Good drinks. Good service. Nothing remotely special about the food. It was your typical Mexican flavor. Edible but not impressively good. This restaurant has a great vibe for hanging out and enjoying margaritas. I had the peach margarita on the rocks and it was memorable. They also did a great job of dealing with our large and obnoxious party of 8. Will likely visit again, esp for the drinks.
(3)
Tara S.
Agave is totally consistent over the years, in my experience. When you find some things you like, you can pretty much count on them for being reliable each time you visit. It is not the most mind-blowing, authentic Mexican dining experience around, but the tacos, quesadillas, margaritas and poblanos are all good! It's nice that they have a breezy little patio as well. If you want a snack and an adult beverage in this area, it's hard to mess up visiting at Agave.
(4)
Sarah P.
Agave Azul is SO inconsistent. Since I live very near, and I adore chimichangas, I have eaten here a few times. It has literally been different every time. Once, my order came with two chimichangas. Once, the same order came with only one. Another time, there was no guacamole salad. You really just never know what you'll get. The margarita options are pretty good. They are liberally sized and have several interesting flavor options. The chips and salsa are really nothing to write home about, but there's a dog friendly patio, which is really considerate for those of us with furry friends.
(2)
Eddie O.
Nothing special about this place. Nearly 100 dishes on the menu and they don't specialize in any of them. Decor was typical cheesy Mexican with fake palm trees and Corona piñatas. All of the food meat was over salted. The chips and fries actually needed some salt.
(2)
Angie F.
Friendly staff, but the worst food I've had in a while. Extremely overcooked shrimp, bland rice and boring enchiladas. The margarita options were nice though. This place used to be much much better!
(1)
Doug M.
The staff here is incredibly friendly and happy. They even tolerate me trying to order in Spanish and play along. Today's experience was sub par. Perhaps I've eaten at Taco Bell one time too many and have incorrect expectations but often times all the food here resembles a soft taco with filling simply covering a tortilla folded in half. Today I ordered the burrito cheese steak expecting something wrapped in a way to easy hold; instead I had a runny soft taco that had to be eaten as if it was a salad.
(3)
Gina B.
Stunningly bad service. No one else in the place on a Saturday and our young waiter with facial hair and a severe attitude problem instead of greeting us, admonished us for using an open side door by patio with no sign that indicates the door is not to be used. Great start. The phone rang and he sighed. Waited forever for the check and felt unwelcomed the entire time we were there. Had to ask for the check...with literally no other tables filled. Was so put off, I didn't even order an entree for myself or a margarita. Train the staff...please...this could be a special place. Beans and rice ok. No tequila flights (he didn't even know what a flight was) despite its tequila bar status. Chips were good and the flautas well priced and tasty. However, never coming back. I hope they learn from this.
(1)
Danika B.
Fun night out in Tennessee!
(5)
Julia M.
I ate here while working on a project for a client in the area. It is solid Tex-Mex food. They serve pretty large portions and the food was pretty good , so I would say overall the place is a good value. I was dining solo, so I opted to eat at the bar. The bar was not busy since I was there at lunch time on a weekday, but they were a little slow in my opinion. But, all in all, the food was ok, the service was ok, and I would go here again.
(3)
Alan S.
Very good location and from the outside very appealing.Inside poor restaurant by all accounts.We went at lunch and were surprised no other customers were in this place.We ordered soup for appetizers and after waiting 20 minutes and was told the soup wasn't ready we paid for our drinks and exited without eating.Bad experience and shady!!!
(1)
Liam P.
Food was ok, but the service wasnt the greatest in the world. There was very few people there and I saw a few people wait for seats while the staff walked right by them, give up finally and leave. I had a coupon to try the place out, but I wouldn't eat there again otherwise. Only one refill on softdrinks???
(2)
Chuck C.
This place is in a beautiful location and a nice patio. I tried it about 4 or 5 times due to the location, but I was just unhappy. And the chips tasted like they were cooked in very old and rancid oil. I won't go back and I won't recommend it.
(1)
John D.
