Blue Agave Cantina — Restaurant in Houston

Restaurant is very nice from the outside and the indoor dining area. The reason we went the first time is because they have a large patio area with a playground. The first time the service and conditions of the restaurant were good. This was about a 6 months ago. We decided to go again on Sunday, March 16, 2025 to give it another try. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed.

The bad: Right away the greeting from the staff didn't feel welcoming. Felt very forced to just get us to a table rushed. I told the waiter who was also the greeter, to give us about 3 mins to order. He never came back so we had to look for someone to take our order. This was about 20 mins or more after. We decided on our order. Food came out, but we had no utensils. We had to get up and ask for that. I saw other tables with kids that were given a kid's menu to color on and crayons. We weren't given that for our 2 kids. Waiter didn't even offer to explain to us the kid's menu, we ordered the regular menu items for them since we didn't know about the kid's menu. Time passed, and our waiter nor anyone else came back to check on us. My husband had to get someone to bring us some margaritas. More bad, the playground area is very unattended and dirty. I found a butter knife and spoon near the playing area. It's just very trashy. There's two playing structures, one was taped up because it was broken. The kids can still have fun because they don't know any better. But the playground should be kept clean and in good condition. There's a lot of potential in the restaurant, but maybe the management and staff is slacking in a big way. The waiters (males) don't seem attentive and welcoming in our last visit. Something was definitely not feeling good about the environment. I doubt that we will be returning.

Another bad element. When asked for the tab, the waiter just came by with a computer in his hand to give me the total without showing me a bill. I always like to check what I'm paying for due to bad past experiences. He only turned the computer around to show me just waiting for my card to pay. I felt so rushed having him standing there next to me while I was trying to read the bill. Not sure why they don't allow the customer to look over their bill comfortably before paying. This place is not cheap and just expect people to pay without checking their bill. Very uncomfortable situation feeling rushed. To the restaurant, please have your staff be more welcoming and friendly. If they need help attending to tables, they should ask for help and don't make customers have to look for you. Please clean up that playground and maintain it. Fix all play structures. Offer paper bill or give computer to the customer to check their bill, don't just demand payment.

I will not be returning here...

As someone who has previously worked in the service industry, I understand the challenges that come with managing large parties and splitting checks. It is typically a standard practice to take orders per group, making it easier to separate the checks for parties like ours. With this in mind, I can't help but feel frustrated by the lack of flexibility we encountered at Blue Agave Restaurant.

Our family has been loyal customers since the restaurant first opened its doors. We've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays here, often bringing along large parties, and have always been taken care of exceptionally well. The food is consistently delicious, which has made it our go-to spot.

However, in recent visits, we've noticed a decline in the level of service. Last week, when my husband and I came for a date night, they actually forgot to put in our order of ribs. While forgivable, it was disappointing.

Tonight, despite our family's suggestions to try another place, we decided to give Blue Agave another chance. I made reservations via messenger, specifically requesting an inside table for our party of 20. Upon arrival, we were initially seated outside in sweltering 100-degree weather. This was not suitable for my 92-year-old grandmother, who struggled with the conditions. Fortunately, after a 20-minute wait, they managed to rearrange tables and seat us inside.

The frustrating experience didn't end there. When it was time to pay, we encountered issues with splitting the checks for our group of 15. Which we have consistently done in the past and is the reason we have chosen this place for our celebrations. The restaurant insisted on only accepting four credit cards, causing unnecessary inconvenience and confusion. As someone who understands the value of customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It's natural to hope for some exceptions or special treatment in return for ongoing support and advocacy.

Customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth are valuable assets for any establishment. It's important for businesses to acknowledge and appreciate their loyal patrons. While I understand that managing large parties can be challenging, I believe that Blue Agave should consider implementing practices to accommodate and show appreciation for their dedicated customers.

I genuinely hope that management takes this feedback into consideration and addresses these ongoing issues. As someone who has worked in the service industry, I understand the importance of providing exceptional service and recognizing the value of loyal customers. I sincerely hope that my future visits, whether at Blue Agave or elsewhere, will be met with the quality and care that I have...

My family (a party of six) dined at Las Ventanas Saturday May 25, 2019. We planned to dine at Lupe’s (across the street) but there was a wait so we opted for Las Ventanas. We walked in around 6:30 PM and were promptly seated in the bar. The bar was empty except for the bartender and our group. The venue is very nice, well appointed. The hostess gave us menus and we waited for about 10 minutes before a waiter showed up to take our drink order. We ordered a couple of their “best in town” margaritas, a swirl, a sangria and two waters. The chips and salsa showed up shortly after we ordered our drinks. Drinks showed up about 15 minutes later but those of us that ordered alcoholic beverages also asked for water that never showed up even after asking a second time. I guess you only get one drink regardless of what you order.

The menu is pretty basic Mexican fare. Since this was our first visit we stayed with fajitas, tacos and tacos al carbon. Our order came out together, the food was hot and the presentation wasn’t bad (average). We found the chicken and beef fajitas to be tender but dry and tasteless. The tacos al carbon were also dry (chicken) and without any queso or salsa. The waiter never checked back to see if the food was okay or if we needed anything else. He did ask if we wanted additional drinks about three quarters of the way through the meal. We asked for the water we initially requested again (it never showed up). Our plates were cleared upon completion of our meal and we were presented with our check. The waiter never asked if we wanted any dessert – at that point we would have declined anyway.

I may have missed the note on the menu but I was surprised to find that a 20% gratuity was added to our bill automatically supposedly because we were a party of 6. I don’t mind tipping 18 to 20% when the service is commensurate but 20% for the service we received borders on the ridiculous. I might be able to overlook this kind of service if the place was busy but walk-ins were still being seated when we left – the restaurant was not full, no one was waiting to be seated.

Overall I would rate the venue above average, the drinks as average at best, the food marginally average (certainly not as good as Lupe’s or several other Mexican restaurants in the area) and the service as very poor at best especially since the restaurant was not busy. The service certainly did not warrant the 20% gratuity that was charged.

This was our first visit to Las Ventanas and more than likely our last. I think we will wait in line for Lupe’s before we eat here again. Bottom line, there are numerous better choices in my opinion.

Two stars...