Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London

Wahaca rocks the faux fajitas!

If you’re an American living in London, chances are you are going loco for good Mexican food. It’s no secret that London’s Mexican culinary scene isn’t bustin’ anyone’s piñatas.

And if you’re a gringo who previously lived in California, Texas or Florida (like me!), you REALLY know your burritos from your enchiladas. Verdad?!

So, when my friend invited me to Wahaca on 19-23 Charlotte Street W1T 1RL for her Feliz Cumpleanos drink, I was skeptical.
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London
But, with a building front THAT colourful in London, I figured they could probably handle my hot tamale.

The hostess sat Mr Sunny and I in an area of the ground floor called “The Cave.”  Curious indeed.
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London
Our server appeared about 10 minutes later. We found it pretty amusing that she made giant circles on our menu showing what we ordered.
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street LondonMaybe she thought we’d forget? 😉

Our Fresh Tomato Salsa and Chips appeared fairly quickly. It was pretty comparable to what I’d expect in Florida at an authentically owned Mexican restaurant.
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street LondonThe rest of our selections came from the “Street Food” menu, which advises 2-3 plates per person.  Our big mistake was not ordering enough. Mr. Sunny and I just picked two items each. Because this Mamacita likes to eat, that wasn’t smart. I could have easily eaten an additional round of food.

Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London
Chicken Caesar Tostados
Wahaca Menu Charlotte Street
Chorizo and Potato Quesadillas

I have to say, Bravo! to Wahaca for what they do. It’s next to impossible to get the staple ingredients necessary for Mexican food in the UK, so they’ve done a fabulous job of incorporating the freshest of what is available to recreate a Mexican street market menu.

Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London
Grilled British Steak Tacos
Wahaca Menu Charlotte Street
Tender Marinated Chicken Taquitos

After paying our bill, we headed to the upstairs bar for my friend’s birthday drink. This is “Mezcalería” their cocktail bar which “serves a range of the world’s finest mezcals and cocktails which have been designed especially for the venue.”
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street LondonWahaca Menu Charlotte Street

I went back a few days later to get these pictures for you, chicos.

The bar was PACKED the Friday night we went, so I didn’t dare take them. After my nutty experience trying to take pictures in the mobs of crowds at Chinese New Year, I’ve decided not to be a photog desperado. The wait for drinks was treacherous. Ay caramba! If they’re planning a big Cinco de Mayo fiesta, I hope that they have more bartenders and wait staff working.
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London
So, I felt it was best to go back and capture the warm colours, patterns and textures of Mexican interior design during the day. Plus, I wanted to catch a mid-day swing and siesta in one of these…
Wahaca Review Charlotte Street London
I’d recommend Wahaca for those who just can’t live without Mexican cuisine. But, if you’re a die hard Mexican foodie, this is nach-yo cheese.

Leave your experience with Mexican restaurants in London below, por favor!

Adios, Sunny amigos!Wahaca Review Charlotte Street

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20 Comments

  1. I had completely forgotten about Wahaca! I went there when I was pregnant two years ago and LOVED it! Although I wasn’t as polite as you with ordering (I had 4!!). Definitely have to go back, thanks for jogging my memory!! xx

  2. Interesting! Sounds and looks pretty good!! We do miss our our Tex-Mex!! I’m fine with Chipotle or Tortillas for a big ole burrito. Anywhere else and I’m a bit snobby about my Mexican/Tex-Mex. The just don’t seem to get the seasoning right. I make enough at home to keep us satisfied until our next visit home to Texas! This definitely looks good though!

    1. Tina, there’s nothing like the authentic Mexican food we get in the States, but I guess they just can’t get all the ingredients here. Maybe next time I go home I can smuggle some across the border? LOL!

  3. London really is lacking in good Mexican places. Mestizo is the best one that I’ve been to http://london.mestizomx.com/. Its seems relatively authentic in there so hopefully that’ll satisfy your crazing for tamales!! I just looked at their website and the have a wheat free menu so its perfect for you!!! There’s also a lactose intolerant, vegan and and nut-free menu so they’re really covering all bases!! I hope you and Mr Sunny like it.

    Lots of love,
    Angie
    SilverSpoon London

  4. whenever friends from home visit I take them to Wahaca because of the mexican style tapas. And you can order as often as you can – Taquitos are my favourite at the moment.

    1. Thank you for reading! We did like the tapas style, just wished we had ordered much more. Glad to hear you and your friends also enjoy Wahaca. There are many located throughout London.

  5. My friends and I wanted to go to Wahaca at South Bank last weekend and when we arrived there was an hour and a half wait! I was too hungry too wait that long so we went somewhere else, but I need to go back!

    1. Sammy, we arrived at about 5:45 on a Friday night, so there was no wait. I’m sure however, judging from the crowd at the bar later that the wait downstairs was substantial. Let me know what you think when you make it there.

  6. What…..no Corona with a lime?? Not quite the cantina I remember from Mexico, but certainly colorful and the birdcage swings look like the perfect place for a noontime siesta…….if I could only find my sombrero!

    1. You are so funny, Patty! Mr. Sunny didn’t have a Corona. He’s the resident blog beer drinker. The restaurant had an entirely different ambiance the night we were there. It was crazy packed!

  7. Ooh just yesterday my housemate was raving about Wahaca – I’d never heard of it before. Looks really good, love the idea of a having a Mexican equivalent of tapas 🙂

    1. Thank you for reading and commenting, Natalie. From what I hear, Wahaca is very popular, so it seems smart to get there early. The tapas idea does make it unique as well. What other Mexican restaurants would you suggest in London?

  8. Oh wow! Those bird cage chairs are amazing! 🙂

    This place actually looks really cool, I’d definitely go here (especially because I also love how colourful it is from the outside – it’s all about first impressions right?!) and I’ve not had Mexican food in London yet so it’s definitely on my list 🙂

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