Anyone think Wagamama restaurants just suck?

[Uncle Petey]

Haven't been to Wagamama's for over ten years. They were **** back then too.

 

[IronWarrior]

Most towns which have Wagamamas generally have independent Japanese restaurants. I kinda wish I had gone to one of those at least - at least my money would've gone towards glorious Nihonjin.

I doubt that, the closest I get to Japanese food is rice from Farm Foods, apart from that, I don't think there is anything within 100 miles or more from where I live.

 

[exhashdotdot]

I doubt that, the closest I get to Japanese food is rice from Farm Foods, apart from that, I don't think there is anything within 100 miles or more from where I live.

you must live in a very remote place.

 

[Judgeneo]

- Overpriced
- Unfilling
- Corporate as hell
- Constantly offered side dishes
- Constantly offered drinks (no free refills)
- Food isn't good
- Isn't even Japanese
- They don't even bring your table's food all at once

Why the hell is this place so popular? I got invited to go for a meal with a bunch of colleagues to this place and I just couldn't believe how busy the place was. It cost me £10 for a bowl of Donburi which consisted of spring onions, tesco value chicken pieces and boiled rice. I would've bought a side of ribs if the waitress hadn't kept pestering me every 5 minutes for drinks and sides.

Unfilling because you're meant to have sides
Corporate compared to other chains? Not really.
The sides are probably the best food there
No free refills is quite normal
Its never claimed to be pure Japanese I think.
Having your food arrive ad-hoc is typical for asian cuisine.

Most towns which have Wagamamas generally have independent Japanese restaurants. I kinda wish I had gone to one of those at least - at least my money would've gone towards glorious Nihonjin.

Not at all, the only other Japanese restaurants I've seen are sushi places.

Wagamama is ok, I really don't like the tables though.
The quality depends a lot on each city though, I was shocked how poor quality the chicken was at my new local one.

 

[Cosimo]

Never even heard of them

You're not missing much.

 

[platypus]

There's a Wagamama clone called Yippee Noodle here in Cambridge, which as far as I know is an independent.

It's miles better.

 

[MookJong]

One of the dishes I've had is pretty good but there a re a million other places I prefer.

 

[Will Gill]

I've never had an issue, in fact the last time I went I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the food was great.

- Overpriced - definitely not something that struck me
- Unfilling - I could barely move after 4 picking dishes
- Corporate as hell - I don't really get this point, do you mean too chainy?
- Constantly offered side dishes - Because they compliment the main meal and of course earn the company more money, it's the standard "do you want fries with that?" selling technique in it most basic form
- Constantly offered drinks (no free refills) - If I finish a drink in a restaurant I would expect to be asked if I wanted another/new drink - free refills, its not burger king...
- Food isn't good - a matter of opinion
- Isn't even Japanese - a fair point, but did they ever claim to be
- They don't even bring your table's food all at once - they tell you they are going to do this, they cook everything fresh and different dishes take different times to cook.

tl;dr I don't agree with you and like Wagamamas

 

[dirtychinchilla]

I don't think they suck. It's not expensive, the food is tasty, the free green tea is wonderful. the only let down is that they only do sushi in a couple of their restaurants.

The food arriving at random times is a Japanese thing.

 

[exhashdotdot]

Its never claimed to be pure Japanese I think.

Well, considering it's written as ワガママ and that's written on all the staff's t-shirts, it's not much of a stretch of the imagination to assume it's Japanese.

Having your food arrive ad-hoc is typical for asian cuisine.

I've spent about 2 months a year for the last 4 years in Japan on business trips (so naturally, we eat out a hell of a lot there) and I've never ever experienced this.

 

[Tunney]

It's great if you just want a quick bite in a hurry. The food is fairly bland/salty but I wouldn't say that it's bad.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I think they are great !

I think the portion size is perfect, anymore I wouldn't finish it.

The sides are amazing, the squid is of good quality every time I tried it. So the food is consistent.

I love the fact that they bring out whatever is done first. There is a reason for this, it speeds up cooking process an awful lot and to keep food fresh, which by the way, their food is cook to order, so I love the fact that the food is fresh and it shows.

I like the informal seating arrangements.

I like the quality of the food, it certainly beats sandwiches for lunch ! Yes, I sometimes go there for lunch.

It's very clean, every one I've been to is spotless.

I wish there is one by my house to be honest.

Now…looking it from a person who used to live in Hong Kong.

The quality is not superior to what you get in the far east and is 2 to 3 times as expensive however for probably the same thing in Hong Kong.

Drinks are way too small for the money. I don't mind no refills but £3 for jucice that is about 200ml is a bit on the expensive side. So I normally just have tap water.

Overall, there are more positive than negatives. I love noodles, this is mainly a noodle place….it's not a "Japanese" place and Japanese eat noodles too and it doesn't need to serve sushi and every Japanese dishes does it..so I don't know what OP is on about. Go to Yo! Sushi if you want sushi, the portions are even smaller !

This is plenty of food ?

 

[AJK]

Nope, love Wagamama, it's great.

 

[manic111]

I've nothing against it. It doesn't pretend to be a high end or independent restaurant, and is far and away the best chain around. You can get quick food which usually tastes of something (despite generally being too salty), not too expensive, relatively healthy (compared to most chains), and free green tea.

If I went in there expecting a true Japanese restaurant experience and quality, I'd be disappointed. If I go in there expecting an improvement on Nandos and the Gastropubs though, it exceeds expectations.

 

[Kainz]

Speaking of which, I went to Nando's for the first time at the weekend. Imagine my shock and horror when I was told I'd have to get up, queue up for ages and remember what everyone wanted in order to get any food or drink. What on earth was wrong with serving staff coming to your table and finding out what you wanted? Food was OK, nothing special, suppose it was cheap.

Going to one for the first time this weekend with the gf. Already not looking forward to the experience but she's keen on it. Sounds like sodding KFC with cutlery to me. I've been to Wagamamama's and they aren't too bad imo. I rarely goto big chain places like this, especially since a lot of people consider it to be 'posh nosh' but I thought the food wasn't bad.

 

[RoboCod]

The only chain restaurant I have been fully satisfied is Carluccio's. Nando's chickens look malnourished, and places like Ask, Prezzo and Pizza Express are so over priced for what you get.

Going to one for the first time this weekend with the gf. Already not looking forward to the experience but she's keen on it. Sounds like sodding KFC with cutlery to me.

Correct, it is. Just buy KFC and take it home with you to eat off plates

 

[RoboCod]

Oh we have a Chimichanga near us to and they're not too bad.

 

[LOAM]

Its just McNoodles to be honest.

 

[Gaverick]

In a similar vein, does anybody get the mega runs when they overindulge in KFC?

Every now and then I have a few drinks and get a hankering for a family bucket and a zinger burger or two. The next day I can't move more than 20 yards of my flat for fear of being unable to make it to the toilet in a dignified fashion.

Yes I have experienced this on more than one occasion!

 

[kiteloopy]

Nothing but love for Wag's this side of the screen.