I've been here dozens of times in the past and I've never had an issue splitting the bill. We had a party of 8 and wanted to split the bill 3 different ways. We told her to charge 4 people's orders on one check, 2 people's orders on the second check and the other 2 on on a separate check. She comes back and gives the 4 people their check then comes back and hands the rest of us one check instead of 2 like we asked for. We noticed she charged us for two items the other party of 4 had so we nicely asked her if she can take it off and charge them and also split our bill for what we ordered like we asked. I was going to tell her how much to put on my card and she interrupts me mid-sentence, says she's not allowed to do that because there's a lot of us and she can only split the bill 50/50 then walks away quickly. This server was being lazy and didn't feel like doing the work and fixing her mistake. Like I said, I've been here plenty of times before and I was able to split the bill with how much I wanted on my card and how much I wanted charged on the other persons card, never have I been told, "I can only split it 50/50" AND refusing to take off two wrong orders that she charged us incorrectly. Ridiculous. read more

I love this place and I always feel welcome when I come here (which isn't as often as I'd like, due to the location being far from my apartment). After reading some really negative reviews here I decided to give my two cents and explain why I love this place so much. In the process I plan on addressing some of the complaints I've seen on their yelp page. Firstly, the coffee shop is very nicely decorated and isn't crammed at all. So, coming here for an afternoon get together with friends over some coffee and food is aesthetically pleasing. I was always greeted by the staff nicely and felt welcome. Speaking of the staff, one of you guys is owed a huge thank you for helping me get my friend out of the restroom that wasn't even locked (said friend is simply confused by how doors work). Thanks for helping and laughing it off. Since I've been here quite a few times I can speak for several dishes that I personally enjoy: Savory- Italian sandwich (get the potato salad as a side, much better pairing than pasta salad), carbonara and napolitan pasta, tirokafteri and the Mediterranean plate are great appetizers. They make a good club sandwich as well. If you want a lighter option their salmon salad is a good choice. Sweet- the Greek yogurt and Nutella & banana crepe. Coffee- I've tried a bunch of their coffees, they make European style coffees that taste great. But I'm not going to give suggestions for the coffee, they have so many options I can only suggest you get adventurous and try something you haven't had before, or explore the different syrup options for a custom drink. Now that food and drinks are covered lets talk about the service pace. Yes, it takes a while to get the check. The famed European style service that I hear about and experience a lot when dining in Eastern European places around town (and, well, in Eastern Europe in general) is present here as well. It truly is a thing, and I firmly believe it is due to trying not to have the patrons feel rushed, as opposed to what others have said (facebooking and ignoring patrons for no reason). Having that said, your water glasses will always be full and you will have ample opportunity to order additional items off the menu if you so choose. In a hurry? Don't appreciate the European dining pace? Me too! So now that you've been warned, make sure to mention to your server that you'd like the check to come out with your food and it will. Problem solved. As for the review about split checks and being forced to order food... I split checks just about every other time I go here and it is never a problem. You were asked to order something at a place of business that offers food and beverages? How shocking! Iguana might have a homey feel to it but you are not, in fact, in your own living room. Another thing I should mention for those that live or work around the area but are in a rush and don't have time to sit down and enjoy a meal- call them about 15 minutes before you can come in and place a to go order, your food will be waiting for you and you can merrily go on with your day. Iguana saved me from plenty of bad lunch option days at UIC. read more

This hip spot is a great place to hang with friends. All the dishes are clean and nicely plated. My sandwich was delicious and my drink very good. I recommend this restaurant if you are in river north and need to blow some time. read more

Was here for a meet up with a colleague just for coffee. Nice quiet and quaint café in the west loop. Easy to get to and really enjoyed the space and the coffee. Looking forward to retiring soon and enjoying a bite to eat. read more

I would recommend 11/10, best pasta I have ever had in mahhhhh life. Everyone should definitely come here more often, I know I will be!!!!!! Dis is my new favorite place to go to read more

