Wahaca

All the positive reviews are from people who have never had proper Mexican food. This place serves Mexican-​shaped foods meaning generally the food is shaped similar to Mexican food. But it does not serve actual Mexican food. It’s inspired by Mexican food but not actually Mexican or even South American for that matter. If you want food that is mostly bland but reminds you of Mexican food then this is the spot for you. Otherwise go literally anywhere else.

It sneaks a 5 star mainly for the variety and flavour. Almost lost a point for moreish but overpriced/​small cocktails though. Suits families for lunch through to fun dinners for friends in the evening — the size giving good atmosphere in a food market kind of way. One of the few places that seems to genuinely care about good sourcing also!

Whilst the food was very good, it took ridiculously long for our group to get seated, and then it took about another hour for the food to arrive. Admittedly we were a group of 8 and it was a weekend night, but that I still expect restaurants to be able to handle a quicker turnaround than that. I would recommend that they allow guests to order while waiting to be seated to speed up the process somewhat, as the atmosphere for the dinner quickly deteriorates somewhat when people are sitting around hungry waiting.
I shared nachos with a friend and then had fajitas which were cooked very well, though I would have liked the portions on the fajitas to be a bit bigger.

Excellent food! Rodrigo Campillo the best customer service !! Definitely a place to eat good Mexican food!

Ok sorry to rain on everyones parade. Im from Los Angeles where Mexican food is a staple and truly authentic. I wasn’t expecting the full on authenticity but c’mon… mozzarella cheese in a quesadilla and burrito? Who does that. Not a hint of familiar flavours were found. Straight MEXICAN’T. My 1 star goes to the horchata… kudos on trying. I’d rather go to Chipotle and that says a lot– at least they got salsa verde and legit carnitas, carne asada and barbacoa. Just sayin. Don’t waste your money here.

Wahaca manages to achieve the almost impossible mission of success without decline. Each branch that opens has a slightly new take on the bright Mexican street food eatery selling healthy South American tapas and the best tequila in town, all at mega affordable prices.
I have never had a bad meal or a bad margherita at Wahaca. These guys know what they’re doing. Whether it’s a crunchy chicken ceaser tostada, a crispy sweet potato & feta taquito or a delicious pork pibl taco, the mini dishes are a dream. Load up and enjoy! The bigger dishes are great too, whether you’re into fish tacos, burritos or a salad where you can literally eat the bowl, it’s all great!
Make sure you start off with THE best guacamole and chips, and end with the decadent churros with chocolate sauce to complete your Wahaca experience. And don’t forget the tequila!

Very good tacos. The slaw is really nicely flavored. Prompt service and a fun, casual atmosphere. Their app makes paying easy. I’d go back.

Went for dinner and light drinks with a friend on a Thursday evening. When I arrived, there was a wait of about thirty minutes — first lesson: try to avoid busy times.
When we finally sat down, we ordered immediately, and the food came out relatively promptly. I ordered chicken chiquitos (pretty good) and wings (not that great) and finished feeling relatively full. I also had a glass of classic margarita, which was refreshing. Seemed like they served sangria too which I’d like to try next time.
Service was generally good. Our waitress was polite and helpful, though given how busy things were, it was sometimes difficult to get her attention.
Ambience is what you’d expect of any Wahaca chain — pretty casual and chill. This chain was generally spacious, though once again, be warned that it can get quite busy.
Overall good, but nothing to warrant more than three stars.

For a Mexican chain in London I think Wahaca does an amazing job. I went here for lunch with a vegetarian friend, and we had the plantain tacos, guacamole and sweet potato taquito. We weren’t too hungry. I really like their concept of small plates, it gives you the opportunity to try different things on the menu. They have everyone covered from gluten free to vegetarian and vegan. Their food tastes really good and I love their hot sauces. They also have a selection of really tasty fruit and veggie juices along with the cocktails which looked amazing. Our lunch with 3 small plates and 2 non alcoholic drinks came up to 19£ which is really reasonable for the service and quality of food. I would definitely go to Wahaca for my Mexican fix the next time I am in London.

