Sussex and Surrey restaurants chosen for Wagamama's first-ever brunch menu and new loyalty programme launched

At 22 restaurants across the country – including Horsham in West Sussex and Guildford in Surrey – wagamama will now be open from 8.30am ‘serving up brunch favourites with a twist’ – ahead of launching nationally.

A spokesperson for the restaurant chain – which serves Asian food based on Japanese cuisine – said: “On Wednesday 17th July, wagamama will launch a brand new, mouthwatering brunch menu, marking a first for the iconic restaurant chain.

"It’s brunch, done the wagamama way. Brunch will be served at selected wagamama sites from 8.30am to 11.30am with wagamama opening its doors to customers earlier than ever before. The brunch menu will be available across 22 key locations in London, North and South of the country.

“Wagamama’s team of chefs are forever innovating and have curated a menu featuring elements from all-time wagamama favourites with a breakfast twist, through to exciting new takes on brunch classics. The brand-new brunch menu means guests can experience brunch the wagamama way with their choice of either small plates, larger plates or sharers for the bench.”

Highlights include the chicken katsu waffle, bringing together two iconic dishes, the waffle and katsu chicken. It features a perfectly golden-brown waffle topped with wagamama’s infamous crispy panko-crusted chicken. Customers can choose a savoury or sweet topping for their waffle, opting for either the classic katsu sauce or a miso caramel vegan ice cream with rich toffee sauce. For a plant-based alternative, wagamama will serve up delightfully indulgent banana katsu waffles, for a sweet, soft and crunchy dish.

Inspired by its customer demand for bao buns, wagamama has worked on a series of ‘morning baos’. The fluffy buns are filled with a choice of bacon, sausage, vegan bacon or vegan sausage. The menu will also include moreish sides, such as the crispy Japanese style corn fritters and bold, flavourful bang bang hash browns. Perfect for sharing so that everyone gets a taste.

Chief marketing officer Kay Bartlett said: “We’ve seen an increase in consumer demand for an all-day dining offering and appetite for brunch dishes. This announcement is in response to that, and we’re thrilled to introduce our wagamama take on brunch.

"The decision to open our restaurants at 8.30am has involved a great amount of hard work and dedication from our brilliant teams and we’re all really proud and excited about this latest round of innovation and chapter in the wagamama story.”

The restaurant also now open for a quick coffee stop – launching a collaboration with the sustainable, London-born coffee brand, Grind, which will be ‘providing all the beans, ensuring a tasty cup of coffee every time’.

Wagamama has added a selection of cocktails and mocktails to ‘round out their brunch experience’. These include a Breakfast in Tokyo – a sweet and zesty papaya gin with a blood orange and a yuzu sherbet kick, topped with prosecco and a spicy mary. This is their take on a classic served with haku vodka, soy, teriyaki and spices (also available as a mocktail).

The menu also includes mindful mocktails including the fiery spiced plum, orange and ginger juice and an espresso coke to which customers can add a scoop of miso caramel vegan ice cream.

A spokesperson added: “wagamama has also added its take on sweet brunch classics. If guests are wanting something a little lighter, they can find the refreshing, revitalising açaí bowls with fresh fruit, toasted soya wow butter and crunchy granola. Also available, is a creamy chia and coconut overnight oats topped with nourishing mandarin and sour cherry.

“For looking for something both tasty and beautiful, they’ll find Instagrammable smashed croissants, dipped in your choice of matcha or strawberry white chocolate, ideal alongside a Grind coffee. Also, on the menu is wagamama’s version of French toast, tomago toast with either matcha and ube vegan ice cream or sour cherry compote with lemon balm.”

Wagamama’s brunch menu will be available at Bankside; Battersea Power Station; Bromley; Camden; Covent Garden; Kingston; Royal Festival Hall/Southbank; Wimbledon; Ashford Designer Outlet; Bristol Clifton; Cardiff Library; Dorchester; Guildford; Horsham; Tunbridge Wells; St Albans; Birmingham Brindley Place; Bolton; East Midlands Designer Outlet; Nottingham West Bridgford; Sheffield Meadowhall and Teesside

Meanwhile, wagamama has announced the launch of 'soul club' – its first-ever loyalty programme, a unique platform where soul club members can redeem free menu items, exclusive content and engage with a new line up of ambassadors.

A spokesperson said: “By downloading the soul club app, guests kick off a journey to redeem mouth-watering sides and mains with a bowl of edamame claimable instantly. For every visit, guests receive a stamp in their digital stamp-book, inspired by the Japanese tradition of hanko stamps.

“Visits and food on the house might seem like your typical scheme, but, upon download, members will discover a full feed of content, with a constantly evolving stream of recipe and foodie videos.”

Guests can download the app and join the soul club community to enjoy these benefits and experiences. Soul club is available to download from the app store on both iOS and Android.