CoqBull Restaurant, Soho, London Review

Award-winning burgers and rotisserie chicken is the concept for the Irish-founded CoqBull restaurant chain, which is firmly establishing its place in the beating heart of London.

Beginning its epic journey in Cork, then opening two restaurants in Limerick, CoqBull Soho opened its doors and ground floor only, in December 2020. During the latest lockdown, it has expanded into Jamie’s Italian former site in Soho, a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus, now offering three fabulously thrilling bars over three floors, as well as an enticing roof-top terrace.

Our CoqBull experience began on the roof-top terrace, in the sweltering heat with the beautiful mid-afternoon sunshine beaming down. It somehow reminded me of a roof-top terrace in Ibiza, but without the tunes!

With London starting to buzz again, listening to the traffic, groups of friends laughing and chinking of glasses made it a momentous occasion for me.

We started with the Frozen Daiquiri and Basiliti cocktails to cool us down, both were delicious and quenched our thirst, which was followed by a round of Raspberry Fizz’s, which swiftly made an entrance. The Raspberry Fizz combined marmalade vodka, raspberry and prosecco – they were absolutely divine. Our favourites by a mile.

We decided to share our starters of Halloumi fritters and popcorn chicken. The pomegranate seeds on the fritters were a refreshing change and chipotle vegenaise was a great dip to accompany the southern fried coated chicken bites.

It was super hard to choose our mains, as there were many mouth-watering choices from corn-fed rotisserie or speciality chicken to bull and Coq burgers with some amazing-looking loaded fries and side dishes.

However, the classic double bull burger was a calculated choice and the smokin’ coq chicken burger was adapted to my fancy. Instead of the marinated chicken breast, it came with a southern fried crispy coating, much the same as the popcorn chicken, however, I was not disappointed in the slightest. I loved this bespoke smokin’ coq chicken version!

Finally, the desserts! OMG!!! This insane menu included Eton mess, a Reece’s whip, a warm cookie pan pudding and a Kinder, Oreo or Strawberry waffle. These are entirely intended to share but with little room left in our bellies we simply didn’t have the capacity to do the deed.

Instead, for a sweetness hit, we opted for two more of our favourite Raspberry Fizz cocktails, which satisfied our needs and completed a beautiful end to our CoqBull experience.

If you’re looking for an exciting, laidback casual dining experience, CoqBull is the place to head to. We adored Soho’s quaint roof-top terrace to soak up those London vibes we’ve missed so much, along with a perfect blend of amazing cocktails.

Check out the CoqBull website here.