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Wagamama
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 12 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Thu-Sat 12 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Sun 12 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
€€
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Children:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
10 reviews for Wagamama
I absolutely love Wagamama! The food is good, especially the White Chocolate- Ginger cake for dessert, and reasonably priced for Dublin. Like Ruth, I love the Chili Chicken Ramen and even though I've tried a few of the other mains as well I keep coming back to it. The fresh juices are fab as well.
One downside though is that you can't pre-book tables and it tends to get pretty loud at times so not ideal for a date, but if you just want to have dinner with a few friends its perfect. The staff are generally friendly and so far no one has kicked me out for making a mess by trying to eat with chopsticks.
After all that festive fayre, I must be on an Asian cuisine buzz! Tonight's hotspot was chosen because my friend and I both wanted "healthy, with lots of vegetables and no turkey or stuffing in sight". Oh, and warm!
The basement setting was particularly inviting amidst the windy, rainy streets of Dublin. As was the promise of steaming bowls of ramen soup! We wolfed down chilli beef ramen and a bowl of extra chillis (no extra charge). We shared perfectly al dente stir fried greens and light, crispy tempura prawns with a delightfully zingy sauce that tingled the tongue like spicy popping candy.
Seeing as we were drinking Chinese tea and tap water (this was offered - nice touch!), the whole bill came to less than €50. There were even cheaper options with one main, a side dish and a beer or wine for under €16 per person, so a great choice for the budget conscious. As an extra surprise, we each received a voucher for a free fresh juice or Kombucha next time we buy a main course during January. Kampai!
The only thing I would have changed was the amount of kids running around and the lack of hanging space. Still, you know what you're getting and the food is always quality. I'd recommend choosing a little later than 7pm though, if you don't want to feel like youre surrounded by oompa loompas.
I paid the equivalent of around $25.00 for a bowl of spicy chicken ramen. FYI, that usually goes for 10cents at the supermarket, if you buy ten to a pack. The servers were nice but the food was definitely not worth the price.
I was high on the ramen and it didn't really hit me that my friend and I had paid $50 for two bowls of ramen. For that amount, we could have purchased 20 pints of beer, or 5 dvds, or a concert ticket, maybe two, or sponsored 50 children in some third world country. getting the idea? not me, i'll probably be back, but definitely not in Dublin, where prices are ridiculous.
Though quite pricey for what it is, Wagamama was my go-to Dublin joint to bring the heat. Their chili chicken ramen always satisfied, so I stuck with it. My boyfriend explored most all of the menu and tended to favor their dry noodle dishes. They also have great freshly squeezed juices.
Service is very quick, making Wagamama a great stop before heading to a show or what have you. Tables are communal, and the restaurant is not surprisingly rather loud. Still, I love that chili chicken ramen, and I am pretty sure that is about the only spicy food I found in Dublin.
I am continually baffled by Wagamama's reputation as a fine example of Asian cuisine. Add to this my outrage that this restaurant is all that many know of Asian cuisine in the first place and you will have an emotional dish that is far more flavoursome than anything on Wagamama's unimpressive menu.
The notion that Wagamama represents for Japanese food to the mainstream masses is garnish to my distaste. Anyone who has eaten genuine Japanese food (and the fact that this is a very small number in Ireland perhaps belies Wagamama's success) knows that this establishment's fare is very below par indeed. I attribute it' success to its central location, fairly swift service and the fact that its name is well known. Situated underneath St Stephen's Green shopping centre, its initial impression is of contemporary and minimalist Japanese décor. However, once settled on the benches, in front of the long tables, this reveals itself as a cold, slightly uncomfortable and impersonal setting that is, on closer inspection, slightly shabby.
The staff are usually indifferent, laconic and about as personal as the little walkie-talkie style order books they use to transfer your order to the kitchen. All this may be permissible if the actual food was of a high quality. As it most definitely is not, all the above is inexcusable. The chicken ramen is one of the blandest meals I have ever had the misfortune to taste. The chicken might as well have been pieces of cardboard for all the flavour they held, and the noodles were the same. The soup they swam in was hot, but more than that I cannot say. Note that the dish did not actively taste bad - it just barely tasted of anything. The chicken katsu curry is slightly better, the breadcrumbed chicken and curry sauce actually tasting quite mediocre. A major issue I have with Wagamama, though, is the rice. Sticky Japanese rice is a staple to any Japanese diet, occupying the place of the potato back in the Famine days before we discovered pasta. So for an Asian restaurant to serve up the dry, lukewarm rice that Wagamama does has the same effect the blight had on the aforesaid Rooster or Kerr Pink.
Ultimately, Wagamama for me is what a Big Al is to Jo'burger. For anybody who wants a taste of any decent Japanese fare, head to Yamamori or Ukiyo - better yet, just go to Japan.
I'd have to agree with Ruth on the pricing, it's a little expensive for what you get. Having said that I'm in the place quite a bit. The chicken katsu curry is my current favourite, followed in close second by cha han, a rice bowl with chicken, prawns and mushrooms. It's also available in Vegetarian option for the non carnivores. Chicken ramen gets the thumbs up for two of my friends as well.
It's not a sit down for hours type of place and you'll probably end up hearing your fellow diners conversation, but the communal dining thing makes a change and it's great for a quick bit on the go or on the way somewhere else
Okay, so Wagamama is just an international chain restaurant, but it's quick, the prices are reasonable and there are choices for vegetarians and vegans. The food isn't anything special - it's mostly noodle dishes. This place is lacking a bit in atmosphere with the long communal tables, but chances are you're probably not going to Wagamama for the whole evening anyway.
Wagamama is an okay restaurant but not one of my favourite places to get Asian food. I still think that Yamamori Noodles on Georges Street beats Wagamama, hands down.
Wagamama's menu is pretty basic, most of it consists of noodle soups that come in really big bowls with wooden spoons. The meals are a bit pricey for what you get: a bowl of broth and a slice of chicken.
The selection of fresh juices here is excellent. I ordered a carrot juice and I finished it in two gulps. From where I was seated, I saw the cook make it so I knew it was freshly prepared, none of that pre-made pitcher nonsense.
What bothers me about Wagamama is the service. It feels really abrupt and cafeteria style. As the waitress takes your order, she scribbles a number on your paper place mat. About 3 different people deal with you. One person takes your order, another drops down your food and another gives you your bill. It seems disorganised and you don't feel valued as a customer.
I'll probably come back to this restaurant but only in another 3 or 4 years.
A fantastic restaurant no matter what city you find one in. The Dublin one is particularly popular due to the Wagamama quality you expect & reasonable prices (by Dublin standards) too. Definitely worth a visit!
Oh Wagamama, why don't you come on over to Chicago? Every time that I go to Dublin, I try to stop in to have some of your tasty noodle offerings. There are so many noodle choices, how does one decide? I usually go with the non-soup items, and haven't been disappointed. The drink menu is fun too. Service is quick, so it makes a perfect stop when you've got other things to do and see.
