Cafe Rouge Bromley

I recently met friends for lunch at Café Rouge Bromley, having not visited a Café Rouge branch for 2 or 3 years. Previous bad experiences included a salad at the Dulwich branch several years ago that seemed to consist of tough cabbage leaves with stale croutons and a cappuccino in Bromley that had obviously been made by re-​using coffee without refilling the machine first!
The Bromley branch is a pleasant light and airy space and the staff seemed friendly, though the service turned out to be extremely slow. My olives were warm, which worried me slightly as being kept at room temperature cannot be safe. However, I can report no ill effects, fortunately. My friends’ starters (both had the chicken and bacon salad) were tasty, though stale croutons still seem to be a feature at Café Rouge! 2 or 3 dishes were ‘off’ the set lunch menu, which did not leave much choice. I plumped for the chicken with peppers and courgettes which was tasty and colourful, though the chicken breast was over-​cooked. We all had Eton Mess for dessert which was very nice and less sickly than usual as it included ice-​cream rather than whipped cream though there were few strawberries in evidence! We opted for a more expensive rose wine rather than the house wine, but it was very mediocre. With coffee and 2-​course set menu option, our meal for 3 came to £60.
The food was better than my previous experiences so I might risk another visit to Café Rouge if in an area where there is no independent café with home-​made food.

I know it’s a chain and they are all supposed to be the same, but this one has a weird atmosphere and isn’t as nice as others I’ve been to. I think it’s probably down to the type of people who go there rather than the place itself or the staff

Well, my bum hole is burning from all the diarrhea I suffered after having an English Breakfast + Breakfast tea here on a late Sunday morning!
Was it the soggy bacon? The creamy warm milk? Or the brown sauce I requested? (The most likely suspects, as those I was with all had the eggs, toast and sausage without any problem).
Anyway, I give an extra star for the nice décor and friendly staff, but I won’t be going back to this one.

Nice, but much like all the other chains of Café Rouge. Nice décor, rabbit warren downstairs just to find the toilets, but the staff are nice and there’s lots of room to eat. Don’t go before a theatre trip — it gets too packed! Weekends are a ‘no’ as well, so go at the beginning of the week.

I used to work near this Café Rouge s often stopped in there for lunch. The staff are the best I’ve encountered at a Café Rouge, giving the place a relaxed vibe that can’t be beaten. In the summer, sitting outside with a steak sandwich and a beer watching the wold go by was something we all forward to. I can;t recommend this branch of Café Rouge enough

For some reason, Café Rouge seems to get slammed a lot due to it being a chain and I find that rather unfair. Yes, it’s faux french and they go to rather obvious measures to make it seem very French, including hiring supposedly French staff, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Why? Because Café Rouge offers decent food — I’ve never had a bad meal at the many branches I’ve been to — as well as a relaxed atmosphere and good service overall at a fair price range.
This particular branch is on a corner, which seems to have the effect of making it one of the larger Café Rouges I’ve been in. Even when it’s busy it never feels too claustrophobic and the lighting and ambience is usually pleasing. Everything I’ve ever tried has tasted good, even (and especially) the chicken and steak baguettes as well as the tartes.
I’m quite happy to count Café Rouge as one of my local restaurants and I’ll gladly be going there on a regular basis for some time to come. Mais oui!