Wahaca

Great Food, Ridiculous Wait

22 Jun 08, 19:41 Above expectations

Wahaca is great, the food is good and they serve Pacifico beer (the latter being a reason to like them alone) but the worst thing is the no reservations system.

We've frequently abandoned dinner plans here due to the fact that there is usually a 2 hour wait on a Saturday night for a group of 4. If there are just two of you, it's not so bad at about 20-40 minutes but it's a testament to the popularity of the place.

The food is good but get there early.

Worth it if you can bear the wait

09 Jun 08, 08:30 Above expectations

The food at Wahaca consists of your standards Mexican fair but it all cooked fresh so makes it one of the best places to go for a quick taco in the West End.

The menu contains no massive surprises but everything looks and tastes pretty darn good; order the Wahaca selection and you'll get a plate of food worthy of any appetite and feel that you got the most out of what there is on offer. I'd also really recommend staying clear of the beers and cocktails and going for the hot chocolate (which was superb).

The one thing that really annoyed me about the place was it's crappy 'no reservations' policy. With it's popularity this generally means that unless you arrive bang on opening time you're not getting in and be asked if you can wait for up to an hour - with no bar this is a toil.

Out Of this World!

22 May 08, 09:36 Beyond expectations

This place is definitely one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Although it can be hard at times to get a table you can often only have to wait if you go earlier on in the evening.

The food suits most people as there i a variety of different spiciness levels, as well as the option to add chili sauce for those who love hot food.

I would recommend having the churros with chocolate sauce, which are divine regardless of whether you are a chocoholic or not. I suggest that you get one per person as if you attempt to share you will just end up ordering more. :D

The cherry on top of the cake is that they give you free Jalpeno Pepper Seeds (for those who don't know, these are chili seeds which will grow into trees). Although you might be skeptical at whether they will grow, I can assure you that they do grow.

Accessible Mexican Street Food

04 May 08, 16:38 Beyond expectations

Decor-wise and vibe-wise it's very 'Wagamamma' - the menus are aimed at the uncertain novice and the staff are more than willing to lead you thru what's on offer.

Wahaca is committed to fresh, and, where possible, locally sourced, ingredients. Their chillies are grown in Dorset!

The food itself is a taste-sensation.

In the trivia stakes - Wahaca is the brainchild of a former Masterchef winner. No doubt John Torode and Greg Whatsisname approve.

Best Mexican Food

23 Apr 08, 16:25 Beyond expectations

This popular an good restaurant has the bad problem of queue but you have to be patient becasue if you want to eat good Mexican food, you have to wait. I've been in more Mexican restaurants but this is the best, food is great, staff friendly, nice atmosphere and the restaurant is pretty and clean.

The best Mexican in the West (End)

22 Apr 08, 13:21 Above expectations

A great Mexican restaurant to visit as a group with a great atmosphere and really friendly and helpful staff! Has a great buzzy market feel which adds to the communal feel of the dining (basically order a load of different dishes and dig in!)

It's fairly priced and you recieve complimentary jalepeno chilli seeds when you leave so you can grow your own!

Fast, fun mexican

22 Apr 08, 11:34 Above expectations

Wahaca's is different to your normal mexican restuarant it's set out in a fresh, modern, canteen style, the service is fast and friendly. The food is delicious and you can order tapas style mexican food to share or order the more traditional fajitas and tacos. The pork scratchings are delicious! This is a great place to go with a group of friends but be warned it gets very busy in the evenings

Best Mexican

17 Apr 08, 21:17 Above expectations

Awesome place. The food is fun and filling and offers a great range. Decor very bright and exiting. And staff pretty good. Go here! Get in early though, there are no reservations.

Fresh mexican

16 Apr 08, 14:16 Above expectations

nobody likes sweaty, over spicey food,so this Mexican is really refreshly different! they pride themselves on using fresh ingredients and the mock harvest festival display at the front door is testament to this! The best mojitos and margueritas in town 11/10 for these alone!

Carumba

16 Apr 08, 01:45 Above expectations

This is a very popular place at the moment in Covent Garden. We went for dinner at 8.30, however were unable to get a table until 9.30. You can't book ahead so be prepared to wait - the man looking after tables did actually seem to know what he was doing though.

