Reviews of Agave Mexican Bistro (Restaurant)

Kyla Carter

Was not impressed. Went at a not super busy time but the waitress seemed very preoccupied. Happened to go during weekday happy hour so was able to get smaller portions but regularly priced hours rather expensive and not super impressive taste wise.

Solomon David Huss

Literally the finest Mexican food I've ever had

joseph loconte

Hannah is amazing. She took care of our large party with zero issues, was super friendly and attentive. If I could give her 6 stars I would. Food was really good too, but hannah stole the show.

Michael Webster

Great margaritas. Free chips. Fun staff

Rayleen Tritt

In all fairness, I didn’t eat here (yet), but they deserve 5 stars just for their chalkboard sign alone. This totally made my day. I’ll definitely go there next time I’m in Portsmouth. Thank you for this brilliance!

Paul Hemond

Excellent food and service!

Jeff Parent

Cool atmosphere! Staff was friendly and attentive. I got the Carne Asada Plato and was floored by how delicious it was! The steak was just cooked to perfection.

Sherman Hanke

Great food, great drinks... Chelsea was wonderful!

Eileen M. Ryan

Can I just tell you we came strait from Ani at Prescott with Only 5 minutes to kitchen closure. I called while walking at the 14 minute mark -And was was told if we got there before ten we’d be served! Literally we walked in asked for menus put our orders in And then got seats. Drinks and food superb! :/ no pics As I was hecka hungry

Gerry Pleasent

The Good - Good tequila selection. Interior has a modern urban feel. Staff was friendly and helpful. The Bad - Bartender was not the most attentive, particularly considering she had besides my wife and me only one other customer. Chips and salsa were a disappointment. Chips were hard and thick like pork rinds, salsa was underwhelming.

Mars K

The carne asada burrito with a house margarita is delicious!

Jeff Ward

Awesome food and drinks

Marko Antonio Lopez

Greatest queso fundido served on a hot molcajete lava rock bowl!

Nora Maldonado

It was okay, the food took along time, was lacking flavor. The chairs were too high. The music made you feel like you were in mexico, but very dull looking, no flair just plain walls made it feel more like a steak house. Missing the festive side of Mexico. The food was okay, I had better.

Jan Abbott Michaud

There was a lot right with Agave. We were seated right away on a Fri evening (Apr 5th). The wait staff were all very pleasant and attentive. It wasn't too noisy. The food was served in a reasonable amount of time and was well presented with very large portions. The salad dressing, spanish rice, and plain rice were spectacular. The rest of our meals tasted pretty good. After we got home we both had indigestion and the runs. The only thing we both ate were the tortilla chips and guacamole.

Mark Trottier

I love the food at this place

Robert Stevens

Such a great place! The food is amazing and the drinks are the best.

Christina White

The food was great but sadly I cannot say the same for the service. We were a huge part that reserved tables way in advance since we knew it was cinco de Mayo weekend. When we got there the waitresses that were going to have us told us 10 of us could seat which at the time would leave 1 or 2 people standing so we said we would rather wait until we could be sitting. In response she said “fine but as long as none of you are in the way.” We moved past that and were finally seated, upon being seated one of the first thing the waitress (I believe her name was Cassie, at least that’s what the receipt said) told us to “be mindful because we have a party coming it at 8:15” so we felt like we sat down and were already being pushed out the door. The waitress that was helping her reminded the other table the timeline when bringing their drinks as well. Then just before 8 the hostess came upstairs to tell us we needed to “wrap it up and go because the birthday party was here waiting”. We had not even gotten our checks yet, which was on the waitress yet we were getting attitude. She was extremely unpleasant and when we told her we had to wait for checks and to pay she rolled her eyes and just walked away while being spoken to. Everyone in our party of almost 17 people got food, and drinks. We spent over $500.00 and there waitresses and the hostess were beyond rude. It’s was embarrassing to see to be honest. It’s a shame to have that staff like that ruining things for a business when the food was so good.

