Cafe Sol in Lambeth

Bad food! Ordered pork tacos and it was either re-heated or came from a pack. Quesadillas were also terrible.

Food and drinks were absolutely delicious and our server was super attentive.

It has been such a long time since I visited this restaurant yet the memory of the food has stayed with me all this time. Highly recommended.

Ordered BBQ wings and a chicken Quesadilla. The food was amazing. With dim lights and candles the restaurant had a cosy vibe. The staff were nice and friendly. Toilets were extremely clean.

Great food, lovely service, music a bit loud so had to shout. But it did turn into a club afterwards.

Went to cafe sol to catch up with some of my friends who I have not seen in years and it was a great night out to see friends who I have known for over 40 years and it was at the right place

I tried to get in and it was not possible. The answer was because in was “alone”. Incredible that this happens in London. So bad!

We attended Cafe Sol yesterday for a birthday meal. The food was delicious with generous portions. So generous in fact, we asked for our leftovers to be packed for takeaway. Imagine our surprise when we got home and half a rack of ribs and all of the steak (for fajitas) had not been included. Obviously, this was a very disappointing end to a really nice and not cheap evening.

Emanuel was the best bouncer I have encountered! He made us feel so safe and looked after us all night! He deserves a raise hope his bosses see this and reward him accordingly. It’s not often us girls feel safe enough in a place to actually leave a review but he made such an expression that we feel like we need to say something. He was Professional but fair and was looking out for the woman all night!

I went to cafe sol with a big crowd and there attendance was fantastic the service was amazing The overal experience there was so good I will definitely go back Thanks CAFE SOL! ☺️

Bouncer was a blatant misogynist

Honeslty if I could give this place less than 1 I would. Handed my coat they gave it to someone else and refused to acknowledge it or even tell me. Spiteful to the point of aggression, ridiculous place. Understand it makes it money from drunk people but if you want to be treated like a number go to cafe sol! Is they Lost my jacket and my keys in the most ridiculous situations ever and they straight up refused to help me find it.

Food was tasty but the place lacked atmosphere and smelled of bleach. Good that the place is clean but I'd recommend doing deep cleaning after guests leave. I ordered a beef enchilada but got chicken. I mentioned it at the end as I didn't mind that much but there wasn't much reaction.

Brazilian food in England interesting I want to know the area and live in London

I'd love to give this place a positive review but the attitude and behaviour of bouncers is absolutely disgusting. Been here with friends before and we had a great experience - the atmosphere is really great - but this time we also went in with a group and the bouncers allowed all our girl friends in, but not us guys. Even when the girls said we were with them, they said we weren't on the guest list. How can the girls who were with us be on the guest list when it wasn't a planned visit, but we're not?? Haha - worst experience I've had yet. We couldn't reach our friends once they went back inside so we cut out night short. Would be interested to see what this place is like in the daytime food-wise but it's such a shame as the place has great potential. (It's already super busy every night so I imagine that's why they don't care). If it was my business (and I have two of my own) I'd be speaking with staff in order to simply be honest...."We're at max capacity for men unfortuately guys. Sorry" Shameful.

Security gained with hat said bit as we to drunk and gay. I’m not gay had3 ping before

I went with my husband and a friend and while waiting in a very long line to enter the club we realized that one of us (who clearly looks ove 30 yo) doesn't have an ID on them. I went to the bouncer to ask if we will still be able to enter and he said, that it won't be a problem. After getting to the front of the queue we get told off and when I ask the bouncer why he said we should wait and could get in, he toldme 'I thought you were girls'... So they would have let female customers in without ID, but not male... Nonsense...

