Iguana Grill

CLOSED FOR REMODELING and didn’t bother to update their website or phone message (that specifically said they’re open today), so we just wasted 30 minutes getting here. Insert French word for showers here :/

Iguana Grill is closing as of 2÷13÷15. I’ll miss it. Another piece of Austin is gone. RIP Iguana Grill.

Visited this joint after 5 years since my last visit. The nostalgia was real and the patio facing the lake brought back wonderful memories. The patio surrounded by glass that kind of reminds me of a garage in a good way. Definitely opt for sitting outside. The salsa was the DA BOMB. no seriously the chips and salsa are probably the best in austin. For a unlimited filled side its a great deal. The prices are decent, if you order the lunch or dinner deals. The fajitas are pricey and if you pay 2 dollars extra you can get tacos with the fajita meat. I got the tacos with the fajita meat and honestly i wasnt too pleased the glaze with the fajita was far too sweet for me along with the veggies. My boyfriend liked it though. My friends ate all their burritos and enchilada plates so I’m sure it was good food. This place is okay in my opinion but you cant beat that view!

I spent the two nights at a friend’s house and this place was where we decided to have lunch and take in the views of Lake Travis on a beautiful day.
I have been here once before and this time wasn’t really any better than the last. This place definitely makes its money and popularity off of the view from their patio.
I ordered the lunch special of the taco plate. The tacos meat is very similar to taco bell meat but, it came with beans and rice as well and for the price it makes sense. The beans were pretty standard but, they could have used some salt. The rice was dried out and overdone. The Guacamole tasted like it was a powder mix and it had lettuce in it.
The margaritas are great and I love the glow in the dark cups that you can take with you. They are a bit pricey with the large one’s being almost $ 8.00 each for a house margarita.
They also have bathrooms outside on the patio so, you don’t have to walk all the way back inside.
The food isn’t good but, of course, we will come back because of the beautiful patio and the view of the lake.

Food is flavorless
Place feels rundown and old
No music no ambience
Service was good, but awkward that there is no hostess you basically just show up and sit somewhere and hope a waiter will see you.
Whomever owns this place seems to just have left his business go.

Good food, Amazing view, affordable prices, and not super crowded as other places seem to be that have nice views.

Decent food.
Decent service.
Strong drinks.
Good view.
Reminds me of what the oasis USED to be like for all of the austin natives.
Live music in the evenings is just icing on the cake.

Was sat next to a table with FOUR dogs
I understand it’s Austin and people (even me) take their dogs everywhere but c’mon a manager should not have allowed 4 barking dogs.
Then these people proceeded to put their plates on the floor and let the dogs lick them clean –eew
Ok so you can’t control the «lake people» that come into your restaurant but the food was really gross.
You can’t serve tacos in the taco capital of Texas with convenience store tortillas.
Second time there and won’t be back
This is a great location with an epic view but that’s not gonna keep the doors open in this competitive market

I always miss the entrance to this place. The sign is pushed back off the road. Dang it!
That has nothing to do with anything except that I have the memory of a gnat…
With so few casual lake view drink/​dining options, Iguana manages to win out over that other place (you know what I mean). The food is marginally better, but the service and view make up for it. The property is pretty relaxed with a small covered stage. The margaritas, I hear, are pretty good. I can’t get into margaritas, but my companions always seem to enjoy them. My biggest complaint is their lack of any decent beers. No drafts and no local bottles or cans. I find it odd that with the number of great local breweries, the beer offerings are so… lame…
Given the alternatives for a lake view drink, Iguana is always a fair choice.

Go for the view and the relaxed atmosphere. Some would say too relaxed. Service can be an interesting and sometimes frustrating experience. The meats are low grade (Ill never order the fajitas again, just gross) The mole is not bad and the margaritas can be quite good.
This is a great place to have a cocktail and some appetizers while enjoying a sunset or watching a thunderstorm roll in. also a great place to bring out of towners for a taste of lake life. Just don’t expect fast service and really good food.
The potential for this place to be something amazing is there and we would frequent it much more if it weren’t for the lackluster food and service.
It has some old school Austin slacker charm which is a blessing and a curse.

