It's a wonder my favorite restaurant in London is a chain, but I'm somehow addicted to its savory sweetness of its teriyaki yaki soba! And now you can get it with your choice of noodles. I tried rice noodles and it was just as delicious as with the original wheat noodles (and prob easier in my stomach!) The beef was medium rare, but it was a bit chewy (taste was still wonderful). The free green tea is a nice touch. This location is underground so it feels a bit dark, but the staff is lovely and keeps the sometimes long queue moving along! read more

Wagamama - Teriyaki yaki soba with sirloin steak and rice noodles (you get your choice) - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Food Rating: 3.5 stars Wagamama was one of the first Asian Fusion chain restaurants I went to while studying abroad in London several years ago. Naturally, when I went back to visit London, I had to make a pit stop! Overall, for Asian fusion, it's pretty good. If you're looking for authenticity, then this is not the place. For this visit, my friend and I ordered the following: 1) Duck Gyoza Appetizer - 5 deep fried duck dumplings, served with spicy cherry hoisin sauce - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=U1gn4z4LYbY2m2Q4xU5ZqA Dumplings were fried very well. Filling was very flavorful. My friend loved the spicy cherry hoisin sauce. 2) Kare Lomen - ramen noodles in a spicy coconut and lemongrass soup topped with prawns, beansprouts, and cucumber. Garnished with coriander and lime - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=kIm6HopKENvfZKaoQZg7Sw Coconut broth was thicker almost like a sauce. 3) Chicken Ramen - noodles in a chicken and pork soup topped with grilled chicken breast and seasonal greens. Garnished with menma (picked bamboo shoots) and spring onions - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=3I8HRRFGTkhc5yw9q4bpwQ Lighter flavored soup broth. 4) Wine wine - great pairing with the lighter flavored noodle dishes - in this case, the wine was perfectly paired with the Chicken Ramen 5) Passion Fruit Frozen Yoghurt - deliciously smooth with a tropical fruit finish - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=o6X9IcKEVlfpqZnOo4zODw 6) Chocolate Fudge Cake - served with dark chocolate wasabi sauce and vanilla pod ice cream - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=IyslhO7ZiRBUY0PQT02hNQ The wasabi flavor was light to the point where I would not have known there was wasabi if I hadn't read the menu. The dark chocolate flavor is stronger and overpowers the wasabi flavor. Restaurant Pictures: 1) Entrance - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=XXtSFRx9boXpnnq0Gzm5EQ 2) Seating - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=Cab9yGtCJdYy97ajH7_VqA 3) Communal Seating - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=qZuMeLxQY-LpyocW2UTfrA 4) Communal Seating - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/QuZnfNi9FvlKmU3kZacQtg?select=MOzzEDMI4eQJB2EvEs4k2Q Overall, good memories. Worth a stop by if you're craving Asian Fusion noodles. *Note: Communal dining. Orders are taken on PDA's, which wirelessly sends orders to the kitchen. **Wagamama reminds me of Republic located in Union Square in New York City - http://www.yelp.com/biz/republic-new-york?rpp=40&sort_by=relevance_desc read more

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Wagamama is one of my favorite placed to eat within London. My life was changed after trying high-quality ramen for the first time. I always associated ramen with being a broke college kid trying with only a microwave in their room. However, Wagamama takes that notion and completely changes it for me. My personal favorite is the shirodashi pork ramen. The noodles they use are super thin and absorb all the flavor of the broth. All the veggies they throw in make it super fresh too. If you are ever feeling under the weather or had a rough night out, their chicken ramen is life saving. Totally worth getting this delivered and binging Netflix all night. Overall, this is one of my favorite places to eat in London. They are all in prime locations and have great service. I am completely comfortable opening up my computer and doing some work there as well. Totally worth going to!! read more

Wagamama - Shirodashi pork ramen!!! The bamboo shoots are unreal - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Really awful dining experience and I seek out Wagamamas when visiting Europe because I love them so much. We arrived around 3 pm on a Sunday. The place was 3/4 full. Here we go: - The servers would not come take our order so we had to flag down a server to order. - The staff were disorganized and clearly untrained. The glass of wine that I ordered sat at the bar. No staff came to collect it although many scurried by. Again, I had to flag down a server to ask for it. I was told that the original waitress associated it with the wrong customers when she placed our order. -My curry was cold when it arrived. It was also quite bland. Very disappointing. read more

