Wahaca

I love Mexican food and appreciate good service and the two times I have been there I have had a less than satisfactory experience. Both times the same waiter has spoiled what should have been a perfect meal, despite the food being served inconsistently. The waiter was male and has brown middle parted floppy hair, upon greeting us I was under the impression he was pleased to have our custom and we were polite and appreciative back to him. First occasion my wife ordered the steak salad and asked for it rare, it arrived 5-8 mins after my dish and was thoroughly cooked through, she asked for his opinion on whether that was a rare steak, he begrudgingly took at back and returned with a rare one and then said in a patronising tone, eyebrows raised "there, is this one better for you?"....No apology just that we had caused him a real inconvenience. 2nd visit we had hoped it was just on off day and we are all human we all have off days - up all night, headache, struggling to make ends meet, argument with our partner, etc. And also perhaps we would be lucky enough to get a different member of the waiting staff, but no the same one came and was welcoming enough and helped us choose something he thought we might find tasty, top marks, the food was indeed excellent, but the gap between receiving my food compared with my wife's left me feeling like they had forgotten my order, so she had virtually finished by the time I got mine, no bother though, people forget. Then we came to pay, my wife's card, despite having ample funds on it was declined and his response was to tilt his head raise his eyebrows and announce very loudly and with a patronising tone "decliiiiined" so every one in earshot could hear, "do you have another card perhaps that one has something you can use to pay for it"...."er actually there's no problem with that account it has ample funds on it", then said in a lower less gleeful way "oh well I have been having trouble with this card reader" and he tried it again, the payment was taken, no apology and then upon seeing that the tip he was expecting was not given a very quick, terse and sarcastic "thank you". Unfortunately until he leaves the service can only be seen from a below par perspective. 
Just been back this weekend - although why we bothered I am struggling to find the answer to - apart from the food was again very tasty. However this time round we were served by a more friendly couple of waitresses, all 5 of us ordered, 4 meals came and we waited, started eating ours to save it from getting cold...and waited and asked the waitress for the 5th dish...and waited and she came back and we asked again and were given the excuse oh that one takes longer than the others so I'll see if its ready. Utter rubbish, we watched others who arrived after us getting served the same dish. She returned with it and it had clearly been waiting on the side for some time as was cold to lukewarm. Next we noticed that a portion of rice was missing "excuse me we ordered a rice and it hasn't arrived" just as we were finishing our meals, so she nipped off and got it, no sorry, and it was charged on the bill....What are you meant to eat that rice with, well there was nothing to eat it with so I guess I answered my own question. The bill arrived and as 5 of us were dining service had automatically been added, why? Do you get any better service if 3 or 4 of you eat, well I hope you don't get worse. Sadly this place has the intention of good mexican food which benefits from the Westfield passing crowd, I wonder how many of the diners give it an ill advised return journey?  

Five star Mexican food and five star service! There is very little that you cannot like about this brightly coloured Mexican restaurant. Whilst the skulls are not to everyone’s taste (although personally I love them and the whole dia los muetos theme), there is something on the menu for everyone and the staff are friendly and approachable (They were attentive, friendly and knew their menus. They offered recommendations and we found them laid back even though it was the lunch time weekend rush). People have a very unusual view of Mexican food, they think that it’s all Taco’s and Burrito’s, where really this is more of a Americanisation. Mexican food is much more like street food, homemade snacks that you can buy on the street, very much in the same vein as Spanish tapas. I remember a few years back going to the Covent Garden branch of this small chain for a leaving party for one of my work friends who recommended we all go here. She herself was Mexican, loved this restaurant and wanted us to share some ‘real’ Mexican food (or the closest thing that she could find to her home cuisine) with us. I was under the impression at the time that this was quite an expensive place. However being a work’s thing and not picking up the bill, this was probably more to do about the amount that we ordered and drunk! So visiting the Shepherd’s Bush branch in Westfield’s I was pleasantly shocked to see how inexpensive this restaurant actually is. The food is fantastic, and whilst you can order yourself a Burrito or main, you can also order a number of smaller dishes and sides (very much like you would if you were ordering Tapas), which allows you to sample and share a number of delightful, fresh and tasty dishes rather than having to stick to one. Burritos are about the same cost as if you went to the more fast-food orientated burrito take-away restaurants you find around London. However this experience is more appealing; you don’t feel rushed and can sit back and enjoy the décor (skulls and all), lovely glasses which are handmade and made from recycled glass and pleasant atmosphere. I also fell in love with their Tequila selection and cocktails. They have some fantastic choices which were extremely quaffable! I tried the passion fruit margarita and the tequila mojito and could not fault either. This place has now become a frim favourite London Mexican eatery.