The most racist establishment in the UK. They cannot continue and we should not contribute financially to them by considering going. On the night of Friday 13th October 2023, my friend and I considered going and stayed in the queue for one hour, only to be told at the front by the security individual that we had to be part of a non-existent "guest list". When I questioned the security individual on this, he then changed his reasoning and said we must be accompanied by two women. I asked for his name and he would not give it, and then forcefully grabbed us out of the queue. He will be sued on this as we have taken his picture. I would like to also add that two white males in front of us got in to the venue with no such questioning. On a second occasion earlier this year, I was with my girlfriend, whom was white, and in the middle of the queue, the same security individual came up to us and began to interrogate my girlfriend, asking her what my first name is, then my surname, then how we know each other, and asking for my ID, all the while not looking at me once in the eye. My own girlfriend! We decided to leave straight away and not enter the venue. Similar stories were shared with me by others whom I live with in Clapham about their friends who are people of colour being verbally abused, discriminated on and not being allowed in. This is 2023 in London, not the 1940s KKK. I am thoroughly disappointed with the owner of the venue and he will be properly sanctioned on this form of institutional covert racism. It is a certainty that I will be writing a legal letter to the local MP and Mayor of London office in order to highlight the above observations and evidence in order to close this venue down immediately. The owner as well as each individual in his security team be lawfully taken to court for judgement and punishment on such illegal activities mentioned. I ask everyone who considers going to this venue or have been before to please no longer go, as we can no longer help Cafe Sol continue doing this, by going and paying our hard-earned money to their racially-discriminatory business. A statement can be made by each of us about how racism is unacceptable in this 21st century day and age, especially in a multi-cultural and beautiful city like London. We're Londoners for a reason. Cafe Sol is a stain on our society, being that no-one should be discriminated on for the colour of their skin.

Unreal gaff. A must do for a mad one in Clapham

It is a good place to take rest Food is awesome

What a Gem.. we were welcomed like family, the food was great and plentiful The cocktails 👌 mauh . Perfect spot to unwind with family or friends....did I forget to mention Happy hour 😀 😉

A friend and I went to this place this evening and honestly wasn’t worth it. From the bouncers not wanting to let us in for the colour of our skin, making up excuses. Then the bouncers pushing you to go inside. The music is good, bar staff friendly, but don’t bother spend your money in places where they don’t want people of colour here. They are happy to let non coloured males in that are causing trouble on the street than coloured quiet people. Terrible. Change the bouncers.

My friends and I, including some who are black and Asian, were denied entry with no explanation, while our white friends faced no such issue. It was disappointing and hurtful, especially considering that we were all sober and well-behaved. Discrimination has no place in any establishment, and I hope Cafe Sol addresses this issue promptly.

Bouncers are aggressive and discriminatory without reason. They refused entry to my friend just before me because he wasn’t on the ‘guest list’ which doesn’t exist. They waited until I paid entry and when I tried to speak to my friend after they rejected him entry they told me to shut up or they would kick me out too. Disgusting human beings putting the title of bouncer to shame

Went to cafe sol as we do all the time but this time it was awful , went for a family members 75th birthday service was awful , mangers attitude awful in fact disgusting , and when we got our bill they charged us extra for a drink we had already paid for at the bar !!!!! 😡 in total including drinks we spent £350 + good as always lovely but would NOT go back no matter how good the food is as service was AFWUL 👎👎👎👎👎

If your looking for a busy night out in Clapham on a Friday/ sat night then cafe sol is great. Good music, very busy and good night out. It is basically a nightclub.

Good place to meet nice people. And excellent drinks

The bouncers here are honestly the worst I’ve ever come across. The bouncer supervising the queue wouldn’t let a friend and I (two guys) even join the line until he saw “evidence” that we had female friends inside already. When we joined up with a group of our friends who hadn’t gotten in yet (1 guy and two girls), the bouncer said we need to bring in at least one girl per guy. We eventually got to the front of the queue and another bouncer claimed we didn’t know the girls we were with (he even asked the girls for our first and last names). Then he has the cheek to say “I know you’re lying. I’m going to give you a chance thought and let the two of you in, but you need to be on your best behaviour”. All to pay £10 to get into a little sweat box. Needless to say I will never be coming back here ever again.

Haven't eaten here in years but decided to give it a go last night (25/08) with the kids 😯 and absolutely loved it. Cocktails were lush, atmosphere was lovely and service was 5⭐ most definitely, Jorge was amazing particularly because there were so many of us. The only reason we gave the food a 4 is because it was missing spice, wonderfully flavoursome but literally no heat which is unexpected for a Mexican. Definitely recommend

Randomly ejected, despite booking a table for 10+ people Ego trip from bouncer

In the evenings this place is full of rich young people who have 0 manners. The security have a complex and are rude and aggressive. Paid entry to get into a packed place which is just not enjoyable

It has a big tequila menu, no doubt fun. Generous portions, good for a quick supper in the early evening. Friendly staff

Fab little Mexican eatery, quick service, lovely food, good guacamole. Friendly atmosphere.

I always have a great evening when I go to Cafe Sol. And the food is delicious 😋🤤

Some of the bouncers love to abuse their authority but once you're in it's decent

Nice spot but terrible bouncers very rude to customers and play ego games. Unacceptable behaviour honestly.

