CAFE ESPECIAL Köln in Köln

Friendly staff. Monday evening, quick service with the restaurant half full. I had the asado salmon. I can only recommend it. If you unconsciously develop a happy nod while eating, it actually speaks for itself. Extremely satisfied. On the subject of dessert... slightly disappointed. Presented relatively neutrally on the plate, the chocolate pudding with mango sauce didn't appeal to me in terms of taste. Very creamy and chocolatey, but nothing special. Toilets are clean. But unfortunately it is also getting old. Crumbling tiles and everything kept relatively dark. Conclusion, you should definitely eat here. I can only recommend the salmon.

Nicely furnished. Good service. Delicious food.

We had 2 nights in here in a row as it was so good the first time. Great menu, great food, friendly staff...

Very nice atmosphere, super nice service. We just drank something, didn't eat

I took Carne Asada and I liked it. Spicy beef meat with rice and onions and tomato salsa on the side. The salad served together wasn’t as good. Nice Latin atmosphere excellent service. A plus is the closing time of the kitchen: 00.00

Great service good food and drinks

Wasn't served even though the store was half empty. Didn't want to sit in a passage and that's the only place where there are individual tables. Too bad.

Very nice staff and nice atmosphere!!!! Always happy!

Very tasty, friendly staff Price-performance ratio fits👍👍

My absolute favorite restaurant for years!

Good food with vegan and vegetarian options

Very loud when the restaurant is full. Conversation at the table very difficult. Otherwise very nice ambience, quick service and delicious food.

It's a large room with a babble of voices and a bit of Latino music, decorated the way I imagine such places in Mexico. The service takes you to the table and takes your first drink request. For those who want to drink beer, in addition to some German Corona beers on tap, there are also some Mexican bottled beers that you can't get anywhere else. By the time the drinks are brought, I usually haven't managed to choose something to eat. The selection is large, experience tells me that everything is very tasty. It's a good thing you can always find nachos and salsa sauce at the table! When I finally decided on something to eat, it was served pretty quickly, without errors and, as I said, very tasty and plentiful, even though every table was occupied. The icing on the cake is always looking at the tequila menu and trying a different one every now and then and each time being relieved that real tequila doesn't taste like the stuff with the red hat. If you're not sure which one to order, expert advice is available at the counter. When I say goodbye I always say: See you next time!

The food has a rather bland taste and could have been better seasoned/slightly spicier. The cocktails are okay. The ambience and location are good.

Very good Kind regards Raffael Wagenhoff Rpt1-Sports.de

Nice restaurant, decorated in detail, you felt comfortable. The food also tasted good, drinks were good so far. However, the service took an extremely long time at the beginning. We were there with a larger group, but no one came to our table, and even when we asked, progress was difficult. Later, however, more staff were on site, so things went better.

Mexican cuisine Nice presentation

Very tasty and high quality food with super tasty cocktails!

We had dinner here on a hot day on September 1st. Since it was a little early, there were plenty of seats outside. If it was late, you might not be able to get a seat. I was able to eat delicious Mexican food.

Slow staff, doesn't come for a long time to take the order, the food is overpriced and tastes so-so.

You immediately feel very comfortable there in an atmosphere like in Mexico. Everything there is very consistent. The staff should be highly praised because we were there when there was a huge rush, but the people were still in a good mood and gave their best. Food excellent, I ordered spinach salad out of curiosity because I've never eaten one in a restaurant and it was an absolute hit - very tasty, filling, dressing excellent. Straight 5 stars from me and clear recommendation.

Very good mexican food, they over deliver and serve very quickly. Also no service charges so feel obliged to Tip!

The food was good, otherwise the seating is very dense and the atmosphere is more reminiscent of a canteen/mass processing.

Amazing Mexican Food. Great service. Awesome!

Amazing place, delicious food and it comes so fast! Lots of options too

They delete worse Google reviews. It's better to put your energy into the service staff and food and maybe accept criticism. Love goes out to you. Thanks

Found it good. Food, nice service, waiting time ok

Very tasty Mexican food. Top service. Barrier-free outdoor dining area. Lanxess Arena can be reached within 5 minutes.

The food of very good quality and flavor, the 🌯 burritos, the salads, the barbecue pork ribs 😋 I recommend this place

Very tasty, very friendly - the first choice for Mexican food in Cologne for years.

