WAHACA - An Inflatable Pignata

Newly opening in the Wimbledon Piazza where Coal's used to be, it was an opportunity for the Wimbledon Eater team to try out this new place before it became too popular. Labelled as a chain of Mexican street food restaurant, it is owned by a Masterchef winner from 2005.

The inside of the restaurant has the appearance of a warehouse, with plain walls and a very high ceiling and pipes wrapped in aluminium. The sections of the restaurant are all divided into different compartments by a wooden skeleton structure and then a mix of vividly coloured furniture freshens up the layout with tables, bar, chairs and benches. Still we found the place quite gloomy or not bright enough - perhaps a different use of colour, or even a multi-storey approach would have been more interesting rather a cavernous warehouse. It seemed the space was there but not there.

The menu is quite extensive and it should be made clear this is a street food restaurant where you order a multitude of dishes to share similar to the "tapas" concept. You can choose from an array of Mexican classics such as tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tortilla chips and so on, all served with different type of fillings. The range is quite extensive, from meats spiced differently to cactus and fish. The menu is one sheet of paper but it contained a lot of writing.

In terms of service, staff is very friendly and casual. They also remind you the food comes when ready and therefore dishes come at different times. We were very impressed for how quickly they turned our order, and the food was neat, well-presented and flavoursome. The pork pibil, and the tortilla chips with frijoles and guacamole were nice and original. The tacos and quesadillas were delicious in flavour but not appetising or impressive in the look or the colour on the plate. The cactus tacos promised an original twist but was overpowered by courgettes. Still, chipotle chicken, chicken tinga, sweet potaton, the many ingredients used felt fresh and tasty. Still, they made you want more for the portion were indeed small.

Food was really good but the group was not overly impressed. It seemed the restaurant was trying to look big and impressive, and present street food on a fancy plate, but it inflated it too much and diluted the goodness of the food it has to give. It all went wrong even further when the bill came. Overly expensive.

Wahaca is an ideal place only for sharing plenty of dishes on the table rather than individual-based orders.
Only this way you enjoy the taste of the food and you keep your wallet happy.

Our verdict is as follows:
Quality of Food        3.40
Hygiene                     4.40
Value for Money      3.20
Speed of Service       4.40
Quality of Service    4.00
Ambience & décor   3.80

Wahaca gets an overall rating of 76.4%