We went to Coucou for lunch on Saturday and it was lovely. We had a great waiter, Stephane according to our check, who was very attentive to detail. It's a little loud, but not to where we couldn't have a private conversation. Now the food. The food was enjoyable! It tasted fresh and balanced. Everything was perfectly cooked, and our waiter seamlessly provided more crostini for our farmers cheese and additional sauces for our fries, without us asking for more. The food is also photogenic if that's also your thing, lol. The drinks were strong but still flavorful. The bar looked very well stocked and the bartender was mixing martinis left and right which was fun to watch. I split 3 appetizers, an entree, and dessert with my husband and we both left full and satisfied. We will definitely return again and have told our friends to give Coucou a try. read more

Omg no no no. This place was not it from the second we sat down. My friend sat in a pile of crumbs or possibly sand from previous people at the beach. I sat down and my water glass was noticeably dirty, as was my friends with leftover food items stuck to it. We asked to exchange it and the Waiter just snatched it and swapped it and didn't say a word. Then I look down at my plate and napkins and lo and behold the plate also had food crusties. I put it to the side and grabbed the plate from behind me because I knew that the waiter wouldn't have even cared. I am actually seriously concerned of the cleanliness of this place. The bathroom? Pretty weird decor but the gross part is that someone threw up in there and clearly the staff didn't care. It didn't go all the way down in the toilet because the handle was broke so I just peed on top of it and tried to keep flushing. Food came out super slowly even tho they rushed us to order everything because they were closing the kitchen. Didn't realize they closed so early so that's on us. Food was bland yet salty and chewy and fishy in ALL the wrong ways. I did not enjoy a single bite from the lobster spaghetti to the steak frites. The ketchup dipping sauce was honestly the best part. My friend's burger was ok and the other dish I don't even know what it was but my friend just stopped eating and took it home after saying it was super salty. Coucou was an absolute flopflop and I would never recommend coming here. This is not the 3 or 4 dollar sign establishment it wants to be. Our option was this or chilis and I wish we went to chilis. The price was insane too and we would have been happier elsewhere on the strand I'm sure. read more

See all

My fiancée and I came here for an early Monday dinner at 4:30 p.m. We were excited to try a new French restaurant in the South Bay, especially since the area could really use more places like this. We went in hoping for a special new local dining experience. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to what we were expecting from a French restaurant at this price point. The overall atmosphere, service style, and small details did not really feel like the polished French dining experience we had hoped for. My fiancée ordered the steak medium rare, but it came out nearly raw. I had the gnocchi, which was fine, but not especially memorable. We had planned on ordering dessert, but the dessert option we were interested in was essentially soft serve, so we decided to skip it. We also learned that the happy hour drinks are half-price, but they seemed to be much smaller than standard-size drinks, so the value did not feel quite as good as advertised. The pacing of the meal was also very slow, especially considering how early we were dining and how quiet the restaurant was at that time. We finished our meal, but left feeling disappointed. For the price, we were hoping for more of a refined, white-tablecloth French restaurant experience. Afterward, we went over to Slay for dessert and happened to sit next to another couple who had a very similar impression. I truly wanted to like this place, and I'm glad to see new restaurants opening in the South Bay, but based on our first visit, I do not see us coming back. read more

My husband and I were so excited they opened lunch hours in the new Manhattan Beach location. The cocktails were beautiful and tasty. We wanted to do a lighter meal so ordered a bunch of apps including the standout steak tartare and lots of veggies. Everything came out quickly and our waiter was very helpful in helping us to determine how much to order. The soft serve with the chocolate sauce was also memorable. I would likely skip the fries next time (I prefer thin Belgian style frites) but otherwise excited to come back and try the entrees! read more

Coucou - Coucou Sour - French Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Ignore the bad reviews, food and service were fantastic. Wonderful happy hour situation, and the L'Haute Dog is one of the greatest dogs I've ever tasted. I shall return read more

Coucou - Espresso Martini - French Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

