Bit of a queue to sit down and eat, but well managed by some piece of tech to tell you your table is ready. Service was quick and efficient once seated. Menu was a Mexican version of Spanish-style tapas (something which I've never been to before). Really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. There were two of us, so we picked a selection and shared. Some dishes were a little bland, but others were really tasty. Price was very reasonable for London - £39.45 for 2 people inc. a couple of beers read more

Maybe it's because there aren't that many Mexicans in the UK, but this place can be summed up as thoroughly average. Not bad, but by no means anything special. The service was quick and friendly, and the establishment was clean. Had the pork pibil and chicken tacos and thought both were pretty decent. My biggest complaints with the food was that the flavors were a bit incomplete. The pork really needed some acid, but I specifically had to ask for lime slices (and got a weird look for it, to boot). read more

After missing San Francisco taquerias, I revisited Wahaca after over 6 months for Sunday lunch. To my dismay I learnt its now gone down the chain route - typical London restaurant path where success breeds commercial ambition. Despite this, London doesn't have great choice of Mexican food so I can understand the strategy (Chiquitos doesn't count!). I like Wahaca's concept of "street" food - having lots of small plates of tacos/fajitas/burritos etc. to share and mix it up a little. And the small plates are reasonably priced (c.4 quid). Plenty of vege options. But prices feel like they've gone up since a year ago and I'm sure a year ago they gave you free nachos with salsa... Things to bear in mind - doesn't take reservations and there's usually a long wait. The friend I had lunch with had a 1.5 hour wait for Friday eve dinner for 4 - so advice is get there early or avoid on Fri/Sat nights! PS - been to this city in Mexico and know its written Oaxaca - are we Brits too stupid that it had to be named phonetically... read more

Just off of Covent Garden sits Wahaca, the brainchild of Masterchef winner Thommasina Miers, who herself spent time in Mexico learning the ways of true Mexican cooking. On arrival at the Covent Garden branch you're greeted with bright colours and upbeat music kicking off the laid back party atmosphere that makes you feel like you've been invited round to a friends for the evening. I've enjoyed Wahaca on 6 occasions now trying lots of different foods on the street food menu, the crown jewel of the restaurant. First and foremost the food has always been very good to exceptional. As someone who doesn't each much in the way of tomatoes, I cannot get enough of their Pico de Gallo which is served with the Chicken Taquitos. The Pork Pibil tacos is something I recommend to everyone as it's truly delicious. On my visits I've attended with a mixture of friends ranging from people that liked hot and spicy food to people who were completely the opposite and all enjoyed it immensely. The food isn't the normal Tex Mex fare that you see in your usual Mexican restaurants. Don't expect to see a fajita anywhere on the menu but do expect to see lots of good street food with some great seasonal specials thrown into the mix. My recommendation: 1 x Pork Pibil Tacos 1 x Black Bean Quesedillias 1 x Chicken Taquitos w/ side of Frijoles and finished off with the simple yet delicious Churros for dessert. Food aside, the restaurant has a real buzz to it and is a hive of atmosphere, from the music to the patrons and the staff, everyone is buying into the philosophy that Wahaca want people to have with eating as a whole experience. Only on one occasion have I had food that wasn't up to the normal standard and again service not up to the same standard which is why I have bumped it down to a four. If you have any desire to eat Mexican food or even to try something different then come to Wahaca and enjoy the street food. read more

A lovely, big space in a great London location, though the seating layout can seem a bit unorganised - we were seated at the adjoining table to a mother and daughter who commented on how when they came back from the toilet they had difficulty finding their seats again. The food was good - there's a good variety of smaller, sharing plates, and larger, more substantial meals to suit every palette. Also, the food is well priced, especially when you consider the London location! It also came at a good speed. Staff were very attentive and chatty, would return. read more

Having already read the many reviews of Wahaca before heading off to try for myself, I was well aware of what to expect in terms of waiting for a table and the possible tardiness in service. Maybe that lessened the blow? Maybe our experience was better than most? Either way, I really enjoyed our time here and would happily go back again. Arrived fairly early about 6pm and so got our name on the list and waited in the bar area for our friend to arrive. I like their beer selection and happily sank 3 beers before our table was good to go. Don't judge, it was a Friday! We went for the street food and some sides and for me the highlights were the pork tacos, mushroom and feta quesadilla and the guacamole! Yummy! We had several decent Margs too (it was a Friday remember) and so by the time we left Wahaca we were full of food and very happy campers. The real shame about this place is that you kinda have to plan ahead if you want to visit. You can't just pop in on a whim, unless you want to be waiting halfway down the street, as the poor people were when we left. read more

