On a pleasant Saturday afternoon, Liv and I happily made our way towards the Trafford Centre in order to enjoy a lovely family meal for our Las Iguanas Trafford Centre review. The restaurant is located just inside the Manchester based shopping centre.
In reality, it was a pleasant Saturday afternoon, I may just have been pulling my hair out due to the traffic and no parking spaces scenario. Fortunately we finally made it to our destination unscathed and made our way through the bumbling crowds.
Finding Las Iguanas Restaurant Trafford Centre, Manchester
Las Iguanas is the Latin themed bar/restaurant located just inside the main outer doors of The Orient food section of the Trafford Centre. Handy if you manage to find a space in The Orient car park!
Having recently visited the bar, I should have known exactly where it was!
Greeted by Latin beats and smiles, we were quickly seen to our very comfy and spacious booth – we were booked in and I would highly recommend doing the same, especially in the evenings as it Las Iguanas is very popular.
The chilled vibe of the restaurant really does put you at ease when the entire population of Manchester is bustled past and you can quite easily forget where you are. My eyes were immediately drawn to the TV’s, strategically placed in the walls of the bar… old style Brazillian football games were being shown. I was happy. Liv had crayons, colouring sheets and some Shopkins. Liv was happy.
Las Iguanas Menu
I had had a crafty look at the extensive menu online the night before our trip to the restaurant and I am so glad that I did!
With some much choice, ranging from tapas, fajitas, enchiladas, spicy chicken, burritos and Churrasco skewers to name just a few.
Well, it would have be wrong not to start with a few tapas! With a delectable selection to choose from, I thought I would play it safe and choose foods that Liv would like also.
Choosing our starters
Soon enough Calamares (deep fried Squid), Brie and Mango with corn and sweet chilli salsa Empanadas alongside Albondigas (Patagonian style lamb meatballs).
My mouth is watering even now at the thought of the tapas! The meat was ridiculously succulent and packed with flavour and the crispiness of the Empanadas made biting into them even more pleasurable.
Tapas Offers at Las Iguanas
In all fairness, we could have got away with having tapas and been sufficiently well fed. The offers are great value – choose 3 for £14.40 or 5 for £24.00.
The main offer on the day we visited was order tapas and a main meal and receive a child’s meal for free!
Main meals at Trafford Centre Las Iguanas restaurant
I chose the Honey Glazed fillet steak, red onion and pepper Churrasco Skewers with a paprika and cumin marinade (£16.50), which is served with fries. Though I made the choice to plump for sweet potato fries (an extra 50p), making the meal even more awesome!
I had to comment on the steak, it really was the most delicious steak I have had in a while and no, I am not just saying that due to this being a review. I love steak and yes it really was!
To the point the steak slide off the skewer it was that tender, little chewing was required and it was stunningly flavoursome, I could quite happily have taken another portion home with me! Definitely my go to choice when I return!
Children’s Menu at Las Iguanas
Liv chose the Mini Meaty Burgers which came with fries and a serving of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and carrot. I was really impressed with how health conscious Las Iguanas are, especially when it came to the meals on offer for children.
The meals come with the salad as standard unless you opt for rice or fries. Liv isn’t really the greatest fan of fries/chips so has always preferred a salad option anyway.
A vanilla ice cream cone followed the main meal before Liv finally declared that she was full!
For £5.90, the Children’s Menu comes with a main meal, dessert and a drink, which considering the high quality of the food is really good value.
Plastic cups are also used for children, which is fantastic. It is such a bug bear of mine when restaurants serve children their drinks in glasses.
Is Las Iguanas Trafford Centre Family Friendly?
The atmosphere is lively, yet welcoming, which as a family is always reassuring. The Trafford Centre restaurant is really spacious and actually stretches all around, with the bar and kitchen being the central point.
If you do not book (which you can do online), there is a queuing system in place, which can be quite long, especially at the weekends or a Friday night.
Will I return with Liv, absolutely! The food was delicious, I found Las Iguanas to be very family friendly and our time there was really chilled. The perfect place to rest up after a shopping trip!
