Cafe des Amis in Canterbury

Always a superb meal and service there

We came for lunch time at 2pm on a Saturday and it has such a buzz already, so a good start! Starter - shared nachos with spicey pork. Best nachos we’ve ever had! Main - shared duck fajitas. Was recommended these and we can see why. Also, thank you for the extra sour cream! Drinks - beer & a frozen pina colada which was strongggggg! I could only finish half 🙈 We came on a friend recommending and can see why. We’ll definitely now be recommending and can’t wait to come back.

Fun place for great Mexican food. Quite a lively place with fast service.

We hadn’t been back for 25 years as we both now live in other parts of the country but back in Canterbury for 2 nights we had to return and we were not disappointed. Fabulous food, great atmosphere and a fabulous waitress in Sophia.

Nice Mexican style restaurant and good service.

Just a very good meal, lovely service and reasonable price. All you need, no fancy stuff to justify high price that isn't good, just good honest food.

Authentic Mexican Dining in the Heart of Canterbury 🌮🇲🇽 Café des Amis was a very interesting visit in the heart of Canterbury. First of all, it was fully booked, which was a great sign—and the food definitely did not disappoint. We started with the sharing platter of appetizers, which had a fantastic selection: duck tacos, confit, ceviche, guacamole, meatballs, salsa, and more. Every bite was fresh and flavorful. For the main course, we went with the duck, which was served beautifully—slightly pink, paired with mole sauce. I had never tried mole before, only seen it in videos, and I must say, it had a very unique taste. This was a completely new experience—authentic Mexican cuisine, not just Taco Bell or random street food tacos. If you’re looking for real Mexican flavors, this is the place to go. Highly recommend booking in advance to secure a spot! 🌮🔥

Great food and cocktails staff friendly and helpful and good laugh

Gorgeous spot, delicious food, and amazing service!

Came here for my birthday with 2 friends. We were served my Alfie who was so friendly and service was amazing! Food was great too!

Such a lovely meal! Staff were so efficient and friendly, special shoutout to Alfie who was such a lovely guy! Thank you so much, will definitely be back soon x

Lovely place and as always great food. Thank you to Alfie great service :) Favourite place in Canterbury

Always a friendly welcome at this popular Mexican restaurant. Food and drink options are good and reasonably priced. Very tasty food in decent portions.

Just enjoyed a wonderful meal served by friendly, welcoming and efficient staff in a buzzy atmosphere. Reasonably priced, tasty food. Will be back.

Absolutely amazing food staff very attentive, and they are rushed off their feet as the restaurant is so busy.

Had a really lovely meal here today. Would highly recommend it to anybody. Great food ,service and atmosphere.

We have been coming to the Cafe Des for about 25 years and have always been impressed in the past. I can only assume that it has now been taken over by different owners as, in January, was nothing like as good as it was. The service was friendly but 'scripted' and the waiting staff were not listening to the customers (not just us !) food used to be vibrantly fresh but now seems re-heated and tired. Oh dear !

We have been coming to the Cafe Des for about 25 years and have always been impressed in the past. I can only assume that it has now been taken over by different owners as, in January, was nothing like as good as it was. The service was friendly but 'scripted' and the waiting staff were not listening to the customers (not just us !) food used to be vibrantly fresh bit now seems re-heated and tired. Oh dear !

Wow. The duck is just fantastic. The server asked me how I wanted to duck, which was the first time I’ve ever been asked that. He explained to me that the duck tastes better and has a nicer texture if it id a bit pink. And he was right. The duck was the highlight of my entire trip to Canterbury! There’s also a student discount, which is really nice. This place is very popular, so be sure to make a reservation. Luckily they were able to fit us in without needing to make one.

We ate here on Christmas Eve and couldn’t have had a lovelier experience. Staff are without exception friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere was welcoming and cosy. Margaritas to kick off were superb. Everything we ate was delicious, we especially loved the prawn starter. They were very clued up on GF food, and provided nice alternatives so no one felt deprived. Great value for money and can’t wait to return.

Food was excellent and for what you pay it's 100% worth every penny!

Brill food and drinks and lovely guy served us

The best Mexican restaurant I have ever aten in Europe for 30 years. True authentic flavour and exceptional service. Leave your London micro tacos in Borough Market and experience the true taste of Mexican cuisine.

