Iguanas Taqueria
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Thu 11:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
185 Reviews for Iguanas Taqueria
I agree with Shannon- to an extent--- I don't know what orange sauce she is referring to but the meat? Oh goodness... it tastes like they may have cooked the meat a month ago, put it in the freezer and defrosted it... it tastes so freakin bleh!!!!!!!I went there one night SOBER and told myself never again... I used to go there drunk and order everything off the menu and never noticed, then again, I would have thought a piece of cardboard wit ranch was scrumpdiddlyumptious when I' was drunk... this place is popular due to word of mouth.... I'll take jack in the crack taco's ANY DAY!!!!!
Now the reason why I am giving this place a 3 and not a 4 is because I just don't think the food could survive without the sauce. Speaking of the sauce, it is AMAZING. My friends think it's a combination of chorizo grease + mayonnaise. I'm thinking there's some habanero and maybe even some chipotle in it too because it's spicy and smoky.
I tried the Super Burrito (~$6) and a Regular Taco (carnitas; ~$2.50). The burrito was big, full of rice and plenty of guacamole/sour cream. The carne asada however was not too flavorful, hot or fresh. I got the burrito without beans since they can sometimes be too overpowering. It's a filler anyway. The taco was very big even for a regular. How I feel about the carnitas is how I feel about the carne asada that I previously wrote about. Not too special.
Don't let the 3 stars fool you; I would definitely come back for that ORANGE SAUCE. I may even start dreaming about it.
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They use fresher ingredients here than Jack-In-A-Box or La Vics, so if you don't wanna feel like shit in the morning after a night of drinking, I suggest to eat here over Jack or La Vics. But you just might still feel like shit if you end up eating too much food anyways.
I usually get the Super Carne Asada Burrito over here or get like items from their $1 value venu like their tacos and cheese quesadillas.
Their Carne Asada Fries are pretty bomb too, but eat them fresh after they're cooked or they'll get soggy. Better to eat them there than to wait later when they get colder or soggy or have to reheat them later.
And their BURRITOZILLA is a fuckin joke. I ain't even gonna lie. I did Cluck U's 911 Challenge before, but I don't know how anyone can eat a 18" long, 5 pound monstracity of a burrito. I was surprised when they told me Joey Chestnut of SJSU (who beat Kobayashi in Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island) finished that burrito in 1 minute and 30 seconds. Is that guy even human? It took me like 20 minutes to finish half of it and I couldn't eat anymore. Waste of $16. Not even worth trying for a t-shirt. Guy told me you have to beat that 1 minute and 30 second record too in order to get a t-shirt. Biggest waste of $16 drunken food runs ever.
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My friend introduced me to Iguanas in early 2005. Ordered the regular chicken burrito and it was delicious, the pico de gallo they use is fantastic: it's flavorful but not over-powering. I've loved it every time I've eaten here, even if I just stick to the burritos and quesadillas.
Their relatively new $1 menu is a great addition, perfect as an appetizer before the main dish.
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Iguana's holds a special place in mi corazon...
When I first moved to SJ in 2001, I lived down the street from here. A friend/co-worker invited me to their weekly open mic sessions (Also called Cafecito) which happened on Mondays and Thursdays. During 2001 and 2002, I was inspired to write more poetry/spoken word than I ever have. I met mad cool people, artists, musicians, activitists, spoken word folks and more. Some of the open mics, eventually turned into additional days for the "hip hop" open mic sessions, which gave rise to Lyrical Discipline (the OG hip hop collective which emerged from these open mics). Some of the original folks from Living Legends use to rock the open mic here also!
The owners were dope and would showcase live music on the regular. Their contribution and encouragement of the arts made this place unique and a straight up diamond in the rough.
The food was pretty on point also, not authentic, but worth the trek over. Since that time, the place closed and opened again.
All I got to say is, Welcome Back Iguanas/Cafecito.
You give San Jose downtown that extra flavor it needs! Word.
If you don't know.... Now you know!
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There are a few things I could probably each everyday...Iguanas and Pizza.
