Tres Agaves Mexican Kitchen & Tequila lounge

I can't imagine that I have been to the same restaurant as some of these other Citysearch reviewers. We have been to Tres Agaves half a dozen times and have never been disappointed. Sure, the service is not always perfect, but our servers have always been friendly, professional and concerned with us leaving the restaurant satisfied.
My ex-boyfriend would drag me to Chevy's every saturday morning (part of the reason we broke up), and let me tell you, Tres Agaves should not be compared to Chevy's in the same breath. The food at TA is consistent, homey and authentic. I have never had carnitas that good before. The atmosphere is fun, lively and beautiful. I wish more restaurants like TA would open in that neighborhood. Muchas gracias to the owners for improving the SOMA restaurant scene.

Pros: Carnitas, Atmosphere, Bar

Cons: Parking, Can get too loud

Posted 02/23/06

I have now been to Tres Agaves half a dozen times and I am consistently impressed with the food (e.g, escolar, carnitas, gorditas) and the drinks (I love the tequila cocktails!). Its a bit pricey, but I think its worth it. The inexperienced staff is overshadowed by the top-notch bartenders and kitchen. Im surprised that some of these reviews are so negative because all of my friends and coworkers love this place and it seems to be very hot with restaurant industry folks. I will continue to come here and I recommend this fun scene to others!

Pros: Drinks, Food, Bartenders

Cons: Pricey

Posted 02/23/06

Great Margaritas

Food was dissappointing and rather pricey. Service was marginal.

Pros: Good Margarita

Posted 02/20/06

I have never seen such a beautiful selection of tequila and tequila-based drinks. I will definitely be coming here before ball games.

crowd is an interesting mix. lots of attractive 20 and 30-somethings. cool spot. there is finally a place in the neighborhood that is not dead at 10 pm on a friday.

Pros: Tequila, Tequila, Tequila

Cons: Crowded, parking, rude hostess

Posted 02/19/06

I dined at Tres Agaves for the first time with my girlfirend and another couple this past Wed. I was initially heistant to go after reading the Citysearch reviews, but wow, am I glad my girlfriend insisted.
We did not have a reservation and waited 45 min for a table. Not a big deal though since the house magaritas rock. We were then seated at a nice booth and everyone at our table shared food family style and enojoyed everything except the crab broth soup which we found too spicy. Eric Rubin, one of the owners came by after the meal to check on us and when we complained about the wait, he was very apologetic and gave us t-shirts. not bad.
not sure why othe reviewers are negative enough to suggest a fast food joint over this great place. must be bridge and tunnel crowd, i suppose.

Pros: magaritas, management, atmosphere

Cons: wait time, hostesses

Posted 02/19/06

The owner of this place must know how to please a crowd. The bartenders at Tres Agaves are by far the hottest this side of market. Stefano, my favorite Italian, is friendly and can squeeze limes faster than you can say "tequila."

Food is also alright, although i can't really comment on it since I usually just get the guac and chips at the bar. Cocktails are a little pricey but the beautiful view makes up for it.

Pros: hot bartenders, guac, Stefano

Cons: getting a seat @ bar

Posted 02/19/06

Funny reading the other reviews. People either love it or hate it. Reviewers like Michael Bauer of the Chronicle gave it a great 2.5 star review. This place is not trying to be all things to all people. As it states in the name, its a Tequila Lounge and Mexican Kitchen. If you want a martini, why are you going there? Do vegans go to a steak house and then bag it for not having good vegan dishes? The place is fun, noisy, and popular. If you want a nice quiet dinner or want to eat at a hole in the wall taqueria, don't go there. If you show up on Friday night without a reservation, expect a couple hour wait. Now, if you want a great selection of tequila based cocktails, (try the fresh cucumber drink), go there. If you want to try Jaliscan (regional mexican) food, go there.

Pros: Fun, Tequila Cocktails, Spicy Food

Cons: To Popular, Noisy, Service

Posted 02/19/06

VERY disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The hostess told my party and I that it would be a 45 minute wait, when in reality she should have said 2 hrs and that we'd be sitting in the back with the restaurant's alcohol supply. The HOSTESS, you know who you are , was beyond rude and unexperienced, when asked if our party been called yet, she responded by yelling. Finally as we were seated in the back with the chickens, it took the waitress 20 minutes to finally bring us water and a menu (thats what I call great service). So we decided to walk out of the restaurant. I do have one positive comment, the bar was great and so were the bartenders. Besides that SORRIES two thumbs down cuz the milks gone bad!!

