New York City: Iguana (December 2017)


Iguana - Large Space Can Accommodate Groups and Crowds
My spouse and I visited Iguana Restaurant and Dance Lounge for drinks and snacks on a Saturday afternoon in early December 2017. We were staying across the street at the Hilton Garden Inn Central Park South/Midtown West, and we stopped at Iguana for a self-created happy hour. Iguana is open daily for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner. You can make a reservation using the online Open Table system.
Iguana is located on West 54th Street in the Midtown West neighborhood. The interior space is large, covering three floors. The basement contains a club area with a separate bar that was unused when we visited; restrooms are also on this lower level. The main/street level offers dining at the unusual free-form-shaped bar or at tables in one of two main dining areas arranged on either side of a walkway that leads back to the kitchen. One of the dining areas contains a slightly raised platform/floor that positions its tables a few inches above the rest of the room. The second floor, which seems reachable only by staircase, contains additional space for a Latin Club, where recurring special events are held on weekends.
Iguana serves Mexican food. We sampled the guacamole, which is prepared tableside, along with a few rounds of drinks. One drink was a frozen mango margarita; however, the flavor seems to be introduced via a small frozen ball, and it had not really melted before I finished my drink, so buyer beware if you choose to order one of their 25 frozen drink flavors. We sat at the bar, and service was slow despite it being rather empty and three bartenders present. Staff congregated and talked amongst themselves off to one side of the bar rather than attending to customers.
Iguana served our purposes; however, because of the frozen drink issue and the slow service, and with so many other options in the area, we will likely go elsewhere next time.








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