Restaurant Review: Cocotte Shoreditch

Rotisserie chicken seems to be having a moment in the capital. Lily Cotton takes a trip to Cocotte in Shoreditch to see what all the fuss is about.

Cocotte is a collection of six restaurants, spanning across West London and Shoreditch.

It offers a simple menu centred around rotisserie chicken, including salads, burgers, schnitzel, or just chicken with a variety of sauces and sides.

They also have a dedicated lunch menu, and even a weekend brunch menu.

I headed to the Shoreditch branch after work, ready to get in the chicken spirit.

I arrived early and was seated outside in the sunshine by lovely attentive staff. The Shoreditch restaurant is located in Hoxton Square, with an intimate, bistro-feel interior and heated terrace overlooking a stretch of greenery. 

After a quick peruse of the drinks menu, I opted for a Margarita (£12), which was perfectly sweet, sharp and exactly what I needed after a long day at the office. When my guest arrived, she ordered a deliciously refreshing Elderflower Martini (£12), light and the perfect aperitif. 

It was a tough call choosing a starter, with delights like crispy pesto halloumi or mysterious ‘Oeuf Cocotte’ on offer, but in the end we opted to stick with the chicken theme and to share chicken and truffle croquettes (£11) and chicken tenders (£8). The croquettes were rich, with a nice crisp exterior, and the chicken tenders were succulent with good crunch. 

For mains, my mind said salad but my heart voted against it so more chicken it was. We shared the chicken schnitzel (which is a guilty pleasure of mine) and of course, some proper rotisserie chicken. We went for a half, which at £15 seemed pretty reasonable. Some people moan that you can buy a chicken for a fraction of the price in a supermarket, but the time it takes to slow-roast and season this chicken makes it well worth the price.

The meat arrived on a wooden board, oozing juice and perfectly browned. We of course got some truffle fries to accompany it, as well as some Chicken Jus (£2). The chicken tasted as good as it looked - tender, succulent and even better smothered in sauce. A little piece of chicken paired with a truffle fry really was divine (why did I ever think I was getting a salad?). 

The schnitzel was also good (£19); although a little tough, the breadcrumb coat was flavoured beautifully and the portion was very generous - it was bigger than my head. 

We were far too stuffed for dessert and opted for a second cocktail instead. I would have loved to have tried the Pear Frangipane Tart but I’ll have to wait another day.

My verdict is that Cocotte is doing what so many Londoners want these days - a simple menu done well. There are a good selection of starters, salads, chicken, steak and burgers and sides, but not too many to create the dreaded decision paralysis. Portions are a good size and I left satisfied and merry from my lovely Margaritas.

Cocotte has gained a new fan, and it’s clear I’m not the only one. No less than 10 Deliveroo drivers picked up orders over the course of our meal! 

Cocotte Shoreditch, 8 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU

https://mycocotte.uk