Really nice cocktails and prompt service from waiters

Best club in clapham heard it here

My favourite restaurant. I’ve been coming here for over 5 years and they have never disappointed. I love the food and cocktails. It’s hard to find a place that does both really well. Glad I found this place.

The bar staff are all self entitled and extremely rude, they believe they are doing you a favour by serving you. The security however, surprisingly lovely chaps.

No transparency about over 21s rule.

I tried to come here for my friend's birthday outing. We waited patiently in line and didn't cause any issues while waiting. After more than an hour of waiting we get to the front of the line. The bouncer asks us if a group of white men in front of us in the queue were with us (for context the friend group is largely Asian and black). We said no and then were told that there was a guest list for the venue tonight and that we weren't on it. There was no mention of a guest list for any of the people being let into the bar up to this point including other friends in the group who managed to get in earlier. When we tried to ask about why we've been told about this guest list but nobody else has, we were told that we need to leave the queue and stop holding up the line. While I don't necessarily think that incident was racially charged, given how we waited patiently, were dressed normally, and didn't cause any problems queuing it was very disappointing having to end the night early without being told what happened so that we could maybe do something about it.

Awful place, disgraceful customers and behaviour, venue turns into a cheap night club late at night. Alcohol all over the floor Smoking area jam packed filled with human chimneys Probably the only thing to consider is there are some decent dishes throughout the day when the kitchens open.

Had eaten here previously and had a nice meal ( before lockdown) Returned there last night, the restaurant was space the menu catered more towards meat eaters, no obvious notes or pointers re allergies. Food was edible but I wouldn't rush back. For somewhere that was quiet the waiter(s) did not pick up on the body language for drinks/the bill ect.... think the restaurant side is seriously lacking. Whilst we were finishing off our meal. The staff were clearing tables and chairs away, and the music went up a notch towards partying at 20.30/21.00. They need to decide whether to keep the restaurant or not. I'd suggest not and maybe have snacks and shared dishes until the evening

Good atmosphere and music, cocktails looked nice but not very tasty and a little bit pricey

Probably the best ribs in Clapham.

Honestly thought this place was good but since coming here tonight (Fri 17th March 2023) we’ve been turned away because apparently anyone 21 and under can’t come in…so how come we were able to go in last week?? I’m 21, my mate is 20, we both have ID. Honestly, unless management reach out and confirm this (what sort of rule is this??) will never come here again. Came out with a £200 budget 😭 (Edit): I should note, we came with a group of friends. 3 girls in our group, and us 2. We entered into the bouncer “checkpoint” TOGETHER. Our girl friends were let in and we were held back. What a joke 🤣

Best place in Clapham. Especially the manager Sam who’s happy to go out of his way to make cocktails when it’s busy

Food was Good. Good Portions. Very Polite and Friendly Staff. U pay the Price. But is a Restaurant. Worth it.

I've been here twice and the Chicken Taco is probably the best I've ever had. Charred chicken, delicious sauce and big portions! The frozen margarita was great also. Great spot for Mexican.

We love this place. The hot as hell steak with extra sauce is amazing. Plus, the staff are always great fun. ps Don't overdo the shots, lol

Amazing desert - best we've had anywhere for years! We had the apple pie and the churros which we shared and was truly fab. A classic venue that as we finished dessert, was getting ready for the table moves and the party to start.

Genuinely friendly service, good food and great fun.

Bustling ! All that needs to be said

Bouncers are HORRIBLE here. I got pushed and told I was “stubborn” for simply standing in the queue. A guy approached me from the smoking area and I got shouted at (I did nothing). Also the guy behind me asked if he could say I was with him because they weren’t letting people in without girls. Appalling. Myself and all my friends felt so unsafe.

We have our work Christmas Party here every year and around 28-30 of us are well fed and a great variety of drinks served. The manager and his team are always very welcoming and we have a great time, so keep returning, THANKS!

The bodyguard lied to us. He claimed tonight is a private party with guest list only, when instead every single customer said there is no private party. I recommend avoiding this place. Lying is the worst of services you could give to customers.

Generous portions, good for a quick supper in the early evening. Friendly staff. I imagine it livens up a lot in the later evening as it has a big tequila menu, no doubt fun.

Had a great time here! Staff were lovely, food was great. Though the hot sauce could be hotter! Rare to find actual texmex in London.