I highly recommend Iguanas over La Victorias anyday, they offer a larger variety in there menu, use better meat products, don't just hand you a blob of fat and meat in a buritto, and their orange sauce is better...but that's just my opinion.
After a rough exam to a hard night of drinking you can always count on Iguanas to be there...with there great hours. They stay open till 3am fridays and saturdays...doesn't get sweeter than that.
Only criticism would probably be ghetto drucken crowds and they close on Sundays.
My favorite menu items are the Super Iguanas Buritto with chicken, Super Chicken Quesadilla, Super Tacos, Super Nachos with Chicken, Salsa Dog, and there Nacho Fries are pretty damn good too. You can also get anything with Carne Asada, (cause we know how much dudes love steak) Pork, Shrimp, or Fish.
P.S. for all you poor people out there they have a extensive $1 menu with over 10 items!!!
They hold open mic nights I believe on Monday and Thursday nights? You can here aspiring poets,singers, and rappers....pretty cool.
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Some of my friends like this place, but I can't stand it. Their burritos have decent meat in them, but that's the best I can say about them-- they're otherwise sloppy and subpar. The nachos here are disappointing, and the food is overpriced.
The one thing that is nice about this place is that it is a fairly big venue, and they have Open Mic nights on Mondays and Thursdays. Otherwise, if you want a real burrito, head on around the corner to La Vics.
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Carne asada fries! I was watching at the counter while they were preparing my order of carne asada fries, and they looked incredibly promising... until the cook walked over to their big vat of nacho cheese and started ladling it onto the fries.
What the hell.
Nacho cheese should *never* be a substitute for real grated cheese, least of all on my beloved carne asada fries. That said, it was definitely novel and unique, and I was willing to give them a pass on that faux pas as long as the fries tasted good.
First bite: Hey, it's pretty good. Definitely prefer the thinner-cut fries to the finger-sized ones at La Grullensa. Mmm, guacamole.
Second bite: Huh, they seem a little wet. I think (read: hope) it's all the sour cream. Still tasty!
Third bite (after some digging around to get at the good stuff): Is that... is that a nacho cheese *pool* at the bottom? Oh Jesus.
I finished my serving, and was left with a half-inch pool of nacho cheese mixed with small scraps of soggy fries in my makeshift paper container. Horrible.
In spite of all that, I'm definitely coming around again to try their carne asada fries. I think all the right components are there - good fries, good guacamole, good carne asada - and it could be a killer combination. I'll just ask them to hold (for the love of all that is pure and holy) the nacho cheese.
---
Update: Came again recently and opted for shredded Monterey Jack cheese instead of nasty nacho cheese on my carne asada fries. Much, much better. Quality of the meat is quite good too. Still more sour cream and less guacamole than I'd like though, but definitely comparable to La Grullensa.
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I haven't been here in a while. The only time I finally checked this place out was when the la vics near state had closed down; not because la vics was better but because it was closer =P
They have a dollar menu which was pretty cool. There were creative things like mexican corn dogs among others. The thing I can really remember was the nacho cheese fries! Those were the bomb. My girlfriend argues that the ones in socal are better (and they probably are) but the cheese that Iguanas uses for those nacho cheese fries is just too damn good IMO. I can kill an order of those myself, even though from the portion you can tell it was meant for sharing.
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I'm an Iguana's girl, through and through.
The veggie burritos are huge and so good! I can never finish them. They aren't too good as leftovers so I try and offer it to the less fortunate that walk the streets. Most times, they're picky and don't want it. Anyways, I digress.. When I was at SJSU. I would take the extra 50something steps to Iguanas, when all my friends would go to La Vics. I'm not too much of a meat eater, so perhaps thats why Iguanas reigns over La Vics for me.
The nachos are also veryyyyy tempting. I can't do it becuase I know I will eat them all myself regardless if i'm full. I'll finish it till I'm beyond stuffed. Iguanas was definately a frequent spot for me, and still is, when i'm in town.