Mexicano con una amplia carta y precios muy ajustado para poder disfrutar de una experiencia mexicana en la ciudad si mirar demasiado el bolsillo. Personal muy amable y en el que trabajan españoles que te ayudan a la hora de elegir el menú.

Here’s the thing. I like Wahaca. It’s convenient, and friendly, and they always, always have a table for you.
But the food is just… okay. And I’ve tried a lot of things from their menu. A LOT. But nothing has that little thing that makes it oh-​so-​special-​please-​bring-​me-​more.
It’s such a lovely place, too bad it’s not a brilliant place as it definitely has all the potential for it.

For me, Wahaca is a bit like New Year — there’s all the hype but once it’s finally here it’s good but not what you were expecting. Don’t get me wrong, there are some hidden gems within the menu but overall I see Wahaca as a means to an end, not somewhere I would crave to go.
We headed to the Wahaca by Covent Garden after a long day. Food was most definitely needed and I was happy to head for some tacos and guaca. NOM.
The menu is extensive and food authentic. I actually really enjoyed the food this week, in particular the slow-​cooked brisket tacos which were tender and came with a flavoursome sauce which had a subtle kick.
I must say that the service wasn’t great. My colleague was waiting approximately 15 minutes for a beer and we had to ask a number of times for it to arrive at the table. The waitress was friendly but for the amount of staff in the restaurant we shouldn’t have been waiting as long as we did.
I would definitely recommend Wahaca as a place to grab a bite, it’s reliable and satisfying, but little more.

Oh Wahaca, I want to love you so much more.
Here’s the thing, it’s fine. It’s got a giant menu of Mexican favourites and the staff are friendly and on their game. We came at 11pm with a group of seven people and they sat us easily and took care of us even though the place was packed.
And it is packed, always. And still, there’s room, because even though it doesn’t look like it from the street, it’s actually a giant space.
But the food. Oh the food. It’s just… OK. Nothing bad but nothing amazing. All the tacos have the right meat but none of the kick or spice that makes them stand out. And the margaritas are fine but again, not amazing. It’s just kind of there.
Except for the chips and guac. Those are tight.
I don’t hate coming here but I don’t ever love it and that’s just too bad.

Call this one of those really enthusiastic three star reviews, because though I like Wahaca a whole lot, it still falls in the A-​OK range… and that’s oddly part of the charm.
Seven of us headed here after a particularly long work day. It was 10:30pm. We were tired, a bit dishevelled and all we wanted to do was eat ourselves into a food coma and try not to fall asleep in the Über home… Wahaca was the perfect solution for the evening.
They won’t be winning any service awards any time soon (it oddly took 15 minutes and three staff members to get ONE beer) but they dished up decent Mexican food, at a decent price, at 10:30pm. You really can’t fault that.
We each had 3 – 4 of the smaller plates a piece and all left stuffed to the eyeballs. I tip the hat to the smokey cauliflower dish and the duck special in particular. Plus, they have good guac.
All in all, they check off every requirement for tasty late night noms.

Normally I don’t really write about chains, but I was dragged along by a few friends who for some reason really wanted to try out Wahaca so I went with the flow. Wahaca positioned itself as a brand of Mexican street food restaurants, but if the quality is anywhere similar to what the real Mexican food is like, then perhaps I can save myself a trip to Mexico. Beef tacos lacked seasoning and tasted really bland, and the beef itself was so over cooked to a point that it tasted like rubber. Chicken taquitos were also underwhelming, the salsas lacked kicks and the sourness that it required to lift up the lightly marinated chicken. Wahaca’s cooking is far too standard for my liking and at that kind of price (£20 pp), there are better options elsewhere.

