Red Iguana

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#5 of 1,189 Restaurants in Salt Lake City$$ - $$$, Mexican, Latin, Vegetarian friendly

+1 801-322-1489+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Mon

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Tue

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Wed

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Thu

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Fri

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Sat

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

4,159 reviews

#5 of 1,189 Restaurants in Salt Lake City

Travelers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, Mexican, Latin, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

“The Carne Asada Burrito had good flavor, but would have like a sauce because...”

“They serve chips and salsa with the meal like most Mexican restaurants.”

“More like a cross between a burrito and an enchilada but so good we had to co...”

“The chips and salsa were a treat.”

Location and contact

736 W North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3352

+1 801-322-1489

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Details

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About

Original Red Iguana location since 1985.Owned & Operated by Cardenas Family who have had Mexican Restaurants in Salt Lake City since 1965. Home-style Mexican comfort food using Cardenas Family recipes created with influences from every state in Mexico. Signature dishes--award-winning moles, 7-10 unique, rich sauces traditional to Mexico. Red Iguana is the most awarded restaurant in Utah, first restaurant inducted into Salt Lake Magazine Hall of Fame & Salt Lake City Weekly Hall of Fame. Named "Best Mexican Restaurant" by City Weekly Readers for over 25 years. Featured on local & national TV programs including Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives", written about in New York Times, USAtoday, Esquire, Bon Appetit, The Lonely Planet, Delta Airlines Magazine, AAA Via magazine, TripAdvisor "Certificate Of Excellence" multiple year Winner, repeatedly named one of Top 50 Mexican Restaurants in the U.S.

PRICE RANGE

$5.00 – $30.00

CUISINES

Mexican, Latin

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

4,159 reviews

Excellent

2,872

Very good

866

Average

296

Poor

Terrible

Phillip R

Draper3 contributions

Literally Mind Blowing

Oct 2020 • none

We stopped here after a long flight out of New Jersey and needless to say we needed some rejuvenation. Coming from NYC area, this was without a doubt the best Mexican food we’d ever had. My brother got the Red Iguana combo plate with a bloody Maria, and his girlfriend and I got the moles — I’d recommend asking for a mole sampler to choose one. The food was not only extraordinary but unlike anything we have tasted before, couldn’t recommend enough!!

Written October 17, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

S. Crider

18 contributions

Pricy, but delicious!

Jun 2020 • couples

Friends who lived in Salt Lake recommended we try Red Iguana so we did. Technically we ate at Red Iguana 2, but food was delicious! Between 2 margaritas, 2 entrees and tip dinner was $60. Service was good, great recommendations, and we sampled the various mole sauces. We loved the mango mole.

Written June 26, 2020

Randy J

12 contributions

SOME of the best Mexican food

Nov 2019 • none

This has been the go-to for residents to take out-of-town guests for Mexican food. While it is very good, it has gotten so popular there is always a wait and it feels like they are pushing you to leave so they can cycle your table. Margaritas are great and the mole is their specialty. However, there are a lot of good Mexican restaurants in SLC and I will choose others to avoid the aggravation.

Written January 14, 2020

tina k

15 contributions

Atmosphere is authentic

Mar 2020 • family

Fun place and good menu with a number of dishes new to our Mexican dining experiences. All four in our party rated their food as flavorful and nicely presented, but were delivered lukewarm despite the plates being too hot to touch. Since we waited over an hour to be seated, we opted not to send our orders back for more heating. We were told by our hotel that the Red Iguana is legendary in Salt Lake City and the hour wait time is typical no matter the time or day. We might return on another trip to SLC, but this visit we felt the Red Iguana didn't live up to the hype.

Written March 17, 2020

snowballPB

Utica5 contributions

Good Enough Mexican Restaurant

Dec 2019 • none

There is often a wait to get in but they do have space heaters and hot apple cider while you wait outside. Not enough benches for everyone to sit while waiting. The menu is Tex-Mex, heavy on the moles. They are lacking some basic Mexican dishes such as chile rellenos with meat stuffings, Sopa de Tortilla, Sopa de Mariscos. Portions are large. The camarones con ajo is an ample serving of 7 large shrimp. They only had a white sangria as a cocktail, not the basic red sangria in a pitcher. Service was fast enough once we were seated.

Written January 1, 2020

VkmV04

White Plains143 contributions

Worth the wait!

Dec 2019 • family

We went for a late lunch at Red Iguana, being warned to expect a wait regardless of day/time. There are benches and heat lamps outside, as there is not enough space to wait inside. Tables and space is very cramped - chips and salad were wonderful and service is quickly provided by experienced wait staff that seems more like your mum! I had enchiladas suizas, hubby had flautas, and son had traditional enchiladas. While we expected to have left overs, we almost licked the plates clean and were able to find room for fried ice cream. While stuffed, we walked it off exploring downtown Salt Lake City.

Written April 5, 2020

Laura P

Round Rock96 contributions

Fabulous Mole!

