(212) 765-5454

240 W 54th St
New York, NY 10019 40.7641 -73.9829

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: Clinton, Midtown

IGUANANYC.COM

Years in business

Established in 2004

Hours:

Monday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Tuesday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Wednesday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Thursday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Friday 11:00 AM - 1:00 AM

Saturday 11:00 AM - 1:00 AM

Sunday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Price:

$$$

Last updated 10.14.11

Category:

Restaurants, Nightclubs, Bars & Clubs, Lounges, Bars & Pubs

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard, Debit Card

Restaurant Special Features:

Brunch, Lunch Spot

Cuisine:

Southwestern

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Iguana

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Mexican restaurant and club decorated with native art features fireplaces, waterfall and downstairs dance lounge in the Theater District.

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
The kitchen and club hold different hours. The restaurant opens at 11am and closes around midnight. The club opens at 7pm and closes around 4am depending on clientele.
The Extras:
The 10,000-square-foot space can accomodate private parties of up to 600 people. Call the restaurant for details.
ambiance
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “highly recommend Iguana for excellent Mexican cuisine, a friendly fun and warm atmosphere and great service.”
  2. “It has a very elegant decor and deviates from your typical mex restaurant experience.”
  3. “If only the management for this restaurant had excellent taste for their chef as they do for their decor.”
  4. “great food, service, and atmosphere”
  5. “an hour later, i found myself sitting at a cozy little table in the back, impressed by the decor and quite content with my cold beverage and snacks.”
  6. “the place looks really nice, especially for romantic night!”
  7. “The reason I love the UPSTAIRS the most though, is the atmosphere: the music, the food, the dimly lit dining, the DANCING & the service you get.”
  8. “Tell you what, this place is pretty pricey but as they say the location and the ambience.”
  9. “The atmosphere is beautiful, very romantic, relaxing, and fun!”
  10. “Everyone had a great time - we got lots of compliments on the great food & drinks and pretty authentic atmosphere.”
  11. “Good mexican food in a convenient location if you're seeing a show.”
  12. “recommend this place to others who like to have fun whether you drink or not.”
drinks
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “Everyone had a great time - we got lots of compliments on the great food & drinks and pretty authentic atmosphere.”
  2. “The drinks are good from what I hear.”
  3. “can't speak for Iguana's bar scene or the downstairs lounge, but after my Saturday night dinner experience, I would never recommend a meal here.”
  4. “Excellent food, not to mention the drinks, coctails.”
  5. “don't drink liquor but the virgin Pina Coladas are very tasty.”
  6. “but anyway what i loved was the bartender,, it was the most kind and lovely bartender i've seen in the place, i didn't ask his name but it was this tall young green eyed boy, OMG he is charming, and he made us the best drinks i even ask him for an exotic ”
  7. “The lounge downstairs was the perfect spot to hang and have some cocktails!”
  8. “recommend this place to others who like to have fun whether you drink or not.”
  9. “Loved the food, had great drinks.”
food quality
90.62999725341797% positive
  1. “delicious frozen margaritas.”
  2. “great music and i love the so called IGUANA WINGS that are just buffalo wings loved the sauce”
  3. “Good mexican food in a convenient location if you're seeing a show.”
  4. “ordered a corn chowder for myself and the chicken enchiladas, i was happy with my choice, my husband ordered a house salad, which was very fresh and crispy, with a light dressing.”
  5. “The reason I love the UPSTAIRS the most though, is the atmosphere: the music, the food, the dimly lit dining, the DANCING & the service you get.”
  6. “Loved the food, had great drinks.”
  7. “Good food, great music.”
  8. “Good food/service needs improvement”
  9. “The food is very good as also the music.”
  10. “can't speak for Iguana's bar scene or the downstairs lounge, but after my Saturday night dinner experience, I would never recommend a meal here.”
  11. “great food, service, and atmosphere”
  12. “the meat just melted in my mouth, with its full flavors.”
  13. “The food was good although I thought it a little more than moderately priced.”
  14. “The food is great & I love that you can dance in this place.”
  15. “the food was really tasty, and the margaritas were really strong, and delicious.”
  16. “Everyone had a great time - we got lots of compliments on the great food & drinks and pretty authentic atmosphere.”
  17. “Very strong margs + Great food”
  18. “While the frozen margaritas were tasty, they were so strong our table of 4 adults couldn't finish 1 pitcher.”
  19. “was pretty surprised, to have such a great food for a mexican restaurant.”
  20. “love the food here, great fajitas, guac and waiters.”
  21. “after that he had the salmon , very delicious.”
  22. “we will go back- tasty food , nice service, recommended.”
  23. “Excellent food, not to mention the drinks, coctails.”
  24. “It isn't the most authentic mexican but it's good.”
  25. “great food”