Lisa McManus

Decor does not reflect a Mexican resturant. Service was slow but pleasant

Jay M

Bomb tacos! Carne asada, medium soft tortillas... mmmmmm!

Daniel Corsetti

Great Mexican, awesome margaritas. Definitely recommend

Ship Henson

This place is great! Totally kid friendly even though the feeling I got initially was that it was not. The food is awesome! It was my second time going and it did not disappoint. Seriously give this place a shot of you haven't already.

Alice Donnelly

You gotta love Mexican and waiting in line. Good is good. Margarita s are huge. ( Not my thing)

Miranda Adams

I have been to agave many times and have never been treated as poorly as we were this past time. The food was still great as always, but the server was rushing us out the door as soon as we sat down. It is not the groups problem if you have another party coming in after us, maybe you should plan better.

Tom Burns

Went for dinner Saturday night. Besides the service being sub par. I drove 45 mins for my pregnant wife, only for her to get food poisoning...don't waste your money.

Q Q

Cute place, good food Relaxing.

Daniel Moss

I love agave, it's a challenge to go anywhere else in Portsmouth.

Wes L

Excellent, fresh Mexican food. The bar features several tequila infusions each month. They are always interesting.

Erin Phelan

We went on a weekend night and one person in our party got there early and put us on the list. We were told there was a 30-45 min wait. The rest of the party arrived 20 min after the first person. It turned into 1.5 hours of us continually watching multiple tables turn over (that could have been pushed together but they wanted us to sit in a different section where the 4 tables were pushed together already to make 2 larger ones. We had a party of 6 so we only needed 2 tables but they didn't want to push together any other tables). The manager told us she was going to ask a table to leave and never did (which is rude to do anyways but to lie to us about it is also rude). They did not comp anything, the drinks were terrible (margaritas), and the food was mediocre. I will go again just to give them another shot but the first experience was terrible... especially since I brought company that was from out of town.

William Fisher

We left, went to Surf, and had a great meal. We have always had a pleasant experience when visiting Agave, with exception to our last visit, which will be our last visit. I left the table to use the restroom. When I returned, the waiter had a very rude tone when speaking to my wife. I quietly asked my wife if I had missed something. She said I hadn’t, and that he had been speaking down to our table of five from the beginning. I asked for the check for our drinks and to cancel the appetizers. The waiter made a scene, stomping away and pulled a staff member aside. I then went to the waiters stand for the check, as it didn’t appear our waiter planned to return. I later found that the staff member our waiter had pulled aside was the GM. She asked why we were asking for the check. I explained. She agreed that we should leave. She said “he’s having a bad day”, and that we “should be more understanding.” “What did I tell you?” and “Like I said” coupled with an irritated tone and a rude facial expression should be considered poor service. As we left the GM rolled her eyes. What a letdown...

Mark Fontanella

Very good food, and service. Large selection of tequila and margaritas. We were in a party of 8, and everyone enjoyed their meals. The churros were the finishing touch!

Ben Fiske

This place is a solid 4.5 one of the best Mexican restaurants around. They have great meals, with a lot of daily specials. Huge selection of tequilas and margaritas and the waiting staff is very knowledgeable about all of them. Waiting staff have always been fantastic here and it's in a great location too.

Robin H.

Agave has an amazing table side prepared guacamole! Their house margaritas are fantastic and everything I have ever eaten there is delicious. I highly recommend!

Cassi Emerson

It is a cute little place that is easy to get to, but just not overly impressive. The salsa was good but my shrimp tacos were just bland and for the prices I would expect a lot more.

Griff Keeper

Delicious food and wonderful service. Highly recommend.

jon tobin

Food's pretty good and in the neighborhood of reasonable. They have an impressive "agave based" liquor menu. Go for the the free chips and salsa and stay for a margarita. The entrees can be hit or miss, but stick to the basics and you'll be fine. One thing: guacamole is "market price" bad mediocre. I'd stay away

Len Kardon

Always great Mexican.

hokiemiller22 .

