Wahaca
our comments
You can agree or disagree with restaurant critics, but you can’t argue with a queue. The whole time we were in Wahaca on a Wednesday night the punters were deep at the door desperate to get in. So what’s the attraction? Authentic Mexican food is the pitch, plus tequilas and margueritas and the whole damn enchilada. The room is large, modern and aimed at fast-diners on their way elsewhere, but the noise level is high because the sound bounces off the surfaces like a superball on speed.
The historic problem with Mexican food in the UK has been one of uniform blandness, enlivened only by chilli sauce that took the roof off your mouth. Wahaca is determined to change perceptions and is sourcing ingredients from authentic sources and making sauces from authentic ingredients. In fact the hot sauces are made daily from chillies grown south of the border down Devon way and have a vibrancy and depth of flavour that reflects their provenance. There is also a bottle of home made Habanero sauce on the table, which I was warned was lethal, but like Homer with his wax-lined mouth, I was able to take down fairly insouciantly. All those years of Vindaloos I suppose.
Chicken Tinga Tostada was two discs of crisp tortillas topped with, yes chicken, and shreds of lettuce. The smoky chipotle chillies didn’t exactly leap off the plate to the palate, and it was a messy eat, but nonetheless pleasant. You get a bowl of Salsa and one of Chipotle sauce to have with all your dishes (but only one spoon between two people) and ladling either of these on the dish raised the taste game. Quesadillas; toasted flour tortillas, packed with melted cheese, thyme, potato but, for my stomach, not enough chorizo, were more flavoursome and began to make inroads on our hunger.
A side order of sweet corn was one of the best things of the night, the corn nicely charred and with hints of chilli and lime coming through well. The crème fraiche seemed superfluous, but it was a top nibble nonetheless, even if the corn did get rather stuck in one’s teeth. Fish Pastor in achotle marinade was announced by the waitress as pork and, oddly, it could have passed for pork with its firm flesh and not particularly fishy flavour. We had three of those between two of us, so a bit of maths was required. Taquitos; corn tortillas wrapped around a filling and then deep-fried, boasted a friable texture that had them shattering like brandy snaps across the table. The filling of chicken thus liberated merged with the Lancashire cheese, sour cream, guacamole and tomato to make a good mouthful.
They serve a nice marguerita here, the tamarind one being good and sour. On my second, they forgot the salt around the rim though, which was a shame. The Aqua Fresco made from water, fruit, flowers etc was refreshing and just right.
We ended with Churros with chocolate dipping sauce. I always pig out on churros near dawn when in Spain; freshly made and dusted with sugar they’re just the job. These were slightly tough and I’m not sure about the need for chocolate sauce, particularly as it leapt from churro to my nice white shirt in one easy bound and will probably be there forever.
Wahaca is working on cutting the queues by adding more tables, but as long as they keep up this working mix of fast, fresh food aimed at a bright young crowd they shouldn’t have any problems doing good business. In Covent Garden Wahaca represents good value with cool food.
N.H. - September 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I don't see the big fuss about this place. We had to wait fifteen minutes in a queue just to be told to come back again in an hour!
Service left a lot to be desired; with salsa arriving 10 minutes after the tortilla chips were delivered, rather than together, but that could be forgiven considering it was a busy friday evening.
Maybe I ordered the wrong things but the food wasn't that amazing either. Just a Mexican version of Wagamamas. Nothing seems entirely fresh, its just waiting to be warmed up. The street food wasn't all that; the tacos weren't crispy like other tacos I've had and they were rather greasy.
Having said that, a table next to us, all ordered the steak, which looked amazing.
So I would probably say, go, but don't go for the street food, apart from maybe the quesadillas. The winners are probably the larger plates.
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Vikky
Overall rating 
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I have been going to Wahaca for lunch for the past few months, and have never been happier. The food is amazingly fresh, very well balanced and absolutely delicious. Nice and creative, and really really tasty. Plus, the stuff is very attentive and friendly. And the price is right :)
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Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
I don't normally bother writing reviews but we really enjoyed Wahaca & I thought I'd just write about my experience. The food was delicious - you could taste that it was made from fresh ingredients& everything is cooked to order.
