This restaurant is one of my Ithaca Favorites. The setting is funky and modern, with a large variety of art (for sale!) on the walls. Additionally, they have a nice covered outdoor patio in the summer. The menu is inspired, modestly priced and evolving, with changes made fairly frequently. The daily specials list typically has four/five dishes. The drink menu has many unique cocktails.
Additionally, they are open fairly late. The kitchen of many places in Ithaca close at 9pm, so its refreshing to find a place where it closes at 11 on some nights. Friday and Saturday are also great if you like live music. The foods all have generous portions, with the sandwiches coming with a mountain of hand-cut fries and house-made ketchup. Entrees are just as good, with lots of variety but a consistent level of quality. Its the perfect destination for a casual dinner, or a festive celebration.
So me and my ten hungry bad Asian driver friends (see previous review on ringwood raceway) decided to come here for some late night eatin at 10:30pm. Well yea we're not college kids anymore. That's pretty late.
The kitchen supposedly closes at 11 so we were fairly warned on the phone to put in our orders as early as possible when we arrive. When we sat down, the overall attitude of the staff was welcoming and we didn't feel hurried at all.
We started with some chips and guac. The guac was extremely creamy and had too much lemon, making it unbearingly sour. We then moved onto their "soon to be famous" flatbread, baked up in their brick oven. To me it pretty much tastes like pizza without the layer of cheese and tomato sauce. The portion is large and enough to be an entree by itself. Topping was fresh.
I asked for the cut of the day for my main. Later the lady came back and told me "the good news is, the cut of the day is extremely good. Bad news is, we ran out." Gee. I felt a slap in the face there. So I went with the hanger steak medium rare served with fries.
The steak tasted dry, bland, and a bit overcooked. Its sliced into strips and made it cook and cool a lot faster so perhaps I missed out on the umame* (whys everyone using that word nowadays?).
There were amateur paintings hanging all around the walls with serial numbers like an art gallery. This was accompanied by live keyboard music (only on Sat nights I believe?). The atmosphere, the friendly staff, and the general feel of the restaurant should be securing easy 4 stars. However, the quality of its food will drop it to a 3.
*Ju L: UMAMI
LOVED! Â This place! Â A really unique menu. Â I had the Jerry salad with tofu and the pickled veggies (they had a kick)! Â My mom had the Casa salad with shrimp and the roasted cauliflower. Â The cauliflower was amazing! Â Loved the interior of this place too, a great vibe. Â We will be back!
Review Source:So after hearing all the hype and everyone from work telling me to try this place I did, and I was not impressed in the least.
Let me start with the good though because there was some really high notes here:
The street corn is amazing. I love Bobby Flay's corn from Mesa Grill, best corn ever and this comes pretty darn close to that! It is served as a whole corn-on-a-cob though which is okay, but I think should they have grilled it then taken the kernels off then mixed it with everything then it would have been a bit better but it was still amazing!
The atmosphere is really quite nice and the servers are really nice. I like that they leave the water bottle at the table for your convenience, too many times do I go to a place and not get enough refills as I like and this was perfect.
When you arrive they give you fresh chips and salsa and the salsa is pretty amazing!
Now onto the bad:
The prices are steep, really steep for what they are and would the meal have been better I wouldn't have complained.
People who follow me know I am a burger guy, I love burgers so naturally the Agava Burger was my meal choice. The bun, was thin, so thin that it turned to moosh on the bottom when I was eating the burger as the burger was quite drippy. I ordered a medium rare burger but was brought a rare/ nearly raw in the middle burger which I am okay with eating but my friend ordered his medium and got medium rare/rare which he doesn't like though from experiences in the past I've learned to never have them take your food back, just eat it and move on with your life or just don't eat it.
The burger itself had A LOT of flavor, was a good size and plenty juicy. but there were non toppings other than cheese. I was missing the fried onions that came on it and there was no tomato, lettuce or anything crunchy. I ended up putting some french fries on it and it balenced a little bit but it was just a pile of soft meat moosh with no crunch or anything to blence the texture. It was not a burger and in fact might scale down to the worst burger I've ever had because it was incomplete in my mind, though apparently this is how the burgers come. They could've done something like putting a poblano pepper on the burger or arugula or something because meat, cheese and a bun does not make even a slightly good burger. I was not the only one at the table who got the burger and they were not satisfied in the least as well. Also we paid $12 for the burger! Kilpatricks does it better for $8 and their fries are pretty bang-on if I do say so myself!
