Restaurant Review: Red Iguana

Last night after getting settled into my hotel in Salt Lake City, I ventured out to Red Iguana for what I was told by Yelp and Urban Spoon is excellent Mexican food. I was not disappointed.

As you can tell, this place is nothing fancy, but it is a Salt Lake City institution. Having been recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives I was not surprised at all to find a 25 minute wait when I pulled up at 5:30 p.m. for dinner. Sitting out front and talking with a few of the people visiting, I was pleased to hear there were a lot of people actually from Salt Lake City eating there. You know a place is good when they gain quick fame and the locals still brave the crowds to eat there.

After only about 15 minutes, my name was called and I was taken to my seat in the middle of the main dining room. It looked from a quick glance like there are actually three dining rooms in this building, but by the size of the place it would not surprise me if there are other seating areas tucked away somewhere. Festive, but not obnoxious, Red Iguana strikes a balance that far too many Mexican restaurants are not able to achieve.

Almost immediately after being seated, a waitress came by with very fresh and warm tortilla chips along with salsa. The salsa was a dark red sauce that was very spicy. I don't normally like salsa this thin, but it had an interesting enough taste that I didn't mind the consistency at all. I asked for a recommendation and the waitress (true to what Yelp reviews said) seemed almost insistent that I order some form of the mole. Having found out I'd never tried mole, she brought out the mole sampler for me to try all the different flavors they had prior to ordering. This dish alone almost made the trip worth it.

Finally having narrowed down to the Puntas De Filete a la Nortña and the Lomo de Puerco en Mole De Almendras, I went with the Puntas De Filete upon being told the dish had more flavor because of the bacon in it. I'm a sucker for bacon, sold. As you can tell (from the picture and reading the menu), the dish also included sirloin tips, onions, jalepeno strips, and tomatoes. The almond mole sauce was incredible, perfectly sweet with just a hint of spice. Served with refried beans and two tortillas, I was able to get through about half my dish before retiring very satisfied with my choice to eat here.