Wahaca offers a decent Mexican fare and while there wasn't much to complain about, the food wasn't anything amazing either. I had the Sonora Salad and it was pretty good, except the "crispy tortilla" was too oily from all the frying and that put me off just a little bit, but I liked the salad which saved the day. The best thing about this restaurant was the Guacamole. It would be prudent to get this with some chips for the table if you're dining as a group. I also ordered a Horchata and thought it could have been much better. The drink felt rather diluted and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to experience all the creamy almond milk goodness I was expecting. If you made it to Wahaca and are confused about what to order for dessert, get the Chocolate tres leches cake--my friends had it and they seemed impressed. read more

I have definetly experienced better than this restaurant. I went there at first to be told I have to wait for 45 minutes before a table becomes available. No thanks went back again another day and was escorted to a table immediately. to my disappointment the food wasn't that good. I ordered a lot; I really wanted to try as much as I can to make a fair judgement ( and because I love food) but unfortunately nothing tasted delicious, every dish was bland and that was the review of all people that were with me experiencing Wahaca for the first time not going back for sure read more

I find myself happy at all of the Wahaca locations. Big, bright, festive, good service, good music in the background and the margaritas are always a-flowing. I love the focus on MSC certified fish. Thanks Wahaca! I always go with pork pibil tacos and you can't go wrong with churros to wash it all down. Andale! Woohoo. read more

Good quality chain restaurant mexican. A little bland, but still pretty good read more

This is a chain with decent Mexican food in an area that has almost none of it. I would go again.

Love, love, love this place. I went on a weekday afternoon when it was empty, so I didn't have to deal with the massive crowds that I've read about and seen when passing by at other times. With that said, the service was warm and friendly, the decor beautiful with lots of turquoise and a modern-but-not-pretentious feel, and the food delicious and inexpensive. I had an enchilada mole, which was moist with a sweet, rich, and surprisingly spicy mole sauce. I'd be super annoyed too if I had to wait in that interminable line, but since I didn't and never plan to go during peak hours, Wahaca gets five thumbs up from me. read more

Okay, here's my honest opinion. If I were stranded in the middle of a Mexican-less society (let's call this place....Lahndon, shall we?) with only Wahaca, you would be happy for the relatively good food, the cheap prices and the guacamole that's only one step above flavourless. But...there had to be a but...if I'm already in Covent Garden and craving a Marg and chorizo, I'm heading over to La Perla for some amazingness. Why? Because Wahaca is always super crowded, I hate waiting 45 minutes to just get to the BAR and then the service is always sketch because of the overcrowding. Cheap food aside, doyourself a favour and head down the road. read more

I am not really sure why Wahaca is so popular. They have managed to take mediocre Mexican street food, inflate the price massively and sell it to trendy people who think it's all so cool. They've also sold out. It's supposed to be spelt Oaxaca but they've spelt it Wahaca so that English people can pronounce it correctly. Marketing genius for sure, but still a sell-out. If you want a Burrito or some real Tacos, skip Wahaca altogether and go to Benito's Hat, Chilango or Chipotle. If you want first class authentic Mexican food and don't mind paying a premium price for quality, go to Mestizo. If you want to be hip and trendy and be able to tell all your friends you've been to Wahaca just for the sake of being able to say it, go to Wahaca. They do have some nice drinks and a good selection of Tequila, but the menu is a little confusing and it's difficult to know what you're ordering. When it arrives, the food is not bad, but it's not great either. read more

After spending six months (mostly) in London I had begun to think there wasn't any Mexican food in the whole of the country. Thankfully, I found Wahaca. Certainly it is nothing like the Mission in San Francisco, or even E Village in NYC, but it is good. They combine classic Mexican dishes with a twist, and focus on local fresh ingredients, which makes a difference. In general, I felt the flavors were a little mild and under-seasoned for Mexican, but generally tasty. The freshness of the ingredients did come through. The drinks were well done, and the variety of tequilas was certainly strong. Service was quite friendly and helpful despite being overflowing (when I arrived, expected wait was 1 hour, which was about right). They do use a pretty modern system with iPads and buzzers to keep everyone waiting organized (mostly). It would be great if there was a little more bar space to accommodate the waiting crowd. In sum - good spot for Mexican food in London, relax and enjoy the wait with a cocktail, share a few different menu items. read more

I'm originally from California, so I have high standards for good Mexican food. For a chain restaurant in London, Wahaca is solid. It's trendy, delicious, fast, and cheap. We ordered the chicken quesadilla, carnitas burrito, and chips with guac. They were all tasty but I would recommend a burrito over the quesadilla. Oh and they also have hot sauce that's actually hot! read more