See all

We have eaten twice for lunch on the weekend and it was delicious both times. We had the Bone Marrow (make sure you love garlic if you order this, I do), the Ceviche we had both visits and is our favorite for sure, oysters on the half shell, and we have had the Mussels Mariniere. Everything was fresh and delicious. The service was pretty good. I think there were several new staff that had a lot of questions for our bar tender so that kept him extra busy, but that will get better over time; overall a fantastic new addition to our MB spots and we will for sure be returning often!! read more

Coucou - Mussels Mariniere - French Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

See all

The French bistro is a favorite kind of food and it's done very nicely here in MB. The staff is so friendly and welcoming good luck to you Cou Cou I love this little gem in downtown MB one block from the beach . try the oysters and the soup it's all so delish ‍run to this restaurant it's so charming and fun Viva la France ‍ read more

Hate to leave a negative review this early in their restaurant life, but we just had such a bad experience here. Only reason I gave it two stars instead of one was because Yanni (manager) comped a chunk of our bill. We arrived about 10 mins early (no table ready, fine), we got sat about 10 mins after our res (fine), but everything after that was just flat out awful. My wife ordered an espresso martini that was borderline clear and we didn't say anything. The soup even came out somewhat on time and it was solid. But then we waited over one hour for our entrees. That is not an exaggeration. One hour. Our waitress went "on break" and never told us. We thought the man helping our table during her break was honestly the bus boy because he barely spoke to us. No one even looked our way. Finally the manager came over to check in and we were like wtf dude. He went to take a look for our orders and said there was a miscommunication and he "wouldn't have put the order in the way our waitress did," but, hey, the good news is we get a free sundae. What a joke. I mean it was literally 1 hr and 20 mins after we sat down for us (my wife and I) to get our entrees. Then everything was clearly forced out - too hot, too cold, fries not cooked, etc. It was embarrassing. I complained to the waitress one more time who walked away borderline laughing. Yanni, the manager, came over and got our drinks comped and our steak frites (borderline inedible when it was served). He gave me his card for next time but the rest of the staff was so bad that I couldn't not leave this review. Our res was for 9 pm btw, well after rush. Don't waste your time here. One and done. read more

One star for the bizarre experience alone. Went to Coucou on a Saturday and were refused service because we had one child with us... meanwhile the restaurant was entirely dead. Empty tables everywhere, but apparently a child was where they drew the line. For a brand new restaurant, turning away paying customers on MOTHER'S DAY weekend when no one is there is definitely a choice. Good luck paying rent. - South Bay local read more

Love love love this place! Make reservations it's so worth it! Wife made one and she was so excited the past week waiting to come here. And both of us were blown away! We were greeting warmly and cheerfully by the hostess, the person with the French accent (manager?) took our order and was hilarious and very welcoming, all the staff was amazing and we felt very taken care of, our water glass was never empty! Wife got the non/alcoholic spritzer and she loved it! It was very refreshing and she was really happy they had a non alcoholic drink she could get! The happy hour dirty martini is a bit smaller than the regular martini but for 13$ WORTH IT! Smooth and delicious! Especially with the castelvetrano olives! Bartender has the best skills! Wood fired shrimp cocktail, my god, the char flavor on that was simply divine! Braised short ribs, melt in your mouth spoon tender, seasoned just right, with an amazing reduction sauce and velvety mashed potatoes. Steak frites, cooked a perfect medium rare, dipped in their black garlic jus with the caramelized shallots, I wanted to go high five everyone in the kitchen and buy them all a beer. Soft serve sundae. This is it. This is the one to get. The person (wish we got your name!) who took our order, said it perfectly, "I just want to go to the machine, put my mouth under the nozzle and pull the lever!" Of course he didn't and was just a joke but it's THAT GOOD! As locals, WE will definitely be back! read more

Wow - this surely ups the food scene in Manhattan Beach - dinner tonight was delicious! And service was perfect - A+ on food, people, and everything else! They even had my favorite and hard to find tequila and a great marg! Chicken Paillard was perfect - the zucchini beignets - so good - better than good!! Cauliflower ok - could have been crisper. Chocolate mouse was perfect - Soooo, 5 Stars! A++++! Welcome to Manhattan Beach - we needed this! read more