I'm traveling in London with a vegan, my Asian parents, my hubby and a 8 month old so trying to please everyone was going to be a challenge. Where was I going to find a place that was baby friendly, vegan friendly, and had a reasonably familiar menu for my parents? Cue Wagamama. They have high chairs and crayons for the baby (although he decided to try and eat those) and a vegan menu for my sister. My husband and I had the pork buns, the lettuce wraps, and a sirloin and shiitake salad along with two juices. Everything was incredibly fresh and delicious. It's a chain, but a very solid one at that. The only thing that was a bit spotty was our service that night. We were there at 8pm on a Friday night and were seated right away. Getting the attention of someone to get our order took a good 15 minutes though but our food did come out very quickly. read more

Gonna go for a 3.5. Had my first Wagamama experience here while pressed for time. Pretty good for a chain. Location is pretty convenient to central, and it's nice that's right at Leicester Square. Nice, simple interior. You go down the steps to get to the main area. Service was not bad and pretty efficient. There's a good buzz and ambiance to these places, since the kitchen is partly open, so you feel like you're in the heat of the action. Food is your typical Asian fusion that tends towards Japanese. Got some yaki soba noodles that had just enough proteins and veg. The sister got something similar to that, both dishes not bad. A bit on the pricier side at about 8-9 pound each, but it's consistent. Being a US visitor to the UK, it was kind of funny to see another group of Americans sit down at the table next to us. I guess we like the same things hah. Will get this again if I'm in a hurry while visiting the UK! read more

Wagamama - entranceway - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Slightly overpriced. I ordered the yakitori chicken and miso soup, and my friend ordered the ginger chicken udon. All were pretty yummy, especially considering that I have not eaten anything close to Asian food for 3 months for my stay in Europe. However, I could have totally cooked this up myself in my apartment given the right ingredients, so not exactly the best value for my meal. I think my friend and I also had a good experience at this location due to the fact that they did not have a line, so our wait was short for both the seating and food. Weird how they have everyone dine by sharing a long table with strangers. So awkward how I could easily overhear my neighbor's conversation. read more

3.5 - yep, I liked it. For chain food, it's pretty good and a nice change from gross pub meals. For what it is, prices are a little high but for a London tourist horrified by the exchange rate, it's one of the cheaper places to eat. I had chicken ramen and while I wasn't blown away, it was good. Everything came out fast and you could get in & out quickly, perfect for the busy tourist. read more

In January Wagamama always has this promotion going on where you get a voucher for a meal free and even a bottle of wine. I normally do not try out such offers, but this one worked pretty well. This was the reason why my friends and I went there again. We had a nice little feast in the evening, before going to the cinema at Leicester Square. Normally, Wagamamas are situated in the basement of a store. We had to stand in a queue for a while before getting seated. The waiting time does normally not take too long, as Wagamama is known for fast food service. Not in a bad way, it is just not a place where you have a private table conversation, as you are seated on a long bench, which goes from one side of the room to the other. Already been asked by he waiters several times if we are ready, finally we chose form an extensive list of Asian food. They scribbled your order on the table set. Therefore you will be sure you will receive the right dish! We always start of with some edame - beans, which have to be popped out of their skin. They are fun to share. The dim sums I can highly recommend, they come with delicious sweet and chilli sauces. But for what they are really known are their noodle soups. I always opt for the hot option. I think Wagamama is a good after shopping or pre theatre place, as you do not want to over pay yourself nor waste too much time. There is one big advantage - this wagamama is one in three in London who does has a wheelchair lift! read more

We stumbled upon this spot as we were out and about and decided to give it a shot. The menu looked amazing and had so much to choose from. They also have a kids menu for your little ones. The food was delicious overall and I would have given it a 5 star but the service was awful. Our waiter didn't want to answer any questions in regards to the menu and after bringing out our food, we never stopped by again. We even had to go find him to get our bill read more

Ramen was delicious and great service. Would highly recommend and will be back on my next trip to London! If you like hot sauce, would also recommend! read more

I've been to this Wagamama quite a lot as it has become our pre-cinema ritual if we're going to something at Leicester Square. Because I was running late, on this occasion we ended up going post-cinema instead. The restaurant was more empty than normal, because of the different time we arrived and there was some building work going on in the back. But there was also new menus - with new menu items. One caught my eye - a beef massaman curry. I love those - so I wasted no time in ordering it. The food as always was speedy, and arrived as it was ready, but I was disappointed in my curry. It just wasn't a massaman - it was edible, but not something I'd go out of my way to order ever again. In fact, I can't really describe it as I don't know what it was actually similar to. I ended up adding a bunch of things (soy sauce, those chilli flakes, the chilli oil) to make it more interesting to eat but nothing worked. The only time my tastebuds were at all interested in it were the bites when I had a sliced chilli in there. I wasn't happy with the beef either - it wasn't trimmed so there were chunks of fat at one each of each piece. I ended up biting the ends off and placing them in another bowl as I didn't want those! So yeah, don't order the massaman, but the staff here are lovely - they got the two stars on this visit. As the description for this level says, "meh, I've experienced better". So true for this visit. read more

