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    Las Iguanas

    3.5 (32 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Latin American
    Closed 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    Las Iguanas Photos

    LAS IGUANAS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Las Iguanas

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    LLAMAS! Beer menu
    Briony C.

    I love trying as many different cuisines as possible so I was pleased that Las Iguanas opened up in Glasgow with its Latin American offerings. The restaurant is nicely decorated - lots of orange and bright colours, with display shelves of condiments you can buy to take home. If I was being brutally honest (which I am) I would describe it as "fancy Nandos." Whether that is your thing or not is up to you, of course. They have a separate menu for gluten free, as well as vegetarian and vegan so it's nice to see a chain catering to people with allergies and dietary requirements. I grabbed a GF menu as well as the main menu and the waitress double checked which dish I wanted when taking my order, as the GF menu has the same dishes on it as the mains but with small alterations. If you visit between Sunday - Wednesday you'll find £5 cocktails on the menu which is a pretty good price in Glasgow. I opted for the Dark & Stormy (normally £7.50) and it was served in a large pitcher glass which made it good value. We tried: Totopos (£2.95) - spice-dusted corn chips with our home-made tomato salsa. These were great, the corn chips were a little different from usual and there was the perfect amount of salsa for the amount of chips. Calamares (£5.40) - whole baby calamari, sliced & coated in crisp crumb cassava. With creamy aioli. I didn't have any strong feelings about this dish and after trying one piece, didn't go back for any more. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't memorable. Class Chaminones (£4.95) - thick-sliced mushrooms in a creamy smoked chilli sauce, served with warmed soft wheat tortillas. Add a posh topping of truffle salsa, crumbly cheese & slices of roasted red pepper for 90p. Firstly, this dish was REALLY big for an entree. I would say it was too big, if that is possible. I opted for the posh topping and thought that was a great addition to the dish. The flavour was lovely and smokey, rich and creamy. I'd definitely get this again - it would be a good starter to share between two. Then, we were onto mains. Yes, I was already struggling at this point and we'd been recommended to order a side with our mains - unless you can eat a huge amount of food, I wouldn't recommend it. The extraordinary xinxim (£12.95) - lime chicken in a crayfish & peanut sauce with spring onion & garlic rice & fine green beans. Toasted coconut farofa to sprinkle, sweet plantains for fun. This dish arrives in two parts. This is very important, because if the waitress doesn't mention it (which she didn't) you will think you've been seriously ripped off. When the chicken does arrive, you'll be overwhelmed - this is a lot of food. I loved the flavour of the peanut sauce, it was like a satay sauce but more intense. There were a lot of crayfish in the dish (tiny baby ones) and everything on the plate was generous. Churrasco Fiasco (£14.50) - Marinated & flame-grilled, with honey peri-peri sauce, salad & cassava fries. Choose from: Honey-glazed rump steak, red onion peppers in a paprika & cumin marinade (£14.50) or honey-chilli chicken, red onion & peppers (£13.95). They asked Graeme how he wanted his cooked but when it arrived there was no hint of pink. I only tried a small bit of the meat and to me, it was too char grilled but some people like that. Patatas Bravas in bits (£3.95) - Chunky twice-fried spicy spuds on sticks. Dunk 'n' plunge into smoky chipotle sauce & creamy aioli. Due to extreme over-eating and over-ordering, we barely touched these. We both had a couple of drinks with our meals (Graeme was on a diet coke bender) and at £3.20 a pop for a pint of soft drink, you might want to go with water instead. Or a cocktail. Our bill was just over the £60 mark which I found pretty steep - yes, the portions are generous but the prices are just as generous. I would definitely not order as much food next time, one starter to share and one main each. I really enjoyed the food though so that's why it still comes in at 4 stars. It all tasted really fresh, interesting and quite different from usual offerings in Glasgow. Service was really good as well, we have a very friendly waitress (Mariann) who was very attentive all night and paid great attention to things that other servers would miss - for example, making sure I didn't want a GF meal just because I was looking at the GF menu.

    Trudie M.

    And the one star goes to the waiting staff and the shift manager! I have attempted to write this review 4/5 time. Please do not be put off trying this place - I do believe you have to try it yourself as every one has different tastes however I can advise you what not to order! Overwhelmed by the amount of food on the menu - I loved the fact you can order while you choose however the breaded whitebait I did not love and it took so long to come out we had already chosen! Kinda defeated the purpose eh? I was torn between the American dream burger and the steak skewers ( the name I cannot remember) from the flame section. I went for the skewers- these arrived. My first bite I chewed and I chewed then I attempted to swallow this piece of meat the was still whole. This went on for the rest of the skewer! I started on the salad which was covered in oil and the "chips" 3 breaded potatoes things - they were the most edible thing on my plate!! After the waitress saw that we left over half our dishes! We had a quick chat with the manager, who couldn't apologise enough. He promised to make some changes and our feed back was noted and for I'm happy to give this one star with maybe one day I may be back to give it another go!

