Was excited to try Coucou as it recently opened in my neighborhood. The restaurant has a nice bistro-esque ambience inside. For cocktails, drinks were good but pricey. Someone I was with got a gin martini, asking for a liquor that would be the normal cocktail price $18 - however our server selected one of a higher scale to make it $22. We also asked to order a couple of glasses of Pinot noir, and our server told us "it's only $10 more to get the bottle" - we went for it but later saw on the receipt that it was actually $32 more. There is a 20% service charge, which is fine since I always tip that amount anyway - however I was about to tip on top of this until our server last minute let me know that this was included. The tax is calculated on top of this charge. As the restaurant uses Toast handhelds for payment, these were all surprises to us until looking back at the receipt later. I will say, all the food was pretty good. Got the farmers cheese, zucchini beignets, steak frite, and Bibb salad, all of which were tasty. Unfortunately just had a bad experience here - the glassware was dirty (lipstick stains) and a drunk lady spilled water all over our table/chairs. The vibe was definitely money mongering and Coucou just seems like another LA restaurant that will probably not be around for long - I would not return. read more

One of the most amazing and astonishing discoveries I have found during 30 years of Los Angeles dining. The amazing chef Chava is blessedly creative and inventive with some of the tastiest dishes I've ever eaten anywhere (and that list includes San Francisco, New York, London & Paris as I have lived in each of them). In addition, I have never met a friendlier or more gracious and talented team working in an eating establishment at either end of the scale! As for the vibe, like the most atmospheric Parisian bistro of one's dreams, I want to return again and again until I have sampled my way through Coucou's entire menu because I am convinced (thus far 6 visits) that it would be impossible to go wrong with any single offering. That includes the stupendous cocktails and wines on offer. Finally, the hostess Sierra is herself a master class in gracious hospitality and warmth. read more

Great happy hour and service! Natasha was the best bartender and very attentive! Great happy hour. Dirty martinis were lovely. The tuna tartare was yummy read more

Impromptu, we went on a weekday for an early supper. The place looks so charming from outside- shades of a 14th arrondissement bistro, that it seemed like a rom-com setting. It was too early for a dinner crush and was virtually empty. Nonetheless, we were turned away because of "reservations". As we tried to think of what else was on Main St., walkable, the hostess came out and said we could sit at the bar. Seriously uncomfortable bar stools. For the hour and a half we were there , there were still numerous available tables. Ordered Zucchini Beignets, Farmer's Cheese, and Mussels Mariniere + a CouCou Sour. There was an early Happy Hour menu that we were not offered. The beignets were weirdly sweetish, like a beignet/donut. The farmer's cheese with smoked salmon was ok, I've made better myself with a Whole Foods run. But the mussels were good, could have ordered two of those and skipped the meh beignet and smoked salmon/cheese. The CouCou Sour was beautiful to look at, but my companion said looks aren't everything. The bartender/our server told us as we came to pay and saw the tacked on service charge that it goes entirely to the owners and not the staff and if we left him a credit card tip, that would go in the same direction. We tipped him in cash. The sun was setting as we left- first and last time. read more

Maddie is the very best server at Coucou. She made our experience wonderful. Great restaurant and fabulous food and vibes. We definitely come back!!!! read more

Not the best sadly. There was a fabulous ceviche though, the tartare wasn't much to write home about. My friend said the burger was decent. They had run out of a few items on the menu and most of the wine list too (much to the chagrin of my friend who ended up having to go behind the bar to find one!). Our server was lovely but with all the hiccups everything ran a little late so we were shooed out before pud. I don't think we will be back in a hurry- unless ceviche craving sets in massively! read more

Very original idea on French food. I loved the steak and burger. I would skip the ceviche as I felt it was to fishy. The rest of the food was great. Love love love the soft serve ice cream. read more

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I've been trying to go to this restaurant since they've opened up but they are closed for lunch and always booked for dinner. I hear mixed reviews about the food and service but since I have not experienced it myself I can't comment on it. My review today is about their outrageous hidden surcharge fee 20%. After I learned about this gimmick I was totally turned off. 20%?????? Why don't you increase your prices? I don't enjoy being fooled to eat at a restaurant. read more