Having mixed feelings about this place. Server started out with a very sarcastic attitude. He ended up redeeming himself and being ok. The hostess gave my mom and I the most evil glare iv ever seen when we were saying cheese to the camera. That was our cue to leave. View was good and food was decent.

We went to Iguana Grill on a Saturday after the lake as many do and of course it was slammed. After waiting for about 35 minutes we got our table for two.
We waited and waited but no one ever came to see us. Getting Hangry! I walked up to complain and the manager apologized and immediately asked me what we were drinking to refill us. Margaritas. Awesome! He personally asked a waiter to take care of us and checked on us 4 times during the meal to make sure we were doing OK.
The food? Incredible, and that’s coming from a native Austinite and a self proclaimed connesiuer of TexMex. I am pleasantly shocked that this kind of service still exists and Iguana Grill has won mine and my friends business for life.
Thank you and nice job!

This is probably the worst restaurant experience that I have had in a very long time.
We arrived at the Iguana Grill on a Saturday night to take a friend from out of town to a scenic dinner on the lake. We sit at our table for 30 minutes before even being offered so much as a glass of water. We probably should have known to hit the road then.
After 35 minutes or so, we get our margaritas and no water. Finally a waiter from another section sees a distressed table and brings some over. When we ordered drinks we also got guacamole and queso since we were so hungry. We got a half-​filled basket of chips that was gone in no time and then sat as our queso congealed and our guac turned brown, waiting for more chips.
About an hour in and just drinks and apps later, our totally apathetic waiter stopped by to ask if we wanted to order food. Um, yes, that’s what we’re holding our menus. We place a relatively easy order for 3 meals. .. nothing custom. .. just right off the menu.
At the point that we’re about 1.5 hours into our visit, with only apps and one drink, the waiter stops by a second time to have us remind him what we ordered at which point I ask if our order was lost. Instead of just saying yes, he told me if I would just tell him what we got he could check with the kitchen. We reorder.
Now we’re at 2 hours in. The manager brings us some drinks for the trouble. When our food comes my cheese enchiladas are chicken and my friends corn tortillas are flour. Sheesh.
Flash forward to payout. We wait another half hour to pay our bill which we split. When I get my credit card bill, there’s a $ 0.09 tip typed into the tip slot. Not real sure what do to with this and I’m dang sure not waiting another half our to fix it so I sign it thinking that the experience was probably worth 9 cents, if that. I check my bank account today and guess what? The waiter-​of-​the-​year just went ahead and put in a tip of his choice which I have now had to dispute with my bank.
Seriously, the worst dining experience EVER. Stay away from this place.

The Views here are great. I wish that the food was a little more Mex than Tex.
I ordered a burrito and the meat/​beans reminded me of a cook out stew more than burrito stuffing. The rice was also mixed with peas and carrots.
I ordered the Mexican Rum Punch which is supposed to have frozen tropical fruit in it. However, it came looking more like a strawberry daiquiri instead with no fruit.
The salsa is great. I think I’ll stick to Happy Hour beers here.

Finally… FOOD redemption! Went for happy hour the other day (M-​F from 3 to 6) to have a few drinks and decided to take another stab at the food by ordering some of the half off HH apps.
OK, yes, we only had the nachos and chicken quesadillas BUT both were really good! Hmm… suspicious…so I asked the bartender about the change in food quality. Apparently, the entire kitchen staff is new. Let’s just hope they keep the good employees and food quality up to par!
The chicken in the ‘dillas was very moist; perfect ratio of chx, cheese, and tortilla. And the nachos — wholly fully loaded! Huge, smothered with toppings! Yum!
Drinks still great, awesome bartenders and GM, a view that can bring a tear to your eye during the perfect sunset, and now more than just «edible» food.
Soooo…well-deserved 4 stars… for now???

