Café Coco (Royal Oxford Hotel)

Having moved to Oxford around a year ago, just in the last three weeks I have started to go to Cafe Coco. I find it a great venue for work meetings but also love going there for dinner. Great food, friendly staff. It's spot on.

Jim (Unverified), 27/10/09

---

I recently met a friend here for a drink. Admittedly it was a Monday night, but the place had tumbleweed blowing through it. This is the second time I have been to this Cafe Coco - the previous time was a Saturday night and again there couldn't have been more than 6 people in there. This site has been occupied by a few different organisations since I have lived in Oxford and none of them seem to have made this location work - a shame really, as it is quite a handy spot.

SLH (Unverified), 15/02/11

---

Really nice venue that I like a lot but there's a few minor gripes, such as they stop serving some items on the menu at 12pm and some at 6pm. For example I went one evening at about 6pm, I ordered an omelette only to be told that they stop serving them at 12pm, when I enquired why I was told 'That's when we put the eggs away'.

I appreciate this was probably just a member of staff put on the spot and not a reflection of the actual place but I think it would do a lot better if most things stayed on the menu, as it's quite confusing and seemingly pointless to stop serving some basic items that are easy to prepare.

But as I say I really like Coco's and the cocktails are lovely so I will certainly be going back.

Dan (Unverified), 19/05/10

---

Have been here a few times and I think the food is nice and the staff friendly.

David (Unverified), 10/05/10

---

I love Coco's - £3.85 for the best cocktails EVER!! (Ok, between 5-7pm) I must go on a Tuesday for the acoustic night! Will hopefully check it out! Keep it up!

Rich (Unverified), 04/02/10

---

I've been to three of the Salsa nights on Sundays, and loved them all. Great music, great atmosphere, and the classiest interior design of any salsa club I've been into. And the staff loves salsa. Combine that with a good meal at reasonable prices before the dancing starts, and you have a truly great night out that includes exercise!

Bea (DI User), 25/01/10

---

I met a friend of mine from the train station on Tuesday evening and as it was late and we fancied eating as well as having a drink and catching up we decided to go to Cafe Coco. I'd not been in before but I'll be going back!

We were greeted by friendly staff who chatted to us while they made our drinks and we had a pizza each, great food. We noticed that a few people were milling around and clearing a space over by some huge mirrors, when we asked the staff what was going on they told us that Tuesday was a music night and they had TWO acts on. We had some more drinks and waited for the bands.

The first was a three piece band with an Irishman singing his own music, a little rough in places but he joked that they'd only been together for a few weeks and this was the second time they'd played together. Catchy songs, real toe tappers, the drummer was good and the bass player grew as they went on, and my friend who plays bass was pretty impressed. The second act was an Australian who sung a mixture of his own songs and covers, again really good, he was joined later by the previous drummer to sing more songs.

Me and my friend had a great time. Go there and try the place, it's worth a look, especially on a Tuesday.

Charlie (Unverified), 04/12/09

---

Oh dear what a let down. Looks enticing from the outside, driving past every day. Went there seduced by 'children eat free' (not normally a cheapskate but in these times). Arrived at 5.35pm Friday night, sat down and with no more than 4 other diners in the restaurant and plenty of staff who were more engaged in each other's conversations than customers, did not get a menu for 15 minutes or order taken til just before 6pm. Ordered tapenade appetizer and garlic bread appetizer and when it finally arrived it was good, but as for the rest, Lamb Coucous main, child's spaghetti prawn - no wonder it is free with one adult main, it has so few prawns on overcooked pasta (however did taste better than it looked - thankfully, but not much!). The food needs to be dressed better - I am not talking Manoir style but the lesson that if food looks good, it is appealing in all senses, might overcome some faults. The spicy lamb: I think sausages were casually thrown on this main course. As for the other salmon main, tasted ok, extremely minute slither of fish, but again poorly presented. Washed down with nice Rose after sending my six year old to disturb the staff from group meetings to come to table - it really is terrible service. When we finally got the bill they had charged £9.50 for child's free meal and advised us that as our food was taken after 6pm we should have been charged for this! Astonishing when we sat there for so long waiting for service in the first place.

I truly wish you well with this enterprise and will go back in a few month's time as I enjoy the owner's other establishments and hopefully these problems will be ironed out.

Annie (Unverified), 10/10/09

---

I practically live in Café Coco. I think the service is great, the food is superb. I say if it's not your cup of tea don't go dozens of times waiting for something wrong to happen. It has got atmosphere, it has got music, but you have to remember it's not a music venue. Café Coco is the place to have a coffee and have a naughty slice of cake. Hopefully it won't close down like the rest of the restaurants have done in the past. I went into the deli today - great hot bacon sarnie and the selection of salads is to die for! Long live Coco's!

Flossie (Unverified), 28/06/09

---

I've been here twice now, at lunchtime with colleagues. The service has been OK, not bad considering there was a big-ish group of us (6+) but both times, one person's order was forgotten so they sat like a plum whilst everyone else tucked in. Also, the pizzas: they're not good. I love pizza but both times I came here, they were strangely flavourless. I've had better from a supermarket range!

VickyJP (DI User), 25/05/09

---

Popped into their new deli on my lunch break, great salad and a very tasty lamb stew. Highly recommended!

13/05/09

---

Desperately needs live music to aid the somewhat lacking atmosphere!

01/05/09

---

I have been to the new Café Coco probably a dozen times since it opened. Overall, my experiences have been positive. However, this past weekend my husband and I brought four guests there for breakfast. All six of us are vegetarian. Two ordered the spinach omelette and four ordered the eggs florentine. The omelettes were described as having "either ham, mushrooms or spinach." They came with ham and spinach - obviously a problem for vegetarians! The eggs florentine - which should be eggs, cream, butter, spinach and seasoning, baked - consisted of a huge hamburger bun with a single egg, a bit of spinach and sauce. This cost £7.50. I guess my advice would just be that in these corner-cutting times of recession, it might be best to go there just for coffee!

Holly (Unverified), 20/04/09

---

Same stylish design as the Cowley Road cafe, though too spread out to create the same cosy atmosphere. Funky posters. Friendly and efficient staff. Notorious location for failed restaurants though... Hope Coco's does better than previous tenants there. Draughty main room (and you're not allowed to drink from beer bottles as apparently the owner's mum doesnt like it!)

03/01/09

---