New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Iguana Street Bar & Restaurant

by Suzanne A.
26th April 2013

Don’t get here too often but we always enjoy it when we do. Great variety of food and great bar area. The service is always really fantastic and friendly. They also have a wonderful and affordable lunch menu with a great variety of options.

by Chris B.
11th February 2013

Iguana is a bit of a Hamilton institution, and have been there many times over the years. ! Haven’t been there for a while but based on my recent visit, I am glad to say the food, service and the restaurant itself are all in very good shape. Recommended.

by Alyson E.
19th December 2012

Their $6 dessert deals are a great bargain but I was let down when the chocolate cake I ordered was terribly dry. I went rather late in the night, but if the cake was not up to scratch they should have pulled it from the menu. Over all service and atmosphere was good, I will just think twice about the cake next time.

by tessa s.
14th October 2012

This is one of the restaurants I would always recommend, awesome food really yum, and nice helpful staff, had voucher which was accidently read wrong and didn’t get correct discount, however the manager gave us a $50 voucher which was really generous of him.

by Saphron
12th October 2012

Had dinner here the other week and it was fab! Very busy but we managed to get a seat, and the lovely waitress directed us to a quieter area which was perfect. The food was fantastic. We had the salt and pepper squid and it was the best I’ve had in Hamilton yet. Only $11 and you got a decent amount! Was so happy I’ve finally found somewhere to get great calamari! We also got something off the monthly scallop menu which was good too as we got to have a variety of things. Then we shared a pizza – I recommend the high n iron. Didn’t much fancy the other one we had… We were so full but we decided to get dessert and thank god we did because it was so yum my partner got the sticky date pudding, and I got the strawberry parfait (honestly, that’s the best dessert I’ve ever eaten!) will be definately going back!! And I’m not one for praise usually, it’s been really hard trying to find a restaurant in Hamilton that lives up to their prices… We were stoked in the end to only have to come up with $46 each, and we had a wine/beer each too. Awesome food and great prices too….

by Jayne S.
10th September 2012

Having read all the reviews – we were worried that our night out was going to be an unpleasant experience.
My wife, son and I dined at Iguana on Friday 31/8/2012 on a night that was buzzing!!
The meal was superb and the waitresses so pleasant and friendly. Service was fast and efficient even though it was very busy. My wife said her lamb cutlets were mouth watering & my Scotch fillet which was cooked to perfection… but felt it was a little small – we used to huge steaks in South Africa!!! My sons pizza was the best he had have ever tasted. We will definitely be back.
Don’t always believe what you read on Menu mania!!!

Thank you very much

by Joanne H.
9th July 2012

A busy Saturday night is no excuse for RAW (yes raw) Hapuka. Unfortunately due to the dim lighting I didn’t notice so had a mouthful of cold, uncooked fish in my mouth before I realised. The waitress did take my dinner away and return 10-15 mins later with a new meal, by which time my dining companion had finished his meal. An apology was offered but perhaps they could have made my OJ or sparking water gratis . . . just a thought.

by Kayl G.
9th July 2012

The best place to have a big breakfast on a Sunday when you have had a hard Saturday night.
We always come for breakfast and it’s yumo!!

by Tom L.
13th May 2012

Iguana is a great restsurant, I like the combination of sports bar and restaurant. The food is delicious and comes out quick.
I have however only given it an A-OK rating because I didn’t like that it was so dark and it was also VERY noisy. The only lighting in the dining area were candles, this made it very hard to see and gave the impression that it wasn’t very clean. The noise made it very hard to have a conversation and counteracted any of the atmosphere the candles could have given.

by Kaylene
13th May 2012

My partner and I went to Iguana on a busy Friday night with another couple, and left feeling no better off, but no worse off. Hence “A-OK” rating.
The noise in there was INCREDIBLE. That restaurant can fit alot of people, we presume that including staff there would have been about 100 people in there which made it almost impossible to have a conversation, and we could barely see each other as it was so dark. The food was good, but not sure it was worth the price (but we were desperate as had made a booking elsewhere which had been given away).
However the meals were surprisingly quick for how busy it was, and the staff were really nice, which can be hard to find in Hamilton!
I would maybe go back but not for dinner and not when it’s busy!

by Danica d.
30th April 2012

I had a good experience at Iguana a year or so ago, so have been back several times, each time hoping to have a repeat. I haven’t been so lucky. I recently ordered the Salmon salad. It was all lettuce (dry lettuce too) two small pieces of potato and two small piece of salmon and that was about it. For $20 I really expected more. Each time the service has been shocking with long waits, seemingly no communication between staff (being in our 20′s we need to have IDs checked.. but not 3 times), and the food below average.

