Las Iguanas

The setting is dim but comfy, I had intended not to drink, but arriving fifteen minutes before the happy hour finished was just too tempting! I love a sour cocktail, and had a paloma, they were tasty, but there was definitely more ice than liquid! The menu was explained to us (it’s a pretty clear menu, and I have, you know, eaten outside my own house before)
We were sat on a smaller than average table, which I didn’t think was a problem until I saw how the dishes were served for three out of four of us. We’d ordered the xinxim, gorgeous combo of chicken and crayfish in a mild, creamy, coconutty sauce with rice and green beans. And man, do I feel sorry for the poor sod washing up! It was pretty, but not practical, especially when they didn’t remove the dishes from our starters straight away!
Tasty, but I felt like I would smash a pot with clumsy elbows! I’d go again, but not out of happy hour! And special requests can be awkward, but if they aren’t going to be followed through with, I’d really rather they would just say!

Out here for a family meal. The two for one cocktails were a nice draw to start with, although they were heavily iced, which meant you maybe got one drink out of the two glasses…
For the less alcoholic among you, the service was good, though it took far too long to work out whether there was a free table (there was). Friendly staff all round, and a clear menu. Three out of 4 of us plumped for the same dish, chicken and crayfish with coconut, which was lovely. My dad was a little unimpressed with his «could you ask the chef to make it as hot as he can, then a bit hotter» chilli, which apparently wasn’t.
They do however lose a star for table sized. Given how they serve their dishes (the chicken and crayfish came on a pottery stand, in a bowl, and the rest came on a large plate), the tables just aren’t big enough. Either serve dishes in a more compact form, or get larger surfaces for people to eat off!

I went there for lunch. The place was warm and the service OK. I ordered chicken fajitas. On the plus side there was a reasonable selection of toppings, such as guacamole and salsa. However the chicken was quite chewy, and had quite a lot of gristle. Also the chicken marinade seemed too watery, with some residue in the dish, and the chicken quite a sorry, washed out affair. It really was not up to standard and nowhere near the standard of fajitas I’ve had elsewhere in the city.
On reflection … The visit to Las Iguanas wasn’t a total Las but it’s not worth returning to. If you’re passing near the Corn Exchange try one of the other restaurants. There are plenty to choose from.

Great for chain! Staff have always been friendly, food always tasty and they have great early bird deals. Always consistent. They sent me a voucher on my birthday for a free main course which is excellent.
Good for groups too, they can cope well with busy periods. Lots of vegetarian options too!

I’ve been here three times now and am yet to be disappointed, but I’m not sure if I’m blown away either. The lunchtime menu is a meal off the specials menu (all around £5-£7) and then a selected starter for either £1.90 or £2.90. To be honest, if I visit again I may try the normal/​evening menu, because the size of the meals are so generous that the starters are unnecessary.
The two for one cocktail «happy hour» (lasting from 12 – 7:30pm) was thoroughly taken advantage of the first time I visited for a work leaving do. You have to order two of the same drink, but if you’re in a group you can usually find someone who’s on the same page as you… or you could just order 2 for yourself. They are very tasty but I’ve got to tell Hannah J that the passion fruit Capirinhas are still off the menu — please dont shoot the messenger! This offer is also on the non alcoholic cocktails which can be a better option for a sleepy drinker like me if they’re visiting early in the day!
On my most recent visit I ordered the chicken stuffed lettuce, which was a bit of a disappointment, and left me eating very delicately sized mouthfuls in order not to finish too long before the people I was with who were eating Nachos and Chicken Wings (fairly generous portions). However, when I got on to the main, which was a HUMONGOUS mushroom and truffle burrito I was glad of the extra space in my stomach. On previous visits I’ve had the Fajita Salad, which was lovely, and the Cuban Sandwich — nice, but a bit too «bready.»
The staff were friendly and the service was good, although it did take a bit of time to get the bill at the end considering that it was lunchtime and there weren’t that many people in the restaurant. If you struggle to finish your meal then ask the staff and they will happily wrap it up for you in tin foil.
In my opinion this is probably the best restaurant of its kind in Central Leeds — but if I found another Latino/​Mexican restaurant I had yet to try I’d give that a go.

