Wahaca
A British restaurant group serving Mexican-style street food.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Wahaca is a British restaurant group built around Mexican-style street food, casual dining and a broadly accessible interpretation of regional Mexican flavours. The business was founded in London in 2007 by chef and author Thomasina Miers, with Mark Selby also identified as a co-founder. Its name is a phonetic rendering of Oaxaca, the southern Mexican state whose name and culinary traditions provided the inspiration for the brand. The first Wahaca opened on Chandos Place in London in August 2007. Rather than presenting Mexican food solely as a formal restaurant cuisine, the concept was designed around small plates, tacos, tostadas, quesadillas, burritos, fresh salsas, guacamole and other food associated with Mexican street markets. The format combined counter-style informality and relatively quick service with a sit-down restaurant environment. This helped Wahaca occupy a middle ground between fast food and conventional casual dining. The chain expanded in London during its first decade. A second branch opened at Westfield in October 2008, followed by restaurants in Canary Wharf and Soho in 2011. The company also experimented with mobile street kitchens and, in 2012, opened the Top One Wahaca Southbank Experiment. These formats allowed the brand to test locations, events and more flexible ways of serving its food. By December 2017, the group reported 25 branches, three bars and two street-kitchen locations, compared with 19 branches in September 2015. Its geographic expansion included Manchester in 2015 and Edinburgh in 2016, extending the business beyond London. Wahaca also developed adjacent concepts. In 2014 it introduced DF Tacos, a faster food-hall and restaurant format. The DF Tacos restaurants and food-hall operations later closed in 2025. In July 2016, Wahaca launched an at-home product range, extending the brand into retail-style meal occasions beyond its restaurants. Sustainability has been a prominent part of the group's public positioning. Wahaca was certified carbon neutral in 2016, described at the time as the first UK restaurant group to receive that certification. The company has also adjusted its menu in response to environmental concerns. In April 2023 it announced that steak would no longer be served, citing a desire to reduce the carbon footprint associated with its food offer. The decision illustrates the way Wahaca has connected Mexican-inspired food with sourcing and environmental messaging. The company experienced significant financial and operational pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, it announced the permanent closure of ten restaurants as part of a restructuring prompted by the downturn in trade. In November of the same year, Dick Enthoven, associated with the Nando's ownership family, acquired a £4 million majority stake in the parent company, Oaxaca Ltd. Wahaca also entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement under which shareholders and lenders agreed to write off £25 million of debt, alongside a reported £5 million injection into the business. Wahaca has received recognition for food, design and sustainability. In 2016, co-founders Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby were named Restaurateurs of the Year by Caterer Magazine. The brand's identity remains centered on informal Mexican-inspired dining in the United Kingdom, with restaurant service, drinks, events and selected at-home products forming its broader offer.
History
Wahaca was established in London in 2007 by chef Thomasina Miers, with Mark Selby as a co-founder. The brand's name is a phonetic spelling of Oaxaca, a Mexican state known for a distinctive and influential food culture. The concept translated selected Mexican street-food traditions into a British casual-dining setting, emphasizing shareable portions, tacos, fresh salsas, guacamole, tortillas and other dishes designed for informal eating. Miers opened the first branch on Chandos Place in August 2007. The second site opened at Westfield London in October 2008. Further London expansion followed in 2011 with restaurants in Canary Wharf and Soho. Wahaca also tested more experimental formats, including its first mobile street kitchen and the Top One Wahaca Southbank Experiment, opened in 2012. These initiatives broadened the brand beyond a standard fixed-site restaurant model and connected it with festivals, events and high-footfall locations. The company expanded outside London in the middle of the 2010s. Its first north-west restaurant opened in Manchester in September 2015, while its first Scottish branch opened in central Edinburgh in October 2016. In December 2017, Wahaca had 25 branches, three bars and two street-kitchen locations. This represented growth from 19 branches in September 2015. Wahaca created the DF Tacos concept in 2014 as a faster, food-hall-oriented extension of its Mexican offer. It operated both standalone restaurants and food-hall locations, but those operations closed in 2025. Wahaca also entered the at-home category in July 2016, offering products intended to let customers recreate elements of the restaurant experience outside its sites. The group developed a public identity around responsible sourcing and environmental performance. In 2016 it became the first UK restaurant group described as carbon neutral, and the founders received a Restaurateur of the Year award from Caterer Magazine. In November 2017, Wahaca used Mexico's Day of the Dead as the basis for a three-day promotional festival. Sustainability remained part of its strategy, culminating in the April 2023 announcement that steak would be removed from the menu to reduce the carbon footprint of the food range. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major contraction. In August 2020, Wahaca announced that ten of its 28 restaurants would close permanently. The affected locations included Bluewater, Bristol, Brixton, Charlotte Street, Chichester, Manchester, Liverpool, Kentish Town, Southampton and St Paul's. In November 2020, Dick Enthoven acquired a reported £4 million majority stake in Oaxaca Ltd., Wahaca's legal parent. The business entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement under which £25 million of debt was written off and £5 million was injected into the restaurant group. Wahaca therefore continued as a private UK restaurant business after a substantial financial restructuring. The brand has also faced operational and employment-related controversies. In 2016, restaurants were suspected of being connected to a norovirus outbreak affecting around 1,000 people; Wahaca temporarily closed nine outlets and apologised. In 2019, it was criticised for a policy under which serving staff could be charged for customer bills left unpaid. The policy was changed after public backlash. These events form part of the company's operating history alongside its expansion, sustainability initiatives and restructuring.