Completely typical Mexican. Nothing special, but not bad. The thick, old-oil tasting chips and canned stewed tomato salsa were the low points. The frozen margarita and chipotle pollo quesadilla were both pretty tasty. Service was disengaged - messed up a couple of our orders and left us ignored a couple of times,
(2)
Holly D.
Agave is a cute small restaurant with good typical Mexican restaurant food. It's nothing to write home about but it's still very good for the price. I love this restaurant and eat here all the time but their only weakness is their service. It's truly a 50/50 shot. It's really good or it's really bad. On the times it's been good, you never want for anything, your drink is always full and your order is always right. When it's bad, I've been forgotten and after placing our order and never got our food. We ended up just walking out after about an hour. I've had waiters argue with me over what I've ordered and I've had to get up and get my own drinks. However the food and the drinks are always good and always cheap.
(3)
Anil G.
TASTES LIKE RANCID OIL This place used to be much better. I have eaten here close to ten times over the last 5 years or so, and the quality of the food and drink overall has been way better than most Mexican restaurants in the area. At least, until recently. One thing I noticed the last couple of times is that the tortilla chips have a foul odor and taste, arising from the use of oil that has gone rancid. This is well-known to occur when oil is kept for a long time, particularly in the heat, but also accelerates the more times the oil is reused to fry something. Although I am all about recycling, that does not go for rancid/spoiled frying oil. Not only does spoiled oil cause food to taste offensive, but it also poses health risks. And as we all know, spoiled tortilla chips ruin the rest of your Mexican meal. I am very thankful that I did not order anything fried, lest it taste like those foul tortilla chips. The rest of the food and margaritas were reasonably good, but memories of that nasty oil taste in the chips will definitely keep me away for some time.
(2)
Richard L.
Always liked it here. Give it a shot. Its every bit as good as soccertaco
(4)
Wanita N.
Lively and pleasant, i just wish the food wasn't so bland. I will say the avocado salad is wonderful and prices are rock bottom. Just don't expect rich, layered and spiced Mexican cooking
(2)
Ginger C.
We loved this place--- our first time here and we will be back! Our waiter, Otto, was so friendly and attentive. The owner even came by to check on us. The food was delicious and the margaritas were fantastic. We also loved the Mexican beer. Portions were more than ample with reasonable prices. Nice atmosphere, cute decor, quick service and tvs galore to watch the current sports while listening to music. Previous negative comments did Not apply at all. Aguave Azulejo rocks!
(5)
Chad R.
We had a great experience here. First of all we went to Restaurants.com and got a gift card. That made my bill taking our big family there much cheaper. We actually had to spend a 100.00 which was hard. I expected higher prices but almost every meal was around 9.00. You have to work hard to get over 10.00. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was clean and friendly. Nice decor. Seem to be a big margarita hangout. Our server was named FLAVIO. In 20 years of eating out he has been one of the best servers I have ever had. We tend to make friends with good servers and then always ask for them when we return. If you read my other reviews you will see that I will tell you to ask for them by name because part of a good dining experience is service. The manager came over and asked us for a honest opinion of the food and service. He is working very hard to make his restaurant be top notch. Which you don't see very much anymore. Great Job, excellent food. Until, I eat at other mex places in town I cant give this a five star. Once I have tried them all then I will probably come and bump it up! Have fun!
(4)
Meredith C.
Just like every other Mexican place in Knoxville. The salsa is made from canned tomatoes, no cilantro to be found. The margaritas are definitely from a mix. Standard dinner/lunch combos at about $8 each. Nothing spectacular here.
(2)
Jenna K.
