Agaves Kitchen & Tequila — Restaurant in Long Beach

This was my second time visiting Agaves and this experience was as good if not better than my first visit. There is a whole new menu with amazing new options and of course new beverages that perfectly compliment the food.

To start the night off right I order the Basil Prickly Pear Margarita. This was delicious! I never order flavored margaritas because they tend to be too sweet but this margarita was just right. I could taste the top shelf tequila just enough, and that flavor was followed by the perfect amount of sweetness. You have to try this one.

My friends and I ordered three different appetizers the Taquitos, La Gringa, and the Nopalitos Salad. My favorite were the Taquitos. The presentation was awesome. They were served like a jenga game criss crossing on top of one another. They were crispy and light and wonderfully seasoned. La Gringa was a fancy quesadilla that was just as tasty with Oaxaca cheese and achiote rubbed pork inside. Both appetizers can be ordered at your local taqueria but not like you get them at Agaves. Here they you’re your street style Mexican food and elevate it. Finally, we felt daring and ordered the nopalitos salad. None of us have every tried Cactus before and we were all pleasantly surprised. The salad was light and refreshing and packed with flavor. My wife was most impressed by this dish.

For my main course I decided to try a different take on mole. I ordered a chicken mole dish last time and fell in love and wanted to try their new mole creation. The Chicken Mole Poblano is amazing. Again I am weird about things being too sweet and here agaves did not disappoint. The mole was the perfect mix of sweet and savory and the only thing wrong was that I wish I had a whole jar of it to smother more of my chicken in. Agaves also added plantain chips to this dish; this provided the right amount of crunch needed for the perfect texture.

By the time desert came around I was way too stuffed to order my own but I did steal a taste of my wife’s Capirotada. The bread pudding was one of the best I have ever tasted. It was firm and soft all at the same time and decorated with just the right amount of berry sauce. This is paired with the famous Horchata ice cream and all of it was to die for.

Basically I highly recommend this place. It is a wonderful date/ hang out spot with a great ambiance and wonderful...

They should call this place Tequila, or better yet Mescal. Agave, the nectar more known to be from South of the Border, but truly all over the Southwest. No it's not a cactus, yes it does produce a sweet sap which is now being used as a sugar, syrup substitute due to low glycemic index. It's used twice in their margaritas, from the Tequila and as a sweetner. Always handmade and shaken, and since it's a thicker syrup they shake it up as long as it takes.

The bartenders were very good, but got busy due to a heavy influx and as the night winded down the servers got busy trying to cover a pretty large floor, inside and out.

The chips were fresh, but a little thin to me for what I assume to be homemade. The salsa was good, thick, but a hint of spice and some roasted smokeyness. The guacamole was heavy on the onion and garlic, topped with cotija cheese. Housemade chorizo was added to the cheese fundido. Since the chips could barely stand up to the guacamole I had a heck of a time and ended up just using the fork. The good thing about housemade chorizo, much less grease/fat. The quesadilla was good in that the cheese blend didn't coagulate too fast, but stayed gooey longer than I expected for having eaten outside. Ceviche seemed mediocre. I figured being this close to the port and water the seafood would be excellent, which I'm sure it was in quality, but the recipe did nothing to wow me. Lime, shrimp, onions, cilantro, but I thought I tasted ginger and carrots.

Nice tall ceilings, and great art work, but a single bathroom. The lounge in the rear is cool for HH, but I think most would rather belly up or sit at the tall table/booths behind the bar. The entrance could be more inviting, somewhat blocked by umbrella's, the windows are difficult to see in. The ledge lighting was really cool, but from the outside it seemed...

My first experience at Agaves was memorable, but I have to say my most recent experience was even better! The décor is still urban with a rustic flair; graffiti-like, Dio de los Muertos-inspired art on the walls near the bar with succulents on rich wooden tables in the dining area. They have continued this motif with stools that boast the same one of a kind artwork on the seat. I think this addition really brings the restaurant together. Now, as for the food, I went with a group of 5 people and every person was happy with their order. I ordered La Cadillac, which is Patron Reposado with Agaves Nectar and a Patron Citronage Side Car. I had never had a “side car” before and I was pleasantly surprised by how well this adage spiced up my drink. It was delicious! I ordered the Nopalitos Salad for an appetizer. My friend had been raving about this dish and it did not disappoint. I loved the avocado oil and oregano vinaigrette and the Mexican cactus had a pleasant consistency. I even took home the tiny bit that I had left because I could not bare to see it wasted. Next, I ordered the Shrimp Tikin Xic. The shrimp were juicy and perfectly cooked and cilantro rice brought the entire meal together. For dessert, I ordered the bread pudding, or Capirotada. It was everything bread pudding should be and the horchata ice cream was so creamy! Overall, Agaves is great food and fun atmosphere. We saw 20 somethings next to middle-aged married couples next to a family with a toddler and everyone was enjoying themselves. I will definitely be...