Las Iguanas

I find it hard to criticise Mexican food in London because it is so rare to find anything spectacular. Las Iguanas does tick some of the boxes. The quality of the produce is better than say, Taco Bell. They also have a large selection, but much of the menu doesn’t quite cut it. The only thing on the menu that we found to have any heat was, oddly enough, a salad. The lamb meatballs are also very gritty, but the most cardinal of sins: the fish tacos come without slaw!
As for the service… The first time our server was lovely and the second time they were completely absent, apart from the three occasions where our waitress accidentally chucked cutlery at us. Suffice to say that life-​changing experience won’t be repeated.

Oh where do I start? I took a dear friend here for a ‘nice’ lunch after a friend passed away. What we got was the most horrendous service I have ever encountered in my life! The server’s name was Mariec and she was a total witch on wheels.
We waited 30+ minutes just to receive our ‘tap’ water. Then we had to wait another 20+ minutes for her to come and take our order. She was rude. When I reminded her about bringing the salsa since she forgot our water (I had to get out of my seat to remind her) she yelled at me, «I can only carry so much!» Mariec is just rude. If you get her as a waitress, run for the hills!
Our meal wasn’t enjoyable able the unfair treatment we received by this waitress.
I called and complained to the manager. He wanted me to come back in with a coupon he promised to send me in email to take care of my difficulties, but the email/​coupon never came, even checked the spam folder.
The food on the other hand was not fantastic. It was again, an English’ misperception of what Mexican food is, with their own added English’ twist.
We shared an order of Mexican poppadoms. It was essentially a crunchy corn tortilla not fried and paired with salsa. It was OK. I ordered the big burrito, it came with shredded beef and caramelized onions. Caramelized onions? Mexican food does not contain ‘caramelized’ onions.
The food may have been enjoyable to an extent if it wasn’t for the horrendous service we encountered.

This review is from a customer not as the 1^st that is management? ive been here twice the 1^st time was to try it with friends and to be honest its chain food if you know what i mean, the second was just for drinks but got bad looks from the same manager. The food is not fresh and mostly frozen. On my 1^st visit i was having a drink with fiends outside as weather was good, we ordered for a table inside to eat and 50 mins later was given a table upstairs with menus. all sounds good! We ordered from the menu that stated fresh! when the food arrived 40mins later we didnt moan or cause a fuss. After eating and trying one onothers food we realised that it was bing! bing! food. pre cooked at an earlier time and Re heated in the microwave. We called the waiter over and asked questions but he only seemed to know the words on the menu. He called the manager over who told us all the food is fresh especially the sea food, he left us saying he was busy, great management, not. I walked over to the kitchen hatch and spoke to a cook! I was making general conversation about the place saying how nice it was and having a ploy to get the truth out of him. After asking the questions of fresh food and microwaved food he told me the truth, he had worked there for 2 weeks and was leaving to work in one of the other restaurants on the boardwalk so he did not hold back he showed me the pre cooked food and frozen foods, he even binged the microwave as I could not see it. I went back to my seat and spoke with my friends and told them. we called the manager back and said the food was and is not fresh and we left some food too prove it, the manager wasnt bothered and said it is fresh but leave if we didnt like it, one friend said some cooks told us its all frozen and microwaved, the manager just wanted us out as other customers heard us and some even left. I found the manager very rude and he was not intelligent enough to sort the problem, we didnt want discount but just the truth. you have to remember that this Las Iguanas is another cheap chain with untrained staff and un knowledgeable management.. you only pay for what you get. Also nothing against teenagers but this place was full of them and we must have been the most senior party in there (40)I gave one star as i could not give a minus. dont waste your money for Birds eye!!!
good luck

A great Latin/​Spanish restaurant chain that serves great tapas and awesome cocktails! I recommend the £20 for 5 tapas — great for sharing between two. There’s plenty to choose from — including delicious spicy champinones (mushrooms), whole chilli king prawns, spicy chicken, nachos, chorizo and much more.
The cocktails are buy one get one free during happy hour so, if you go at the right time, it’s a veyr cheap meal out. Visit Las Iguanas at Lakeside as a break from shopping or before going to the Vue cinema.