    Vegan mushroon fajitas. So tasty, came to the table sizzling. Vegan guac, salsa, jalapenos and tortillas just out of shot.
    Leanne R.

    Can't fault this place at all! Booked two tables for 30 people, after being placed in charge of the work's Christmas do. Perfect for me as I got to pick somewhere that catered for us vegans/veggies too. The whole booking process was so easy and only a £5 per person deposit was taken, which is great at Christmas time. There was a few last minute drop outs and the deposits for those people were just taken off the final bill. The best part was, everyone can go on and add their own pre-orders online. Very handy. Service on the night was pretty fast given how busy it was and how many of us were there. Everyone was impressed with their food and the atmosphere was great. Can't grumble about the staff, all very pleasant and patient. We were given some cayenne and lime Mexican yam sticks to nibble on before our meal. Everyone was divided on these wee things. I really enjoyed them! Same texture as apple without the sweetness. I went for the vegan spicy pumpkin soup to start with which has a great kick to it and came with lovely, crusty bread. Might have been a bit on the spicy food for folk who aren't into their spicy food, but was perfect for me. Next up was the vegan three mushroom fajitas, which came out sizzling like mad. Can't wait to go back and have them again. Sooooo tasty. Good helping of guac and salsa too, with a wee cute dish of fajita wraps on the side (I get excited about constructing my own food). Last but not least, I had the vegan coconut cream, mixed berry and mango Trembleque. Beautiful dessert that even a few non-vegan colleagues were raving about. All of this came to £25 per person. Fantastic value. Everyone loved their food, happy bellies all round. Drink prices are reasonable too. All the vegan-friendly wine is also clearly marked on the drinks menu. I'll most definitely be back!

    Styling echoes of the fifties.
    Jules M.

    Staff very switched on about vegetarian & gluten free diets. I'm a huge fan of the Las Iguanas chain, so was thrilled to be trying the new Glasgow branch. Results were mixed. The dining room decor is pretty snazzy and much bigger than I anticipated. It goes quite a long way back and around the corner where there are some great big booths and banquettes that are perfect for large get-togethers. For such a big space, its surprisingly cosy and intimate in places. On arrival our server enquired whether any of our group had vegetarian or gluten-free preferences. When the answer to both was in the affirmative she explained that some items marked as gluten free on the menu needed a small change to make them gluten-free, so we should mention this when ordering. So far, so good! We decided to eat from the lunchtime menu as it was good value, especially when it came to adding a starter for £1.95 or £2.95, or a bottle of brahma beer for £2 - usually an eye watering £3.80 at other times! I opted for the coconut squash taco starter which came with pink pickled onion and sour cream. It was an delicious & moderately spicy starter and a generous portion to boot. Also coming to the table for starters were nachos, and a turkey empanada with cranberry sauce. The solitary turkey empanada looked as if it should have been joined by another empanada and was rather a wee portion, though I'm told it was pretty good. Nachos is nachos! Among the mains ordered were Patagonian meatballs with a large serving of rice (thumbs up), though the half chicken 'marinated' in spicy bbq jerk sauce was apparently a disappointment and described as tasting as though overcooked and reheated to order with the sauce being added latterly. The consensus on the coleslaw was that it was tasteless and incredibly watery. I normally love coleslaw, but would rather this attempt had been served in a ramekin. That way I could have discarded it from my plate more easily and it wouldn't have soaked into my veggie burger's bun making it all soggy. This was an enjoyable visit that didn't quite hit the highs I had anticipated, but I'm definitely going back for another visit - there's a whole lotta vegetarian on the menu and I mean to try it all out. Maybe next time it'll be getting washed down with a jug of rum punch rather than a glass of coke. Other branches of Las Iguanas that I've visited have set the bar very high indeed. The Glasgow branch has certainly staffed their front of house with a capable and enthusiastic team, and the dining room looks the business. They just need to keep a closer eye on the quality of whats coming out of the kitchen.

    Adele R.

    As soon as I arrived at Las Iguanas, I felt relaxed and in holiday mode. The cocktails were flowing, the smell of good food was in the air and the music and maracas made me want to shake my shoulders, all before I had even sat down, so I knew I was in for a good night. It was the launch of Las Iguanas' Glasgow restaurant and I was immediately impressed by the size of the place and how it managed to be grand and cosy all at once, while feeling like it had been there all along. Spirits were high, not only in the delicious cocktail concoctions, but all around at the tables and bars, as people chatted excitedly and soaked up the sizzling atmosphere. Rather unusually and much to my delight, Las Iguanas has separate menus for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diners, in addition to their main menu, so there's something for everyone and plenty to go around. I was overjoyed to discover that the guacamole was vegan-friendly as standard and it was even more delicious than any cream-crammed counterparts. I also had mushroom fajitas which were wonderful and the mushrooms themselves were marinated so marvellously that they were full of flavour and really packed a punch. My dining companions enjoyed quesadillas, duck taquitos and so many delicious dishes that they were full to the brim, although there's always room for dessert and an impressive array of cakes and brownies were served as a sweet treat to perk up guests in time for the evening's entertainment. Next, in a flurry of feathers, glitz and glamour, out came two dancing dames, who managed to entertain in their underwear, without seeming seedy or inappropriate, with their showbiz smiles and fancy footwork. As the evening went on, the admiring audience were invited up to dance, as the feathered females and the salsa-dancing staff showed them how it was done. I had a fantastic evening at Las Iguanas and really enjoyed the delicious drinks, fiery food and scintillating entertainment. It's the place to go for a feast, fiesta and lively Latin evening in the heart of Glasgow.

    Gluten free menu
    Nicola H.

    I was really excited to try here after everyone raving about the menu and I'd read online about the gluten free menu. We had booked through 5pm so had 20% off which was great. I asked for the gluten free menu and was really impressed by the range on offer although unimpressed that the fries were not gluten free. We decided to share the standard portion of nachos and I'm glad we did as the portion was huge! I then had the chicken skewers with honey and garlic and onion rice. This is where I feel disappointed. The sauce came in a separate dish and was just ... OK. To be honest I've had a similer dish in a well known pub chain that was half the price and tasted better. I felt it was overpriced for what it was. I probably would go back but only if I had another discount voucher.

    Pao de queijo, cassava fries
    Tracy W.

    I really want to like Las Iguanas. It's one of the few Latin American restaurants in Glasgow and that is totally my jam. Sadly, while they have an idea what ingredients go in these dishes, they don't seem to have a good grasp on flavours. The freshness of the food also left something to be desired. We went in on a Friday night after turning up at Topolabamba with no reservations and finding that we were not getting a table - no sir. Over to Las Iguanas we went and were seated no problem, though it was pretty busy. We ordered pao de queijo (little gluten free Brazilian cheesy bread bites made from tapioca flour) and cassava fries (naturally gluten free but made in a shared fryer, FYI) to start. The bread was old - it was hard like it had been made that morning and left in a warmer all day. Pao de queijo has to be made fresh or it goes funky really quick. It was awful, do not order (unless maybe you're the first order of the day at lunchtime.) The cassava fries were the best part of our meal. It's a root vegetable, kind of like a potato, but more delicious. They serve it with a salsa that totally overwhelms the flavour - in Brazil, they'd dip it in melted butter. Then came the mains. My partner had a vegetarian moqueca de palmitas, which is kind of a Latin curry. He said his was alright, though the rice was dry, again like it had been premade and left sitting all day. I ordered the chile con carne, which was beef and black beans over rice. It was extremely heavy on the meat and light on the beans, which is not typical of chile con carne where I'm from, nor was it similar to Brazilian feijoada, a stew made of meats and black beans. It was served over the same dry white rice. While there was nothing technically wrong with the dish, it just wasn't good. I was tired of it after a few bites and didn't come close to finishing. To their credit, the restaurant did notice that I hadn't enjoyed my main and offered to bring something else instead. I didn't take them up on it. In the end, the manager took the stale bread (about 3 quid) off our bill. The positives: the service was better than I expected, and they actually noticed I didn't care for my food. This is rare. They have some great drink deals on now with a whole page of cocktails for 3.90. I'd probably go back for a cocktail and cassava fries, but I'd save my appetite for somewhere else.

    Bahia Moqueca
    Elaine D.

