Café des Amis — Restaurant in Canterbury

Be careful if you have allergies we went there tonight to celebrate my birthday to which it was completely ruined and we ended up leaving with my sister having been sick in the toilet due to being served dairy!

We arrived for our booking of 4 and got asked if we had any allergies to which we stated yes there are 2 dairy allergies and got handed the green dairy free menus

When it came to ordering me and my sister (both with the dairy allergy) ordered off of the dairy free menu and both got the pan fried chicken burrito, and stated clearly no feta on both of them to which the waitress replied “yes they won’t come with any anyway due to it being dairy free orders” (we stated no feta as on the dairy free menu is still says feta but as *feta so we clearly stated we didn’t want it as we can’t have that due to it having milk in

When we received our food the waitress put both mine and my sisters down first before our friends and said the dairy free pan fried chicken burritos and placed in front of us

We noticed about half way through that there were small broken bits of feta hidden inside our burritos so I got the waitress and they then went to check with the kitchen…the manger (I assume they were the manager) came back and said to us what happened was even though clearly on the order ticket to the kitchen it said dairy allergy’s the chef who was preparing our meals thought that and I quote “feta didn’t have milk in” which is totally unacceptable, there should be more training and that chef shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the kitchen.

They did ask at the restaurant if it was a serious allergy after finding out we had eaten the cheese to which I stated we have piriton but at the time of them asking it was straight after we had eaten and the reaction hadn’t taken full affect yet

I get sickness and diarrhoea but it takes time to go through my system but starts with stomach cramps to which I was having but my sister is anaphylactic and by the time we got home was reacting so badly she could hardly breathe and was being violently sick, there was no way of us knowing at the time of being asked how server her reaction was going to be as we haven’t been exposed to this type of cheese before one with goats and sheep’s milk. They did take my contact details so we will see if they get in touch.

I feel I should to take this further by contacting the food standards agency at Canterbury council because people can die from allergies and they need to be taken more seriously this should not be happening this day and age, you are lucky that no one died from this instance but you might not get as lucky...

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...

A little on the pricey side, but worth it if you want something a bit out of the ordinary. Mexican fusion. Hoppin' spot at night, two dining rooms but on a weekend you'll definitely want to have a reservation. Cash, credit card and probably e-wallet payments accepted.. Beer, wine, full bar, plenty o' good food.

Classic chips and salsa are the natural way to begin. Tragically, like many places around the world these aren't complimentary or obligatory - order if you want them, but you have to order them each separately. Strange. The pineapple habenero salsa does have a slight heat to it but nothing like what I was hoping. The pico de gallo could use a bit more cilantro but was good. I mistakenly thought the pickled jalapenos was another salsa but it's just a side of pickled jalapenos. Still tasty! Chips are good but the serving size is a bit small.

The trio of ceviche is a good option but, again, you have to order chips separately to go with it. The ahi tuna is good, bathed in a balsamic glaze. The smoked haddock has a strong, salty flavor and the Atlantic salmon is good but less memorable than its partners.

The seafood burrito is large and accompanied by rice and beans. Tasty. The Pollo Verde is also a strong contender and accompanied with rice and beans.

A variety of tequilas on hand running the gamut from relatively cheap, not-really-tequila options to mid-range reliables. Nothing terribly exotic or pricey here. Cocktails are solid. Passion fruit margarita is reliable and pleasing. The mojitos are solid and benefit with a bit of molasses, probably from demerara sugar.

Service is quick but, again, this place gets busy. Definitely...