We had a group of 13 and they were able to get us into dinner, unfortunately it did take some time. We waited, I believe 30+ minutes, we had called in before to make sure that it would be a good fit and was told a time of 7pm. Now moving outside of that wait, this place is a gem. It felt like it had been around a while and everyone gave us exceptional service. We had a larger group and our server was spot on with getting drinks and meals. Very appreciative of their time and effort. The ambience is exactly what you would expect, an older no frills Mexican restaurant that has great food! They had a really good Horchato and Paloma! PROS: Parking on-site Larger rooms and smaller ones, fits everyone Food was wonderful- lots of choices Drinks were very good CONS: Hot in the front of the restaurant Wait times read more

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Salt Lake City has an legendary Mexican diner, who has been around for years. It's founder, Ramon Cardenas Sr., recently passed, but his daughter has taken the business into the future. The Red Iguana business is not fancy, not modern, but solid, casual and authentic Mexican cuisine. They have outdoor covered dining and inside air conditioned seating. The menu is expansive with indivdual entrees, combo platters and the courtesy chips and salsa. The chips and salsa were very good and very bountiful with regard to serving sizes. The pork mango enchiladas were unique, a bit sweet, savory, nice and a tasty change. Our other selection was the three tacos a la iguana with shredded beef, sour cream, guacamole, corn tortilla, pepper jack cheese and refried beans. The tacos were a bit dry but the refried bean and rice were good. The portion sizes are very generous. Red Iguana 2 is not fancy or modern and home cooked Mexican cuisine. The choices here are solid, but not over the top. The are filling a spot in the dining environment with a good and tasty product without the fancy flare. I wish them continued success and may the family legacy continue. If you are looking for a family friendly, generous portion sizes and a solid meal, give Red Iguana a chance. read more

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My son and I missed his soccer team lunch today at The R.I so we decided to try it for dinner. Reading the reviews got me excited to try their moles. Brennan was our server at the counter and he helped us choose our meal. We started with a sampler which is complimentary to help us decide on our meals. After ordering drinks and sampling the moles, we both chose from the sampler; Brody ordered red pepian with carnitas with corn tortillas and I order the poblano mole with carnitas and gringo tortillas. Sipping a modelo waiting for our meal..... The flavors in the mole sampler were unique with an assortment of spices and other ingredients. We both picked our favorites but they flavorful. The negro and the mango mole were a bit too sweet but I was a fan all of all the others. The Red Iguana has its reputation and positive reviews for a reason. Outstanding meal, outstanding service in a fun atmosphere! Give it a go! read more

This place is a must!!! The enchiladas suizas were the best I've ever had. The sauce was delicious with so many layers of flavor combinations. Chocolaty. Fruity. It came with a side of really good rice and beans. They start you off with chips and salsa (which seemed unlimited - I had 2 bowls). Chips were light and crisp, salsa fresh and flavorful. Margaritas were excellent - make sure to get the custom with mezcal, so good! For dessert arroz con Leche to go which I enjoyed. Maggie my server could not have been better or kinder. She was always checking in on me. Vibe is very causal but you're here for the food. Reservations were hard to come by online, but it seemed like they held a lot of tables for walk ins. This location is very big compared to the original, which is smaller. I sat at the bar near the kitchen and go to watch them making food, and see all the delicious dishes coming out. Must return! read more

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Although parking was tough and the location near the railroad, we were pleasantly surprised with a welcoming vibrant interior. We were so tempted to eat in as many people were but we had to run and order for takeout. The staff was immediately helpful and attentive, and we settled on sharing a dish which soo delish! Enchiladas in a mole. Rather than really taking it with us we ended up devouring it sitting in the outside spillover waiting area (which at 2pm was empty, fortunately) which is normally used for people waiting for a table. I can see why it's so popular. The food is great, along with the bag of free chips and salsa, but I also feel the service is very personalized and personable. In a couple days later we found ourselves going to their OG Red Iguana location! read more

We made a reservation for a party of 15, and Red Iguana 2 handled it beautifully. Our waitress was absolutely amazing--attentive, organized, and genuinely took great care of everyone at the table. The food was excellent with a huge selection to choose from, and every dish we ordered was solid and flavorful. We also tried several cocktails, which were delicious, but the horchata truly stood out. It was creamier than expected and so good that I couldn't stop drinking it. Parking is a big plus--they have their own lot, which is rare for a city restaurant. While waiting for our table, we appreciated the outdoor heaters that kept everyone comfortable. Highly recommend this place for groups or special occasions. Just a heads-up: there is a cake cutting fee of $2 per person. read more

