Coucou

"Coucou, a sliver of a bar on Main Street in Venice that feels teleported from New York, has been serving French favorites to Westside Angelenos (and their friends they drag over from further east) since 2023. The soup on the menu is a — surprise — classic French onion, but here they make it as a superlative. A small mountain of caramelized onions rests under a blanket layer of torched comté in a chic white lion’s head bowl. Consider this a palate opener for a meal that may also include heavy-hitters like the l’haute dog with French onion marmalade and sides like crispy pommes frites." - Rebecca Roland

"With a brick-lined, charming space along Main Street just on the edge of where Venice meets Santa Monica, Coucou serves a tight menu of updated French bistro classics like hamachi ceviche with coconut milk, fried olives, and shucked oysters to enjoy before steak frites, a behemoth cheesy burger, and mussels marinière studded with soft lentils. Pro-tip: Try the $25 “perfect” martini, strong enough to account for almost two drinks." - Matthew Kang, Nicole Adlman

"Coucou feels like a halfway point between a wine bar and a French bistro. The menu has plenty of American twists, which is why you'll see diners in fitted merino wool sweaters guzzling rosé and eating "haute dogs" zhuzhed up with french onion marmalade. Overall, the food is perfectly decent (except for a beautifully cooked steak frites, that's a stand-out dish), so use Coucou if you're in the mood for electro-pop playlists and soft serve with a side of martinis. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren

"Coucou is the new, Frenchier iteration of Chez Tex, a barebones wine bar in Venice where you used to be able to polish off cheeseburgers and rosé. Now, once Thursday rolls around, this gallery-walled bistro gets crowded with Westsiders who want to be out and about but probably couldn't score a table at Dudley Market. With the exception of some excellent steak frites, the food is simply average. Come here to sip on Lillet, listen to electro-pop, and split soft serve with a friend who believes ice cream belongs with a side of wine. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren

"Consider Coucou’s L’haute Dog the fanciest frank in LA. Made with Peads and Barnetts pork sausage, the suped-up hot dog comes topped with French onion marmalade, cheese fondue, spicy mustard, and pickled peppers—all on a toasted split-top bun. The menu recommends using a knife and fork, but no one’s here to judge anyone who wants to go in head first." - Eater Staff