Wahaca wahaca linda! I guess this restaurant is still my favourite but lately it has manage to disappoint me and is loosing it’s position quickly against other mexican restaurants in town. It’s obviously not my first time in here or any other branch of wahaca and i feel like it’s losing the initial passion that you could feel when the company was getting bigger and hotter, this time there’s a few things i didn’t enjoy as much nor my friend, the pork pibil tacos were really dry in comparison with all the other times, I finally found the problem with the ceviche tostadas they put mayonnaise on them and this ruins the taste completely; I asked a blonde and short distracted manager why is this dish prepared like that (the description in the menu is not accurate) and she said “because that’s the recipe” well i happen to be mexican and that’s not the recipe, and it can even be very unpleasant for lactose intolerant. The pork scratches were 50% rock and 50% pork, the chicken tinga tacos were a bit odd and with only 2 tiny cubes of chicken each, and the waiter was very slow bringing the food and clearing the plates. Now on the other hand, the dulce de leche ice cream had a very nice taste with a hit of chocolate chips, the tamarind margarita was well balanced and the michelada well executed, the table was clean, the reception at the door agile and the waiter was polite and receptive but not the quickest, the rest of the team seems to be caring only for their own section and not playing as a team. Ambiance was good and the toilets were well kept. Stations were a bit messy but overall it was ok. I’m changing my rating for a 3 star and hopefully next time i can give this cool restaurant a better rating!

see my last review above:

(“I’m a fan of mexican food and an avid critic of it. Wahaca is a trendy chain of mexican street food, the menu gladly is not texmex or mexican wannabe, they actually have a nice selection of some classic mexican dishes including my personal favourite and a must try; tacos of pork pibil. Quesadillas are really good the cheese is well melted and they use fresh market ingredients. Service is really quick, not as personal as I expect to be served but ok. Hibiscus water is not good at all, but on the other hand the Michelada is well seasoned and they do it with proper mexican beers. Overall is always a good experience to be in any of the Wahaca branches for a quick lunch or dinner…” first review on 21/03/11)

The service was top-notch. Sometimes when sitting outside, a table gets neglected by the server or busboy… not here. Our water glasses were always topped off and the plates were cleared in a timely manner. We never felt neglected a bit.

I was a bit apprehensive about coming here due to the mixed reviews, but I have no regrets at all. I’ll be back!

I've been to Wahaca a few times (well, this was the third...) and always this branch. Whilst meaning to try one of the other ones I always seem to just end up at the Westfield branch, and so far I haven't been too disappointed.

A massive fan of sharing plates and the tapas style approach (probably stemming from the fact I can never make up my mind what to have, so having some of everything works in my favour) we had dishes of the street food - some tacos - pork pibil and chicken tinga, MSC ceviche tostada, chorizo and potato quesadilla and one of their new specials - the Huarache (or slipper!). We also had some spicy slaw on the side.

I love their pork pibil, I've had that as one of the bigger mains (they do those as well as the street food dishes and it was good), so I enjoyed that. The chicken was alright but nothing special. I'm not a fan of seafood so didn't really enjoy the ceviche tostada (scallops and prawns) but that's not their fault! The quesadilla was fantastic, as was the Huarache and slaw. However overall the bread/wraps they used just didn't taste right, but I'm not exactly sure why, just a bit tasteless.

Drinks were good and my tequila chocolate toddy shot to conclude the meal was heart warming and had a great alcohol hit to it. Incredible. However service was a bit worse than usual, taking ages for the dishes to arrive, even though they were all piling up on the pass. And to get the bill took a while - noone seemed to be looking at us even though we were trying to get their attention!

Ah well. I've liked it before but this visit was under par, but I'll go again, and rather tempted to try one of the other locations out as well to see if there's a difference.

I've wandered past Wahaca often, and always be vaguely intrigued...plus the boy has always assured me that the food is delicious. We finally got around to making a trip on Saturday, and it left me with slightly mixed sentiments.

Some of the food is, indeed, delicious. The chorizo and potato quesadillos, the pork pibil and the MSC ceviche were gorgeous - beautifully spiced, lovely flavours and all very more-ish. We also tried the Huarache (black beans, salsa, feta...), which was very pleasant, and the chicken tinga tacos (lovely chicken, not keen on the sauce). To be honest, the main disapointment of the food was the tortillas themselves, which didn't quite manage either a taste or a texture that enthralled me. But that can be over-looked, given the tasty fillings.

