San Agus Cocina Urbana & Cocktails — Restaurant in Palo Alto

A Hidden Gem for Authentic Mexican Flavors and Outstanding Mezcal

San Agus has been quietly perfecting their craft for 5 years, and it shows in every detail of the dining experience. This intimate, community-focused restaurant delivers on both exceptional food and an impressive beverage program that rivals much larger establishments.

The Food: The freshness of ingredients here is immediately noticeable. You can taste the quality in every bite, from their Mexico City-inspired street foods to their carefully prepared dishes. The kitchen clearly prioritizes sourcing and preparation, resulting in flavors that transport you straight to the heart of Mexican cuisine.

The Drinks: What truly sets San Agus apart is their remarkable collection of 40+ tequilas and mezcals – an incredible selection for a venue of this size. The bartenders are clearly passionate about their craft, creating innovative mezcal cocktails that showcase both creativity and respect for traditional spirits. Each cocktail tells a story, and the staff's knowledge about their extensive agave spirit collection is impressive.

The Atmosphere: Despite being a smaller, community venue, San Agus punches well above its weight class. The intimate setting actually enhances the experience, allowing for genuine interactions with knowledgeable staff who are eager to share their passion for authentic Mexican cuisine and artisanal spirits.

Bottom Line: San Agus proves that outstanding Mexican cuisine and exceptional cocktails don't require a massive operation – just dedication to quality and authenticity. Whether you're a mezcal enthusiast or simply looking for fresh, flavorful Mexican food in a welcoming atmosphere, this place delivers on all fronts.

Perfect for: Date nights, drinks with friends, anyone seeking authentic Mexican flavors, mezcal and tequila enthusiasts, and those who appreciate community-driven dining experiences.

Don't miss: Their creative mezcal cocktails and asking the staff for spirit recommendations based on your taste...

If you are in Palo Alto, near Philz and Whole Foods, and walking distance and want some fancy looking fried shrimp tacos, or carne asada, they are aesthetically pleasing with fancy microgreens and edible flowers sprinkled on top. Common sides like guac and the ceviche come with some uncommon sides like salty sour pickled nopales or saltines, so read/ask for details before ordering. Some days carne asada is good some days stringy, shrimp can be fishy and fried greasy sometimes. In the beginning the corn tortillas tasted like what I make at home (it is a hassle but the fresh corny nixtamal aroma) although rolled somewhat thicker. More and more we felt it was getting thicker and less flavorful, more gummy, no fresh corny aroma. Mezcal presentation was awful, dirty cloudy mezcal glass with rubbing alcohol mezcal. I was going through a mezcal craze and was trying bottle after artisanal bottle at home, so also having to shell out so much per glass for mezcal that has been open and sitting out was 😖. Service is indifferent to irritable, never really good unless you sit at the bar and order lots of cocktails. We were regulars here, always going at noon, but then quality started to decline, then we got tired of the bad service. We took a friend from Oaxaca here for lunch, and we felt bad, particularly poor service including we had to ask five times for a baby high chair for one of his kids, and they didn't want to bring one out for some reason, (place was empty except for us and one other table that came in after us) and corn tortillas weren't good that day. Sorry no pics. Thought I had posted a review for this place almost two years? ago (at the time I would've given them 3.5-4 stars) but...

Excellent Mexican cocktail and food establishment in downtown Palo Alto. Recently opened. We were impressed by the high quality of the cocktails and food, the uniqueness in the menu items, and the excellent customer service that knew "everything" about the menu. Prices can be a little steep, but that's California. I would compare this place to Milagros in Redwood City, but this San Augus has much better drinks and food. If you're looking for a high quality restaurant experience and amazing craft cocktails, I highly recommend this place. Details to follow:

[The Drinks] Starting with the best part, the drinks were excellent here. They have a wide variety of cocktails I have never tried anywhere else. Most of them are named after sayings or phrases in Spanish. They don't taste like they have a bunch of fillers and artificial flavors. The drinks tasted real with quality ingredients and careful thought into the mix. We tried about 5 and couldn't decide which one was our favorite. Could use just a tad more alcohol but they were balanced, and we will absolutely be returning just to get drinks one day.

[The Food] We were really impressed by the food too. The presentation of the food and the quality was what we expected given the price. We got Quesabarria tacos which were excellent. They have a variety of different offerings which are well described and seems to be high quality. We were absolutely impressed.

[The Location] The restaurant is located near University Ave in downtown Palo Alto. It's in a nice spot near Caltrain, off the beaten path so there's plenty of parking. It's safe, well lit, and has outdoor seating! The restaurant looks super clean and...