Sol Agave — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

NO STARS WASN'T AN OPTION ON GOOGLE! So angry and disappointed by the experience yesterday. We arrived for lunch, me, my wife, my 11 year old son, and 7 year old daughter after a morning of soccer. We promptly ordered our drinks and food all at the same time, a very simple request of a bean and cheese burrito, one plate of fish tacos to be shared, and taquitos. After 30 mins and noticing that a couple had come in after us and been served we asked our server to check on our food. His response was that it was first come, first served. Really? We gave him the benefit of the doubt hoping our food would arrive shortly but when a table of 5 who had come at least 15-20 mins after us got served we simply said forget it. Our kids were hungry and so we got up and left. At that point the waiter came out and told us we had to pay for our drinks. I turned to him and told him no, not after waiting 42 mins and watching everyone around us getting served. We left, came home and called the manager. It didn't help. Clearly the waiter forgot to put the order in because according to the manger the ticket said we waited for only 15 mins and the food was ready. So now we know they have a liar for a waiter on site (who may be doubling as the bartender and manager according to the phone call) and a manager/owner that is failing to recognize the fact that the timestamp on the ticket can be completely false if the order was never put in on time. Hey waiter - admit you forgot about us. Admit that you were wrong to chase me into the parking lot and tell me that I had to pay for the drinks we ordered when you knew you had blown it, only to quickly back off and say it was fine and thank you. Really?! I'll consider going back when that...

When I pulled into the parking lot and saw a Lamborghini sitting next to the front doors, I worried about whether this restaurant was out of my price range. I was pleased to see the menu prices didn't match that of the luxury car.

I came after reading a couple of reviews by Brad Johnson from the Orange County Register. I learned how chef Manny Velasco started Sol Agave as a food truck then went brick and mortar and later moved across the parking lot to a swankier building. All the while, the food was the star. In a nod to those humble beginnings, the restaurant still uses solagavetruck as its web address.

My server brought out a basket of thick, warm tortilla chips, obviously made with the restaurant's homemade tortillas. They were accompanied by a red tomato salsa with some bite and a warm bean dip. They were excellent.

Based on one of Johnson's reviews, I ordered the Jalapeño crema soup. He warned me that the soup was nearly hidden on the menu, more of a footnote than a menu item. There was no description that came with the other items, but Johnson said it was a gem.

It was. It had the consistency of a bisque and the jalapeño flavor was spectacular.

For the main course, I ordered the pork carnitas. Big chunks of meat accompanied by a couple of those handmade tortillas, crema, guacamole, rice and beans.

And for desert, I had a slice of tres leches cake, made with evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. It was delicious.

Service was friendly and attentive. It couldn't have been better.

I saw outside, which was wonderful on a warm spring night.

On a subsequent lunch visit, I ordered the chile relleno plate, one with a cotija cheese filling and the other...

Love the vibe and food here - just a few small issues.

Great free chips and salsa. You also get free refined beans too which is a definite plus. Comes up nice and hot and delicious.

Yep - there's standards here like tacos/burritos but also some different flavors and tastes. For instance, we got the sugar cane filet which was a fascinating blend of meat and different sauces like tamarind / mango salsa. The meat quality was unfortunately a bit lacking this night but the idea and flavors made up for it.

The ceviche here too is super solid. Love the presentation overall and the flavors. You get some tostada and one plantain (wish there was more!). You also get a rocking agua chile which is spicy and sour. Really is one of the best I've tasted in quite a while.

Finally, of course, there are tons of margaritas to choose from. We got the pina and the spicy mango flavors. A bit more on the sweet side but overall really tasty. Love the chipotle tamarind salt rim as well which is a nice, different feel.

Do expect to pay for this deliciousness. It's not super pricy but for two appetizers and two drinks, we paid $50+. Some of the entrees do get pretty pricy too like the steaks and such.

We noted this to the manager but there is a lack of a host/hostess at the front which makes it weird for people to be lingering around up front and we observed a couple leave because they were not attended to. I think getting rid of the host desk at the front of the restaurant and just having patrons come in would alleviate the issue.

We also noted that the location closed about 30 minutes earlier and we weren't given much notice as to...