Latin-American chain Las Iguanas has closed its branch in Swinegate, York, after opening in 2016.

A sign in the restaurant’s window said it was “closing down permanently”, adding: “We apologise for any inconvenience.”

The restaurant opened in the former Spanish tapas bar La Tasca, with 20 of the existing team from La Tasca joining Las Iguanas.

Las Iguanas in Swinegate, York, which has closed (Image: Newsquest)

Las Iguanas said 18 new jobs were also created after its York branch opened on Easter Monday in 2016.

The company has been contacted for comment about the York branch’s closure.

Las Iguanas’ York branch was praised for its variety of dishes and popular two-for-one cocktails offer.

“Service was good and we liked the relaxed feel of the restaurant and the fact that the music was very much in the background,” wrote Press reporter Maxine Gordon in a review of Las Iguanas in 2018.

A note in the window Las Iguanas in Swinegate, York, announcing its closure (Image: Newsquest)

The closure of the York branch comes after a plan to save the company which runs dozens of other Las Iguanas restaurants from entering administration was approved by a High Court judge.

Iguanas Holdings Limited runs 44 Las Iguanas restaurants across the UK, but its lawyers told a hearing in June that the company was “heavily loss-making” and would “inevitably enter administration” if the restructure was not approved.

Ryan Perkins, for the firm, said it had been able to stay afloat only thanks to financial support from its parent company, The Big Table Group, which also owns chains including Frankie & Benny’s, Bella Italia and Banana Tree.

The restructuring plan, which was approved by the majority of the company’s creditors, will wipe out debts of around £37 million owed to one of Iguanas Holdings’ creditors and see Big Table inject £3 million into the company as part of a “turnaround strategy”.

It will also lead to reductions of some of its rents being “imposed” on landlords and the “compromise” of some debts owed to them.

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Mr Justice Meade sanctioned the scheme at the end of the hearing in London.

Mr Perkins told a previous hearing that the UK casual dining sector had suffered “substantial problems” in recent years because of high inflation, reduced customer spending and increased taxes.

He added that despite Iguanas Holdings and Big Table “improving the Las Iguanas menu and customer experience”, trading conditions “remain very challenging” and that Iguanas Holdings lost nearly £10 million in the 2025 financial year.

The barrister also said that the company would “simply run out of money” if the plan was not approved, with a judge allowing the company to take the scheme to be voted on by creditors last month.