  26. “highly recommend Iguana for excellent Mexican cuisine, a friendly fun and warm atmosphere and great service.”
  27. “the service was pretty efficient and friendly, and the food was actually really good!”
  28. “If you love Mexican food, look no further.”
  29. “got the burritos, but EVERYONE at my table (there were 10 of us) loved their dishes (fajitas, mex quesadilla, enchilladas).”
  30. “don't drink liquor but the virgin Pina Coladas are very tasty.”
  31. “food and a service vas great.”
  32. “they had 25 flavours of margaritas and mojitos,tasty.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Very diverse crowd, Great music and to the fellas lots and lots of woman.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “It's a great place to go and have a wonderful night.”
  2. “The food is great & I love that you can dance in this place.”
  3. “work for a reputable hotel chain as a Concierge and guest often come to me requesting a good place to eat or dance, I would not hesitate to refer Iguana as the place to go.”
  4. “was pretty surprised, to have such a great food for a mexican restaurant.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “we will go back- tasty food , nice service, recommended.”
  2. “will never go back to this place nor will I recommend this restaurant to anyone.”
service
80.4800033569336% positive
  1. “Florentine is a great bartender & Melissa, the waitress, really works hard and is very cordial to everyone.”
  2. “I've been a regular for many years and the manager Nino at Iguana's has been the best!”
  3. “especially the hungarian hostess was very friendly and helpful.”
  4. “The most helpful, frendliest was the hostess.”
  5. “Also don't expect to get your guacamole, even with a full staff there was no one there to make it and i had to request that they don't bring it.”
  6. “If you like cheesy places with horrible service, or showing up to a "club" to find out that 12 year olds have reserved it for a party then you may like this place.”
  7. “didnt get great service at the door, there was a girl collecting a cover charge with a fro and she was beyond MEAN.”
  8. “The bouncer i met was friendly, and facilitating, yet he was a bit brash.”
  9. “love the food here, great fajitas, guac and waiters.”
  10. “the place does have room for improvement with some of their staff but overall everything else was surprising pleasant.”
  11. “The service is attentive and precious.”
  12. “The interior was kind of cool, but the service sucked.”
  13. “We're not sure what we did to offend these people.”
  14. “Bartenders and Bouncers were friendly and attentive.”
  15. “The staff was friendly, and helpful.”
  16. “food and a service vas great.”
  17. “thursday. Just terrible service and bartenders like that hould rethink their careers.”
  18. “At the time we had asked for our check only the one extremley rude bartender with short thin hair was there.”
  19. “forgiveable attribute since the other bartenders were attentive and kind.”
  20. “The waiters made me wear a huge sombrero as the bday girl and that was great!”
  21. “had a nice waiter, attentive.”
  22. “the other bartenders were great.”
  23. “When one of the girls who had been drinking only club soda the whole time spoke up, the blonde bartender said she didnt know what to tell us since she never served us and gave us a HUGE attidtude!”
  24. “We got promptly seated by a nice hostess, and also had a very helpful waiter, oh let me think what was his name.”
  25. “Sometimes service was a bit slow, and we had to ask for salads, water, etc a couple of times, but this was all done with good humor and no resentment.”
  26. “but anyway what i loved was the bartender,, it was the most kind and lovely bartender i've seen in the place, i didn't ask his name but it was this tall young green eyed boy, OMG he is charming, and he made us the best drinks i even ask him for an exotic ”
  27. “Nino, the manager, is the BEST.”
  28. “the service was pretty efficient and friendly, and the food was actually really good!”
  29. “Good food/service needs improvement”
  30. “now our group: One person had a card down however many were paying as they went and the people that were sharing the tab kept tipping the 2 good bartenders.”
  31. “am extremley patient and dont like confrontation much and I couldnt believe someone, let alone someone in the service industry would treat customers like this.”
  32. “The reason I love the UPSTAIRS the most though, is the atmosphere: the music, the food, the dimly lit dining, the DANCING & the service you get.”
  33. “great food, service, and atmosphere”
  34. “we will go back- tasty food , nice service, recommended.”
  35. “highly recommend Iguana for excellent Mexican cuisine, a friendly fun and warm atmosphere and great service.”
value
50.0% positive
  1. “Tell you what, this place is pretty pricey but as they say the location and the ambience.”
  2. “Entrees were a little pricey (for students, that is) and over half of us were vegetarians and there were only 2 entrees we could order, but other than that, I had a blast.”
  3. “The portions are definitely big, but unfortunately, the flavor is not.”
  4. “The waiters made me wear a huge sombrero as the bday girl and that was great!”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “Best margaritas l have had for a long time.”
  2. “Sometimes service was a bit slow, and we had to ask for salads, water, etc a couple of times, but this was all done with good humor and no resentment.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