Red Iguana 2 - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

We needed a good place for a large team of 14 people without a reservation. We first walked to the original Red Iguana, but they are a smaller location. They suggested their sister restaurant, Red Iguana 2, a few blocks away. We arrived and courteous staff promptly seated us. We ordered drinks and appetizers, enjoyed great team conversation, and then ordered dinner. The food was great, and the staff was very attentive. My Puntas Norteñas were delicious. I highly recommend this location for a large gathering and great food. read more

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Came here for dinner with a group of colleagues and had a blast! First of all, they are not kidding that the mole is their pride and joy. It's fantastic and soooo fun to try all the different flavors! I ended up ordering some tacos de pollo and they were soooooo good ! It came with a huge portion of guacamole that was a perfect addition! I also ordered a piña colada to go with it and it tasted so fresh! I also need to shout out our amazing server who had a ton of personality and added so much spice to our evening. read more

Red Iguana 2 - Tacos De Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

A friend took me here and glad that he did! They are known for their mole dishes. The Red Iguana 2 has a larger dining area compared to the original Red Iguana. My friend made reservations (he highly recommends to do so) and I saw why he did. The parking lot was packed (we lucked out since there was one car leaving), and there were people waiting outside. On their website -- Dine in: Reservations are recommended but not required, with the exception of groups of six or more. Because I haven't had mole before and since they are known for their mole dishes, I requested to have a taste of their various mole (6 of them!). I had a hard time picking one because they were all good. I ended up ordering the Mole Coloradito. Mole Coloradito - Pine nuts, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, dried ancho and guajillo chiles, blended with fresh chile poblano and Mexican chocolate, served with succulent carnitas. Since this is my first time, I have no basis for comparison, but I really liked the dish! I like that they didn't mix the sauce in the carnitas. The carnitas was served on top of the sauce. So I was able to put as little or as much mole in the carnitas. Served with your choice of corn or flour torillas. My friend had the Red Iguana Traditional Enchiladas with shredded beef (you have a choice of shredded beef, chicken or cheese) in two corn tortillas, topped with their house-made dried red chile powder enchilada sauce, finished with melted Jack cheese, and served with rice and beans. I had a taste of this dish and I really liked it! Service was great! I highly recommend this place and will definitely go back when I'm in the area again. Sorry no pics of the dishes we had...we dove right in and inhaled them! read more

Red Iguana 2 - Deleted some people to show outside of restaurant better - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Red Iguana 2 proves that expanding didn't come at the expense of quality. There's virtually no difference between this location and the original, both serve incredible Mexican food packed with authentic flavors. If you're craving their famous mole or any of their outstanding dishes, you can confidently choose either location and expect an exceptional meal. read more

This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants to take people who are visiting Salt Lake City. This place can get busy, but it's fun and has a big open space for groups. I highly recommend getting the mole sampler to try out their different flavors. My favorite is still their free salsa, and chips! Soo good! Tacos Don Ramon, the chili Verde burritos and the fajitas are some of our family favorites ! read more

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All of it. Just go and try all of it. Super food, great service, cool atmosphere, and an Utah institution since 1985. read more

Red Iguana 2 - Tonight special. Chicken, shrimp, peppers in a tomatillo sauce. Yummy! - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

The greatest Chili Colorado in the US! Heather our server was amazing. Can't wait to come back!!!!