Always worth a visit every now and then 😊

Food was very tasty but unfortunately we waited 2 hours for the food, asked the waiter twice when our food would come but unfortunately there was never an answer, or the order never arrived in the kitchen until the third attempt at another waiter.

Perfect for hanging out casually at the bar.

Came here sitj sime friends durijg rhe euros and it's a good place to eat outside, can be busy with all the eating and drinking places nearby Had some nice food, tasty and the service was good

Delicious buritos with minced meat, Corona on tap, great refried beans!!

The store is pure horror. You won't be served. Naughty staff. Not recommended

Been here for the second time and went home very happy again. The mixed starter plate is recommended and not to forget the tequila menu offers a very wide selection of tequila varieties, almost like in Mexico itself.

Very good food, very good service, we were so impressed that we went there again for lunch the following day, we felt very welcome and comfortable

Delicious Mexican food in a good location with very pleasant and attentive service

Great place if your looking for Mexican food, corona on tap. I'll be back

The food was delicious, I felt at home! The music and the perfect atmosphere 😄 the staff very friendly

After we left the totally dirty Vibras Open Air at 7 p.m., the store really saved our evening. Nice service, delicious food, good cocktails and too much tequila - what more could you want. Plus a rustic ambience and the right music - gladly again at any time.

We had a very tasty meal again. It's a very cozy atmosphere, the staff is very friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is like being among dear friends. Definitely recommended!

ケルンドイッツの駅の対面と言う感じの所にあり直ぐに目に入りました。店に行くとかなり予約が入っている雰囲気だったので流行っていそうだと思いここに決めました。メキシコ料理と喫茶店が一緒になっている様です。妻はチリコロラド、私はサーモンアサドにしました。チリコロラドは、結構辛口で、トルティーヤと合いました。サーモンアサドはサーモンとアボカドサルサが良く合ってサラダもついて来て結構美味しかったです。かなり久しぶりのメキシコ料理だったので楽しめました。コロナビールの生がありました。量はどちらも多くてお腹いっぱいになりました。帰りには中も外もお客さんで一杯でした。

I ate the Tacos, very good. I also tried other dishes and they were all very good. I highly recommend. I spent around €20.

Nice service, nice location but unfortunately very overpriced. (e.g. 7.50 for water, 14.5 for a bowl of avocado etc...) Not a place for average earners. A pity.

Super delicious food in an authentic restaurant. Very friendly, the portions are very large! Friendly service and cozy like a mother in Mexico.

Practically located directly opposite the Deutz train station. Delicious food, nice service.

It was my first time eating Mexican food and what can I say, I'm thrilled! Great food and a cozy atmosphere. Good cocktails 🍸 and the location is also good for doing something else in Deutz afterwards.

I can't say much about the food, but the atmosphere is great and the team is warm and welcoming. Spent a brilliant evening there yesterday! Thank you very much and please keep it up ❤️

Great service, great atmosphere and lovely guests 👍

The food was just great. I want that again! Ambience great!

I ate here for the first time on a school trip in 2013. Even back then, I really liked Mexican food. After I was in Mexico, I remembered on a short trip to Cologne and had to visit this restaurant again. Very friendly staff, great service and really good, fresh food. As with the first visit, I was very satisfied.

Had an amazing experience with Mexican food at this place. The ambiance and service are great. A must visit for Mexican food lovers.

Unfortunately I found the price-performance ratio to be bad, e.g. in the guacamole there were only larger pieces of tomatoes instead of guacomole, when you took the tomatoes out there was hardly any guacomole left in the pot😊, I've never experienced this with a Mexican, one example of several this evening, what a shame!

Ich kenne diesen Laden schon seit 30 Jahren oder länger. Er ist urig, weil er sich im Laufe der Jahrzehnte nicht verändert hat. Immer wenn man dort sitzt, fühlt man sich wie in einem anderen Land. Ja - er ist laut, weil die Leute laut reden und weil mexikanische Musik läuft. Die Tische wie Stühle sind alt, was aber den Flair des Restaurants ausmacht. An der hohen Decke drehen sich große Ventilatoren. Das Essen schmeckt meines Erachtens seit über 30 Jahren gleich. Nicht so wie manche in den Bewertungen geschrieben haben, es hätte sich verändert. Aber jedes Mal wenn ich dort bin, bin ich aus genau diesen Gründen dort! Weil ich mich fühlen will, als wenn ich ein Teil aus einem alten Film wäre. Weil es für einen Abend ein abtauchen in einen andere Welt ist. Immer wieder gerne!!

