Python has both eval and lambda these days, and is not normally considered mind bending nor a Lisp. Even C++ and Java have lambdas these days.
(To be fair, Python's 'eval' operates on strings, Lisp likes its eval to operate on something much more (but not quite) like abstract syntax trees. But it would be relatively straightforward to make a version of Python that uses s-expressions and has an eval that works on them; without changing anything else about the language.)
Apart from matters of parsing, being able to build elegant circular-meta-interpreters isn't too hard nor special, if your language is reasonably simple but still has enough functional programming features.
As I said, you can make a version of Python that uses s-expressions without changing anything else about the language. You can even give that same treatment to C! Python is also perfectly capable of manipulating s-expressions at runtime. (It's much more of a hassle in C. But that's because almost everything is more of a hassle in C.)
Homoiconicity is fun, but it's not a very deep property of your favourite language.
(To be fair, Python's 'eval' operates on strings, Lisp likes its eval to operate on something much more (but not quite) like abstract syntax trees. But it would be relatively straightforward to make a version of Python that uses s-expressions and has an eval that works on them; without changing anything else about the language.)
Apart from matters of parsing, being able to build elegant circular-meta-interpreters isn't too hard nor special, if your language is reasonably simple but still has enough functional programming features.