Agave

It isn’t Santa Fe so we’re lucky to have the Agave option here in the ‘burbs. Agave has been hit or miss in my half dozen dining experiences. The menu consists of fancier Mexican, moles and drizzles– not the comidas del campanero. A bartender gave me an informative lecture on tequila. The margaritas are said to be outstanding but then the prices are too. I like Hatch chile– largely unavailable in the East.

When I truly crave mexican food I go to Agave knowing how strong the flavors are. The tequila selection is the best that I’ve seen outside of Boston and I had the best margarita of my life here (the prickly pear). I’ve had so-​so service here before and that’s the only reason why they didn’t get five stars. They seem to close quite early but then again a lot of the nicer restaurants in Newburyport do as well.

Great food. Be prepared to pay for it. Accommodating to my dietary restrictions and needs. Waitress was attentive and nice without being in overly so. Margaritas were fabulous. It was a slow afternoon in the winter so everything came rather quickly and fresh. One suggestion: don’t put the tacos on the beans and rice. They get soft and soggy and had to eat it with a fork.

Had the Mahi-​mahi and boy let me tell you it didn’t disappoint at all. Yummy oh and Pumpkin had the Caesar salad with blackened shrimp. The flan was delicious. I’ll be back for sure!

Best margaritas and nachos in the area.

We ordered from Agave in Newburyport, and the owner, Dawn, was phenomenal to work with! We had a work luncheon today and we called them with a last minute request for a meal the next day to feed 45 people! Not only did they pull it together for us, but they took the time out to ensure everything was fresh, hot and AMAZING! We have employees with allergies and they made sure we new what items were not safe for those with them. Especially the gluten free allergies! Being a Celiac myself, it was nice to have so many options to choose from!
The Shrimp & Avocado salad was to die for! The enchiladas were a HUGE hit too. The quality is definitely top notch!
The food was AMAZING! Everyone came up to me raving about the meal they just ate. If it’s this good as take out I can only imagine how great it is in the restaurant! I think Agave just earned 45 new patrons!
Thanks Dawn and Agave! GREAT JOB!!!

The best Mexican restaurant you will ever go to besides in Mexico. Very authentic! Excellent service and great margaritas as well. My favorite is the guacamole which they make right at your table– it is a must if you come here!

Had the classic burrito. Excellent! Pitcher of sangria went down easily. Chips and salsa were tasty. Everyone love their meal! Great authentic Mexican. Check it out!

Been here a handful of times and always a great meal. Steak burrito is the best. Definitely one of the best restaurants in Newburyport.

Always a wonderful meal and great service at Agave!!!

This review is not about food but about community. We recently went in to speak to the manager about a gift card to support the high school soccer team. They are raising money for both the team and ALS research. When we asked about a donation of a gift certificate, he said they donate quarterly and our request was short notice (which it was). Totally understandable. So we decided to buy one ourselves and donate it to the cause.
When he rang up the gift certificate, he told us he had comped it anyway, something we had not expected. This was not the response we got from other local businesses.
So Agave is about great margaritas and fresh guac. No doubt about that. But its also about supporting the local community, the local schools, even when the request is last minute.
Thanks for your support

Decent American Mexican. The guac is delish and the bubbly cheese appetizer is addicting. Good margaritas too. On the salads: They are also decent but be warned — the chef expects you to toss and chop it yourself even though the plate clearly isn’t big enough for it and you’d make a big mess anyway. The salad with shrimp comes and you also have to reach into your salad and pluck the tails off. Huh? At least the food is relatively good and this is a great place for drinks with friends.

Place is pretty popular in beautiful Newburyport and for good reason. They were pretty packed when the wife, in-​laws and I showed up and they let us know that we could wait for a table, or the third floor had a bar that was pretty wide open. (There are a few outside seats too). Knowing that we wanted to sample their famous margaritas — we chose the bar on the third floor. Best decision we made that day.
The bar tender was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Incredibly nice guy too. The four of us had two rounds and both margaritas I had were incredible. One was some amazing raspberry concoction that normally I don’t go for but it was great. These puppies are good size too.
The food was no slouch either. I had fajitas and I remember commenting that even the rice was incredible. My wife and in-​laws were thrilled with their food too.
To tell you how worth it this place is, I had posted a picture from the square down the street on Instagram and a friend from high school that I haven’t seen in some time, but I know lives in the area, immediately asked if I went to Agave to try their incredible margaritas.
So yeah… RECOMMENDED!