I have enjoyed visiting Cafe Especial since 1986. It used to be my favorite student bar with my friends, but now I go there with my wife and the kids. For me, every visit is like a journey through time. I particularly enjoy the fact that hardly anything has changed. The menu, the decor, everything seems as good as ever. I love the cocktails, especially the strawberry margarita, the pitcher with Kölsch and the many delicious dishes. In the 80s we could quickly park the Beetle in the gravel parking lot next door so we could sit at the bar in time for happy hour. On the grounds of the Cologne Arena there was a huge square where the Deutz fair took place. Although everything is now built up, the Especial seems to be defying time and hopefully for a very, very long time! P.S. The menu and the t-shirt are souvenirs from the 80s and in DM! So that we didn't have to miss out on the nice evenings in Cologne while studying, we got the original pitcher and chair from the terrace and cooked the dishes and cocktails from the menu far away from home until we couldn't taste any difference :-)

The food itself was quite good, but unfortunately you had to wait an hour 10 for the main course and then another hour 30 for dessert. So overall it all takes far too long and it's not expensive either. It is also very loud.

+tasty food, quite large portions, good service - Food and drinks are way too expensive

I would not have expected that! An order: TACOS CALIFORNIA Two crispy taco shells filled with chicken, topped with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and taco sauce. Served with Mexican rice and refried beans for €19.40. Catastrophe! I am not picky, sensitive or demanding. This above-mentioned court taught me better in a negative sense. The place was packed with guests. The “food” came to the table after a very short time. I only know this from the microwave. The refried beans are suboptimal. It didn't taste like anything and looked unappetizing. Approximately ONLY 30 g (a table forkful) of chicken per taco shell. So a total of 60 grams of impudence. I couldn't absorb the "dish" 100%. No chance! As a substitute, I ordered early Kölsch and tequila. Then that worked. You can't do anything wrong. I wasn't asked how it tasted. The waitress, who only spoke English in a bad manner, could probably answer the question herself. By the way, it is also suboptimal in terms of communicative behavior with the operation. But always tried hard. I won't eat ANYTHING there anymore. Only in an extreme emergency situation. Technically not recommended.

The food is okay...unfortunately the prices are unrelated.

Very tasty Mexican food, authentic ambience, nice, helpful service, changing tables due to the increasing number of people was no problem despite the full restaurant. I'd love to come back

Were here for food. Unfortunately nothing homemade, the cheapest meal on the menu is €12.50, then goes up to over €35. Portion wasn't very big for €12.50 and absolutely convinence. These were definitely nachos and wraps from the discount store. Which isn't a bad thing, but at that price I expect home-made food and nothing that I can cook at home for around €2. Drink prices are absolutely cheap, as I don't drink alcohol, unfortunately that doesn't help me here. It's a shame, I know cheaper and much better Mexican places in the city.

The perfect place to have a delicious meal and very tasty cocktails! Great music, happy environment, and amazing customer service 😍🥳

Delicious food, Corona on tap is great! Nice, attentive service.

Besser geht's nicht. Waren schon 3x dort und es war immer richtig gut. Wir empfehlen es uneingeschränkt! Wir kommen wieder, das ist sicher!

Very tasty food. Price was perfectly fine for the portion size. Nice and attentive, who always has a funny saying in store. For my taste it's a rather loud atmosphere with the loud music, but very cozy

Still as good and loud as it was 30 years ago.👍👍👍😎

The food is now quite expensive and, in my opinion, of mediocre quality. Service friendly.

11 p.m. Friday evening, no more snacks

Great food 🌮 large selection of drinks 🍹 nice Mexican atmosphere 🇲🇽 definitely worth a visit 👍

Disastrous, by far the worst "Mexican" food I've ever eaten. Also the bad food I've had for years. At an absolute convenience level. However, it came at a speed that I only know from a microwave. I had a burrito 🌯. I have no idea what they folded there but it wasn't a burrito roll. Cheapest wheat tortilla. Watery salsa where even Maggi Texicana Salsa from the bottle can do more. Cheapest side dishes and then charge €22.50 for them. The best thing was the Kölsch...unfortunately the waitress didn't ask how it tasted, why?

