Las Iguanas opens in Old Spitalfields Market

June 2008

Las Iguanas has chosen the vibrant and fashionable market quarter of Spitalfields for its 3^rd site in London.

Old Spitalfields Market, in Tower Hamlets, is home to a flourishing creative community and is a place to discover hidden gems of fashion, arts and interiors as you wander through streets steeped in history but recently immersed in cutting edge style.

Las Iguanas’ new restaurant enjoys a great overview of this exciting area from a glass-roofed first floor terrace. Las Iguanas’ commercial director Ajith Jaya-Wickrema said that Old Spitalfields Market was a very exciting prospect. “This area is thriving with just the right balance of business and pleasure. The specialist markets and beautiful shops bring in an impressive numbers of visitors, and it’s just a great area to stroll around in and work up an appetite.”

Las Iguanas in Old Spitalfields Market opens to the public on 18^th July.

Las Iguanas brings the Carnival to Lakeside

January 2008

Las Iguanas will be creating its own carnival spectacle when it opens on February 1 at the Boardwalk at Lakeside – the same weekend as the Rio Carnival.

Guests will be invited to the VIP opening party to experience Las Iguanas’ famous hospitality and enjoy carnival-style entertainment from live bands and dancers.

The Boardwalk is the social quarter of the massive Lakeside shopping complex. It’s home to a state of the art Vue cinema and an array of renowned restaurants, each with large alfresco terraces enticing Lakeside customers into the great outdoors.

The 760 square metre site has 306 covers. Interior designers Fusion DNA will be embellishing the interior with Copacabana beach-style mosaic flooring, a feature staircase with a Rio backdrop and a timber raft that emerges from the downstairs bar, wraps up above the staircase and finishes behind the first floor bar, thereby enhancing the connection between the two levels and the natural flow of the building.

Add intoxicating Latin rhythms, the rich colour palette of the southern hemisphere and authentic, exotic fixtures and fittings and you’ve got a measure of Las Iguanas’ style.

The restaurant opens to the public on February 2.

Milton Keynes Now Open

August 2007

Summer might be reaching an end, but the people of Milton Keynes will discover a ray of South American sunshine lighting up the exciting new hub:mk development on Midsummer Boulevard today when we throw open the doors of our latest Las Iguanas for the first time.

The hub:mk is a dynamic mix of eateries, hotels, offices and apartments around a central Piazza; just the place to soak up the sun over a Caipirinha or three and some tasty Latin tapas.

The L Word

August 2007

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay enjoyed a leisurely Latin-style lunch at Las Iguanas in Nottingham recently.

He was taking time out with his production crew, who are in town filming a new series of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. “I’m very glad to say that it’s not our restaurant that they are filming at,” laughed Las Iguanas manager Matt Nelligan.

Mr Ramsay enjoyed crayfish cocktail and enchiladas for his lunch, and was given a bottle of Las Iguanas Magnifica Cachaça to take away with him.

The restaurant group own their own sugar cane plantation near Rio where the Cachaça is made by a master distiller. “It’s a very fiery spirit, so I thought he’d like it!” said Matt.

Oxford set to Welcome Las Iguanas

April 2007

Las Iguanas arrive in Oxford next month bringing with them their unique brand of Latin American hospitality. Taking over a prime waterside location on Park End Street, Las Iguanas are creating a 140 cover restaurant and bar incorporating their trademark interior of funky lighting, specially commissioned Brazillian wood mosaics, loungey seating areas and booths and a Copacabana-style floor in the bar. Diners will be able to soak up the sun on the pretty piazza area overlooking the water. The restaurant opens with a VIP launch party on May 18th.

Las Iguanas are currently recruiting energetic, smiley and enthusiastic full and part time staff for all positions. Anyone interested in joining the team should call the hotline on 07805 795352

Las Iguanas arrive at The Trafford Centre

March 2007

Las Iguanas have opened their twelfth restaurant in the new Great Hall development at Manchester’s Trafford Centre. With its capacious glazed structure, Chinese marble balustrades and sweeping staircase there is no doubt that the Great Hall is a unique experience and what better setting for a unique brand like Las Iguanas.

The restaurant has space for 140 diners as well as a bar and will soon throw open the doors to a spacious piazza area with plenty of outside seating so visitors can soak up the sun whilst enjoying some Latin hospitality.

General Manager Stewart Emery says, “This is the first time that we have created a Las Iguanas within a shopping centre and we’re delighted that we have been able to come to such a prestigious venue as The Trafford Centre. We think the new-style open plan restaurant looks fantastic and hope that diners will agree. We have something for everyone, with great lunch and early evening offers, tapas, a la carte dining and amazing cocktails and I know that visitors will enjoy discovering a little corner of Latin America in the Great Hall.”

An Exclusive New Year Treat at Las Iguanas, Royal Festival Hall

December 2006

We're cooking up a real treat at Las Iguanas on the South Bank this New Years Eve… How about enjoying the best of London’s celebrations but without the crowds? Well we’ve got the perfect package! Spend your New Year at Las Iguanas and you’ll enjoy a signature caipirinha cocktail on arrival and a superb Latin four course feast in the restaurant. Then grab your complimentary bubbly and stroll out on to the Royal Festival Hall terrace, which will be closed to the general public, to enjoy an exclusive view of the world famous fireworks display over the Thames. Tickets are limited and selling fast so snap yours up now at just £60 per person! For tickets and further information call Mike and the team at Las Iguanas on 0207 620 1328

Las Iguanas at Royal Festival Hall

August 2006

We throw open the doors of Las Iguanas at Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 12th August.

As part of the iconic South Bank Centre, Las Iguanas is superbly situated between the London Eye and the Festival Hall itself which is currently undergoing major refurbishment. Created in the arches of Hungerford Bridge, this is the most ambitious Las Iguanas to date and we can't wait to introduce some Latin Life to the area.

Las Iguanas at Royal Festival Hall won't take bookings but come along and we will accommodate you and your party.

Las Iguanas bring a taste of Latin Life to London

July 2006

This summer Las Iguanas makes its first move on the capital with a premier site at Festival Walk at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. 

Las Iguanas have grown from small beginnings in Bristol to become the largest privately owned group of Latin American restaurants in the UK, with restaurants well established in Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds and Brighton.

Las Iguanas will be flinging open the doors of its first ever London restaurant opposite the Royal Festival Hall in August. The new 225-seat restaurant positions this ambitious, independent operator in the heart of the capital. The new site boasts impressive views over the river Thames and is positioned next to the Golden Jubilee Bridge which provides a popular pedestrian link between the north and south banks. 

Las Iguanas’ new site on Festival Walk is part the redevelopment of the whole South Bank Centre which spans 21 acres of land dedicated to the arts. The centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall and attracts 3 million visitors each year. The Royal Festival Hall, widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of Britain's post-war architecture revival, is currently closed for a £91million refurbishment which will re-establish it as a world-class concert hall and arts venue. A number of renowned food operators are already established at Festival Riverside, the first phase of the redevelopment, including wagamama, Strada, Giraffe and EAT.

Las Iguanas director Ajith Jaya-Wickrema is delighted with the group’s first site in London as it represents the pinnacle of the evolution of the brand so far.

“The Royal Festival Hall is a national institution and, arguably, we have found one of the best sites in London. It’s really a credit to the Royal Festival Hall that they have given this development so much thought. There were many bidders for our site but we were given a fair and equal chance of success as the criteria was based upon what was appropriate for visitors, not on balance sheets.”

Londoners and visitors to the capital can look forward to an unrivalled authentic Latin American experience at Las Iguanas. This will be the place to enjoy a feast of fresh and imaginative regional dishes with a twist. Start or end your night with a visit to the in-house cocktail bar - the Cachaçaria (ca-sha-sa-ria) - where the cocktail of choice is a Caipirinha made from Las Iguanas’ Magnifica Cachaça produced by the company from its own sugar cane plantation just outside Rio de Janeiro.

The bright and bold interiors of Las Iguanas’ restaurants are inspired by regular visits to South America where the team source modern interior design features and eye-catching artefacts. The group shuns the carbon copy chain mentality and endeavours to make every restaurant look different and enhance its neighbourhood.

The Festival Walk site extends to 6000 sq feet on two levels. Historic brick arches frame the interior and the contemporary glass frontage floods the restaurant with light. Look out for specially-commissioned Brazilian wood mosaics, bamboo furniture, curvy booths and cool lighting. The Latin style extends outdoors to the piazza where there are a further 140 seats for al fresco diners.

Las Iguanas always had London in its sights, but has put its formula to the test in the big metropolitan cities of England first. Its expansion has been strategically planned so that the big step into London has been a relatively small step in terms of finance. Five new sites are planned for 2007, a further six in 2008 and the same in 2009

 

Las Iguanas is heating up Bristol's Harbourside

June 2006

They’ve been spreading Latin fever all around the country for the past 15 years; now Las Iguanas comes back to its roots with a brand new site at one of Bristol’s hottest harbourside locations.

 Las Iguanas have grown from humble beginnings in St. Nicholas Street to become the leading Latin American food and drink brand in the country, with well-positioned sites in the biggest cities.

 Eren Ali, Managing Director of Las Iguanas says: “We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate our 15^th birthday at home in Bristol with what is a funky and contemporary take on Latin America. We are sure that Bristolians will love the vibe just as much as our original restaurant in St Nicholas Street, or Las Iguanas in Clifton”

 The new 140-seater restaurant and bar on Anchor Square in Bristol is already taking shape. Its bright and bold interior has been inspired by the team’s regular visits to South America where they source modern interior design features and eye-catching artefacts. Look out for specially-commissioned Brazilian wood mosaics, bamboo furniture, curvy booths and cool lighting.

 The style extends outdoors to the piazza where diners will be able to eat al fresco while soaking up the sun and watching the world go by in true Latin style.

 Eren says: “Anchor Square is definitely more uptown Rio compared to the cosy neighbourhood feel of our much-loved Whiteladies Road restaurant, but both are unmistakably Las Iguanas. Despite our growth as a company we don’t have a chain mentality and endeavour to make all our sites unique”

 This new microcosm of Latin life in the centre of Bristol will be the place to enjoy a feast of fresh and imaginative regional dishes with a twist. On the menu you’ll find influence from countries including Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Puerto Rico and whether you’re looking for an intimate meal for two or a fun place to party with friends you can rely on Las Iguanas’ famous hospitality.

 Start or end your night with a visit to the in-house cocktail bar - the Cachaçaria (ca-sha-sa-ria) - where the cocktail of choice is a Caipirinha made from Las Iguanas’ Magnifica Cachaça produced by the company from its own sugar cane plantation just outside Rio de Janeiro.

 Hot on the Cuban heels of the opening of Bristol Harbourside in June, Las Iguanas will be flinging open the doors of its first ever London restaurant at Royal Festival Hall near the London Eye. The new 225-seater restaurant positions this ambitious, independent operator in the heart of the capital at what is expected to be one of the busiest new pedestrian thoroughfares in London. 

Destination Rio for top team from Las Iguanas

January 2006

Hard work has definitely paid off for four members of staff at Las Iguanas in Leeds who have been rewarded with a trip of a lifetime to Brazil.

The eight-day, all-expenses paid holiday to Rio’s famous Copacabana Beach includes spending money, a paid-for guide and a trip to the restaurant’s very own sugar cane plantation where their own brand of Cachaça, Brazil’s most popular spirit,  is made.

They’ll meet master distiller Joao Luis and have plenty of opportunities to sample the latest batch! The team will also be visiting the Ipanema coffee plantation which supplies the restaurant back home.

Las Iguanas has nine restaurants across England and Leeds came out top in mystery diner reports that were carried out over six months last summer.

Leeds General Manager Andy Williams chose to relinquish his place and picked four members of staff he felt most deserved the holiday in January. Deputy manager Matt Fraser, waitress Jennifer Goddard, bar supervisor Michael Harding and Camil Krawczyk, the kitchen porter, were the lucky winners.

Mos Shamel, Operations Director, said that, as a company, Las Iguanas was very proud to hold an Investors in People accolade. This is the first time they have arranged a trip like this to reward staff, but Mos said they hoped to make it an annual treat for the most deserving team.

Soccer Shot Earns Prize for Louise

November 2005

A student has won top prize in Las Iguanas’ first photography competition.

The shot of young Brazilians playing football in a shanty town earned Louise Bowler a £200 cash prize and vouchers to use at Las Iguanas. Louise, aged 19, comes from Leicester but is studying physiology at Bristol University. She was on her gap year in Brazil doing voluntary work for the Good Shepherd Project in Fatima near Belo Horizonte when she took the picture.

The teenagers In the photograph were part of a government youth project which keeps them off the streets when they are not at school, as they can only attend school for half of the day.

You can see other entries or enter your own photographs of ‘Living Latin Life’ on the photo competition page.

Salsa by the Sea

October 2005

Las Iguanas introduced Salsa to the seaside when we opened our ninth restaurant in Brighton recently. The launch party attracted the Brighton and Hove glitterati who enjoyed classic Caipirinhas and mini Latin tapas whilst swaying to the sounds of Palenke, our favourite band.

 “Our restaurants ooze vibrancy, authenticity and lively atmosphere, and mix custom-made furniture from Brazil with authentic Latin American dishes, cocktail menu and Latin American music to create that all essential Latino atmosphere any time of day or night,” said General Manager Rory Ireland, “We are very excited about introducing a little Latin life to Brighton.”

 The restaurant and bar occupy a 3,700 square foot site on Jubilee Street, in the trendy North Laine area of the City, overlooking the Pavilion. The Jubilee Street site is part of an entire streetscape development between Brighton City Council and Norwich Union centered around a new public square and public library for the city.

Las Iguanas Brighton Coming Soon

August 2005

Las Iguanas opens in Brighton’s multi million pound Jubilee Street re-development this October, alongside the new City Library and neighbouring restaurants and bars including Yo! Sushi and Carluccios. Watch this space!

Las Iguanas launch in Leeds

June 2005

Las Iguanas is now open in Cloth Hall Street, Leeds, and The Leeds Guide have summed us up perfectly in the current issue:

'Summer’s on its way, which can only mean one thing: long, hot balmy evenings and deliciously hot days. Yeah, right.  Rain is the only thing we’re certain of. But don’t go rushing abroad just yet as Leeds is hotting up with the opening of Las Iguanas, a restaurant that’s planning on bringing a bit of Latin paradise to the city. Sitting amongst all the other top eateries on The Calls, Las Iguanas will offer a diverse menu inspired by authentic regional dishes from Brazil, Columbia and other exotic countries, bringing us the best their cuisines have to offer. Highlights include fajitas with black tiger prawn fillings and ‘moqueca’, a coconut and tomato curry, to name but a few. With striking décor, a sunny terrace and a vibrant atmosphere it may well turn out to be the closest thing to a night out in Rio you can get in Leeds.'

Nottingham Restaurant Awards Update

June 2005

Las Iguanas were delighted to be named as runners up in the Best Newcomer category at the finals of the Nottingham Restaurant Awards this week against some tough competition from some excellent local independent restaurants. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for us, and congratulate Mike and the team at Las Iguanas Nottingham for their success.

Nottingham Restaurant Awards

April 2005

Las Iguanas are among the nominees for an award at the prestigious Nottingham Restaurant Awards held annually in the city. Online voting runs from 1-30 April. If you would like to add your support to the Las Iguanas cause then cast your votes now. Click on this link to take you directly to the voting page:

 http://www.nottinghamrestaurantawards.co.uk/awards2005_vote.asp 

There is a fortnight's luxury holiday in Kenya for one lucky voter who will be picked at random by the event organisers.

The Nottingham Restaurant Awards 2005 take place on 9th June.

Las Iguanas Nottingham scoop Theme Award

February 2005

The Las Iguanas team in Nottingham are celebrating today after picking up the award for Best Ambient Experience at the Theme Bar & Restaurant Awards 2005 Final (Midlands & Wales region) at Birmingham’s Custard Factory last night.

This award recognises a venue which both looks and feels great and shows innovative use of both lighting and sound, and Theme Magazine were particularly impressed by our colourful and carefree interior and samba soundtrack.

The award was presented to General Manager Michael Parnham, who said “We work incredibly hard to give our guests the definitive Latin American restaurant experience when they visit Las Iguanas. It is great to be recognised within the industry not only for our great food and drink, but also for serving up such an innovative and exciting environment in which to enjoy it!”

Las Iguanas say HOLA! To Nottingham

July 2004

'As loud and proud as Joaquin Cortez's Cuban heels, as intense as Antonio Banderas's gaze and as brazenly sumptuous as J-Lo's curves'. This is just one reviewer's take on the culinary delights awaiting diners at Las Iguanas Restaurant & Cachaçaria who launch their unique blend of Latin American style on Nottingham on 30th July.

