Iguana Studios, New York Reviews

Used to enjoy open mic and Sunday night showcases in the basement.

Food is great and better still is the fact that you can burn off the calories dancing either upstairs or downstairs.

Ridiculous expensive for a margarita, in a plastic cup $13 dolares. I get its the city, but common,, $ 15 dolars entry so if you dinner there get ready to pay extra, the music was ok. The environment was fine, good security all the time,

Great live band tonight - Vince Giornado & the Nighthawks. Mediocre food. We came for the music.

THIS PLACE IS A SCAM! They overcharged me for one of the dishes my wife and I ordered. They then attempted to charge me a cover charge to get into their upstairs dance floor despite it clearly stating on the bottom of the receipt and in their restaurant menu "NO COVER WHILE DINING FOR GENTS". The person upstairs told us that it wasn't food that we purchased but was instead a drink......FOR $35?? The line item even says "Open Kitchen". It wasn't until my wife told the person in Spanish that it was food that we purchased and not a drink that she then honored what the bottom of the receipt clearly states. I suspect that the reason for this entire issue is because I'm not Hispanic and my wife doesn't look Hispanic but little did they know.
So in short, check your receipt and don't let them get away with pulling the shade over your eyes!

I cant say the music and atmosphere were bad but the drinks and $$$ for them was a horror scene!!!

Im not Quite sure I will describe this as a Mexican restaurant. Its more like a Tex- Mex meal option. They do have open bar I believe for 2 hours, not a bad deal. We came on a bday celebration, the service was definitely amazing, they always made sure we had everything that we needed. They have some sort of "singers" that walk around the tables trying to sing for you. A good place to finish the night after dinner you can go on the 1st floor or second floor and have the night club experience. Not a good place for young kids they ID at the door. A good Place to hang out with friends.

Fun, loud place for large groups. Two dance floors & Mariachis during dinner. It was a blast for our Holiday Dinner!!!

Bathroom was extremely cramped with broken sinks. To make matters worse a bathroom attendant was handing out paper towels and a squirt of some cheap soap, demanding a tip. Didn't know if he was an employee there or an opportunist. Must say though, it didn't seem to jive with the rest of the place, which was probably closer to a 4. Food was alright but nothing to write home about - maybe a 3.6. Staff were friendly though. Bathroom was a huge turnoff.

Amazing Place to dance salsa, bachata, and reggeaton. 2 dance floors with great sound and a live DJ to enjoy.

Prompt courteous service. I especially enjoy the fresh guacamole and drinks

Partially great food nice room decoration. Prices are quite high. Look for special menus. The Margaritas are great... One of the few NY places that is still what was for years...
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This is a good spot for dancing a on weekend nights. The top floor has Latin music and the bottom floor has top 40/hip hop type music. The cover isn't to much and there usually isn't a line.

A favorite location for TexMex. it's so savory. looking forward to a return visit. prices were good for how much you get. menu is similar to a restaurant in el paso i liked.

The worst place to go eat or get a drink, they will charge you more if they think you have money! STAY AWAY!!

Monday & Tuesday nights Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks turn the 2nd floor of Iguana NYC into a virtual speakeasy! Great live band playing music from the 1920's and 30's. Dancing, delicious, reasonably priced food and drinks... amazing wonderful night!!! bring your friends

Margaritas for dayyys
I am a frequent visitor at Iguanas and not just because of their margaritas (try the mango, Diablo or regular - frozen or on the rocks) but because they offer two floors of dancing ! The lower level is free and I think they switch up the themes every other night I ve only gone for Latin and hip hop (so that s twice). The upper level though, if you love Latin music, that s the place to be. There s an admission fee for guys usually and ladies get in free but I love my salsa, merengue and bachata so I ll keep heading upstairs. Also, the bartenders are usually nicer up there.
Oh and if you have dinner in the main floor (can t go wrong with the fajitas or coconut shrimp) you can go upstairs for free. I brought my graduate class here at the end of one semester and they LOVED it.

The place is just ghetto. The manager is ghetto. Spend your money elsewhere.

After work favorite. Dancing in the basement that plays great tunes.

I came for a friend birthday with a group of 12. We started at the bar because they wouldn't seat us unless we had at least 10 there even though the table was already set up. I had a red sangria which was delicious, it's legit and not just a bottle of wine with fruit thrown in to it. My friends had ordered some nachos and I grabbed a chip and it tasted pretty good.