Coucou - Menu - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Venice, California

Was excited to try Coucou out, but unfortunately the food was simply not good. Went with a group of 5 friends and we all agreed. We ordered the beef tartare, ceviche, zucchini fritters, steak, fries, and veggie dip. Sadly nothing was good.. my friend liked the beef tartare but all I tasted was mustard. We also ordered a variety of drinks from martinis to the Bonnie & Clyde to espresso martinis. Drinks had no special taste despite sounding interesting and appetizing on the menu. They were flat. The only plus up to this spot is the atmosphere and vibe. It's cute, it's a scene.. it's "aesthetic" if you will. But seriously, the food was not good. Service wise, the service was just OK. We ordered ~7 or 8 dishes and arrived at 7:40. By 9pm, we still hadn't gotten all of our dishes. I think they just assumed we wanted to space things out but not by almost 1.5 hours. Really wanted to like this place after hearing about it online but not my taste! read more

This was our first visit to Coucou but it won't be our last. The food was excellent. I would go back anytime for the fried olives and the steak tartare. We sat outside because the noise inside was too loud for us--this is my one complaint. But outside was pleasant and comfortable and service was friendly and attentive. All in all, a lovely French bistro set in Venice, California. read more

The restaurant has a fun and lively ambience but we unfortunately were really underwhelmed by most of what we ordered at CouCou. I have been twice before and the cocktails were good, but all of our cocktails were dreadfully watered down tonight and disappointing, even those that were remade. Unfortunately, the food fared no better. I searched through an entire order of french fries looking for a single fry that was crispy, crunchy, or even satisfyingly soft, but my search was in vane. The portions were stringy and tiny even by Venice standards. After leaving, we proceeded to go to another restaurant to get a decent cocktail and cleanse our palates. Hopefully this is an outlier and they find their footing, but for now Cou cou-- we're not so kookoo about you! read more

Literally one of the best restaurants I've ever been to in LA. Perfect menu, kind staff, gorgeous space.

Honestly all the food was just alright to me. I wasn't impressed with any of the dishes. Although I wouldn't recommend the steak and frites. Service was good though. Friendly staff and attentive. Ambiance was nice and comfortable. read more

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This place offers a fantastic ambiance for a date night. We went to Coucou, where we discovered that "Coucou" is a French term for saying "hello" and can also mean "to cheerfully attract someone's attention when you show up by surprise." We were particularly impressed by the flavors of their house signature L'Haute Dog and the Dorade Grille. I highly recommend trying The Frozen Last Word cocktail; it's reminiscent of a refreshing Sonic Cherry Limeade. The restaurant has a delightful Cali-French boozy bistro ambiance, and we were pleased with the exceptional service from the attentive and friendly staff. It's important to note that a 20% surcharge is added to each bill to support the hardworking team at Coucou. Overall, our experience at Coucou was wonderful. read more

