Cafe Sol — Restaurant in London

Myself and my pal were decently groomed and dressed smelly fresh for our night to begin. Yes, we are black males who live in the London age range between 35 and 40 and come from a middle-class background. This was last night around 11 a.m. and was not even busy, as everyone knows this strip of bars and clubs doesn't kick off till 12 onwards. There were around 10 people in the queue—yes, all white people. Some dressed nice, most dressed like they just finished doing revision for the exams Monday morning. We walked to the back of the queue, where you were greeted by a black bouncer asking just me and my pal ONLY!. Do we have a guest list as its guest list only? We replied no; is it required when it's not busy? He replied yes. Please understand the 3 white guys behind us were not questioned, nor was the other white group of guys and girls not questioned, which were all white. The white guys asked us, Why did he ask you, not us? That's strange and rude. I reply, I have no idea... with an awkward smile... But he still let's us walk towards the front entrance in this chicane que line, where we are greeted again by another bouncer who is white. I GIVE ANYONE £50 IF YOU CAN GUESS WHAT HE ASKED MYSELF AND MY PAL AND NOT THE GUYS BEHIND US AND THE BIG GROUP OF GUYS BEHIND THEM (WHO WERE ALL WHITE). HAHAHAHAHAH...so I challenged the bouncer of his intellectual RUBBISH of excuses. First he said we need a table or guest list. I shut him down on that with my intelligence response. Then he said, These guys are our regulars, so we know their faces. So I replied, How many times did you knock them back for you to recognise their faces for them to be eligible entry? He smiled and said, These are managers rules. So I asked the group, Are you on the guest list or have a table? They replied to me in front of the bouncer, "What is that?" No, we just rocked up here. Hahahahaha, this was the moment I had my facts and evidence: no blacks are allowed from black bouncers hired and a white bouncer hired. The issue they have is this. I work for a well-established newspaper in the city; I'm a senior editor, so stories get approved by myself and my team before the boss finalises the story, etc. So I'm gassed to write this in my papers on Monday morning reviewing our options with my team, whom I manage. And I will expose this establishment to all my black, non-white brothers and sisters of other ethnicities to STAY AWAY from this place. This is why I approve the Shoreditch scene. There is no race-colour discrimination. Yes, I understand if someone appears to look drunk or unstable. Health and safety are paramount. But to refuse entry for 2 people who are not white. This is 2024; we, not living in the 1900s, were blacks who couldn't even use the same toilet in the same building with white folks. We need to fix up and welcome all colour to an establishment.

stay...

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...

I don't think I've ever reviewed a resturant before but after the awful food I ordered off Deliveroo I just had it. I don't think I've ever received such a bland excuse for a dish in my life. Ordered the vegetarian fajitas and it literally came as a box of completely plain steamed vegetables and some tortilla wraps for over £9, The vegetables hadn't been cooked in any fajita seasonings, there was just a tiny sprinkle of either paprika of chilli powder that tasted like raw spices so obviously was not cooked in with the vegetables, onions were still opaque and crispy so obviously had not been fryed down. It didn't even taste like it had been seasoned with any salt! Put in an allergy note for no dairy and to remove the sour cream but still received a tub of it. Dish said it came with refried beans but they seemed to just be plain unseasoned pinto beans. Guacamole seemed to be the stuff that you can buy frozen in a tub, definitely not freshly made (I've worked for a Mexican Restaurant before so I know the stuff). I hate wasting food but I took one bite of the meal and had to throw it away, so bland it was practically inedible. Complete waste of money. Shocked that this place has a 4.3 star rating on Deliveroo! Vegetarian option may have just been an after thought for the staff so maybe the meat options are less bland but even so they should at least put some effort into making a decent or vaguely creative dish not just a pile of plain veg. As someone that works in hospitality and with food it really annoys me to see people running a food business that obviously put no care or effort into what they're churning out to customers. This restaurant obviously doesn't care about good food, owner should sell up and find another...