by Colene M.
29th February 2012

Have always found the food at Iguana great, always tasty,hot & quick to be delivered,sometimes the service can let the place down though

by melissa g.
22nd December 2011

Another restaurant we can’t get enough of. Prices are very good here, seating is plentiful and available indoors and outdoors. On our last visit, our waiter was very friendly and new the menu and could help with questions we put to her. a bit sad to see the other staff standing around talking (front of house not kitchen) It great being able to see in to the kitchen and watching the good looking chef make the meal for you I would tell everyone its the place to go they have heaps of great deals on the whole time you cant leave feeling disported.

by Bruce
3rd November 2011

Went in for our daughters 20th Birthday with some of her friends and family. Meals were OK, but not anything to write home about. Bread and dip, bread was good, dip not quite what I would expect. T Bone was a little tough and tasteless with not much more on the plate. A few wedges and a couple of tasteless dressings. it needed something to spice it up. Dessert was delightful though. Staff were warm and welcoming and a nice setting for a meal.
Just left a little disappointed.

by anna
12th August 2011

Went in today with a friend for a late lunch. Was interested in finding out about the soup, sammie and chips deal they were doing. Walked through and waited at the bar, one staff member saw us but walked the other way and disappeared out the back somewhere. However, another staff member came through the bar to the front area. She completely ignored that we were standing there picked up a box of wine, took it to the bar and started unpacking it. Didn’t approach us, didn’t ask what we were after and didn’t grab the other female staff to serve us. After about 5minutes of being ignored. We decided it wasn’t worth it and walked out. What a shame! would love to review the food. But didn’t get any service to even be able to dine!

by Grant H.
7th August 2011

We had a delightful mid afternoon meal at Iguana. We sat in front of a gorgeous open fire and were warmly attended to by a friendly waitress. At the moment they have a Soup menu that we chose from. Perfect for a cold winters day, we opted for the trio of soups with fresh, hot baked bread. We got to chose which soups made up the trio – I went for Pumpkin, Tomato and Seafood Chowder. Each were outstanding – flavours were perfect with the fresh ingredients shining through. Will go back just for the soup!

by Paul A.
1st August 2011

arrived at 730pm, asked to order at 8.00..nothing till 9.00pm so we asked when, 5 mins later a waitress tells us it will be another 15-20mins. After 25 mins we ask for the manager at 9.30. He comes out and says “sorry the cheif forgot to cook your chicken” he offers a bread platter, i tell him we want a free round of drinks…he isnt keen and i tell him weve been waiting and thats what we want. We get the drinks, and he brings out a platter..then we notice the smell, and some-one says the salami is off. Waiter number #3 (we had aprox 3 diff people serve us) comes out asks if we are done with it—i tell her take it away the salami is rotten (no response from staff at all re this) food comes out and at best average. We are already angry and if they didnt have our card details we would have walked out. At the end they charged us for the “free round” of drinks. A friend who had the salami felt ill and “exploded” i had the pizza and an hour had gas and cramping. AVOID, we will NEVER go back, never recommend. Absolutley disgusting on every level. “Offensive” would be how i sum up the experience.

Also the mens tap didnt work..so no way to wash hands…

by Lisa L.
15th July 2011

Went in with high expectations and left feeling disappointed. The food was just average, wasn’t up to a totally high standard. The service was terrible too. We changed tables and had to wait another 15 minutes before the waiter took our order. THEN we waited almost half an hour for out food to arrive! And it wasn’t even busy, and it was a lunch. Again, waited another good 15 minutes for dessert. The chocolate overload was totally disappointing too, there wasn’t much “chocolate” content and the 3 cakes provided tasted like flour+butter.

by Anna H.
3rd July 2011

I love going here on Thursday night for 2 4 1 Cocktails. The staff are lovely and they have an awesome atmosphere They also have yummy large pizzas there too. I would recommend this place to anyone

by Miriam P.
7th June 2011

was a busy night and service was real friendly even when we wanted to switch table to a booth… the decor has changed and is quite closed in now, not a big fan of that. waited around 30mins to get a bottle of wine, was quite bad… food however was very nice even thou my friend had the trio of pork and one of the pork pieces tasted really off and so did not look like the pork fillet… was nice but not amazing..

by Toni
4th May 2011

Excellent service from experienced staff and the food was even better than the service!

The meals here are worth every cent. Steak was cooked to perfection, strong, clean flavours came through in each dish.