See all

I heard great things about the Venice and West Hollywood locations and I was so excited they decided to come to open up in my hometown. I went for a work lunch, four people and although the table might have been a little snug, we are all good friends and it worked out nicely. The group I was with are great eaters so we basically tried everything from the ceviche, oysters, whipped farmers cheese (Im not normally a smoked salmon gal but wow this was delicious!) and I tried the "L'Haute Dog" and dang that thing was bomb! The fork and knife part is no joke, it was a full meal. I dont know how but we saved room for the soft serve ice cream at the end which was so worth it. Overall Im a big fan, loved the bistro decor and the service was friendly. Im actually heading there again soon for a date night with my hubs, cant wait! read more

We had an amazing dining experience here because of our lovely waitress Valentina! She was so attentive and kind. The service here is absolutely amazing. I would recommend dining here if Valentina is your waitress! read more

Another great place in Manhattan Beach. Even though Coucou just opened, they executed everything flawlessly. From the nice welcome at the front from Hayley and others, to the great bartenders (we sat at the bar), such a nice experience. And the food was really excellent. See photos. Oysters with martinis, zucchini beignets, Bibb salad, mussels and frites. Soft serve sundae!! Such a great addition to the neighborhood. They really did a beautiful job with the interior space and the music was perfect. read more

See all

Great experience! Food was delicious and service was top notch thanks to TJ! The ambiance was very intimate which I absolutely love.

My husband and I came in for our wedding anniversary and was told the kitchen was closed and it was too late to order any food, but if we only wanted drinks we could sit at the bar. We ended up having such a delightful time. Our bartender Jane made us the most fantastic espresso martinis I have ever had and made us feel so welcomed. I've decided this is where I will hold my birthday party in September. Excited to come back and try their food. This has already become favorite spot in Manhattan Beach read more

We got to the restaurant 15 min before our reservations and were promptly seated. We did a happy hour/dinner order and everything was great. Whatever growing pains/staffing issues they had seemed to be smoothed out by the time we went. Service, food and drinks were great! The atmosphere was fun and light on a Tuesday evening. Already planning a return trip! read more

All 3 stars go to the martinis, steak tartare, and zucchini beignets, those were fantastic. Now the not so great... our waitress, while very nice, did not check on us once during our almost 2 hour dinner except to let us know she was going on a break. We had to flag down another waitress, after multiple attempts, over an hour into the meal, to order a second round of drinks. The broth the mussels came in was delicious but the mussels themselves were chewy and over 1/3 of the mussel shells were completely empty. We let our waitress know at the end of the meal and she said "that's a great note for the kitchen, thanks!" with no offer to remedy the situation. The grilled artichoke hearts were bland, undercooked and the sauce they came with was almost inedible. It was stringy and just tasted like ground up spinach with no other seasoning. If you're looking for delicious martinis and a quick appetizer, this place is great, but at $140/person and mandatory 20% tip, I expected much better service and food. Edit: The break was not the issue, everyone working absolutely deserves a break. But, it was the only time our server came to our table between ordering our food and giving us the check, a gap of almost 2 hours. Thanks Hayley for your response and appreciate the direct follow up! read more

This is a "special occasion" restaurant for me. Not cheap, but a good variety of menu items for every taste and everything we ordered was delicious and well-presented. Zuccini beignets, oysters, lobster spaghetti, were some highlights. My personal favorite was the soft serve ice cream sundae. I devoured it. read more

Such a great addition to South Bay! The Bistro is very cozy and has a Parisian vibe. All our food and service was top notch! Great French wine selection. The wait staff and manager went over and beyond to make our experience wonderful. We will definitely be back! read more

See all

"Pomme frites" were more like chips and undercooked...and frozen. Service was okay but overall the food was just okay. I wouldn't recommend spending your money here. read more

My husband and I strolled in to this charming cafe mid day for a glass of champagne for a birthday celebration. We didn't have a reservation, but the nice gentleman at the host desk welcomed us in, and we sat at the bar. The bartender, I believe his name was Hyman (sp), made us a beautiful French 75 at our request with Cognac and topped with champagne. He was friendly, engaging and made the birthday celebration feel even more special. We will definitely be back to try out some of the delicious looking items on the menu. Thanks CouCou for making the day extra special. read more