For once, I decided to have a dessert too. Now that was a disappointment. I like churros - I've had them in Spain a few times - and they've always been tasty and surprisingly un-greasy...well, not here. The oiliness and lack of flavour of the churros made me regret ordering a dessert at all, even though the chocolate sauce was lovely and the boy's chill choclate tequilla toddy was quite surprisingly yummy.

So the dessert disappointed. But there was another reason why I couldn't push my score up; the service. Now, I have to say that the staff were all delightfully friendly, polite and willing to help and make suggestions. It's just getting them to pay attention that's a little hard. In fairness to them, they have a lot of tables to look after and it was busy, but when you have to sit holding your empty glass desperatley trying to catch someone's eye as they walk past you not once, not twice, not even just three times...well, it's not the best of situations.

Still, whilst I may not decide to go back there myself, I would certainley not turn it down as a suggestion. And there are a few things I wouldn't mind trying next time I visit...

Perfect for a break from trawling through the best mall in London, Wahaca is a buzzing haven. I recently tried the Soho branch and enjoyed the experience so much that when my friend suggested the Westfield branch the other day, I readily agreed. This time we went for the sharing platter of 5 dishes - the pok pilbil tacos, seasonal vegetarian tacos, corn quitlacoche quesadillas and chicken taqitos and black bean tostadas - all for £19.95.
This was a pretty decent spread for the price - truth be told we probably didn't even need that much food. Their own made soft drinks are lovely; my friend waxed lyrical over the almond and rice milk iced drink with cinnamon, while I liked the sweet and fresh hibiscus water made with cranberry both for £1.40.
Lovely food, messy, authentic, friendly and colourful.

I really liked Wahaca for a lunch in the middle of shopping at Westfield. It was busy, good atmosphere, helpful quick service and good decor.

The food was good - I didn't order anything too spectacular just a steak burrito and my partner had fish tacos but they were tasty, substantial and were spiced just right for me. The food is obviously fresh, the salad type veg are crisp and the flavours are clean.

I thought the pricing was good - not ultra cheap but certainly affordable. I would certainly go here again for lunch and maybe try another branch for an evening meal - maybe somewhere just a little less hectic.

Really enjoyed it overall.

I have been to wahaca once as a friend recommended it, I loved the food and liked the fact that it is traditional mexican food. I also liked that the food doesnt all come out at once and the small mini dishes were amazing, i had three of them and still had a a main course. definatley recommend to everyone.

I'm a lover of Mexican food (and all Latin American food, for that matter), so I was really excited to visit Wahaca, seeing quite good reviews. I went with a friend, and my opinion is a bit mixed. The service was quite nice and our food came out immediately, but to me honest food coming out in about 5 minutes makes me a bit concerned about the quality of the food, how long it's been sitting there, etc.

I liked what I had ordered, I believe it was a Potato Taquito and a shrimp ceviche, in fact I really loved the ceviche, which had a nice fresh flavor. However, my friend couldn't finish his food because he disliked it so much. I had a bite of his chicken taco, and he was right, it was quite bland. I didn't dare try his British steak taco (of course, why buy English food where the specialty is Mexican, but I digress...), but I trusted his judgment.

I can't give Wahaca more than a 3, considering my friend (a real meat lover) hated his meal, yet I quite liked mine. I'd like to go one more time though to sample a few more and really get a feel of it :]

Westfield's South Terrace comprises a number of restaurants that are well-established enough to be considered a 'chain', but still small enough that the chains are mostly restricted to a handful of branches in London / the South East. For example, Balans, Fire and Stone, Del'Aziz, Kitchen Italia - and Wahaca, which has a total of three restaurants in London only. I like Westfield's policy in this respect; there is no Pizza Express, no Ask, no Zizzi - none of the ubiquitous restaurant chains that have become too big.

Although Wahaca services a high number of covers, and at times can be a little pushed in that respect, the staff are highly personable and efficient, and cope very well with what is essentially the fruits of their popularity: a high turnover!

Cocktails are generally good, as is the selection of good tequilas on the menu.

The street food concept is something I like, and it is done very well here. It's essentially like tapas, order a handful of mini dishes and don't worry if it's not enough - you can order more later. For me this is perfect because I often don't like to commit to a main dish that may or may not be to my taste.

As for puds: the chilli chocolate ice cream was a winner. I'm a fan of both chilli and chocolate, I am relatively sceptical of putting the two together, but here it works very well.

The eating experience is fun: messy but delicious.

This place is always lively and I love the food here.

the service is getting a bit TGI fridays, which is annoying. I dont appreciate the service of 12.5% as it is often slow. Although it is a lot faster than when it first opened.

