Cafe des Amis

Nice table settings and a good starter. But what dry fishcakes for the main course. The side salad was limp and unappealing. The service was slow but also uninterested. Bad smell coming from downstairs 'winebar' next to the toilets.
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2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Saturday, June 04, 2011

I had dinner for two at Cafe Des Amis last night. It is a wonderful place and in such a great location. We had drinks at the bar before going upstairs to the main restaurant. The menu had an excellent variety and the food we ordered was superb.

However, if you're looking for somewhere with good service then this is probably not the place to go. The staff are quite charming and helpful but are not assigned to any tables in particular and, as a result, requests take quite a long time before they're met. They were also a bit cheeky in presenting me with my bill, despite the 50% off offer which is advertised on their website. The head waiter was very surly with me when I asked for the discount and gave me evils until we left. The waitress also asked me if I'd found the service good and that if I had then I should leave a large tip!

If you're looking for good food and great atmosphere and don't mind not having high quality service then I'd definitely recommend Cafe Des Amis. It was packed, even on a Tuesday night, which says something.
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James Russell Stoneham
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, December 15, 2010

We had the £12.50 lunch menu. We had excellent food and the service was impeccable. This is a proper restaurant and I was worried we would be patronised for having a bargain meal. For the starter my friend, who is from southern Spain, had squid and we both agreed it was the best we had, anywhere. The Normandy moules were delicately flavoured, and the kitchen didnt skimp on ingredients for the rich creamy sauce. The mains, linguine and steak were also full of flavour, and all this was washed down with a great glass of, inclusive, red. If you are in Covent Garden, and this offer is still on, I cant see you could resist it!
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Mark Oxley
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, November 13, 2010

I went here using toptable offer. The restaurant was quite packed and food okayable. But considering the price of menu, the service was not appropriate.

e.g. seeing fast food chain service in a more mid/high-end restaurant. not that they are not friendly but waiters/tresses did not seem to be well trained.
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Sunny - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Thursday, September 23, 2010

i ate at cafe des amis whilst waiting for stringfellows to open. i ordered the chicken breast and let me tell you it was excellent. the front of house service was superb, and the place just oozes class and distinction. my drinks where very very cheap and i finished off with a drink with the owner. fantastic time. thank you cafe des amis.
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Ashley Heath
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 20, 2010

We arrived at 7pm the table was still occupied and were asked to wait in the bar and they would can and get us, 40 mins later no sign, so back we went back to the restaurant, it had been available for the last 15 mins. Starters arrived on time and were actually very good. Then it went downhill again, the steaks we had ordered blue we were told had been done well done and they had no more left, we ordered the lamb instead . The lamb came out and was badly cooked for 2 of us, so two ate whilst the others waited. The replacement lamb arrived , the same lamb but cooked again and they gave the wrong plates back to each of us. The potatoes were undercooked both times. We got a free bottle of wine and £5 of each of the dishes but we won’t be returning. The 50% offer has clearly done well for bookings but not for service or food quality, they clearly could not cope.
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Mike
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Thursday, March 25, 2010

Very bad service, waitress could only speak basic English. The set menu for £19.95 was bad and the portion size was tiny indeed child portion size. The house wine which was included in the set menu was was tasteless, and disgusting, and only a 1/10 full. The offer was a con, and should be removed from the menu.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Saturday, January 30, 2010

A shame. Our reservation was cancelled when we showed up because they had a large group over for a Christmas party. When we showed the print out of the reservation, they told us they had cancelled all reservations via email, which obviously was not the case. The waitress was clearly instructed, as we could tell from her face that she was not comfortable with the situation as well.
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 24, 2009

My friend and I ate at Cafe Des Amis after the Ballet at the Royal Opera House. I think it's a great pre/post theatre venue. The food was absolutely lovely and the service was friendly and good. Recommend the Chilean Pinot Noir to.
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zo bing
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, November 02, 2009

I wrote a review of this restaurant a few weeks ago but it has since disappeared.

I ate at Cafe Des Amis on a Friday evening with four friends in mid-September and found the food expensive and the service very average. We met in the basement bar where I ordered three drinks at the bar and then carried them to our table. The barman placed my change (£4.85) on a saucer which I assume was because he expected me to leave a tip. A tip for what I wonder? Since I carried the drinks to the table I did not consider any tip was required and pocketed all of the change.

We were not offered water when we sat at the table and had to ask for tap water (for which we were not charged). However, we only asked for this after the waiter had asked if we would like water - sparking or still (that is, bottled for which we would have been charged).

The cost of the meal was increased by the habit that some restaurants now have of charging extra for each vegetable, chips, potatoes, etc, with the main course. Thus, for example a course advertised at, say, £16 ends up costing £24 (or £27 if you include the service). The service was average only and we had to make several attempts to get the attention of a member of staff including waiting ten minutes after we asked for the bill. The service charge was 12.5%.

I would not recommend this restaurant to others and nor will I eat here again. However, I understand the lunch menu is cheaper and the service better. Three years ago I ate here with a party of friends and the service was so bad with the food arriving late.
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Harry Palmer
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, October 13, 2009