Cafe des Amis in Canterbury

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

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.

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.

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.

Always a pleasure eating here xx

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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

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:)

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

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

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,

Fantastic chicken fajitas! I happily recommend Café des Amis.

Delicious! Very good cuisine and tasty ingredients. Nachos are a bit expensive

The home of Mexican. The food is top notch and reasonably priced. Lively atmosphere and well situated on the edge of town with train station and pubs close by

This is one of the best Mexican restaurants I have been too. started with Cervice and then had duck in Mole sauce. finished with a lovely refreshing Sorbet and washed down with iced margaritas.

Great food and cocktails staff friendly and helpful and good laugh

We were a little hesitant to try a Mexican restaurant in England, especially one with a French name, but the food here was delicious. Both of our entrees were excellent and I ordered the raspberry lime daiquiri which was divine. Our waitresses were very friendly, food came out quickly, and prices were reasonable. A surprising favorite of our trip but we would absolutely go back.

Good atmosphere, can't fault the service staff at all but considering it's mexican food, it was very bland, you get more herbs and spices in ol' el paso kits. The calamari was ok the marmalade that went with it made the taste. Had one salsa that was supposed to be spicy but again was just bland, mainly wet parsley in terms of flavour. Pork enchiladas were also only ok, just lacked any flavours overall. I had to double check I didn't have Rona. Recommend for people that want very very very mild mexican inspired food

Good food with great volume, just not as spicy as I expected haha

Fantastic service. Very attentive and accommodating staff. We have nachos to start, which we're the best nachos we had, and the portion was very generous. For mains, we had the chicken fajitas, which were exceptional and very tasty and came with an excellent selection of dips and fillings. We enjoyed some virgin mojitos, which were delicious and reasonably priced compared to other eateries. We really enjoyed our visit.

Amazing service and exceptional food. Would recommend

Service was fast and friendly. Food was great. Margherita was made with fresh ingredients. Thumbs up all round.

Mediocre food, poor service with attitude. Won't be going back

Absolutely phenomenal. Loved the pan fried chicken burrito. Chips and salsa was great. Had a really nice chilli margarita. Highly recommended!!!!

Perfect thanks for a great experience I didn't get the waitresses name she has coloured hair and she was amazing and a credit to your team she was efficient and helpful and very attentive keep her!!! 😀

Visited for many years. I have to get my Des fix every few months. I love it. Danielle served us, if she’s in we always try and get her to take our order. Keep up the good work guys!

Quite nice food, the staff are a quite rude on numerous occasions. The atmosphere is very nice.

By far this was the best Mexican restaurant I have been to. We ordered nachos and Calamari to start and fajitas and veggie chilli for mains. My partner who is vegetarian had as many options as I had. Food was unreal, great atmosphere and not expensive at all. We went on a Monday night and were lucky we booked, every other restaurant in town was empty other than this place. Will be returning everytime I even go close to Canterbury.

Stingy with the nachos and guacamole comes as an extra! Otherwise very nice.

This is the best meal I’ve had in Canterbury and I understand why this restaurant has lasted so long. It’s one of the busiest restaurants too so you do have to book (it was packed even on a dreary February weekday ). The decor is colourful and wonderfully eccentric. Every member of the staff was warm and friendly despite the fact that they were very busy. I ordered a chicken fajita which came with generous, fresh portions of everything and deliciously cooked chicken. It’s worth noting that although the menu shows fajita for two that can also do single portions on request (I nearly didn’t have one at all because I don’t know this). Other members in the party all complemented the food. Overall it was excellent and I strongly recommend it.

Great service, wonderful food, lovely atmosphere

Delicious food, very crowded, but worth the wait

The perfect place for an evening out

My friends nachos came with no guacamole, she didn’t enjoy the meal. The tostado- never ordered one before & never will again. Roasted Mediterranean veg?! Er?…Hard sweet potato (?) & barely roasted ‘anything’ . It was surrounded by a strange sauce, supposed to be green pepper.- not good. Amidst this was one lonely cube of feta with a blob of pesto on it- it did not work, it was horrible, don’t order it.

Came in for dinner on Saturday night so it was busy but the service was still great, food arrived super quickly and everything was delicious. The pork belly fajitas to share were our favourite, the pork was sizzling hot and super tender. Would also recommend the pork belly enchiladas.

This restaurant is my favorite in Canterbury. As a Mexican living in UK This is the best authentic Latin food in Kent. I wish the ceviche came with a corn tostada (like the picture) I ask for the tostadas and filled it with ceviche guacamole 😋. The food is exquisite and the drinks are tasty. Must go restaurant.

This place is AMAZING!! it has the BEST food in Canterbury, can be a little noisy at times but you don't feel out of place, I should know as I suffer from anxiety in some restaurants due to atmosphere etc. My favourite dine in location. On a sidenote. If you order nacho starter, order 2 portions. They're not big enough for 2 people! That's my only gripe with them tbf...we'll done Cafe des Amis.

We visited in 26/03/24 for my husbands birthday and everything was perfect. We have visited this restaurant about 5/6 times in the past year, and we are never disappointed. We had the nachos and calamari as a starter and the duck fajitas as a main, this was our first time trying the duck and I think will be our repeat order from now on😍so crispy and juicy! The service was spot on and efficient. Our drinks and meals came out fast as well. 10/10 thanks to all the staff for being so helpful and polite!

The restaurant was packed at 6:30 on a Friday evening and there was a good buzz of chatter throughout. Booking is a necessity! The food, as always, was excellent and arrived promptly without feeling rushed. Starters of gambas & trio of ceviche followed by pollo verde & duck mole, all of which were delicious. Very good service from our waitress Ruth.

Fantastic place, one of my favourite restaurants in Canterbury. Service is very friendly, food is exceptional. Menu varies between visits but never disappoints. Pork belly tacos are sublime but the duck taquitos are a personal favourite. Very reasonably priced for the quality you receive.

Some of the best Mexican food I’ve experienced. Went here after high recommendations and was not disappointed! Amazing variation on the type of fajita and brilliantly cooked meat! Can’t rate the Yucatan pork belly enough! Wow!

A few friends and I took a trip to this restaurant from a nearby town. We were running a bit late for our sitting and called ahead to advise. They were accommodating and placed our requested drinks on the table, ready for our arrival. A lovely touch. I try to get here at least once or twice per year and honestly, this place never misses! The starters and mains were delightful, moreover, the service was impeccable, which just created a lovely atmosphere. Dessert was cool too but we had to rush it to get back in time for the boxing 😅 Thanks, Cafe Des! This wasn't even my best experience here, yet, it's still worthy of 5 stars!