The french fries, which as you know in my opinion MAKE the burger, were okay. They are shoestring fries which I don't mind but were a tab salty. Though the homemade ketchup was pretty amazing, and I hate ketchup.
We also ordered one of their flatbreads, the Hot Buzz  one with blue cheese and chipotle chicken. The flat bread was so thin the crust became moosh. We couldn't even pick up a piece because it just flopped over. The crust and flavors were great but really? It was way too thin and we ended up eating it with a fork. Granted there are those who like it that way but flat bread and pizza to me, is a finger food and this was no finger food.
My wife got the tacos, specifically the chicken tinga tacos. For $9 you get 3 regular corn tortillas with a spoonful, just one spoonful of chicken. nothing else. You get no sides (unless you order and pay for them) just 3 small "soft" tacos.
The thing that was the worst though was that after getting the check, we waited 23 minutes (yes we counted) for them to take my credit card. The manager who gave us our check walked by 5 times, even made eye contact with me twice, and just walked right by. Our waitress who had disappeared earlier in the night (I guess the manager took over) came by and was curious that we were even still there saying she thought the manager had taken care of us!
Needless to say I will not be going back here. The service is way too slow, the food mediocre for the price which is way too high for what this place is. I understand trying to cater to a higher standard and charging for it but make your food worth the money.
I've had several hit-or-miss (mostly miss) lunches at Agava, but I'm a converted enthusiast for their happy hour! Â They offer half-price beer and frozen margaritas (more flexible than twofer plans). Â I'm not a beer drinker, and I prefer margaritas on the rocks, so I was totally skeptical of any margarita that comes out of a kiddie slush-maker. Â I was pleasantly surprised! Â At $3 a drink, there's not a lot of tequila, which is fine with me. There's a bar-like area on the patio, so we could sit outside without having dinner and we got great service. Â I'll definitely go again.
Review Source:Very nice atmosphere. I really enjoyed the overall theme. The day I went, they had a really cool folk band(it was a couple playing guitar, and one singing) playing that I loved. The food was great, but the waiter was a little awkward. She lingered around our table as if we were doing something wrong. Very odd.
Review Source:The food here is very hit or miss. This is kind of what I think viva was going for with their restaurant only this place sort of succeeds. The ideas are creative, but some of the dishes lack flavor. I really disliked the asian/mexican fusion short rib dish; it was just bland. The carnitas tacos were tasty but nothing special. The drinks were fantastic though and I liked the decor/vibe a lot.
Review Source:I came for lunch and had the carnitas tacos. Â I loved that each taco was piled with GUAC! Â The white corn tortilla was yummy. Â The only thing I didn't like about the tacos was that the carnitas were soooo greasy. Â I had grease dripping from the tacos and down my hands. Â My mom had the chorizo flatbread and my dad had the shortrib sandwhich and they both liked their food as well. Â I'm glad we tried this place!
Review Source:This place is definitely the default place that my friends and I go to when we can't decide where to go. Â The food here is so good and their flatbread is delicious. Â I recommend the frozen margarita and the tuna tostada there. Â I usually (75% of the time) get the green flatbread because I'm lactose-intolerant and it has been a great staple.
Review Source:I've since been back to Agava several times and it's been very inconsistent. Last night it was truly disappointing. I ordered a flatbread with white beans, mushroom, and spinach, and it was awful. Tasteless dough that was watery on top and burnt on bottom (not that nice fire-kissed char--actually burnt), limp spinach, oversalted beans. To make things worse, our waiter was unfriendly and rushed us through our meal, even though the restaurant was only half-full. He brought us the check as soon as we put our forks down, not bothering to ask whether we wanted anything else. We had planned to order another round of drinks--his loss, I guess. Hopefully this was just an off night for Agava, as I liked it in the past. But given my mediocre experiences there the past few times and the bad dinner last night, I don't think I'll be eager to go back.