Iguana Cafe - Chicken pesto pasta!!!!! 33(:(: - Creperies Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Too bright for a bar; too dark for a cafe. What is this place? We step in & it's like a bad Disaronno ad, right before the women at the bar slurp off the ice cube. Normally, this wouldn't be so awful an image but it came off less like Playboy pay-per-view block being accidentally descrambled on your TV & more like walking in on your moms in a doggy style. And worse, your momma doing the horizontal hoochie coo to drum 'n bass. Drum 'n bass? Do people really still listen to this crap? Seriously. Did I stumble upon the Le Passage after party? Then, just when I thought I'd fallen into a time machine.... I look up to see Lou "Build a fence around the border" Dobbs on a flat screen TV. And Lou Dobbs is interviewing Ann Coulter and she's railing on that the Republican Party needs an attack machine. Really? Who unwinds like this at a cafe? Newt Gingrich? I try to order the simplest two items imaginable - lemonade and ice cream. Somehow two minutes later, I get a stein of iced tea. Whaa? On top of everything, the place is full of the most random people possible including a woman reading three GQ magazines over a drink ( I like Glenn O'Brien too, but not times three), a clueless couple laughing about using "food stamps" at Whole Foods, and a guy in a Rudy Lozano T-shirt. I wanted to throw them into a pop culture cage match. Maybe that's why it's so well lit and unusually tense in this odd place. It's the home for future tapings of MTVs "Non-Celebrity Death Match." As for my complicated meal, the lemonade was mostly lemon with little aid. The ice cream was passable. Hard to screw that up. So they didn't. I might have tried to order more except I didn't want to run into Karl Rove in search of a cappuccino. read more

Great weather finally !! Starting my night at Iguana Cafe with a beverage and appetizer Great staff - as well as beautiful waitresses Come check this place out late night ( Friday )for cocktails and food read more

Love this place.Alwayas amazing coffee and great service!

Iguana Café has amazing crepes. The end. Every time I come here, my go to dessert is The Chocolate Dream crepe; it's stuffed with nutella, crushed oreos, and served with a scoop of creamy chocolate ice cream & whip cream. I'm a die hard chocolate lover, so the more chocolate, the better. TRY IT! I know people hype the European Dream (my friend's are obsessed), but I tried it, and I didn't...really...like...it. I don't know if it was because the honey was too overwhelming for my taste buds (overly sweet), but after a few bites, I wish I had just ordered my Chocolate Dream crepe. At least the ice cream served with the waffle was good! I recently came here to celebrate my friend's birthday. I only order dessert whenever I come here, but I decided to try their tuna sandwich. I thought I was going to be able to finish it in one sitting, but I ended up packing it and taking it home because the portions were huge. Not complaining, though. Da more food, da better. All in all, really nice restaurant. Love the ambiance and the dim lights. Really good crepes. Will come again (as always!). read more

This is the only place in Chicago where I imagine that I'm Fernando Pessoa, sitting across the table from a glass of wine as my only companion for a session of introspection. I like this place? Is that a question or a statement? I'm not entirely sure... it's not exactly memorable, but on the other hand it's exceptionally inoffensive. Good food offered at reasonable prices in a laid back environment makes me a fan. This is where I end up sometimes when I try to walk home from work and get distracted by how much easier it is to just sit at a table and have someone else do the hunting and gathering. Presumably Iguana follows a European tradition of hybrid restaurant/coffeeshop/bar/art gallery settings, and this spot seems to draw a rambling mix of dates, mellow girls' night outs, convening writers, and lone wolves romancing their laptops. The place is too dark to be a café but it's not too dark to read; it's too laid back to be a restaurant but the food's pretty good. I can't for the life of me recall the true breadth of the sprawling menu here, because I'm consistently drawn to their unique and interesting selection of crepes combining ingredients like sautéed mushrooms, spinach, various pigs and cheeses under identities like Prague, Budapest, Lisbon. The beer list spans the "worst of" international exports- Heineken, Becks, Stella Artois, Corona, etc... those foreign lands can keep their damn second rate beers. With half a dozen white wines and another half dozen red wines, I tend to settle on the tasty Reisling. The only thing I don't really like about this place is the music, which is probably a reflection on modern Euro pop and electronic trends. I hate that. "Try not to be such a hater, Rob R." I tell myself. "Shut up! It's just my opinion," I respond. This is the perfect place to bring together people who have nothing in common, such as the old married couple bickering inside your head. read more