Imagine a night out in Rio - edgy and energetic. Add a backdrop of contemporary décor with specially commissioned furniture and artefacts flown in from Brasil, natural wood, stone, mosaic and glass, a soundtrack of sultry salsa and superb fresh food served with a smile and you've got Las Iguanas.

The award winning Latin American specialists will be serving up a feast of fresh and imaginative regional dishes with a twist. On the menu you'll find influence from countries including Argentina, Chile, Brasil and Puerto Rico, each with their own diverse flavours. Fresh fish, chicken and steak all get the Latin treatment along with favourites like Fajitas, but there's also plenty for vegetarians and children, and parties are welcomed with typical Las Iguanas hospitality.

Visit the Cachaçaria (ca-sha-sa-ria) for an education in real cocktails. Cachaça, the Brazilian sugar-cane based spirit (and the third biggest selling spirit worldwide), provides the inspiration for a bar menu overflowing with fresh watermelon and berries, honey and Brasilian limes, created with love and attention to detail. 'Las Iguanas Cachaça', is the perfect finishing touch, produced from Las Iguanas' sugar cane plantation just outside Rio de Janeiro in partnership with João Luiz, one of Brazil's premier distillers.

General Manager Michael Parnham comments "We are delighted to be adding a new dimension to an already diverse eating and drinking offer in Nottingham. We will be offering the ultimate Latin American dining experience, capturing the energy and spirit of Latin culture, and we also hope that our guests will pick up a little more knowledge about this fascinating continent along the way."

Las Iguanas stirs up a new blend

October 2003

In Latin America the drink of choice is cachaça (pronounced ca-sha-sa). It's always been a favourite at Las Iguanas too, and now the Bristol-based Latin American chain has gone one step further and invested in its very own cachaça production plant just outside Rio in Brazil. At the Magnifica Ranch raw sugar cane is pressed, fermented and distilled before being exported to the UK in branded Las Iguanas Magnifica Cachaça bottles.

The fast-expanding restaurant chain has such a belief in this potent spirit that they are re-branding their bars as Cachaçarias - cachaça bars for lounging and enjoying a Caipirinha or three. The scene is set and the mood is Rio at carnival time or a night out in Sao Paulo, sultry, sassy and unpredictable.

By volume cachaça is already the world's third most popular spirit, despite being little known outside South America. Master distiller Joao Luiz is attempting to turn around the fortunes of this indigenous drink by producing quality brands matured in wooden barrels and the spirit's success is set to soar in the UK if Las Iguanas plans work out.

But no one else is better placed to spread the word than the team behind Las Iguanas, who have dedicated the past 13 years to spreading Latin American culture across the UK. The original Las Iguanas opened in April 1991 in St Nicholas Street, Bristol, and offered an exciting and exotic menu of dishes from Brazil, Chile and Peru in an interior decorated with a palette of hot Latin colours. Cool, up to the minute salsa tunes were the final touch.

Las Iguanas is now the largest privately owned group of Latin American restaurants in the UK with restaurants in Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester and Sheffield. The new restaurants have a contemporary twist, but all keep the feel of that first restaurant in Bristol; a great atmosphere, first class service for our guests and fabulous, innovative food created from the freshest ingredients.

Having successfully repeated the formula in other cities, it was time to give the Bristol branch in Whiteladies Road a makeover and install a Cachaçaria. This is what awaits customers old and new. We'd recommend a Caipirinha (whole lime crushed with sugar, topped with cracked ice and Las Iguanas Magnifica Cachaça), but whatever you choose from the Cachaçaria be prepared to be intoxicated by a really authentic Latin spirit.

Las Iguanas Unleashed on Leicester

September 2003

Las Iguanas Restaurant & Cachaçaria launch their unique blend of South American style on Leicester this September.

Take a backdrop of contemporary décor with specially commissioned furniture and artefacts flown in from Brazil, natural wood, stone, mosaic and leather, add a soundtrack of sultry salsa and superb fresh food served with a smile and you've got Las Iguanas.

The award winning Latin American specialists will be serving up a feast of fresh and imaginative regional dishes with a twist. On the menu you'll find influences from the continent's twenty one countries, each with their own diverse flavours. Fresh fish, chicken and duck all get the Latin treatment, but there's also plenty for vegetarians and children and parties are welcomed with typical Las Iguanas hospitality.

Las Iguanas opens mid-September at 13-15 Belvoir Street, Leicester.