Very nice Mexican food we will return. The indoor seats were not as desirable for us as it was way to noisy (music too load)

A little biased as I’ve been going to Cafe Sol well over 10 years now. They have had a decor change and I actually love the darker moodier theme. The food is always excellent and I highly recommend the nacho starter. Have been in the past and just had that and a glass of wine. The staff are always friendly and helpful. Was never a big fan of Mexican food until I visited cafe sol. Great location and very easy to reach using public transport. If your driving best to arrive after 8pm when the parking restrictions have ended. Great location for a family celebration or meal with friends. Will upload some pics when I can find them!!!

Lovely restaurant great service attended this time for brunch with a friend righting the wrongs of the world 🤣😂 food was great as usual, staff are great, portions are generous and delicious 😋

Nice kid’s menu, was not a problem exchange fries for rice. Lovely meal and what I really appreciate was a waiter with big smile on his face. 🙂

Had a great time. And amazing service. Sam was awesome

Great place. Behinds the bar I would say Sam was the best. Not only did he ask about our well-being but he went the extra mile for us. Sam sung with us and was a joy to be around. I would love to come back here because of him.

A security guard (they won’t give me the name to) has touched me and my friend without permission without using his words. Don’t think it’s safe for women

Nice eatery in Clapham, certainly beating the local chains. Food was fairly priced, nicely cooked and presented and quick to come from the kitchen. Nice vibe and 241 cocktails. Walkable to all local tube/train/bus stops.

So busy at night, music kept cutting out and the bouncers were so rude. All night they kept letting people in and it was clearly too full, probably dangerously full. They gave me 1/2 shots for full shot price and it was just disgustingly rammed, wouldn’t recommend for a night out :)

great and delicious food. nice service. I will be back again on my next visit to London.

when your order gets delivered cold, and late dont expect customer service off these lot or deliveroo who just refuse to do refunds for cold uneaten food Won't be getting another PENNY out me bruv.

My go-to every time I'm in Clapham! Never disappoints! Food and drinks are spot on. Edit: whilst drinks are good, food quality seems to have dipped slightly. Ordered quesadillas recently and they were pretty average

Good fun on a Friday night. 4/5 because the lines were just a bit absurd, not because the place was heaving but because the bouncers were on power trips. Otherwise, good music, good drinks (bit pricey but hey it’s london), and good vibes!

Big fan of cafe sol. Super nice staff, food is what it is but good value for Clapham high street and just nice chilled vibe. Keep up the good work :)

Amazing place!! Good food, fantastic cocktails!! Happy hour it's well worth it!! And the staff were great!! Very helpful and pleasant!! Thank you all!!

Service was very slow, my chicken was extremely dry but waiters weren’t checking the tables to see if people wanted drinks or if the food was ok. I won’t be returning

If you’re BLACK don’t even bother! They won’t let you in trust me!! Worst club ever!!!!! Very racist security!

Very strong cocktails and the wraps were fresh and extremely fulling

Been here a few times now and it's always a good experience. We had great drinks, the service was fantastic, fajitas lovely. My only issue was the ride ordered as a side was mush, really over cooked.

Lovely food & ambience. Staff were also very warm & pleasant.

Terrible Cold food Couldn't even chew the steak in the fajitas. Tortillas were hard as well

Have been here several times and the staff are always so lovely and warm. They check if everything is ok with your food. I would like to see a few more options on the menu for children though. As there was only 2 things on the menu for kids and everything comes with fries. But I liked that their chicken nuggets were home made and that everything was fresh and tasty for us all.

Clearly racist club wouldn’t let us in because we were black but let in our white friends. Black security guard told us to mix the group because they won’t let us in if it’s only black people so we did mix it with females who also got kicked out for mixing with us. Did not let anyone black in unless they seemed to fit the criteria which was white partner.

Came here with my friends for dinner. Was a bit late for my reservation but the staff was so nice and understanding. The food and drinks were amazing and I would 100% recommend. Would definitely go there again 😊.