Review Source:Agava is one of my favorite restaurants, and I go there at least once a week. It gets pretty packed on a Friday night, so I really recommend going on a Wednesday, or going early, because it is super popular! It's a good atmosphere though, and waiting on the beautiful porch with a cocktail is no great hardship.
The Agava Burger is consistently stunning; ask for extra sauce! It is the best burger in Ithaca, and one of the best I've ever had. Their flatbreads, especially the Chupacabra, are to die for, and even the brussels sprouts sing when taken from the enormous oven and sprinkled with pine nuts.
Excellent cocktails, and STRONG. Their mojitos are delicious. The tasting flight of beers is always a fun choice.
Appetizers: Get the calamari, or the Devil's Horses, which are mussels on grilled bread with bacon. It sounds wrong, but it's so so right.
I know I'm going to ruffle a few feathers here, but even though Agava is a Southwestern restaurant, their strength lies in the non-TexMex dishes, which are to die for. I had an Asian fried chicken special last night, which I was told they will be adding to the menu soon. And it was half a chicken. A lot of food!
I've never had their desserts. I'm always too full. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The staff are attentive and well-informed. They've actually tasted the incredible food they're peddling, and it shows. Incredible.
I don't get the rave reviews.
First meal was a good brunch -- peach pancakes were pretty decent.
I have had 3 meals since, each with serious flaws.
1) OVER cooked tuna after the waitress assured me it would be rare to medium rare.
2) DISGUSTING ceviche. Seriously - I think there was a spill into my dish.
3) Everything bland. I live close by and cannot seem to crave a single item on the menu. I'd rather eat leftovers at home.
Next, service is a problem. The worst was an inexperienced wait staff unsure of menu items. One waitress was rude to my kids (who kept devouring the chips and salsa, and then asking for more). She looked at me and with an almost angry voice informed me that we would have to start paying for it (as if it was coming out of her paycheck). I told her to bring it, to keep it coming, and to charge me whatever she felt like was fair.
So I guess maybe brunch is better than dinner??? Dinner consistently B.A.D.
A welcome  addition to Ithaca. Agava is owned by Ithaca Bakery folks and is in the old Coyote Loco location next to East Hill Plaza.  I've taken out of town guests here several times and they really enjoyed themselves. More upscale and pricier than other Ithaca Bakery/College Town Bagels dining options. Vegetarian friendly. Menu offers lots of small plates and shareable dishes.
Review Source:Womp womp. My friends and I were so excited to try the burger because we heard great things and left so disappointed. We came on our lunch hour which was a huge mistake, as it took 40 minutes for our burgers to make it to the table. yikes. The burgers, though all were under cooked, were really tasty. Add a side of a sad pile of burnt shoe string fries and you have a $15 lunch. Â Sadly, we will not be returning customers.
Review Source:Great brunch experience. Â Huge cup of very good coffee to start - then ordered the hash and eggs. Â Always ask "Is it homemade?" -and when the answer is "Yes" - I get it - (sometimes will even get it when the answer is "No")! Â Any way - the hash with big chucks of corned beef and potatos done in the oven in a black pan. Â Very tasty - peppery blend. Â Made the mistake of ordering the eggs "easy" - there was no runny yolk (should have gotten them "sunny". Â Regardless a great, flavorful dish - highly recommended.
Review Source:Anywhere that serves brunch all the weekend is my kind of joint. That said, get the crabcake benedict or the veggie burger (one of the best in town). Charred is a great margarita. Just go with a group of pals or your best friend and linger by the wood fired oven (or the patio in summer).
Review Source:Agava is a great place for drinks and apps. Â The chips and salsa are great and the quinoa fritters and flat bread are pretty good as well! On Wednesdays the late night trivia is a lot of fun especially during the nice weather when it is out on the patio. Â On Fridays and Saturdays they also have live music beginning at 10p. This is pretty much where the good stops. Â The entrees are not very imaginative despite their claim, tend to be over powering of one flavor, and are pricey for what they are. Â The desserts are just plain bad. Â The portions are extremely small and tasteless.
Review Source:Food: 5 stars, I love the food here. Closest thing you can get to mexican food with an american fusion twist. If you like Chipotle, you will definitely love this place. Not to say this is fast food in any way, but the combination of flavors from the tacos, which they are known for, reminds me a the amazing flavor combination that Chipotle is known for.