** EDIT: Updating to three stars as the restaurant went to a considerable effort to make this right for us, and we really appreciated that. Friends of ours went last week and spoke highly of their meal there and I think the issues we ran into were understandable given it was so soon after the restaurant had opened. We'll be going back soon for another try. --- I hate to write this review, but it's tough to describe our first visit to Coucou as anything but a major disappointment. As it just opened, I imagine what we experienced were just growing pains but it was still a tough pill to swallow.  My girlfriend and I are big fans of oysters and were thus really excited to see Coucou open in the neighborhood -- enough so that we booked an anniversary dinner there at a midweek 9 PM timeslot for our first visit. Unfortunately, they were out of both oysters and the steak frites, which -- given how small the menu is -- was a serious bummer from the outset, as those would have been our go-tos. I realize this is a lot to ask, but given that I'd mentioned in the Resy reservation that it was an anniversary dinner -- it would have been nice to have been given a heads up via text or email that the full menu was not available. Had we known that was the case, we would've understood and opted to come back at another time. Without those options available, we ordered the Steak Tartare, Mussels Marinere, and Harissa Roasted Cauliflower. All were good and were dishes we'd order again ... but unfortunately, the mussels got lost in the order, and after waiting a while we were asked if we wanted to order dessert before they showed up. After I mentioned that we were still waiting for them the waiter apologized and they were brought out a few minutes later. Two other small qualms ... $12 felt like a bit of a steep price point for a canned IPA. Also -- there is an automatic 20% gratuity added, which would not have bothered me if not for the other issues we ran into. More concerning is that after the 20% gratuity is automatically added ... when you are paying through the electronic card reader at the table (rather than a paper receipt), you are given default options to tip another 18%, 20%, or 22% and you have to work around that if you do not want to add an additional tip. If you're not paying attention, it's really easy to accidentally tip ~40%.  I'd be remiss if I didn't add that the restaurant was very helpful and responsive when Resy erroneously cancelled our reservation a few hours prior. As Coucou doesn't have a phone, I sent a panicked email and heard back within minutes that they would keep our reservation in place and they gave us flexible options re: when to show up. I really appreciated the quick response and attentiveness there. I had and still have high hopes for Coucou, but when a place touts itself as oyster-centric and then doesn't actually have oysters ... it makes it a bit tough to go back with confidence that you're going to have the experience you're hoping to have. read more

Great new cocktail and French food spot on Main Street. The Bonnie and Clyde spicy tequila cocktail was amazing, 10/10 recommend. For food - I recommend the zucchini fritters, ceviche, and hot dog. The mussels were just okay. read more

Very nice food from a contained menu, including a great steak frites. Cocktails aren't the strongest in the world and they desperately need a real dessert menu, instead of just vanilla soft serve. How are you going to call yourself a bistro and not have a creme brûlée? not even a dang profiterole?! read more

Haven't left a review in ever but can't help myself on this one considering the amount spent on a meal. Will be as simple as can. Service: good, lil slow to start. Ambiance: great, easy place to talk even when surrounded by lots of people. Small but cozy. Food: oysters always tasty, always unpredictable. Burger, asked for med rare, got full med well which was only saved by delicious toppings. Brioche Bun was visually gorgeous but simply a crackly shell with soft interior that made burger seem dry and old. Again toppings were saving grace. Hands down not worth the price tag. read more

Everyone is complaining about the automatic included gratuity. And while that is kind of a pain. The food here is phenomenal. The mussels are some of my favorites of all time. And that ice cream!! So yummy! Definitely will go back! read more

Everything could have been better. I came here when it first opened and got the haute dog, ceviche, farmers cheese, and sundae. Nothing wowed us or made us want to go back. I will say I am confused why it's labeled as a $$$$ restaurant when it definitely falls in the $$$ range unless they have increased their prices. Overall, nothing was bad but nothing was great. The biggest disappointment was the farmers cheese and ritz crackers. read more

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Mussels was a good size the problem is that it was cold Fried cauliflower cold Fries was good 20% charge automatically on the bill Ambiance is good read more

When you make last second plans with a friend to try a spot you've read good things about, and arrive to be told that "we're only seating reservations inside right now. You point out the two-top table in your field of vision and assume that it's reserved because, of course it is. So you patiently accept a seat at the table outside. When your buddy shows up not 5 minutes later, goes inside to wash up before an anticipated fantastic meal, and comes back with the hostess to seat you at the very same table you pointed out earlier. I've worked as a host at higher end restaurants and jazz clubs in my past, so I'm no stranger to the hospitality industry. I know how it can be sometimes when it gets super busy, with parties waiting impatiently to be seated, the phone ringing every 3 minutes, and you're short staffed because someone called in sick. I get it. But none of that seemed to be the case on this night. I felt unwelcome, like I had walked into the wrong spot or I was being punk'd. Before I could even smell the food, THAT part of the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. And not even a taste of The Last Word could change that. read more

Food is out of this world good. The service is incredible. Great vibes in a cozy space.

