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Step inside Wahaca before it opens its doors this Friday.

The restaurant is opening in Liverpool city centre , bringing its second branch in the North West to the former site of Stockton’s furniture store on Hanover Street.

They let the ECHO inside for a sneak peek ahead of the launch.

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Wahaca describes the menu as ‘healthy, fresh Mexican food inspired by Mexican markets’ and says it sources all its tequila and mescal direct from Mexico.

The building was previously occupied by furniture store ‘The Home Quarter’ - where Stockton’s had a concession . However, in 2012 The Home Quarter went into administration and the site was later taken over by Stockton’s.

The restaurant group was created in 2007, inspired by co-founder Thomasina Miers’ travels to Mexico, time spent running bars there and falling in love with the country and cuisine. After winning Masterchef in 2005 and cooking in a Michelin-starred restaurant, she teamed up with fellow Mexico enthusiast Mark Selby to open a UK restaurant that would reflect the vibrant colours, flavours and buzz of the country’s markets.

Their idea was to overturn the prevailing ‘Tex-Mex’ stereotype of tequila girls and greasy tortilla chips, and instead serve freshly prepared seasonal dishes, designed for sharing.

Thomasina says: “Liverpool is unparalleled as a UK cultural hub, with an established music reputation, amazing art and museums and a food scene that is really taking off. Moving to College Lane was a dream choice for us and we’re excited to bring our Mexican market food, original street art and pure agave tequila and mezcal to Merseyside.”