Coucou - French Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

I was told by Jesse to come because there were two open seats at the bar. The reason I was asked to come was because I had accidentally booked their Venice location, and since I live in Manhattan Beach, she told me to come to this location instead. When we arrived, we were then told the seats were no longer available after we drove like maniacs to make it in time. I'm extremely disappointed with this establishment. I'm a new mom with a baby at home, and this was going to be my first night out since having my newborn. I got ready and was so excited for this date night, but they completely ruined my night. I even explained that we would be in and out within 40 minutes I already knew what I wanted to order. I don't drink, and I wasn't there to socialize; I just wanted to get out for an hour. They still wouldn't accommodate us. I'm very disappointed by the experience and found the restaurant to be very unfriendly. read more

My husband and I stopped in yesterday for lunch because I'd heard positive things about CouCou's other locations, but we left our meal feeling pretty dissatisfied. We've walked by a number of times and have been met with a bit of a sour attitude by whoever was working at the front and whoever the male manager is - yesterday, the girl working the front was perfectly nice, but the manager has an unpleasant attitude. Putting that aside, after being seated, we asked for our server's recommendations. We ordered the dorade and steak au poivre - both were disappointing. The fish was fresh, but remarkably small, with no sides, and incredibly bland. We also ordered the steak medium rare, but it came out closer to well done. The fries were also not fully cooked. The best part of the meal was the chocolate mousse - that was actually quite tasty. As others have mentioned, the atmosphere isn't great inside. The seats aren't comfortable and the acoustics are pretty awful so it's definitely very loud, even with only half the restaurant occupied. Overall, we won't be stopping in again - still feeling a bit confused about the positive reviews we've heard for the other locations if this is what the quality of service and cuisine is like. read more

Really disappointing experience, not because we couldn't get seated, but because of how we were treated. My two friends and I stopped by the new Manhattan Beach Coucou location a couple of weeks ago without a reservation, so we completely understood that we might not be able to dine there. One of my friends arrived first and waited at the bar, but because they only allow four bar seats and three were already taken, she was told one of us wouldn't be able to sit there. That was totally fine, rules are rules. The issue was the tone from the host, which felt unnecessarily rude and scolding, even though we were not arguing and fully understood the situation. What made it worse was that after I arrived, my friend and I were planning to order a quick drink at the bar while waiting for our third friend so we could head elsewhere. We sat there for about 10 minutes and were completely ignored, even with staff standing right in front of us. Then when our third friend arrived, unaware of the earlier conversation, she walked over as we were already getting up to leave. A server then rushed after her and started raising her voice about how we couldn't sit there, despite the fact that we were literally already leaving. The whole interaction felt aggressive, unwelcoming, and shockingly inhospitable. I've been to many busy restaurants and understand policies, but there's no excuse for treating people this way. My review is not about not getting a table, it's about the lack of basic courtesy and professionalism. Honestly, I'd be surprised if this restaurant lasts. Manhattan Beach is a laid-back beach town, and this kind of aggressive, hostile behavior just doesn't belong here. read more

The appetizers were good, main courses were average and drinks were good. The cost is a bit excessive and no tips but mandatory 20% service charge is a joke. The service charge would be more palatable if the service wasn't so bad. read more

My 3 MB friends & I were very excited to try this new restaurant. We arrived for our 4:00 reservation. There were 2 patrons at the bar, & restaurant was empty. I checked in & the gal said she coulda't find my Resi reservation (that I made days earlier). I said "no problem, so where should we sit?" She said in an uppity tone, "We're fully booked" (Really ?) She didn't welcome us or offer any apologies about a reservation mix-up. So I had to ask if we could sit at the bar. Which we did. (She didn't offer us that option or try and accomodate) At the bar - they provided a happy hour menu. 33.00 gets you one drink and two appetizers. We didn't want that "special" nor did we want 8 appetizers ... Long story short: The happy hour drinks are 1/2 the size of a normal drink. But the menu doesn't disclose that. We were shocked when the bartender handed over the teeny tiny martinis, 4 sips and you're finished. We were blown away by how small the glasses were. What a joke. We stayed about 45 mins at the bar. Left an empty restaurant (we could have easily sat down at a table and been out of there before a 5:00 res came in) We waked over to Slay and each had an ice cold martini (regular size) and had fabulous appetizers. All four of us felt welcomed & like we were "home" at Slay.... as we sat by the window enjoying our drinks & apps. As locals, we won't be back to CouCou. BTW two of us live walking distance to CouCou. Their vibe isn't what you'd expect in MB. But try it for yourself. Maybe you'll have a different experience. read more

