Ancho & Agave — Restaurant in Lombard

The entrance to the restaurant unfortunately faces away from the majority of the parking lot- making accessibility a challenge and questionable. Other people who had just parked were not sure of how to get to the main entrance either, as there were no signs pointing towards it from the back. Everyone sort of followed each for what seemed like an unnecessarily long walk just to get to the front. The layout forces customers to have to walk a further distance just to get inside, dodging cars entering and exiting the lot. What if it was raining/snowing heavily? What about individuals with limited mobility? You would get soaked by the time you get inside! Upon entering, there were already a few customers waiting for open tables in a nice waiting area adorned with soft seating and lanterns. However, it immediately seemed to be an extremely loud atmosphere, packed with tons of people. It is expected that a new, fun restaurant will get super crowded on a Saturday of course, but because of all the shiny hard surfaces everywhere - glass/ metal/ concrete plus TV's at the bar - everything seemed even to echo even louder. It seemed uncomfortable already, but giving it a chance we asked for a table and was told it would be 45 minutes in a questioning tone by the somewhat distracted and unenthusiastic staff at the front. They stared blankly when asked if we could sit at the bar, only then did one of them shrug and say "oh um I guess you can do that?" Such a lackadaisical response. It was quite disappointing and sad really, as more and more people started accumulating behind us. I was hoping she would suggest it initially, but had we not suggested it first, we would have been waiting around for nearly an hour for a table. There were so many open spots at the bar! Other people seemed to take the hint too and followed suit! Eating at the bar was a way better choice than being in the middle of loud crowds. I hope they train staff here as it was extremely disappointing and frustrating to think that is what diners will be greeted with immediately. Yikes. How embarrassing. Thank goodness the bartender saved the day. Not only was he excellent in his recommendations, service, and friendliness, but he was attentive to everyone who came looking for a spot instead of waiting for a table. He got nearly six people taken care of right away and was on top of it single-handedly. Looking around, the decor all around was quite beautiful and colorful which added to the overall appeal of this restaurant. However, it was so loud it was hard to fully enjoy the conversation comfortably as the hour went on. Our food was tasty but not extraordinarily memorable or outstanding. Lots of diners nearby ordered small plates and drinks as well. This is more of a "small bite and fun drink with friends" type of place. Besides the bartender's amazing service, our drinks were strong and refreshing. I wonder what it will be like in the summer since there appears to be an area for outdoor seating for the warmer months. I don't know if I care to come back though.... Just be ready to leave your expectations at the door and strain your voice or repeat yourself just...

Ancho and Agave Monday night, on a whim, without researching the restaurant, which is very out of character for me, we went to Ancho and Agave. We were excited to try this new Mexican restaurant. Overall rating 2.5 Slow service Food not up to temperature Lack of flavor, mediocre taste Over sauced enchiladas Good chips and salsa Very good margarita Very accommodating waitress and floor manager Nice atmosphere

It took us 2 hours to have 2, soups, 2 tacos, 2 enchiladas, a spoon of guacamole, and a margarita. I appreciate not being rushed but it took too long for this simple meal. The side order of guacamole was laughable. I doubt that there were 2 tablespoons of guacamole on the plate. I’ve been to Mexican restaurants that put more guacamole on an entrée as a garnish. The 1st food item was the salsa, it actually tasted like sugar was an ingredient. I added some hot sauce to enhance the flavor. Not bad. My wife enjoyed her margarita and the chips and salsa were the best part of her meal. When the New Mexico white chili arrived it was, chilly, I had to send it back to get reheated because it was barely above room temperature. The chicken tortilla soup was good. Finally, after waiting for nearly 45 minutes our entrées arrived. My wife had one chicken and one barbacoa taco. The chicken taco was basic and the flavor was okay. The barbacoa was dry and lacked flavor. Neither was impressive. I ordered enchiladas one Braised Pork, Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce, Queso Fresco and one GRILLED CHICKEN & SHRIMP Oaxacan Red Mole Sauce, Roasted Mild Poblano Peppers, Charred Sweet Corn, Sour Cream carnitas. I really wanted to try the mole sauce since it was “Oaxacan”. By the way the enchiladas are made with flour tortillas, not the traditional corn enchiladas. I received a carnitas, but the chicken had some odd tasting sauce. It was terrible but it wasn’t mole. I couldn’t eat it and sent it back. The manager asked if he could correct the order. Ten minutes later I received the Oaxacan Red Mole Sauce over grilled chicken and shrimp along with the carnitas. Suffice it to say that this wasn’t anything like Oaxacan Mole. The dish was over sauced so much that I couldn’t taste the cilantro-lime rice. The food presentation was encouraging, but the taste of our entrées was disappointing. There are so many independently owned Mom and Pop Mexican restaurants that far exceed the flavors of Ancho and Agave. We will not...

Our experience at ancho and agave was terrible. I don’t say that lightly. It might have been the worse experience in a restaurant in over a decade or ever. I write reviews when I want to rave about a place, but this place was a disaster and I’ve never had such a bad experience that I felt it needed to be shared.

It started out with no water at our table- our server said she would bring some and salsa for the chips. We ordered guacamole and margaritas. Guac came. No water. Now we are 10-15 min in and no water and no margaritas finally the margaritas came before the water- we had to ask for the water again. We also asked for more chips. And then had to ask for them again, so about another 10 -15 min for chips. We ordered our tacos (4 total). An hour later we got them. An hour. As we waited, our server would walk by and ignore us, and we had to ask multiple times for the status. Finally after saying we ordered before several tables ordered (those tables ordered after us and got their food well before us). Only then when we called it out did the server say sorry- the first apology that took forever to get. The excuse all before that was kitchen is short staffed and when we asked for the manager she said he was running the kitchen line and couldn’t come out. We finally got her attention again and just wanted our check and not the tacos as we asked for that the tacos came out. We ate them- nothing amazing, and there are better options like Invicto. We asked for the check with the tacos on them and she got us that… the manager came out and didn’t come to our table- it seems as if many tables were unhappy. By the time we paid up the manager still had not come so we left. The folks at the table next to us were experiencing the same issues- although they even said we ordered after you guys and we got our food way earlier. They had been waiting to get their check for a good while too.

Food- eh it’s was ok. Overpriced guacamole for sure for such a tiny amount. And the chips were stale. Drinks- not the best marg in town. Water is hard to come by in this spot.

We will never go back. We will be telling and advising others not to go because it was such a...