its not too often i come across a restaurant that i adore enough to eat there several times a week, but this is one of them. let me state for the record: i really, really, REALLY love iguana. of course, i may be a bit biased, since my boy brought me here for our first date. regardless, iguana has an amazingly warm vibe. its very euro, but not the least bit pretentious. they usually play a nice mix of techno and trance, which keeps the energy upbeat. however, its chill enough to comfortably relax with friends (or by yourself), read a book or simply people watch. the menu is so reasonably priced...especially for the area. they offer nice size portions and the quality of food is consistent (not to mention delicious). my personal favorite dish is the spring salad with smoked salmon...i'm addicted to it! they have awesome soups and a variety of dipping-type appetizers. but the crepes. oh, the crepes are from heaven. select from a bunch of yummy ingredients to make your own fluffy pocket of goodness. mmmm...nutella!!! they also have a full bar in case you need a little alcohol fix. i'm a tea person, so i usually opt for the green tea, however the black current just might be even better. oh, and don't pass on dessert either...i recommend the bougatsa for something a bit out of the ordinary. read more

How do you say, um, concrete good? Love this place, and recently stopped by for a pre-dinner drink. Hot with a cool vibe. Not a place to showcase your formal French training or haute-cuisine ambitions...just a place to sit back and chill with friends, your book, or your drink. Coffee, or a martini, wine, or a chamomile tea. Delicious crepes, sandwiches, salads, a full menu with plenty of vegetarian options, and extremely reasonable prices. It's a great late-night place open until midnight during the week and until 2am on weekends...excellent service. I would prefer it if Iguana was closer to home.... I would easily become a regular here. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! I've never had such horrible service in Chicago. The owner or manager was SOO rude. We would ask him simple questions about splitting the bill and he got very upset. It was just a simple question. The waitress just ignored us when we were trying to ask questions about the menu. At the end of the night I told him, his food is good but him and his staff need to work on their customer service, he just denied everything and was rolling his eyes. Very unprofessional! Never coming back here. read more

Me and my husband have visited this place more than once. The food variety is great. The portions are large and tasty so you always want more and try different things. read more

This place has something that makes you feel relax, the food is great and don't forget to drink freddo cappuccino! !!! The best coffee in town! ! read more

The food is high quality, prices are reasonable - arguably inexpensive, and upon entering the cafe, you feel as if you've stepped out of Chicago and into mainland Europe. It's one of the most authentically European cafes in the city (see also La Creperie), complete with snotty euro-attituded waitstaff. Snotty eruo-attituded waitstaff?! Eah, don't take it personally. This is Chicago, we do things a little differently - let me explain. It's a very Midwestern thing to have a happy-go-lucky, cheerful, and gregarious wait staff. Only in Chicago and Milwaukee (empirically speaking) is NICE expected of a waiter/ress. Europe & the UK (empirically - London, Oxford, Paris, Prague, Athens, Madrid, and Barcelona. Exception: Ireland) does not regard "warm and fuzzy" as a necessity in waiters/resses. In the US, we have evidence of this too - talk to most anyone who's just returned from a NY, trip. Did s/he compain about the service? Unless s/he had wads of money to spend at 5 star joints, I bet restaurant-service complaints were had. In Chicago we like things a little soft and a little warm. But, we also like fairness and quality. At Iguana, you get fair prices and high quality. Enjoy the atmosphere. Don't take it personally if the waiter/ress has a bit of a 'tude. Treat it like a anthropological experience. You'll enjoy yourself. I promise. read more

i have been to iguana café an incalculable number of times. if you could devise a complex analytical function which takes into account the no-pressure atmosphere, quality of food and drink, hours of service, incredibly nice and genuine staff, and the general need for cafés like this in the city... you would find that the point representing iguana cafe would be approaching the positive limit of that function. free wi-fi would be a lovely addition. read more