    I've been here a couple of times and I love the decor of warm colours, and it's one of the rare places you can get a menu with clearly labelled vegan options but you can also take friends/ family /work colleagues along who refuse to go to a fully veggie place. I specifically chose to visit there on that evening (with a vegan friend) because they'd had a menu change and there were new vegan options I had yet to sample. I like that you're asked on arrival if there is someone vegetarian, vegan, or glutenfree in your party (no secret vegan menu - there is no customer in the world anywhere who likes secret vegan menus) and you are given a menu with clear codes as to which dishes are suitable for your dietary requirements. The server introduced herself by name and that we could call on her if we needed anything. It had a nice air of formality but still in a comfortably casual environment. As it was around 6.15pm the lunch menu was still on - a starter and a main for £8.90 (if I remember correctly) up until 6.30pm. I really wanted a dessert, and none of the starters really appealed to me - not a huge fan of sweetcorn, and by the time you remove the cheese and sour cream from the nachos it doesn't leave much and the squash taco sounded too similar to the main I would have chosen - so I just opted for a main from the regular menu. I deliberately chose one that wasn't included on the lunchtime deal menu to kind of justify not going for the lunch deal! I opted for a coconut curry - the Bahia Moqueca. I was brought over a dish that looked a bit like a plantpot, which another dish - that looked like a cross between a plantpot and a frying pan - sat on and contained my curry. I got a bit confused as to what I was meant to do with it. I started forking some veg on to my plate of rice, then after a minute or so of eating I decided just to pick up the whole thing of curry, and ended up pouring sauce into my pot of coconut farofa. I also found it less sweeter than I would have liked it. It was nice to try it, but at £10.95 and a bit of faffing around I might just go for one of the salads next time, or the chilli con verduras. Sweet potato fries - excellent. I could eat two portions to myself. I fancied a beer and as the volume size of the bottles were not indicated on the drinks menu I'd asked about one of the beers, and if it was 330ml or 500ml? A big one or a small one? It was £4.60 and if I'm paying that I want a 500ml bottle. The server didn't really seem too sure at first then said it was just under a pint, so I ordered it and it was 330ml. That was a bit annoying, I think they really should display drink sizes on their menu. I've been getting right into craft beers and I think I've just come to expect this as the norm! The Tembleque was fabulous! Very sweet and the flavours of the mango puree and mixed berries complemented the pudding's sweetness well. A nice change from a sorbet or chocolate brownie. I'd order that again. (I'd put this as a 4, but actually really the beer thing was my only blip and that's pretty minor, so happy to quickly change this to a 5!)

    All day everyday!!
    Gordon M.

    I had lunch here with my heavily pregnant sister. I tell you that for two reasons. 1. I had to go back to work so couldn't sample any of the cocktails. 2. She only had a few weeks to go at that point and admitted that her sense of taste (well, everything) was a bit all over the place. That said first impressions were good, it's a nice space, and the friendly greeting at the door was very welcoming. We grabbed a seat and ordered drinks, which arrived promptly, and decided on the lunch specials menu as it seemed like a pretty good deal. I'm writing this review a few weeks after the fact and will now admit that I don't actually recall what I had, but that seems to be fitting with my impressions of the food, non-descript. Not bad, I can remember eating the food and appreciating that it was ok, but there was nothing to rave about, nothing that made me think 'Yeah, I wanna go back and try something from the full menu'. Of course maybe after a cocktail or two the food tastes better, and maybe the lunch menu was deliberately limited for time/cost reasons but unfortunately that means that I won't be hurrying back. Price wise the deal seemed reasonable, and the staff were friendly enough, if a little hard to track down when we wanted our bill (a pet peeve that one), so overall it was ok, just not great.

    Caiprinha
    Paula M.

    We attended the launch night of Las Iguanas last night & were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is quite large with capacity for around 100 people (my guess). The decor is quite laid back with nothing really to suggest it's a Latin restaurant. The cocktails were sublime. Well mixed & not scrimping on alcohol! I can't comment on the food too much as we only had tasters of some items. What we did have was well made & some interesting flavours.

    Sarah T.

    I met my friend here for cocktails because you know, they had an offer on all cocktails: £3.90 each! Something to do with celebrating their 25th anniversary I think (please don't quote me on that) but it wasn't an offer we were going to turn down.. As you enter the restaurant, the bar area is directly infront of you. It's small, but there are so comfy seats and I guess most people come here to actually eat in the restaurant. We were the only two in the bar area (until later when a couple arrived which was the cutest, most obvious looking first date I've ever seen!) and it was just order at the bar. Anyway, let's get onto the cocktail menu: it's okay. not the most exciting to be honest. There are some of the usual suspects and a delicious King Colada which is worth investigating. They use Funkin' purees and ah, that's not going to sit well with any cocktail connoisseur. I've definitely tasted better cocktails elsewhere and really think they need to up their game. There are far too many other bars & restaurants who are doing cocktails a lot better. We were comfy though so just made a night of it catching up. I'd return for food, but don't think I'll be heading here for cocktails again though, there's definitely better places to go.