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This place is the shit! Gotta say there is nothing like having a burrito at the end of the night! Plus the great service and not having to deal with all the drunk idiots that go to the local jack in the box drive thru at three in the morning is a nice touch! Keep up the good work fellas!
Seriously? I don't understand this hype...
I just had a taco, it wasn't all that, they don't even put all the right mexican seasonings on the food! And that sauce!! It tastes like coffee grounds. La Vic's is way better & I don't even like LV's!
2 stars for convenience.
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Can't see what everyone loves since the food that I got (super burrito) and my friend got (super nachos) wasn't up to what others have posted about. Not sure if we caught them on a bad day or what, but things were not tasty and somewhat bland.
Hopefully it was just an off day, but that was my experience there this weekend...
The burritos are great. But sometimes it feels like the quality of the wrap varies depending on the mood of the cook. Some times the burritos are put together well, and sometimes they fall apart at the end.
best place to go to after the club.
order:
carne asada fries with shredded cheese ( NOT nacho cheese, it'll make ur fries soggy)... and ask for the guac and sour cream on the side too.. they'll give u hellllllllaaa.....
thanks to my san jose kappas for this one.
I've had my share of mehican spots but Iguana's stands above the rest! I absolutely HATE La Vics so thank God for Iguanas. Moving along, their burritos are ON POINT! I recommend the Igunana's Nachos bc they hook you up with the extras. They'r so fulfilling that I never finish the rest.
On Thursday nights, they also have live music and open mic, so you can get great food AND great entertainment.
Good staff too. I requested a song and the guy played it...chill atmosphere.
Highly recommended.
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Iguanas is a fun little place! The carne asada fries are just delicious, but be prepared for acid-reflux oh no!! I can feel it now! You can weigh out the pros and cons for that! But on the realz the carna asada fries are bomb. They also give discounts to SJSU students! So holler at that! I think some nights they play music. The atmosphere is just chill and fun I like going here. Mosdef- a crowd pleaser. Be daring and try the burritozilla?? I think that's what it's called.
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For the last month, Ive been getting inked at Death Before Dishonor around the corner. After getting pummeled with a needle in the back for 2 and half hours and clinching my buttcheeks as hard as I can while i wrap my legs around some angled rig of a chair.... you can get kinda hungry.
I was doing the La Vics for a while...not really wanting to try iguanas. Funny how La Vics only tastes good when your wasted. My best friend kept telling me to try iguanas...so i mosied on over.
two words... NACHO FRIES
havent had them yet, but damn, those sound so bad for you! gotta try those.
love the nachos with thier orange salsa stuff.... they are not stingy with the portions and are incredibly affordable. And best of all, I havent had really bad shits with these guys...that alone gets 5 stars.
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Now, this isn't the best place ever for a burrito. However, for being a "fast-food" burrito, it is really good. Also, the food is very fairly priced and the atmosphere of the place is very comfortable for some reason. If you are looking for a quick lunch or late night snack, come here before you walk around the block to another mexican fast-food place that is honestly disgusting.
This place is cool and lively. My friends went to La Vic but when I told them out about this place they never went back.
The young owner guy is cool but sometimes he doesn't give you the SJSU discount..He does ask the girls if they are SJSU students though but he never asked me and he even knew it..neways long story short i ate there too much and got tired of it... ..better than any other place around....took them yearssss to open up that dollar menu...HmmHm...anyways food is great...prices are alright...
for me...if i want a burrito....and of course the oh so yummie nacho fries...i will go here. (but for a quesadilla...i will go 2 la vics.) just something about the burritos here i like better. but those fries......mayn....now i want nacho fries!!!~~
they are fairly fast when it comes to service, just because the lines r usually shorter that those of la vics. but the last few tyms....its been a toss up between the two. i think more people are catching on to the yummie*ness of these iguana burritos and nacho fries...
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This place is the bomb, My daughter and I had the carne asada burritos and my son had mini tacos with chips and salsa. The next time we went back for a snack of the super nachos, (prefer the burritos over the nachos)... Overall Burritos are the bomb not too crazy about their "sauce" but I have a bottle of La Vic sauce and an Iguana's burrito with La Vics sauce = muy delicioso!!!!
Hellz-to-the-naw. Hellz-naw!
Came here hoping to possibly find a yummier alternative than going to La Vics or the other taquerias that I frequent. This place failed me, quite badly I must say... and I'm not that harsh of a critic!
The salsa was NOT GOOD at all! Their "orange hot sauce" has a super "smokey flavor"... shit, if I wanted to have a burnt taste in my mouth, I might as well have cooked food myself blindfolded.
Also, what's up with their room temp sour cream? For reals now, it's like having rotten milk on your food. Not cool.
The only upside to their food is that the portions are moderate... but food is below mediocre. I won't come here again.
AND THEN, there was this super short robust homie loc trying to gank my purse. I know he was because he was hella eyeballing it and kept getting closer and closer and even had his friend stand RIGHT next to me like wtf? Seriously? Fuck you foo I ain't drunk. GHET-TOE!
This place is a great taqueria place. They have a great menu with many different varieties of a little bit of American food fused with Mexican. The burritos come in all different ingredient combos and you can definitely make your own combo up. I recommend the nacho fries! The sauce is also very good. The only down side is, after you finish your hearty meal, you'll feel your blood flow slower because of your clogged arteries. It's in a great location: great for partiers in SJ and for students at SJSU or anyone around that area, really.
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Late night eats...hard to find around here. We couldn't get grub before seeing Kooza, so we wandered out at 10:40pm with our bellies rumbling.
Iguanas to the rescue. Recalled seeing it on Yelp as an option for late night grub. Good place to get the carne asada fries that were so popular in San Diego.
Place was totally dead, so we were served quickly. The guy at the counter was super helpful. We got carne asada fries and 3 tacos to share.
Honestly, I didn't even need my taco and just ate the meat from it, the fries were enormous. And yeah you have to eat them fairly quickly and stay away from the bottom of the container because that's where the carne asada juice, cheese, and melting sour cream like to ooze down and mingle with the fries. But if you eat off the top it's all good. BTW....my better half says he likes the soggy juicy fries at the bottom. Sounds like a match made in heaven !!
Tacos were nothing special actually, but we'll be back for the carne asada fries and to try some other items off the menu. They also have about 5 options that are all $1 each. Baby burrito deep fried? Sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen and I wanna try it.
Fast, friendly service, fab late night Mexican eats!!
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Blows La Vic's out of the water! I'm from Los Angeles where we know a good burrito, and this place has the best one I've had in San Jose!
LOVE IT.
I love this place. the guacamole is awesome, as is the sour cream, plus the asada is delicious. I love both the super and the super mini burrito. i am always satisfied when i come here. not to bad for the price either!
On the rare occasions I spend a night out in San Jose I like to close out the trip with something from La Vic's, their orange sauce is awesome. One night, we found out La Vic's was closed for some reason or another. We ended up around the corner at Iguanas. My friend said, "Hey! They have orange sauce too!"
But it's not the same sauce.
I ordered the nacho fries, and while I was hoping for something like Carne Asada fries from San Diego, what I got was not quite there. Fries were soggy, they weren't fried well and there was, in my opinion, too much cheese and not enough other stuff.
I probably would have been better off ordering regular nachos.
I love everything on the menu!!! I always get the Super Mini burrito w/ Carne Asada, black beans, and extra meat or the Carne Asada Nacho Fries!!! All I can say is BOMB!!! Once I ordered the 2 Burritozillas (yes 2 5lb burritos!) for a late night drunken snack for my cousins and I to share (there were 8 of us total) and all I can say is that burrito for sure hit the drunken spot!! Whenever I go home to SoCal I need to bring a Burritozilla as a carry on for my family bc they love it so much!! But I must say I love La Vic's sauce better.
hella good. unlike some other places, you can eat iguanas burritos without any sauce and it'll still taste good. hella cool people working there, hella good service, hella good prices. hella good cho's!
This is my favorite for burritos. The super mini is delicious. The tacos are tasty, the baby burritos are scrumptious, and the nachos are a fantastic 1 am snack.