We arrived at 4:30 to find ourselves the only people in the establishment, no problem with that. We were greeted and seated promptly by a very friendly employee. He turned out to be our server, and unfortunately I'm unsure of his name. Myself and my date arrived about 30 minutes prior to our other guests, so we started with happy hour drinks, a $6.99 jumbo margarita and a $4.99 jumbo draft for him. The waiter promptly brought us chips and salsa, which then we also ordered a small guacamole and a spinach dip. Also, to reference this meal, I don't eat "mexican" as I have a lot of health problems, and I've never been a fan of mexican food, nor can I have spices, nor do I eat meat products. So, regardless, I had a $25 gift cert here, so while my date was in town, I wanted to go here, as I would surely enjoy their margaritas. Our server was very attentive and upon the arrival of our 2 guests, he adequately took their drink orders and gave appropriate time to look over the menu. I ordered their "cocktail de camaron", basically a shrimp cocktail, but without the sauce, pico, etc..my date ordered some sort of ribeye fajita, my girl ordered the veggie fajita, and my uncle ordered the #13 (which was a fajita/burrito/something combo). When the food arrived, in a very timely fashion, everything looked great. Everyone enjoyed their meal, and based on other reviews, I was worried about the service, I was delightfully surprised, being based in the service industry myself. All things said and done, for 4 to-go boxes, a LARGE margarita x2, a large beer, and all the food we ordered, we were happy with the bill, including our $25 gift card. On top of that, the service was great, and we had no issues what so ever. I can only say from our experience, but we were early in the evening, and there were only 2 other tables while we there, but we truly enjoyed our experience, and will def go back again, if only myself, for the margaritas!
(4)
Matt V.
My wife and I eat here if not weekly, pretty close. It is a family owned Mexican restaurant with a HUGE menu. There is something for everyone. The usually get the Pollo Fundido. Not to mention, the dinner would not be complete with a margarita. They have various sizes so you can splurge with a giant margarita or remain reserved with a small. The only think keeping this from five stars is the fact you only get one basket of chips. After that you must pay a dollar for more chips. Similar to some of the other reviewers, the service is hit or miss. When we go, I can usually tell what kind of service we will get by who we receive as our server. Sometimes the servers can come across as cold, but that may be a cultural thing. Overall, a good place to go for food, hang out with friends at the bar, or just relax. The desserts are also really good, but I am usually too full to order them because the food portions are decent.
(4)
Lisa F.
Great picante sauce and margaritas. The fajita nachos were great also.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Dee O.
Good drinks. Good service. Nothing remotely special about the food. It was your typical Mexican flavor. Edible but not impressively good. This restaurant has a great vibe for hanging out and enjoying margaritas. I had the peach margarita on the rocks and it was memorable. They also did a great job of dealing with our large and obnoxious party of 8. Will likely visit again, esp for the drinks.
(3)Tara S.
Agave is totally consistent over the years, in my experience. When you find some things you like, you can pretty much count on them for being reliable each time you visit. It is not the most mind-blowing, authentic Mexican dining experience around, but the tacos, quesadillas, margaritas and poblanos are all good! It's nice that they have a breezy little patio as well. If you want a snack and an adult beverage in this area, it's hard to mess up visiting at Agave.
(4)Sarah P.
Agave Azul is SO inconsistent. Since I live very near, and I adore chimichangas, I have eaten here a few times. It has literally been different every time. Once, my order came with two chimichangas. Once, the same order came with only one. Another time, there was no guacamole salad. You really just never know what you'll get. The margarita options are pretty good. They are liberally sized and have several interesting flavor options. The chips and salsa are really nothing to write home about, but there's a dog friendly patio, which is really considerate for those of us with furry friends.
(2)Eddie O.
Nothing special about this place. Nearly 100 dishes on the menu and they don't specialize in any of them. Decor was typical cheesy Mexican with fake palm trees and Corona piñatas. All of the food meat was over salted. The chips and fries actually needed some salt.
(2)Angie F.
Friendly staff, but the worst food I've had in a while. Extremely overcooked shrimp, bland rice and boring enchiladas. The margarita options were nice though. This place used to be much much better!
(1)Doug M.
The staff here is incredibly friendly and happy. They even tolerate me trying to order in Spanish and play along. Today's experience was sub par. Perhaps I've eaten at Taco Bell one time too many and have incorrect expectations but often times all the food here resembles a soft taco with filling simply covering a tortilla folded in half. Today I ordered the burrito cheese steak expecting something wrapped in a way to easy hold; instead I had a runny soft taco that had to be eaten as if it was a salad.