- 2025
DF Tacos operations close
[1]The DF Tacos restaurant and food-hall operations closed.
- 2023
Steak removed from menu
[1]Wahaca announced that it would stop serving steak as part of a carbon-footprint reduction effort.
- 2020
Pandemic restructuring
[1]The group announced ten permanent restaurant closures and entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement.
- 2017
Network reaches 25 branches
[1]By December, Wahaca had 25 branches, three bars and two street-kitchen locations.
- 2016
At-home range and Scottish expansion
[1]Wahaca launched an at-home range and opened its first Scottish restaurant in central Edinburgh.
- 2016
Carbon-neutral certification
[1]Wahaca became the first UK restaurant group described as carbon neutral.
- 2015
First north-west restaurant opens
[1]Wahaca opened its first north-west England restaurant in Manchester.
- 2014
DF Tacos launched
[1]The company introduced DF Tacos as a faster restaurant and food-hall concept.
- 2012
Top One Wahaca Southbank Experiment opens
[1]Wahaca opened an experimental Southbank format, extending its restaurant and street-food model.
- 2011
Canary Wharf and Soho expansion
[1]The group added restaurants in Canary Wharf and Soho and launched its first mobile street kitchen.
Products and positioning
Mid-market casual dining focused on Mexican-style street food, fresh ingredients, informal service and sustainability.
Mexican-style street food · 2007
Tacos
Tacos are central to Wahaca's offer and represent the brand's street-food positioning. The restaurant format typically presents tacos as individual or shareable items, supported by salsas, toppings and other Mexican-inspired accompaniments. They provide a flexible platform for meat, seafood and vegetarian fillings.
Mexican-style street food · 2007
Burritos
Burritos form part of Wahaca's more substantial Mexican-inspired dishes. They offer a portable, filling format that complements the group's smaller plates and tacos and supports the brand's fast-casual appeal.
Starter and side · 2007
Guacamole and tortilla chips
Guacamole served with tortilla chips is one of Wahaca's recognizable sharing-style offerings. It supports the brand's emphasis on fresh preparation, communal eating and informal Mexican-inspired dining.
Fast-casual restaurant concept · 2014
DF Tacos
DF Tacos was a faster, food-hall-oriented concept launched by Wahaca in 2014. It operated through restaurants and food-hall sites as an adjacent expression of the group's taco-focused offer. The operations closed in 2025.
At-home food range · 2016
Wahaca at-home range
The at-home range extended Wahaca's brand beyond its restaurants, allowing customers to prepare or consume Mexican-inspired food on other occasions. It was launched in 2016 as part of the group's broader effort to develop additional channels.
Controversies
2019
Criticism over staff liability for unpaid bills
Wahaca was criticised for making serving staff pay part of customer bills when diners left without paying. After social-media backlash, the company changed the policy.
2016
Norovirus outbreak
Wahaca restaurants, mainly in London and also including Manchester, were suspected as a source of a norovirus outbreak that reportedly left approximately 1,000 people ill. The group temporarily closed nine outlets and apologised to affected customers.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Day of the Dead festival
United Kingdom
Wahaca used Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday as the basis for a three-day festival intended to promote the restaurant group and connect its brand identity with Mexican cultural traditions.
Outcome. The available reference material does not specify measurable commercial results.
Brand decisions
2023
Removal of steak from the menuStrategyBackground
Wahaca linked the decision to its objective of reducing the carbon footprint of its food offer.
Action taken
The company announced that it would no longer serve steak.
Aftermath
The available reference material does not report quantified environmental or commercial results.
2020
Pandemic restructuring and restaurant closuresStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp downturn in restaurant trading and placed pressure on Wahaca's estate and finances.
Action taken
Wahaca permanently closed ten restaurants and entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement. The restructuring included debt write-offs, new funding and a majority investment by Dick Enthoven in Oaxaca Ltd.
Aftermath
The business continued as a smaller private restaurant group after the restructuring.
Reported investment, debt write-off and new funding. £4 million majority-stake investment; £25 million of debt written off; £5 million injected (2020)
2014
Launch of DF TacosStrategyBackground
Wahaca sought to extend its Mexican street-food proposition into faster restaurant and food-hall formats.
Action taken
The company launched DF Tacos as an adjacent brand operating in restaurants and food halls.
Aftermath
The DF Tacos operations subsequently closed in 2025.
Recent events
Sources3 sources
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