Wahaca (Westfield)

We live in Holland Park, went to see a movie at Westfield and got a craving for Mexican food. My wife is Mexican but we have realistic expectations for what you can get in London.

The food at Wahaca was absolutely appalling. Wahaca promises fresh Mexican market food. Yes, Mexican food is better the fresher it is. Think of how quickly avocados go grey once you cut them open. Or how a tortilla becomes soggy if it is toasted or fried and has ingredients for a taco put on it . Or how a quesadilla goes limp if it sits around once it is out of the pan because of the melted cheese.

Wahaca did all of this, and worse. The guacamole, the most basic dish, was not fresh. It was revolting, grey, flavorless (it had been made not with the more expensive but much better Haas avocado as in Mexico but with the cheaper watery kind you can get here). It was also saturated with lime juice so it was better, a clear sign that it had been prepared hours earlier. The tacos were soggy and seemed like they had been reheated. Even the quesadillas were not crispy and fresh but limp and covered in grease. We had eaten at Wahaca in Covent Garden before, which was not much better, but the one in Westfield gets marks for being the worst Mexican, if that is what you want to call it, we have been to in London.
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W11 Foodie
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

This is not a child friendly place. After keeping us waiting for ten minutes for a table, we were told that the buggy needs to be left at the door. And no responsibility is accepted for the items left on the buggy. All of this is told with no flexibility to accommodate the customer's needs or no apologies. If you are so eager to eat at this place, you will leave the buggy together with all your shopping bags on the door - or haul all your bags with you. The food is not special, and the tone of the person telling you all these should give you a clue about the rest of the service. Why endure it all when there are so many alternatives in the vicinity.
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4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 6
Sunday, December 11, 2011

On 29 Nov was my birthday, my hubby brought me to Wahaca Westfield for lunch, together with our lovely toddler. We enjoy the foods and the staffs was friendly. BUT after we finish the meal and we decided shopping in the mall. I left a baby feeding bottle in the table where we having meal just now. After 15 mins and i go back to the shop and ask the staff whether they keep my feeding bottle or not. I was so dissappointed that they throw my baby feeding bottle inside the bin and told me that they won't keep anything that customer left. I really disatisfaction on this case because if the customer left a handset or bag, do they also throw away???? The feeding bottle is important for the baby, is not a normal bottle that they can throw away like that???? They really NOT respect their customers at all!!!!
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Jane
4 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, December 07, 2011

I've just been to this place for a friends birthday. I have to say that although it was very busy the service was amazing, which is good for me to say as my group of friends are extremely demanding. The food was great and everyone who we came into contact with was really positive and helpful. Great all round.
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Nikki
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, October 17, 2011

Someone told me about this place so I thought I would give it a go as I love mexican food. We did arrive a little late but it was still open so they should of still given us a good service! Well...

The guy that met us and took us to the table made me feel unwelcome and rushed...thank god he was not the one taking our order etc.

We ordered 5 small dishes and a bottle of wine. The food came to our table in drips and drabs and it was cold!

I am really not one of those people who complain about everything because I have been a waitress for years but this is something to complain about.

The waitress that served us was so lovely I wish I had her name. She was on the ball, helpfull and chatty.
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Kirsten-Leah
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Saturday, July 30, 2011

As an ex-Californian, I crave good Mexican food and this place comes through. Portions are a bit small and the wait staff under trained, but the quality of the food is a pleasant surprise.

Do NOT order the margaritas as they are a complete rip-off. Served in a small glass, crammed full of ice, you would be lucky to get 2 swallows before you are left with just melting ice. I was told by the waiter to ask them not to put in ice the next time... which I did. They served a glass which was half full!!?!

The patio outside offers fantastic people watching.
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rob
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Friday, September 24, 2010

Went for lunch on Saturday with a friend who recommended it. It was ok, not the best and not the worst Mexican food I've had in London but for the price who can complain?? Eighteen pounds for two main meals and two non-alcoholic drinks. The hibiscus water was gorgeous and my friend had a mint and lime water concoction (tasted like a non alcoholic mojito!) was also nice.

I had the burrito which was very filling. Two salsas were put on the table as well - i loved the smoky one but the other one was tasteless. My friend had the enchiladas which she loved! Would return if I was in the area.
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D - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 31, 2010

for all mexican food lovers, and for those who have been travelling to mexico, or even US.... ESCUCHA...

first time to Wahaca and probably the last time, the food was average, price are reasonable, we had the pork scratching with guacamole for a starter, not quite sure where the recipe is from, guacamole was nice but the two do not go together,

Tortilla chicken salad for my main, for £7, i'm expecting a lot for a salad, the tortilla must have been deep fried, chicken was dry, 2 bits of avocado, too much dressing, well overall disappointed..

the steak burrito, was very chewy but quite tasty and the famous churros, for £3.50, which was actually ok,

still yet to find a decent mexican place in London,
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LOR
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Monday, May 03, 2010

I can't really work out what I thought of this place. I visited yesterday as a sole diner, and even though it was the tail end of lunchtime it was still rammed, and the only place was at a bar. I have a feeling however that the staff would have seated a sole diner at the bar even if the restaurant had been empty, as they seemed to be quite keen on turning over the tables.

I ordered the salsa and tortilla chips, which are not bought in thank God, but are kept in a cabinet similar to that which hold popcorn at the movies. The salsa came with two other sauces, which the waiter also called salsas, but were not chunky - one was a deep red tomato based one, which was meant to be the more mild, and also a green tomatillo/coriander concoction, in which I couldn't taste the coriander, nor the extreme spice which I was told to watch out for. There was a mild kick, but nothing remote to a sweat was brought on.

I ordered two dishes from the street food menu, the first of which to arrive was the chicken taquito. This was, I must say, extremely tasty, if a little difficult to cut into without the crispy ends flying into my neighbours lap. I also ordered a quesadilla with corn mushrooms, British mushroom and cheese, which was disappointing. I don't know if it was the corn mushrooms, or the cheese, but the overwhelming taste was not a particularly pleasant one, and it wasn't warm enough to stop the cheese beginning to congeal very quickly. Despite having gutsed this all down, I did consider a churro dessert, but spying on a nearby tables order of the dish I decided against - the churros looked far too dark brown, like they had been burnt (the ones I've had previously have always been a lovely light golden brown), and couldn't deal with the potential disappointment. It was fairly cheap for what it was - three dishes and a beer for £13 - but I will have to go again to work out if I actually like it or not.
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Courtney - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Thursday, April 01, 2010

First let me say I love Mexican food, and when Wahaca opened a couple of years ago I was over the moon to go there when I would visit London from where I live in Manchester where there is no good authentic Mexican, I am from the USA where it is great and abundant, so always in the search for a taste of home, well close enough to home! I was recently in London for a week and visited Wahaca in Covent Garden the first chance I got, my server told me they had opened more, one in White City near my hotel, so of course I went next. WHAT A DISSAPPOINTMENT!

First the tortilla chips were burnt, when I asked to replace the server gave me another portion the same and said they were all that way, next, service was absolutely poor, where as I am used to a full staff of friendly servers in Covent Garden there was one or two servers to be seen and the service was rude, when asking for a glass of water it took 3 times asking, met with a dissapproving grimace, she was not busy though. Then the finale, my main course of enchiladas arrived, thoroughly cold, I asked the server to warm them, with a reply of, 'they are not supposed to be hot', but cold?? really, this was not what I expected or will return for, I am now turned off of my favourite Mexican in Europe stop! I guess it is not just the name of a restaurant, but the level of effort they put into it...
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amy esteban
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Sunday, February 21, 2010