So stuck waiting for a couple of our associates, myself and good friend John decide to go for a bite to eat this past Monday.
«Ah let’s go to Red’s BBQ, I hear pretty good things». I said.
«I hear bad things to, like ‘aving to wait ages». John stubbornly replied.
Rock up to Red’s BBQ, it was ram jammed full at 17:40 on a monday. John refuses to wait, so I say «oh yea what about this place, it’s alreet».
Las Iguanas! Walk in the place is a quarter full. We are greeted and seated in 2 minutes. The waiter ask’s if we’re celebrating anything special! Yes he thinks we’re a couple. I put this down to John’s Starkski and Hutch cardi (it ain’t christmas yet).
After clarifying we weren’t together in that way.
The Waiter runs us through the menu and also the happy hour offers up to 18:30!
3-​Tapas dishes for £13.50 and I’ll add the dishes were generous and so tasty especially the Vivo chicken wings.
241 on Cocktails the Mexican Jack is a must.
Las Iguanas is a great place to eat.

A nice, standard place to grab something to eat if your in Leeds.
The food tastes fresh and there is a good amount of flavour in the dishes.
The staff were really cool with us, especially the guy behind the bar when ordering drinks before we moved to the table. as we had walked in and not reserved.

We decided to treat ourselves to a Saturday night out. Las Iguanas was our first choice, having not been for ages. The boyfriend called to book a table — 5pm or 9:30pm were our two choices, we picked the latter. Well, only reasonable, the rugby was on and it was a crucial Wales match. Anyhow, we arrived quite early and were directed to the bar where the cocktail menu was vigorously studied and the sangria punch was chosen, boyfriend had a beer. There was a slight mishap with the change, but all was sorted quickly and with many apologies.
After rearranging our the tables a large hen do had acquired, we were then shown to our table. Near the back by the kitchen and toilets, we were directly behind one entrance to the bar, not to mention on the main thoroughfare to the toilets and with another large group occupying the table next to us, I did wonder if the boyfriend would be walked in to at some point. He wasn’t, so all was good.
We ordered, nachos with chorizo to start, chicken enchilada for me and chorizo con pollo for the boyfriend. Everything arrived quickly, steaming hot and very tasty. Service was attentive, obviously not too in your face for a busy Saturday night, but we were always checked on to see if the food was okay, did we want any more drinks etc… IMO, they got the balance just right here. The bill came to a very reasonable £38, which is darn good for two meals, two drinks and a starter, if I do say so myself.
All in all, another excellent night at Las Iguanas, of course we will be going back!

4 of us showed up last night without a reservation and received a warm and friendly greeting. We firstly had a drink in the bar. The cocktails were of good quality (around £6.50 which I consider expensive but no more than you would pay elsewhere).
A good range of tequilas also which I am a huge fan of.
We were shown to our table and within a couple of minutes a member of staff was there to take our drinks order. We asked for a couple of minutes to decide and the waiter obliged, returning minutes later. we ordered a selection of food including nachos, chimichangas, chicken skewers and braised beef with sweet potato fries.
Our food was fantastic, and our experience overall was excellent thanks to the warm atmosphere and great team working there.
We definitely recommend las iguanas and will be returning on our next visit to Leeds.

Went here on Saturday. Wasnt impressed. Service was slow, waiters/​waitresses were unorganized. Table was booked for 19.30 and had to wait half hour to be served, drinks over priced, and food was tasteless. Won’t be attending here again :(

WHY WHY WHY have Las Iguanas removed the passionfruit caipirinha from their menu? Travesty.
Having recovered from this nasty shock, I settled for the standard caipirinha which is still very pleasing (though not as good as the… ok, sorry, I’m over it now). To be honest, I’d only get the cocktails during happy hour because they are blimmin’ expensive otherwise, and not that big. Very tasty though.
The food was good as usual, especially that amazing cheesecake. However, the service was a bit rubbish. It wasn’t that busy, but we had to wait ages to order, and they forgot to bring us the bill — probably because we were served by a different person each time. The food came really quickly though.
Overall, I still have a lot of love for this place, mainly for the food and the atmosphere. They JUST need to brush up on the service, and BRING BACK THE PASSIONFRUIT CAIPIRINHA!