The drinks were good, however my friends and I had a 9:00 pm reservation and we didn't get sat down until 9:35. There is a "time limit" on tables but we were made to wait and stand for the full 35 minutes. There is no waiting area for us to sit. I'd recommend not wearing heels or tough to wear shoes because you will be waiting around in the entrance aisle. As a restaurant that highly recommends booking a reservation I highly recommend they respect their customers time since we are all automatically charged a 20% tip. read more

Met a friend for drinks and appetizers. We sat at the bar and the bartender was great and made a special drink for us, per our request. This was my first time there and had a nice time. The energy was really cool and friendly and refreshing. Is the phone # 310-314-1314? I have been trying to call. I have a question. read more

We managed to bag a table on opening night. Service was fab and the food was fantastic. My husband said it was the best martini he had had in ages and I loved the CouCou sour. Food presentation was incredible. We took our 7yo son and he flipped out over the stunning soft serve...complete with onsite made ice cap chocolate. We'll definitely be back. Great addition to Main St! read more

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the best hamburgers and fries plus great wine selection. A comfortable laid back ecperience

We loved it. Ordered steak tartare and the zucchini beignets - which I recommend eating together for an amazing flavorful experience. Also had the oysters which were great. Will be back to try more! It's a fun place. read more

Excellent food and drinks. Amazing service. Nice setting and space. Only complaint is that there is a 20% service charge that is included on the bill, (which no one mentions) and is not considered a tip. read more

Phenomenal ! I really only came for the soft serve, but can't wait to come back and try more food. read more

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Great food. Great team. Great vibe. A fun and intimate space We can't wait to come back!!

While it's a small menu, the items we chose were delish. The mussels, the zucchini beignets, steak frites and the ice cream dessert were excellent. Not a ton of tables but make reservations and they can handle even small groups of 6. read more

Coucou - Zucchini beignets - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Venice, California

Food was not too good. Way overpriced. Strange things on the menu too. Service was good but they only allow you 90 minutes to eat. Plus they add on a $20 surcharge in the bill. This is not a tip. So if you tip too then it really adds up. Crazy. Not worth it to me. Would rather go elsewhere. read more

Very rude and unpleasant manager. The food was subpar for what they say they are. Felt slightly racist. Super uncomfortable experience and all we were offered were free drinks. That were already watered down. read more

Welcome committee, polite and friendly service, vibee, yet intimate. Food is top notch!

Had the burger and a couple French 76s at the bar. I love a French 75, so this twist was a fun switch up! Natasha was SO lovely and had great recommendations from the menu and just a general cool vibe. The entire staff was super kind! Would absolutely come again. read more

Fantastic steak done over actual charcoal I like the fact the add .20 tip automatic Do not like when they they are asking for extra tip if I want to tip extra I don't need to be reminded and be giving a chart Just strange Bath room was dirty and smelly it was only 5ish pm Not to be able to see your bill till you have paid bother The place is cute but a bit cold read more

i'm typically veg, but the steak frites and burger had me eating red meat and a planning a quick trip to Paris. drinks were delish, thanks griffin! read more

I went to eat here with friends. After sitting to eat I took a look at the menu and noticed the note at the bottom. "In an effort to benefit all Coucou employees, a surcharge of 20% will be added to each bill. This is not a tip or gratuity''. Really??? If you think your employees are not well compensated raise your prices to cover the added costs and let the marketplace to tell you whether they think it's worth eating here. I can't imagine how many customers you're loosing as a result of this approach to pricing. In our case you lost a customer. Good luck. read more

Granted we made our reservations very last minute but we were given the table on the patio that's in the corner of the property and the bench seating did not line up with the table at all, which was weird. But no worries, we were told the food was great so who really cares if the table is at an odd angle. Well, drinks took forever to come, the food took forever to come, the wrong food was delivered, and the food was extremely salty and not particularly good (the French Onion Soup and the Veg French Dip). When we had finished, the waiter asked "would you like to see the dessert menu or are you ready to get out of here?" which was pretty the right question. We weren't exuding dissatisfaction so everybody else must have been that night. Also EXPENSIVE for what it is. There are so many better restaurants in the price range. Won't go back, obviously. Oh one more thing - our small cups of water were never refilled which was made worse by the saltiness of the food. read more