Go for the fajitas! There’s never a time they’re not delicious. Also the Rojo salad is the summer is my fav. The service is top notch. I think I know them all by name!
One super busy night, there was a mix up and our order took a little too much time, the manager gave us an $ 80 gift card and our dinner was free! I live close and go all the time. The view and sunset are spectacular. Take your out of town friends, and make sure to catch the live Austin music on the weekends. One thing, I wish they’d bring back that peach frozen cocktail I couldn’t get enough of!
Oh and the frozen fruit punch will surprise you (kiddo friendly) taste of the islands!

Ick, this place was gross. The only thing good about Iguana Grill is the view!!! Nothing else. I have never been here before and we came b/​c I had a groupon. OMG, $ 12.95 for cheese and chicken enchiladas, give me a break. Way over priced for the quality and type of food. Take a look at my pics, those plates do not warrant a price of $ 12.95!!! The cheese enchiladas were not cooked well, inside the cheese was not all the way melted. The tex mex sauce tasted like something I could’ve made. The chicken enchiladas were alright, the green sauce was terrible as well. Seriously, $ 13 for enchiladas that look like and taste like something that came from dirt. I guess they have to charge so much to pay the taxes and property value of the land and the view! NEVER AGAIN will I go here. There is so much better Mexican food in Austin and for a better price!!!

Before reading too much into this review, you need to understand that the food on the lake is not on par with the rest of the city of Austin. These restaurants really specialize in the view of the lake and the experience.
The food was a ³⁄₅ at best. I’ve had better tex-​mex food downtown. That being said, the view is unbeatable. Very comparable to the oasis. There are usually no wait times to be seated because of the large amount of tables spread over the open air seating area.
I would recommend ordering frozen margaritas and not on the rocks. You get a little more alcohol from my experiences here.
Fajitas are always an excellent choice here. The tortillas are made fresh and a little bit of guac and sour cream complete the fajita wraps.
The view of the sunset is incredible. You can see it best on the far end of the restaurant. They also have live music on the right side of the patio. We chose to have dinner then move over to the picnic seating area and take in some singers. It’s a great place to bring a date and to relax. Don’t be intimidated by the packed parking lot on a Sunday, it’s not that busy.
I would say the Oasis offers better drinks, but the Iguana Grill offers better food options.

Review is for the way they have it set up and the drinks. One of the friendliest bartenders in Austin. Wish I could remember his name. Needed something they didn’t have in the outside bar and he made a fast trip inside to get it. None of that sorry, can’t do it. View was nice. Outside by the band stand was great, you could listen to the band and also talk to the others at your picnic table.

Sorry to give such a sour review.
Came here with the hubby. View is awesome (hence why it gets 2 stars) Our waitress was a dingbat. There was maybe 5 tables in the whole place and it was painfully slow. took 39 minutes from order time to receive our food. My husband asked for guac on his tacos and his tacos came out with only guac on them… yes no meat. She says «oh I thought thats what you wanted?!» I mean I would clarify this request if someone (especially a man) said just guac tacos! She rarely came around and was slow bringing everything. Our drinks got to the bottom as did our chips and salsa. The food was COLD.
My only positive is the view and the chips and salsa. I love their salsa. The food was sub par. We have eaten here before and I thought it was just average, probably worse this time because it was cold. There are way better places for me to waste my $ and time then coming back here!

Super TexMex Restaurant mit phantastischem Blick auf den Lake Travis. Das texanische Essen rockt einfach! Das für europäische Verhältnisse etwas zu wässrige amerikanische Bier zu scharfen mexikanischen Gerichten. Einfach Klasse bei der Hitze da. Mir würde in Texas wahrscheinlich ein Jever gar nicht schmecken! Und wenn dann noch ein kühlendes Lüftchen aufkommt und durch die Hügel rund um den See braust und die Wasseroberfläche ein wenig kräuselt, bekommt man beim Schreiben zu dem Örtchen schon gleich wieder Fernweh.
Der Punkt, der bei der Vergabe fehlt, sind die Plastikstühle. Das geht gar nicht bei mir. Auch wenn die draußen stehen und der texanischem Höllensonne ausgesetzt sind, da gibt es Besseres!