I liked the place but can't say I'd go out of my way to come back here. I thought it was all cozy and comfortable and whatnot, but the hot cocoa I ordered just tasted like something from a mix that I could have made at home... and it wasn't real hot, either, so I had to drink it fast before it got cold. The coffee that others ordered was good, not great. One person ordered theirs with raspberry flavoring and they either didn't add enough or forgot it altogether. We didn't eat anything here so I can't comment on the food, but the offerings in the menu looked pretty appealing. read more

This place is great! Went for the first time on Sunday for brunch and loved the vibe. Totally chill, very euro...hang out as long as you want and nobody will bother you. The mimosa was decent but my bagel with cream cheese, lox and cucumber was phenom - especially considering it was not a penny over $4.50. The servers are a little on the slow side, but the clientele is great. read more

I'm not sure how this place has 4 stars. The waitresses were not very helpful or attentive. Barely spoke English in fact. The food was lousy and lazy put together. read more

Great place although the location isn't wonderful. The food is excellent although I haven't yet had everything on the menu. The bar selection is fantastic as well. I love the intimate setting but the tables as others have mentioned aren't exactly comfortable. The background music was perfect for the meal and helped facilitate some conversation as well. I would say go! There is really no reason not to. read more

Love the ambience of this place. The music always takes me back to my time living in London. And I love the fact that whenever I think I want something sweet or savory late at night they're usually open to accommodate me. I've never had a problem finding street parking. Service has never been much to write home about but it's not horrible either. read more

Best place! Great staff, amazing food and deserts. The cheesy crab dip is out of this world!

I was very unimpressed with this place. On their website they advertise themselves as a European style coffeehouse where one is welcome, whether they want to dine or just have coffee (and, in fact, refer to themselves as a "coffeehouse" on their sign which usually indicates a more leisurely atmosphere). However, when I went there, the waitress was extremely rude as soon as she found out that my husband and I only wanted espresso beverages. First, she gave the disgruntled "is that it?" response then snidely, taking the menus away, said "well, I guess you won't be needing these." We drank our coffee as quickly as possible, though we had to expend a great amount of effort to get her to come by our table for the check, and what little she said was with a rather snide tone. It was very clear that we weren't welcome there. We weren't dressed inappropriately, nor was it crowded (only about 1/3 of the tables were taken) so I can only assume the attitude was based on the fact that we, encouraged by their website, had chosen this place to have coffee rather than dinner. Additionally, the atmosphere seemed more like a European hotel restaurant than a European coffeehouse. While I've never been to Greece (where the owner is from) I have been to Rome, Naples, Berlin, Munich, Heidelberg, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Paris and London. The cafe didn't resemble any of the cafes I visited there. There was a big screen television, for one thing. For another thing, my cappuccino tasted more like something one would expect from a corporate coffee joint like Starbucks than the Illy and Lavazza fare one typically finds in Europe. I just moved into the neighborhood, and frequently go out, not just for coffee but for lunch and dinner. I'm a bit of creature of habit, so once I find a place I like, I tend to stick with it. However, despite the fact that they had a lot of food I might have ordered at some other time, I won't be going back. read more

Our office recently moved so I am new to the area and was looking for a cafe that served great coffee and food without being crazy expensive. Iguana Cafe far exceeded my expectations. Not only is the coffee great and the food super fresh & yummy (I'm a vegetarian and there's plenty of options!), but the prices are extremely reasonable especially for the area. Best of all, the staff is so friendly and nice- they make you feel like family. One of the managers/baristos Castro learned my name within the first week of me going there! I love places that value community and treat their customers well, and Iguana is definitely one of those places read more

