Cote Ouest Bistro

Whoever said the french fries were mid is delulu. These fries are crack.

But the dish that keeps me and my partner coming back for more is the croissant french toast. That's not powdered sugar, that's crack. It's so good I'm actually addicted to it.

Anyway yeah I'm mad that someone had an issue with the fries so here's my 5 stars. See you again soon, Cote Ouest.

As you walk towards Cote Ouest bistro, the initial glimpse of the smart outdoor seating and the canopies evoke a familiar sense of nostalgia and European hospitality (as a European I felt right at home).

Once inside, the bustling and friendly atmosphere delivers a comforting sense that you're in very good hands, and despite how busy the servers may seem, they're always keeping a keen eye on your table without making you feel rushed.

The menu offers so many delicious dishes it presents you with a welcome challenge to select from the plethora of options. If you're dining with friends who are prepared to share, you're in luck!

Our first experience was Saturday brunch. The menu offered breakfast and brunch staples, plus some dishes you don't normally see on a brunch menu. Everything we enjoyed was delicious and delightfully presented.

For adult beverages, the Lillet Spritz makes a great upgrade to your weekend Mimosa if you fancy a switch-up.

Cote Ouest nestles in a neighborhood setting but just a few steps away from The Presido. Making it for locals and those who want to get their steps in and go exploring.

This restaurant is made and served with love. Go and try it out yourself and see!

Bon Appétit

Ideally, I'd give it a 3.5/5, but I'm rounding up.

Nestled in the Cow Hollow neighborhood, Cote Ouest Bistro offers a delightful escape to a Parisian cafe. Finding parking can be a bit of a challenge with street parking being the main option, but the friendly and attentive service quickly makes you forget any pre-dinner frustrations.

The indoor space is charming and intimate, perfect for a cozy date night or a catch-up with friends. For those who prefer al fresco dining, there's a heated outdoor patio - a great option on a pleasant San Francisco evening. Just be prepared for a relaxed, French cafe vibe - this isn't the place for a rushed meal.

My friend and I visited Cote Ouest for SF restaurant week ($65 for 3 course menu).

We started with a couple of appetizers:

Tartare de Boeuf: The hand-cut raw beef was incredibly fresh and flavorful. The capers, shallots, and cornichons added a nice tangy counterpoint, and the raw egg yolk brought everything together beautifully. This is a must-try for any steak tartare enthusiast.

Pâté de Campagne: This rustic French pate was rich and savory, with a lovely hint of spice from the Piment d'espelette. The toasted pain au levain, unfortunately, didn't do it for me.

For the main course, we opted for the following:

Filet Mignon de Boeuf: The filet mignon was cooked nicely. My friend asked for a medium rare cook on the meat, but he got medium. The green peppercorn sauce had a strange metallic taste (think of iron; that's the closest I could compare it to). The accompanying French fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

For our final course, we shared 2 desserts:

Tarte Tatin: A classic done right. The caramelized apples were sweet and gooey, and the buttery puff pastry was light and flaky.

Moelleux au Chocolat: This warm chocolate cake was pure decadence. The rich chocolate center oozed out perfectly when spooned into, and the combination of salted caramel, whipped cream, and creme anglaise was heavenly. It wasn't as sweet as I had thought.

They also serve us bread and butter at the beginning. The butter was unsalted, and the bread was mediocre.

Overall, Cote Ouest Bistro offers a charming French dining experience with good food and friendly service. Just be prepared for a relaxed atmosphere and potentially tricky parking.

Tucked away on a charming side street in Cow Hollow is this delightful French bistro that has stolen my heart (and tastebuds!). The ambiance is warm and inviting with soft lighting that casts a romantic glow and cozy, charming seating (indoors and out) with views of the quiet neighborhood. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, making me feel right at home -- which is especially good since I spend about as much time eating at this restaurant as I do eating at home (I live across the street, and I am an awful cook!)

But the true star of the show is the food. Every dish is flavorful, from the melt-in-your-mouth filet to the perfectly cooked coq a vin and duck confit. They also do a wonderful brunch with fluffy omelettes, quiche, eggs benedict, croque monsieur, french toast and more. And didn't miss the frites -- they are great! The food portions are generous, and the ingredients are fresh and high-quality. Every meal I've eaten here has been delicious. (To be fully transparent, sometimes I eat two meals a day at this restaurant, because it's that good... and also because the last time I tried to cook a steak at home, the fire department was dispatched. True story.)

If you're looking for a quintessential San Francisco French bistro experience, look no further! This hidden gem is a must-visit.

SF 2024 Restaurant Week brings so many options for us to explore restaurants beyond our comfort zone. As fate would have it, old family friends recommended Cote Ouest. Their fixed 3 course option for $65 seemed like a great introduction to their style and cuisine choices. We were a party of 4, and collectively, we ordered:
1. Lobster bisque, crispy goat cheese salad, and tartare de boeuf.
2. Filet mignon de boeuf, Coq au vin, and Halibut
3. Tarte tatin and moelleux au Chocolat.