02/05/12

Crappy place & tried to stick me with another table's bill!

by ARodomus the Poet

During my adult life I have spent alot of time in Mexico, many vacations and I have eaten plenty of Mexican food. Though it's not my favorite food, I "can" eat it.

What can I say about this place?We walked in, stood around, noone said anything, walked over to a table and prepared to become comfortable, then someone shows up. Eventually we get a seat. So I felt this place was loud, disorganized and with the exception of the fajitas, the food was not very appealing or pleasing to the taste.

The goat cheese quesadillas were a sloppy slimy mess. Runny, oily, just plain ol' nasty. Even as I write this I feel my stomach convulse at the though of that mess.. I'm not, nor have I ever been a fan of Mexican food. It's just not my thing. But this was just nasty. I'm sorry.

I'm not a fan of guac, nor do I like sour cream, and most dishes tend to be garnished heavily in this stuff, that I don't like. To be honest I didn't even know this place was Mexican until it was already too late. Sort of. You can always walk out, but I didn't want to be a douche. So I decided to give them a chance. I asked that they put the creams on the side, etc, but somehow it still managed to get all over my damn food. Lord...

As I mentioned earlier, the fajita was ok. I ate some rice, tomato, beef and peppers in the wrap, that was "ok". Much better than the other stuff they served us. Avocado fries, lord have mercy, seriously? We didn't even touch those damn things. The drink was ok, I had a stoli and pineapple, that was ok.

At the end of the night I have a bill for over $100 between me and my friend. What the fock??? 1 order of quesadillas, Nasty quesadillas, avocado fries that went uneaten, 1 prix fixe order of fajita, a sangria, and a stoli coming up at that cost? Hell no.

After examining the bill I notice a grey goose, a bacardi, and some fire drink. What the hell is this crap? I didn't order none of this. I brought it to their attention, my friend immediately took a picture of the bill, and we addressed it. Ends up they were trying to stick us with $30 worth of someone else's drinking, by accident. Really? Get the fock out of here man, you better fix that crap. And yes we are taking a picture of this.

