Côte Brasserie is making a rather civilised intervention in the national business of watching football, launching live match screenings this summer for fans who like the beautiful game but prefer not to experience it with somebody’s elbow in their ribs and lager on their shoes.
For the first time, select Côte restaurants will become live football venues, offering HD screens, surround sound, guaranteed seating and full table service. In other words, the sort of matchday set-up that may alarm traditionalists who believe football must be watched while standing behind a man in a bucket hat shouting at a television.
A Restaurant Table, Not A Bar Queue
The idea is simple enough: take the noise, tension and shared theatre of tournament football, then remove the bar scrum, obstructed views and tactical jostling for a seat.
Côte is transforming private dining rooms, terraces and garden spaces into dedicated football viewing areas for families, friends and groups. Guests will be able to watch the matches from their table, order food properly and follow the action without performing the usual pub contortion act around a pillar, a fruit machine or someone’s inexplicably large backpack.
The restaurants will screen all England and France matches, along with the World Cup semi-finals and final. It is a neat pairing for Côte: French brasserie cooking, British football nerves, and the shared human condition of shouting tactical advice at elite athletes who cannot hear you.
Which Côte Restaurants Are Showing The Football?
The live football experience will be available at Côte Cheltenham, Farnham, Newbury, Newcastle and Tunbridge Wells.
Outdoor screenings will also run at Côte Marlow, St Albans and St Katharine Docks, where garden and terrace settings should give the tournament a more summery, less subterranean feel than the usual crowded pub back room.
For larger groups, Côte St Paul’s, Côte Covent Garden and Côte St Christopher’s Place will offer exclusive private viewing rooms for parties of between 14 and 22 people. That should appeal to corporate gatherings, birthdays, celebrations and any group brave enough to mix football allegiances in an enclosed space.
The Matchday Menu: Burgers, Frites And A Seat You Don’t Have To Defend
To mark the launch, Côte is introducing a new Matchday Menu from £29.95 per person.
Guests can choose from the restaurant’s new burger range, including hand-pressed steak burgers and a fried fish sandwich, alongside Caesar salad, loaded frites and a drink. Beer, lager, cider, wine and soft drinks are all included as part of the package.
It is a pragmatic sort of menu: familiar, filling and built for the rhythm of a football match. Nobody wants to be delicately negotiating something architectural with a knife and fork while a winger is tearing into the box.
The biggest selling point, though, may be the absence of friction. No queue at the bar. No losing your seat. No returning from a drinks run to discover the only available view is through the back of a stranger’s head.
Deliveroo Brings Côte’s Matchday Menu Home
Côte is also extending the campaign beyond its restaurants through a partnership with Deliveroo.
From 16 June, fans watching at home will be able to order Côte’s new burger range and exclusive matchday bundles, with options designed for different group sizes. Deliveroo Plus members will also have access to buy-one-get-one-free offers throughout the campaign.
That gives Côte two clear routes into the tournament: the polished restaurant screening for those who want atmosphere without bedlam, and the sofa-based version for viewers who believe the best seat in the house is the one nearest the fridge.
Why This Could Be A Clever Summer Move
The timing is smart. Football fans are not short of places to watch a major tournament, but not everyone wants the full fan-zone experience. Families, mixed-age groups and anyone hoping to actually eat dinner while watching a match may find the Côte Brasserie approach more appealing than the standard high-volume sports bar.
It also gives the brand a sharper role in the summer sporting calendar. Côte is not trying to out-pub the pubs. It is offering a different proposition: better seating, proper food, table service and a more controlled atmosphere.
There is a quiet confidence in that. Football may be chaos, but dinner needn’t be.
Booking Details
Walk-ins will be welcomed where space allows, but advance booking is recommended for the biggest fixtures.
Tables and private viewing spaces can be reserved at cote.co.uk/live-football. For those staying home, Côte’s Deliveroo matchday bundles will be available throughout the tournament.
And really, there are worse ways to watch a tense knockout match than with loaded frites, a cold drink and the reassuring knowledge that your seat will still be there after half-time.
