Las Iguanas is situated on Paradise Street, and makes an ideally location during the summer to take your dinner and cocktails outside due to overlooking L1’s Chavasse Park. However, should you decide, inside is equally as fabulous with colourful decor, Latin American embellishments in a modern and updated way.
Greeted with a cocktail masterclass the second we step through the door to whip up some of the Las Iguanas signature Caipirinha cocktail. We were shown the key ways to make the best Caipirinha, which we’ve learnt starts off with the finest ingredients and best quality drinks – so from what I took away from that fulfilled experience is that I might as well head down to Las Iguanas and watch a much more talented barman than me do it. Although we never decline flipping Boston shakers around ourselves.
Heading over to order in some food, we opted for nachos to start; Corn tortilla chips with melted cheese, topped with pico de gallo salsa, jalapeños, roasted tomato salsa, sour cream & guacamole. I highly recommend getting the added smoked chipotle chicken – because it’s simply heaven! Whilst Paddy opted for 24 hour Havana club rum & bbq marinated chicken wings, messy and totally worth it from his face of enjoyment.
Moving onto our second course I was really craving steak, a rarity for me and none the less I’m so over the moon I opted for the Gaucho steak; 10 oz sirloin steak sprinkled with ancho chilli salt, served with fresh herb chimichurri, Argentine-style roasted sweetcorn purée with sweet potato fries to share. However I was utterly stunned by the bread bowl that Paddy had ordered for his prawn and peanut maracana; Prawns cooked in a peanut, chilli, coconut, lime & coriander sauce, served in their sourdough bread bowl inspired by the famous Maracanã Stadium in Rio. I thought it was a beautifully presented Camembert at first – crazy forward thinking ideas that revolutionise your dining experience. Which has me now shovelling out full sourdoughs to make a edible bowls – genius.
Selecting between Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Peru
The famous cocktail menu
Las Iguanas prides themselves on having a huge cocktail menu to feast upon, and every time I see someone post about Las Iguanas, it’s usually because the cocktails are 2 for 1, so it makes a really ideal budget night out or date night. As I mentioned above that we got the chance to make Caipirinha, but I couldn’t help but have a nose at the others on the menu. I was hooked by the idea of a Brazilian Spring Punch or a Cuba Libre, as they’re finely tailored to suit the food so much. However I couldn’t help myself and indulge in a Latin edition of a Bloody Mary – it’s my mission to try a Bloody Mary on the quest to find the perfect one!
They bring out four limited edition cocktails every month, so it’s always worth checking in to see if you’ve seen anything you’ve never tried before.