After reading lots of online reviews, we decided to give this place a try on our last night in Salt Lake City. It's close to the airport and our hotel so we decided to give it a try. Per suggestions in other reviews, we made a reservation for our party of 3. As we were advised in other reviews, we knew parking could be a challenge but were lucky to find an open space on the street nearby at 6:45. Check-in was a bit of a mess and took a while as it looked that they were short staffed. This seemed to be the theme all night. There was only 1 bar tender for the entire establishment and it showed in the timing and quality of drinks. Both of the drinks ordered at our table were undrinkable. The frozen drink had no alcohol and the margarita was so bitter/sour my adult son only drank a few swallows. Our lovely waitress (who was handling ALL tables in the bar area) told us Utah laws limited alcohol in the fruit drink making it taste like fruit punch & that the margarita was supposed to be very sour. Unfortunate for her, we are native Texans and know what they should taste like. So, don't waste your time getting alcohol at this establishment. We came to try the moles they are famous for making. We asked to sample the moles and our server brought us a place with 6 spoon sized dollops. It looked like an artists palate. We sampled each mole by dipping a chip into the mole. After sampling the moles, we each selected our meal. I had the nachos. Nothing special. The plate had more sour cream & pico than cheese, beans or meat. Other entrees at our table included a burrito with mole & a combination platter. Only highlight of the entire meal was the cheese enchilada. Apparently, they do this well. Overall it was a meh meal. We really wanted to like this place with all of the moles but not even the moles could hold up sub par food, drink & service. Maybe we just hit a particularly bad night (Monday). read more

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We had heard from several people to check out the Red Iguana while we were in Salt Lake City. We went to the original one and were told it would be about a 45-50 minute wait for us to be seated. Our flight was boarding in an hour and a half so we unfortunately didn't have time for that. We saw that the Red Iguana 2 was just .50 miles away so we jaunted on over to that location and were seated right away. Great move! Our service, I cannot remember her name, but she was awesome. She took our drink order and said she was bringing over the mole sampler with 7 different kinds of mole. THIS is the reason were were there. My husband loves mole and was super excited for the sampler. She knew we were in a bit of a rush so she was quick with serving us and the food came out fast. I got the Red Iguana traditional tacos. 1 with shredded chicken and 2 with shredded beef. The chicken was okay, kind of lacked seasoning. The beef ones were really delicious. I would get them again. My husband got 2 burritos smothered in one of the moles and he was in heaven. It was WAY too much food so he had to carry it on the plane back to Colorado. Everyone else was happy with their meals and cocktails were delicious as well. If I am ever back in the SLC area, I will go back to the Red Iguana. Great food and service. read more

Ordered the mole poblano, which tasted pretty good. My friend ordered the mango mole which was also tasty. You should ask them for a mole sample platter so that you can try all the mole's and then choose one to order. The mole includes rice and beans. Salsa and chips are included in the restaurant. Service was fast. Family friendly ambiance. read more

Red Iguana 2 - Mole Poblano - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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Food as normal is excellent! Thank you Red iguana for being a place any age can come for a great meal and a great time. If you're looking for a real Mexican restaurant at a great price you have found it. Our waitress was around enough but not to much if that makes sense. Music is a little loud but that is easy to handle if you consider all the pros vs cons. Parking is free and usually available when you're needing it. Is a tight fit but at least you can find it. read more

Red Iguana 2 - Red iguana 2 bar - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Love this place! Clean, friendly and fast service. Food is always great and consistent, albeit, I can't seem to get away from the Puntas. So good of an almond mole! Both locations are great! read more

Red Iguana 2 - Puntas de filete a la Nortena - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

This is a MUST when you're in Salt Lake City! Every time I've been here, I find very friendly staff, great cocktails and fast, delicious food. I would imagine the wait is long for a party, however I've always sat at the bar without any issue. read more

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The Red Iguana has been a fixture in Salt Lake City for over 30 years and the #2 location carries on the tradition. They are famous for their multiple mole sauces and authentic Mexican dishes. It's a must stop anytime I'm in the area. The mole sauces are delicious, rich, and complex flavor delight with chicken, turkey or carnitas tossed in. Few restaurants take the time to make these savory sauces. They offer 5 different mole sauces, each with a unique taste. I like the Mole Nego (dried chile mulato, negro pasilla, Mexican chocolate, raisins, peanuts, walnuts and banana) but on my latest visit I got the Mole Coloradito (Pine nuts, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, dried ancho and guajillo chiles, blended with fresh chile poblano and Mexican chocolate served with carnitas). Served with rice,refried beans and tortillas, it's a perfect meal. The staff is always friendly and efficient. The #2 location has lots of seating including a patio. The interior is bright and airy. There's lots of free parking and there's a gorgeous iguana sculpture in the back. read more

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Food is so good. We had a quesadilla a machaca plate and another type of quesadilla. read more

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I was told this is the place to go in Salt Lake City for Mexican food. The restaurant itself was nice, and the service was very good. I tried a dish that had been recommended to me -- it wasn't quite my thing, but it was still okay. I'd definitely go back and try something different next time. read more