    Chris M.

    I had only ever been to Las Iguanas once...in Leicester so on Wednesday night we headed for some post work scran. Let's get the housekeeping out the way, yes there is a bar and there is also a fairly extensive veggie and GF menu as well as most of the meat (chicken & lamb definitely off the top of my head) being halal. The restaurant is brightly coloured and lively much like the stereotypical view of Latin America is perceived on these shores. The main menu has a range of starters, sides, tapas and mains but the lunch/early evening menu is a bargain not to ignore with two courses available for as little as £8 dependent on your choice. For starter I had some honey piri piri chicken wings, there were only two of them but it was a full wing and the sauce was both sweet and spicy although perhaps a bit too much of it. For main I had the Havana rum & BBQ ribs and these came clean off the bone with a side of my all time favourite sweet potato fries which were great. The pot of extra BBQ sauce was strong and smoky and went great with the fries. Normally I shun dessert but on this occasion I had a huge slice of Dulce de Leche Cheesecake that was probably a bit too big but tasted wonderfully of a childhood favourite of mine Caramac. Service was quick and friendly and it was a lovely place to sit, talk and eat. The bargain menu, although a little simple, is another tick in the win column. All in all I wouldn't grumble if asked to go back again.

    Austen M.

    The waiting staff here are really friendly and attentive. The manager that we spoke to after our meal was really good, he acknowledged/agreed with our concerns and did all the right things to try and fix the situation in the ways available to him. That is the positive over I'm afraid. On to the food experience. Starters we shared whitebait with dip and drank a couple of quilmes. Beer was fine. We did not enjoy the breaded whitebait and left most of it. It tasted like it needed much more seasoning and was pretty bland. At this point I put it down to making a wrong menu choice and left it to wait for our mains. For the mains I had the American dream burger topped with chorizo and cheese. On the side were fries and coleslaw. Let's with go the sides first. The coleslaw is tasteless. Has anybody working at the restaurant tasted what they are serving and compared it to other versions?! It's feels like they can't of, as it is devoid of any flavour. Fries now. Totally soft and undercooked. Basically inedible even after covering them in mayo to try and make then better. I left both sides. The burger now. It had lots of green and brown sauce over it that was pretty tasteless. The chorizo on top of it was disgusting. Burnt beyond recognition but still served up to me. The burger itself seemed ok till about 1/2 way through and I hit the gristle... Yes gristle.. I could not eat any more. It was like big chunks of tough chewy gristle and it was horrible. This is when I gave up and asked for the waitress to come over and take the food away. I will leave Trudie M to speak about her main course, but I just thought it is worth mentioning she had a different main and also returned hers. So at this point the waitress took away our food and was very apologetic. The manager came out and spoke to us about the food we had. I won't quote him directly as I don't think that is fair. But safe to say I left feeling he also agreed the food we had received today was unacceptable. He gave us our "meal" free of charge and offered us more drinks or desserts FOC, but we declined as to be honest I really felt a bit sick and did not want to eat anything else in there. I have mulled over what star to give this due to them taking care of the bill, but I think at this point it still has to be one star based on the food quality. The fact my main was served to me was criminal as it was so obviously below acceptable standards just from how it looked. I won't be back here for a long long time, if ever. So disappointing.

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    Review Highlights - Las Iguanas

    e. We both had a couple of drinks with our meals (Graeme was on a diet coke bender) and at £

