Chile & Agave

Pros: Friendly service. Nice ambiance. Entrees were very filling. Kid friendly.
Cons: Taste was average, nothing special. Too much cheese in Chimichangas (90% cheese). Pricey for the quality of food.

First off I am only going to say this once !!!
This is by far the BEST restaurant in St. Catharines
Okay I lied here it is again
This is by far the BEST restaurant in St. Catharines.
The service is fantastic! The waiter or waitress are extremely friendly and will recommend dishes to try to you. You will start of with nachos and salsa (homemade by the way) while you wait for your drink. They have an excellent selection of mexican beers and if your a little bit more adventuresome a nice selection of mescale. The atmosphere is exremly relaxing and fun. The best part is the food WOW!!! I have been many times and try a ton of things and everthing is great. I highly recommend you take some time and go to Chile and Agave.

Off a busy street, the décor felt authentic, like I was in Mexico.
The restaurant provides house-​made chips and salsa on the house, which was delicious.
I ordered the lunch special with an 8 inch burrito filled with beef, rice, beans, lettuce with a side of salad in a house vinaigrette ($ 9). This was probably one of the smallest and skinniest burritos I have ever eaten at the Mexican restaurant, but it was flavourful.
I would recommend ordering off the regular menu instead, as my husband’s enchilada dish was my favourite dish with 3 baked rolls filled with chicken with guajillo chili and tomato sauce, served with rice and beans. The refried beans was extra smooth, the sauce was deep in flavour and the meat was tender.

We ventured out to Chile & Agave after not being able to find a well rated Mexican joint in the falls area. It was a bit far, but we enjoyed the dinner.
First of all, but restaurant has a great theme and feel to it. The outdoor lighting always gives places a festive feel. The service was good and bad, but mostly good. In fact mostly great. For example, when I called out the Coke as being flat, the waitress offered to bring me Coke from a can. I was like, that’s fine, however then I won’t be able to get refills. And she’s like, don’t worry, I’ll get you refills, since the Coke being flat isn’t your fault?! :) YES… exactly. Thank you. I would only say that I wish she stopped by the table a bit more often — overall the service was just a bit slow.
The food was also good. Tried the enchiladas verdes, veggie burrito, and nacho platter. Had a bit of everything as we all shared. The food was good. I think the enchiladas were probably the best of the lot.
Overall, glad we made the little side trip and enjoyed our Mexican dinner. If you’re at the Falls and have that itch for Mexican, I definitely recommend it. Just make sure to have a car and time to drive out.

I’m thrilled to have found this restaurant! It’s been a very long time since I had good Mexican food in Ontario. My favourite place in Toronto closed several years ago and since then it’s been miss after miss. This place is great! Fresh ingredients and authenticity all the way. We had excellent margaritas and tacos. We were really happy with all of it. The waitress overheard me saying that it was my friend’s birthday and they brought out big sombreros for us to wear, put on a Mexican Happy Birthday song and gave her a slice of cake. Terrific service. I’ll definitely be back!

Nope. I’d rather eat at Taco Bell. I hate Taco Bell!

Phenomenal.
I had the shredded chicken chimichanga and my boyfriend had the shredded beef. Both come prepared with lots of cheese and sour cream with refried beans, rice, AND a house salad as sides. 5 star meals.
To top it off, you get complementary chips and salsa upon dining in.

Driving back from the U.S. we stopped in at Catharines based on reviews on Unilocal.We were not disappointed. Was really surprised to have authentic Mexican food in St. Catharines. I ordered the tacos with the three different options: cactus beef and chicken. It came in 3 separate bowls and with 4 corn tortillas. Honestly you could ask for extra Tortillas and share with someone else. There was so much food and it was delicious. The ambiance inside the restaurant was really nice and clearly efforts were made to provide people with an experience. The service was really friendly and I always love free nachos and salsa. I think the prices are appropriate for the amount of food provided and its really good. I would definitely return and most definitely recommend.

There’s an immediate Mexican charm to this restaurant. It’s overdone, colourful, big furniture, sombreros on the wall. the whole bit. Staff are vibrant. Big smiles, genuinely uplifting dispositions.
I started with the guac. Super fresh, mixed in front of the customer in a mortar & pestle. The chips are made in house. Mine were still warm. Salsa is complimentary. Beautiful start, although I think they toned down the spice to appeal to local clientele. Would’ve loved some more jalapeño in my guac.
The burrito was excellent. Everything inside was cooked perfectly. Great proportions of each item inside the burrito. Great balance; just the right amount of sauciness, texture, size. Even the temperatures were right. — cold crisp lettuce and tomato on hot beef and rice. Tortillas were definitely made in-​house. I even ate the refried beans on the side. I never eat the refried beans.
It’s not the best Mexican food I’ve ever had, but it’s up there. I can’t really fault them for much else, perhaps the staff asked me how I was doing too many times, which, in and of itself, is not such a bad thing.
If you’re in a car on your way to or from the US/​Niagara and you’re debating with a bunch of other people in the car whether to stop in, let me settle this for you: stop in.

We were driving around to get out of Niagara Falls for a while, and randomly stumbled upon this small restaurant in St. Catherines.
The service was attentive, and the food was AMAZING. This was easily some of the best Mexican regional food I’ve ever had. We got 3 mole enchiladas, which were delicious and unusually fresh. Also got the pork al pastor tacos. They had a delicious blend of chile, spices, and pineapple. Went great with a mandarin Jarritos.
We lived in Brooklyn for two years and didn’t find an authentic Mexican restaurant that came within a mile of how good Chile & Agave is. The restaurant FAR exceeded our expectations.

