Cottons

Restaurant & Bar in Clerkenwell
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No longer at this address

Our records show that Cottons is closed.

Address
70 Exmouth Market
Clerkenwell
London
EC1R 4QP
Map
Region
Clerkenwell
Nearest Station
Angel
0.42 miles

Cottons is a popular bar and restaurant serving authentic Caribbean cuisine and an extensive selection of Caribbean rums in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. They also have live music occasionally - call for details.

All In London Review

Temporarily transported back to our Caribbean holidays!

As frequent visitors to the Caribbean, all members of my family love Caribbean food. My son – for his celebratory A level dinner before he departs for University – had requested that we go to a Caribbean restaurant for dinner with his girlfriend and his sister. This is despite the fact that we had only been back from our last Caribbean holiday for a week!

My first choice had been Mahoe’s near Mansion House which I had recently visited and really enjoyed but was dismayed to find that it was temporarily closed due to a dispute with the landlord.

I’d been to Cottons before – but when it was called Cocos many, many years ago. We were thus totally confused about its location. I was a bit nervous about returning but I had promised him we’d have Caribbean food…

My worries were unfounded. It’s been redecorated and the layout has changed a little. There’s still the great bar area where you can sit and sip cocktails while listening to suitably Caribbean music (there’s also a Rhum Bar downstairs) but they have separated off the main restaurant area which looks really quite smart.

I ordered my favourite cocktail – a mojito (£6.50) – which went down rather too easily. My son opted for a reggae rum punch (£7) – having recently acquired a taste for rum based cocktails. The girls opted for cola. The staff were pleasant and friendly and efficient but not rushed.

As it was a Saturday night (and the weekend of the Notting Hill Carnival) it was fairly busy even at 7pm and we were surrounded by people – many in large family groups (all generations), some in smaller what looked like pre-party or pre-clubbing groups (one group of girls were clearly celebrating a birthday – we joined in the singing) and a selection of couples – some clearly on dates, others appeared to be relaxed locals. But everyone was looking pretty smart – which was nice and added to the sense of occasion. It was a real mixture of people – and reassuringly it looked as if quite a few were from the Caribbean. I ordered a Jamaican Mule (£6.50) cocktail which was strong enough for me to know that it would probably be my last of the evening!

The three of them decided to have the pork ribs for their starter (£9) and were delighted to be presented with a significant pile of ribs in a flavoursome but not too spicy sauce. I choose the salt cod fritters (£4.50) having so recently eaten them on the streets of a Friday Fish Fry of a Caribbean fishing village. They were good.

Onto mains. The two girls choose the spatchcock chicken (£12.50) which was absolutely huge and smothered in a spicy jerk sauce. My son – having been determined to try it – selected the curried goat (£12.50) which he thoroughly enjoyed – declaring it “nicer than lamb”. Being torn between various fish items and really wanting some snapper I ordered the mixed jerk fish grill (£13.50) which included snapper and parrot fish and even some shellfish. My jerk sauce was in a separate pot and whilst it will never match up to my friend from Trinidad’s home made version it was pretty good.

We ordered various sides so that my son’s girlfriend could sample some of our favourite things – roti (£2.50), dumplings (£2.50) and sweet potato mash (£2.50). We all ate far too much but it was delicious. We giggled a bit as my daughter drank her fifth glass of water and third Coke to counteract the heat of the spices.

For the four of us the meal came to £131.85 including service which we thought was reasonable considering the great quality of the food, the restful and smart environment, the quiet attention of the staff and the fabulous Caribbean restaurant that accompanied our entire evening. Yes, we were temporarily transported back to our Caribbean holidays and to the homes of our friends who live there and left with our tummies full and big smiles on our faces.

Reviewed by KimT
Published on Sep 7, 2010


User Reviews

Debbie
from London

Mar 28, 2014

Wow some of these reviews are simply bad minded. My experience at Cottons Islington was really positive from the food to the venue. Even the staff were most accommodating. Really lovely place to go only warning is u don't just want one dessert u want them all mmmmm lol
LBee

Feb 15, 2012

I have been to Cottons in Chalk Farm several times but this was my first time at Exmouth Market.

I was extremely disappointed in the service. We were a party of over 25 who had pre-ordered our food. Despite this, the service was slow and unfriendly. Main dishes were served with accompaniments, ie rice, being served over 10 minutes later. Considering the total cost of the meal, the waitresses lacked a 'can do' approach and were surly, almost bordering on rude.

My starter of vegetable soup was a great disappointment. The curry goat was delicious and it was a shame that the rice and peas were cold and insufficient. How much could it cost to put a large bowl of rice and other items on a table were well over £ 700 was being spent, not to mention the additional bar bill.

It was nice to be able to go down to Rum Jungle and complete the evening.
m.k
from London

Dec 19, 2010

Don't be conned in to thinking this is in any way Caribbean food .I only pray that people do not eat here and think this is the type of burnt , unseasoned food that we Caribbean s have to offer. I've had better quality ready meals.

The service was a complete joke. With the staff acknowledging that we did not have a drink then walking away to talk behind the bar.

The rice used resembled twigglets and the fish tasted like the burnt part of an old pot which is a skill on some level. The overall experience was shocking!

If you need to go to Cottons I would say go to the one in Camden unless the same owner has got his hands on that branch too and run it into the ground. However I have seen some of the reviews of that place too so to be on the safe side go to Hummingbirds on Stroud Green Road, in all the decades it has been open it has never produced a poor meal.

Name: m.k
Location: London