There is lots of seating and a relatively large bar, but if you come during peak dinner time, you can expect to wait up to an hour....This is the biggest downside and during this time even after you get a seat the food will take a while and the service is mediocre. All that aside the food is so good that it still brings my review to an overall 4 stars.
I had a mediocre experience here. Â The pita/hummus was light on the pita, and the wife thought that there was to much sauce on the hummus.
  I had the lobster mac and cheese.  My lobster was slightly over cooked, mostly good.  The cheese sauce was a bit bland.  Nothing to write home about.
  The wife had ceviche.  I thought it was pretty good.
  A friend of ours ordered a side of black beans which was crazy salty, indelibly so.  I'm not sure if he was charge for them or not.  His main course was darn good and I think the rest of the table had a pretty good experience... until we looked at the bottle of water we had all been refilling from.  The inside of the bottle was caked with what at first appeared to be hard water residue, but after holding up to the light revealed darker bits of food particles.  Not good.
   I ended the meal with a coffee, which was weak tasting but served in generous portion.
  Service was good with hostess, no direct interaction with bartender other than a quick hello, and our server didn't come off as happy.
I had high hopes when I entered this newer southwest inspired restaurant. Unfortunately I was greeted by a hostess staring down at papers, clearly distracted and overwhelmed, and who let me stand awkwardly in front of the hostess stand without saying a word..and then FINALLY when she said hello-she muttered 45 minutes and stared back at me with a blank, dense expression. I'm confused? Did she say hi to me and I missed it? Darling, you're in the world of customer service..put a friggen smile on and greet me.
Fortunately enough for my night out--I'd say the phenomenal flatbread here made up for the hostess. I'd go back..and walk straight to the bar.
Maybe it's because I'm originally from the Midwest and will happily eat various plain tubers, legumes, and bread for days on end, but I was skeptical of Agava, as I am of all trendy East Coast restaurants. It's as if something deep inside me rebels at the thought of paying 11$ for pork tacos; needless to say, I went in to the restaurant mentally kicking and screaming.
But Agava really has something special going for it, and I was quickly won over. Not by the industrial/exposed wood decor or the hopping atmosphere, but by the light, fresh and altogether unique fare. That last point came as a complete surprise, given that the upscale Mexican theme has been so sorely beaten.
My girlfriend got the El Pato flatbread and I had the Padre tacos. Both dishes were excellent, and the details -- from the light and creamy avocado and green salsa in the tacos to the finesse of scattered parmesan on the flatbread -- added to the sense of uniqueness that made the experience so enjoyable. Additionally, the Agava mojito we ordered struck an inebriating balance between sweet and crisp, all without being sappy or too tart.
Normally I don't write much about service, because it is so rarely above average, but the service at Agava was exemplary. The friendly hostess let us know exactly when to come to avoid a wait, and our server, while a bit demure, kept our table flawlessly.
All in all, Agava makes for a welcome addition to an already strong lineup of Ithaca favorites.
It's really hipster. Like really. It's the epitome of Ithaca hipster with crazy paintings and awesome wood furnishing and tables. It's also owned by the owner of Ithaca Bakery so they definitely seem to know what they're doing.
The food is... okay. Some of my friends and I shared the flatbread and it was alright and the tortilla soup was way too salty. The free chips and salsa were amazing though. I felt bad because we literally got like 15 refills of the chips and salsa haha. I got the Agava Burger and personally thought it was way too salty. I think that seems to be the trend here. However, my friend got the Carnitas Pulled Pork Sandwich and it was amazing.
I like this place. I think I'll be coming back to try some other hipster food, but it's not food I'm going to die to have or crave.
Agava is a welcome new place in a great location.
Being near my aging mother's house, it makes an easy place to go when we are visiting, they were very helpful and patient with my mom.
The food was good to excellent, we ended up coming back three days for lunch plus Sunday for brunch, a few dishes missed the mark, but overall I would recommend Agava to anyone.
The noise level is a challenge, the room is tall and full of hard surfaces, so once it gets busy, conversation is impossible, even with the person next to you.
