Cafe Rouge – Highgate

I’m trying to find words which express worse things than «appalling service.» We waited some 10 minutes before our order got taken — a prophetic harbinger of things to come — and never really worked out which of the over busy wait staff was supposed to be serving us. 35 mins later — no food, no communication. And then a table which ordered after us got its food… Having had to get up from a table to get the attention of any of the wait staff, we were told that it would be a max of 10 mins till the food was served. 15 mins later we asked for the manager. Someone who clearly was not the manager charmlessly informed us that «a lot of people all came in at once» — and that our food would be with us in a maximum of 15 minutes. No apologies, no offer to make things better.
At which point we walk out. Then we hopped over to Pizza Express and got food on our plate 10 minutes. Met some nice people there who’d had the same idea after the same treatment in CR.
— Can Café Rouge ever be cool again? Not unless they get beyond their Soviet style attitude and actually learn how to run a restaurant and serve their customers.
Avoid.

This place just reeks like chainy-god-awfulness…and unfortunately the staff has just the same non-​caring attitude. I mean, I never expect that my appearance (or the appearance of any customer) should make the wait staff go gaga, but what I felt at Café Rouge in Highgate was just plain non-​caring. I mean, everyone was nice enough, but at no point did I have the feeling that my presence and my business was at all appreciated.
On top of that, the food was really just ok… nothing to rave home about. I would avoid this place and go to any of the other big chains that are in Highgate Village: Pizza Express or Strada.

Fantastic steaks! friendly service a little pricy but worth it I would recommend this to anyone! they also do mint tea whitch

There’s little that is original and exciting about Café Rouge, chain Frenchy with the generic French menu of Baguettes and frites, salad nicoise, croissants, café au lait and citron presse. But it’s consistent and easy, calm and these days a little retro and the scene for a lunchtime catch up with an old friend. Us: two late twenties artists, talking shop and relationships, travel and art. By the time we left we were surrounded by mature ladies wot lunch a few of whom had to ‘stay up until 10 last night’ and so had been running a little late in meeting. This is a fitting place for the village environment of Highgate and near-​by Hampstead but I think the charm would be lost in any more of an urban environment.