Has always been, and remains, a lovely meal out!

Great food and atmosphere. Most popular place we found in Canterbury.

Lovely food and service can't wait to come back

We were shown to a cosy table within moments of arrival. We were served promptly despite the restaurant being very busy. The food came quickly and the fajitas were delicious. Our waitress Chyna was a delight. If only every restaurant was this perfect!

Took my adult son there for his birthday lunch. Great service, and fab food.

Amazing food and great service. Highly recommend.

Friendly staff, fun decor and delicious food. First time visiting and am new to Mexican foods so the staff helped me understand the menu items better to make my choice. Went for the spinach leek and cheese tacos and they were so good and paired wonderfully with the beans and guac. Excited to return and try more!

We came for lunch, the waitress told us to comeback at 3pm for a table. We waited for 2 hours and she told us that we didn't book and won't get a table now??? Why didn't you ask us to resever one but only to come back? Sorry but that's unacceptable

I and wife had a great time over at yours the other day. You were quite busy but the service was spot on and everything what we needed was always on hand . Oh and food , just fabulous. Thank you

Awful reception, rude staff. Said rang to confirm booking but did not as had signal the whole time with no missed call. Table booked for two hours but table given away

Really really enjoyed, lovely food, well cooked to required taste, attentive staff, will be returning , can't wait ! :)

Great restaurant, the food is really excellent, the welcome is friendly, the setting is really good, however it is very very noisy and it is therefore difficult to interact with the guests (hence the star in less). It's a real sound relief when you leave the restaurant and find the tranquility of the street. We will try to see if there is a quieter corner in the restaurant (the back room?) on our next visit.

Consistently great food, friendly staff and energetic, if noisy atmosphere. Raspberry daiquiris are like crack.

Visited on a Saturday at 4.30 was already getting busy and can now see the hype! Both couples ordered lamb fajitas they were delicious, very welcoming staff would recommend

Excellent service from Millie! We had such a lovely time for my two friends’ birthdays. Would definitely recommend! It was so special and the food was amazing.

Great food, quick and friendly service with a cosy ambience. The Lamb Stew that I had was delicious and the accompanying salsa was fresh with the right amount of spice. Left feeling full and Happy!

Non-pretencious. The food is great. Wine selection is great. Staff are great.. no more you could ask for.

Great atmosphere, wonderful food served piping hot and freshly cooked with just the right balance of chilli, citrus, garlic and with lots if surprises - eg the delicious duck pate..

We regularly eat here for our work meal, the food and the service is outstanding! Everything is cooked to perfection and they have it just right! Thank you all and see you soon!

May be the best ever Mexicain for me! And i have tested a lot in California and Texas ;-)

Had a lovely meal in a equally appealing atmosphere, really helpful and polite staff and as the father of a small child it was very refreshing to have a baby changer installed in the men's Toilets instead of just the women's, really bought them up in my estimations.

Great food, quite quick service, lovely atmosphere.

I'd seen that this place got good reviews but it really was outstanding. Food was amazing, service was great, just all round brilliant.

Food was good but they took too much time on our main course. I honestly think the server forgot to give the order on time. Service could be improved.

Fantastic place, never disappointed. Always nice and friendly! Food is amazing, super fresh and tasty. One of my favourite places in Canterbury.

Great value and super tasty food. My friend and I had the set meal and it was delicious. I've been wanting to try this place for years but it really is worth it.

Food is always amazing and staff friendly.

Excellent food and good atmosphere.

what an unreal place!!! Most guides I read suggested checking this place out and so glad I did...Such a lovely atmosphere inside, service was fab and menu is pretty big. Going for the lunchtime deal (2 courses for £21 or 3 for £26), I thought I'd get the standard small/average portion. Couldn't have been more wrong - got served an absolute feast of a meal, one that could've easily fed two if not three people. Insane value for money. Quality was incredible too, everything tasted super fresh, well cooked, flavourful. I didn't manage to finish everything but still gave myself a 10/10 food comma, one I'm not yet recovered from some 4 hours later. LOVED IT :)

This an old favourite of ours but we haven't been for a number of years. All was just as we remembered. Easy to make a reservation, friendly welcome, nice staffing who are very efficient. Great Mexican style food.