I had never heard of Wahaca before last night but I had such a terrific time there, the vibe was great and the food was terrific. I was recommended this place by a work colleague who gave me the tip-off that this place was cheap and tasty. I had met up with a friend after work for a gossip and some grub and we were not disappointed. You can order small "tapas" style meals to share or there are bigger plates of food that you can eat solo. We shared everything, even our choccie doughnut dessert and the whole thing only came to £17! We were amazed as we were super full and happy. I'm not the world's biggest Mexican food fan but this place has made me think twice about judging Mexican cuisine again. For a fast, happy bite in central London, visit Wahaca, it's really great and I can't wait to go back! read more

This place is the epitome of a 3-star rating for me. It's alright, I guess. Been twice with my flatmates, as we consistently craving Mexican fare. The first time I got some kind of summer salad, which I definitely enjoyed. The second time I got the tortilla soup with chicken. The presentation was really cool - they bring you a bowl with crushed chips, sour cream, and fixins then they pour the soup from a pitcher. The thing is, my soup took forever to come out of the kitchen (my flatmates had already plowed through two courses of mini tacos) and it was luke-warm. Also, they was about three pieces of chicken. I did enjoy the virgin-mojito type chiller, especially because it was actually cheaper than a soda. My roommates love their special margaritas (apparently made strong to match the prices) and overall this places quells our desire for south of the border cuisine. That'll do, pig. That'll do. read more

nice but not great value as i was still hungry after 1hr very tasty food though. The quesidala was very tasty and for pudding i had the chocolate with churros, now that is a pudding i can highly recommend. They also had the little matchbooks containing chilli seeds. unfortunately my hubby didnt notice that at the time and thought it was a strange toothpick read more

Awesome restaurant and is likely to become a favourite. Staff we're extremely helpful, charismatic and friendly. Food wasn't that expensive, I believe total bill came to £60 for three people. Only negative was being seated on a two person table. read more

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! read more

Wahaca - Pork, beef, chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - London, XGL

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We dined at Wahaca tonight as an attempt to try somewhere new and exciting. Arriving at 8.30 as expected we had to wait until 9.30 to be seated. The man in control of tables seemed organised though and we felt like he would actually ring us if our table became avaliable earlier as promised. We shared the street food for 2 dish. I really like the Chicken rolls and the steak tacos. Also black beans on the side was yum. For dessert I tried the mango sorbet and it was a lovely large portion. The margeritas were small but good tasting and the hisbiscus water was refreshing. read more

I can't figure out if I liked this place. If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would. The service was excellent for the most part; prompt, friendly, knowledgeable, and courteous. But it's not really Mexican food, is it. It's what you would expect a winner of Masterchef to interpret Mexican food as. But let's set that aside for a minute and talk about the experience in isolation. The menu is very well designed and thoughtfully laid out to give novices all the information they need without patronizing regulars. The waiter compared the street food section to tapas, which is a good way of describing it. Appetizer-sized portions of tacos, quesedillas, taquitos, etc, etc are good for sharing amongst friends. The bigger bites section has the usual burritos, enchiladas, etc. My char-grilled steak burrito had cabbage and pickled onions in ita hearty WTF to that. But, it was reasonably tasty and well constructed. I was a bit disappointed with the beer selection - only Corona and Modelo (both Especial and Negro) for Mexican beer. No Dos Equis, no Mexicali, no Sol, and no Tecate. I think this place can be characterized as a gateway Mexican restaurant - definitely not what you'd find on the streets of Guadalajara but a great way to get acquainted with the flavors and lingo. The food was fresh, well prepared, and attractively served. Give it a try, but don't bother waiting in line - there's better ways to spend your time. read more

Having been craving proper Mexican street food since a visit to the real thing last year, this place definitely ticked the boxes for me! We were served up with a mouthwatering selection of taquitos, quesadillas and tacos accompanied by two really distinctive types of salsa and some habanero chili sauce to ramp up the heat if desired. All very fresh and colourful, with my particular favourites being the spicy pork tacos, chorizo and cheese quesadillas and unusual but really great broad bean and feta taquitos. Our waitress was friendly and upbeat, and service was nice and quick without being rushed. The atmosphere was just right for an informal dinner - quite relaxed, modern and airy but with the occassional rustic touch and a big open kitchen so you can see all the action. Definitely recommended. read more

