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.
