Hacienda Agave — Restaurant in New York

I was surprised to be charged close to $50 for just two margaritas. What was especially concerning was the automatic 18% gratuity added to the bill without any prior mention. On top of that, I was still prompted to leave an additional tip. This felt misleading and reflects poorly on the service and overall experience.

Edit: Hi, thank you for your response. I appreciate the clarification, but I would like to point out that this was not a seated party — it was a simple drink order at the bar. Given that, I was surprised to see an automatic 18% gratuity applied, especially since there was no clear verbal mention at the time of ordering. While I understand that it's printed on the menu, it may not be obvious in situations where customers are not dining in.

I also noticed that the prompt still asked for an additional tip on top of the gratuity, which felt misleading. I genuinely have no issue tipping for good service, but clearer communication would go a long way in avoiding confusion.

Thanks again for taking the...

Great addition to the list of authentic Mexican restaurants in 138th street. The food and service are stellar at the upscale Hacienda Agave. We started out with appetizers- tortas with chicharrón, ceviche, tlacoyo, tuna tostadas and esquisites. It was all delicious. Next up were quesadilla de Carnitas: soo good! The mole de pollo which was phenomenal and every dish tasted better than the next. The Chamorra was my favorite- lamb shank in a rich stew, we also had the Branzino- which came beautifully wrapped in corn husk, it was moist and had a very delicate scent of herbs. For dessert: the churros were crispy and soft with dulce de leche. The tres leches was perfect and not too sweet and the flan was velvety and rich. The cocktails are varied and there are choices for all tastes. I started off with a non alcohol drink- cucumber and ginger- the bar was so accommodating and made our dinner party horchata martinis and a non alcoholic horchata martini!...

It was a very nice place, they just opened a few months ago too. The atmosphere was great. There is a DJ on Wednesdays (it can get a little loud but we lived the vibes) Drinks are spectacular. The waiter and whole staff were very attentive and friendly. Even the manager was helping out and talking to every customer. We were a group of 4 and our bill was high ($400+) just because majority ordered 3 drinks each and 1 shot each. *Be aware: on your bill they have a restaurant fee? Which was weird because we never heard of that or seen that and we go out a lot… and they already charge gratuity in the total bill which is the waiters tip btw ! Once you get the receipt it shows to tip, do not tip. It’s just a trick to double tip! * anyways that’s why 4 stars…. So overall, it’s a little pricey but the food was great. I wouldn’t go on the regular just for special occasions:...