Vida Agave — Restaurant in Galveston

Out of towners here.visiting Labor Day weekend. And let me tell you this place is amazing, from the food to the service it was all around great. Was looking for some good Mexican food in the area and this place popped up. I went based on the reviews and so happy it did not disappoint. Went on a Saturday evening around 5:30pm was very skeptical because this place was not busy at all. Maybe just a handful of people. Chris was our waiter that night, it took him about a good 10mins to come visit our table at first but after that his service was phenomenal. He made sure our drinks were full and our belly’s were full. The food the first night we started off with the chips and queso. It was yummy, i think it needed little more spice or ingredients maybe some more jalpenos but it wasn’t bad. Our son loved it. We also tried the bacon wrapped poppers, it was delicious but dang were they spicy. I had to give them to my partner because they were little too spicy for my liking. The ranch it came with was homemade which is a must in Texas, and so good. To our entrees I got the bang bang shrimp with waffle fries, and it was so good. The sauce and the shrimp cooked to perfection. I was so surprised how good it blended together and taste so good. My partner got the surf and turf tacos. He enjoyed them and said everything was flavorful. Our son got the corn dog and waffle fries and he ate all his food😝 I tried a few drinks while we were there, the first drink was the watermelon tajin it was very delicious. Small but a good drink to drink after a long hot day at the beach. The next drink I had was watermelon mint. I really liked that one, it was refreshing and just the right amount mint and enough watermelon without the mint overpowering. The last drink I tried and Chris recommended was the La French. It had these amazing little boba raspberry balls and they were so good. Chris our waiter did amazing job and we were so amazed from the food to the drinks we came back the next night on Sunday. We requested for him but unfortunately he wasn’t there on. And Lizbeth was our waiter. Sunday too for some odd reason was very busy I assumed because of the holiday weekend but they were so busy that they were telling people who came through the door that they were backed up in the kitchen and there was going to be a wait. Lizbeth it took her a good minute to come visit our table at first. She was very apologetic for the wait since it was so busy and we totally understood we were in no hurry. Our entrees my husband got the same thing as the day before just asked for the guacamole on the side and I got the chefs special which was the Mexican pita with chicken fajita. And godly that thing was gigantic. Full of fajita and guacamole and it had peppers and I opt out on the the grilled onions. It was very good, and full of flavor. The manager , I didn’t get her name was very helpful she visited our table few times to make sure we were okay. Lizbeth once it died down she was ontop of everything and she visited with us for little bit before we left. I never seen this girl stopped moving she was constantly staying busy the whole 2hrs were there for. Overall this place is a must while visiting Galveston. And surely you won’t see the last of us 3. Thank you Chris and Lizbeth during our time in Galveston. We will be back.

Brittany and Carlos Jimenez...

Maximum prices, minimum servings.

I'll start with drinks:

We ordered two Watermelon Tajins for $11 each. When they arrived, the were in this tiny glass, probably about 3 ounces of drink. FOR $11!!! Did not feel anything from the drink either. When my daughter ordered her drink, she asked if they had sweet tea. The waitress said yes, so my daughter said she would take a sweet tea. When her drink arrives, it is unsweet. So I call another waiter (not ours) and ask if they have sweet tea, he says yes. So I let him know we were given an unsweet, can we please have it replaced with a sweet one. He then says, we don't make sweet tea only unsweet. Both servers told us they had sweet and then come to find out they only make unsweet? Do they really not know the difference? Nothing worse than trying to dissolve sugar into an ice cold glass of unsweet tea. It just doesn't happen. She ended up settling for a virgin frozen peach daiquiri. It lacked flavor.

Food:

My daughter ordered the kids quesadilla. It comes with a side of fries. When it arrives, we start laughing about how small it is. It is only one tiny tortilla folded in half. We immediately ask to order just another quesadilla because we know it's not going to be enough for her. Waitress comes back and says we have to order the whole kids meal again with the fries because she cannot price the quesadilla alone.

I ordered the carnitas taco and beer battered salmon tacos. The carnitas was bland with no flavor. I couldn't even taste the green salsa I poured all over it. The beer battered salmon taco was decent. It was tortilla folded around a fried fillet. Probably the best thing on the table. Both tacos were small for the price.

My wife ordered the queso birria tacos. They were just okay. Not really much flavor and the dipping sauce was just as bland as everything else. These were also very small for the price.

Overall we paid $68 for three for the above mentioned food and drinks. For that amount, we did not leave this place satisfied. We were still a bit hungry and filled up on snacks during our walk on strand. For $68, we should be wanting to take a nap from being full, not take a stroll on strand still looking to eat. This is going to be one of those places where they got our money on the first visit, but that is all they will be getting from us, no more visits...

We went to Vida Agave in Galveston pumped for some classic Tex-Mex. You know—fajitas that sizzle like they owe you money, queso so good it makes you question your life before cheese, and tacos that were born and raised in Texas, not cobbled together from a list of trending Pinterest ingredients.

Instead… we got a taco identity crisis.

Let’s talk about what we actually ordered: bang bang shrimp tacos, Thai chicken tacos, and fried salmon tacos. Yep. That’s what we picked. Not because we were feeling adventurous—but because that was the menu. The entire experience felt like we’d stumbled into the lovechild of Chili’s and a fusion food truck with commitment issues.

The bang bang shrimp tacos tasted like something that escaped from an appetizer sampler at a chain restaurant and got lost on its way to the bar menu. The Thai chicken tacos had a decent flavor, but I came for jalapeños and carne asada, not lemongrass confusion. And the fried salmon tacos? Let’s just say they were crispy, hot, and gave strong “should’ve been on a bagel” energy.

Now look—everything was served hot, timely, and exactly as advertised. So props to the kitchen and staff for nailing the execution. It just… wasn’t what we came for. We walked in expecting Tex-Mex. We left feeling like we accidentally ordered off a menu curated by a JetBlue in-flight chef.

Vida Agave isn’t bad, it’s just not honest about what it is. This is not Tex-Mex—it’s “Tex-guess-what-we-found-in-the-fridge” with tortillas. If you’re craving authentic flavors, deep tradition, or just a really solid enchilada? Keep moving. If you’re in the mood for a taco filled with salmon, sweet chili sauce, and existential questions—well, this might be your jam.

As for the 4.7-star rating? Either we missed the secret menu, or people are rating with their hearts and not their taste buds. It’s fine. Just not phenomenal. Not Tex-Mex. Not what we hoped.

Three stars for hot food, good service, and bold—but bewildering—choices.

We came for fajitas and queso. We left with shrimp, salmon,...