Cafe Rouge - Wimbledon

Bouliabase is back on the menu, a lovely rustic fish stew - unfortunately the squid is overcooked so its like rubber but the rest of it is lovely.
The hubby loved his hake, a large portion in beer batter.

Popped in for breakfast yesterday. I was the only customer (there is a good deal of competition for the breakfast trade in Wimbledon Village).

I opted for the coffee and croissant deal which offered a hot drink of your choice and a warm croissant with French butter and jam for £2.95. The waitress asked me if I wanted still or sparkling water but I declined the offer.

My latte and croissant appeared with a glass of tap water but no butter or jam! I asked for the latter and it was duly served.

With free WiFi and a commanding view of the street for people-watching, it has its plus points but there are better options in the Village.

I am a huuuuge Cafe Rouge fan!!
So following an unexpected day off work and a successful job interview (plus the added extra of their near constant stream of easily accessible discount vouchers!) my local Cafe Rouge was the perfect spot to treat myself to lunch!
However.. (And it's quite a big however) This has been one of the most disappointing trips to this restaurant I have ever made.
Upon arrival I had to make my way half way through the well sized (and empty) restaurant before I could find a member of staff to seat me. (Don't get me wrong, I don't mind finding my own seat, but the place was so deadly quiet I thought if I sat down I could wait a year before anyone found me!) When I was greeted by a member of staff I was informed that 3 items on the menu were "sold out"; considering this was just after midday and the restaurant was empty, I found this very hard to believe, I would much rather have an honest answer ('the delivery is late'/ 'we have a stand-in chef today'). Upon being handed a menu I also found that half of my favourite dishes were no longer on there.
This is a gripe I often have with Cafe Rouge. I understand they are a chain which is struggling currently (3 of my favourite and most accessible of their restaurants have closed down in the past 2 years) but I find it incredibly frustrating to see a different menu each time I come to their restaurant! Especially when it's the same branch. This is the kind of place I consider a 'treat' and I often come with an idea of exactly what I would like to order in mind, so it is disappointing when the menu seems to be in a constant state of flux.
When my food arrived (in perfect time) it was delicious, as always, though. Cafe Rouge really do do the best frites! So that comforted me. However, my plate was almost removed before I finished my meal (which considering by this point I was only one of three tables, I found a little over zealous) making me feel a bit rushed.
Overall I was disappointed mostly by the service during my meal here, the food was lovely as always, but the poor quality of the staff made this 'treat' less special than I had hoped. All I can wish for is to come back in 3 months and find a new team working here (which is fairly typical for this Cafe Rouge).

We visited here in a large group for a 70th birthday occasion.

This was overall a good experience but not all was perfect. We were shown to our table which was under a heat blower that would have cooked the top three people at the table had we not mentioned it. They swiftly and politely turned it off as they didn't know how to turn it down! Problem solved.

We ordered drinks from what seemed to be an impatient waitress, she was not rude to us just seemed a little rushed at most interactions. Some people had a bottle of wine between them and this was brought to us and served in the style of an Old West barman, glasses slammed onto the table in their places and wine thrown into them at speed, there was splashing and raised eyebrows all around. Other drinks were delivered and food was ordered.

The food was brought to us and although the right orders came some were delivered wrong so there was a bit of plate swapping, no major issues although i had started eating a steak that turned out not to be mine, my bad. Once meals found their correct mouths the food was very good, I think the steaks were missing roast garlic or it may have been an 'option' on the menu not standard.

We had a cake we had given the staff who were helpful in how and when to deliver and i think they even supplied us with some candles for the traditional singing moment. Plates were passed out with a couple of alternate desserts.

Overall pleasant and the food was great and enjoyable well worth a visit just take a waterproof if you plan on drinking wine. We left some cake for a tip.

I'm not usually a fan of restaurant chains but I am very fond of this branch of Cafe Rouge. The restaurant has a lovely, cosy feel to it which makes you want to relax and take your time.


Food is tradional French bistro "lite" with salads, moules et frites, good steaks, Coq au Vin (obviously) and heavenly puddings. Comfort food with style.


Cafe Rouge is corporately child friendly with a children's menu and crayons on arrival and the staff in this branch are particularly friendly and accomodating.


One of my favourite local places for a leisurely weekend lunch.

Not sure what has happened here but it has defiantly gone down hill. I went there for dinner the other night. We ordered a sharing plate which was very nice but the main course was terrible. My partner ordered a Vegitarian and I ordered the hamburger with Brie. Her dinner was burnt to a crisp and mine was cold. Also the brie totally overpowered the dish. Don't think we will be rushing back anytime soon.

Great atmosphere, good wine and home of one of the best Caesar Salads I have had in London.

I'm usually a massive Cafe Rouge fan. I love the food and the atmosphere, and love the fact that you can use Tesco vouchers there to make it even better value for money. Sadly, however, this branch of Cafe Rouge has let me down so many times that I've stopped going. The staff seem more preoccupied with the time their shift ends than seeing to you, and there is usually a huge wait before you're even brought the menu. Surely if the restaurant is busy, it would make more business sense to give you the menu, along with the wine list and ask if you'd like a drink whilst you wait rather than just ignoring you? I thought it was a one-off, so returned again when it was quieter, but sadly, yet again, the staff exuded a 'I can't be bothered' air to them. I'll still return to other Cafe Rouge branches. Just not this one in Wimbledon.

I had really poor service when in here last time. I was going for breakfast with friends. We were one of two tables occupied in the whole restaurant. We ordered not very confusing breakfasts which arrived and were all wrong. Coffee and hot chocolates were cold. Waiting for the missing/incorrect food took over half an hour. Waitress overheard our frustrations with the service and offered us a hefty discount but it wasn't worth it. We would have much rather eaten elsewhere. Won't return here since if this is the service we received with the restaurant virtually empty - what would it be like when full?!

Not used to visit restaurant chains, but this one is pretty good. Atmosphere is nice as well as the decoration both inside and outside. Staff are friendly and polite. The food is impressive and on a reasonable price.