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    Poco Havana

    Poco Havana

    3.5(4 reviews)
    0.2 miCity Centre
    ££

    So, I'm biased, because I already know I love Mexican food (or Tex Mex which is apparently what we…read moremostly get in the UK. Fine. Whatever. I love it). Having tried other bits and pieces of Latin inspired cooking I figured a Cuban restaurant would probably be a pretty safe bet. Having wandered past Poco Havana a few weeks back, it went straight to the top of the "to try list." So, at around 9pm on a Saturday night we arrived to a quiet-ish, but not totally empty restaurant. We took a seat, ordered a jug of frozen margaritas (yes!) and looked at the menus. The first impression we got was that the restaurant was warm and welcoming and that the smells coming from the kitchen were awfully promising. The second impression we got was that for a restaurant named for Cuba's capital, it serves an awful lot of Mexican food. About half the menu is given over to burritos, tacos and enchiladas. Perhaps that's no bad thing, but I was kind of surprised. Anyway, I ordered the hurrachas con chorizo to start. It's a kind of corn meal pancake which was served really crunchy and topped with chorizo, potato, avocado, mushrooms and sour cream. My braver partner went for the almost death wings. I tried one - they're hot. I mean, I could probably have eaten one, if provided with sufficient water, but not the 5 he was served. We decided to stick to the "Cuban Corner" of the menu for our mains. I chose the Pernil Relleno cos Moros y Christianos - a garlicy, citrussy and lightly spiced dish with huge juicy chunks of tender roasted pork shoulder, served with rice and peas. My goodness that pork was good and it's nice to get a change from the ubquitous pulled pork that seems to be everywhere right now. My partner chose the Ropa Vieja, a slow roasted, chipotle spiced, shredded beef dish, again with rice and peas. A delicious as it was, after his 5 chicken wings he struggled to finish it. Fortunately the staff didn't mind at all that he wanted to take the rest home with him and made a point of wrapping it extra carefully so it didn't leak. We finished the meal with pisco, a kind of brandy I hadn't tried before, as a digestif. The whole meal came in under £60 which, given how much we enjoyed it, I thought was a great price. While we were there we noticed that they clearly also operate as a bar. You can just sit with a few drinks, maybe a bar snack or two, and while an evening away. Chatting to the staff we were told that they're open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, which is good to know. As well as a favourite new restaurant, I think we've found a cool new place just to hang out.

    So got an itison voucher for 2 burritos and 2 beers for a tenner, can't argue really. Used to dig…read morebo kantina so was surprised it had changed hands to recently... We got pork nachos to start, stone cold. The pulled pork tasted just like shop bought pork smothered in bbq sauce, was cold and stringy and far too sweet. The guac was Brown, and the tortilla chips of the lowest quality. Got steak burritos for main, easily the worst attempt at burritos I've ever encountered. Filled with what seems like microwaved rice and pea mix with rare steak. Couldn't taste anything else I would expect to be in a burrito, like guac or sour cream or cheese, or beans. Just rice, peas, and raw steak. Now I feel like a philistine for complaining over rare steak, normally if I order a steak I would ask for it medium. But you just don't expect to be picking bits of raw beef out of the rice in yer burrito. I can't imagine this place stays open for long serving that grub, if you want tapas style Mexican food - go to tooplabamba.

    Photos
    Poco Havana - The bar on a Friday night

    The bar on a Friday night

    Poco Havana - Almost death wings

    Almost death wings

    Poco Havana - CUBANO. YES.

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    CUBANO. YES.

    Revolución de Cuba - Glasgow - Chicken Enchiladas, in background  Sangri and El sueno watermelon shots.

    Revolución de Cuba - Glasgow

    3.2(6 reviews)
    0.1 miCity Centre

    Damn, this place is cool…read more Revolución de Cuba was one of many bars on my list that I needed to visit while I was in Glasgow. Located on the bustling Renfrew St. this place is hard to miss. The minute you walk in you feel like you're walking into a modern Latin American restaurant - sexy, dark, colourful are all the adjectives that are popping out at me. We came in on a Saturday night and it was busy, busy, busy. People were dancing, professional dancers were in full costume, every table was full, and all the guests looked happy taking down their fancy cocktails. The one downside of it being busy? It was hard to get a drink from the bartender. But once we got his attention, he was quick to serve. Our trip was short and sweet, since we had many other bars we wanted to visit this night. One drink and we were out of there. I would definitely come back for more drinks and dancing though. They also have a food menu that looked quite good, but unfortunately I didn't try anything. Good music, good vibes, good drinks. What more could you want?

    I wanted to love this place, and maybe it's because it's just out of the womb that it isn't quite…read morethere yet. The décor is okay, functional as much as interesting, there is a nice selection of spirits, especially rum, and I suspect that the tables can be cleared for salsa, gigs etc. The food and service though was slightly disappointing. Not that our server wasn't chatty or pleasant, the exact opposite in fact, it's just that the food took a while to arrive. Again, the menu is slightly disappointing too, there is very little on there that is specifically Cuban, in fact most of it would not be out of place in a Spanish tapas bar. I ordered albondigas (meatballs in tomato sauce), sticky chicken skewers, and the roasted chorizo. It took a while, when it did come though it was all tepid, it just wasn't warm enough, unlike my partner's, hers were all fine, but then again she didn't get the Gambas Pil Pil she wanted nor the tea at the end because it was taking too long! The roasted chorizo was great, a nice smooth chorizo with a really tasty red wine, honey and onion sauce. I also had some of my partner's Cajun cream mushrooms and they were creamy, spicy and properly warm. Nice large olives too. The meatballs were not bad, quite tasty, although I personally like them firmer, and the tomato sauce wasn't broken down enough, meaning it was separated and it certainly didn't coat well. The skewers weren't "sticky" enough, making them a little drier and the lime and honey flavour not as intense as it could have been. I'm sure it'll get better, these are no doubt just teething problems, but on the basis of this visit it's a three.