For me this place is about the food and I like it. The atmosphere makes it somewhere I like to go after shopping. I get what I am expecting.

Appalling customer service, manager with an attitude, waiting staff unable to explain the menu, cold hot chocolate, and a demand to pay a 12.5% service fee!!! Awful place! The only thing that saved it from being a total disaster was the food which was actually quite good, but overpriced for the portions served.

nice atmosphere but pricey for such small dishes.
we left feeling hungry after about 1 hr.
A nice touch were the little books which hubby thought were matches, i asumed toothpics but it was infact chilli seeds.

Altogether the food was tasty and popular

Have visited a number of times now, after wandering into Westfield or purposefully visiting. A friend of mine from Cardiff regularly makes the trip over here for the food and drink!

I'll not add much to everyone else's opinions - quite good value for money, great food, busy and bustling atmosphere, and interesting drinks menu. Loved the Horchata and Agua Fresca, but loved even more the Cactus dishes last summer - please bring these back for your Summer menu!

Chocolate con Churros was very good - as is the salsa and guacamole.

Must say the service has remained the same good standard all times I've been there to eat (4 or 5 now, since it opened in 2008) however some of the portions have got smaller - and the wait at busy times has increased!

i just wanted to see what the big deal was about with Wahaca was i've always planned to go there one day and when i found out that Westfields opened one i had to try it. Composed of two floors, it seemed to have a industrial theme to the decor. the manageress was so attentive and came to me and my friend and accompanied us down to our table which i thought was nice of her. she took our orders of drinks,i tried the agua frescas which was flavoured mexi water.i thought it was a different taste to what i've had before.i was also on a budget so i was impressed that there were meals that were affordable but also pricy. i just had chicken tanga tacos which cost under £4.I did love it and wanted to spoil myself more. we did also get nachos with dip.What was nice is that they place the nachos in a cute pail accompanied with sour cream. it was busy when we went there but not over packed.the service was outstanding and we were asked if we wanted desserts or wanted anything else to eat.i would definetely go back here and an overall good experience

Wahaca - Pics @ The London Foodie
(http://www.thelondonfoodie.co.uk)

I was one of the 30 lucky Qypers (mostly food bloggers) who were invited to taste Wahaca’s new autumn menu at their Westfield branch.

Having experienced some disastrous meals at other Mexican restaurants in London, I had steered clear of this cuisine until now. I had never visited Wahaca before and was looking forward to the evening ahead.

I was truly impressed by the food I tasted, and feel now a growing curiosity to learn more about this type of cooking. Most impressive however, was meeting and dining with the founders Tommi (Thomasina Miers, winner of 2005 Masterchef), Mark Selby and his wife, the gorgeous Cecilia, who runs Wahaca’s blog. Their enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of Mexican cuisine were contagious, and made our evening memorable.

We had a useful introduction by Tommi and Mark of the dishes that we would be tasting, and the three types of tequilas to accompany them. We started the evening with a lovely dish of “Smoked Herring Tostada” (£3.75) - shredded smoked herring in a Veracruzan sauce (made mainly of olive oil, capers, tomatoes, chillies and various herbs) on tortillas. I enjoyed this and felt that the fish and slightly tart sauce married well.

To follow, we had what I think was one of the best dishes of the evening – “Black Bean and Chicken Soup” (£6.75). Served with shredded chicken, diced avocado, feta cheese, cream, ancho chillies and totopo (a type of corn tortilla), these were topped by a creamy and rich soup of black beans. The contrasting combination of flavours and textures was a revelation despite the odd appearence, with the ancho chillies giving a spicy but sweet, almost chocolatey quality to the dish.

The “Huitlacoche Quesadillas” (£3.75) with corn, mushroom and cheese, were also good. Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows on the ears of corn, it has a very pungent earthy flavour reminiscent of mushroom and corn. I could easily have a few of those with some cold beer.

Their “Winter Fuerza Salad” (£6.90) was next, a combination of roasted butternut squash, spelt, diced orange, ancho chillies, feta, avocado, and other ingredients. This was a hearty salad, combining two of my favourite salad ingredients – butternut squash & feta. I will certainly try this again.

To accompany the salad, we also had “Pork Pibil” (£3.75), a traditional Mexican slow roasted pork dish from Yucatan Peninsula, marinated in a lime based sauce and slow roasted in banana leaves. This was one of the highlights of the evening, the meat was succulent, sweet and tender.