This place is an institution & I’ve been coming here for 25 years plus! The duck fajitas are to die for & the frozen pina colada hits the spot. However, I only book an early bird special & happy hour slot now as I think it’s getting expensive & the portions smaller.

Always a pleasure eating here xx

Although we are in our 60s, we were celebrating our 2nd civil partnership anniversary last night at CdA. The table server was quick and efficient, took our drinks and food order and the starter arrived very swiftly as did the mains and desserts with sufficient time lag in between each course. I’d recommend the roasted vegetables tostada as you get plenty of food for your money. My partners chicken burrito was packed. The sorbet was worldly. And try the virgin mojito too. Yum. And who could resist a big plate of sharing nachos as a starter? You get a two hour slot there which is fair enough as long as they get the food out which didn’t seem to be a problem. It was a smooth operation. We’ve been going here for years and it never disappoints.

Lovely meal with friends. Super atmosphere

Excellent meal, friendly staff even though very busy.

Wow! Fabulous ingredients, great service

We attended for a birthday meal and couldn't really understand the rave reviews. The starters were really nice but the mains were tasteless and dry to be honest. The atmosphere is nice and its very busy. I found the restaraunt quite untidy, a few spiders present and some dust. It was OK, but much nicer places were visited during our visit to Canterbury.

Perfect service with even more delicious food. Chicken fajitas were wonderful. Chicken wasn't overcooked. Presentation beautiful and service was brilliant! Thank you for a wonderful evening.

I think it's the only restaurant I visited and it has the same excellent quality on food, service and atmosphere like 20 years ago!

What a pleasure it was to eat here, the place was full and there was a real buzz. The food was delicious, we had the pork and lamb fajitas and the quality of the food was excellent and would happily go again. But do book, we went on a Monday night, rang at 6 pm and fortunately got a table at 7 pm.

Been here a few times over the last 30 years. It hasn't changed much at all. Great food and fab service. Decor lovely.

First time at a Mexican restaurant. I wasn't thrilled with it but it's still a matter of taste. Too spicy, too spicy. Both my son and I were sick to our stomachs once we got back to the hotel. Our stomachs definitely can't handle Mexican cuisine. Nice place suitable for those who love hot and spicy cuisine

Delicious food - particularly the roasted vegetable tostada; the mozerella, leek, spinach fried tacos; and the churros. Lovely staff too. Very eclectic artwork on the walls too. Good for distracting toddlers!

Had high hopes for this place as everyone speaks so highly of it, and we love Mexican food, but this was neither reasonably priced nor actually Mexican. Burritos were incredibly disappointing. Dry meat, nothing juicy at all in them. Tomato sauce which tasted only of raw onions and tomato puree. No hint of fresh herbs. Kids’ quesadillas served with no fresh salad/veg - basically cheese on toast with rice and a few refried beans. Kids (primary age) declared the churros to be “the worst they’d ever eaten”. Dry and oily, over sweet chocolate sauce. Quality of food was awful in comparison even to the chain Mexican places. Very expensive soft drinks. Service was friendly but very slow. Won’t be back, sad to say.

Food was lovely however the nacho order was wrong as we had asked to have individual plates but it arrived as a sharing plate. when we asked it to be changed to what we wanted the chefs refused we were told no one else had ordered it so we had to have what they had prepared!! Better customer service please.

Love the authentic atmosphere, amazing food, friendly and attentive service. We always book to be sure of a table but absolutely worth it. Although we don't get to visit too often, has been our favourite Mexican restaurant for over 30 years.

A great Mexican food restaurant and very great service! Try it!

Great food, excellent service. Not the first time eating here and certainly won't be the last. Thanks!

We eat here all the time and have done since I was 16 years old, so for 28 years, and it has never disappointed. The food is great, the service is great, the cocktails are delicious. Cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

Food is well presented and full of flavour, although the restaurant was packed the service was excellent with friendly attentive staff

Fantastic place. I will be going again

Amazing food and drinks with knowledgeable, friendly staff. Would highly recommend. Good for vegetarians, had fish burrito that changed my outlook on this, amazing!

The food was delicious and flavoursome. The Prawns to start are the best prawn starters I've had in years. My main was the salmon which was cooked to perfection. The mango and passion fruit cheesecake was nice although the shortbread base could have been thicker. The two black ladies that served us were wonderful. I definitely recommend this mexico when you are in Canterbury one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been too. Cafè Amis is right across on the corner from this lovely castle.

