Cottons Shoreditch — Restaurant in London

I’ve seen and heard mixed reviews about this particular branch but mainly good so I thought I’d give it a go.

My partner and I came here for dinner as it was local. We were greeted by a gentleman called Alex who to begin with was very friendly and attentive.

We ordered drinks (myself a bottle of wine) and lemonade and my partner ordered a cocktail, additionally we ordered starters (salt fish fritters and hot wings)

The drinks came out quite quickly as well as the starters which was good.

The salt fish fritters were mediocre. You basically get 3 small fishy balls of dough, they definitely were not authentic Caribbean salt fish fritters and overpriced for the size and lack of quality - do not recommend.

The hot wings were nice, cooked throughout, chicken was falling off the bone very tasty but again, overpriced. 3 wings for £7.

Drinks were great, my partner ordered The Killer Duppy in which it was so nice he ended up ordering 3/4.

My wine was ok. Ordered lemonade to add it as a spritzer and half way through my lemonade it was taken by a waiter, they didn’t even ask if I had finished it they just took it which I found weird.

Now onto the main course…

I ordered the curry mutton with rice and peas & coleslaw with a side dish of Mac & cheese.

The curried mutton was very unappealing to look at initially as it looked very runny but all in all, after eating it it was very delicious, the meat was tender, the rice and peas had gungopeas instead of red kidney which is what I prefer - overall very tasty. Coleslaw was nice and the Mac and cheese was very cheesy although I must say the portion size for the Mac and cheese is a joke. Even a baby would have a bigger portion size than that.

My partner ordered the jerk pork ribs and buttermilk chicken. Which included skin-on fries, Mac and cheese and jerk sauce.

In all honesty it didn’t look appealing in the slightest, his appetite completely went when the food came out, the chips tasted like they had been reheated, he took one bite into the buttermilk chicken strips or whatever they were and felt sick. The jerk sauce literally tasted shop bought, it’s like they just poured it out of a bottle and served it - not fresh at all. He didn’t even touch the ribs as his taste buds were so scarred from the dry buttermilk strips.

My partner could not finish his food due to the poor quality of his dish and I raised this to the waiter Alex and it was as though Alex went from being friendly to being annoyed within second. I said to Alex we’re not gonna pay for this food as he’s hardly touched it and Alex argued against it and said my partner had clearly touched it and that he’s only taking 50% off. It seemed as though he was more annoyed about losing money than the well-being of the customers. I didn’t argue against it and still paid half the price but took the service charge off which is something I never do.

After that, I felt as though Alex’s attitude had changed towards us, he went from being happy to stern, it definitely changed the atmosphere and made us feel uncomfortable. I even apologised to Alex and stated that I’m not meaning to be a pain but were gonna pay for something that’s hardly been touched and Alex just shrugged it off and carried on walking.

When we asked for an extra cocktail we waited longer than usual and I feel this is because of how annoyed Alex was. We then just decided to leave and asked Alex for the bill and he took forever to print off a simple piece of paper, taking his time to walk around and converse with people sitting right next to us knowing we were waiting.

Overall this gets 3/5 stars. My meal was ok. A bit overpriced for the portion sizes but the food tasted good. It was just the poor experience with how we were treated by Alex that’s left a poor taste in my mouth.

I must admit since getting home, I’ve felt quite sickly. Would...

I still can’t believe it!! Taken as a beautiful gesture by my children to late Mothers Day lunch. Been quite unwell for a while so was really looking forward to socialising and having a good meal. I thought strange as we were seated away from other diners, in a colder area with an AC Unit directly over our table area…. Unfortunately for me this was a big No No because of my conditions… when the AC was turned on. I asked our server for assistance, firstly in being able to open a window for proper air, he said that could not be done, I asked for AC to be lowered or turned off as I had trouble breathing, he suggested, it could be done for half an hour… I found myself having to go outside a few times to get air!! I asked also to be moved this time stating my condition, to another vacant 4 seated table which I could see, but again told it was not possible!! All of this within half an hour of arrival! Another person approached our table, asking if things were alright…. I explained the situation, he then went to speak to our server… my goodness I then observed a loud argument, with our servers hands moving quite angrily….. I felt awful.. When the person returned to our table, he said not to worry they would sort something out…. I apologised (which I didn’t really need to, on reflection)… if he got into problems with our server, he retorted that he was the Manager!! Needless to say nothing was done, I could not eat my meal, as I needed air to also eat, which I did not have… we boxed the meal to take away. We have never ever whilst eating out seen staff arguing in public! We have never ever been denied change of seating to obtain comfort! I feel discriminated against because of my disability and my Mothers Day treat was demoted to a nightmare, as it triggered my ailments and anxiety. The food looked good but also was below standard in terms of fat and taste. See photos… vacant 4 place table, which would have...

Cottons in Shoreditch has always been a go-to for flavourful Caribbean food, but their recent extension has elevated the entire experience. The new bar section is a brilliant addition— now you can access the restaurant from both sides of the square; the entrance by Be At One and the one from Hoxton Square. It makes it even more accessible and inviting.

But let’s talk about the real star of the show: the plants. As someone who religiously visits the Columbia Road Plant Market every Sunday, walking into Cottons' new space felt like stepping into a jungle-themed oasis. The plant wallpaper, the leafy wall installations, and the botanical-themed pillows—I was in heaven. It’s niche, I know, but if you’re a fellow plant fanatic, prepare to fall in love.

We arrived around 3:30 PM and were delighted to learn about their happy hour special from 4 to 7. Our lovely server even came back exactly at 4 to ensure we got the deal—true five-star service. We ordered the pineapple mojitos, and I can honestly say they’re some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. I would return for those alone.

Food-wise, I went for the half-jerk chicken with extra gravy (which they happily provided). The jerk was smoky, tender, and everything you'd want from a Caribbean classic. Yes, prices have crept up since my last visit about a year ago, but with service this warm and drinks this good, it's worth every penny.

If you're after a vibrant vibe, excellent food, and a place that feels like a secret garden with rum, Cottons is the place to be. And please—do not overlook that wallpaper. It deserves its own Instagram account.

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