Looks like this place is very popular with tourists (I too was attracted to Wagamama as a tourist just recently). I'm sure its convenient location next to Leicester Square sure helps attract tourists too. When I was studying in London seven years ago, I'd eat at Wagamama with a slight feeling of guilt seeing that it was both a chain and not real authentic Asian food (even at home in the States/California, I am not a big fan of Asian fusion)...but boy do I love me some Wagamama. On my most recent trip, I had the vegetarian curry and my boyfriend got the ginger chicken pan fried udon noodles. My favorite thing at Wagamama has always been the Peach Iced Tea. Service is always rushed and I feel frenzied when ordering but staff is always super attentive. On crowded days, you'll be seated cramped right next to other patrons but I never mind. I still eat at this uber trendy restaurant with guilt, but always leave satisfied :) read more

This place was great!! Growing up in Southern California means eating an Ethnically Diverse Cuisine!! So after working in Birmingham and staying in a hotel surviving off hotel food for a week I was in desperate need of something besides beans and bread... I had great fish, chips, and beer at a little pub but my desire for something non-European based was starting to drive me freakin' crazy!! ahhhh!! So, my husband flew in and we went to London for a couple days and thank God he knew of Wagamama!! I was a little skeptical about eating Japanese food in London, I knew the Indian food was pretty good but I never heard anyone saying anything like "wow the Japanese food in London Rocks!!" The only real compliments on food in London I've heard were on the fish and chips and the Indian food. That being said, "Hello, go to Wagamama for great noodles!!!!" I had a cup of miso soup which was good and a really great bowl of ramen noodles with lots of mushrooms, and some sort of spicy pepper, (I think it was the Yasai Chili Men) and it was awesome!! So, if you're ever in London and you want something besides pub grub...check out Wagamama!! Don't forget to send your friends a free postcard (they're pretty cool)! read more

Friday evening and was able to get a seat inside easily. Staff was nice. Shrimp starter was good. Chicken katsu was decent but rice was dry and bland (compared to good white rice). I'd come again, but would probably look for another Japanese restaurant first. read more

When I lived outside of London, I was told I had to go to Wagamama. I'm glad I listened. This place is outstanding, especially in a city where food isn't exactly the #1 thing. The food was outstanding, but as all things London, expensive. Not out of park expensive, but not cheap. Being that its next to leicester square, it was obvious that would be the case. This is truly a great place to check out. A chain restaurant I don't mind eating. read more

Yum Yum Yum! I loved Wagamama! The food was delicious, I loved the contemporary Asian decor, and the communal seating gave it a surprisingly warm feel. The ginger chicken udon was amazing and you could even order it with whole wheat noodles, which earned major bonus points in my book. The food was moderately priced but around the standard Central London range. I'm not giving it 5 stars because the service was so-so and our waiter wasn't the friendliest person. The restaurant was busy but I at least like a smile and kind greeting from my waiter when eating out. read more

Was told one of places i HAD to go before I left London. "Representative of British fare" - some other American who presumably never ate Black Pudding. Don't get me wrong. Not bad. Not bad at all. But coming from Northern California where Asian food might as well be local fare, I've had better. The dining experience is fun and worth it in itself, reminiscent of elementary school playground tables. Strike up a conversation with a stranger! You'll come to a conclusion that British are friendlier than you thought, but I guarantee you just argued Gordon Brown policies with a foreigner rather than an actual Brit. Go for the noodles. I believe there's 4-5 specialty noodle dishes, pick one. They're good, at least one of them is, I can attest to that. Decently priced. read more

I used to like Wagamama a lot. I tried it in Dublin for first time and I dined here sometimes when i moved to London... all this until my last visit. I ordered Yaki Soba and i ended up with a plate full of over seasoned noodles, salty to death..... was that positive eating-positive living? Not at all, I had drunk 5 glasses of water by the end of the meal. I dont think I will go back to Wagamama unless I only have McDonalds or Burger King as an alternative option... there are plenty of nice oriental food restaurants in London as to opt again for this one. read more

