We were visiting Canterbury this weekend and decided to try this lovely place as we love Mexican food. The food was amazing, the waitress really attentive and what a great atmosphere! Totally recommend it � thank you for such scrummy food!!
We go to Cafe des Amis regularly for lots of different occasions and we always have a fabulous meal without fail. Gorgeous food. Very friendly staff and always a great atmosphere. Would highly recommend 😀 Xxx
Fabulous meal before the theatre. Service was excellent and very friendly. The churros with chocolate dipping sauce was to die for. Will definitely return
Excellent food and excellent service. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Cafe des Amis. Would highly recommend
Enjoyed another amazing evening here �
Food is fantastic and staff are brilliant.
Would highly recommend �����
Love this place my favorite place to eat in Canterbury, it has never let us down.
Amazing experience, lovely quality of food. Vibe and atmosphere is always really nice. Staff are always willing to help and eager to do their job efficiently. Would definitely recommend.
Susana Lemos Da Costa
+4.5
This place is always full, so better book a table.
The space is quite welcoming however it can get a bit loud when there is a bigger group in the room.
The food came out quite quick and everything was great and not too spicy.
We got the aubergine burrito and the pollo verde and for desert we got the sorbet, the churros and the apple crepe and they were all really good.
The crepe was quite big so it was hard to finish it was it was divine.
Average price, but the student discount helped making the price more affordable.
Had a lovely meal in here on a Monday evening last week, very enjoyable mixed seafood starter for two to share, and very tasty and filling chicken fajitas for our main. Half price drinks between 5-6pm. Would definitely visit again
Consistently good food for over 20 years. One of the best Mexican restaurants anywhere and easily the best in canterbury by a huge margin. Recommended fajitas and their chocolate torte desert.
Completely agree with luilui. Delicious food, friendly atmosphere, cute decor. Tacos Locos has nothing on this place.
Ignore vicky if you want a credible meal.. Cafe Des Amis outranks any other mexicann in canterbury in every way. It is tasty and friendly, unlike the other restaurant which is tacky and loud.
Cafe des Amis is truly the best Mexican resturant in the south east. The food is always excellent and service superb. It serves well for families at lunch and in the evenings transforms into a buzzing and cosy place to eat great food. Booking advised at the weekend.
For once I cant fault this place.
Service, food and drinks all fantastic. Staff accommodating. Toilets clean.
The prawn in garlic butter were perfection as was the pork belly tacos
Amazing range of tequilas we opted for the £12 shot and it was worth it too.
But i do have a couple of tweaks, give customers a finger bowl with the garlic prawns. Some spilt water on the table wasn't cleaned up also.
I'd love to see crispy fish taco on the menu too but now I'm nit picking.
All in all, amazing and will be back soon.
Fantastic as always, have been coming here since my 6th birthday realistically 2/3 times a year until covid. Food was better then ever, the lady that served us was delightful, smiling and a consistent balance of checking in on us and leaving us to our own devices.
We started with the Large Nachos and Tacos. All wrapped up with chicken and steak sizzling fajitas with top ups a plenty.
We will be back and thank you so much again 💙
Passed by this restaurant a few times, finally gave it a try. In fact every time i passed by, it was full of people. It kind of gave me confidence about the quality. Indeed they offer a wide variety of food, including vegetarian. However, a slight disappointment is that the food is in general too salty. I like their combination of fresh fruits in the dishes but if it was less salty (both ceviche and duck confit in my case), it'd be perfect. And i like the warm decor of the restaurant, it's very welcoming and good for both groups and quiet diners.
I’m still puzzled with the French name, Mexican food and Brazilian music some and menu items, but nonetheless, excellent experience! The service was great, the food was delicious and the portions are super decent. The art on the walls is super unique and delivers such a special vibe to the space. Definitely recommend!!!
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 desert 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.
I've been coming to this restaurant for over twenty years and it has consistently provided not only outstanding food, but also friendly service, beautiful decor and beautiful female staff!! I am a nachos connoisseur and HONESTLY , these are the best nachos I've had anywhere in the world. In my opinion, the best mexican restaurant is Tijuana tex med in Ibiza, but the nachos there ARE NOT AS GOOD as Cafe Des Amis. It beggars belief how fantastic the food is in Cafe Des Amis, but do not take my word for it, go find out for yourself.
It's just awesome. I cannot recommend it enough.
![5]( "Recensione")
Cafe Des Amis, has been in the city of Canterbury since the late 1980's as I recall it was the second venue in the city to offer mexican food, the first being Marlowe's Restaurant in St Peter's Street. As far as i can recall it was in 1988, that Bill and Emmanuelle Betham, opened Café des Amis in this 16th century building. It used to be an antiques shop called 'Ben Lee'. I seem to think that it was whilst they were travelling to Mexico, they were inspired by the unique and vibrant cuisine and the Mexicans' love of fiesta.
As my birthday was coming up my friend had a voucher for a free meal at Cafe Des Amis (it was his Birthday Present).