I came here with a high school friend. When I asked her how she discovered this place, she told me she passes by it all the time on her way to the gym and just decided to try it out and it became one of her favorite places to go.
We came during happy hour so we decided to order a raspberry soda-​ish drink and ended up ordering a cherry cocktail for the second round of drinks. They were buy one get one free. Both drinks were super good! The raspberry drink was exactly what I wanted — something refreshing that’s not too sweet and artificial. The cherry cocktail contained alcohol and at first I was doubtful and didn’t really want to order it since I do not like the bitterness of alcohols, but I was pleasantly surprised by the drink. I could barely taste the bitterness of the alcohol and it wasn’t too sweet either. Finally, there is a cocktail that I can actually enjoy. haha
For the appetizers, we had the lamb empanadas and the mushroom soup. Oh my god. I love the mushroom soup. The aroma of the mushroom was so strong and pleasant. The soup was creamy and perfect to eat with the bread that came with it and the lamb was delish!
Our main courses came not long after. The server was super friendly and I just love the British accent!!! I had the beef sandwich (sorry for forgetting the exact names of the dishes) and ooh la la… I love love it. I don’t usually like having onions in my sandwiches but they were so nicely caramelized that I don’t get that usually smelly smell of onions. haha My friend ordered the… agh I can’t remember, but hers was great as well. I have to say though, the portion is pretty big. I couldn’t finish half of my sandwich so had to have it to go.
For the amount of food I got, I’d say the price is fair enough. I’d definitely have my friend take me back to Las Iguanas. Yum yum! I wish they have it here in the States. sigh.
Oh and, just something random I realized, I have been giving all 4 stars reviews for all the restaurants I visited in Leeds — maybe the saying might be true after all: it’s not the food, but the company. haha but no, really, my reviews are legit and the company just makes the food taste even better =D

Myself and my partner visited Las Iguanas last September (only just joined Qype!) and our experience was excellent.
The restaurant was very busy and as we hadn’t booked we were shown to the bar and told it would be a 10 minute wait for a table. 10 minutes later we were shown to our table. The service here was very friendly and attentative, especially our waitress who made us feel very welcome.
We ordered 1 main (fajitas) and a few side dishes to share and we did not feel uneasy doing this here — other places can make you feel like you have to order a main each! Our waitress happily brought us extra plates so we could share out the food.
This was a very nice visit from start to finish and it was the warm, friendly atmosphere that made it special.
Great place — would definitely recommend.

Having been sadly turned away from one of my favourite lunch venues, since it was a Sunday, I came here with a friend for a bite to eat. Having been here before I knew what to expect — Latino, Brazilian, Mexican, Tapas and so on. I glanced briefly over the whole menu and quickly realised that I would be sticking to the lunch time menu, since everything else was getting close to an evening meal in both size and price! They have four or five interesting lunch choices on offer, all of which cost £6.90, and for an extra £1 you can opt for a small starter. Sweet potato fish cakes, a burrito, chilli and so on are on the lunch menu.
I was rather boring today and chose a burger for lunch, with a chicken quasadilla to start. The quasadilla was beautifully cooked, and although really rather small, was to be the perfect size to whet my appetite. The burger that followed was deliciously cooked and very filling, with gorgeous mozzarella, a decent salad portion and some lovely fries. The spicy ketchup that came with it was also pretty damn good! Just what I needed for a late lunch.
Service, if nothing else, was very attentive and whilst I didn’t really mind being checked on quite so many times I can see that this would potentially irritate other people. Nonetheless, it was all very welcoming and smiley, and so it was all fair enough. The environment of the place is bustling, the music is easy listening and inoffensive, and there are hoards of cocktails on offer if you decide to start your night in here. All in all, a pretty good place to visit in Leeds!

Las Iguanas in Leeds gets my «better than average» review. We first experienced this place as a bar, and on an evening the seating area by the bar is beautiful. The entire place is very well decorated with a strange mix of contemporary and rustic.
The second time we went I mistakenly listened to a friend who recommended the Burrito — I had never had one before and let’s just say I won’t be having one again. It’s probably more a personal taste, but it was just dull and tasteless.
Everytime we have been since I have opted for more familiar dishes which have been great. They offer an early bird menu before 7pm with cheap food and discounted drinks. As a member of Pure Gym I also get 20% off food during the week (obviously this does not work with the early bird menu).
Definitely recommended, great place to warm up before a night out and also a great place to visit after work.