My friend loves wahaca so that’s why I came along for her birthday. I find the experience okay.
There were 10 of us and waiting for a table was painful. Can’t book before hand so we had to wait and we had to wait for the majority to arrive to end up getting a table that stayed free for as long as we were there.
It has a buzzing atmosphere and certain staff are always more enthusiastic than others but I could never get one’s attention when I needed it.
The tortillas were quite oily so we didn’t even finish it. The staggered arrival of food based on when it was ready meant waiting for others so my tacos became soggy and not very nice. So when the food arrives, eat. Waiting is not that great.

I always like the idea of Wahaca more than the actual experience itself.
We arrived one person short as she was running late, and were told they only seat ‘whole parties’. I kiiind of get that, but there were loads of spare tables and we would have ordered drinks and nibble while we were waiting, so it was a little annoying.
The menu selection is great and I enjoyed the food I had. I like it when all the dishes arrive ‘as & when’ but the gap between was far too long — 20 minutes between the first and the last. One person in our party had finished his 4 dishes before one of us had received any of hers.
I like the concept, but it’s not cheap enough for the execution to be so rusty.

I do love a Wahaca, but this is probably my least favourite of the ones I’ve been to.
Surely no one goes to Wahaca expecting an authentic Mexican experience, but if you can just put that out of your head and go for a tasty meal, you should leave satisfied.
We had a half dozen things between us, things we’ve had before mainly. I had a couple of problems — the corn wasn’t as good as last time I had it, last summer. The actual quality of the ingredients was good and it was cooked well, but there wasn’t enough flavouring on it. The steak tacos weren’t all the same — one was missing its guacamole. And the sweet potato side was quite meagre, and again, not as flavourful as normal.
The staff were friendly though, and service was quick and we left satisfied for under £30 for 2 people. For the location, that’s not too shabby.

I can’t get too excited about Wahaca, despite the lure of it sucking me in the doors for more than one or two dates over the years. Its main attraction is its status as one of the few places for Mexican food in London (that is located conveniently).
Pros:
+ decent selection of modern Mexican classic dishes
+ fully stocked bar
+ *mostly* attentive and fun staff
Cons:
— overpriced and under-​boozed cocktails.
— unmemorable.
Usually I’d spend a lot of time on a review, but Wahaca is what it is: grand if you are stuck for somewhere other than the usual Pizza Express back-​up plan.
Try out La Bodega Negra in Soho, Daddy Donkey in Farringdon, or Casa Morita in Brixton.

I’ve eaten at many Mexican places, and although the service was excellent and time for food to arrive was quick, the food lacked the punch Mexican needs. The menu is extensive — there is a lot to choose from! We ordered the steak, chicken and pork tacos which were cute sized and easy to eat. It is recommended to order a few different things are they are small sized!

Lovely mexican restaurant!
We ordered so much food here, and everything was delicious. They serve delicious guacamole, but the portions are a bit small.
The place is super colorful, and fits a lot of people.
I had the chicken burrito, and it was really good. I honestly can’t complain about a single item.

Ich steh eigentlich nicht sonderlich auf mexikanisches Essen, aber eine Londoner Freundin schleppte mich eines Mittags ins Wahaca. Es war laut, es war voll, wir mussten 10 Minuten auf einen Tisch warten, aber ich fand es super. Das Essen hat mir überraschend gut geschmeckt, und was das Preis-​Leistungsverhältnis angeht kann ich mich meinen Vor-​Rezensenten nur anschließen: Das war wirklich in Ordnung (für Londoner Verhältnisse eben).

C’est OK pour un repas vite. La cuisine est Mexicaine, savoureuse et le restaurant n’est pas cher.

Vorweg: Schönes Ambiente, gutes mexikanisches Essen.
Das Wahaca wird seinem Ruf gerecht gutes Essen zu (für Londoner Verhältnisse) günstigen Preisen anzubieten. Leider war es bei unserem Besuch (und ist es wohl fast immer) sehr voll und dadurch auch sehr laut. Wen das nicht stört der ist hier richtig.
Fazit: Lecker mexikanisch mit gutem Preis– Leistungs– Verhältnis.