Latin American restaurant Las Iguanas landed a top spot on Birmingham Temple Street earlier this year. The vibrant eatery boasts incredibly strong cocktails, a wide variety of flavours and a vibrant, carnival vibe. As soon as you walk through the door, it makes you feel as though you’re on holiday; it’s a fantastic atmosphere to be inside. I’ve previously visited the Las Iguanas in the Arcadian, Birmingham but I can safely say I rate this one more. I was invited to try their fresh new menu a la carte menu and the drinks that come along with it. There’s also a separate lunch, and bottomless brunch option which should really be considered.
We began with two fruity rum based cocktails which were strong enough to put you to sleep for 3 days. The Darkest Storm consists of Jah 45 Jamaican Dark Rum, mixed with lime with a hint of ginger. The tropical flavours combined with the dark rum is absolutely delicious. These drinks were on the 2 for 1 cocktail menu for £9.95. As the menu states,’It”s happy hour all day every day!’. Las Iguanas is definitely the place to go for a boozy lunch or if you’re in need of a strong drink. There’s a whole range of cocktails I’m eager to go back and try. The full list of cocktails can be found online found here.
For starters, Josh and I shared the Tortilla Chips & Dips (£3.60). The portion was big enough to share and consisted of spice-dusted corn chips, chopped onions, guacamole, and other bits of garnish. I didn’t think much of the presentation and thought the guacamole and onions should have come in separate pots. It wasn’t a memorable starter but was tasty enough to warm up the palette ready for our main meals.
For mains, I was first tempted by the tapas selection. Options range from nachos, to calamares, pork ribs and all the other bits you’d expect when ordering nibbly bits to share. Instead, I was swayed by the Havana Club & Jerk Pork BBQ whole rack of ribs (£18.70). I’ve ordered similar ribs to these before at another Latin American restaurant and thought they tasted the same. The whole rack of pork ribs are covered in a sickly sweet rum glaze, topped with crispy onion & chilli. The meal is served with slaw, and a choice of fries or salad. I enjoyed the meal but the whole rack was too indulgent for my liking. There was so much BBQ sauce on the plate, I felt the meat was swimming in it and it became sickly quite quick. I don’t think I’d order this again but is one you possibly should try if you love spare ribs.
Josh ordered the Blazing Bird chicken. A half rack comes in at around £13.50 and a whole bird costs £18.50. The spicy chicken is marinated with spicy (fiery) sauce and comes served with slaw and a choice of fries or salad. You are also able to sauce up your chicken with honey peri-peri, spicy bbq jerk or flaming hot habanero. I didn’t get to try any of the chicken as I was too full on ribs, but Josh said it was decent. Again, it’s not a dish I’d try as there’s so many other options of steaks, burgers, curries, and various tapas dishes.
We were extremely full after our meal so we skipped dessert. Their options again are incredibly varied and there’s lots to choose from. I definitely like the sound of the Cinnamon-sugar dusted churros with dips for dunking. If I went back I’d definitely order the six churros to dunk into both chocolate ganache and dulce de leche (£7.95). I’ve walked past Las Iguanas various times since having a meal there and is definitely somewhere I’d like to go for cocktails with the girls at some point. The meal was decent, but I wouldn’t rush back for the food. It might be wise to book a table as it can get quite busy on a night time. Have you tried Las Iguanas before?
Opening hours: Mon – Wed: 10am – 11pm / Thur: 10am – 12am / Friday – Sat: 10am – 1am / Sun: 10am -10:30pm. Address: Somerset House 39-40 Temple Street Birmingham B2 5DP
Please note, I was invited to Las Iguanas for a meal review with a +1. All food and drinks were free in return for an honest review.