Our experiences also varied with servers. Â Three out of four times, we had excellent attentive friendly servers and everything went smoothly, one of the four trips we had a surly server and the things did not go well, after spending many years in the restaurant business, I can say for sure, this bad experience was due to the server's inability to manage the pace of her tables.
So, four stars instead of five because of a few lackluster dishes, and one bad server.
We came on a Saturday right at the end of the lunch crowd. We're not familiar with Ithaca so we depended entirely on the Yelp recommendation. The restaurant was busy but our server was attentive and didn't try to rush us into ordering.
The variety in their menu proves that you don't have to have multiple pages of offerings to serve every palate. The four of us were each able to get something we really enjoyed - burger for my husband, pancakes for kid #1, flatbread pizza for kid #2 and chorizo con huevos for me. I know that everything was delicious and fresh because I exercised The Mom Privilege and requisitioned a bite from everyone's plate.
Kid #2 loves cooking shows and watched the chef at the wood-fired oven do his thing. He was very kind to her and let her sit at the bar where she could see while he talked to her about cooking.
We will definitely come back next time we are in Ithaca.
I'm losing my patience with Agava. Â Last night, one of the hostesses was unpleasant enough that it caused us to just leave without putting our names down to wait for a table. Â
The previous time, we went for lunch and it was fairly busy, but not packed. Â Our server was inattentive and forgetful throughout our meal. Â She never came back to check on us the food was mediocre at best -- I left most of it on the plate (although, I thought the house salad was good). Â My husband's lunch was fine, but he was not thrilled with it.
Not sure if we'll make another attempt...
Agava is new age mexican, with great drinks and southwest flavors but it is absolutely not a typical chip-salsa-burrito-enchilada joint. Â There are tremendously interesting choices on the menu here, including ceviche, flatbreads, steaks, tacos and tortas (but no burritos), give yourself time to look it over.
The free chips arrived without asking and were made from very coarsely ground corn, they were thickly chunky and freshly made, altho served stone cold unfortunately. Accompanied by a nice tomato salsa with a pleasant hint of heat.
First Yelper recommendation was the char margarita: a small margarita with smoked salt on the rim. Â Excellent and deep flavor, smoke both from the salt and the mezcal, the most interesting 'rita I've had in some time, and fairly priced at $7.
We started with lamb meatballs, and that was more great advice from other Yelpers. Â The balls were a little funky & gamey and slathered in a chunky, spicy tomato sauce. Â Like the corn chips, the lamb was ground quite coarsely and had lots of texture, not mushy at all. Â Not cheap at $9 for four.
Flatbreads here are GREAT, served steaming and smoky from the wood-burning oven. Â My dining companion got the margarita which arrived properly blistered with smoked mozzarella, fresh basil and non-spicy tomato sauce. Â This was a classic pizza, no southwest flavors on it, nonetheless delicious, a good value at $10.
I got their vegetarian (or maybe vegan?) version of a chile relleno, a poblano pepper stuffed with quinoa. Â Not a scrap of cheese to be seen anywhere, and not battered & deep fried either. Â Great flavor but quite different from the classic dish of the same name. Â Notably overpriced at $13.
The entree sizes are relatively small. Â The poblano came without any rice, without any refried beans. So unlike typical mex places, two people can eat chips & sala, finish an appetizer AND finish their meals. Â But with that said we didn't get any of the entrees like steak or salmon, those might be huge.
Our server was cheerful and easy to find. Â Interior is all new and carefully done, don't let the bland exterior and bare-bones parking lot put you off.
Great place, I'd visit again in a hearbeat.
I've been twice for dinner, and I have been fairly underwhelmed both times. It's one of those places that I really want to like. Really. And i'm glad someone is filling the southwestern food niche in Ithaca, but they need to work on the execution.
So far I've had the: ceviche - (so far the best thing i've had here. Nothing groundbreaking, but had good flavor, light, tasted fresh, a little spicy. I believe they change the ceviche daily), wings, beef short ribs, and their bacon clam special. With the exception of the ceviche, everything seemed far too heavy handed with the salt. Particularly with the short ribs, it was difficult to taste anything past the salt. With the wings and the clams you expect it to be a little heavy on the sodium, so while it may not have been to my taste...sure i'll them a passing grade. But with the short ribs, unacceptable.