Once we got sat service was a little iffy. I had to flag down the waitress to get additional drinks. I got the guacamole which was made table side, it was large enough for 4 to share and pretty good though I think they used an unripe avocado or two. For my main I got the steak fajitas. The veggies seemed a little under cooked but the meat was cooked well and fairly tender. There wasn't a ton of seasoning and the pico, guac, and sour cream on the site were tiny portions. Overall I liked the dish but it was forgettable. Portion size was decent and I couldn't finish. One of my friends got tacos and they were fairly meager for the price, the burrito plate on the other hand was large and no one could finish more than one. The food was decent quality but below par for the price.

After dinner we went downstairs and upstairs. We had a good time but there really wan't anything special about it. There's also only a single stall bathroom for men downstairs. I really don't think I'll be back, I'd rather hit up Fonda or Rosa Mexicano.

Had crab quesadilla with lump crab meat and a pomegranate margarita. Both were excellent as was the service. Salsa was outstanding. The margarita was not surupy sweet, which I hate. Your first taste is pomegranate juice, not sugar. Had it on the rocks.

Great for dinner and then to party drinks r amazing

Great mexican food restaurant. It was very different than what we normally get, and I mean that in a good way.

Great place for Tapas and drinks with friends after work. Its walking Distance from 1 A B & C trains. I love their happy hour specials and drinks and food are very affordable on regular menu. Offers two different types of music/vibes. Throughout the night 3 level atmosphere. upstairs and the basement have Dancefloor and bar. The Main level is the Bar /resturant for a more conversational setting to hang with friends and coworkers over great appetizers/drinks.

Excellent place for some appetizers and drinks when out late in NYC. The restaurant has the usual Mexican fare and the prices aren't bad at all for the area. They make a good guacamole and an even better mojito. Service was good and they even have a dance club area upstairs if you like that sort of thing.

Top floor is better in music but the drinks are terrible. Bartenders should be friendlier.

The waiter never asked us beforehand if our party of 5 wanted to split the bill or all together. So when he brought the bill and we requested to split it 5 ways, they refused flat out saying it is a rule in NYC that THE PARTY needs to let the waiter know to split the bill. The waiter will not say anything.

The service and manners of the waiter, the cook and the bartender here were horrible. Not even management was able to show up , when requested, to help and provide a valid reason why they couldn't split a simple bill. NYC is packed with tourists from all over the world and you can't expect everyone to know your restaurant rules. It is THE RESTAURANT'S responsibility to let their guests know of any rules.

This bar "offers" coat service which really means it is a requirement to check in your coat. When we went to get our coats, the person covering the coat service ripped and destroyed one of the coats that was owned to a member of our group. The person working the coat service tonight admitted to damaging the coat. The "general manager of the night" paid the owner of the coat a mere $20 and therefore claimed he now owned the damaged coat and refused to give it back, leaving the owner of the coat to walk out in this freezing, unforgiving cold night. When asked why he did not want to give it back, he basically said he now owned the damaged coat and would not give it back. He then said we needed to talk to the owner of the establishment if we wanted it back however when asked to speak to this owner, the general manager said the owner was not there and that there was not a way to communicate with him . Overall the interaction was very disrespectful and I would not recommend supporting this establishment based on the lack of respect, value and consideration to the consumers of this establishment. If I could I would give ZERO stars.

It's pretty obvious that most of these reviews were wriiten by the owners. This tourist trap is to be avoided at all costs. Bad food and terrible service. STAY OUT!!!

Good music, great vibes. Drinks aren t that great and dance floor is small.

Omg! Where to begin... The food is BEYOND DELICIOUS I wish this place was on LI because I would eat here all the time. The service was fantastic. The drinks were on point and again the food was sooooo good. Guacamole made FRESH at your table and made to your liking. There s even a club downstairs and a nice size bar. Seriously a great place to go for great food and dancing. Will DEFINITELY be returning.

It was ok. the DJ didnt have good transitions going into new songs. The crab cakes were a total rip off! $18 for 2 thin silver dollar sized crab cakes and a spoonful of corn salsa! And there weren't anything to rave about. The atmosphere is good after it starting getting busy.

Bartender was amazing the atmosphere was hyped up great spot to chill

we went on a weekday for the food not for the dancing and the food was very good. the coolest part is they make the guacamole fresh right in front of you.

A testament to the fact that if you have a great location and cool atmosphere- your food can be mediocre. Canned jalepenos and cheese sauce on nachos?? Lates..

Not a bad place to grab a bite to eat then dance the night way either on the lower dance floor or the upper.

