I have been to Wahaca twice before. Once was my treat for my friend's birthday, another time a date. Both of these times, my dinner date and I would punt for getting little street food pieces to share. Which is a nice way to experience many different flavours and try lots of different things. However, I sometimes feel pretty bad sharing with others because I don't eat meat, which instantly restricts both of our options should be choose to share. I have tried and would totally recommend from prior experience:
- Cactus taco (cactus is very unusal and I personally love it!), £4.10
- Plantain taco (again not everyone's bag but with the feta is divine), £3.95
- Ceviche tostada, (v. refreshing and light), £5.25
- Black bean and cheese quesadilla, £3.70
- Guacamole and tortilla chips to nibble on, £3.95
- Sweet potato fries, £3.10
I can personally vouch that all of these are bloody delicious, and I'm sure all the meaty ones are too from what I've heard. So, I feel that I have had my fair share (scuse the pun) of sharing plates in Wahaca.
This time that I went, I knew I wanted to try one of their 'main' dishes, as in just one dish for one person. No sharing. ALLLLL FOR ME. So, as burritos are my favourite things on the entire planet, my eye went straight to that bit of the menu. Not going to lie, I was swayed by 'fish a la pimenta' (£10.50), but I have fish a lot at home and never ever make myself a burrito.
I opted for the cactus and courgette burrito (£6.85), which had new potato, was layered with feta and had salsa with tortilla chips on the side. My friend and I also shared tortilla chips and guacamole, and I HAD to order the obligatory margarita (£5.95) - always my drink of choice.
As a Mexican street food restaurant, it goes without saying that the tequila in the margarita was sublime and the margarita was everything it should be - zesty with lime and I could taste the tequila - the whole point.
And no trip to Wahaca would be complete without churros (£3.95) - traditional doughnut things, dusted in a cinnamon sugar, and served with a decadently rich chocolate dipping sauce. My friend and I shared this because it can be quite rich and sickly - perfect for sharing.
The quality of the food in Wahaca has never let me down. However, it can be super easy to rack up quite a large bill with the sharing plates if you're not careful. Being advised to have 2-3 dishes per person, when some dishes can be £5-6 on their own... it can tot up to more than one would like pretty rapidly.
I was super impressed though with the fact that by getting a fantastic burrito, one of the best I've had, a cocktail and sharing a pudding, I only spent £15. I think that is an absolute bargain for dinner. If I'm on a budget, I will definitely look at the burritos as my option because you don't compromise on Mexican flavour but do save muchos moneyos. But if I have a bit of dosh burning a hole in my pocket, you'll definitely see me picking everything off the sharing menu. Wahaca is just too good, if you haven't been already just go already (there are loads around London now!) and I can stop ranting on about how amazing it is....