Wahaca’s “Vegetable Pipian” (£7.75) was our next course. Pipian is a traditional “mole” type sauce used to accompany poultry. It is popular in the North East region of Mexico, consisting mostly of ground nuts, garlic, onions, chillies, and chocolate. Wahaca’s vegetarian take was intriguing and bursting with flavours of fresh herbs and ground green pumpkin seeds. The addition of rice and mushrooms was a good alternative to the usual chicken. I loved the richness of this sauce soaked up by the fluffy rice and meaty mushrooms. This was a truly warming winter dish I look forward to trying again.

This was followed by “Baja-California Fish Tacos” (£7.75), crispy fried fish goujons with chipotle mayonnaise in a delicious tomato salsa served on large tacos. This was an easy going dish that anyone would struggle to fault but not particularly memorable in comparison to some of the other dishes.

The enchilada with “mole” (£8.75) was creamy and rich, and partnered well with the tender pieces of shredded chicken, rice and other ingredients. This was a meaty alternative to the earlier Vegetable Pipian; a sophisticated sauce with hints of chocolate, chillies, onions, and garlic.

Next on the list was the “Fish a la Veracruzana” (£9.95), a parcel of Pollock fillet slow cooked in a Veracruzan sauce (made mainly of olive oil, capers, tomatoes, chillies and various herbs) and served with coriander rice. The accompanying fresh salsa was a nice addition to the green rice and fish.

The last of our main courses was the “Vegetable Burrito” (£6), made of toasted flour tortillas filled with coriander rice, and served with corn chips and tomato salsa.

For dessert we had a platter of hot, crispy “Churros y Chocolate” (£3.40). I remember having similar ones in Madrid, although there the hot chocolate was much denser. I found Wahaca’s particularly good and preferred the less glutinous texture of the rich hot chocolate. This was the perfect ending to a wonderful Mexican meal.

We also tasted three of their finest tequilas – a Blanco, a Reposado and an Añejo (aged version). They had distinct characteristics and were smooth and partnered well with the evening’s dishes.

It was a great event for which I would like to thank the organiser Chris from Qype, and Tommi, Mark & Cecilia for their kindness and hospitality. It was also a great pleasure to meet people whose blogs I had been inspired by: Su-Lin of Tamarind & Thyme and Mel and Kelsie from Travels with my Fork.

Verdict – Inspiring Mexican Street Food to share at reasonable prices. The management have a genuine understanding and passion for Mexican food which is reflected in the delicious dishes on offer. Highly recommended.

Great concept with brilliant execution. Superb food - ingredients sourced as locally as possible, inspiration from the Mexican markets - it's consistently good and fun.

I've been taken through the menu here by a few people in the know - it fully knocked my socks off. I'm normally an adventurous type and will go for the things I haven't heard of before - if you're not, do make an effort to do so here. It's the stuff you wouldn't normally order that shines out. The chocolatey mole, the fish tacos, the black bean soup... well, you can see plenty of others waxing lyrical on the topic down below my writings. But, you know, even if you're not feeling adventurous, something like the sharing selection for two is comprehensive and equally tasty and good quality.

I was there when the top deck was closed off for the night - I went up to take in the view and couldn't help but enjoy watching everyone downstairs clattering and chattering, and mostly getting overexcited about their plastic spoons.

Wahaca at Westfield has been reviewed extensively so I'll spare you exhaustive details on the food. Suffice it so say, the food is excellent - with freshness, flavour and interest the driving motivation.

Service was friendly and fun. Food arrives suprisingly quickly. There are excellent (top-flight) tequilas as well as delicious non-alcoholic cocktails. We had a lovely time and I recommend it for a fun time with friends.

Being a huge fan of Mexican and tapas equally, despite knowing about Wahaca it has taken me quite a while to actually go to one.

I always thought my first visit would be to the one in Covent Garden, but as I had tickets to see Florence and the Machine at Shepherds Bush Empire last week I thought I would see what the restaurants had to offer at Westfield.

We chose Wahaca over the plethora of other restaurants available and we were pleasantly surprised, although the service was a little slow in places.

My cousin and I chose a selection of the 'tapas' style dishes, which was great, because we really couldn't decide on one big main dish each.

Unfortunately we were chatting a little too much when we first arrived and had to ask the waiter to come back twice. However, it then took him about 20 mins to come back and find us a third time and in retrospect I wish we had just ordered drinks and some tortilla chips and a dip to munch on whilst we mulled the menu over.

The menu is vast and wide, which is great and our waiter gave a very helpful overview of everything that they have to offer, as we were Wahaca rookies.

Once we had ordered our food everything came in a pretty timely manner and we had eaten and paid up within half an hour or so. Just a shame it took so long to actually get our order in, despite taking a little while to decide.

Would definitely return as the food was tasty and good value.