WE SHARED EVERYTHING! We all agreed; One of the BEST meals we have shared since we started "date night Fridays" 4 years ago. We all decided to return. Food and service were exquisite. We learned about school night (tues, wed and thurs). Just one more reason to return. That was just icing on the cake for weekday trips.

We came here for restaurant week 2024 and we are planning on coming back for escargot and steak frites! I just love French food and this place definitely fills that craving.

What I love about this place is their service and the ambiance- it is not trying too hard. Far enough away from the hustle and bustle this quaint little restaurant is a great place for a well executed meal.

I ordered the three course meal: steak tartar, the filet (which came with fries), and the crème brûlée. Needless to say we were very full by the end as the portions are bigger than I thought they would be! C'est délicieux!

I had $75 a day to expense for my company work trip, so you already know I was looking to BODY some Steak Frites.

My two big bros and I came here for our last meal before heading home. We entered with no reservation, but they are both really good looking so we were seated immediately even though it was pretty packed at lunchtime on a Thursday ahaha.

As we sat down I didn't even need to look at the menu, y'all know why I'm here. Steak Frites button getting SPAMMED.

With 2 orders of Steak Frites and 1 Duck Confit order put in, we began to recap the last night of our conference that was the big going out night. The night where everybody gets lit up like a Christmas tree. The 3 of us sat there in this beautiful, authentic French restaurant trading stories, breaking bread, remembering awkward interactions, and just giving a huge debrief of the night while laughing our bums off.

I have become more appreciative of these moments in my older age, as they are really what life is about. Genuinely enjoying time with your homies after an eventful night is something that there is an hourglass on, so I appreciate every last one.

After getting our meals and beginning to dig in, it becomes clear that there is a couple on a date next to us in the early stages, had to be within the first 3 dates forsure. I began to have war flashbacks as this girl was doing at LEAST 98% of the talking, my boy couldn't get a word in hahahaha. Boy I really don't miss those kinds of dates..... Stay down for the come up fellas!!

To be fully honest, the Steak Frites wasn't my favorite as it came pretty overcooked for being ordered medium rare. My big bro and I both agreed on a 6/10 for the Steak Frites, but big bro 2 loved his Duck Confit. However, I would 100% come back to this place as the vibes are up and our server Alexandre was LOCKED IN. I just got back from the Locked In Factory, and they knew Alexandre........ Mercibeaucoup, Alexandre!!!!

IG @jnov_
Tiktok @jnov__

Came for brunch in a group of 4, late November. Seated outside but we didn't mind, the outdoor seating was lovely and there were a couple of tall heaters to keep us warm enough.

We shared 2 entrees and 1 sweets dish and it was the perfect amount of food for us (each of us paid roughly ~$22 per person). We ordered the classic steak frites and what I think to be the pork chop over potato au gratin(?) - I forget, but the absolute favorite was the croissant french toast!! It had a nice croffle base and the custard/syrup was the perfect amount of sweetness (not overdone and amazingly balanced). I'd come back just for the desserts itself, but everything overall was great!

Came here with my gf for the restaurant week 2024 menu (3 courses 65$). Together we got the lobster bisque and beef tartare for appetizers, filet mignon and spring risotto for mains, and tarte tatin and chocolate lava cake for dessert. We also got a bottle of red wine. They started the meal with some complementary bread and butter which they offered to refill for us when we finished. My favorite of the night was definitely the beef tartare which was surprisingly bright and refreshing from the capers and shallots mixed in, though I wish they served it with bread or croutons instead of chips. I preferred the risotto over the steak, as it was a nice balance of salty from the cheese and refreshing from the vegetables. The steak and fries were good but not anything special, I did really like the sauce that it came with. Both desserts were good, the lava cake was rich and luxurious while the tarte tatin came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that was the perfect ending to the meal.
Service was quick and friendly. Seating is a little limited inside and they offer outdoor seating with heat lamps as well. It was pretty crowded for a Thursday night, but that may just be due to it being restaurant week, either way it was easy for us to make a reservation just a few days prior

I visited Cote Ouest Bistro with my mom at a friend's recommendation, and it was superb! We came around 11AM for a perfect brunch time, got seated fairly quickly with our reservation, and got to ordering.

I got the croissant French toast, which was amazing! The fruit was fresh, the croissant base was incredibly unique and flaky, and the powdered sugar added a nice accented sweetness to the overall dish! 9.5/10

My mom got the Benedict croissant which was unique in that there was smoked salmon and of course a croissant with the eggs Benedict. It wasn't a combination I'd tried before but it definitely worked. Considering my mom cleaned her plate in just a few minutes, it definitely passed her check too. 8/10.

As for service, it was great, everything came out quickly and the waitress was incredibly friendly. The place itself wasn't too busy but if I had the choice, I would've chosen to sit outside as the weather was beautiful and would've went perfectly with the meal!