Wahaca Covent Garden

Wahaca on Chandos Place is the first restaurant the group opened, the original site where the whole chain began, and it still trades from the same corner between St Martin's Lane and Bedford Street on the southern side of Covent Garden. The kitchen serves fresh tacos and Mexican small plates for sharing, with margaritas and a lively room that fills before the evening shows.

The company has since grown to 14 restaurants across London, Brighton, Cardiff and Edinburgh, but Covent Garden remains the reference point for the format: street-food plates prepared daily from a wide range of ingredients, and a drinks list led by tequila and mezcal cocktails and the signature margaritas. Takeaway and Deliveroo orders are available from this branch as well as table service.

Mexican restaurant in Covent Garden for pre-theatre

Because so many guests are heading on to a show, the restaurant flags its pre-theatre dining options directly: the Wahaca For One menu and the Feasting Menus to share are designed to be ordered and served quickly, and diners are asked to mention their curtain time when booking so the tacos and margaritas arrive in good time. Group menus served family-style start at £22.50 a head, and gluten, kids and vegan menus are all published.

What to expect on a visit

The room mixes booths and smaller tables, with step-free access, accessible toilets and baby changing. It opens at noon every day, closing at 10pm early in the week, 11pm from Thursday to Saturday and 9pm on Sunday. Charing Cross and Leicester Square stations are both close. Wahaca appears among the takeaways in Covent Garden for its collection service, and Shake Shack in the Market Building is the nearest alternative for a quick sit-down meal.