Thomasina Miers

Wahaca, Liverpool

With the exception of a few flimsy fajitas made at home, or a tray of nachos at the cinema, I’ve not tried much Mexican cuisine. Drinks are a different story (I’m looking at you Tequila!) So when my brother suggested trying a new Mexican restaurant for lunch, I wasn’t too enthused. However, he was paying….

Wahaca is a Mexican street food restaurant on College Lane in Liverpool One. The Wahaca restaurant group was created in 2007 by Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers. A move inspired by her travels to Mexico and falling in love with the country and cuisine. 

Miers teamed up with fellow Mexico enthusiast Mark Selby to open a restaurant back home. They aimed to recreate the vibrant colours, flavours and character that they had both experienced in Mexico’s markets. The group has since grown and now has 24 eateries throughout the UK. 

Determined to do things a little differently to the usual Mexican food offerings, the menu focuses on freshly prepared dishes designed for sharing. The restaurant sources tequila and mescal direct from Mexico.

Wahaca have an honest approach to their menu. An authentic meal experience that shows off the vibrancy and freshness of real Mexican food. Think freshly made guacamole with lime juice, ripe Hass avocados, seasonal vegetables and zingy salsas. 

The decor is equally as zingy. Bold blues, yellows and greens are used throughout. There's an outside terrace area for customers as well as a football table. This place will certainly brighten up a dull day. 

Our waiter, Joey, suggested we order 2-3 smaller dishes each to share between us.  My brother is also vegetarian which meant we could sample plenty of dishes during our visit.

Joey circled each of our choices on our paper menus. Shortly thereafter our dishes began arriving, as and when they were ready…

Plantain tacos with sweet and spicy chipotle adobe and feta.

Roasted sweet potato, feta and caramelised red onion wrapped in a crispy blue tortilla and dotted with salsa. 

Slow cooked black bean and cheese quesadillas. 

And, crispy fried chunks of sweet potato. 

So, am I a Mexican food convert? Put it this way, if Donald Trump knew authentic Mexican cuisine was this good, he definitely wouldn’t be building that wall!

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