Love it. Definitely the best Mexican restaurant we’ve found in the area. There were multiple things on the menu with cactus, which we had never tried before so the waiter brought out a sample cup for us. The rice, beans, and salad were all good (and I don’t often like salad that isn’t Caesar). My boyfriend got fish tacos and I got a beef quesadilla. Both were amazing. I wasn’t expecting much outside of the ordinary getting a quesadilla but it was the best I’d ever had. And a free basket of nachos and salsa while waiting! We both commented on how comfy the chairs were too haha! The only things I have to say that aren’t entirely positive are that service was a little slow, and it is a bit pricier than I’d expect for Mexican (most meals are at $ 15). — Oh, and the waiter smelled a lot like smoke, but not the restaurants fault there.

This place was great, prompt service, hot food & good Mexican.
The décor was apropo, a little slice of Mexico nestled in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada.
Adult portions might appear a bit small but once you dig in, it’s more than enough, if not, order an appetizer first. The kids menu & portion size was large. Mind you refried beans & rice are cheap.
I’m highly critical but this place passed with flying colours. I would come back many times. Great flavour & Great food, authentic ingredients.
Bring the fam or just stop in for a Cerveza n’ tortilla chips!

How do you say, «Just o-​k» in Spanish?
Skipping lunch and the Benchmark not being open for dinner, my fam headed over to Chile & Agave for a super late lunch/​early dinner. We were STARVING!
(Thank dios for the free tortilla chips + salsa!)
As I looked through the menu, I was sorta surprised by the prices. Let’s just say they were Toronto, but in St. Catharine’s. Oh well, hopefully the servings will be bigger than T. O…no such luck.
I ordered the fish tacos (2) — close to $ 14 — to share. So at ~$ 6/​taco, I expect to see a big ass filet of fish, nope. What I ate was more batter than actual fish. And sure, there were the sides like rice + salad + refried beans, but all were quite bland. There was some dressing on the salad, but just a line on the top.
If this place were cheaper, then my rating would be exponentially higher, but with those prices I expected MORE &/​or tastier.

I really love the décor inside this restaurant! It has a very warm and friendly atmosphere! The outdoor patio is wonderful as well!
All of the staff are very friendly and helpful.
My daughter was in a very playful mood and thought it was funny to throw her food and spill everyone’s drinks! Our waitress came by to give us plenty of napkins and refills without us asking and I truly appreciated it!
The guacamole was very yummy and fresh! The hot sauce selection was limited. I always enjoy an array of house-​made sauces!
All of the entrees we ordered were delicious! My favourite was the chile rellanos. The poblano pepper was stuffed with meat and cheese and it was covered with a red sauce and more cheese and then baked… so tasty and full of flavour!
Almost all entrees come with a side of refried beans and rice which were good as well.
I look forward to going back here when I’m in the area again! I will definitely try the shrimp tacos and the churros for dessert!

The guacamole is to die for. Burrito superb. The enchilada verde was excellent. The tortilla soup my daughter ordered and everyone helped themselves. Amazing. Best Mexican restaurant I’ve been to. Service outstanding too. Prices good. Worth the drive from Niagara or Hamilton

I really enjoyed my enchilada verde, the tomatilla sauce was really nice and the veggie filling was vegetables, not just cheese.
The portions weren’t huge and the 3 Mole dish was just ok. But service was great.

Love this place! My boyfriend and I eat here at least once a month. Tortilla soup is Unreeeal. Our fav dishes are Enchiladas Verde and Cochinita Pibul! Do yourself a favour and add salsa, guac, and sour cream to your dish and you will be crying tears of joy. Ps don’t forget the hot sauce.

My bf and I been there a few times already! Fantastic place, great service, excellent service. Had the same waitress twice, she was amazing, even helped to pick what to eat and what’s good.
Definitely go again :)

My GF and I recently drove up from the states to take in the Niagara Falls /​Niagara on the Lake region of Ontario. After a few days doing the touristy stuff and eating all the slop they throw on your plates in the overpriced tourist spots near the falls we had had enough! We googled/​yelped for places nearby but not so nearby and desperately looked for good Mexican food.
We found this GEM in St Catharine’s — only about 9 km from the Falls (that’s very close for all my American brethren)
The place has a nice eye appeal out front — about what you would expect from a casual style Mexican place. Nice outdoor patio area if a bit small. The inside — awesome. The look was well thought out with beautiful art on the walls, nice hanging light fixtures, authentic feeling décor. etc.
Our waitress was very friendly and accommodating. Food was great! I’m not sure what other reviewers were looking for when it comes to portion size — My girlfriend and I ordered the Nachos w. Beef and an order of Chicken Fajitas and didnt finish it. And i assure you, we like to eat.
The nachos were presented expertly. Someone really took the time to lay out the chips and topping in a nice pattern with the ingredients evenly distributed thoughout. Our last bite was just as tasty as our first.
The fajitas — came out piping hot — sizzling as they should be. The chicken was expertly seasoned and a big portion to boot — probably 9oz of chicken and a heaping portion on perfectly cooked mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions.
We really enjoyed the whole place. Check out the pics I added as well. If this place wasnt 500 miles away it would be our new go-​to spot for mexican food. Great job!

I would highly suggest eating here! My new favorite Mexican place.
I went with a small group and we were sat at one of their new, large tables (they recently renovated). The staff was extremely friendly and the service was excellent even with it being very busy. We ordered the appetizer platter to share and it was a large enough portion that you could easily share it as a meal. I ordered the fish tacos and they were fresh and delicious. They also have a great patio with a little fountain.
Overall, I loved this restaurant!