I don’t mean to be harsh but this was labeled as the best Mexican in the area, I don’t think people in this area know what good Mexican food is then. It just lacks that much flavor when bold flavors is what Mexican food is all about. If you like mild flavors it’s perfect for you. Chips were unique and good though but you do pay for the chips and salsa.

Mary Lewis

Great food and atmosphere, a little pricey

Justin Normand

Just popped in for a quick marg but was really impressed. If you're not sure what you want or are real particular about your margarita, just ask the bartenders, they know what they're doing.

Norma Jimenez

Good Food

Louis Roy

Good food and atmosphere, pleasant staff

Katherine Wallace

Food was good. Service very friendly but incredibly slow and it wasn't that busy

Arthur Caverly

The food and service is really good. It can get really crowded (and loud) for dinner on the weekend. The Nachos were so big, I had no hope of finishing them.

Kimberly

Wonderful as usual... Definitely have the Perfectos Margarita, and Queso Fundido in the lava bowl for the table.

Mark Willer

Relaxed atmosphere, outstanding service and one of if not the best selection of tequilas in town.

Yana VG

GREAT place to watch people on dates negotiate the first-time interaction awkwardness. The Pink Cadillac margarita is yummy, and although yes the salsa is watery, the chips and salsa are also FREE. :) All the things you pay for are delicious (ok except maybe not the fish taco); MOST delicious is food preceded by a margarita. Excellent atmosphere with comfy seats and perfectly dim lighting.

Brian Winter

I have been coming to Agave since we moved to the area in 2015. It is AMAZING! It is higher-end Mexican-American food, but man is it good. They make an amazing ceviche, and their mole sauce is superb. There is an insane amount of different kinds of tequila, and I was surprised that there was such a variety and depth of tequilas. I am a scotch drinker, so I talked with the bartender for probably an hour about different tequila's and how they are made and how they get their different flavor profiles. Amazing place! Great for a dinner date, or sitting at the bar. The upstairs has a bar as well, and a waterfall!

Joseph Colontonio

Entree's offer a bunch of condiments such as sour cream, lettuce, etc. on large plate but little to no meat. For the price I expected more than three slivers of chicken and steak for fajitas.

Dan Holloran

Great service, food everytime

Jeremy Clough

Street tacos simple and yummy.

kim gilpatrick

I have been here many times, but this time was a disappointment. The smell of bleach was overwhelming. Not sure why they were cleaning, but oder was very strong. Had to focus on anything else.

Susanna Lajoie

Great food, excellent drinks and service! The margaritas and tequila selection were superb and the wait staff was attentive. Just missed 5 stars for atmosphere. It was a dark rainy day so that may have contributed but the restaurant and bar felt dark and well, a little blah. Will definitely go back!

Roxanne Bruno

I liked the food, but I love super salty stuff. My husband took one bite of his food and thought it was terrible. The server couldn't care less. It was obvious when she took his plate away and the food was barely touched. She was also asking if she could take my plate away when I was actively putting food I'm my mouth. So not sure if she was rushing us or what. The environment was noisy and crowded because they put all three parties on top of each other instead of spreading them out and the servers were so close their butts were three inches away from my husband's head. It was just so awkward. I don't know what to say. There are much better alternatives for sure. Not worth the inflated prices. Ugh F that place.

Ekaterina Spiridonova

Gave 4 stars but for me personally they’re more like 3 stars... Tasty margaritas, good looking food, but overpriced entrees (very small portions) Nachos were great and perfect for big parties. Everything was too salty for my taste... Might get loud because they have lots of tables and if you celebrating something with a company don’t be surprised to see people seating next to you.

J. Biggwither

Great spot, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. A little more upscale, sit-down type.... nice option.

Biggs Darklighter

This is the place that you say, "na-cho nachos" because their nachos are out of this world amazing! I have been here a few times and they tend to be pretty busy. Service is always top notch. The last time I was there, my food was too spicy and I wasn't satisfied with it. The waitress took care of it and removed it from the bill. They took care of me and I'll be sure to return.