This restaurant was nothing short of amazing. The authentic taste of Mexico delighted me. We devoured the chicken fajitas. Wow. Just wow. Truly amazing food and would definitely recommend. Our server was attentive and helpful, thank you.

Always a good time here. Tasty food, great selection of drinks and good service. Had the duck and lamb fajitas - both perfectly cooked and full of flavour.

Very good food!! Deffo recommend the paella 🫶

I ate here tonight and it was one of the best mexican restaurants I have been to in ages. The food was delicious, the staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was lovely. Great location and super cool to be so close to the tower and river. Absolutely loved it!

Good and cozy place. Staff are welcoming

Didn’t get anything but fell in love with the vibes

Really good mexican restaurant. This was our fourth time eating here, and we will be back again soon

Lovely food and atmosphere, great service.

What a disappointment! Food was alright, we opted for the fajitas. Had to re order somw dips which took forever to come while the chicken got cold. Waitress had a weird attitude at the beginning, food coming out was slow. Ordered a pudding that she forgot to put through. Wasn't really bothered that she forgot. I wouldn't have left any tip had it not been a birthday meal for a family member. Think I'll let the tourists continue to keep this place going.

Delicious food. Slightly high noise level as the venue was completely full of visitors. Can absolutely be recommended

Super tasty and authentic mexican food.Veggy fajitas are excellent as are the Margheritas

What a great experience we just had for my brothers 40th birthday, The food was amazing, but I have to say the staff were even better especially Catering for the younger children, they are a little bit fussy with their food, So all we done before was just give the staff a heads up by a simple phone call a couple of days before to what the children like for their meal which was delivered on point! The staff were really attentive and made an extra special effort for our family celebration! Thank you to everyone involved at the restaurant it was a great afternoon and recommend this restaurant to anyone!

The lady who served us was really lovely. The decor and atmosphere of the restaurant is quirky and cozy. I ordered the beef burrito and it was delicious and filling. I also got the pecan, orange, chocolate cake for dessert which was also really good. They did 25% off for students which is a great offer and also half price on frozen cocktails and beer when it was happy hour. The frozen pina colada was incredibly refreshing.

Had a delicious meal. Service was quick and efficient despite the fact that it was busy. Food was lovely and they have a great drinks menu too.

The food was so wonderful we went back the next day. We had the cafe salad, 2 types of burritos and spinach tacos, all so good and plenty of it too. Nice relaxed atmosphere and not busy when we went in the early afternoon.

Always such a wonderful dog experience, food and atmosphere ❤️

Edit: It's 2024 now and sadly the food taste has fallen. Lacking flavour, and not worth the money anymore. Wouldn't recommend. Save up, fly to Mexico, eat real delicious Mexican food. My review below is from 5 years ago: Incredible food, very fast service, friendly staff, the food is AMAZING, interior could be nicer but I suppose they're restricted by the building. The guys that seem to run this restaurant are knowledgeable about the food and I encourage you to ask them questions about your food. One table in the back is not level, but other than that this place is the best restaurant in Canterbury. You have to taste the food to believe it. There are days where the food isn't up to scratch. So if you're experience was a miss, go back another day and try again.

Great Mexican! Super yummy food & nice vibe. Been my fave spot for years while I lived in Canterbury. Came back 5 years later & it’s still the same great quality food, full of flavors. Funky art on the wall is for sale too! Thank you:)

Cafe Des Amis is always a favourite place to go in Canterbury, the food is always good, service is prompt and the cocktails are so good. Definitely recommend booking as it can get really busy. I never walk away from here disappointed

Great food especially the salmon, service quick fast and not intrusive 100% recommend and will return

Having patronised Cafe Des Amis for 20+ years not much more needs to be said. From the ambience, musical selections, enthusiastic staff, authentic food (no after-effects as noticed in So Californian chains) prices, choice of beverages. Book ahead, 2 hours time-limit at busy times. ¡Todo está muy buen hecho! ❤❤❤

Nice staff, nice food, but could use more spice perhaps... I don't generally like food to be too hot but the enchilada that I had lacked a kick - it was very good however and I'll be going again...👍😁

I've been coming here over twenty years. Great Mexican place with unique atmosphere. Nachos and Fajitas always great.

Nice place to eat, kind staff, good location,