Las Iguanas Relaunch Review: Bristol

Photo: Alicia Morris

*gifted experence*

Hey Owlets,

I feel like I've been bombarding you with food a little recently so apologies! Maybe it's the time of year but I seem to have been given the chance to eat in a lot of lovely places recently, so I thought I would share one of those with you today. You may remember that I visited Las Iguanas on Temple Street in Birmingham last year, and I wasn't overly impressed, so when I was invited to the relaunch of the Bristol branch, I wasn't sure what to expect. Having just been refurbished, it opened with a new menu for the spring/summer season which I was really excited to try.

Stepping into the restaurant, it's light and airy and feels spacious even though it was absolutely packed with people. There are now separate areas which works to break up the crowds, meaning it doesn't feel claustrophobic. The space was decorated in bright colours with latin inspired phrases and pieces hanging or painted on the walls. I loved it because you got to see something different wherever you sat, and every time you looked up you saw something you hadn't noticed before.

I feel like at Las Iguanas the cocktails are a course in itself - especially if you order a watermelon margarita. The best part is that it's happy hour all day every day so it's always two for one cocktails, which is great because you can split them with a friend..... or just drink both as I did. We also had a Malibu Swizzle which is sort of like a Pina Colada without the coconut cream, and I think I liked it better than the drink that inspired it!

I was visiting with my friend Alicia so we decided to have starters that we could share - a bowl of nachos and a mushroom quesadilla. The nachos were great and easily enough to share even though they weren't marked as a sharing portion - they can also be made gluten free if you ask. The mushroom quesadilla was hands down the favourite starter, and surprisingly not as filling as I expected so you still have plenty of room for main course. Unfortunately there is no GF option for the quesadilla, which is a shame because gluten free tortilla wraps aren't very difficult to get hold of.

The main course options were split into countries of origin which I really liked - it was like learning something while you ate. I had Xinxim (fair warning, it's pronounced ZinZim - I butchered it!) from Brazil which is a crayfish and chicken mild curry, and Alicia had a Black Bean and Beetroot burger from Argentina.

Mine came with fried plantain, green beans, rice and then the curry in a separate bowl to keep it warm. I'll freely admit, fried plantains were not my cup of tea but I really enjoyed the rest. Alicia also enjoyed her burger, but we had the same complaint that we were both too full to finish our meals! The menu is great because it meant we were able to be as adventurous as we wanted - either having something relatively simple, or you could go for something you've probably never heard of before. The waitresses were also really helpful and we able to suggest what we might like, even though it was the opening night.

Being opening night the whole restaurant was packed and we were too full for dessert so we moved outside for another round of cocktails and some fresh air. Having eaten our meal we were also given a shot of prosecco, which I noticed everyone was given when they went to pay the bill. We ended up sitting outside for another hour or so, relaxing and letting our food go down before we wandered back to the train station and just made the last train home, which is proof it was a great evening.

Thank you to Las Iguanas for inviting us - if you fancy something a little different I would absolutely recommend that you visit.

Have you tried the new menu yet? Let me know what your favourite cocktail is in the comments below.

Love and Feathers, 

 The Owlet 💜 

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