I also ordered a side of black beans and rice to go with my clams. Don't order the black beans and rice. It is exactly what you would make yourself at home in 10 minutes. And not in the good homey way. Â
The environment is nice, and the service is really good (very friendly/helpful/attentive/etc). I'm likely to give them another shot, but when I do I'll probably avoid the full entrees and opt for something simpler like the burgers or tacos.
Farm-to-table ingredients is always a noble move, but if you're going to do it, just let the ingredients shine. I think they can do better.
Agava does not deserve such good ratings. The food is mediocre, if not atrocious, here, and ridiculously overpriced for what you get. I have been here twice, both times with my husband and a group of friends. I just don't even know how to express HOW BAD the food is here, especially for what you pay for it. This is indicative of Ithaca dining in general, where people are fooled by ambience and buzz - it is a case of the emperor having new clothes but no clothes at all.
The first time we went, I ordered a black bean burger, and it was incredibly bland - it just tasted like mushy beans. Not up to the hype at all. My husband ordered the Torta # 1 - that was also incredibly bland. The fries were soggy and, again, flavorless. One of our friends ordered the steak tacos, and had to remove the steak from the tacos because it was too tough to chew. Another friend got flatbread which was not filling enough - and she eats like a bird. The only person who liked the food got corn (and that's no longer on the menu). Also, it was corn - is it possible to screw that up?
After repeated recommendations from various people, we went against our better judgment and decided to give Agava another chance. This time, my husband and I ordered from the Plates section of the menu. He ordered the shrimp fettucine, which had flavors that just tasted wrong together, yet somehow still managed to be bland.
I had the Lil Shorty spare ribs, and I can tell you, this is NOT "Vietnamese-style". I have eaten Vietnamese food my entire life, and NEVER have I had anything so SALTY. In fact, I don't even think SALT can be as SALTY as this dish was. The vegetables were drenched with this DISGUSTINGLY SALTY sauce, and completely inedible. The meat, though tender, was, again, ruined by the SALT. It was like they had taken all the salt which they SHOULD have been using for all the bland food they make, and dumped it onto my plate.
Our other friends ordered various items and were not overly impressed, especially given the prices of the menu items. I'm sorry, but $12 for a single 1.5" diameter crabcake that was "Okay", is way too much.
I don't understand the reviews which say this restaurant is reasonably priced. If you were to compare the food here with the food at a similarly priced restaurant in NYC, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, the food in those cities would blow Agava out of the water (which, really, isn't hard to do). Run, don't walk away from this place. Ithaca needs better food, and this place is not helping.
I've been to Agava a few times now since they've opened, and I've enjoyed it every time. We usually split some of their tacos, an appetizer, and we each get a margarita. I am partial to their char version, which is salty and smokey with a delicious smoked salt rim and some awesome mescal. This is not some frozen watered down Chevy's margarita, but rather a delicious drink for adults.
They do a wonderful job with their braised greens tacos, though the braised green side can be really over salted. This summer they had a really great heirloom tomato side that was simple but awesome. For appetizers, they do a fantastic seared scallop which has been cooked perfectly both times I've had it. My absolute favorite thing so far has been the pork carnitas tacos, which were perfectly seasoned (a rarity in Ithaca's southwest options).
One thing that could really set them over the top would be a house hot sauce or something like that. If not, then I would have like more hot sauce options. I was disappointed that they didn't have either Tapatio or Cholula, but rather something that I hadn't heard of before for a hot sauce option. Their option was ok, but it wasn't nearly as flavorful as either of those and was more of a pure heat hot sauce.
Their ambiance is great for going out with a group of friends for a few drinks, dinner, or even just snacks. It is probably a little loud for a good date spot, and I probably wouldn't want to take children there. The service is unremarkable, which in my mind is a good thing.
Overall, this is a great place with good, solid food, some absolute gems on the menu, good drinks, nice atmosphere, and it fits a missing niche in the Ithaca restaurant scene.
What a fantastic place! This rivals some of the best, if not better, places in NYC. A great selection of Tequila and a well thought out menu with fresh flavors - a rarity among Mexican restaurants.