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Come for the awesome, realistic looking, giant sized red iguana statue in the parking lot and stay for the amazing food! When we arrived here on a weekday afternoon, the parking lot was packed and that's always a great sign. Their menu is incredible.They offer a lot of unique foods and flavors that I haven't seen at other restaurants. After checking out the cool iguana statue and reading about the history of this restaurant, we went inside to pick up our order and the the gentleman serving us was super friendly and welcoming. Apparently they have just started doing online ordering yesterday. I had the mole negro and not only was it absolutely delicious but the portion size was huge. This could easily feed two people. With all of the amazing options on the menu it was really hard to choose but the mole was five five stars all the way, some of the best I've ever had. I really really really really really really wish they had a mole sampler! With so many unique kinds of mole on offer, I would have loved to try them all and I'm sure a lot of other people would too. I'm also sure we would pay well for that option (hint, hint). Red Iguana is a delightful experience of taste, culture and history and if you haven't tried them already, you definitely should. read more

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This was my 2nd time coming here but first time getting the Puntas de Filete a la Norteña and is was super delicious and quite filling. The staff was very friendly and attentive. My only gripe about this location of Red Iguana is the loudness of it being smack dab right next to the train tracks. Like every 5-10 minutes a train goes by and it's so loud you can't hardly hear the people on your own table read more

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Was able to make a reservation for a large group online- definitely would recommend getting reservations! Asked for the mole sampler for the group. Always fun and great to try all the mole options before making a choice for dinner. I ended up with the Coronado- the nutty version of mole. We also got chilaquiles with the negro mole. read more

I hope management reads this review, so they can offer additional training to the servers. Sadly, this was the worst experience at Red Iguana 2 that I've ever had. While the food was tasty and the atmosphere was delightful, our server, Heather, left a lot to be desired because she demonstrated an unprofessional attitude. First of all, I ordered a Diet Coke. Perhaps there's a new management policy about drink refills, but the server refilled my drink only once. I sat with an empty class for easily half of the meal. Second, we had ordered Killer Nachos for an appetizer (which were delicious), and then we ordered more chips. Our server rolled her eyes and expressed a tone of judgement by saying something like, "Really?" or "Are you sure?" Her response was unprofessional. Third, she'd forgotten to bring out some tortillas for one of our party members, preventing him from eating his food until I flagged her down and brought the issue to her attention. I will not return to this location for a while, and--if I do return--I will request any other sever. read more

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This is one of my favorite places to eat in Salt Lake City but this was my first time at this location. I love the addition they added to it and the fact that they can fit SO many people in here! It's always packed but they are able to rotate people in and out pretty quickly with how much seating they have. We came here as a part of 10 with 6 of them being kids under 10. They treated us so well and were super patient with the kids begging for more coloring pages and chips and salsa. I loved the mango enchiladas and never tire of their mole sauces! One of my favorite things that they let you do, is order a mole sample so that you can figure out which one you like the most before you order! Very helpful. read more

Red Iguana 2 - Mango Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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This is an interesting and delicious restaurant. Other than the wait to get service initially, and then feel like you are being rushed out, everything in between was full of flavor and enjoyable. Their uniqueness is the many flavors of mole. In my indecision, the waiter brought me a plate with a dollop of each flavor to try. Each unique and definitely held their own! The mango is especially yummy. I will be back when in the area. read more

We love it here! Staff are usually very animated and friendly, and the food is fantastic. For the appetizer, we usually order the queso. For our mains, I usually order the veggie fajitas, veggie tacos, or gluten free chicken enchiladas with the mole poblano and pipian; my partner usually orders one of the mole dishes or the chicken enchiladas. Our go-to spot for a quick date night! read more

Red Iguana 2 - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Service was great... but... I had the Enchiladas Suizas flavors were spot on, but... everything... rice, beans, enchiladas... everything was barely above room temp. The cheese only half melted on the beans. I had warmer food at Taco Time! Disappointed ... as this is one of my favorite places to go to when I come back home. Not my usual experience here... but.. someone new may not want to come back, read more

This place always does us right and the food is always delicious! Always has plenty of parking for this area. read more