I have to say i was not only impressed that on a Wednesday night it was not only busy, but more people came whilst we sat down to eat. My Friend had reserved a table for two at 8pm and we arrived at 19:50 hrs. The Restaurant was pretty full already, with couples and families and friends celebrating various events in their life. I ordered Beef Chilli Nachos and my Friend ordered Beef Tacos, and we shared a pulled Lamb Fajitas. All served with a couple of San Miguel bottled beers, nice and cold.
The atmosphere was relaxed and not rushed, the service was excellent, and the waiter/server was very friendly. The beef nachos were delicious and hot as were my friend's Taco, soft tortilla rather than hard and crispy. I realise that this is actually Tex Mex as in mexico there tend not to serve so much meat. The Fajitas, came with a good selection of salsas including refried beans (I am not a fan of them) but the tomato and chilli salsa was delicious and moist as was the sour cream, and what tasted like homemade Guacamole. It was a great choice as chicken can be dry and beef can be chewy, but this lamb was delicious, melted in the mouth, with a perfect consistency. I managed to dribble most of it on my t-shirt, but nothing says you enjoyed a meal when it's all over your shirt.
I am a local and I will keep recommending it to my other friends, even after all these years it's clearly a firm favourite of locals and visitors alike, and with a super view of the Westgate Towers, and the Adjoining Westgate Gardens, it makes a great location too. Thanks to the team on the night and the Manager who appeared to care for his staff as well as his customers with equal measure.
Was visiting Canterbury for a weekend. This place looked interesting so decided to try it out. I think you are definitely better off booking as this was the first question we were asked.
It was certainly had a good portion of tables taken. Our servers were very attentive and came to check on us throughout the meal.
The food when it came tasted lovely and had good portion size.
I do think price wise if you're a family with kids your bill would be significant. I did think they were more London like prices but to be fair everything everywhere has gone up so not surprising.
I enjoyed my lunch and my desert and would recommend it
Fantastic place! We shared the sizzling steak fajitas and it was utterly delicious
The seafood paella was an absolute belter! Definitely the best in flavour and style in the whole of canterbury! Large variety of food options and with student discount!
food is really good. Prok and duck wrap can FIY ontheseasoning. Student need to bring their ID card or its photo for 25%off discount. Reservation needed. Service is a bit slow.
![5]( "Recensione")
No wonder it’s packed in evenings. My friends weren’t able to dine here in the weekend, but luckily I stayed behind and had another chance for lunch. Definitely book ahead if you hate having parties.
Triple the happiness with Trio of Ceviche. Tuna in appetizing soy ginger sesame sauce, and a hint of mild spiciness. Salmon with refreshing citrusy tomato and onion, a classic. Haddock in creamy light mayonnaise, which adds flavor to the fish without overpowering its own taste. The roasted pumpkin seeds added savory crunchiness.
The lamb cut is lean (healthy:). Nonetheless, it is tender and the slight muscular dryness is compensated by the tomatoey juicy sauce. Pineapple salsa just lights up the rice. Sweet, tart, and hot to the point (yes). Also appreciate the inclusion of salad leaves with the main dish.
The fajitas sound sizzling! The aroma from the other table is super enticing.
Lovely decoration. Friendly staff :) and student discounts. I am glad I didn’t skip Mexican food while trying other local food and produces in Canterbury!
My wife and I have been coming here for over thirty years,
The food has been consistently great throughout this time.
Service is friendly, fast and efficient.
Always busy, a sign of their popularity so best to book.
We are now taking the extended family including our grandson.
The crispy duck fajitas are always a favourite.
The nachos were great, burritos were tangy which was oddly nice but the waitress was attentive and the manager was very friendly. The atmosphere was relaxed and the restaurant was clean. Would go again.
One of my top two favorite restaurants in Canterbury. They give a great student discount so I figured that’s why it’s always full. Until I tried it for myself… a couple times 😁 and I’ll be back! Very focussed menu which I like - although how a Mexican restaurant got its French name remains a wonderful mystery! The salsas are varied and fresh though a bit too mild for my taste but easy enough to layer in with some hotter sauce. The meats come sizzling and the chips and tortillas perfectly fresh. Truly, taste wins here. The portions are generous so order slowly and I don’t think they really pack left overs nor do they do take aways. So this is a must dine-in option and really, if you’re in the city, a must do some times!
We showed up on a Friday night without a reservation and the waiting staff were so friendly and made every effort to accommodate us. The food was delicious, highly recommend the trio of ceviches and mushroom fajitas. Lively and vibrant atmosphere.
Great location for a celebration. Service and food were great. Not pictured were the drinks - frozen margaritas and piña coladas and mojitos. All wonderful. Next time we’re gonna try the sizzling lamb fajitas. Leftovers (within reason, as the fajita sides are all chopped and refilled when needed) can be wrapped in aluminium foil to enjoy letter.
One star knocked off because I ordered salsa picante with my burrito for a chilli kick and it didn’t appear.
Nice little Mexican restaurant, highly rated by locals & with decent food. Outdoor seating was great on a sunny day & very much enjoyed the homemade salsas. Duck mole dish was unusual but quite tasty, would like to go back to try more of the menu.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes