A few years back when my wife and I were dating, we were in the Fair Lakes area with my visiting parents and decided to give this local restaurant a try over the nearby franchise spots, and we were pleasantly surprised to find an upscale but not overly pretentious serving well-presented but affordable dishes. A few weeks back we found ourselves in the same scenario - at Fair Lakes, and looking for something outside the band of chains in the area, and remembered The Blue Iguana. Unfortunately, the vibe there has changed considerably, and while it was a still a good dining experience, it was vastly different from the place we visited many years ago.
It seems that The Blue Iguana had turned into a dive bar disguised as a restaurant. It was 9PM on July 3rd, and it was packed. And from experience, I know how packed "locals" dive bars are on the night before a holiday. (Trust me, I spent many years calling similar establishments in Gaithersburg a second home) My wife and I arrived around 9PM to a packed patio of bar patrons, a somewhat busy bar, and an empty restaurant where a kind older gentleman quickly seated and served us. By ourselves, the wife and I dined in somewhat peace, except for fun bits of people-watching as the drunk patrons stumbled in to use the patio.
But despite the change of atmosphere, the food was still pretty good, although not as great as we remembered it. Entrees are reasonably priced, but don't come with a salad. There is no "side salad" to order, but the $7 Spinach salad was actually rather nice - they didn't skimp on the size and the beet vinaigrette was tasty. My wife got the salmon with mushroom risotto and spinach and was happy. I got the pork chop special and was mixed - the pork chops were a tad small and fatty for the price, but well cooked, and the potatoes were mighty tasty.
Beer nerds - keep in mind that the bar side is a dive bar, so don't expect much on tap here except for national "craft" brands. I wasn't drinking that night, but I think I would have passed even if I wanted to. There didn't seem to be anything interesting on tap, not even Fat Tire.
I'd maybe give them 3.5 stars, but I think the food is a bit dated and pricy for what you get, and this place has a confused identity - dive bar on one side, while trying to maintain the image of a niceish restaurant on the other side. They need to go all-in on one or the other.
Only judging the late night menu and bar area after 9pm. Never eaten in the restaurant.
Sat in the bar area and ordered chicken tenders and wine. Terrible! The chicken tenders had so many fatty pieces and the wine is awful. Cheap and old. The bar area is pretty small, especially when they have a dj. It seems like a dive bar that has a loyal following of about 10-15 people. After 11pm it gets wild, being sarcastic here...the 3 women in the bar just get drunk and start to dance to the best (worst) of the 80's...it was definitely entertaining though! Would never, ever go back.
This is an update to my review of several months ago. Â Rumor has it that the Blue Iguana has been sold. Â Transfer will take place sometime around July 1. Â The new owner will make some changes. Â Close the restaurant for a short time while some renovations are made, both inside and out. Â (The patio area could be really special if they spent some money on sprucing it up. Â Would make the Iguana a better draw for both the restaurant and the bar crowd.) Perhaps changes coming in the kitchen, too. Â Which wouldn't be a bad thing since the menu has gotten tired over the past couple of years. Â So, we'll see what happens. Â An old favorite at a crossroads.
Review Source:I stopped by Blue Iguana for the first time for my friend Andy L's birthday. Â It's pretty much a restaurant slash bar tucked away near the Fair Lakes shopping center, although the bar and patio were definitely more popular than the restaurant area. Â The bar area was pretty dive-y, but we were only there to order drinks and then take them out onto the outside patio, which was a little inconvenient -- but the drinks were reasonably priced so I can't complain too much. Â This review is solely for my drinking experience there -- but after reading other reviews, I feel like I should stop by during daytime hours to catch their brunch!
For a Tuesday night, both the patio and bar were pretty busy. Â There's even a DJ spinning on the patio (top 40s, I can't complain) and plenty of seating around. Â The crowd was diverse, the drinks were strong, and the service was good throughout the night. Â It was a chill, down to earth atmosphere with a diverse crowd. Â If I were in the area more often, I would definitely come check it out again.
I live across the street from the Blue Iguana, and find it to be a convenient location to grab a beer. The bartenders are awesome, and enjoy interacting with their customers. Although I have not had any of their entrees, The Blue Iguana has amazing bar food. Their wings and pizzas alone are worth going here. Â Reading some of the other reviews, I have not had a single problem, and go about once every 2 weeks. The bartenders do throw free beers to their regulars or if you wear a Capitals jersey or shirt, when you're their to watch the games . I love this place, and will continue to go.
Review Source:This place has amazing Chicken Nachos as well as a great brunch selection! Â Unfortunately, I've only been for brunch and to have drinks, but I would only expect that the rest of their menu is great as well. Â Buffet style food most of the time grosses me out, however, this buffet was clean, fresh, and delicious! Â Although this place can get pretty packed, we have never had to wait very long. Â The business is very organized and gets tables in and out very quickly. Â
I came here for a friends birthday and the bar tenders are very kind, easy to talk to, and occasionally throw in some drinks for free from time to time if they get to know you. Â It's a great place to gather with friends, watch the game, or pregame at before going out to dance. Â Love it here!
Blue Iguana has been around for years. Â Back in its early days, The Washington Post's food critic visited it and gave it a favorable rating. Â I kept saying "One of these days we've got to try it". Â Well...once again, one of these days turned into one of these years.
We finally went there on a Saturday night around 5 p.m. Â Since we were planning to check out the Whole Foods in Fairfax which is in the area, we decided to have dinner here. Â In this part of Fairfax, there is a dearth of restaurants.
When we pulled into a parking spot right out in front of the place, we noticed a couple of bar customers loitering outside for a smoke break. Â One of them kept staring at us, which made my husband uncomfortable. Â After we got past them and entered the restaurant the first thing that hit us was the smell. Â The place smelled of bleach as well as some funky odor that we couldn't quite place. Â While it wasn't pleasant, it wasn't enough to make us run out of the place either. Â When Robert Irvine visits restaurants and picks up a bad smell, he traces it to the carpeting. Â Well...I wasn't about to investigate it that closely LOL. Â However, that said, the carpet looked somewhat worse for wear.
An older gentleman greeted us and took us to our table. Â We noticed that the furnishings were on the shabby side. Â Between the smell and the furnishings---can you say, "time to renovate"?
The older gentleman ended up being our server. Â He was attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, friendly and had a sense of humor. Â
We had crispy fried calamari as an appetizer. Â It comes with 2 dipping sauces---tomato basil sauce and sweet chili sauce. Â The calamari was done well. Â It had a light, crispy breading and was properly cooked, thus it was not at all rubbery. Â The tomato basil sauce had no basil flavoring. Â However, the sweet chili sauce was quite good as both the sweet and hot flavors came through very clearly.
For my main course, I ordered pan seared salmon. Â This dish comes with 2 sides---portobello mushroom risotto and sauteed spinach. Â The salmon had a remoulade sauce on top. Â I asked for the salmon to be cooked medium rare. Â It came out almost well done. Â As it wasn't dried out, I didn't quibble about it and ate it as is. Â It generally has been my experience that most restaurants don't seem to be able to cook salmon properly and serve it either well done or almost well done. Â The remoulade sauce was very tame. Â However, the portobello mushroom risotto was prepared perfectly. Â The sauteed spinach was bland. Â Generally speaking, the entire dish was nothing to write home about.
My husband had the jambalaya. Â It had a tomato-based sauce and consisted of shrimp, smoked chicken, andouille sausage, onions, peppers and spicy tomato sauce. Â You got your choice of either jasmine rice or pasta. Â My husband chose the rice. Â He said that the dish was indeed spicy. Â However, the two ingredients that stood out the most for him were the shrimp and the andouille sausage. Â He said that the sausage had really good flavor.
Before the tip, dinner cost just under $50. Â Since we don't get out to this part of Fairfax much, we asked the waiter how to get to Fairlakes Circle. Â He told us that he lives in Lake Anna so he doesn't know the area too well. Â Lake Anna! Â He has quite the commute! Â So he got the manager who came over and gave us great directions. Â
We don't think we'll be going back here for a meal. Â I do hope at some point the place gets remodeled---and they deal with that smell...
This is an interesting little place. Â One side a bar/lounge with a definite regular crowd, the other a restaurant.with a surprisingly varied selection of offerings. Â The decor of the place leaves a bit to be desired. Â The restaurant is rather plain. Â There is outside seating, both smoking and non smoking I believe, but non smoking outside right next to the smoking area is obviously not smoke free. Â Something to keep in mind if enjoying food/drinks outside and sensitive to smoke. Â Service has always been good when we have stopped in.
We've tried a couple of different offerings from their menu as well as Sunday brunch. Â The andouille and sweet corn hushpuppies with smoked jalapeno butter are delicious. Â The fried mac and cheese - not so much. Â My husband and I shared the twin bistro steaks one night and found that to be plenty for the two of us. Â The steak was cooked perfectly and was tender and flavorful.
Sunday brunch offers a make your own Bloody Mary bar. Â The bar pours Absolut Peppar and offers both a spicy and mild mix with numerous hot sauce selections. Â It's fun experimenting with the options to find what you like best. Â The food offerings are the usual; omelet station, carving station, some breakfast and lunch offerings, salad and desserts. Â They keep the trays full, hot and fresh.
Overall, I think this is a solid little non chain restaurant where you can enjoy a drink and appetizer or casual meal at a reasonable price.
Good menu, but not particularly impressive overall.
The cuisine is solidly American, and the decor is slightly more upscale than the usual chains but not by much. Â I see the primary comparable being Coastal Flats in Fairfax Corner, minus the seafood emphasis, given the fact that both have bars.
There are a variety of good sandwich options which are done well. Â The salads are enormous. Â The fries are something of a weak point.
The service is typically slow but good. Â The prices are better than Coastal Flats but in general the ambiance is not as polished, especially as it's tucked into a strip mall (though that makes parking rather easy). Â They used to offer three-course lunch specials which were a reasonable value but now do not, making the overall value proposition not that great.
My colleagues and I come here occasionally for lunch when we want something slightly better than usual. Â It has drifted out of our rotation since the lunch specials went away and because it often takes too long to get in and out. Â
Overall, okay.
My husband and I visited for the first time this morning for Sunday brunch. Â We were greeted and sat promptly by a friendly host. Â We were very pleased with the quality and variety of foods available on the buffet. Â Normally, I am not a fan of buffets, but everything was hot, fresh, and yummy. Â I tried the French toast which was warm, soft, and just enough cinnamon to make me smile. Â They even had fresh, homemade whipped cream and berries to put on top if you so desired. Â I also had some bacon, hash browns, and hot veggies which were all cooked wonderfully, and seasoned beautifully. Â My husband had a made to order omelet and some beef from the hot carving station.
For a dessert, I could not help myself...had to try the little chocolate chip cheesecake with an oreo cookie crust. Â *drool*
The only negative, was that the restaurant had the SLIGHT stale odor of cigarettes. Â Not quite as though someone was smoking in there at the moment, but perhaps it is lingering from when smoking was allowed. Â My husband and I both noticed it, but it did not deter from the taste and quality of the food at all.
A friend mentioned they had a brunch buffet and it was priced reasonably, so the gf and I checked it out. Oh, how I wish I ordered off the menu like my gf did...
Initially, the buffet looked appetizing and very sexy. They had French toast, pancakes, eggs benedict, sausage, bacon, waffles, omelette station, and other goodies. I did try a lil bit of everything and it all went down pretty well. Knocked back a mimosa as well. Some of the food was decent, some of the food seemed to be a complete miss. I did notice someone was checking the buffet to make sure everything was filled, but my final time up there, a lot of the items were empty (which was probably a blessing). So I was disappointed about that.
The gf got steak and eggs, which was only $11. The steaks were more like medallions served with two eggs benedict, salty spinach, and home fries. Steaks were not cooked order. They were actually two levels over cooked. The eggs seemed  to be poached well unlike the ones you'll find at the buffet. I do like their home fries though. Really well seasoned and has a good crunch.
Service was fine. Nothing spectacular.
The fun part was I began to feel ill 12 hours later after my meal...should of ordered off the menu...
TL;DR Came for the buffet, left with something a lil extra. Should of ordered off the menu...
I came here the other night with a few friends to have drinks. The atmosphere started off with a few people in suits who apparently were having dinner and drinks after work. After that crowd left, it was mainly locals who were in the 23-30 range. Pretty diverse and interesting crowd.
The host was great and cracked a few jokes with us upon our arrival. Even though it was stormng, we sat outside under the covered patio since we had a few smokers in our group and didn't manage to get wet.
I didn't have any food but the drinks were nice and strong and the service was very attentive even on a busy Tuesday night. Their fries were a good thing to munch on if you've had one too many.
I would be coming back.
Blue Iguana... a local watering hole that has GREAT food too!
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Items I've tried:
:::Apps
-Calamari- Â delicious!!! Â Served with a spicy sweet chili sauce (Only available during dinner.)
-Wings- decent size, perfectly seasoned, ample sauce, extremely hard to go wrong with wings
:::Entrees
-Mediterranean Salad w/steak or salmon- :::My favorite entree and the BEST mediterranean salad I've ever had!::: served with greens, feta, tomatoes, onions (I actually ask to not have the onions), olives and a light dressing... Med/Greek Salad lovers, this is a must try!
-Steak and Cheese
Blue is a special place. Â Whether you're looking for a great meal or a local watering hole, it offers both. Â The bar is full of regulars, the staff is nice, and it offers a diverse crowd that just seems to want to have a good time.
My favorite place in town!
The food is very very good and the prices are more then fare. They have a small plates menu served in the bar area that is full of delicious dishes most $5 or less.
The bartenders are all great. One of which, Ian who is always in a good mood, very attentive and funny.
I think a lot of the fair to poor reviews had something to do with "the old waiter" he is always there and I have been waited on by him once before. The service was not the best and that makes the expierence weakend.
Sit at the bar or the tables around the bar, the service is excellent and the food heavenly!
The wha'?!
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Kooky name aside - eating out in Fairfax sucks. Either it's an overcrowded Great American Restaurant chain with the same menu selections and noisy kids. Or, it's less crowded for the obvious reason - it's shite. The Gay Parrot strikes that rare medium. It has good food, it's not a chain, and it's reasonable. If you like supporting local businesses this is one worth your time.
My family couldn't find any place to agree on but I recalled having a drink there and we gave it a shot. My sister and I are foodies I suppose and my father and his lady friend are geriatric meat and potatoes types. They were opposed to it on name alone but I convinced them. The seasoning could have been a bit more attentive and the old eastern european guy serving us was overwhelmed. But, the food was fresh, prepared properly, and not too fancy so as to alienate my father's taste buds or lack thereof. The manager came by and refilled our waters and took the bill.
Locals go there for drinks but it has good food as well and the clientele reflects that. Basically, it's what a bar with decent food should be - a Tavern. Why the name doesn't properly reflect that is beyond me as it affects perception, therefore business. Nice local place though, even if it sounds like a Gay bar for JImmy Buffett fans.
Unfortuantely, Fairfax is lacking in the brunch department but, thank you to my Yelp App on Droid (if you dont have the app yet...stop reading this and download to your Iphone or Droid now....thank me later), I was able to locate many restaurants that offered Sunday brunch. Blue Iguna is located in a shopping center off of Fair Lakes Pkwy so there is plenty of parking.
We walk in, seated promptly and our waiter suggested that we check out the Brunch buffet. The buffet offered everything from French Toast to Beef Tips, an omelette station and freshly sliced Roast Beef. We even splurged and ordered the $3 Mimosas...too bad they didnt offer free refills :( And thats the only negative thing about Blue Iguana :)
The staff was friendly and very attentive. I will definitely be back here!
I have lost count as to how many times I've been here for brunch's, lunch's and dinners. Â It's about time to review...
Love this restaurant - probably among my favorites of all time.
Each time here we are treated very well - food is always excellent - from the appetizers - the weekly specials - to the BREAD PUDDING!
I think the entire staff here are exceptional - friendly - attentive. Â
Can say for sure that I do not agree with any of the negative comments from the other reviewers. Â
Glad this place is where it is - as if it were in DC they could double/triple their prices.
My friend suggested we try this restaurant for dinner to celebrate my birthday. The meal was a culinary disaster from start to finish. The biggest problem was the lack of even the most basic seasoning, salt, in the dishes. The shrimp appetizer was bland and visually unappealing. Pork loin chops were overdone and under seasoned. Rice and spinach appeared to have been cooked by a 13 year old - with zero seasoning.
To top it all off, we had a rude and grumpy old man for our server. My friend had to ask several times to get a refill on water. There's nothing special about this restaurant, not the ambiance, food, or service. I would not recommend eating here. The food I left my hubby and son at home for dinner was way yummier.
service was fine~ our server was super smiley and wasn't afraid to engage with a table full of jokesters. She was very attentive, kept our beers full, and the wings a'comin.
the wings are actually pretty good... i mean, i dunno about the chicken itself bc who knows where chicken comes from anymore these days =P. but their buffalo hot sauce was DEFINITELY, really good~
i'm sure i'll be back... s'just not anywhere near the top of my list of places to choose from is all.
This is my first negative review on Yelp. I didn't want to do it, but the Blue Iguana left me no choice. I was hesitant to make our Christmas dinner reservation here as the Yelp rating was less than impressive, but it was close by. I figured, "How bad could it be?"
We arrive at the restaurant, order our three courses, some wine and hope for the best. The first course comes - my husband has corn chowder, and I have the Caesar salad. Both are decent. Everything is fine so far, and then...it all goes downhill.
The manager stops by, not even introducing himself, and tells us that they've run out of prime rib and they can only give us one medium-rare steak and the other will have to be medium-well. That's fine we say. I choose to take the medium-well because ehh, maybe they won't screw it up. He comes back a little later with this weird look in his eye and tells us now that they can only make two medium-well steaks. We are perplexed but agree to the new option because we just want our food. At this point, the wave of regret is splashing over us.
Dinner comes and we tuck in. The prime rib is cold. The garlic mashed potatoes have no hint of flavor. The asparagus was just blanched and thrown on the plate. This dinner was so bad I wondered if I had done something wrong in a past life and was working through my bad karma. A definite possibility.
Dessert is next. It is mediocre except for the fact that they give me the wrong dessert (pecan pie instead of pumpkin pie). I forgive this as I was curious about how the pecan pie tasted. (Note: don't be.)
The best part of the night, however, was the one of the wait staff who attempted to serve us a bowl of chili during our dessert. I think that pretty much sums up our dining experience at the Blue Iguana.
I think I can safely say that Blue Iguana was the hidden gem of my recent adventures in Northern Virginia.
I has come across it while researching yelp before my trip, and when it popped up on the list of suggested places for lunch provided by my host, I made a mental note to pay a visit. Â I really wish I had stopped in sooner than the day before I left, because I may have returned several more times.
Of particular interest was the express lunch (I did have limited time for my lunch breaks) which allows you to pick a combination of three courses (appetizer, entree, and dessert) for $10, served in 15 minutes. Â
Based on the criteria, I didn't necessarily expect a sublime experience, but the expectations I had were exceeded and then some. Â I decided on the corn and andouille hush puppies, butternut squash ravioli, and creme brulee. Â While I waited for the meal, delicious seasoned bread and herbed olive oil were served too. Â My meal did come out quickly (though a little longer than 15 minutes - still under 20) and once it did I got down to business. Â All three items were excellent. Â The hush puppies were served with a chipotle butter that was so wonderful it was all I could do to not eat it out of the serving dish with my hands. Â The ravioli were very tasty, and for the record, it is not often that I am satisfied with a meatless entree, but in this case I was very happy with my choice. Â The creme brulee was creme brulee - it was good, though not remarkable in and of itself.
On top of all of this, my server was incredibly attentive and helpful with my questions, even going so far as to ask the chef a couple of questions about specific items after I had eaten. Â
Blue Iguana is the type of place I always feel lucky to find while travelling- the kind I'd really like to come back to.
So last night I had a datey date and he chose this spot since it was closer to my house. Now previously I've seen shuttle buses with the business name on it and because the name is so interesting I wanted to try it so happy that I had my chance. Funny thing is of course I could have gone alone but the reviews that I 'studied' earlier were 'different'.
Anyways there is a small patio out front which seemed like a nice area to have drinks. I sat in the bar area which had high tables. Our waitress seemed like she really didn't want to work that night. When she wasn't doing anything (which was most of the time) she sat in a chair next to the door with her Jacket on wth!!! We ordered Pomegranate margaritas 1 frozen and the other on the rocks. Well my dates margarita was Ice hard. When he complained the the waitress she said it just that there blander is broken. He was like ok well how a I supposed to drink it, she told him to chew it. I really almost lost it and I think he did too. I'm sure our expressions were priceless so of course she brought back another one.
The food was really good My date ordered the Angus burger and I had pasta (fassili) with shrimp . We arrived at around 10, so I believe they only have one menu you can choose from. We actually chose a great night to go because Tuesday's they have Karaoke. The karaoke guy there was awesome, he even free styled too.
Just like other reviewers stated I couldn't tell if the place wanted to be kind of 'upscale' or have a sports bar theme. The decor was all over the place. I'd probably go back for Karaoke and for the food too!!!
Blue Iguana is the ninja'est restaurant i've ever frequented. Allow me to explain...
From the outside (and initial inside) glance, BI appears to be a sports bar. Multiple big screen tv's front a large wooden wrap around bar with ample seating and traditional cocktail servers fluttering around. Seems like an excellent spot to catch football or baseball.
A deeper glance at the menu will surprise you; it's not standard sports bar faire. Thai chili garlic shrimp, smoked chorizo mac and cheese, and other unusual dishes were shockingly good. It's a strange hegemony seeing it put together; like finding granny panties on a supermodel, or a fine champagne served in a solo cup. Doesn't make it any less fabulous, just bizarre.
Blue Iguana as a bar is a typical meat market; friendly 20-30 year old patrons and apathetic servers. Service is sub par, but the prices are reasonable (for the area) and the food is much better than average. I'll be back.
I have known about this restaurant for years, but assumed it was a Mexican restaurant. I decided to look up the menu on-line and to my surprise everything sounded delicious. I made plans to have dinner with a friend there and was quite delighted to see how nice the dinning area was. The service was impeccable. I had a 3 course meal for 19.95. I had the house salad was rather large and gourmet, not like your average house salad with chopped lettuce and tomatoes. The entrees were excellent (I tried my friend's selection too). The entrees and desserts were regular size, I can't imagine how big the portions must be for ala carte selections. I can guarantee you that I'll be back to try more.
PS. We were sitting relatively close to the bar in the dinning area and i didn't find it too noisy at all considering the NBA finals game was on and the bar was crowded.
You can stop going to this place, return 2 or 3 years later, and things will be comfortingly the same. Â The faces of most of the staff and patrons may be different but a few will still be exactly as you remembered. Â
There was, however, one big difference this time: Â The smoking ban has made Blue Iguana more breathable, and for the first time I did not leave reeking of second-hand smoke. Â
I like Blue Iguana because it is versatile. Â If you need a drink, pop into the bar for the early happy hour (with an older, after-work and retiree crowd) or the late one for the 20-somethings. Â Need to do some work while having a light snack? Â Bring your computer and sit at one of the tables in the sequestered bay-shaped area off the bar, and enjoy the free wifi. Â Want a nice dinner away from the crowd at the bar? Â The main dining room will do. Â
Blue Iguana has an eclectic menu and for a light, yet filling, snack I recommend the bread pudding and chicken sate. Â For heavier, less typical fare you might try the venison. Â (My first taste of it was here.) Â
Prices are reasonable as are the portions - not ridiculously large, but you won't leave hungry either.  Parking is never an issue and it is conveniently close to Fairfax Corner and Fairfax Town Center if you are doing a movie night but don't want to visit the establishments in those  locations.
The staff are nothing but courteous and friendly. Â In fact, it has been with some of them that I've had my most interesting and pleasant conversations. Â
Blue Iguana is a sibling of eCitie in Tyson's and appears to share the same formula of not appealing to any specific audience. Â Different nights deliver different themes and flavors but the fundamentals never change.
Just tried this restaurant for the first time while my parents are visiting.
They take reservations and I asked the hostess/server I spoke with was exceptionally helpful and friendly. Â
The restaurant was divided visibly when we walked in entrance--the bar side seemed a little loud and casual, the dining side seemed quieter and comfortable. Â Interior was simple, almost boring, but we were greeted with exceptional service from the staff.
Menu is interesting and smart--includes a variety of "familiar" items, creative items such as a crab quesadilla that was wonderful, and then some very casual items such as buffalo wings and nachos. Â
Great variety, something for everyone. Â
Dinner choices include scallops to pasta to burgers. Very tasteful all around. Â
Service was excellent. Â Very pleased. Â Will return. Â Great find with lots of variety. Â Atmosphere seems variable.
Came here for their Sunday brunch buffet priced @12.95+tax.The spread wasn't outstanding more of average. The highlight of the buffet brunch is the omelet cooked in front of you while you wait.
The choices consist of salad,fruits,potatoes,bacon,egg benedict,meatballs, crab cakes, some sort of fish,veggies. they had ham cut to order but you could see that it was too dry.
Service- just saw our server once to get our drinks and orders and she disappeared into oblivion.
wouldn't  go back.There are plenty more restaurants who are more appreciative of my business and table service that are to a higher degree of standard.
This is a regular hang-out for me, usually for drinks after work or with friends. The food is decent but, I think they try to come across as being fancier than they are.
The staff is great from the bus boys to the management. At times service can be a bit slow but this may well be the fact that i have a friendly relation with the servers.
Some reviewers have stated it is a bit geared toward the younger crowd & this may well be later at night. Not surprising seeing as the staff is fairly young. But, the Happy Hour crowd is usually older golfers who seem to live there.
By 9pm I'm usually gone as the "kids" start drifting in but, before then it's like the Fairfax version of "Cheers".
Stop by, the place doesn't disappoint and fills a niche lacking in the area. A real neighborhood bar/restaurant.
This review is two - part. Â Please read both:
(INITIAL REVIEW) So, I have known about this place for five years and have never been inside. I hadn't missed out on anything. The drinks are good - but then again it is hard to screw up basic cocktails. The food is typical of bars. No surprises. I am glad that Virginia has approved a no smoking policy in restaurants because when we came the other patrons were smoking like crazy.  We also went late at night, which may account for the lackluster food. I don't  think I am going back. There is something off about this place. Especially with other - superior choices in the area.
(FOLLOW UP) A week ago, I received the following response from someone named "David C, Owner". You will note that the message is signed by "Tom Chakeres". Did David/Tom even read my review? I knew there was something screwy with this place! The message follows:
"We would like to thank you for visiting the Blue Iguana restaurant. Â We appreciate the feedback that you posted on "Yelp". Â Your feedback helps Blue Iguana improve things we need to improve and we are also happy to hear when we have done a good job! Â We would like to invite you to join our list of email customers, so that we can let you know about weekly specials, wine dinners, holiday menus and even send you occasional gift coupons. Â Your email address will not be shared. You may join our email list by emailing us at:
<a href="mailto:dining@theblueiguana.com">dining@theblueiguana.com</a> Be sure and mention "Yelp" in your response and visit us again soon. Â Until then, we thank you.
Sincerely,
Tom Chakeres
Blue Iguana"
Read the first paragraph of David B.'s review above. Â That is a PERFECT description of this place. Â They want to be a sports bar and a fine dining establishment, and the two just cannot blend.
You enter the place at the sports bar side (which has a bit too much decor for a sports bar) and you are greeted by a guy in a three piece suit (huh?!?) who takes you to your table. Â Now if you sit too close to the archway that separates the two sides, you will be smelling smoke the entire dinner because the bar side is obviously not that well ventilated. Â So if this bothers you, definitely request a table toward the rear of the dining room.
I'll be honest, the food is good. Â I had a beef medallion dish and roasted corn chowder for a soup starter. Â We also had raw oyster appetizer and some drinks. Â All was honestly good. Â The pesto dip for the bread was also good. Â I have no complaints about the taste of the food, it was all good... BUT...the prices waaaaay outrageous. Â The food is good, but it's not fine dining quality. Â The portions are relatively small for what you pay, and the food tastes good, but not amazing. Â They are wanting to be a fine dining establishment, but they are not.
Also...do you REALLY need 3 managers and a waiter for every single table on staff? Â Way overstaffed.
I gave them a 3 because they food wasn't awful, but if you don't come here, you're really not missing much.
This review is only for their brunch but their dinners are pretty good too.
Good food and selection
Really good buffet brunch with good bloody mary's with a good decent selection of hot sauces, Their spicey BM in particular is a good mix
Great Place for Hungry Hangovers
They rotate the menu frequently also
The Blue Iguana is TGI Fridays without the in-your-face faux antique paraphernalia and jubilant happy-birthday marches. I came here once for drinks and dessert. 'Twas a warm summer night, and I sat outside in a serene strip mall shaped like a cozy clam shell. The service staff was prompt, friendly, and yet also gave you your space. I was happy to find a relaxed, unpretentious crowd, tucked in a tree-lined fold of Fair Lakes. Extra star because it felt like a local independent restaurant, even though I have no research to back up that hunch. I doubt they serve iguana meat. The blue iguana is an endangered species, according to Wikipedia.
Last call is at 1:30 am, and restaurant closes at 2 am. Get there before 7 pm for happy hour.
A friend flew into Fairfax from Dallas for a week long training seminar so I decided to take him out around town. Â We headed over to the Blue Iguana because I read that it the local spot to pick up chicks. Â I suppose you could say that the Blue Iguana's the place for "singles" - if by "singles" you mean young male professionals sent over to Fairfax for business conferences and meetings. Â Boy, was I embarrassed when we realized that nearly everyone at the Iguana was either over 35 some other guy on a business trip.
First, you should be aware that most eateries around the Fair Lakes area are nation-wide chains. Â Second, you should note that there are few bars outside the hotel lobbies. Â Third, the local Fairfax economy apparently expects everyone to have an expense account because there's no other reason that would justify the inflated prices around town. Â After all, who cares about paying for a $10 burger for $20 if the company will ultimately reimburse you?
Now that I've established the premises of my review, let's talk about the Blue Iguana itself. Â The food is mediocre at best but its quite the bargain if you dine at the right time. Â From Sunday to Thursday between 4 PM and 10 PM, you can order a set entree with two additional items for $25. Â These additional items can be a combination of an appetizer and dessert or two of the same courses. Â Also, during the weekday, the an express lunch for $9.95 that's served within 15 minutes. Â The express lunch includes an entree, an appetizer, and a dessert.
I didn't have an expense account, so I opted for the $25 menu. Â My friend on the other hand, could request a reimbursement and therefore choose the Cajun clam chowder and a steak and shrimp dinner. Â His tab came up to approximately $34 (before tax and tip). Â Personally, I wouldn't have paid $34 because the food simply isn't worth $34. Â The chowder was more of a bisque than it was a chowder. Â The steak, I suspect, was a actually a flank steak (very cheap cut) as opposed to a sirloin. Â As for me, my baked brie with raspberry jam on brioche was bland and my mustard seed salmon was okay (but unremarkable). Â Perhaps the worst thing on the menu was the cinnamon apple creme brulee. Â Who seriously thinks that you should include chunks of apple in the creme brulee itself? Â I don't want to be chewing through my custard and I doubt you do too.
Nonetheless, I find the Blue Iguana the best choice among all the establishment available around the Fair Lakes area.  If I had to go back, I'd probably still opt for this restaurant over any other eatery because of its value meals.  But I wouldn't dare order anything else because the quality of the food simply don't match its ridiculous  pricing.
3 Stars - I wouldn't come back for the food or the atmosphere if I had a choice; but if I had to return to Fair Lakes, I'd patron the Blue Iguana again over any neighboring eatery. Â I'd recommend the same if you find yourself stuck in Fairfax for a training seminar without a car.
Blue Iguana is a strange fish. From the name I expected Mexican. From the location (random strip mall) expected burgers. From the look of the staff, I expected Italian. It was none of the above, but I sort of wish it had been. BI is a sports bar pretending to be "new American bistro" -- and the outcome approximates the train wreck that you'd expect.
Before being seated, I took a quick visit to the shabby and dirty restroom, which pretty much set the pace for the evening. Back at my table, I perused the menu while surveying the environs, which was quite enlightening. Everything about the place is cheap: tables & chairs, flatware, carpet... And track lighting can't save bad choices of cheap prints against an orange wall. Oh, the one thing about Blue Iguana that's *not* cheap? Yep, it's the prices.
The cheapest meat-based dish was $19 (in a sports bar??) and the sky was the limit from there. All the menu items are a la carte, so it'd be a challenge to eat a BI for less than $30 a head -- impossible if you order a drink. It was a veg day for me so I selected the spinach and artichoke ravioli (which sounded great at the time) ($15) and a Caesar salad ($6).
I fought off -- mightily, I might add -- my desire to have one of the 23 oz. draft beers that seemingly every patron was having at least two of. Although I didn't take inventory, there must have been eight or ten handles behind the bar, a fact which I have squirreled away for a night on which I don't have to work (and have already eaten somewhere else).
The salad portion was generous and it was served with crostini, but unfortunately the flavor didn't match the looks. The Parmesan cheese was almost certainly the pre-shredded-in-the-bag stuff and, worse, the dressing had essentially no flavor. I needed my serving of greens, so I finished the salad and hoped for the best with the ravioli. It actually took quite a while to finish so much salad, and I was preparing to be ticked if the ravioli came out while I was still loading the greens, but it did not and the waiter was spared my ire.
The ravioli was presented well -- albeit in a cheap pasta bowl. The pasta sheets were the semolina-and-basil striped variety, and the base was a chunky tomato sauce. Again, the portion was generous. Unfortunately, the taste of the dish didn't wind up living up to the description or presentation. The main flavor of the ravioli was ricotta cheese. Artichokes are pretty powerful little buggers and I'm still puzzled as to how I could see -- but not actually taste -- the them, not to mention the spinach. The chunky tomato sauce was clearly home made... just not very well. It tasted like simmered tomatoes, onions, and oregano -- not tomato sauce. And sour romas have to be smoothed out with a little sugar. Sorry, but they do. I finished the dish. It wasn't unpleasant; it just wasn't very good. But I think I ordered the most appealing item on the menu. Bummer.
If you're not out specifically looking to down a beer or two or ten, then skip Blue Iguana and drive five more minutes to Bonefish Grill on Lee Jackson (by the Marshalls). For the same money, you'll get twice the dining experience.
I'm not sure what the difference is between this listing for Blue Iguana and the other listing but this one is near Fair Lakes.
Blue Iguana is a cheerful little restaurant that caters to a wide range of clientele. During a recent weekday lunch, we were surrounded by ladies who lunch, workers from nearby IBM and retirees enjoying a quiet outing. Blue Iguana offers an express lunch with an appetizer, soup and salad and entree from an ever-changing array of choices (I believe they have a similar offering at dinner). At $10, it is a great option for those who don't necessarily have the time to linger. Although I usually am wary of express lunches b/c it means it comes from a vat of already-prepared food which may have been languishing under a heat lamp, the meal tasted freshly prepared.
The fried lime shrimp was crisp and hot despite lacking the promised lime flavor (MIA in both the shrimp and breading). The salad of baby greens with raspberry vinegarette didn't suffer from the sogginess that plagues salads when it has sat for too long, and had just enough dressing was used to bring out the flavor of the greens. The (somewhat meager) triange of ahi tuna came rare, as requested, and the accompanying tomato-chipotle sauce was so flavorful that I contemplated licking my plate. The cone of white sticky rice, however, lacked distinction and was largely ignored.
Our waiter was courteous and polite but seemed to have little to no knowledge of the menu. When we asked about the size of the appetizer salad in relation to the entree salads, he told us that "the appetizer salad is small and the entree salad is large." When my friend inquired about what the London broil was, he answered "meat." Â Well honey, thanks for clearing that up.
3.5 stars for the food, 2 stars for the service.
When I looked at the menu it was tough to decide what to order. By the menu descriptions, everything sounded good . What I ended up getting was pretty decent - seared ahi tuna. They offer dinner specials Sunday through Thursday with your choice of selected appetizers, entrees and desserts for only twenty one dollars. There is a DJ Wednesdays through Saturdays, and a bar with stools.
On a week night there is plenty of parking and there is not much of a wait for a table. On the weekends, however, there's a ton of people and it is noisy and crowded so pick your poison.
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