Went 3 times in 6 days. Get their juices! The Supergreen is SO GOOD and refreshing after walking around and tourist-ing it all day. Edamame - yum. Pork ribs - yum! Chicken ramen - delicious, I got it mild. You can skip the broccoli and bok choy appetizer it was drenched in sauce. Good service and get their green tea - it's freeeeeeee!!!!! read more

For a chain... its ok. I can usually find something to eat, however, every time I go, there is always one ingredient in the main dishes that I'm not really a fan of... or I don't know what it even is. The prices are high, but then again if you see the plate or bowl of food that comes out, it is pretty massive. I had the Pork Dumpling Soup (it was on the specials menu), the dumplings were nice, although not nearly as good as the ones I get in Chinatown. There were also not a lot of dumplings and because of the size of the bowl and the amount of broth in the soup, the bowl seemed a little empty. There were sausage slices in the soup, but beware... the sausage had quite a bit of spice to it and it completely caught me by surprise. Overall it was nice, but I wouldn't order it again. The service was a bit slow and we had trouble getting someone to help us or to even bring us the bill. I've eaten here twice and I wasn't really impressed with it either time. read more

This is the second time I've had this food and I was pleased with the flavor and the portions of the food. I have the rice-cury this time which had a coconut curry sauce mixed with chicken, lime, and vegetables. The flavors were intense and somewhat more Thai than Japanese. The service was great and the wait time was really fast. They also have a variety of freshly squeezes juices as well as a variety of drinks. We ce for the curried dishes and we are glad we did. Give this place a try next time you are in the area. read more

OK Simply OK. The problems stemmed from 3 staff serving rather a large lunch time crowd. Made to wait to be seated for way too long in an atempt to control the flow of orders. I'm making an intuitive guess. And then serving up a nice apple and ginger juice and some chicken that had been fried to death. My date, she swapped with me. She's a sexy minx who likes her chicken crispy. Me, I like it cooked just right. Then an issue that makes me an old twat. The girls aside us were headed up by one bright young thing who clearly didn't require oxygen. She talked and talked and then talked some more at volume. I was praying, atheist, for her food to arrive first. It arrived last and by then we'd got the bill. Nice server. Rubbish chicken. Good juice. Not all bad. read more

First visit to London, first place for food. I could not have picked a better place to go after 10 hours on a plane. Food is more than I could have hoped for, provided you are looking for a "Noodle" experience. On a cold London morning, nothing was more refreshing than the saien soba. Highly recommended. read more

Given that it's a fast food chain, I did not expect much. I had the wagamama ramen and the soup was surprisingly good. However, the ramen itself was a disappointment, seriously, it was not tender and lacked all the qualities that good ramen should have. The service itself was quick and friendly. The place itself resembled a cafeteria and you need to be comfortable with sitting next to strangers and listen to every words they say. read more

Wagamama - wagamama ramen - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

This Wagas (as I like to call it) doesn't offer anything special by way of stunning views of London (like you get with their Southbank branch) or different menu/service options to all their other outlets but what it does offer is a fantastic location for a pre-theatre meal. This venue is right in the heart of Theatreland and for speedy, cheap and tasty nosh before dashing off to a show I don't think you can go wrong with Wagamama. I must give a big thumbs up their house red wine too, which is rather delicious and gulpable for a house wine. And the management get a special mention at this location too for always responding well if there's any issue with the food. (Also no problem here to order extra lashings of their secret curry sauce, always bonus!). Don't miss the entrance to this place (it's in the basement) as you walk down Irving St from Leicester Sq and even if they are queuing up the stairs (as they often are from 7ish), the queues go down quickly as will your food! read more

Disgusting. I don't know why the other reviewers who are supposedly from ethnically diverse areas are lowering their standards so much, but what I had here hardly qualifies as 1.) Asian, 2.) Ramen, 3.) Edible. I ordered their ramen and the broth was watery, the noodles doughy, and the toppings completely inappropriate and mismatched to the dish. I could make a better ramen by tossing random leftovers in my fridge on top of instant noodles. The menu is an affront to Japanese food, and an affront to anyone who has had the pleasure of enjoying a proper bowl of ramen. This is the Panda Express of noodles. Even the nonsense-word, made-up, Asian sounding name is insulting. It seems like the Asian food scene in London is exploding lately, I encourage you to try any other of the plethora of options popping up. If you really want to treat yourself, try Nagomi for a legit bowl of ramen. read more

The noodle is on the thin side and kinda doughy. The chicken broth is not very flavorful either. Elder flower sparkling was nice, though borderline too sweet. read more

