Reviews Wagamama

Been here twice now and fabulous! First time the beef ramen and this time the grilled tuna (Omakase) - full of flavour and perfectly cooked. Great food and beer. Service only so so.

Wagamama was created by London-based restaurateur Alan Yau, who subsequently created the Chinese restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha in London (which have each been awarded a Michelin Star). The first wagamama opened in 1992 in Bloomsbury, London and is has been steadily growing because of its popularity. Today it has over 120 restaurants in United Kingdom alone.

Wagamama’s tag line says fresh, lively food (with soul). The word wagamama itself means is self-indulgent or self-centered in Japanese. Wagamama believes in a Japanese philosophy called kaizen, which they say 'shapes every dish we create, and pushes us to find better ways in all that we do. We’re restless spirits. forever creating and making things better'.

We visited the Wagamama branch in Brent Cross Shopping Centre for lunch. After a short wait, we were ushered to a communal table, which was comfortable and open.

Here is a list of things we ordered and tried:

Edamame: Thi is steamed edamame beans served with salt or chilli garlic salt. It was extremely tender and had an interesting flavour and texture which was new to me. Loved it.
Ebi Katsu: This is simply crispy fried prawns in panko breadcrumbs served with a spicy chilli and garlic sauce and garnished with lime. This dish was kay and it could have been better if the prawns were little moist and plum.
Chicken Steamed Gyoza: Five tasty steamed chicken dumplings, served grilled and with a dipping sauce. Nothing outstanding here.
Chicken Katsu Curry: Chicken coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs, covered in an aromatic curry sauce served with sticky rice and a side salad. A favourite with many dinners here. The curry sauce is clearly a Malay inspired one, which is creamy and very mildly spicy.
Firecracker Chicken: A fiery mix of chicken, mangetout, red and green peppers, onions and hot red chillies, served with steamed rice, sesame seeds, shichimi and fresh lime. The dish was great in presentation, ingredients and taste. Though it was spicy, it also had a hint of sweetness which balanced well with the hotness from chillies.
Chicken Itame: Rice noodles in a spicy green coconut and lemongrass soup topped with chicken, stir-fried beansprouts, red and spring onions, bok choi, peppers, mushrooms and chillies. Garnished with coriander and lime. This dish is quite filling because of the coconut milk base. But otherwise a good option for weight watchers.
Yasai Itame: Rice noodles in a spicy green coconut and lemongrass soup topped with tofu and vegetables, stir-fried beansprouts, red and spring onions, bok choi, peppers, mushrooms and chillies. Garnished with coriander and lime. A nice option for vegetarians.

Wagama also offers Ramen, Omakase, Teppanyaki, Donburi, more currys, salads, non-gluten food, desserts, fresh juices and drinks. And the food and ambiance won’t disappoint you.

Wagamama has really great Japanese variety and goes out of the norm of sticking mainly to sushi because it is more like contemporary yet authentic japanese food. Paradox, I agree but I love the food here. Cant speak enough of the chilli squid and chicken gyozas. They're my absolute favorites. From my time in Asia, Ive really developed a liking for tonkatsu. The chicken katsu curry is perfect for me. The super crisp katsu, the gravy and the rice all come together beautifully. For the pig I am, I always order the wagamama ramen because trust me, its art on a plate. Everything from the flavors to the stained egg just come together to make a masterpiece. Even the desserts dont fail to impress me- the half moon pancakes, passionfruit cheesecake and the fudge cake are all lovely.
Thumbs uuupp.

Tasty food, friendly staff. They always seem busy and understaffed, but are always working so hard to keep up with the demand.

Great service and food tasted amazing. Thank you for a lovely evening 🥰

Summary: Good food ok service Came and queued to book a table and was ignored good start... came back about an hour later and there was luckly seating for 8. Ordering was fine and service was ok (mulitple waiters for the table confused things) but the lack of pricing on the menus was a pain. Guess thats a branding thing. Meals were very good. Full plates good quantity and quality, high level of presentation...kids meals a little high priced... but again they were highly presented so i guess its a branding thing... Thoughts... Good for dates and adult meals, less of a (young) family meal thing though.

There was already a small queue forming at around quarter past twelve on Saturday, but we were seated very promptly. I was pleased to see that they had implemented social distancing measures, so we had lots of space and barriers separating us from other parties. I ordered Shu’s shiok chicken, which was quite flavourful. It had a slow, warm heat to it, but tolerable for someone who can’t really take spicy food. My only complaint is that the rice seemed to be either overcooked or poor quality because it was stodgy. I tried some of my husband’s shirodashi ramen. The pork belly was tender, although the noodles were too soft and doughy for my liking. Green tea was free (nice) and our server was very friendly. We paid online via the QR code on our menu, which I thought was a very convenient feature. Overall a good outing this weekend.

I was very impressed by the team here. I went as part of a large group (+20) and even at short notice, they were able to accommodate us. Thank you.

Tatsy noodle, ramen and rice place. If you like spice try the Firecracker which is spicy but delicious. My favourite dish. The bun with mushroom and aubergine was really nice and also the crispy squid was best. Just want to say thank you to Marina a employee who went above and beyond, when asked about Halal dishes she took her time out and circled all the halal dishes. She didny have to do this but was really nice of her. She was very friendly and polite and was a delight. Good meal after shopping at Brent cross shopping centre would definitely recommend.

Busy Saturday lunchtime at Brent Cross shopping centre. Staff coped well with the hungry hordes pouring through the door. I enjoyed all my meals except the bao bun which seemed to have been made in a hurry.