I went into Las Iguanas after work one early evening feeling a bit grumpy. It had been a rubbish day. I’d got nothing done. I was frustrated.
I came out feeling like Ricky Martin. Livin la vida loca.
I do like Mexican food, that obviously had something to do with the transformation. But just being in Las Iguanas, which has real personality in not only its décor but the staff too, brightened me up and got me ready for the weekend.
It’s about a tenner for a decent main, which comes in a very hearty portion and as I requested, particularly spicy.
It’s not just Mexican, there are all sorts of latin american dishes from Brazil to Chile and back again via Argentina and the rest. There’s something for everyone. Red and green should never be seen, except in Las Iguanas.

Latin American restaurant, Las Iguanas really stands out situated next door to more well established restaurants such as Pizza Express and Zizi’s. The inner décor is based around a Latin American, Jungle theme with bright greens, red and wicker furnishing. The appearance of the shop really is rather swish. The bright greens and Latin American themes drew me into Las Iguana’s to eat with girl-​friends.
In comparison to surrounding dining venues, Iguanas always seems visibly quieter. I feel this is due to the food not being overwhelmingly tasty, the staff a little grumpy and the prices a little steep.
When eating at Las Ignuanas you pay for the surrounding, Latin American them and food. make eating here a little different to your average meal at Nando’s or Pizza Hut. However the food was a little greasy and presentation a little messy, as well the staff being a little mardy and not overly friendly.
I can imagine that children would love to eat at Las Ignuans for the experience. However I didn’t find my dining experience anything to shout about.

There are plenty of places out there offering Mexican food but this place goes the whole hog, offering up a full Latin American experience. Alongside the now-​familiar burritos, fajitas and enchiladas they serve Brazilian, Argentinian, Patagonian and Chilean dishes, and they import their own cachaca from Rio for their deliciously refreshing caipirinhas. Inside, there are plenty of sofas strewn about, making an ideal spot to cosy up for some relaxed drinks and listen to the chilled Latin music. For a sit-​down meal, the food is really inventive and particularly good for vegetarians, who get to choose between dishes like Butternut Squash, Asparagus and Portobello Mushroom Puerto Rican Paella or Sweet Potato, Palm Hearts and Sugar Snap Peas Moqueca instead of the usual refried beans. Carnivores are well catered for too, and with mains coming in around £10 Las Iguanas represents much better value for money than many other Mexicans serving far inferior food.

Read the hype and was looking forward to a real feel of Latin America when I walked in. Well the décor and atmosphere were fine as were the staff. But the food — oh dear. Quite clearly formula, microwaved pre-​frozen rubbish.
My prawns arrived with their intestinal tracts still intact. I asked the waitress if the chef brought them pre-​butterflied or did it himself. She did not know but promised to ask. The floor manager ten came over and apologised for the prawns and took them off the bill and told me that they were aware of the problem and it was down to their new supplier. I assured her that if they were aware then surely it was down to their alleged chef. Apart from the prawns the rest of the food we had was bland and tasteless. The cocktails were good though and I recommend the 2 for 1 happy hour. Again top marks for décor and staff but the food let’s it down badly.

We came here for lunch today and I had high hopes, having heard some good reviews from friends and colleagues. I was pretty disappointed, I have to say. We were on our way to Pizza Express, if truth be told, but the queue was out the door there so we saw the a-​board promising a 2 course lunch for £7.90 and thought we’d dive in Las Iguanas instead.
We arrived just before the mid-​chistmas-​shopping-​lunch-​break rush, but it meant that we got one of the last available tables, which was the one directly in front of the door, so we kept getting blasted with wintry draughts every time anyone came in or out.
We had the button mushrooms and the crayfish cocktail to start, with olives and bread ot nibble on. The bread was stale, the olives tasted like they’d been soaked in vinegar, and there were only four measly crayfish in the cocktail. My mushrooms were very tasty, with a nice kick to them, though. Not impressed with the 20 minute wait either, to be fair.
For mains we had chilli con carne and a something-​or-​other burger (curly fries and mozzarella and stuff included). The chilli was very runny and not incredibly meaty. More chilli con a-​teeny-​bit-​of carne. The curly fries were cold.
All in all a right old disappointment. I appreciate that it was cheap, but I thought deals like that were to get the punters in so they came back, not to put them off for the poor quality and quantity of the portions.
Not coming back I’m afraid, amigos.