(3)Gina B.
Stunningly bad service. No one else in the place on a Saturday and our young waiter with facial hair and a severe attitude problem instead of greeting us, admonished us for using an open side door by patio with no sign that indicates the door is not to be used. Great start. The phone rang and he sighed. Waited forever for the check and felt unwelcomed the entire time we were there. Had to ask for the check...with literally no other tables filled. Was so put off, I didn't even order an entree for myself or a margarita. Train the staff...please...this could be a special place. Beans and rice ok. No tequila flights (he didn't even know what a flight was) despite its tequila bar status. Chips were good and the flautas well priced and tasty. However, never coming back. I hope they learn from this.
(1)Danika B.
Fun night out in Tennessee!
(5)Julia M.
I ate here while working on a project for a client in the area. It is solid Tex-Mex food. They serve pretty large portions and the food was pretty good , so I would say overall the place is a good value. I was dining solo, so I opted to eat at the bar. The bar was not busy since I was there at lunch time on a weekday, but they were a little slow in my opinion. But, all in all, the food was ok, the service was ok, and I would go here again.
(3)Alan S.
Very good location and from the outside very appealing.Inside poor restaurant by all accounts.We went at lunch and were surprised no other customers were in this place.We ordered soup for appetizers and after waiting 20 minutes and was told the soup wasn't ready we paid for our drinks and exited without eating.Bad experience and shady!!!
(1)Liam P.
Food was ok, but the service wasnt the greatest in the world. There was very few people there and I saw a few people wait for seats while the staff walked right by them, give up finally and leave. I had a coupon to try the place out, but I wouldn't eat there again otherwise. Only one refill on softdrinks???
(2)Chuck C.
This place is in a beautiful location and a nice patio. I tried it about 4 or 5 times due to the location, but I was just unhappy. And the chips tasted like they were cooked in very old and rancid oil. I won't go back and I won't recommend it.
(1)John D.
Completely typical Mexican. Nothing special, but not bad. The thick, old-oil tasting chips and canned stewed tomato salsa were the low points. The frozen margarita and chipotle pollo quesadilla were both pretty tasty. Service was disengaged - messed up a couple of our orders and left us ignored a couple of times,
(2)Holly D.
Agave is a cute small restaurant with good typical Mexican restaurant food. It's nothing to write home about but it's still very good for the price. I love this restaurant and eat here all the time but their only weakness is their service. It's truly a 50/50 shot. It's really good or it's really bad. On the times it's been good, you never want for anything, your drink is always full and your order is always right. When it's bad, I've been forgotten and after placing our order and never got our food. We ended up just walking out after about an hour. I've had waiters argue with me over what I've ordered and I've had to get up and get my own drinks. However the food and the drinks are always good and always cheap.
(3)Anil G.
TASTES LIKE RANCID OIL This place used to be much better. I have eaten here close to ten times over the last 5 years or so, and the quality of the food and drink overall has been way better than most Mexican restaurants in the area. At least, until recently. One thing I noticed the last couple of times is that the tortilla chips have a foul odor and taste, arising from the use of oil that has gone rancid. This is well-known to occur when oil is kept for a long time, particularly in the heat, but also accelerates the more times the oil is reused to fry something. Although I am all about recycling, that does not go for rancid/spoiled frying oil. Not only does spoiled oil cause food to taste offensive, but it also poses health risks. And as we all know, spoiled tortilla chips ruin the rest of your Mexican meal. I am very thankful that I did not order anything fried, lest it taste like those foul tortilla chips. The rest of the food and margaritas were reasonably good, but memories of that nasty oil taste in the chips will definitely keep me away for some time.
(2)Richard L.
Always liked it here. Give it a shot. Its every bit as good as soccertaco
(4)Wanita N.
Lively and pleasant, i just wish the food wasn't so bland. I will say the avocado salad is wonderful and prices are rock bottom. Just don't expect rich, layered and spiced Mexican cooking
(2)Ginger C.