I was new to the area and happened to look for a nice Mexican place and this one came up as the best! Thanks to Yelpers with truthful reviews it really lived up to my expectations.
For those who remotely like Tex Mex, this is a must do. I would surely travel at least an hour to make it here.
A tale of 2 diverse experiences.
We waited 45 minutes in the bar for a table on a Friday night. We were seated in the bar as we waited, being under 2 speakers mounted about 6 feet above our heads, Â the general sound level was loud enough to make conversation impossible. We were promptly served drinks and ordered a flatbread appetizer. When the appetizer was served 30 minutes later a waiter tossed on our table in passing without slowing down. We now had a flatbread covered in melted butter and herbs and no plates, no napkins and no silverware. I stood in the 3 deep line at the bar for 5 minutes in an attempt to get a busy bartender's attention with no luck. I then went into the dining room and took napkins and silverware off of an empty table. We were then offered a table in the bar for dinner after 45 minutes and we declined due to the noise level.
Rating for the service so far=1 star
Finally seated and things quickly turned around. Our server, Emily was awesome and kind, the food was delicious, it is wonderful to eat "hand made" food that is not made in a factory somewhere else.
The local beef was wonderful and full of flavor. I am happy to patronize a business that buys local and organic when possible. The ingredients were tasyy and well prepared.
Dinner was 4 stars
I would never return on a Friday or Saturday without a reservation!
I've been twice, both times for dinner. The food was good, and the service was good. We ordered a large variety of dishes, from appetizers to dessert.
But there was one oddity: the guacamole was nondescript, under-seasoned and flavorless. It surprised me that a place advertised as Southwestern would have mediocre guac.
Other than that, though, I liked the food, and we'll go back.
In an act of desperation, my boyfriend used Foursquare to find a restaurant for us while we were staying in Ithaca for the weekend. We found this gem on Saturday night (Establishments seem to close early outside of NYC). AND because we checked in on Foursquare, we got free sangrias (red or white: Red was better).
The food was pretty delicious too! Our favorites were the lamb meatball appetizers (with pine nuts!) and the Lone Ranger tacos (steak). The catfish one was eh. It needed more seasonings or something to give it oomph.
The kitchen ran out of ceviche after we ordered so they comped our Strawberry shortcake dessert (it has another name that escapes me at the moment). It was perfectly light and just sweet enough.
Great service too. Very cool spot overall. The outdoor patio was really casual but still romantic. Definitely a great date spot.
AGAVA may actually have taken the #1 spot on my Ithaca restaurant list. I came here on graduation weekend and had an amazing meal with my boyfriend (the graduate!), including drinks and dessert. He had a beer, I had a great classic margarita. They bring out fresh tortilla chips and salsa before your meal, which we of course loved.
For dinner, we sampled a bunch of small plates and an entree. The pan-seared scallops in brown butter with capers (soooo delicious), the "farrotto" (good, but not great), the chupacabra flatbread (with bacon, mushrooms, etc. -- easily the best part of the meal), and "L'il Shorty" which was Vietnamese short rib (also good). Tres leches and flourless chili-chocolate torte for dessert were both so, so delicious.
Coupled with excellent service and really interesting, creative decor, this place is a winner. It's definitely a little expensive for me, and the portions for many of the small plates are miniscule, but if you're not eating the entire restaurant like we were, it's doable. If you want big portions, try the flatbreads -- they're huge. Overall, very impressed by AGAVA.
Have gone twice now. Positives: place looks great, nice job! Drinks are tasty as well. Service is very friendly.
Negatives: I know every one is raving about the food, but I honestly think the newness and excitement of the place has the better of them. This is supposed to be SOUTHWEST inspired food. I'm not sure if people have eaten in the southwest, but the food there is bursting with spices and flavor. Both times I have eaten here, the flavors in the food seem to be playing it very safe to down right bland. I love fish tacos, and these are really really bland. A fish taco from any truck in San Diego destroys these. Same for the chili relleno: really nice ingredients and vegan as well, but really pretty flavorless. We are talking about a chili relleno for crying out loud, flavor please! Also, the corn tortillas are pretty bland as well, and I noticed they ship them up from NYC. Why? This was the general from all who accompanied me. 1st a table of 8, then just 2 of us.