Was worth the wait for sure! We had an hour to go till the table was ready, but it ain't hard to get the time around in this part of London. What we got was the selection for two, and me and my boyfriend were both more than satisfied and surprised by the mixture of different flavours. For anybody who wants to get a taste of their great varieties, I would suggest to go for that dish. The cocktails they offer are worth their price and their tequilas are really different from the crap you get in normal bars. The staff was great, every two minutes somebody was around and asked if we needed something. Only minus-point for me was that I sat at a place without a backrest so after we dined there for over an hour I had a bit of a backache. Though there was still quite a queue waiting for tables nobody hurried us to finish up or gave us any pressure to leave, an experience i made in other restaurants before. Wahaca will see us for sure again; it is a very lively place, and I would not suggest to go there with bigger groups as this will be quite a wait to get a table, but for two people it is a perfect place to go on a date. read more

I kinda liked Wahaca, but it's missing that something special. It has the air of a franchise/chain, but a good one, kinda like a Mexican Wagamama. The food is good without being Earth-shattering. It's not particularly cheap (I'm not a Londoner though). What can I say? It's a 3 star place for me. read more

The friend who encouraged me to go to Wahaca with her last week sold me on the strength of her passion for their frijoles - I figured anywhere who excels in such a simple dish as black beans must be pretty great at other Mexican dishes too! I spent a week in DF earlier in the year and as a veggie can categorically state that Wahaca offers a great deal more options for non-meateaters than anywhere I ate in Mexico City. Everything's also cooked far more healthily and vegetables are present! I found it very hard to choose from the inviting menu but eventually settled on the aforementioned frijoles (superb), broad bean and feta quesadillas (sublime) and summer vegetable burrito (so-so). I wasn't mad keen on the burrito because I felt the filling was too fussy - I'd much rather have had straightforward fajita veg, guacamole, salsa and regular cheese than courgette, tomatoes, spinach, tarragon and mint. It sounds lovely but just didn't do it for me. I'm very keen on going back to try the nopalitos (cactus) because I adored that in all the forms I tried it in DF, and will happily stick to the street food section of the menu for future visits and leave the burritos to places like Chilango (http://www.qype.co.uk/place/512244-Chilango-London) . The Wahaca experience was complete when upon leaving we were presented with matchbook-like packets of chillis to plant at home - can't wait to give that a go! read more

Love this place, which is why a group of ten of us wanted to go last night. But, alas, we were defeated by their rubbish no-booking policy thus penalising those who have the fore-sight to pre-book or need to organise large groups. On arrival we were politely told that it was a 1hr30 wait and with that we turned on our heels and walked right into a different restaurant who were able to seat us immediately. For restaurants this popular, surely a 50:50 split of pre-bookable tables/turn up tables would be fairer as a comprimise? Love the food. Hate the queues. read more

I like the idea of tapas but this just left me thinking I should have ordered more. I liked the sharing platter and the churros were lovely but really make sure you order lots and share it around because the variety of flavours is fab. The restriction to only tequila based drinks was a bit much but they were lovely. There was a variety of tequila available but no wine-based drinks or any other alcohol based drinks so if you tend to share too much on tequila stick to wine. There were different styles of Mexican tapas but it seemed to lack that authentic Mexican flavour you tend to get in North America. read more

I loved this place. I visited recently with a good pal who I hadn't seen for sometime and we were looking for somewhere a bit different in town for dinner and a leisurely catch-up. A friend at work (thanks, Penny ;-) ) had recommended Wahaca as somewhere which served tasty Mexican food, had a cool and modern atmosphere and vibe, but above all else, good service. We weren't disappointed! We arrived early as we were told mid-week evenings tend to be busy and that it can be difficult to get a table at 'peak' times. We put our names on a waiting list, were told a table would be available in 20mins, ordered ourselves a Mojito and grabbed a space on the bar bench seating. It was steadily getting busier (just past 6pm on a Weds eve), but we were seated within 15mins. We were lucky enough to have the most upbeat and enthusiastic waitress who couldn't do enough for us and who really made our experience rather exceptional! Our waitress explained the different sharing options and how we could put various dishes together to share for each course, which was helpful as there are quite a few 'mezzo' style dishes to choose from. Tables are well spaced, furniture is minimalist, toilets immaculate and menus are laid-out in a similar newsletter style to Wagamamas. You can take away the menus for future ref or to pass onto folk who you think may also like to visit. Clever marketing eh?! Modern, relaxed, great service and brilliant attention to detail. Food was scrummy and great to share. Definitely a top tip for meeting-up with a pal or a group of friends. read more

Great Mexican venue! The food is good, staff is very friendly and the place is beautiful! You can rather take a main course for yourself (around 6-7£) or choose to share lots of little courses with your friends which is lovely!! It's something like 3£ per course and so you can try a lot of different type of food from little tacos to quessadillas... and I found the food really good! Good venue to go with friends to celebrate something and drink Tequila after diner (or during lunch like us!!!) read more

