Most people have tried Cafe Rouge at some point, particularly if you enjoy French-style cuisine, and in the past we have really enjoyed our meals there.
However, the Exeter branch fell out of favour with us a few years ago when we were refused a table for coffee at 11.30am, as – we were told – they were too busy setting up for lunch! We’ve given it a wide berth ever since! Recently though, thanks mainly to a special offer we had seen on Travelzoo, we decided to give it another try, this time for lunch.
The Travelzoo deal was good – a 3-course lunch for two for £23. The menu offered a range of choices, and the quality of the food was good, without being outstanding. We enjoyed our lunch ,but did not enjoy the long wait between courses, especially after first ordering. We are convinced that they take their time while you finish your drink, hoping you will order another! The restaurant wasn’t full, busy-ish but not overly crowded, so we couldn’t see any reason why the service was so slow. Not enough staff in the kitchen maybe…
Overall, we weren’t impressed and as there are so many alternatives these days, I think Cafe Rouge will need to wait a long time, as we did, before we take our business there again.
“Cafe website”:https://www.caferouge.com/bistro-brasserie/exeter/princesshay