Very average Mexican place. Ambiance is nice, service was fine, and there is a great selection of tequila.
The food was a disappointment at the lunch we had. The salsa was fine but the chips that were served hit from the kitchen were either soft or hard to the point of tasting stale. Asked for a new batch and those were the same way. Someone in the kitchen did not cook them correctly.
Entrees were «meh». The grilled chicken with mole sauce was dry and the mole tasteless. My wife’s chicken tacos were notable only for their lack of chicken. The rice sides were ok but dry. The retried beans were decent though.
Will not go here again.

Agave, you came highly recommended by the meter maid and we listened. Located in the heart of Newburyport, the patio seats were perfect for people watching on a beautiful Saturday. Beware that they post the WEEKDAY menu at the door and you get to find out the exorbitant WEEKEND prices after you are sat. We would’ve still dined here but didn’t appreciate the bait and switch.
Tequila selection was extensive and margarita options were plentiful. I forgot what we all got, but thought they were good (watered down cause the ice was melting faster than we could drink them).
I had the lightly fried fish tacos, the boy had the chicken burrito with salsa verde, and our friends split the meat platter with chicken, steak, and shrimp. The tacos were overloaded with red cabbage that effectively masked whatever amount of fish there was and required extra pico de gallo in order to create some sort of flavor. The chicken in the boy’s burrito was juicy and succulent. Rice and beans that accompanied both dishes were topped with cheese, none of which I really cared for. The meat platter was a heaping portion at $ 25 and was a good option for those looking to share. Friends felt that it was the best dish of their trip.

Perhaps my expectations were too high, since Agave had so many positive reviews and there was a 45 minute wait for a table, but I wasn’t impressed.
We decided not to wait for a table in the dining room and sat in the bar area, which was totally fine. We only had to wait a few minuets before a table opened. We were seated and greeted right away, served chips and salsa and waters.
The service and atmosphere here was good, my issue is the food. I ordered the blackened fish tacos (catch of the day) and my wife ordered vegetarian tamales, both $ 17.
Our food came out fast, I mean FAST — for a place that was bumping, every table full, long waits, how did our food come out so quickly? Pretty positive nothing was made to order.
The food was fine, certainly eatable, but pretty tasteless. The blackened fish was a bit soggy, taco shells were oily and nothing made me want to come back and try them again. The tamales were the same way, good/​fine, but eh.
In summary: great atmosphere with over priced food.

Decided to try them again.
Happy to say the service was very good, quite an improvement from my visit last year. They changed their salsa recipe from my last visit and I have to say it was pretty darn good.
The food is still ho-​hum…

Fun lively atmosphere. The staff was knowledgeable and attentive. The skinny pomegranate margarita was delicious, as well as the HUGE chicken nacho appetizer. My boyfriend and I had such a pleasant experience (we are already planning our next visit lol) ! I highly recommending trying this place out! Very cool, you will not be disappointed!

Go to place for Mexican food in town with eat in bliss and takeout delish! So yummy — Mexican comfort food and amazing drinks.

This is considered by many to be the «Best Mexican Food» of the Northshore. I went in on a Saturday for a light snack as I had a few hours to spare before a preplanned dinner reservation somewhere else.
Looking at the menu outside the restaurant, the prices seems a bit high but I figured you ARE in Newburyport so it «is what it is.» They have a second location in Portsmouth, NH.
The first floor (main floor) has two (2) bars, one which requires a STEP DOWN to get to. This restaurant is NOT ADA FRIENDLY. They also have several tables on the first floor which are first come, first served. They have two (2) other levels which I didn’t check out on this, my first visit but it is my understanding that the men’s room is in the BASEMENT and the ladies room is on the second floor with another bar upstairs.
I do understand that Unilocal is about the complete experience so that is why I am dwelling on the ADA compliance, or lack there of for this restaurant.
When we were seated we were brought a small basket of handmade chips and salsa which were very good. The chips were not greasy at all and were thick enough not to break while dipping into the salsa.
We ended up ordering the AGAVÉ NACHOS which consists of: fresh handcut fried tortilla chips with our homemade refried beans, melted Chihuahua cheese topped with jalapeños, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. for a price of $ 12.00. You can add pulled chicken, beef or pork for $ 3.00.
The portion was HUGE and could have easily served to feed 4 people for an appetizer. This averages the cost to less than $ 4.00 a person with the added protein.
If you don’t like very hot food I would recommend you don’t make the same mistake that I did and have them come with the jalapeños as the seeds were all throughout the dish but otherwise, the best Nachos I have even had. This special mild Mexican cheese was plentiful and was so good. The melted cheese on the edges of the plate were lightly crisped which was equally tasteful.
Our server was very attentive and he didn’t seem insulted that zero alcohol was purchased and that we were only doing an appetizer.
This is a must try if looking for the highest of quality Mexican food on the Northshore.