Better than La Victoria's. Orange sauce is overrated.
Hm, pretty crowded in the afternoon but I suppose that's because its like a block away from SJSU. The crowd over at La vic's was about the same at Iguanas. People say burritos at la vic's is way too dry and Iguanas is better but man, their sauce..I don't like it too much. Their super quesadilla con pollo was muy fantastico though. I loved it with the guac. I was a little sad because the quesadilla kept dripping from the salsa or something. Definitely come again for quesadillas.
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This is another place that I frequent after a long night of partying in downtown san jo area. They have this awesome hot jabanero sauce that I guarantee leave you grasping for that pitcher of water. I love it! It keeps you wanting to eat more of it cause when you stop eating it, the burning of your mouth begins. If you are into late night Mexican food, check out Iguana's. The restaurant itself was built inside a house so it isn't huge, but you can find live bands playing there sometimes and it's pretty popular with the college kids.
Van The Man's must try : Jabanero sauce
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Oh Iguanas, how I used to come here for my mexican food cravings, but now I venture off to Taqueria San Jose! Their burritos are OK..sometimes flavors blend well together, other times not so much. I especially remember lots of liquid dripping out of the burritos and quesadillas. Also, the food can be slightly warm. I dont know about you, but i like my food HOT. But, on a good note, they have way better service and better food than La Vics..
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I used to be a La Vic's type of gal.. mostly for the orange sauce.. until I discovered the red sauce at Iguana's. The sauce looks pretty much exactly like the orange sauce, but a little darker. It's got more of a kick to the taste too, but it's not as spicy. However, with Iguana's larger burritos (super carne asada burrito with black beans, please), I have officially switched from La Vic's to Iguana's. Plus, there's no nazi security guy patrolling the place who takes the orange sauce away at 11pm.
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i got the super taco and it was indeed super! taste wise not size. the portion was good enough.
oh so juicy and the salsa was fresh with bomb ass meat. yummy to my tummy!
i was tempted to go for a 2nd one but i had to restrain myself from being a fatty. =)
-1 star because their hot sauce has a bitterness after taste to it.
Great food and great customer service! everything here just tastes more "fresh" compared to La victoria and they cook right in front of you so you know what's going in your food. plenty of seating places inside or out.
Beans in the tacos? Are you shitting me? Maybe I don't know anything about Mexican food, but I thought a taco had two corn tortillas wrapped around some meat, white onions, cilantro, and salsa. Beans? That kills the whole dynamic of the taco.
I'm not Mexican, but I can't hang with a please that puts whole pinto beans in the tacos. I just think that tacos are better without them, Maybe I'm just totally wrong about this.
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As you walk in and place your order, you are consumed by the aromas of the food due to bad air circulation. I can be picky, stubborn and weird during many times of my life, thus I hate when I come out of a place and smell like it. The odor is in my hair, clothes and skin. Yuck.
The food: I've had the super burrito and carne acsada fries before and "eh" is what I rate it. They have this sauce that reminds me of the orange sauce giving out at La Victoria's but it's not the same.
If you haven't tried this joint, I would say give it a try. For me, I'm 50/50 here.
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Joey Chestnut jocks this place.
"Who's Joey Chestnut?" you ask.
He's just the recently crowned World Champion Competitive eater, taking the title away from the legendary Takeru Kobayashi. Joey frequents Iguanas and chows down on their massive Burritozilla, five pounds of burrito glory, to train for his competitions.
The Burritozilla would make me its bitch if I were to ever order one, so I just stick to Iguanas nachos or the Nachos fries. The fries tend to get soggy quick, so I opt for the shredded cheese instead of the standard melted "Cheez Wiz" goop. Students get 10% off, so I drag my sister in high school to come along (unfortunately, I'm too old to get those discounts.)
Iguanas clowns the "other" taco joint around the corner. The super friendly cashier, who dances and sings to Sublime tracks, adds to the fun college atmosphere.
If you go to Iggys and see Joey, don't go over and ask for an autograph...
He might eat you.
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