The food was so so I expected this place to be a lot better. I hoped for this place to be a lot better but it was another mediocre place in the southbay. The fries were the best item we tasted to be honest read more

The service was slow, the potato chips were stale and my chicken was pretty dry... we were hoping for better at a French restaurant..

Fail. We are fully supportive of tips being included in the bill. That approach doesn't work here because the wait staff doesn't seem to care about providing quality service. Spilled our wine. Wiped off the silverware with the dirty rag the server carried. Never filled our water. Food was underwhelming. Ordered the steak au poivre medium rare. First try was well done (confirmed by server). Sent it back. Second try was rare. We were so excited about this place. Such a disappointment. read more

Was so looking forward to dining here. The evening started fine. Drinks and apps were yummy; service was fine. About one hour in to our dining, 2 very drunk couples came and sat at the bar. They were shouting at each other so loud no one in the restaurant could have a conversation. We asked the manager? (I think) if he could ask them to tone it down a bit, but he did not comply with our request. When we left the manager? (I think) was standing outside, as he had done for most of our stay. I noted to him that it was not as loud now since the drunks had left the bar. His response was - that's why I stay outside, because it's too noisy inside the restaurant. It's a cute place, with great food and service, but the unchecked shouting drunks made it untenable. We won't be back any time soon. BTW - a couple came in and were seated next to us. They left after 15 minutes because of the noise from the shouting drunks. read more

Loved this charming little restaurant! Service was amazing the last four times. The short rib and chicken paillard, were delish! We will be back for martini Monday. read more

Love this place for a great dirty martini. So far the food has been amazing. The only issue I have is that they are not open earlier especially during the summer which is such a high season for a beach town. This would be a great place for lunch so hopefully they modify their hours in the future! read more

Amazing place! Food, cocktails, service and vibes are great! A great addition to the South Bay and MB. Can't wait to go back!!!

After reading the reviews below I would chalk most of them up to this being a new restaurant in a new location. We are frequent diners in downtown Manhattan Beach and had heard great things about Coucou and our experience lived up to the hype. We happened to be walking by and there were two open seats at the bar. We were greeted by great service and a couple of well poured cocktails by the bartenders. The L'Haute Dog was outstanding. We will be back and soon! read more

I was excited to try this place out. My wife and I went at 4 o'clock on Saturday and found the place empty. They would not seat us because we had my one year-old son with us. No children allowed. As a 25 year plus South Bay resident I think this is absolutely ridiculous. The SB has always been about family. Good luck, I'll never go. read more

I've always heard good things about this place in other locations so when I saw it was coming to Manhattan Beach, welcomed the opportunity to dine in. I'm confused by people who rate this as five stars, but I understand some people may just think coming to a new place at the beach, is a five star? Not sure, but I can assure you the food is marginal. We had to ask for our frites to be cooked, seriously? The steak was good but not worth 61.00! I had the mussels and they were ok with an Asian curry instead of the traditional French style. The atmosphere is lacking! It's a square box retail space they made into a restaurant which seemed on a budget at best. We had lunch and the atmosphere is a sandwich cafe not a fine dining and def not worth the 233.00 bill which only included two glasses of wine, yikes. If I'm spending that on lunch I'm eating across the street at Fishing with Dynamite which is above and beyond this place. Our server needed up being fine but it took 10 minutes for someone to approach our table. I sat and watched the host sitting at front on his phone or doing anything other than assisting us until waiter arrived. We will not be returning 100 percent no. read more