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I have been coming here for decades and what I experienced yesterday shocked me so much! it was 11:30 am on a Friday no line empty tables loads of them? Normally the place would have lines out the door! our server had five tables it took her 40 minutes to actually take our order and she is not new! we had to ask for more chips unheard of in all the years I have been coming. my meal was room temperature not hot at all. I did not eat it. I have always thought the food was not as good here as red iguana 1 and not as consistent but I have never received anything but incredible service at either place until yesterday still stumped. anyone know what's going on here? read more

I don't make it to Salt Lake very often, but when I do, Red Iguana 2 is always on my list. I like Red Iguana 2 because there is more room and more seating than the Red Iguana, but the same great food. I took the family this time, and everyone enjoyed their food. We were able to socialize as the atmosphere wasn't too noisy. Also, the staff were great and checked in often enough to stay on top of drinks, etc., but not so much to become annoying. Also, I LOVED their chips and salsa. soo good. I will typically eat half my meal and take the other half home. But this time I ate the entire meal. Honestly, I was a bit surprised when I looked at my plate and suddenly realized it was nearly gone. read more

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I wanted to love this place. The atmosphere is top notch and with the giant red iguana statue what is not to love? The salsa was flavorful. I had the Iguana Combination which looked great and the sauce was good. However the food was lukewarm...almost cold which was disappointing. I tried the Tres Leche cake which was served with fading strawberries. It's ok...maybe it was an off day. I went on a Tuesday for lunch. read more

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food that delivers heart, soul, and serious flavor, look no further. Our meal was nothing short of unforgettable. We started with the flautas -- golden, crispy perfection. Each bite had that satisfying crunch, and the filling was tender and flavorful, complemented perfectly by the fresh guacamole and crema on top. The star of the night was the chicken mole -- rich, deep, and complex in all the right ways. The sauce was velvety and packed with layers of flavor -- you could taste the love and tradition in every bite. It's the kind of dish that makes you stop mid-bite just to savor it a little longer. The tamale plate was equally impressive. The masa was soft and flavorful, not dry or crumbly like you find at some places. Each tamale was generously filled and perfectly seasoned. Served with rice and beans, it was a comforting, satisfying dish that felt like a warm hug. Our server, Karina, was fantastic -- warm, attentive, and made us feel right at home. She really added to the great experience! I've never been to a place that had so many choices of Mole . She brought us out a sample of each one arranged on a beautiful plate. Yum! Thank you we'll be back for sure ! read more

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Great food, huge portions, served hot. Server was awesome! Love the chips and touch of heat salsa that is complimentary. read more

We have a tradition with some of our out of town family members to go up and eat here. We have been doing this for years before here we went the original Restaurant. We love the molés. So much so we get spoiled by our waiters by getting a sample plate of them all with tortillas to taste them as por appetizer. We like RI2 Because its ambiance is more chill and relaxed. And it is way easier to get in not having to wait in a crazy line to eat the same delicious food. read more

Fantastic food unlike any other! Great service from a very friendly staff all around and consistently delicious offerings. We always start with the mole sampler, especially with a first-timer, and enjoy tasting all the different flavors. Our favorite is the Amarillo mole and we love it with chicken or enchiladas. Poblano mole is also a favorite and we love that you can get pints to take home. Salsa and guacamole are outstanding and the swordfish tacos that were the daily fish when we visited most recently were exceptional! Love the larger space of this location and the wait, if there is one, is totally worth it. read more

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Back at the red iguana but we had to go to the red iguana 2 since we had seven people. The space is very gorgeous and had plenty of room. I personally like the other space since it is more intimate. The selection of cocktails is amazing. Be bold and try something new. The guacamole is perfect!!! Creamy and tasty for dipping those corn chips. They have specials and lots of mole sauces to suit your taste buds. Everything is delicious. Ask your server to give you samples of the mole sauces so you can choose. read more

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I really like the food at Red Iguana 2 and order take out at least twice a month - sometimes more. But their change in the take out parking has me wondering if it's time to look for a new place for Mexican food takeout. They eliminated the take out parking spots on the north side of the building (reserving it for managers) and put one take out spot with the regular parking. On at least 3 occasions it was obvious that diners were parking in the take out spot leaving me to search for a place to park. Parking has always been an issue with RI2 but having 3 dedicated spots out of the way gave take out clientele a way to quickly and easily get their food. Now it is such a hassle, I'm not sure the food is worth the effort. read more