Agave Azul Winter Park — Restaurant in Winter Park

Went there for our son in laws birthday. After we were seated the server was quick to bring carafes of water. That was nice. But might have been better with water glasses to drink out of. We finally did get some water glasses about halfway through the meal. The server wasn’t very attentive, but she was friendly. The food was good, but not anywhere near what would be expected at that price range. There are many other cheaper Mexican restaurants in the Orlando area that offer both better service and tastier food at a lower price. Appetizers were delivered with the main dish. Our server was practically non existent after taking our order, which she seemed like she wanted to do just 2 minutes after we all sat down. The manager spent more time at ours table chit chatting than our waitress spent. I don’t remember if she once came back after the food was ordered to check if everything was ok or if we needed anything else’s. We actually had to flag her down to get a refill on my lemonade, which that actually charged extra for! I don’t remember any other restaurant that charges extra for soft drink refills. The lemonade wasn’t anything special, it didn’t taste any better or different than what you get out of the machine at a fast food joint. Then to top it off, they charged us an automatic 20% tip! That service DID NOT warrant a 20% tip! The waitress was friendly enough, but also fairly inattentive and not exactly keeping up with things. They could have easily sold a few more drinks at our table had she bothered to check. It took forever to get water glasses. Even after a couple subtle hints and jokes about them missing she never reacted. When my wife made a joke about how much she liked the carafes and it’s too bad we don’t have glasses to drink the water from, that should have been enough. But it wasn’t. We had to flag someone down halfway through the meal and directly ask. No, it wasn’t our waitress because she was busy taking care of the smaller tables that didn’t have an automatic 20% tip! It wasn’t until we directly asked for them that we finally got water glasses. When the manager stopped by to check on everyone, we mentioned the glasses. He apologized and tried to laugh it off but it wasn’t one of those oops moment laughs. Kudos to the manager though, he’d was very friendly and warm. But he does need to put a boot to the staff. They do tend to display a lackluster attitude. So after a meal of good, but not great food at a higher price than many other restaurants serving better food and mediocre service, we’re presented with the bill. Because of the lackluster service I was planning on tipping 15% and rounding up to the next dollar. But no! There was an automatic 20% tip added to the bill! If I remember right, there was something about that for parties of 8 or more. But we were only 6, four adults and 2 kids. But it would explain why the waitress was so inattentive to us and seemed to be concentrating on the smaller tables more. She even seemed to expect me to add more to the automatic 20% tip. Overall, 3 stars. The food is good but not great. Everyone at our table said the same thing. The service was mediocre but friendly, otherwise that part would have only been one star. The manager was friendly and the food came fairly fast. The appetizers being delivered with the main meal also didn’t earn any extra points. They need to get rid of the automatic tipping policy so that the servers have incentive to provide good service. The lack of service there and lackluster attitude took away from the overall experience. I’m the plus side, they did have a signature taste note on one of the appetizers that was very good and got passed around the table. Just too bad that the rest of the experience didn’t match that. In the end the server spent maybe a total of 10 minutes at our table and walked away with an automatic $50 tip! And it was someone else who brought the food and another person who ended up bringing us water glasses. They can do...

For a place that is Mexican inspired, the atmosphere that is brought definitely punches above its weight. For this past week, I stayed in Orlando and explored around the area for the meanwhile. Obviously I needed to eat and decided on trying out a different restaurant for once while I was at it. I found this place next to the chick fil a when I was getting breakfast and decided to stop by for dinner later.

When I arrived last week, it definitely was a packed house and despite that, we were seated almost instantly so major props to the staff. The atmosphere definitely was vibrant as the design of the interior is modern, incorporating subtle Mexican decoration surrounding the place. As for the dining experience itself, definitely stellar as Daniela (i apologize if I spelled the name wrong) came diligently whenever she stopped by, taking our orders and ensuring that we were satisfied.

Obviously the main point of a restaurant is the food and they definitely did deliver for the most part. The carne asada I ordered was pretty big and tender with each bite being tender and flavorful while the flour tortillas were warm and fluffy. The same goes with the rice as it had a rich flavor profile and was consistently soft and warm. While I definitely did like the food to eat all of it, there are some faults that definitely should be noted.

