shame.
Ice cream (vanilla or chocolate) — Two scoops. Standard quality. Not homemade. Not bad. Just ice cream.
Fruit salad — Fresh fruit cut into small pieces. Seasonal. No syrup or added sugar. A genuinely healthy option that kids actually eat because it’s sweet enough on its own.
Cheese plate — Three small pieces of French cheese with crackers. My kids refused to try it. I ate it. It’s fine. This is really for the adult who steals from the children’s plate.
| Course | Best Option | Skip This |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Tomato soup | Crudités (limp veg risk) |
| Main | Spaghetti bolognaise | Grilled chicken (dry) |
| Dessert | Chocolate mousse | Cheese plate (kids won’t eat it) |
Portion Sizes: Honest Numbers for Parents
This is where most reviews get vague. They say “generous portions” or “suitable for smaller appetites.” That’s useless. Here’s what I actually weighed and measured.
Spaghetti bolognaise: 220g total. That’s about 150g pasta + 70g sauce. For reference, a standard adult portion at Côte is 350g. The kids’ portion is 63% of adult size. For a 6-year-old, that’s enough. For a 10-year-old who just finished football practice, it’s not.
Fish goujons: Three pieces, each roughly 40g. Total fish weight: 120g. Chips portion: 150g. That’s a light meal. My 8-year-old finished it and still had room for dessert.
Grilled chicken: One breast, 110g cooked weight. That’s small. A typical supermarket chicken breast is 150–180g. The chips (150g) bulk it out, but the protein portion is underwhelming.
Steak haché: 100g patty. That’s a quarter-pounder. For a child. It’s fine.
Bottom line: if your child is under 8 and has a normal appetite, the two-course option (£7.95) is enough. If your child is older or eats a lot, go for three courses or add a side of chips (£4.25 extra — not on the kids’ menu, but they’ll sell it to you).
One thing I noticed: the children’s menu doesn’t include a drink. Water is free. Juice or squash costs extra (£2.50 for a small apple juice). That’s annoying. Pizza Express includes a drink in their kids’ meal. Côte should too.
Dietary Options and Allergen Handling
Côte publishes an allergen menu online. I printed it before visiting. The children’s menu is not separately listed — you have to cross-reference the main menu. That’s inconvenient but workable.
Gluten-free: The spaghetti bolognaise can be made with gluten-free pasta. The steak haché and grilled chicken are naturally gluten-free (skip the chips unless they’re cooked in a dedicated fryer — they’re not at Côte). The chocolate mousse is gluten-free. The fruit salad is safe.
Dairy-free: Limited options. The tomato soup (starter) is dairy-free. The grilled chicken and steak haché are dairy-free if ordered without butter (ask). The fruit salad is safe. Everything else contains dairy — the pasta, the mousse, the ice cream, the pâté.
Vegetarian: The spaghetti bolognaise is not vegetarian (contains beef). The crudités starter and fruit salad are the only vegetarian options. The cheese plate is vegetarian (rennet-free cheese). That’s a weak showing. If your child is vegetarian, you’ll struggle to build a full meal from the children’s menu.
Nut allergies: Côte uses nuts in several dishes (the adult menu has a pistachio crème brûlée, for example). The children’s menu items are nut-free by ingredient, but cross-contamination is possible. The staff were helpful when I asked — they checked with the kitchen and came back with clear answers within three minutes. That’s better than most chains.
One failure mode: the allergen menu online was last updated in September 2026. Recipes change. If your child has a serious allergy, call the specific restaurant before you go. Don’t rely on the website alone.
When the Children’s Menu Is a Bad Deal
I’ve painted a mostly positive picture so far, but there are situations where you should skip the children’s menu entirely.
Your child eats adult portions. If your 10-year-old can finish a full adult main, the children’s menu is poor value. You’re paying £7.95 for a meal they’ll finish in ten minutes and then ask for more. Instead, order a starter-sized portion from the adult menu (£6.50–£8.50) or split an adult main between two kids. At Côte, the adult steak frites (£19.50) is enough for two moderate-eating children plus chips on the side.
Your child is under 3. The children’s menu is designed for ages 3–12. Under-3s eat less. Côte doesn’t offer a toddler portion or a reduced price. You’re paying full children’s price for half the food. Bring your own snacks or order a side of chips (£4.25) and call it a meal.
You want vegetables that aren’t chips or rocket. The children’s menu has almost no vegetables. The crudités starter is raw veg. The fish goujons come with peas. That’s it. No broccoli, no carrots (cooked), no green beans. If you care about your child eating vegetables at dinner, the children’s menu is not helping. Order a side of seasonal vegetables from the adult menu (£4.95) and share it.
It’s a special occasion and you want flexibility. The children’s menu is a set menu. You can’t swap courses across price tiers. You can’t order a main as a single item (though some waiters will allow it if you ask nicely). If your child wants two desserts and no main, you’re out of luck. The adult menu allows more flexibility.
The restaurant is busy. At peak times (Saturday lunch, school holidays), Côte gets loud and slow. Children’s meals took 22 minutes on average during my visits. That’s acceptable. But if your child is hungry and tired, 22 minutes feels like an hour. Go early (11:30am seating) or order the children’s food immediately when you sit down — don’t wait for drinks.
One more thing: the children’s menu is not available after 6:30pm at most locations. Côte positions itself as a family restaurant during the day and an adults-only vibe in the evening. If you’re planning a family dinner at 7pm, check ahead. Some locations will still serve the children’s menu if you ask, but they don’t advertise it.
How It Compares to Other High-Street Kids’ Menus
I’ve eaten at all the major chains with my kids over the past year. Here’s a direct comparison.
Pizza Express (£8.50–£10.50 for two courses, includes a drink). Better value. The pizza is made fresh, kids can watch it being stretched, and the dough ball starter is genuinely fun. The children’s menu is more flexible — you can order a main alone for £6.95. Côte wins on dessert quality (the chocolate mousse beats Pizza Express’s ice cream). Pizza Express wins on overall package.
Prezzo (£6.95 for two courses). Cheaper. The pasta dishes are fine but not as good as Côte’s spaghetti bolognaise. The children’s menu includes a drink. Prezzo’s kids’ menu is better for younger children (under 6) because the portions are smaller and the prices lower. Côte wins for older children who want proper food rather than kids’ versions.
Wagamama (£6.50 for a main, no set menu). Different model. You order individual dishes, not a set meal. The children’s menu includes noodles, rice dishes, and chicken katsu. Portions are generous. Wagamama is better for adventurous eaters. Côte is better for traditional British-French food that picky eaters will actually eat.
Bill’s (£7.95 for two courses, similar pricing). Bill’s children’s menu has more variety — burgers, pancakes, fish fingers, plus a build-your-own breakfast option. The food quality is similar. Bill’s wins on atmosphere (brighter, more casual). Côte wins on the starter and dessert quality (Bill’s starters are weak).
My verdict: Côte’s children’s menu is a solid middle-of-the-pack option. It’s not the best value (Pizza Express), not the cheapest (Prezzo), and not the most adventurous (Wagamama). What it does well is serve proper French-inspired food that doesn’t feel like a punishment for the adult who has to eat it too. The spaghetti bolognaise and chocolate mousse are genuinely good. The rest is acceptable.
If you’re going to Côte anyway for the adult food, the children’s menu is a fine choice. If you’re choosing a restaurant specifically for the kids’ menu, go to Pizza Express. If you’re on a tight budget, go to Prezzo. If your child is a food explorer, go to Wagamama. Côte sits in the middle — competent, unremarkable, and reliable enough for a weekday lunch when nobody wants to argue about dinner.