Great location. Fast, friendly service, delicious food and great cocktails.

Very nice Mexican cantina with delicious food and great service

Everyone should come here for sure

First the positive: cozy, authentic shop with attentive and friendly staff and a pleasant audience. You feel comfortable here. The negative is probably just a matter of personal taste: I'm already 65 years old, but my teeth are intact. Why do I receive food for seniors or infants? Is it normal for Mexican dishes for the wheat tortillas to adapt in consistency to the dips and other mushy side dishes? I would have found the texture of a Swedish crispbread or a German rye bread much better. “Cross-over” might not be a bad thing here either. Overall, I think the food is way overpriced: with similar ingredients you would probably pay half as much at a Turkish or Arab restaurant. And that with more creative and cleverly seasoned dishes. If this is “typical” Mexican cuisine: sorry, not for me!

It was absolutely amazing, no service, no hello, no asking if you wanted something to drink, no card, sorry, after 10 minutes we left, never again, not recommended

I am satisfied with the food However, unfortunately the service is not that good

After the Westernhagen concert, I was served very nicely and met nice people

As has been the case for years, a good, loud atmosphere, a diverse crowd, service staff tried hard but chaotic and overwhelmed...

We've been eating there for years! Always good quality! Delicious!

Very nice and quick service. The two of us shared the meal, nachos as a starter, and were almost full. The main courses were really really tasty. Price is quite high but the food was worth it.

Very good food and friendly service. As it should be.

Very friendly, very tasty, good cocktails. Very authentic Mexican. See you next time

Insanely cozy and authentic atmosphere, great staff, delicious food.

Nice atmosphere, delicious food and very good service. Will visit again.

Food was delicious. But portions could be a bit larger for the money. The waiter brought the wrong drink a few times. Drinks are very expensive. No cocktail under 10 euros. You sit very nicely. Conclusion: Quite nice, but expensive.

Very tasty food served by attentive and friendly service. Very good. The only drawback is that it is quite loud there. We'll definitely be back!

We were there with a group (12 people) on Sunday afternoon and had reserved. It was absolutely necessary, it was completely full. The service is friendly, helpful and quick. The food was very good and very plentiful. There was a relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant, but it was also correspondingly loud.

The cocktail happy hour is particularly recommended. A wonderfully classic guest room. Very tasty nachos!

Strong shop! Totally delicious dishes, great and very inexpensive children's menus. Top service, everyone friendly. And, who's surprised - it's packed! That's why: make a reservation in advance, then you'll definitely have a great evening there like we did!

There is a lunch menu with selected dishes at a reasonable price. The service was friendly and the food was very tasty

Schade wirklich Schade wir hatten einen schönen Abend mit Lord of the Dance in der Kölnarena geplant und davor etwas essen. Das war nichts, denn das Essen haben wir nie erhalten, man hatte es einfach in der Küche nicht bestellt. Die Kellnerin nahm die Getränke auf und als sie uns diese brachte bestellten wir. Es verging ca. ne Stunde, wir waren ja höflich bis wir nachfragten. Wie gesagt unser Essen wurde nicht bestellt. Nach weiteren 30 Minuten war es immer noch nicht da und wir mussten dann gehen um zur Aufführung nicht zu spät zukommen. Es wurden dann Pommes und Hotdog. Einfach Schade. Früher war es besser.

really really great - very friendly staff - great food....

Operation/service great and very friendly. Wide selection of food and drinks. Portion size was optimal and the food was super tasty

Good food, good service, nice atmosphere. We shared guacamole with tortilla chips and a main course each and we all liked it. And they have Negra Modelo 😊

SALMON FILLET WAS DRY AS WELL AS THE CHICKEN BREAST FILLET. Employees were stressed. I don't understand COCKTAILS ONLY FROM 5 p.m.... Price performance not corresponding

I really really enjoyed it. Everyone who was working there was very nice. We shared the gambas and tacos with beef. Delicious!!

It is a traditional restaurant with good food and friendly staff. The two of us were here spontaneously last weekend and got a table for two without a reservation. The food was delicious and the service was nice. Maybe we wouldn't be served quickly, but we would always be served in a friendly manner. The restaurant was well attended and anyone who complained should take on the job of the hard-working staff themselves. We were very satisfied and will come back.

Magnificent atmosphere. Very delicious cocktails. The waiters were very polite and pleasant.