The main thing that should be noted is that while the flour tortillas are good, their corn made ones are less tasty, as they are a bit too stiff and feel "store bought" and felt that they were decent at best. As for the guacamole, it was okay. The same definitely goes for the Horchata which we ordered and definitely noticed that the beverage was a bit too sugary and tasted more like a powder mix.

Now despite these short comings, I think this is still a great restaurant that many should go to as they deliver strong on the main courses and provide a pleasant atmosphere that is lively as the people who go eat/work there. That is to say it's a great restaurant in general. In terms of it being an "authentic" Mexican restaurant? Definitely NOT as there are key things which i think is missing or not fulfilling in. The menu, while it has enough variety is notably missing some essential Mexican staples such as the Sopes, Menudo, Tlacoyo, the Torta Sandwhich, Consomé and Pozole to name a few. The same goes with the hand made drinks they offer as they don't offer Pina Colada, Fresa (Strawberry) and Limon (Mexican Lemonade). The pricing i think is fair but i feel is a bit expensive (probably because it's in Orlando) as some items such as the "Hand-Made" drinks are a bit too much as the serving size of the drinks are probably less than a normal water bottle (no refills to my knowledge on those) in comparison to the authentic Mexican restaurants which I go to where for less than a price of a Carne Asada and Horchata from their place ($29 + $5 before tips) I could get a bigger meal, a bigger Horchata for almost the same price if not lower (even with tip). Overall in that context, it feels more like a bar that serves mainstream Mexican food as a whole. That's just more of the way I see it. That doesnt take away from its overall appeal as it's a great place to get introduced to Mexican food. I have eaten here 3 times already and definitely will stop by here when I come back...

Winter Park, FL. Just above downtown Orlando is this upscale, modern Mexican restaurant with great food. It’s good for a date or meetup when you want to impress your South American friend. Patrons around 4 pm on Wednesday, May 15, were millennials and Gen-Z, dressed super trendy. The music was current Latin hits.

The decor was like Miami, and the menu was like Las Brisas in Laguna Beach, but better because the staff was not snobbish. The hosts, bar tender and servers had dazzling smiles and gave their utmost in service.

Diane was my server, and the rest of the team were as outstanding as Diane.

I had the Sopa de Tortilla, Mexican Chopped Salad, and the Salsa Trio.

The Sopa de Tortilla was so filling, i couldn’t eat my salad and I made the salad to go. The soup base was a pasilla broth filled with chicken that had stewed forever, Mexican rice, Chihuahua cheese that had melted beautifully, zucchini, carrots, onions, garlic, and avocado. Ohhhh it was so good!!! Side note: if you are here trying to impress your date, the drippy cheese made it difficult to eat elegantly. But if you’re here alone like I was, slurp, moan and enjoy.

The Mexican Chopped salad was not like an American chopped, no. Agave Azul’s chopped salad was artistic and elevated (see photo). The sliced hard boiled egg and sliced cucumber ringed a salad of romaine crowned with cherry tomatoes, Chihuahua cheese and TEQUILA BACON. So good!!! The citrus vinaigrette was a tiny bit sweet and everything was the freshest it could be.

If you’re a salsa connoisseur, the Salsa Trio is for you. The three sauces were blended from fresh ingredients, not canned. Along with the regular salsa that comes with your chips (the Artisanal Picante), I got four in all. In order from mildest to spiciest were the Serrano Lime, Tomatillo Arbol and the Roasted Habanero. They were actually not too spicy. To me, it’s really spicy if my tastebuds stop working. These salsas tasted divine and I only broke out in a mild sweat lol.

I ordered the Salsa Trio because I wasn’t sure if chips and salsa came with the meal and I did want chips and salsa. So after I ordered the Salsa Trio, the server asked if I wanted chips and salsa. I forgot to check the bill to see if the chips and salsa came with the meal or were charged separately.

The cruse of cold, filtered water and the cobalt blue water glass was just another example of the attention to detail given here. Even the women’s bathroom was so clean and beautiful I took a picture of the white orchid against the blue tiled wall there.

The parking situation was abysmal. There is a sign in front of the restaurant that announces complimentary parking, but there was zero valet service the whole time I was there. If you miss turning into the tiny driveway, it’s difficult to figure out how to find it again without going out on that very busy street. The parking lot itself is tiny. The adjacent parking lots have tow-away warnings posted everywhere.

I ended up parking in front of Subway.

But once you’ve been to this restaurant, you’ll want to return. Highly...