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You may already know this French roast chicken specialist, as Cocotte also has a restaurant in Notting Hill and a takeaway outlet in Battersea. The Hoxton space is arranged over two compact floors, plus a terrace overlooking the square. On the ground floor, the main dining room is glass-fronted, with lightly painted brick walls and pale yellow velvet banquettes; the rotisserie is tucked behind a long bar.
The birds come in quarters, halves or whole. They’re free range (from Évron in the Loire Valley), marinated for 24 hours, cooked and then finished off on the spit. The meat is decent; team it with roasted root veg or ratatouille, plus garlic mayo or gravy (avoid the slightly acrid barbecue sauce). There are sarnies too, though the truffle croque monsieur, made with chicken and emmental, was a touch bland. Instead, consider the fragrant chicken soup, which had real depth of flavour and plenty of veg. We also liked the satisfying, filling Bernadette lentil salad.
To finish, there was an irresistible chocolate and hazelnut tart, which tasted like high-class whipped Nutella, in a good way. Cocotte may be a little bit restaurant-by-numbers, but it’s a decent formula, charmingly done and served with a smile.