Winter at Wahaca: Delicious new dishes, and a celebration of the dearly-departed

As the seasons change and the nights draw in, there’s plenty of vibrant Mexican excitement to cut through the darkness this Winter at Wahaca. From the annual Day of the Dead festivities to a new seasonal menu, specials and cocktails, visitors to the Mexican-inspired restaurant are set to enjoy a colourful, delicious celebration throughout the colder months.

Observed by Mexicans every November, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a positive celebration of life, when friends and family gather to joyfully remember the dearly-departed. To mark the occasion, between 19th October and 6th November each Wahaca restaurant will be decked out in traditional papel picado and specially-created altars reflecting the traditional ofrendas set up each year in homes across Mexico to honour loved ones that have passed away. As a centrepiece for Wahaca’s Day of the Dead celebrations in London, the exterior of its Southbank restaurant will play host to a gigantic Calavera (skull), created and decorated in Mexico and inspired by the sugar skulls displayed across the country to represent the souls of the deceased during the annual festivities. 

During half-term week, younger diners at the Southbank restaurant can get involved by decorating their own calaveras – sugar skulls and paints will be provided on the 27th and 28th October for kids to decorate at their tables and take home as a memento of the Mexican fiesta. Visitors to Wahaca Southbank on the evening of Day of the Dead itself, 2nd November, will be treated to a tuneful performance from 5pm by Mariachi Las Adelitas, Europe’s only all-female mariachi band.

Day of the Dead is a time to share delicious food and drink with family and friends, and Wahaca launches its new Winter menu and specials just in time for a celebratory feast. Introducing Lamb birria tacos (£7.95) – a tasty twist on a popular street food dish from Jalisco in western Mexico.  Chilli-marinated lamb is slow-cooked  with a blend of spices including avocado leaf and bay leaves and served in three delicious tacos. The stock is served alongside as a consomé, a small soup that’s seasoned with red onion, fresh lime and a sprinkle of coriander – perfect for some truly tasty taco-dipping!

A warming winter favourite, the Organic squash and crumbled feta tostadas (£5.95) are inspired by the street food tasted by Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers in Ensenada on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Tender Riverford Organic squash is topped with a green cashew nut mole, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and feta for a marvellously moreish seasonal dish.

Zesty, indulgent and totally delicious – the new Margarita pie (£6.25) is a cocktail classic in dessert form. A buttery biscuit base is decadently topped with a zingy lime curd and softly-whipped tequila-infused cream, and adorned with edible flowers. A dessert with a difference that makes for a sumptuous end to a Mexican feast! 

Inspired by the iconic skeletal emblem of Day of the Dead, the Tipsy Catrina (£7.95) is a special new cocktail created especially to raise a glass to those no longer with us. Gran Centenario tequila is shaken up with lime juice and a hint of rose petals and pomegranate and served in a hibiscus-rimmed glass, with the cocktail’s botanical notes bringing to mind the colourful floral headpieces and decorations seen throughout Mexico at this time of year.

A characterful concoction created by the bar team at Wahaca Cardiff, the Mango Paso (£8.50) is another new cocktail making its debut this month. This super-smooth blend of golden rum, añejo tequila and mango purée is frothed with egg white and topped with freshly-grated nutmeg for an aromatic, autumnal finish.

Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers said: “Day of the Dead is one of our favourite dates in the calendar – a celebration of the lives of our lost loved ones in a vibrant, joyous riot of colour, emotion and delicious food and drink.  Its energy and positivity is a testimony to the Mexican culture which continues to inspire us. Feliz Día de los Muertos!”