Wow(haca), 84 reviews already?! Well, I'm not quite sure how much I can add, except to say that this was some of the tastiest food I'd ever eaten. OK, so you have to queue for a table, but when you're queuing with a tequila mojito this is no bad thing! Plus we were seated within half an hour, so no biggy. And they don't rush you when you are seated, either. It's all very laid back. A slight incident occured when my dining companion picked up her (second) Wahaca Mule cocktail, only for the bottom of the glass to come off. Said Wahaca Mule went EVERYWHERE, but the staff were quick to mop it up and bring a replacement, and they took the drinks off the bill without asking, which was a welcome bonus. I'd recommend ordering 2-3 'street food' dishes per person, then tucking in and sharing everything around. YUM. I'd be interested to see what the Soho and Westfield branches are like, but the atmosphere in the flagship Covent Garden one was great. read more

Tasty grub, good prices, quick service (although not most attentive but they're friendly at least), casual and cute decor. Can't really go wrong here! -Pork tacos: perfect amount of spice, slightly smokey, quite filling -Ceviche: nice light n tangy seafood combo -Guac: very yum -Quesadillas: big and filling -Queso fundido: just awesome read more

4 stars because this is England. In the US, between 3-4. The food is decent but not anything you couldn't find in a good hole in the wall Mexican joint. They have great sauces complimentary for the table: a smoky one and a spicy one. Try the small plate sampler. For about 20 pounds you get a substantial amount of tacos, tostadas, chaquitos, quesadillas, and sides for 2. Be sure to take home their matchbooks with serrano chile seeds instead of matches. read more

I personally love wahaca, it's easy going, great tasting and always has a vibrant atmosphere. I can't really fault much - the food's not out of this world of anything, but it's more than good enough. I always go for the small plates because I love having a bit of everything - I love the Chicken Caesar taco as well as the truffle quesadilla - and the tamarind twist cocktail is very unique tasting so worth going for - if you don't drink alcohol they have the tamarind twist non-alcoholic option too. read more

Having just spent an amazing evening at Wahaca, I cannot sing its praises highly enough. This is a perfect London dining experience when a new place opens, this is how you hope you'll feel when you exit. The atmosphere is incredibly sociable. Groups of varying sizes all find the feel conducive to their lively chit chat and the share share nature of the dishes goes further to enhance this vibe. Everything we ordered (and this was a lot) was supremely delicious. The guacamole was sublime, quasedillas dreamy, even the tortilla chips were as far away from a Dorito as you can imagine. Unlike some reviewers, my wait was not long at all the queue looked pretty extensive, but moved quickly. Once seated, our waitress was really friendly and just the right amount of attentive. This isn't a gourmet experience, but rather just exactly what London needs more of good quality restaurants, reasonably priced, with plenty of attitude and a focus on the food. Go there it won't disappoint. read more

I've been back here again-and-again and the novelty has not yet worn off! For a fresh twist on Mexican, both in terms of ideas and produce, Wahaca is in their own league. I love the concept of the 'street-food' which gives you mini-versions of the dishes and lets you try a variety rather than get stuck with one meal. Their chilli sauce is magnificent but be sure to have a mojito lined up to kill the fires. A good touch is the chilli seeds in matchboxes you get with the bill. I actually got mine to grow although I'm still awaiting the fruits of my labours. Love it take friends and share around for a good night out. Just get there early, cause there are no bookings and the queue grows quickly! read more

The best place I've eaten at in London so far. Seriously, seriously good. If you're coming at a weekend you may have to wait a long, long time for a table, but it's totally worth it. Go for the menu option that gives you a seasonal selection of what's on the menu, because otherwise it's impossible to choose. Great food, locally-sourced and reasonably-priced. It doesn't get much better than that. read more

Went here for a work lunch do about a year ago. The feel is light and airy in the underground refectory. The food was simple and tasty, but I thought the portions were a little small for the price. Love the boxes of matches, that were really chilli seeds. We tried to grow some with limited success until a workmate "watered" them with orange juice. Think will limit mixing orange and chilli to the professional choclatiers mmmm chocolate. read more

We went here for dinner for a friend's 'back in London' party and it was lovely. As we were a big group we got there quite early and managed to score the last large table! The staff were very accomodating locating extra chairs when non RSVP'd people showed up and wanted to join us. The food is pretty good value also. My fiance and I shared the tasting plate and we were both stuffed at the end of it. Since dining here we bought the recipe book and have been feasting on Mexican food ever since! read more