Oct 2020 • none

So glad we looked this place up! Our very friendly server let us sample all 9 of the moles they had the day we were there (6 are always on the menu). Having never been a mole fan before I was rather unsure about ordering a mole dish. Wow! I don't think I ever had real mole before this. The flavors were incredible! I had a hard time choosing which dish to order. I ended up with the daily special of Mole De Calabaza with carnitas and my husband went with the King of Mole..Mole Negro with chicken. We were both very pleased. The salsa served with the chips was very nice and smoky flavored. Being from central Texas we are leery of eating Mexican cuisine outside the southwest but this was a treat! And as I mentioned, the first time I experience real mole done right! Do not miss if you are in Salt Lake City. We arrived a little earlier in the evening because of an early flight the next day so we only had a 20 minute wait.

Written October 14, 2020

Kelly N

Indianapolis189 contributions

Delicious - Worth the Wait

Mar 2020 • none

The Red Iguana was highly recommended and didn't disappoint. We were told that we may need to wait for a seat; however, we arrived early 4:30pm when only a few tables remained. We ate there as a family (children ages 9 and 12), We shared the guacamole appetizer and each ordered something different. The only complaint was that the children's quesadilla did not have a side of rice and beans. We all enjoyed our meals and decided we will return the next time we visit Salt Lake and wait for a table if needed.

Written March 16, 2020

Tony H

Boulder7 contributions

Best Mexican Food in the U.S. ??

Mar 2020 • none

tour manager for a band here, was able to make a reservation for 10 of us for a team dinner and we were all amazed and completely filled from this culinary experience. Quite literally some of the best food, let alone Mexican food, you'll find. Specializing in several unique Mole sauces. impeccable flavoring and taste and I'm not sure how I was able to walk out there I was stuffed after the table ordered three queso dips, three guacs, and I then tried to tackle the the Red Iguana sampler plate with like 5 items, and damn if I couldnt finish it all. I can't wait to go back again and order completely different.

Written March 11, 2020

TRAVELL LLOVER

Central City304 contributions

average at best

Sep 2020 • none

I have heard of the red iguana and how good it is for years. Finally got to SLC to try it. After an hours wait (the locals like lit) we were presented with a menu that was truly exceptional with the number and variety of choices. I believe there were 5 different moles. Food might be great in SLC but does not compare to Mex. available in NM or AZ. Got it off my bucket list but would not go back

Written October 10, 2020

TheLeongOhana

United States7575 contributions

Marvelous Mole Sauce

Dec 2019 • business

I managed to come early and easily found parking. One can’t miss the entrance with all of the windows full of stickers that covered almost everything except for a couple of signs. Inside was busy but I was still immediately seated. My waitress was friendly and gave me a good intro to their food especially the popular items. I heard a lot about their moles, plus she went over them in length, so I picked the mango mole enchiladas. That was a great choice with its unique sauce that my taste buds really enjoyed, rich and sweet. The pork tamale also was another good choice with flavorful corn masa wrapped around shredded pork and perfectly steamed. I enjoyed both the food, atmosphere and service. Definitely will return if travels take me back here.

Written January 12, 2020

Brent F

Edwardsville347 contributions

Delicious Food, Long Wait

Jul 2020 • solo

Delicious food here, I tried their beef enchiladas and the spice was perfect. Loved the chips and salsa they bring to your table. Long wait here on a Saturday night, the inside dining area is quite small, and the wait was 50 min. (Probably partially due to fewer tables and corona distancing.) Could use some extra benches outside for waiting customers. The take-out side seemed to do a booming business, lots of folks getting food to go. Salt Lake wouldn’t be my first choice for good authentic Mexican food but I was pleasantly surprised at how good this place was, and went away stuffed.

Written July 18, 2020

EpicGuy12

Queen Creek880 contributions

Great Mexican!

Oct 2021 • none

My g/f had a craving for Mexican so after some searching we decided to try this place out. It can get really busy on the weekend so a reservation should be made since this place is quite small. Even though it is a "hole-in-the-wall" don't let that deter from dropping in and trying out their amazing food. I ordered and the nice thing was I was able to try out a sample of their mole sauces so I knew which one I liked best before ordering. Our dishes were both amazing and the service was outstanding. The prices were very affordable and their portions huge so you won't leave hungry. They do have parking but it can fill up however we didn't have an issue. If you love Mexican you would love this place.

Written November 3, 2021

paxxxton

Moscow10 contributions

Has the world gone mad? Well...

Feb 2020 • none

Has the world gone mad? Well... maybe only the “Utah” world, I hope. This is by far the worst interpretation of Mexican food, I have ever experienced, anywhere ... They pride themselves by serving the food mass of indistinguishable ingredients smothered in melted cheese, and call it “Mexican food”. We were there for business lunch, six people in total, everyone ordered different dish, but at the end they all looked the same. Strange. Locals love it apparently, so they are doing something right, I guess. If you are not from Utah - don’t go there)))

Written February 9, 2020

Mads

Seattle1126 contributions

Busy Establishment

Jan 2021 • friends

This place is always busy. MAKE A RESERVATION. They have heaters outside to accommodate people waiting in the cold. The building is SMALLER, this isn’t a huge restaurant, it’s family owned and the employees are friendly. My meal was pretty bland because they don’t easily alter dishes (take things off) so I had to order a simple, ordinary, bland dish. Everyone else in my party enjoyed their food. As always guacamole on the side is $$$$. I would say the prices here are a little steeper than most Mexican restaurants. Although my dish was alright, I am not sure I’ll go back anytime soon. Most people rave about this place though! I’d say it’s a good choice for Mexican in SLC (at least the best I’ve come across).

Written December 23, 2021

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