Sam Sites

Homemade tortilla chips, big helpings, tasty food, and excellent service!

Emma Guardado

100!!! Awesome service. Delicious food Excellent ambiance.

Lauren Cummings

Sangria was great.

Mike Koshko

Excellent service, fantastic food, and delicious margaritas. It's a must-try in Portsmouth.

Julia Metzler

The food was amazing, but the moment we sat down our server informed us we would need to rush to make room for a later party. I'm all for being accommodating, especially with a group of our size, but rushing us as soon as we got there was not the best way to handle that situation. Our reservation was booked well in advance, so they had plenty of time to plan for this. Great food and drinks, sub-par service.

Phil Scott

Seriously the best chips and salsa I may have ever had. Unfortunately, my enchiladas were pretty lackluster, as were the sides of rice and beans. I will likely give it another go just on the merits of the chips and salsa!

Jason Munn- The Smart Move!-RE/MAX East Coast Elit

Loved the atmosphere, loved the location, loved the food. If you want great mexican food, this is it!

Bobbi Blue

They have the worst fish tacos I have ever had in my life the fish was not cooked fresh it seem to have been around quite a while the sour cream they brought to the table just seemed off the chicken nachos, well chicken just tasted like it had been around a while too. I went there for lunch on a Saturday but they don’t let you have a lunch menu on Saturday they only give you a dinner menu at lunch on Saturdays, to me that is simply wrong

David Knowles

Food was excellent, and so was our waiter.

Brian Lau

I am originally from San Diego and have worked in Mexico. The Mexican food here is bland, the tortillas used for the tacos are usually what is used for scooping up the leftovers on the plate. What you pay top dollar for is usually fairly cheap on the west coast. For instance I can go to a delicious restaurant and pay half the price for what you pay 17 dollars for. This goes for genuine tex-mex also. Won't be returning, your best bet is to look up recipes and cook Mexican food at your house :)

Bridget DeWan

I love the food and if you like margaritas and tequila, this is a great spot.

Marty Gray

Bartender was super nice and literally right before happy hour ended, she individually asked every party at the bar if we wanted a final drink before the end of happy hour.

Mark

I came here for lunch and was pleased. As a Texan who eats regular Tex-Mex, i found the food delicious. I highly recommend it if you need a good meal and great service.

Brian Reynolds

I've eaten at Agave many times since moving to Portsmouth in April 2016 (20 months ago). The food is the best Mexican I've had, outside of the southwestern US and Mexico... and better than most Mexican food I've had even in those locales. The service is always timely, exceptionally friendly, and professional. The restaurant is clean, inviting, and comfortable. I grew up in California, and my best friend, while growing up, is Mexican. You don't know what REAL Mexican food is... until your best friend's mama cooks for you! This place is the real deal. One prior review called the food "Tex-Mex". Wow! This is definitely NOT Tex-Mex. I've traveled all over the US, and I don't think there is a better Mexican restaurant east of the Mississippi. This is, BY FAR, the best Mexican restaurant in New Hampshire... and probably Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts too! Yes, it is a little pricey... because it's in downtown Portsmouth. And yes, the salsa could be a little thicker. But the entrees are awesome.

Cristina Berari

Good place to eat! Prices are a little bit high for a Mexican restaurant!

Jake Tweedy

Food and margaritas are great! They charge for chips and salsa, but they are delicious.

Andrew Salvo

Excellent Mexican food. Highly recommend the fajitas and margaritas. Staff is very friendly. Menu has a large selection of tasty Mexican cuisine

Kevin McGrath

Noce little spot, Great service, great food!

Michael Zaino

Food was excellent, server was very friendly, and atmosphere was nice.

Miranda Corson

Food was amazing, and the service was wonderful! It is my new favorite restaurant, I will definitely be going back and brining friends!

Jackie StPierre

We had a great meal at this restaurant. There were many dishes to choose from. We had some awesome margaritas too. Nice atmosphere and the service was good.