I have heard these general thoughts from others as well, and am a bit surprised at not seeing this in more reviews. They are new, and obviously pleasing customers, so what do I know, but my opinion, if your Southwest, then go for it! Don't play it safe with flavors!!!
I had a good experience here recently and am looking forward to coming back. I really like what they have done with the space - high, open ceilings, and wood accents everywhere. They have a lovely patio in the back, which is where I sat with some friends for dinner.
Our server was very friendly and accommodating. The one disappointment was the salsa. The one that came with our chips was rather bland, so we asked for something spicier. The server came back with something he said contained habanero, so we were expecting something hot. Instead, it had no heat whatsoever. We all tried it and agreed. Not sure what went wrong there.
Otherwise, the food was very tasty.
One thing I do want to point out that strikes me as disingenuous and just plain cheesy, is that the first reviewer of this restaurant (R. Brous) is related to the owner, which is fine - but it's hardly an unbiased opinion, and he doesn't reveal his relationship to the owner in his review. This gave me an initial bad impression of the restaurant, which isn't merited by its food and service.
My new favorite local restaurant! I was so pleasantly surprised after my first visit. The atmosphere was cool and fun and we felt transported somewhere much more urban and exciting than Ithaca. It was a little loud and busy, but also buzzing, and the food was great! Prices were surprisingly reasonable too. Many of the tapas selections are pretty cheap, and the bill for four of us (three tapas dishes, an entree each, and three alcoholic bevvies) was around $80.
The highlight for me was the bean burger. Absolutely amazing. It is some sort of mash of beans and cheese and veggies, re-formed into burger shape, topped with roasted peppers, with the most wonderful, rich flavor. Hands down the best veggie burger I have ever tasted. I had it without the bun, and enjoyed it on its own. YUM! The fries are pretty damn delicious too.
I sampled some of my companion's "Boomer" portobello tacos, which were also great.
The "Mary Jane - wood oven puffed flatbread" is a huge dome of doughy goodness. When it was brought to our table, everyone around us turned to look and asked what it was.
I'll admit to being a total wimp when it comes to hot and spicy, and the salsa that came with the complimentary chips was a no-go for me, but everyone else at my table was addicted.
Only disappointment is that the bean burger isn't offered on the brunch menu. I returned for lunch one weekend with my heart set on it, only to be told it couldn't be done. WAH!
This was my first dining experience in Ithaca, and man was it a good one. Similarly, I was the first customer at this place's grand opening, so combine my hunger with their eagerness to impress and I had a great experience here. I went with the pork carnitas and the crispy pork belly that wore a fried egg for a hat. The tortillas for the carnitas were actually a bit bland, but the pork was phenomenal. The crispy pork belly was an unctuous pleasure, and the crispy aspect to it worked perfectly. The egg and ramps really added to the dish, and I was impressed that everything was sourced locally--eating with a conscience is something we've gotten away from. Speaking of...
A couple people have complained about the "shot glasses" for water. That's an unkind exaggeration, and misinformed--my waiter explained that the water is plain old tap water, but they run it through their own charcoal filter to remove impurities. The result is clean mineral water, and is served in cold glass bottles--the 8 oz. glasses are there because water is often wasted when it's served in those big-gulp monstro-cups at restaurants. That I could agree with, as it made me think of all the water I myself wasted over the years at places. Also, it didn't exactly kill me to reach over and pour my own water...
Service was among the best I've ever had, the food was creative, intelligent, and honest, and the restaurant was spotless. Very impressive decor, and I wish this place the very best.
Great new place in the (poor) Ithaca culinary landscape. While the dinner menu is relatively uninspiring, the brunch menu is creative and full of southwestern flavors. I personally tried the "Del Mar" fish tacos, and the huevos rancheros - both above average. The grits was delicious as well.
Desserts are tasty and well-made (I suggest the pineapple upside-down cake). Good wine and drinks list.
The restaurant interiors are nice, with a modern yet traditional feeling (it seems to be in Colorado rather than in Ithaca!). I give the place 4 and not 5 stars because the service is somewhat slow and sloppy - I am sure this will improve with time and with more training.
A happy new discovery!
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