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El Agave Reviews List
El Agave
El Agave was voted “Best Mexican Restaurant” in the San Diego Reader and San Diego Magazine in 1999. Chef Juan Carlos Gomez was also voted “1999 Chef of the Year” in Home and Garden.
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53 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
Rating Breakdown 53 reviews
5 stars
(15)
4 stars
(25)
3 stars
(8)
2 stars
(4)
1 star
(1)
Food
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- neighborhood gem(27)
- fit for foodies(25)
- good for groups(14)
- romantic(13)
- special occasion(12)
- great for outdoor dining(6)
El Agave Reviews List
Review 1 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Flan was the highlight
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"This place came recommended by a mole fan. I ordered a trio of moles over stuffed chicken and i have to say i was disappointed. The chicken was a bit undercooked and moles were watery. I m not a fan of mole but i've had a couple with a lot more texture than this. I did however, really enjoyed their flan. It had a nice caramel-ey (but not too sweet) taste and color (!!). It was velvety and texture-y. A real treat. The service was slow even though it wasn't crowded."
Dined on 5/19/2013
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Review 2 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Didn't do my research
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Looking quickly for a place to accommodate all of us I didn't notice how expensive the menu was! Not a good place for kids with picky pallets!"
Dined on 5/12/2013
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Review 3 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Unique Mexican Food
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"This is not the typical Mexican food restaurant you expect to find in San Diego. This restaurant specializes in mole sauces and the entire menu is based around them. Felt that the prices were high for lunch. Appetizers run from $12-18. Entrees are 22-40+ dollars.
No kids menu. This was a bummer. Went here for Mother's Day. Kids had difficulty finding something to eat (my kids are not picky). Ended up with a caesar salad & quesadillas (they looked like empanadas) for my girls. Each cost $11+. A bit pricey for a 7 & 9 year old to eat lunch.
Overall the food was delicious & the atmosphere was lovely, but I don't think any place in Old Town should have lunch for two adults & two kids w/only 1 margarita purchased, that costs over $100."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, scenic view, special occasion
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Review 4 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Upscale, gourmet Mexican Cuisine
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Food is unique, gourmet, modernized take on traditional Mexican fare. Absolutely amazing!"
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, neighborhood gem
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Review 5 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Place had an amazing collection
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Place had an amazing collection of tequilas. The chips and bean dip and 2 salsas was great. The pork mole verde i had was good but I thought overpriced."
Dined on 04/16/2013
2010
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Review 6 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Very expensive mexican food.
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Very expensive mexican food. Not really worth the money."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2012
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Review 7 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
I always get the filet agave.
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"I always get the filet agave. Amazing"
Dined on 04/17/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem
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Review 8 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
The food was good, decent.
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The food was good, decent. Nothing remarkable. There were 4 of us, two loved what they got and two
were underwhelmed."
were underwhelmed."
Dined on 04/13/2013
2010
Special Features: kid-friendly
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Review 9 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Lovely place with interesting
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Lovely place with interesting food from various regions of Mexico, and hundreds of tequilas. Everyone in our party thought their food was very tasty. Service was very good. The biggest problem is simply price - everything was considerably more expensive than last time I ate here (about a year ago). An appetizer, salad, soup, and one margarita came to just under $50 with tip. The bill for five people was $300, with two of us only having appetizers, and the other three only having entrees. It's just too much, and may explain how empty the place was - when we left at 7 p.m., there was only one other table occupied. So, really good food, if you don't mind the prices."
Dined on 04/04/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Review 10 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
It's not in Old Town where
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"It's not in Old Town where all the fun is, it's located on the edge of Old Town in a depressing area. Terrible didn't even begin to describe the service. We had to ask for menus and waiter said "I didn't think you were eating tonite", along with "I didn't want to interrupt you because you were talking" eons later when we wanted to order food. Waiter was NEVER around, no service period. I ordered quesadillas which were more like empanadas (not good empanadas) for that and a margarita I paid $30! on a good note, they had one of the best margaritas I've ever had and my friends said their food was very good. Herrerado should not be a waiter, he should be a car attendant. I usually don't mention names, but our experience was BAD!"
Dined on 03/22/2013
2005
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Review 11 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Awesome mole
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"My son stated this was the best food he ever ate and he will definately be back. We really liked the different mole sauces."
Dined on 03/16/2013
2012
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, hot spot
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Review 12 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
This place is by far the best
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"This place is by far the best I have found for authentic mexican food. As everyone knows SD is known for Mex Rest however this one has alot of great dishes with great flavor. This is now on the top of my list and a fav."
Dined on 03/05/2013
2006
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 13 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Felt pushed to order pricey
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Felt pushed to order pricey entrees and server discussed we did not... ambiance boring..."
Dined on 03/13/2013
2007
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Review 14 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Definitely not a place for
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Definitely not a place for a family. We have well behaved tween kids and they sat us in the bar and the place was not full. Upon bringing this to their attention nothing was done"
Dined on 03/12/2013
2007
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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Review 15 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Great authentic Mexican food
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We're from out-of-town. So each time we visit San Diego, this restaurant is a MUST visit. In fact, we enjoyed the restaurant so much that this trip, we dined there two different nights. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great overall experience. Truly authentic food from Mexico.
I tried an unlisted flight of the different tequilas. Wonderful! And educational!"
Dined on 03/09/2013
2007
Special Features: romantic, scenic view
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Review 16 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Everything was excellent
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We had an early dinner so it was quiet, not at all crowded. El Agave has an extensive list of mole's - we wanted to try them all, so we will have to go back many times. The starter menu was equally enticing. Not your typical chips & salsa, they served hand-made chips with three dips: salsa rojo, salsa verde, and black bean (puree?) - they were all very good. We received excellent service and just totally enjoyed the meal."
Dined on 03/05/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 17 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
WOW! Nice somewhat quaint
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"WOW! Nice somewhat quaint dining room. Wonderful tequilas. Lobster appetizer was great and mole dishes extremely good."
Dined on 02/28/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 18 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Good Mexican food for high price
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"This was a good meal. Satisfying but not what we had hoped for. We certainly were not disappointed but I think we hoped for a little more. It was pricey and the food was quality but missing panache.
I am not sure about the wine list per se but they have an outstanding tequila list. In fact, we bought a few bottles of their house tequila to take back home to Canada. It was exquisite and usually I find tequila hard to palate.
Would recommend to friends with the caveat that there may be better Mexican food in the area. But this was the only one we tried on our trip in this area (La Jolla)."
Dined on 02/15/2013
2012
Special Features: good for groups, notable wine list
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Review 19 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Always wanted to find an upscale
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Always wanted to find an upscale Mexican restaurant for business entertaining as well as a romantic dinner - this is it. The food is fantastic and the service professional. I will definitely return!"
Dined on 02/07/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, great for lunch
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Review 20 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Food was ok. Service was very
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Food was ok. Service was very slow. I will not go back"
Dined on 02/06/2013
2003
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list
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Review 21 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Great ambiance ... but a little
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Great ambiance ... but a little pretentious. Great tequila. Interesting little spot."
Dined on 01/28/2013
2008
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 22 for El Agave
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
The best upscale Mexican around.
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"The best upscale Mexican around. Been here many times over the years and still a favorite. Took the in-laws here before there red eye back east. Pricier for Mexican, but not your taco shop type of place. You get what you pay for. Duck Mole entree is fantastic, as was everything else everyone ordered! Try this Place out if you have the chance. You won't be disappointed."
Dined on 01/21/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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Ratings-Only Reviews for El Agave
Based on the average of (31) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
4 out of 4 recommend this product
Food
(Outstanding)
4.4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
4.3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic