[uggboylovestravel]

April 2017, our dinner experiences

After watching “Don’t be afraid”, a Spanish film, at the Pearse Street Library as part of their Spanish Film Club on selected Thursdays myself and my fiancé planned for dinner and we made our way to Wagamama in South King Street, Dublin, Ireland.

We had to wait for a few minutes at the Pan-Asian restaurant, because there was a small queue of people who waited also for a table/seats to open up for them.

The restaurant was as always buzzing.

We ordered a large raw juice, a regular carrot juice, green tea, two raw salads, the grilled tuna from the Omakase section with Quinoa, red peppers, red onions and a cucumber salad and the obligatory chicken katsu. As dessert we had the chocolate wasabi cake and the banana katsu.

We enjoyed our dinner again at this newly renovated Wagamama outlet located in the heart of the Irish Capital.

Staff was warm, friendly and efficient.

The bill was 61.70 Euro (ca. 65.80 USD).

Wagamama is one of our favorite chains and we will continue to frequent this outlet and hopefully others around the world.

Would we recommend this restaurant to a friend? YES!
Would we want to enjoy again lunch/dinner in our future at this restaurant? YES!

Thank you and safe travels.

[capetonianm]

Wagamama is clearly a success story, I’ve eaten with friends at several different ones. It’s a good value formula for budget dining and reasonable food quality.

They always seem to be busy, crowded, and noisy, and although I don’t like sitting on those hard wooden benches and sharing with other people I can see why it’s successful (like Ryanair) but it’s not for me. Happily we all have different tastes.

[uggboylovestravel]

@capetonianm, thanks for your insights. We enjoy Wagamama and we’re glad that it’s actually budget friendly and of high quality in terms of setting/food/swift service/selection offered and locations around the world.

We would recommend Wagamama based on our experiences so far.

Cheers & Safe Travels.

[1nfrequent]

I like Wagamama but I find that restaurants can be quite variable in terms of service. My local Wagamamas has very friendly staff but the service is incredibly slow. I also don’t thin it’s as budget as it can be – two starters and a Ramen with a drink can come close to 30 quid including a tip.

Thank you for the review, uggboylovestravel.

1F

[K1ngston]

I have to agree with you great places to socialise and the menu is authentic and enjoyable, that coming from someone who has lived in Asia for many years …..

[stevescoots]

[quote quote=802869]Wagamama is clearly a success story, I’ve eaten with friends at several different ones. It’s a good value formula for budget dining and reasonable food quality.

They always seem to be busy, crowded, and noisy, and although I don’t like sitting on those hard wooden benches and sharing with other people I can see why it’s successful (like Ryanair) but it’s not for me. Happily we all have different tastes.

[/quote]

My sentiments too, I like to food and service has been good in teh ones i have been in but the surroundings are not to my taste, if i wanted hard seats and table sharing which is common in the ones i have been in then I would go street food

[IanFromHKG]

The Offspring are big fans of Wagamama, and when departing Heathrow on their way back home at the end of term this is their standard “lounge substitute”. I must confess that I am not personally a fan simply because I am not a fan of the cuisine, nor am I a fan of refectory-table restaurants, but I recognise that the food is of good quality and does appeal to its target audience.

More importantly, though – Congratulations on your engagement, uggyboy!!(Yes, I noticed your referred to your fiancé rather than your partner in this post!). All best wishes to you both.

[TominScotland]

Uggboy – I just love your honest and positive reviews so please keep them coming. I have just spent the long weekend in Dublin which appears to be a regular haunt of yours. We used to live there and still have a property in Dalkey (fabulous restaurants and cafes if you have not been there) so we are over regularly too.

We must have eaten out 6-8 times over the weekend – brunch, lunch and dinners – never in the same place, never in a chain operation. I know that restaurants are very much about personal preference but I would never dream of going to a global chain place like Waga unless there was absolutely zero real choice (as in an airport) when Dublin is so rich with local and authentic Irish (and international) offerings.

What do others feel about local versus global when choosing somewhere to dine?

[Cloud-9]

I generally prefer local. Have a nice wander round a new place looking at a few restaurants to see what of the local cuisine I fancy, and then plump for a place which is not empty!

I was in San Marino a few weks ago and found a great little place: had fish fried in shredded potato, so different and enjoyable with a glass or 2 of the local grape juice.

However, if I need to go to a toilet in a 2nd or 3rd world country I’ll try and find a McDonald’s or similar fast food chain 😉

[LuganoPirate]

Thanks for your as usual excellent review Uggboy. I’ve never been to Wagamamma but the way you describe it is most enticing and on my list of places to try.

[uggboylovestravel]

Thank you all for your kind comments and stimulating insights. It’s good to know and I’m glad that members of this forum here on FT are “foodies” and enjoy to eat out and try new restaurants on a regular basis.

Cheers & Safe Travels.

[tadcaster2014]

I love a Wagamama

[tadcaster2014]

I think they are expanding

http://eatoutmagazine.co.uk/wagamama-open-first-restaurant-spain-today

[uggboylovestravel]

@tadcaster2014, thanks for your link and insights.

Cheers & Safe Travels.

[No Name]

Although I love some of the dishes in Wagamanas, this wouldn’t be my first choice as a frequent flyer. Having read the food nutrition analysis and compared it to other restaurants in airports, it has some of the highest salt and fat levels. I found it difficult to choose an item that wasn’t high in fat or salt. Some dishes can contain your entire fat and salt intake for the day!

However, on my last trip to review Wagamanas, I asked for no added salt or ingredients high in sodium. The waiter was excellent and informed the chef of my request. So if you have unmanaged high blood pressure or are watching your weight, then request a modified meal. The only other alternative is to order a child’s meal where the sodium and fat content is not as high.

[Author]

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