Loved the dance floor! I brought my high school chorus here to celebrate after a performance at Carnegie Hall and we had a great night. When the music and lights started everyone was so surprised it was an excellent way to spend a Friday night. The food was nice and fresh, the normal menu you except at a Tex-Mex; however the staff is friendly. The atmosphere really makes La Iguana special.

Had a realy good time in here.
Great food, traditional vibes and kind service!.

Very interesting venue, usually during weekends (friday & saturday nights) they have 2 different dance floors available. In the middle when you get in you will find the bar to your left and a restaurant in the back. If you go upstairs you will have a blast with the latin american dance floor, salsa, merengue, bachata and reggaeton are all played all night long and sexy latinas make it harder to leave. So I would suggest you to check out the basement first, which is converted to an american music bar. I give this place 100 stars!!

This place was amazing!!! Great service, tasty food and drinks multi level with music and full restaurant. One of they're bartenders is famous on Instagram Went here for New Year's... 12/10. Will surely be back

Best place for dancing latin music in NYC. Just a little bit expensive!!

The food is amazing and the employees are very welcoming and nice

It was enjoyable and at night, they opened up the club in the basement.

The night life is terrible experience and I'm beyond disgusted with the managers response regarding I must get checked 3 times within the same building. If you purchase a drink on any of the floors they will ask you to discard when you walk to a different floor. The manager of the restaurant stated that if I'm asked to check my jacket and handbag in separate floor I must do so. No wonder their music and service sucks!!! This is why they have a 3 star rating on yelp. I will never attend here again.

Monday & Tuesday nights Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks turn the 2nd floor of Iguana NYC into a virtual speakeasy! Great live band playing music from the 1920's and 30's. Dancing, delicious, reasonably priced food and drinks... amazing wonderful night!!! bring your friends

Great place, great music, great experience and I always have a great time.

The atmosphere was nice, but the food was just alright.

Love this place the upstairs is a bar/ lounge and it has lots of space to dance. great music and beautiful decor.

Although our service started out fine , it became increasingly slow as time went on. We had to flag someone down at the end just so we could pay and get out of there. There were a lot of large parties so it may work out best for those situations. Food, drinks and price were all fine just really bad service.

The upstairs area can be rented for parties and events. It includes a bar, stage and dance floor. I attended an event here last week. Food was good, but I'd say average Mexican.

Drinks are way too expensive for the decor. Need to upgrade the place.

A dark, cozy atmosphere. Exposed brick walls and (fake) candle lit tables. Everything is very inviting and friendly. Service is ok, nothing spectacular. We came for a lunch on a Saturday and it was not crowded at all. Food was tasty, I ordered the fillet mignon that was a little over cooked for what I ordered (medium rare). Overall not the best nor the worst experience.

Edit after meal: I understand adding a gratuity to a bill of a party of 8. I don't agree with it being 20%, especially if the service was lack luster. For this a 3rd star will be removed.

1st time here. Won't be our last. Best chicken nachos we ever had!!!

Had a fabulous recent Monday night listening to the wonderful jazz played by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks. A mere $20 to get in, a TexMex (what is that? we don't do it in Oz) meal, and then I was simply enthralled as these amazingly skilled musicians played me back into the 1920s and 30s. What a marvellous New York memory to treasure!!

They gave us glow stick bracelets before our dinner!

I only had some apps at the bar and some drinks...decent price and service. Went downstairs to do a little dancing, the crowd was great...no issues, everyone having a good time doing their thing. Coat check was a joke...$3 per item (had to pay for my umbrella separately...really?) Other than that waste, a great night all around

Mexican restaurant and dance lounge in NYC. The service is pretty quick and the drinks are decent and strong. Tried shrimp tacos and fish tacos that come 3 in a serving with rice and beans.

The restaurant is very nice. It was my friend's birthday so the mariachi sang her happy birthday. The food wasn't that great

Food was great and service was top notch. Nightclub was awesome and put this evening over the top! Thanks to the awesome staff!

I ate here in October and we sat outside because I had brought my dog with me. They were nice enough to even bring him a plate and allow him to sit on the chair as well. My dog is trained well and they even allowed him to take a walk around inside whilst I went to use the restroom. Very accomodating people and would come back if the food was good. On the other hand the drinks aren't bad at all. Come by if you're walking around town and need a place to rest and rehydrate. Very nice service people and tasty drinks.

Margarita flavors are delicious and creative! You could stay all day trying new flavors! Bartenders and staff are all very friendly and accommodating. Great place to stop for drinks and a few bites to eat. Stays true to the name iguana