Ottawa Foodies

Went to Agave with my friend on a Tuesday night. It was quite busy for a work night.

The owners/staff are super friendly in this place. They make you feel as though you are one of their regular customers.

The place is nice and cozy. I remember the old Agave looking almost cafeteria-like and the renovations certainly made a world of difference.

My friend ordered a beer, I ordered a specialty drink of Alize and Gingerale which was pretty damn good.

My friend had the blackened chicken which I tried and found to be full of flavour. Must have been marinating for at least a day or two if not more.

I ordered the Chicken Milanesa with Goat cheese which was also very good. However, I wish I had not ordered chicken that was breaded. Next time...

Seems like their fajitas are a hit here. Almost every other table in the place had ordered it.

All in all, I enjoyed my dinner at Agave and will definitely go back. Two drinks and dinner cost about $50, which is pretty much in line with most places. Not much to complain about here.

As I mentioned in the forums, last time we were in I inquired as to the origins of their salsa, and it is indeed freshly made. Les said that it's simply tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

Me and 3 friends went here on Monday for dinner. We had originally planned to go to Allium for Tapas. Despite the website saying they were open on May 18 and there being no message changing that, the restaurant was "closed" when I arrived. So we jumped into my friends car and cruised up and down Wellington trying to find another place when one of us spotted Agave.

The service was very nice (I'm not sure if it is Les or not) however we did not get any free shots and we had to ask for more salsa and chips LOL. I always hesitate to ask because so many of these places charge for extra - which to me is somewhat of a crime.

As I grew up with the salad being an accompaniment and also because the last time I ordered a salad as a meal (years ago) it was huge and mostly lettuce and I found myself bored with the taste and was left hungry, I have not since had one, but decided to take a chance on a salad (which is not currently listed on their menu) It is greens (real greens, not iceberg thank goodness) with tiny pieces of nacho chips with blackened salmon and mango dressing. It was wonderful and very filling. I'm not a fan of dry food, and it sure wasn't. I also ordered the guacamole and chips. The guac was good, but I've had better - it seemed to be missing cilantro or lime juice possibly. I tasted too much onion in it.

I did like their salsa and I believe that some of the base of it may be from a jar.

All in all, I would go back. We had sangria which was okay so I'd like to try some other drinks they offer.

All that said, the place was packed since it was the only place open other than the Oak and only 2 wait staff which included the guy at the bar, so that could explain the lack of not being asked for salsa and chips. As I said, I'd go back again!

hipfunkyfun I would also suggest that if you're planning on going back for a meal that you either go on a weeknight or make a reservation. More often than not the place is beyond packed, and I imagine that while they weren't busy when you were there, they most likely were dying to call it a night (not that this is by any means an excuse).

Now, on to my review. Andrew & I came here tonight for dinner, and while it's hands down my favourite Mexican place in the city, I have to say that hipfunkyfun's comments made me a bit weary. Had the service changed? Was the salsa really from a jar? How bad would the limes be?

Well, I never got to trying the limes, to be honest. However, we arrived at around eight and were promptly seated and our drink orders taken. Andrew had wine (which never happens!) and I had a Beau's...I was thrilled to see this on tap!

We had chips and salsa to start, and I'm not sure if the red salsa is from a jar to be honest, but I quite like it, and it's not as salty as other jarred salsas. I thought for the longest time it was homemade. The green salsa is straight crushed jalepenos and is divine, albeit super spicy.

For mains, Andrew had the chicken chimichanga, which was as always good and served with a generous helping of rice and vegetables. I had the steak fajitas, which were also excellent and had a wonderful bit of salsa on them. The plate was full of vegetables and meat, and there was enough topping to fill six tortillas. My only complaint is that they're the only place I can think of that doesn't serve cheese with their fajitas. But, that's a price I'm willing to pay for meat and veggies so good!

Total before tip was around $50 for two mains, chips and two drinks. All in all, a good night had, and my confidence was not for a moment shaken.

(NB: This is not to say that hipfunkyfun's comments are not valid, because they are, but rather that I still feel confident in my ability to enjoy Agave, despite my weariness before we arrived).

monty, thanks for that info! you would think that would be something the waiter would have told us, instead of 'you won't like that'. the girl asking for the virgin drink is pregnant, but she really wanted something fancy since it was friday night without the kids.

still not that impressed with the place, but if we end up there again on a friday night, i will try something else on the menu.

for what it's worth the margs here are not really conducive to being "virginized". they're on the rocks and not blended - so essentially you'd be getting a glass full of tart lime juice with ice cubes!

i'd highly recommend the knock-you-on-your-ass version with 2-3 shots of tequila :)

i went here for a drink after yoga class on friday. i had a glass of wine and the chips and salsa. the salsa was from a jar and the chips were nothing special. my friend tried to order a virgin margarita and the waiter told her it wouldn't be any good, so then she tried to order a virgin daquiri (on the waiter's suggestion), but he said the lime that she wanted would not be good. it was definitely a small order at our table, but the place was mostly empty (two booths besides our table), plus people a the bar.

i was not impressed. we felt like we were interrupting the regulars at the bar and as soon as we left they locked the door behind us (10:45pm) and left the regulars in there drinking.

i have no burning desire to go back and try a meal.

I'm in a possible minority here, but i (grudgingly) think Agave's quality has declined since their reno, something i was reminded of today after a visit to Amate down the street.

As to the reno, I sort of liked the older, more utilitarian look, although i do agree having a couple booths works and overall, the restaurant feels a bit warmer.

But, the food itself is more of my concern, both quality and cost. As a vegetarian, my options are narrower, and so i tend to go w/ either the fajitas or the burritos. The fajitas used to be a nice deal, but w/ my last 2 orders, i've found them pretty "meh"-- uninspiring & skimpy, just a handful of veggies (mostly thin strips of zucchini one time). The burrito was better and more filling, but my request (last visit) for extra spice at source (i.e., in the preparation itself) was brushed off w/ a "oh, we'll give you some hot salsa on the side" and then off to another table. (ah ... hot sauce on the side ain't the same!)

Although i can't really speak for them, my non-vegetarian companions on both of my last visits were similarly underwhelmed by their plates (enchiladas maybe?)

Overall, i still like this place, partly out of sentiment: for a couple yrs after moving to Ottawa, it seemed like one of the few reasonably priced, casual and friendly alternative to the Royal Oak type places on the Wellington strip not closed after a movie on a cold weekday night. And, its still a vibrant place ... i'm just a little less enthusiastic about their food.

I know, everytime I turn around it looks like I'm posting another review for Agave. And, it's a little bit true. We go here so often that I might as well try to steal their recipe for Chimichangas and Mojitos the next time we're in.

Anyway, my SO and I went for lunch today, which was wonderful and incredibly different.

They were packed to the brim by the time we were seated and had ordered drinks. I met a friend a few weeks ago here and definitely reservations appear to be necessary on Fridays around lunchtime. Or at least, they're a good idea.

Their menu is very different with a lot of more American choices, such as various burgers and sandwiches. All of which come with sweet potato fries (which are yummy, but a bit soft) and salad (again, yum but nothing special).

I was in a healthy mood when I sat down (this didn't last long) and ordered the Southwestern Salad which was done in a fried tortilla shell (like I said, my health kick didn't last long) and has avacodo, cheese, tomatoes, peppers and sour cream. It was super yummy and the tortilla tasted like it had chipotle in it.

My SO ordered his usual, Chimichanga, and said that it was really good, but that there was more chicken and less cheese than at dinner time (they've become a bit infamous amongst us for their excessive cheese at dinner). I imagine there's a different chef.

Either way it was defintely good and on par with other lunch experiences in the area!

Popped in for a quick meal the other night. The renovated room looks really good and they have 3-4 decent sized booths now.

Since I'm arguably reviewing the Margaritas at Agave in answering Happy Mouth's question, I will put it this way: I eat lemons and limes whole. I live for tart foods. The margaritas at Agave are sweet to me, but not too sweet. They have a good, solid lime taste.

Are they sure they only put 2 shots of tequila in these? (hick), I'm feeling a little boozy...

For 10 bucks, I'd say it was worth it :)

The margaritas are superb! Icy, not slushy, limey, and thirst quenching. The strawberry ones are equally fresh, evidenced by the seeds at the bottom of your empty drink, and perfectly not too sweet.

The best part has to be how Les makes them magically reappear in the blink of an eye.

I can never remember to whip out the camera before half of it is downed.

Fresh squeeze limes, and a martini style, but icier--I wouldn't say "slushy" because that reminds me of mixes that you get from the LCBO (or Loblaws for that matter), but it has a thicker quality to it. And the tequila they use is smooth, not a great deal of afterburn.

Hope that helps. You may just have to try one to find out (pity I gave up alcohol until I lose twenty pounds)

Can you give us some more detail on what makes them the best? Do they use fresh squeezed limes or that green lifesaver syrup? Are they martini-style or slushy? I'm not putting my hand down unless I have more information! Thanks! ;-)

hands down, the best margaritas in town.

Back August 2006 when we went here, the beer selection listed on their website was pretty uninspired. But we went nonetheless only to find a completely different list on their physical menu, most of which they did not have. Fortunately they ended up having a very good selection, with Amsterdam Blonde, Headstrong Helles, and two types of Warsteiner on tap. In the bottle they had both Heritage Light and Dark, Seargent Major's IPA, and at least one other I do not recall.

Their website seems to have since been updated and now lists Headstrong (yum!), Amsterdam (yum!), Steam Whistle (yum!), Warsteiner and several others.

In short, not a bad place for beer.

Last Sunday morning after the snowstorm
this was one of the few places on Somerset/Wellington/Richmond that had parking spots (city did plow) & sidewalk was done also. So at 10:05am we were the first customers for brunch.
Coffee was hot and fresh and replenished nicely (after the server ran back from Herb&Spice across the street--fruit was very fresh!) Very reasonable prices. Vegetarian fritta platter was excellent, incredibly good homefries, oven baked veggie frittata, small side of fruit. Nice fruit cup with granola. French toast in triple sec with fruit and bacon or sausages was the most expensive item ($9),was huge and good. None of the 3 of us ordered benedict (there were 2 choices) but prices were about the best I've seen $8 or$9 and given how good the rest of the stuff was it seems like a great place for brunch. Friendly service, good food, hot coffee as needed. Love the friendly service here!