Iguana Mexican Grill

 This past weekend, Melisa called and invited me to a Girl’s lunch with her and her daughter Mariah and since both my girls were gone, another favorite young lady from our small group – Caitlyn.

After much deliberation between our more refined tastebuds (note that I didn’t say “older”), and the youngsters “just give me pizza” taste, we settled on Iguana Mexican Grill.  Located downtown, right next door to Sara Sara Cupcakes, you can move right on over for dessert over there! Big plus!

I was a little tentative about trying Iguana Grill based on a few friends opinions of it.  Here’s what I left with -if you like gourmet, you’ll love Iguana Mexican Grill.  If you like pretty simple tex-mex food, you’ll be better off going to Ted’s or somewhere a little more traditional.  Me being the gourmet lover, I enjoyed it.

On entering Iguana, you realize you’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.  It’s funk-i-fied decor makes you feel like you’re not in Oklahoma either.

We sat in this room and its hip brick walls,  rustic wood and huge brightly painted pictures gave air to a trendy-cool feeling.

We received what we thought to be the typical, first, free offering of chips and salsa.

The chips, I might say, were but typical, but the salsa? Oh me, I love this stuff.  Fresh and mildly-chunky with underlying hints of lime and cilantro, this was just delicious.  It may be the best salsa I’ve had in town.

We decided to start out by ordering The Guacamole ($6.00).

The guac was good and it came out served in the avocado shell, which we found charming.  I’m not sure if this was a small or a large, but it was relatively good guacamole and we enjoyed it.

Our waiter was super friendly and gave tips on ordering food.  I was torn between the Fish Tacos and the Crab Tacos ($7.00) and he suggested the Crab.

I thought they were really delicious, filled with lump crab meat and smoky thick bacon.  The only complaint I have was that the bacon overpowered the delicate flavor of the crab, and I’d like a little less of it in my next order.  I loved the creamy/spicy sauce on top that was made with Guajillo Chiles, and maybe sour cream? It was delicious! The sides that I chose were the White Cilantro Beans and they were wonderful.  They tasted of cilantro and lime, two of my favorite flavors and I was pleased with them.  I also ordered the fresh veggies, which consisted of roasted pablanos, carrots, onions and mushrooms.  I would have liked them just a tad more cooked, as some of my carrots were pretty hard to bite, but overall, a great change from beans and rice at more traditional tex-mex places.

Melisa ordered the Steak Torta ($6.50) a Mexican sandwich, filled with grilled steak.

It was topped with grilled onions, peppers and avocado and she loved it.  We both tasted her one side of Jicama Slaw and tried to determine how to make it at home.  It was fresh and delicious.

Mariah ordered the Tortilla Soup (bowl $6.00).

She didn’t eat much of it, but she’s a picky girl, much like my picky son, and I don’t think it was her thing.  I think it was the only thing I didn’t taste…but it looked good.

Caitlyn got the Tacos Al Carbone ($6.50).  These were double corn tortilla wrapped and the tortillas had been flash fried in oil.  I tasted these and wasn’t crazy about the oily tortillas.   Once again, the beef was tender and good.

We were way too full to try the desserts.  I would love to go back to Iguana Mexican Grill.  I want to try a couple more of their items, including the Premium Salsa, which is an order of four different types of their custom salsa, some of their Ceviche, the Key Lime Pie and maybe sit on the patio in nicer weather and order some Fish Tacos this time.  The atmosphere is fun, the prices are very reasonable, and I would recommend this place to anyone who wants something a little different than your typical Mexican platter type restaurants.

Next time? I’m dragging Mr. Wonderful along for the party.

I’d like to hear of your experiences with this restaurant! Please leave a comment below!

IGUANA MEXICAN GRILL
9 NW 9th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Phone:  606-7172

Looking for Iguana? Here’s a map to show you where it is!

View Larger Map