wagamama Reviews 346

I ordered a Wagamamma takeaway recently via Deliveroo and it was disappointing enough that I ended up pursuing a refund.

The chilli chicken ramen arrived with almost no broth, which makes it very difficult to call it a ramen in any meaningful sense. What was there tasted thin and generic, more like a stock cube than a properly developed ramen base. This is a major change, as their ramen used to be lovely.

The issues weren’t limited to one dish. The beef bao were pale and lacked flavour, covered in a bland sauce with none of the depth or texture they used to have. The chicken gyoza had an odd, undercooked crunch in places, as if the filling hadn’t been properly prepared, which made them unpleasant to eat.

Taken together, this didn’t feel like a one-off mistake. It felt like a broader decline in quality while prices remain high. “Enshittification” is an overused word, but it is appropriate here. A product that was once high quality is clearly cheap and unpleasant now, and not worth the money.

To their credit, Deliveroo ultimately issued a full refund after I raised the issue, which says a lot about how far the experience missed the mark.

If you’re looking for high-quality ramen, I wouldn’t recommend this. There are far better options available now, and you'd genuinely be better off going to an Asian supermarket and buying some frozen gyoza and a packet of microwave noodles.

Wanted a relaxing experience with the gluten free menu. Manager totally overbearing and insistent on the full medicalisation of a simple intolerance, lecturing about legal responsibilities and insistence on going through a tablet with the menu rather than just letting me choose from the gf menu. Really ruined it so we left without ordering. I don’t need to know about all your procedures as I’m not staff - I just need to not have gluten. Very very disappointed.

Lovely experience at Wagamama Harlow thanks to Megan. She was incredibly helpful with my gluten free and vegan needs, making me feel confident and well looked after. Such a kind and attentive person, thank you, Megan! I’ll definitely be back.

Invited to Wagamomas Stevenge after 2 year gap.
New menu is designed around ease and profit.
Authenticity taste and asian variety has disappeared.
Turned into Mc Donald's of noodles.will not go again.
I give it 5 more years till group disappears.

When wagamamas came to Dundee we were totally thrilled. Have loved Wagamamas since first visiting in London years ago. For the first year or so it was lovely - quality food and great service & atmosphere. We went the other night for the first time in ages and will not return. My husband’s rice dish arrived with no sauce and the rice at the bottom of the bowl was solid and rock hard and inedible. Had obvs been cooked badly (long time ago) and not stirred. He sent it back and the same dish came back with the rice scraped off and more added. Still fairly stuck together. My meal came in the meantime and was warm but not fresh. Had obvs been sitting somewhere for a while. This is so different to our earlier experiences we were horribly disappointed. A friend told us that these days the food is transported from Edinburgh to Dundee so that would totally explain our experience. We will def not be recommending to anyone we know.

I had dinner at Wagamama in stains with my Daughter on my Birthday and it was so great. Daniella and Emma were amazing . Service was great and food was good.

Beware if you're going to eat at Wagamama Norwich Chapel Field - always check your restaurant receipts - my bill was £27.90, and I told the waiter (Charlie) to put a £3 tip, but he put £20.10 instead, making the bill £48. Luckily, I asked for a receipt, and before leaving, I noticed the £48 total was wrong. I told him I only wanted a £3 tip, but he added £20.10 instead. He took the bill to the cash register and said the refund would be credited to my bank account later. Three weeks later, I still haven't received the refund. I went back to the restaurant, but Charlie wasn't there. I asked another staff member to return the money, and this time I didn't want to add an extra tip. I was very frustrated because Charlie never apologized. Why did he add £20.10 without my permission?

We visited to celebrate a special occasion for my daughter, but the service completely ruined the experience.
The staff member was rude throughout, with no greeting and an abrupt, dismissive attitude. Drinks were slammed onto the table twice, spilling water with no apology, and we were left to clean it up ourselves.
The same behaviour continued when the food arrived, making the whole meal feel rushed and uncomfortable.
Really disappointing, especially for what should have been a special occasion.

Wagamamas has become quite disappointing of late; it used to be the best place to go for vegetarian options but not any more. The menu has been extensively trimmed - no starters at all now which is a shame as the flat bread and crispy mushrooms were amazing. Mains again limited especially for vegetarian and vegan options. What we had was lovely but pricey - time to look for somewhere else that does better veggie options.

Experience was amazing ! Jesna really took care of me and hadhadhas great energy ! Well done Wagamama’s for hiring her honestly

We had a wonderful experience at the Wagamama Southbank today. We were order 1261, and the service from Hector and Jeo was absolutely outstanding. They were incredibly helpful, patient, kind, welcoming, and genuinely friendly throughout our visit.

They took the time to thoughtfully adjust our meal selection to avoid heavy spice, which was greatly appreciated, and even brought toothpicks for my very fussy partner, such a small gesture but it really showed their attentiveness and care.

