Wahaca - Covent Garden, London

This weekend Eddie and I ate at Wahaca in Covent Garden. It was my first time there and Eddie's second (he had an office Christmas lunch there). I really enjoyed it and Eddie liked it much better the second time around, most likely because he wasn't with a large group eating a set menu.

We were told the wait would be an hour but after wandering around Covent Garden for 30 minutes we came back and were surprised to be seated immediately by the really friendly host. Our waiter was also really friendly and paid the perfect amount of attention to us: not too much that it was overbearing but enough that we didn't feel ignored.

The concept of the restaurant is Mexican street (or market) food where you get multiple small dishes either for yourself or to share. It is kind of like tapas or mezes with Mexican food.

My selections included:

• Agua Fresca - a flavored water that was really refreshing and good.
  
• Chicken Taquitos - could have used more filling but still great.
  
• Mushroom Quesadilla - a little blackened on the outside and not enough cheese, would have been better served with crème fraiche (or sour cream).
  
• Green Rice - not my favorite, kind of bland, wouldn't order it again.

Eddie's were:

• Tortilla soup - I tried this and regretted that I hadn't order the chicken version...I plan to on our next visit. They bring out the liquid part of the soup in a pitcher and the "fixings" in a bowl and then pour at the table for you. It was a nice touch but not done in a pretentious way.
  
• Frijoles Tostadas - Eddie thought they were tasty but was not blown away by them.
  
• Esquites - I also tried and really liked these, I only wish there had been more!
  

And to share:

• Wahaca nuts - really good, but really spicy, even for Eddie who likes spicy food.
  
• Churros y chocolate - the churros themselves were great but as a whole dish it wasn't as good as what we had at La Marina.
  

For all of the food above including a coke, beer and coffee we paid 34 GBP which we thought was great value for money.

Overall Wahaca has a great concept with lots of options (including several vegetarian options). The food is the best Mexican we have had in London, it is great value and the staff is really friendly. We would definitely recommend it and will definitely be going back.