My boyfriend and I came here for the first time for after dinner desert and tea. I LOVED this place! I have been looking for a chill cafe/ restaurant open late night in this part of the city, and I have definitely found my place. We split the berry crepe (strawberries, bananas and nutella) and it was incredible, huge portion, and only $5.95!! We also both got some tea. Looking forward to coming back to this place to try the entrees and cocktails. The atmosphere is great- I really loved the little fountain right when you walk in! Our waitress seemed a little aloof at times, but it was a great experience nonetheless. read more

Love! Love! Love this place! My favorite sandwich us smoked salmon sandwich... Atmosphere is great for a romantic conversation or a relaxing time with friends. read more

Wow! I got a veggie breakfast wrap my first time here. So yummy! I could only finish half. I also got a camomile, rose, peppermint blend tea that was awesome. My order was to go. The guy working was very friendly and helpful and my good came very quickly. I will be back! read more

The nicest staff in Chicago. Genuinely kind and welcoming. The waiter even ran my jacket out to me when I forgot it. Excellent martini, and the two times I've eaten here, it's been very good. Fresh and delicious food. read more

Came here for a group meeting. I think it's stupid that we cannot reserve. But the portions and food was great! Eclectic me u and I can't wait to try everything else. Loved the European vibe and ambiance. I had a the Lisbon crepe.. it was awesome... they have good drinks. I can't wait to go back. read more

Oh come on!!! Give me one reason why I should not go there, eat a delicious crepe, chill on my laptop, glance at wonderful people surrounding me and not pay a fortune. This super place is my second home! Take it from a picky Greek... read more

I was here on a first date with my boyfriend. It was an overall great experience. Not too busy, very chill, clean, and from what I remember the service was adequate. read more

I've given this place two tries in the past month bc the food is great. The service, on the other hand, is horrible. Servers are rude and unfriendly and SLOW. We ended up leaving after only one drink after an hour, when we could easily had a few rounds in the time. Not worth it! read more

The best crepes! The place is packed with such diverse, hip & young people during the weeknights! The only thing that sucks is parking!

I live pretty close to Iguana and have been there several times whether it be for dinner and drinks, brunch or just stopping in for some coffee to go. I'll say that their crepes are pretty damn good, and their coffee as well. They have some decent wine selections too. My only beef on Iguana is there service. Most of the employees are foreign and I believe there is a disconnect to an average Chicagoan. They are friendly and timely in their orders but there is just something missing and I can't quite pin point it. Anyone else get this vibe? Regardless, a great atmosphere and definitely worth a try for pretty much any occasion. Hope this helps. Cheers! read more

I've been looking for a good place in the hood to chill, study, and drink coffee that is open past 7p... this place fits the bill. The coffee is good the atmosphere is conducent to relaxing, studying, chilling out. The place has a nice LCD with ESPN or other sports on. The staff is laid back, the service is good. Downside, no free wifi and it allows smoking. Overall good place to relax and chill and its open late! read more

I once had a really awkward first date here. I had a vodka tonic. He had a sandwich. The drink was strong enough to get me through the pain. 4 stars! read more

This was one of the first restaurants I acquainted myself with when I moved into the neighborhood 2 years ago. I will admit to having an addiction to their breakfast sandwiches (especially on hangover mornings) and I often curse the Iguana because they don't open until 8:00 am. Lunch and dinner are ok, I agree with Heather S., stay away from the salads. But, overall, I look to Iguana for a quick and satiating breakfast on the go, or a coffee stop. read more

Great late night spot that isn't diner-y. But it's good any time of the day. The service is good, although there's one waitress who seems to have been there forever who never smiles. The food is good too. They have great crepes, sandwiches and appetizers. It's always a go to spot for my group of friends when we're looking for a place to chill. read more

Gluten free crepes for 50 cents extra. This goes for entrees and desserts. So good. Soy milk (and I think almond) in coffee was I think about 50 cents too. Very reasonable adjustments. Service was okay but food was delicious. I hope to come back here soon! read more