Anyway, in case you haven't figured it out, I'll never come back to this place. Downstairs they have a club sort of, I stood sometime downstairs waiting for the bathroom, and most of the people going in there were not the type of folks I'd like to be around. Alot of b.s and conflict with the bouncer. As I was standing there they thought I was also a bouncer, that was funny, this guy was acting up, he looked at me, apologized and calmed down. Funny.

Yeah, so I'll never give this place money again, they suck. Sorry.

1 Star Rating: Poor

04/29/11

I will NEVER go back

by lildebbi21

I went with a few friends, including one that was recovering from a sever ankle injury. I was staying by the bar so my friend could lean on it for support. A waitress headed to the bar told my friend to move, when my friend tried to explain that she was barely mobile and apologize for having difficulty accommodating her the waitress called the bouncers the kick out my friend. I never do reviews, but I am so angry about how my friend was treated, and the embarrassment that she went through as she was forced to limp towards the exit that I will make sure that I tell people to NEVER EVER go there. To kick out a woman when they were already so short on them makes no sense. I am make sure that I never go back there.

1 Star Rating: Poor

04/15/10

Watch out for your Coat

by SLIMLEE

My first experience with Iguana was the worst that I ever had. I was there on the 9th of April to celebrate my Birthday. I had reserved the VIP Section downstairs and when I got there there was people in my section and was unable to get help with the situation. But what really set it off was when I got ready to leave I could not locate my COAT. Yes someone stole my Vintage Black three quarter coat.

  • Pros: Good Food
  • Cons: Be ware of Thieves downstairs.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

11/01/09

NICE PLACE GREAT MUSIC, WONDERFUL ATMOSPHERE

by redambroxia

i was invited to a friends birthday party here and i must say i was pleasantly surprised. I didnt get great service at the door, there was a girl collecting a cover charge with a fro and she was beyond MEAN. jeez, what was her problem?

oh and that bartender...she knows herself...GET OUT OF THE SERVICE INDUSTRY!!! the other bartenders were great.

The bouncer i met was friendly, and facilitating, yet he was a bit brash. The service inside made up for these three idiots though. we had a blast. i love the fact the they played a nice mix of latin tunes, although some were heard more than 3 times. it wasnt too crowded , which was a surprise and my friends had lots of space to dance salsa, which is hard to say at over 80 % of nyc clubs. the place does have room for improvement with some of their staff but overall everything else was surprising pleasant. i think i will have my birthday there next year. and i definitely will return before then!

  • Pros: lots of space, lots of space, great place for birthday
  • Cons: PUSHY STAFF, needs more customer service
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/08/09

Hidden Gem in Midtown

by DMilfort

This was my first and diffently not my last time going to Iguanas. Very diverse crowd, Great music and to the fellas lots and lots of woman. This is definitly a must go if you love to party. Highly recommended

  • Pros: Great Music, Lot of woman, Reasonalbe price Drinks
  • Cons: Can get overly crowded

The Details on Iguana

Place Categories:

  • great tasty food
  • great place
  • great service
  • great place great music
  • beautiful authentic atmosphere
  • great other bartenders
  • best frozen margaritas
  • very nice great experience
  • great drinks
  • best manager nino
  • helpful hungarian hostess
  • cool spot
  • nice waiter
  • helpful staff
  • friendly bouncers
  • wonderful dinner upstairs
  • mediocre entrees
  • never recommend meal
  • very fresh house salad
  • worst first experience
  • great dancing
  • full flavors
  • great fajitas
  • rude bartender
  • recommended highly
Advertisement

Lists In Manhattan

Recent Reviews In Manhattan

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Curry Dream

66 W. 39th St, New York, NY

4 Star Rating: Recommended

Libation

137 Ludlow St., New York, NY

4 Star Rating: Recommended

Blackstones Pub & Restaurant

245 E 55th St, New York, NY

1 Star Rating: Poor

Garage Restaurant and Cafe

99 7th Avenue South, New York, NY

Advertisement