Have been here several times and the service is excellent friendly staff, fast service...they open up a dance floor late into the evening..Great place 🙌

Great food and great atmosphere. A little on the dark side (they could do with more lighting if you like to see what you're eating) but it all adds to the ambiance. Service is just as good. Definitely recommend a visit

i am so grateful i was introduced to this place, their cocktails are amazing but the food omg, especially the seabass 😍 & i don't even like fish

Not worth £10 entry to be packed in with no room to move Local alternatives are better when clubbing

Been going to Cafe Sol for years. Generally our meal are good and the rib were my favourite. On our last visit, 4 of us. We shared a Nacho starter and my partner was the only one to have steak fajita. He was violently sick for the that night and for 24 hours. Classic food poison symptoms. Called twice asking for manager to call me. I have had no response. Hence my first negative review for Cafe Sol. We won't be returning.

I went to this place on 03/4/22 it was the worst decision I ever made, even though they was no one else in the restaurant, I had to wait about 30 mins for my mains, I ordered tequila Salmon also Ribs with chips. The avocado was rotted and the potatoes was so old and tasted like rubbish, I complained about the avocado, and they brought me another portion only to find it was even worst than the first, This was a massive turn off as I did not enjoy my food, The service from the waitress was very poor but I must admit the rib was quite good,,at the end I paid €41, I do not recommend and will not be going back to this place ,it’s good to sit and have a drink but not to eat I don’t think they care what they put on your plate.

Had a great night but my white trainers are in tatters.

Excellent food and service. Great atmosphere.

Absolutely shocking! We waited in the queue watching random people being let in, only for me and my friends to be denied access because "private party was going on". The real reason was our race didn't meet their criteria as the security first checked our id and then made his decision. I cant believe that we are working in this city, providing to the community, doing our best to make it a better place only for such places among us to smear and stain the welcoming vibe of this beautiful city. Such a shame that a MEXICAN restaurant/club in LONDON is RASIST!!!

Terrible experience on 26th march, Me and two friends went there last night. After waiting in the queue for some good time the security at the entrance checked our IDs and after that he said something like "there's a private party going on inside so I can't let you in" and literally started pushing us out of the queue. Next people after us were allowed in without any questions making it obvious that no such private party was going on. Disgraceful treatment for customers as we were obviously racially profiled.

Terrible experience, Thursday 24th March the security guard just didn’t even let us in…all he said was for security reasons…what does that even mean?? There was not an explanation, I’m Mexican and always come to this restaurant as the food is nice and live near by. Definitely would like an explanation what the real reason was and you might not lose a customer. Hope to hear from you soon. Mario

Discriminatory place! Very disappointed. I do believe this place has an interesting vibe and I’m not quick to call the racism card but the service is unacceptable. The bouncers denied me and my friends of colour access and tried to use excuses of not being on the “list” or with girls to not let us in. We were not the only people of colour denied access and very quickly there was no people of colour in the queue. Other people who were in a similar situation to us (of a Caucasian tone) were let in with ease despite making it clear that they didn’t have girls or be on the list. It got to a point where other customers had to apologise to us directly which was met with aggression from the bouncers. We did not retaliate or show aggression and we also did not wear any aggressive clothing to be treated in a different manner. I am very disappointed at this and we are not the only people that this has happened to unfortunately.

I came with a group of my friends and they told us we can’t get in because they only allowed people on the guest list and I spoke with numerous people in the line and they were allowed in but we were denied entry. I am not one for assuming things but they seemed to fit a certain demographic of individuals and they were allowed in without any checks for guest list.

Lined up for 30 mins to be told, you need to be on the guest list. Spoke with people in the line, they said they weren’t on the guest list and were allowed in. Quite strange, I will not use the race card, but I feel this was a factor. The persons inside seem to fit a certain social background. I felt humiliated and belittled by the persons at the door. Avoid at all costs.

Popped in on the spur of the moment for lunch, they do a lunch special, a free bottle of beer or equivalent drink. we ordered fajitas, beef and chicken, food came up sizzling hot in about 15 minutes or so. Food was really good, as I'm so often disappointed with Mexican, but it was very tasty. Good service, great food. Will be back 👍

Last night was absolutely terrible from the Cafe Sol bouncers. I arrived at 10.55 for my booking at 11 with 15 friends and was not allowed in, completely ruining my birthday evening and leaving everyone with no where to go when we believed we had a booking. The bouncers were extremely rude and unfriendly. Please don’t accept bookings if they don’t mean anything as it was extremely disappointing. I had a booking confirmation email for 15 people at 11pm and the bouncers told me it was completely meaningless. The same thing happened to another friend. Will never be returning here.

Awful place, this place prioritises white people and discriminates against ethnic minorities. Pls steer clear I wouldn’t recommend