    Photos
    Revolución de Cuba - Glasgow
    Revolución de Cuba - Glasgow
    Revolución de Cuba - Glasgow - Boritto

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    Boritto

    Topolabamba - Shredded Beef Tostada

    Topolabamba

    4.0(82 reviews)
    0.0 miCity Centre
    ££

    We found the food tasty, the service excellent and the atmosphere jubilant without being over…read morepowering at Topolabamba. Traveling through Scotland we've been amazed at all the Mexican food restaurants. After a terrible plate of natchos, we've avoided them until last night. The lure of a margarita brought us in to this place that serves water out of Jose Cuervo bottles. The ambiance was lively and had the bright ceramics of our home town neighbor. Ben, our waiter, was wonderful-calmly dealing with our concerns and bringing us dishes one at a time. We started with fish tacos which were delicious and had slices of Serrano peppers. The spiciness was welcome. We had prawn tostadas that I would order again without hesitation. Quality of the prawns was excellent. The spirit of Mexican cuisine was in these dishes although they were different than the Mexican food we've had in Mexico and in San Diego. The calamari was a stretch for being Mexican but tasted great. We were disappointed to not have the margarita rims salted and the avocado was barely adequate for us but otherwise this place is great for Mexican food in Scotland.

    The service was so nice--truly lovely people--but if you have ever had actual Mexican food you will…read morebe unbelievably disappointed. If you're just craving churros then this is the spot! Just avoid everything else.

    Photos
    Topolabamba - The bar

    The bar

    Topolabamba - Fish tacos

    Fish tacos

    Topolabamba - Chili Spiced Calamari with Chipotle Aioli

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    Chili Spiced Calamari with Chipotle Aioli

    Mango

    Mango

    2.6(7 reviews)
    0.6 miSauchiehall Street, City Centre
    ££

    I was looking forward to Mango opening, this area has gone down hill in the past few years with a…read morepoor standard of food offerings that was getting pretty bad. I'm not sure on the opening times but when I do walk past there are no customers in view, maybe they are late eaters. Like the last place that was here it's too full on with bright colours, and they seen to have concentrated more on that than the style of food that they are trying to aim for. There is a menu deal on three tapas for £4.00, but that is only served during certain hours, I chose three items at £3.95 each Calamari, chicken wings & some potato dough ball things. With all, the items that l had I would have said that they where all bought in items and not home made, maybe it's because they are still looking for a chef. The food was ok, it was passable, I will try again at a later date.

    Our planned restaurant fell through, and being down this end of Sauccihall Street is a new one for…read moreme. We wandered for a little and found this 'tapas' bar. With the Brazilian tunes enticing us, and the shabby south American decor I thought, why not give it a try? We were seated in a booth in the back area, which I was quite impressed with. The size of the place was unexpected. The waiter was...sweet. He couldn't handle many of our questions and kept referring to other staff members. Perhaps he was new. We ordered a selection of tapas and when our request for table bread was met with confusion we ordered bread and olives instead. The food didn't take long, which was a blessing as by this point we were starving. But we quickly realized perhaps why the food was so quick. I ordered, Brazilian cheese balls, Tempura prawns with an avocado and mango dip, plus some calamari rings with chilli mayo. The cheese balls were quite bready. They are balls of quite tough pastry and a tiny amount of cheese baked into that so the balls were empty. The tempura prawns were done in a sort of batter like you'd get on fish at a chippy, and curled up like won tons, with very little prawn inside. The Calamari rings were probably the best dish, yet even they were quite chewy. The bread! Even the bread and olives was off. The bread itself was fine, mediocre, but the olives. They only sent green ones which I was a little miffed about but could accept it. They weren't pitted! I nearly cracked a tooth on one nibbling into it. I wanted to try and have something good to eat to write about so I ordered some Churros and chocolate dip. What could go wrong? Crunchy churros that's what, crunchy churros. It wasn't okay. Overall just a really poor excuse for food. I realized after we'd ordered that it's probably aimed at students, but I still don't think that's an excuse for poor quality. They didn't end up charging us for the bread and olives, but at that point there wasn't much they could have done to soften my opinion. I've heard it's good for a drink on a night, and maybe thats so, the music was very funky. But avoid the food.

    Photos
    Mango - Usb chargers the wall

    Usb chargers the wall

    Mango - 3 tapas for £4

    3 tapas for £4

    Mango

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    Sabor Criollo - Wine list

    Sabor Criollo

    3.7(13 reviews)
    41.1 miStockbridge
    £££

    This place needs some serious help. It's just the husband and wife, they likely need some training…read moreon how to handle a full room. Our family had to leave after only receiving about half of the items we ordered after waiting for an hour. My mother paid for all of the food, really shouldn't have, should have only paid for what was served. The food that was served was mediocre at best. I had the beef tacos and they were really flavorless, mostly just the flavor of the corn tortillas. The portion of lettuce and cilantro was wilted and browned, clearly had been sitting out for days. The nachos my daughter ordered were stale and the cheese looked like it came out of a bag vs freshly grated(you can tell because anti-caking agent in a bag of shredded cheese doesn't melt together like it would freshly grated). My wife received the tortillas and salsa for her fajitas but the beef never came. We had to retrieve our own menus, order our drinks(server didn't ask). The ambience is ok for a basement restaurant, it could be greatly improved. The biggest improvement would be getting rid of the small bar, it seems useless. This would provide more table space. They definitely need an additional host/server. And then some formal training on basic restaurant service, even an online course would likely greatly improve things.

    the service was 4 stars despite it being two people running the joint and cooking the food. they…read morewere diligent but were clearly very busy. when a group of 6 or 7 came it, my partner and I made sure to grab the check quickly - we had a feeling we may sit. Overall service was good - very friendly team. The ambiance was nice - i like these quiet little places that are simple. i give that a 4/5 as well Sadly the food fell flat. we had several things on the menu - most of which was lackluster. Yuca Fries and Croquettes were not fresh - they taste like they had been fried the day before an warmed up. nothing crunchy about it - just chewy and not very flavorful. The mini cachapa was good - nice and gooey in the middle. The quesadilla looked like it was made by a 14 year old in the kitchen... bland... zero flavor... it didnt taste bad but then again it was just cheese and a tortilla folded in half. the beef tacos were not very good - the beef is overcooked and they dont let teh beef strain before loading the thick corn tortilla. they didnt add anything to teh tacos but the beef - and the beef was too salty. the saving grace were the arepas - however the plantain and feta arepa needs to come with some sort of sauce. the chili beef one was good... the best part about the arepa's were how fresh they tasted and how filling they were. Overall for the price - its not half bad. Im sure after a few beers it would be a great way to sober up and is probably fine for some takeaway now and again.

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    Sabor Criollo
    Sabor Criollo - Chimmichurri

    Chimmichurri

    Sabor Criollo - Good beef fajitas

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    Good beef fajitas

    Barburrito - When life gives you free burritos.

    Barburrito

    3.9(15 reviews)
    0.2 miCity Centre, Merchant City
    £

    One of the best burrito spots I've ever tried! The ingredients were super fresh and the tortilla…read morewas perfectly grilled. I got the Loaded Burrito and it was packed with flavor. Fast service, great portions, and fair prices. Shout out to Mark for all his help!

    The rebrand of my favourite love/hate affair - Pinto…read more Nothing has changed inside apart from a lick of paint, new menu boards, and new branding. Instead the main changes are on the menu and the attitude of the staff. My big problem with Pinto was it slowly felt like a production line as time went on, this is now the opposite - you are greeted at the door by a friendly face, the staff behind the counter are friendly and chatty, and there seems a lot more love and attention put into making your food now. The menu itself is made up with the exact same menu as Pinto, but with additions to the burritos - a loaded burrito (a standard burrito with coleslaw and guacamole), and a superfood burrito (coleslaw replacing the rice), there is also the addition of Churos to the menu which is great for a sweet tooth like me. The food itself hasn't changed much, there's just a couple of tweaks I noticed. I spotted herbs and spices being added to the rice while I waited. My favourite part is the bland chicken that continually disappointed in Pinto has gone. The chicken now has a subtle kick of spice to it that complements everything else in the burrito brilliantly. A much welcome rebrand.

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    Barburrito
    Barburrito
    Barburrito - Grilled chicken burrito

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    Grilled chicken burrito

    Las Iguanas - mexican - Updated May 2026

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