Both of them were smiling, fresh, and radiated such positive energy. Service like this truly makes a difference and added so much to our meal.

We love eating at this Wagamama - the staff are always fabulous, and the food is consistently fresh and delicious.

Thank you, Hector and Jeo, for such a lovely experience .........you were fantastic!

The friendly staff encouraged us to wait patiently during the half term queue. Food was great with good portions

Really disappointed with our first visit to Wagamama. My daughter and I had never been before and, sadly, it will probably be our last time. We paid just over £40 for two rice bowls, one cocktail and water, which felt extremely overpriced for what we received.
To make matters worse, the chilli oil wasn’t labelled. We didn’t realise what it was and it completely ruined one of the meals. That’s such an easy thing to prevent and could have been avoided with clearer labelling.
Overall, it just didn’t feel like good value for money and the experience didn’t live up to the price. Unfortunately, we won’t be returning.

Visited the Stratford (Westfield) branch and was very disappointed by the recent menu changes. Removing long-standing favourites like Pad Thai really takes away one of the main reasons to visit.

I ordered the Saku duck a Chef’s Special instead, but the duck was dry just dried out and tasteless , and the duck gyoza were hard and overcooked like a biscuit.

Service was fine, but the food quality and reduced menu make this feel like a step down from what Wagamama used to offer.

The food was just "okay" not particularly good and for the price you are paying is definitely not worth it when there are so many better options out there. We ended up spending around £60 for two meals, a side dish, drinks and a dessert. The desert was probably the most enjoyable part of the whole experience. Definitely go elsewhere if you have the option.

Well I’m a big fan of Wagamama I ordered my ramen a lot from Basingstoke brunch, few times already was really bad but I never complained well today it’s the day I have enough, I love Wagamama after hard day working in the hospice it’s my thing, today I waited 2 hours well that is fine it’s Friday just to get warm soup with so soft pasta that is just melt in the mouth plus some grey bits in it🤢🤢 well my beans were not soggy as always so point for it so I had something to eat…. 22£ for shit great

Stevenage. Okay so if I'm being completely honest, it can be a bit expensive for the whole family to go but that's true for most restaurants these days. I miss the pre-pandemic days when prices were more reasonable. Then again, the food is always great and the service is fast and excellent. Can't complain at all.

It's a lot of money for an under-seasoned bowl of rice. We spent about £50 between us and left hungry. Meat and sauce portions are laughably small. Most of your meal will be un-seasoned rice or noodles.

I didn’t realise Wagamama used my details when I paid my bill by QR code at table - and sell on to third parties. The cold calls started ….

I have emailed them asking for my data details to me removed . Still waiting for a response.

Pros

1. Consistently good service across most branches.
2. Excellent app experience. I only wish this feature had arrived sooner, but better late than never.
3. Strong hygiene standards — open kitchens, cooks wearing hats, and no eating while cooking.
4. Clean dining environment. Some locations even wipe menus and oil bottles before closing, which is a relief because sticky menus are the worst.
5. Menu flexibility with solid options for vegans, vegetarians, and different dietary needs.
6. Minimal use of MSG compared to many other places. Most ramen elsewhere contains MSG (E621), which can cause bloating or discomfort for some people. I still need to double‑check whether their chicken katsu sauce contains any.
7. Reasonable portion sizes that feel balanced rather than overwhelming.
8. Good variety of flavours across the menu.
9. Complimentary green tea if you ask for it.
10. Communal seating works well, though it may not suit everyone — especially during busy times or for people who need back support.

---
Cons

1. Service at the North Finchley branch can be slow, especially with the nearby cinema increasing footfall.
2. Some favourite dishes have been removed, particularly fish‑based ones.
3. Inconsistent menu decisions. They’ve changed gyoza styles and chilli squid suppliers a few times — sometimes but revert back so listen. The deep fried gyoza change was horrible but customers agreed to they want back to steamed and slightly dried. So much better - and healthier
4. MSG still appears in some dishes, so it’s worth asking. They also use sulfites in certain sauces, which can cause issues like heartburn for some people.
5. Some new dishes miss the mark. The Udonora, for example, felt underwhelming, and the bacon was burnt enough to leave dark flecks in the sauce. Honestly, it might be better removed from the menu.
6. Prices have risen noticeably since Covid, making it less accessible for some customers.
7. Smoothies rely heavily on apple juice, which means a lot of fructose. They used to offer options like carrot juice, but those have disappeared — understandable if demand was low, but still a shame.
8. Paper placemats are a mixed bag — good for promoting new dishes and recyclable, but they do use a lot of ink.
9. Takeaway packaging is still plastic-heavy. They’ve moved from black to cream containers, which is an improvement, but I’d like to see more progress toward cardboard or other alternatives.
10. Takeaway ramen often lacks enough water based broth. I’ve had orders arrive with so little liquid that I wondered if the container had leaked, but it’s happened multiple times.