Coventry Cogs Restaurant and Hotel Indigo review: 'Coventry way more stylish than I ever imagined'

Coventry is motoring through a major revamp to balance out its brutalist architecture with chic restaurants, brewery tap rooms and stylish hotels. That’s quite a change for the Warwickshire city that’s associated with being deliberately ignored, devastatingly bombed or a ‘ghost town’, as The Specials put it.

Yet venturing to one of its newest places to stay - Hotel Indigo Coventry - I found a city on the up that had far more to offer than I’d imagined. It opened around 18 months ago as part of the wider Friargate regeneration project that is gradually updating the city with a contemporary skyline.

Hotel Indigo Coventry is super handy for transport links as it is just steps from Coventry Train Station, with easy links to Birmingham, London, Reading and more . Although the hotel looks like a silver cube from the outside, it opens up into something far more lavish inside including one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long while.

A gorgeous open-top silver, vintage Austin Healey sports car greets me in reception as a nod back to Coventry’s industrial heritage as ‘Motor City’. There’s more of these charming historic features around every corner and even a Lady Godiva burger in its Cogs Restaurant, but more on that later.

I notice there’s a self-service Wine Wall by the glossy bar and open-plan restaurant Cogs, which is busy, especially during the daytime.

Antique bicycles are artfully displayed on walls and an old sewing machine case acts as an express checkout box, all referring to Singer, the other iconic industry from these parts. The lifts are even papered floor to ceiling in lovely old Singer posters.

This kind of detail in the sophisticated décor is one of Hotel Indigo’s tell-tale signs. The group, which is part of the IHG Luxury and Lifestyle portfolio, likes to make each of its residences unique and packed with character for the location - and that continues in the rooms.

There’s 101 bedrooms with themes around cars, the spinning wheel and regeneration, all with comfy Hypnos beds to sink into and impressive bathrooms featuring monsoon showers and Biology hair and bodycare products. They all have a safe, iron and handy mini ironing board too, plus a kettle with Lyons coffee bag sachets, stocks of tea and Meredith and Drew biscuits to nibble on.

On the first floor is a well-equipped gym that’s open 24 hours. It’s even got flooring that looks like wood but is carpet that’s soft on your feet.

It’s useful as a base in the newer part. Coventry city centre is around five minutes’ walk away and once you get through a rather dated concrete passageway, it opens out into a bustling precinct with new bars, brew pubs and plenty of decent shops. Other spots worth venturing to in the city include Herbert Art Gallery, independent boutiques at Fargo Village and Coventry Music Museum or even a short drive to historic Warwick.

Hotel Indigo is modern but all with a twist of chic vintage styling. While the view from my room is limited to the nearby retail park, the boutique hotel cocoons you in its cosiness and makes it easy to relax. I slump down in the snug sitting chair under a tall lamp to take in the black retro phone and pictures themed around wheels and cogs in my room.

These themes continue down on the ground floor at Cogs Restaurant and Bar that feels airy with its floor to ceiling windows and exposed ceilings with pipework running through. The kind of industrial modern chic that has become so fashionable of late.

There’s the local Dhillon’s Brewery on offer with its Sky Blue Army beer but it is £7.25 a pint. Other options include Freedom, Becks and Mahou. While the wine list is extensive and I was impressed with choices ranging from France, Italy and Spain to Argentina and Chile.

Wine is a bit of a thing here as there’s also the hotel’s Wine Wall that allows guests to do a personal wine tasting experience by the bar.

The menu is varied too, offering popular fare from pasta to fish and chips, miso baked aubergine, salads and steaks but its big thing is smash burgers. There’s a long list of beef, chicken and plant burgers including an intriguing Lady Godiva halloumi option, in a nod to the famous Coventry naked horse rider. I opted for that at £18 and it was distinctive in a black bun with sweet red onion jam to offset the cheese and crispy skin-on fries. Tasty too.

My guest tried the £16 Pan Fried Chicken, which came with a good crispy skin and even better sweet potato fondant alongside broad beans, kale and pea puree with plenty of tarragon cream. Before that, we’d plumped for the spicy humous with flatbread that was dotted with refreshing fresh pomegranate seeds and the heavily battered calamari to start, which were both satisfying.

Save room for dessert as there’s hearty choices of Sticky Toffee Pudding, Baked Vanilla Cheesecake plus sorbets. I opted for the Chocolate Cookie Sandwich that was lip-lickingly delicious with strawberries, berries and a lovely fruity sauce around vanilla ice cream and crumbly chocolate biscuits, which make a perfect combination.

The Chocolate Brownie Sundae Ice-Cream offered large chewy chunks of brownie amidst cream, sauce and ice cream for a sweet end to the meal. I was impressed with the food prices at Cogs Restaurant as they are competitive - around £7 for a starter, £16 to £18 for most mains and £8 for a dessert.

Even better is the buffet breakfast, so my advice is to definitely opt for a package including breakfast and give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it.

There’s a huge amount of choice and don’t miss the delicious freshly-made pastries of melt in the mouth pain au chocolats and Danishes. Elsewhere, there’s an array of cereals, hams and cheeses, beautifully laid out on a table with lesser seen Scandi-style options like mackerel too.

That’s along with fresh fruit, freshly baked bread ready to slice and also a full English on hot plates to help yourself. There’s also pancakes, avocado on toast or eggs royale with salmon that can be ordered direct from the kitchen.

I was last in Coventry as a child when my nan took me on a trip to the cathedral and the city now seems unrecognisable from that era of drab 1980’s grey scapes.

It’s got a new vitality as it starts to transform and Coventry looks and feels way more stylish than I ever imagined. Hotel Indigo is at the heart of this regeneration too. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to get sent to Coventry after all.

Hotel Indigo Coventry prices and information

Room rates start from £103 at the Hotel Indigo Coventry website and it also has a meeting room for up to 12 people.

Find Hotel Indigo Coventry at Friargate, Coventry, using postcode CV1 2GN. It is steps from Coventry Train Station and close to the city centre. Parking is available at Coventry Train Station Car Park and costs £8 for 24 hours that can be validated at the hotel reception.

Verdict on Hotel Indigo Coventry

Hotel Indigo Coventry is good value for money with high quality rooms, glamorous decor and products at a fair price and a very good breakfast buffet. Cogs Restaurant offers good value prices for a wide range of popular food and there are plenty of drink options with a focus on wine.

Facilities include a gym, staff are attentive and friendly, but residents pay for parking, which is at the nearby train station multi-storey.

The hotel is in a useful position, next to the train station, and in easy reach of the city centre, although there isn’t much of a view, but it is in a more modern area that is being regenerated. It’s stylish, cosy and got wonderful nods to Coventry’s important heritage.