Two of us shared the street food dish. It's basically mexican food served in tapas style. I really enjoyed the steak tacos and chicken roles. The nachos and black beans on the side were also great.

A huge mango sorbet for dessert is enough to share between two. And the margarehitas, although small, were lovely.

Social Tapas

15 Apr 08, 10:34 Beyond expectations

I have been here a few times and am always surprised at how great it is for groups of people. The Mexican food is marketed as Street food, which means little portions and a wide selection. If you do fancy trying something different, possibly for a birthday or special occasion, I would highly recommend this busy party atmosphere. Fantastic Fish wrap things - yummy!

A Feast for Thirty Pounds

05 Nov 07, 11:56 As expected

Wahaca lived up to my expectations, I had heard so many good things about the food, I was not disappointed. The restaurant gets so busy and they do not take bookings. You are given a time and when you come back at the given time you are guaranteed a table. This took about 30mins and once seated we were not rushed at all.

The service was a little erratic, but I think this was just our waiter as the other serving staff around us were very efficient. We had to ask for are drinks to be delivered to our table and this was after our dinner had arrived. The food was fresh, and it really did taste different to many other Mexican foods I have tried.

They offer small 'street food' portions and 'larger plates' you can pick and mix from both menus. My only complaint would be that because the food is not ordered (they bring it out as and when it is cooked) you can end up with all your food on the table at once and having to rush to eat it before it goes cold.

The atmosphere is buzzing and the basement hall settings are really funky, with coloured wall panels and painted bricks. Yummy tortilla chips, but their motto is that they try to stay away from 'nachos and fajitas' to make them selves more authentic. The problem is when your eating your tortilla chips and salsa you can't help but miss the melted cheese.

Great experience,but beware if you leave it late to eat you run the risk of not getting a table!

Trendy - but in a good way

10 Oct 07, 16:15 Above expectations

A few months ago I went to Wahaca on its opening night. My heart sank. This place looked Trendy (with a capital T). Usually this means expensive and inedible food served by surly and inattentive staff.

How wrong I was.

An excellent selection of delicious "authentic street food", plenty for vegetarians, the staff were friendly and knew what food and drink to recommend.

The dishes burst with flavour, spices were subtle but were easily boosted by the range of condiments provided.

But the pièce de résistance is their Tequila Menu. Forget dodgy shots with a line of salt and a squeeze of lemon - this is proper sipping tequila. The flavours and character of each is unique and makes for a perfect digestif.

A quick meal for 2 with drinks was around £30. Very reasonable for the quality of the food.

Don't bother getting an "Old El Paso" kit from a supermarket - let these guys show you how it's done.

Yummy Light Mexican Food

25 Sep 07, 15:27 Beyond expectations

I'm really impressed with this restaurant. It has all the right ingredients for a successful restaurant. Great interior, friendly service, easy on the budget and food made with fresh, local ingredients.

My companion and I both went for the street market food - Sharing various tacos and quesadillas with a portion of the green rice. Highlights were the skirt steak taco with cheese and gaucamole. It was suprisingly filling despite the small portion sizes.

Service was especially friendly, a little like they are trying too hard to please. I don't think they need to - they seem to be doing a great job despite some earlier niggles.

We went for an early lunch and that definitely seems the way forward, by 1pm when we left the place was filling up (and this was on a Tuesday!)

Fun, Fast and Friendly

14 Sep 07, 14:15 Beyond expectations

I described this place to my friends as Wagamana for Mexican food. I think that sums it up pretty well.

Dinning takes place in large, buzzy basement hall, with eating often taking place in large rows.

Visitors can choose either a couple for things from the 'Street Food' menu, or a from the 'Bigger Plates' section that includes platters and burritos. I went with a pork burrito and a summer vegetable taco. The burrito was fantastic, and while the food isn't going to win culinary awards it's fresh and does wonders for the tastebuds.

If you're in the area and don't fancy Nandos or TGI Fridays then I highly recommend this place. Beware it's popularity. This place has been all over the free papers, and doesn't take bookings. But it's so good I found myself waiting an hour to get a table. Just go to a pub next door.