Wagamama - Wagamama ramen - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

If I had any choice, I'd rather never come here again..but these places are everywhere! If it weren't for convenience, I probably wouldn't go if I had a choice.. The noodles aren't authentic (not their aim, but still, it's so bad that it grates against my principles of good noodles...) and the curries and everything else aren't all that great either. Like I said, the only pluses this place has is convenience for a quick bite. PS - This review is not specific to this restaurant, they all seem to be at the same crappy level. read more

Surprisingly good for an asian fast food chain. Food tastes fresh and healthy. I had the gyoza, cha han, and the donburi. all were pretty good besides the chicken and prawn cha han. There wasnt alot of flavor in that. the miso soup was good and the kimchi wasnt so bad either. the picked stuff that comes with the miso soup is good. the donburi was great. good amount of terriyaki and chicken and rice. the service of this place is kinda whack but the location is cool and so is the interior decor. im honestly surprised that i like this place read more

I absolutely love this place. Too bad the location near the British Museum has closed. But this location is also fantastic. And the food is just as delicious. read more

Great place for a quick bite before the theatre if you love noodles and rice dishes!!!! read more

Wagamama - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

ah, my most frequented wagamama location, evar. (it'd be a different story if y'all expanded to california, HINT HINT.) and by most frequented, i mean twice. lol but definitely a great location, and the service and food are pretty much standard wagamama (and by standard wagamama, i'm basing that on all four times i've been to one). the two times i've eaten here we got here early and didn't have to wait, but it was clear that by 7:00 or so, you may have to wait a bit. oh yes! for all y'all non-brits, try the elderflower drink! it's really delish! sounds mighty sketch, but i guarantee you, you will be pleasantly surprised. p.s. don't forget that there's under-table storage for bags and what not. read more

Was a great experience especially dining on my own. The staff were very friendly although I did get a little weirded out by the guy leaning over and writing on my placemat but it was not a big deal. I particularly liked the Duck Gyoze. Probably a good place to go at night as it is all indoor and away from the street. Not the place to eat if you want to people watch. read more

It's not authentic Asian food but I was longing some spicy noodles and was in the area. I had the chicken chili men and it hit the spot - spicy and very tasty. I liked the communal table (altho I think a lot of London Asian eateries are going that direction) and the service was good. I'd definitely visit again... read more

It has been three years since I was in London, and I haven't stopped dreaming about Wagamama. As a broke student, Wagamama was a dining staple for us. This particular restaurant was our favorite, particularly because of its proximity to the cinema, theatres, and shops, but we were also seen having lunch one or two times a week at the Camden Town location, close to our school. I have had wonderful ramen at interesting restaurants since coming back to the States, but nothing has compared to Wagamama's. At first, we were on a mission to find the Wagamama equivalent in the United States, and ate at all the ramen places we could find. After accepting that better ramen does not exist outside of the UK, we dreamed and schemed about convincing Wagamama corporate to let us open a franchise in Los Angeles (hey, if Tesco could do it, why couldn't we?). I think we've come to the realization that we'll have to return to London to enjoy Wagamama again. However, if they ever do come to the United States, I hope that LA is their first stop. And I hope they still have the duck gyoza. Those were really good. read more

Pretty much standard westernized Asian fare. Ordered the beef donburi ( rice, beef, kimchi) served in a bowl. Ramen is decent but far from transcendent. Think of it as a safe bet if your out of other options. Location is in the basement and is therefore windowless. Not wheelchair accessible. read more

I had a lot of fun here. Different atmosphere, but with Urban Belly in Chicago, am getting more accustomed to communal dining. Great fast, fresh LARGE noddle/soup portions - delicious, affordable and entertaining for a quick bite. Not a quiet place, though. read more

As a stranger in a strange city, and country for that matter, It can be a struggle to get the most out of the eating experience simply because one doesn't know where to go. At least Wagamama was decent. I suppose I am spoiled by great Asian food in my home city of Chicago and I know that Wagamama is a chain resteraunt. So, while it was good and filled me up, it still didn't compare to my cheap, whole in the wall, neighborhood, Asian greasy spoon. The flavors were rather mild and uninspired, but we were hungry and it satisfied a need. read more

Nothing makes me miss home more than good homestyle cooking, which is what i was hoping for when i went to Wagamama. Hardly authentic and by no means satisfying, their food still managed to get the job done and fill me up. The food is bland and lacking in flavor, but filling. It's conveniently open until late in the evening and not absurdly overpriced in true Asian fashion. read more