Agave Bar — Restaurant in San Antonio

What a Warm Welcome to San Antonio on New Years Eve!!! We parked ($25 for the day-well spent, for a secure lot across from Hard Rock Cafe, about a block or two from Agave), and headed for our very first visit to The River Walk. We came down the steps where we were greeted by a friendly hostess at the first "pet-friendly" restaurant we came to. We were starving and ready for lunch. She pet our dog and said "come on in, we are pet friendly (with a smile as big as Texas)" -- how could we refuse...? To my surprise, we were seated on the upper balcony overlooking The River Walk. It was PERFECT. I thought they would put us at ground level on the patio -- instead, they gave us a wonderful view, up and away from the passers-by so my Big Labra-Dog could relax. We didn't even ask, they just picked a great spot for us. Our waitress was attentive and brought water for the dog immediately -- she treated him like a customer!!! When they say "pet-friendly" it's no joke, our dog was treated as well as we were. Our food came fast. I had the shrimp cocktail -- as they say, "everything is bigger in Texas" the 8-shrimp were HUGE, the sauce was tangy-sweet-spicy, and the presentation included a nice mix of greens & pico. I would order it again. My kiddos 11 & 12, shared a shrimp quesadilla -- perfect amount of food for them. I had a taste, and I must say it was DELICIOUS. The hubby had a sizzling plate of steak fajitas -- the meat was tender, grilled, and well seasoned. I asked the waitress what Margarita she would recommend -- she said her favorite was the "Ole" -- I ordered the 20oz and it did not disappoint -- best margarita I've ever had. I had mine on the rocks with salt, but you can get it with Chili or Sugar on the rim. Our lunch for a family of 4, and bar tab (3-beers & 1-Margarita) was $98, before tip. I felt it was an excellent value for the quality of the food, location, ambiance, and service. The Mariachi, the view, the pet-friendliness -- from the time we were welcomed by the hostess, to the wonderful service we received, the Happy New Year Wishes, as well as the "come again" upon departure -- we had a FANTASTIC Experience at the Agave Bar. I would definitely visit again and...

Cafe Ole and Agave Bar are in the same building space on the Riverwalk. The waitstaff is the same for both venues, at least the hostess seating patrons was the same. We also ordered a mango margarita that came from the bar and chips and salsa plus tortilla soup from the restaurant. The drink and food were pretty good, but the service left a lot to be desired.

A friend visiting from out of town and I were passing by around 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan 20, and were drawn by the colorful 60oz margaritas. We decided to take a break from sightseeing and try one out. The young hostess dressed in black greeted the group in front of us, us, and the couple behind us without once cracking a smile. Actually, she didn't greet any of us with pleasantries, just rather abruptly asked if we wanted to be seated inside or outside and we we replied outside, pointing to a corner that had recently been vacated. She stretched her lips into a fake, condescending smile/grimace that said without words, "Of course you do." Having been a waitress and hostess myself, I know restaurant work can get hectic, but it's the service business. No matter how busy you might get, check the attitude at home, especially when people are treating you politely. You're working a job and if you can't be professional just seating people, what in the world are you doing in customer service?

My friend and I stayed close to an hour before it got a bit chilly and we decided to continue walking along the Riverwalk. Now the Riverwalk is an open container area, so I asked a waitress if we could take the margarita with us as we had only finished less than a third of it and it cost almost $40. We were told that we couldn't have a to-go cup even though it was perfectly legal in that area. What a waste of good tequila, money, and time. I won't be taking any more visitors to Cafe Ole...

Extremely inattentive and slow service. Decent food but pricey. Mediocre atmosphere. There are better options on the river walk. Service: I sat a the bar on a Tuesday a little before 6:30 PM. The bartender came over within a few minutes, after I had time to find a menu and look it over. I ordered my food and beer at the same time since I had a feeling that this might take a while. My beer came after a few more minutes and my food about 10 minutes after that. Then I didn't see the bartender for a very long time. There were a few other people that sat near me who had not been helped and had to wait a very long time to be greeted and even then they waited a very long time to get their margaritas. I then asked for my check. After a few minutes I decided to look at the time. 7:09 PM. I didn't get my bill until 7:26 PM and then wasn't able to pay and leave until 7:34 PM. The bartender rang up my transaction wrong and had to get a manager but then tried to blame me for his mistake. Food: I ordered the shrimp tacos per the recommendation of the bartender. Fish tacos arrived but I didn't turn them down because of the slightly long wait and because of the fact that I was attempting to take a call at 7:30 PM. The fish was cooked nicely. There was a little bit of a spicy cream sauce which added some acidity to the tacos (I wish there was more of the sauce). The rice and beans were pretty damn good. Guacamole was also pretty good, but came as a small scoop (but for $2, I was pretty happy with the size). Drinks: Decent beer selection but it skews towards IPAs/pales and both craft/macro lagers. After I asked about the rotating taps, the bartender said they had a bunch and asked what I was looking for; but then didn't have a list of the rotating taps and was unwilling to list...