The tasting plate as a starter was just enough to make you await your main with real enthusiasm and they don’t disappoint.

by Anna
30th April 2011

One of the best places in Hamilton for lunch and dinner.

by Deborah
25th April 2011

An excellent atmosphere! Great service and wonderful surroundings. My family and I enjoyed our meals very much – HUGE servings and every morsel delicious! Our table had mussels, scallops (a little small but the risotto they were served on more than made up for the size), calamari, pasta, the steak special and the fish – all excellent and cooked very well – I’d recommend this place in a heart beat.

by Antonia
8th April 2011

Great restaurant, fast service considering how busy it usually is.
Food always good, only negative, after ringing to try and book a table and being told we wouldn’t need to – only to arrive and have to wait half an hour because we didn’t book!

by NICOLE
14th March 2011

Top marks are for the meals but low score for the speed on what looked like a slow Sunday brunch service!
Alot of staff about but no one really took charge… 6 of us stood waiting for awhile to be seated @ a pre-booked table more waiting to order drinks & again waiting to order meals! Noticed 2 customers leave after waiting so long to order!
Immediate service when the bill was being paid of course!
The cajun lamb,chicken cranberry & brie plus BIG breakfast pizza impressive also the spiced chicken salad was delicious!
Advice in one word “raid” the flies were shocking having to eat with one hand while flicking flies away not the most enjoyable time!

by John R.
12th March 2011

Had a late evening meal. Sat out in the garden area out the back. Overall a good evening. The meals were well presented and price was good.I had the hot rock and a salad. The service was also excellent.The decor was fresh and the place was clean and tidy. My only criticism was the drinks took a long time coming to the table and the toilets with the wide screen TVs were a bit over the top.

by Leeann L.
6th March 2011

Okay to start with I looked at other reviews to see what the place was like and there was quite a few bad ones. But I like to see for myself, so my husband and I went there tonight for our wedding anniversary. We ordered mussels and they were over cooked and very bland, he ordered steak eggs and chips which was cooked to his liking and I order a pizza with no mushrooms – I hate mushrooms. When they brought it to the table it had mushrooms right through it. I was pleasantly approached by the manger and she was very sorry with the mix up which I was given another for no cost and a salad while I was waiting. But its a shame cause that just ruined my night and I’m sorry to say will not be going back again.

by Lisa H.
28th October 2010

Huge mains. I always get one of the pastas there – last time I went it was a little too oily. They are generally pretty good though.

I’ve only had dessert there once, and it wasn’t very nice at all – we got the chocolate platter, supposedly Iguana’s speciality, and the cakes were hard and dry and relatively tasteless. It was also heinously overpriced at around $17.

Service is okay, not great, but not bad either.

by wanida v.
23rd September 2010

Took my old friend there for lunch last Saturday. We ordered large pizza and salad. Food was lovely but I reckon pizzas from Furnace are better. The waitress who served our table was nice. We had 4 pieces of pizzas left so she offered to put in the container for takeaway. Thought it was going to be in a plastic container that most restaurants use but it turn out to be in a proper pizza box so we were impressed. Anyway when I opened the box at home, there were only 3 pieces left. Not too sure what was going on as the waitress didn’t mention anything. Either she got hungry on the way back to the kitchen or accidently dropped on the floor I wouldn’t have known. Some might think what’s a big deal but try to imagine this if you order pizza and there is one piece missing what would you feel. Left over or not that’s besides the point. I rang the restaurant and told them about this but they couldn’t help so it’s disappointed. The cashier staff at the counter wasn’t friendly at all. The music at the time was quite loud too so I had to raised my voice the whole time. Don’t think I want to go back there again. It’s ashame….the food was quite nice.

by juli
19th June 2010

Iguana is a very popular place in Hamilton with a rather inventive cuisine that is not stuck in the sad British “boil it to death and serve without salt”-tradition.

The food is good, the “gourmet pizzas”, however, are an insult to Italian pizza tradition. They should be renamed as, except for the round shape, they have absolutely nothing in common with real pizza.

The restaurant is nice, the music is at times a little too loud for a conversation and the prices seem to be justified mainly by the grand titles with which the dishes are introduced in the menu.
A bit “kippers and curtains” the entire restaurant, but still ok.

by Lulublu
12th January 2009

Ive been here a few times in the last few months and Ive got to say, best service ever, waiters are very knowledgeable and friendly. Food is always good, and there’s heaps of it, reasonable prices and great atmosphere.

by Ange
17th June 2008

Go here quite alot and always consistant, love the small pizza, chips and salad….makes for a great lunch. Agree with others Aaron is fantastic!

by Jen
10th April 2008

Another restaurant we can’t get enough of. Prices are very good here, seating is plentiful and available indoors and outdoors. On our last visit, our waiter Aaron provided some of the friendliest, attentive service I’ve seen in years – very very impressed. This place is very large and yet fills up very quickly at night. And lots to choose from on the menu, all delicious.

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