They've organized their queueing policy a little better out now it seems (we'd tried to get in on a Thursday night a couple of months back and given up). We turned up at 6pm on a Saturday and our names were taken by a friendly woman with a clipboard who told us to come back at 7:10pm. When we did we were shown straight to a table and served very quickly.
We went for the 'Street Food' option - bit like a tapas style menu where you pick 2 or 3 dishes each. Especially delicious was the Pork Pibil and the Fish Pastor. The 'Agua Fresca' Hibiscus water was lovely. And the bill was a surprise - real value for money. Perhaps not a place for a romantic date as it's a canteen-style room with a buzzy, loud atmosphere. Plan to get there early to get your name on the list , then go off for a drink somewhere & come back when your table is ready or be prepared for a long wait.
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Emmylou
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, April 27, 2008
good food, quick, well priced.
a decent place for lunch.
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al - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, April 25, 2008
food incredible,
service stunning,
price - your wallet will love you
easily the best restaurant in London
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peter
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 25, 2008
loved it.
Went there after work - there was a long queue - but that just proves its popularity. i have never experienced such great service in London before despite having eaten out twice a week in the 20 years i've lived here! The staff are friendly, attentive, but leave you alone to enjoy your meal.
We did the street food thing - ordered 5 plates and a side as well as a a beer / lemonade each and the bill only came to £25!!!!! i think thats the smallest bill i've ever had too! not only that, the food was delicious and we were more than full.
Also loved the authentic feel of being at a mexican street market. there is definitely a lively buzzy feel here.
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hannah
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I usually go to Crazy Homies for Mexican food in London but last week my boyfriend and I were in the area and decided to try out Wahaca - and were very impressed! The food was great, reasonably priced and the service even better! (You don't get that very often in London) When we first arrived at around 6.30 there was quite a long queue but the lady at the door was quick to take reservations and we are asked if we could come back at 7. After a quick drink next door we returned and were immediately shown to our table with a smile. (At this point the queue was even longer…)
Our waiter, Liam, was very knowledgeable and made some great recommendations from the menu. We had the Wahaca Selection to share, some sides, a beer each and my boyfriend sampled one of the tequilas on offer. And the bill came to a very reasonable £33.
I don't often write reviews but I was so impressed with the food and friendly service that I thought I must share my excitement about finding this restaurant. And I will most certainly go back very soon.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Are you people insane? This place is terrible! The salsa is watery and tasteless and comes from a bottle. The whole place is just a tourist trap and as for the queue - that because there is no where to wait and it is a brilliant location for tourists! Seriously dont do it to yourself. The food and restaurant are both tasteless.
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Overall rating 
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, April 11, 2008
I'm a strict vegetarian and dined here with a friend recently. Contrary to the previous veggie's experience, I was very pleased with the service - the waiter was knowledgeable about the food and gave good advice as to what was vegetarian and what wasn't.
I can't comment on the authenticity of the food, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal from beginning to end. It was my turn to foot the bill, and I felt guilty that I'd only had to pay (exactly) £50 for the pair of us - including wine. We've often paid double that for a far inferior meal at other restaurants.
I'm not so sure about the atmosphere. It was a little like a cattle market and if I'd not enjoyed the food so much, I might have thought I was eating in a transport cafe. But I don't mind transport cafes that much anyway, so it didn't spoil the evening.
One serious gripe - I really don't like the lack of a table booking system. We were lucky in that I misjudged my journey and arrived half-an-hour early, and I was able to put my name on the list so the table was ready when my friend arrived - otherwise we would both have been standing around for thirty minutes instead of just me.
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Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 11, 2008
Really great fun and great value place for a meal with a bunch of friends. Buzzing atmosphere and very acceptable food will do it every time. Fine dining it ain't - but doesn't try to be - although it's claim to be authentic is debatable. Authentic Tex-Mex with a few more interesting dishes thrown in for good measure would be closer to the mark.
The old favourites all represented and all well executed. Loved the pork scratchings with guacamole as a snack-with-a-difference.
Go after a few drinks in a group and avoid if on a date/ with picky parents/ are a veggie and you should love it.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, April 04, 2008