We loved this place--- our first time here and we will be back! Our waiter, Otto, was so friendly and attentive. The owner even came by to check on us. The food was delicious and the margaritas were fantastic. We also loved the Mexican beer. Portions were more than ample with reasonable prices. Nice atmosphere, cute decor, quick service and tvs galore to watch the current sports while listening to music. Previous negative comments did Not apply at all. Aguave Azulejo rocks!
(5)Chad R.
We had a great experience here. First of all we went to Restaurants.com and got a gift card. That made my bill taking our big family there much cheaper. We actually had to spend a 100.00 which was hard. I expected higher prices but almost every meal was around 9.00. You have to work hard to get over 10.00. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was clean and friendly. Nice decor. Seem to be a big margarita hangout. Our server was named FLAVIO. In 20 years of eating out he has been one of the best servers I have ever had. We tend to make friends with good servers and then always ask for them when we return. If you read my other reviews you will see that I will tell you to ask for them by name because part of a good dining experience is service. The manager came over and asked us for a honest opinion of the food and service. He is working very hard to make his restaurant be top notch. Which you don't see very much anymore. Great Job, excellent food. Until, I eat at other mex places in town I cant give this a five star. Once I have tried them all then I will probably come and bump it up! Have fun!
(4)Meredith C.
Just like every other Mexican place in Knoxville. The salsa is made from canned tomatoes, no cilantro to be found. The margaritas are definitely from a mix. Standard dinner/lunch combos at about $8 each. Nothing spectacular here.
(2)Jenna K.
We arrived at 4:30 to find ourselves the only people in the establishment, no problem with that. We were greeted and seated promptly by a very friendly employee. He turned out to be our server, and unfortunately I'm unsure of his name. Myself and my date arrived about 30 minutes prior to our other guests, so we started with happy hour drinks, a $6.99 jumbo margarita and a $4.99 jumbo draft for him. The waiter promptly brought us chips and salsa, which then we also ordered a small guacamole and a spinach dip. Also, to reference this meal, I don't eat "mexican" as I have a lot of health problems, and I've never been a fan of mexican food, nor can I have spices, nor do I eat meat products. So, regardless, I had a $25 gift cert here, so while my date was in town, I wanted to go here, as I would surely enjoy their margaritas. Our server was very attentive and upon the arrival of our 2 guests, he adequately took their drink orders and gave appropriate time to look over the menu. I ordered their "cocktail de camaron", basically a shrimp cocktail, but without the sauce, pico, etc..my date ordered some sort of ribeye fajita, my girl ordered the veggie fajita, and my uncle ordered the #13 (which was a fajita/burrito/something combo). When the food arrived, in a very timely fashion, everything looked great. Everyone enjoyed their meal, and based on other reviews, I was worried about the service, I was delightfully surprised, being based in the service industry myself. All things said and done, for 4 to-go boxes, a LARGE margarita x2, a large beer, and all the food we ordered, we were happy with the bill, including our $25 gift card. On top of that, the service was great, and we had no issues what so ever. I can only say from our experience, but we were early in the evening, and there were only 2 other tables while we there, but we truly enjoyed our experience, and will def go back again, if only myself, for the margaritas!
(4)Matt V.
My wife and I eat here if not weekly, pretty close. It is a family owned Mexican restaurant with a HUGE menu. There is something for everyone. The usually get the Pollo Fundido. Not to mention, the dinner would not be complete with a margarita. They have various sizes so you can splurge with a giant margarita or remain reserved with a small. The only think keeping this from five stars is the fact you only get one basket of chips. After that you must pay a dollar for more chips. Similar to some of the other reviewers, the service is hit or miss. When we go, I can usually tell what kind of service we will get by who we receive as our server. Sometimes the servers can come across as cold, but that may be a cultural thing. Overall, a good place to go for food, hang out with friends at the bar, or just relax. The desserts are also really good, but I am usually too full to order them because the food portions are decent.
(4)Lisa F.
Great picante sauce and margaritas. The fajita nachos were great also.
(4)