Posted 02/16/06

even taco bell is better from a food and service standpoint. you can tell that this is a restaurant that was built to be a chain. the food is basic...actually bad...but for all the people out there who have only had taco bell, buritto hole in the walls it must seem so different and great it truly isn't...the service...horrible...our waiter was no where to be found...when food was brought he pointed at the components of our food with his pen...and even droped his pen in one of our dishes.

It is sad how busy they are when there are so many better options...as I said above...even chevy's or taco bell would be welcomed

Pros: tequila knowledge

Cons: food, service

Posted 02/13/06

The service was absolutely terrible. From the extremely amateur hostess who sat us in the middle of two large groups to our non-exhistent waiter. I had high hopes for Tres Agaves, but I was let down with a very poor performance across the board. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Somebody call a doctor!

Pros: Location, Decor, Tequila

Cons: Service, Service, Service

Posted 02/11/06

Took my boyfriend there for his birthday. He's Mexican - grew up in Mexico City - and we're always searching for authentic Mexican cooking outside the "taqueria" category. NO SUCH LUCK at Tres Agaves. My bf was excited about the Chile Relleno with huitlacoche, something he doesn't often see on the menu here. When it arrived at the table, he saw that there was in fact no huitlacoche in it... So he sent it back. The chef insisted that there WAS huitlacoche in it (it's a black mushroom - you'd SEE it with your naked eyes) so the chef sent it back to US. So my BF sent it back again and finally the chef conceded that they were out of huitlacoche. My BF ended up with the carnitas (that he is still tasting this morning), which the restaurant charged us for...

Cons: terrible food, terrible service, terrible experience

Posted 02/05/06

After waiting over 2.5 hours for our table, when we were told it would be 45 minutes, we gave up and asked to speak to management. By this point in the evening, the welcome area was almost ready to tear the hostess apart for her unprofessionalism. We encountered three parties that had all waited over one hour for their reservations.

Hoping to at least see that management was aware of the situation and what appeared to be the 'hostess-in-training,' he reported that he was happy with her performance stating that she had just come to us from Kuleto's....hmmm, let's hope she had dinner at Kuleto's before she hopped in a cab to start her first day at work at Tres Agaves cuz lord knows she couldn't find an open table in a furniture showfloor!

Can't comment of the food at Tres Agaves... didn't stay to eat!

Cons: service, management

Posted 02/05/06

I had heard many great reviews regarding Tres Agaves, however was a bit displeased with the menu. The appetizers and desserts are great. The chips, which usually make it or break it for me, were stale. And the noise lever is very high- we could barely hear one another at our booth.

Tres Agaves serves ethnic style meals, which is great, however it caters more to the non-hispanic crowd. I believe that during the baseball season, Tres Agaves will be a big hit! The margaritas are fantastic!

Pros: the best tequila, great margaritas, good ambiance

Cons: very loud, chips are stale, tables too close

Posted 02/02/06

looking for a place to take my mother for her bday after a show. their site states late night menu 11-1a when we got there, the host said nothing to us finally i said, we'd like to eat. "we're closed" i said well your website is states you are open with a late night menu. "you can sit at the bar". i said, can we order food in the bar area? she said no. we left. my mother rarely goes out for a meal so, especially on her bday i wanted us to celebrate and would have researched other options. i emailed them. the responce i got was "next time call first"!! aghast i forwarded it to the gm and got no responce. hopefully they have a dedicated following cuz word of mouth can close doors for more than just late night menu hours.

Pros: NONE, NONE, NONE

Cons: EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING

Posted 02/01/06

Went here for drinks and thoght it was great! Had friends in town and we went there and they thought it was great! Not sure what people are talking about, thay have a HUGE selection of tequila. Very clean and friendly. Hope you give them a chance and see for your self.

Pros: Great drinks, fun place to hang out

Posted 01/31/06

We had our holiday party at tres agave and had a fabulous time. The margartitas were the best we ever had (and the hangover not bad at all). Being in the industry, we appreciated the care the staff took of us and wish them all the best in the future...
p.s. the food was awesome, I loved the carnitas

Pros: great service , carnitas

Posted 01/30/06

The margaritas were the best I've had with a huge tequlia menu! Not to mention the excellent carne asada and camorones de ajo. The service was excellent, very friendly and knowledgable. The place is a little noisy, but doesn't take away for my love of this newer SOMA restaurant!

Posted 01/26/06

We had heard only negative things about this place, but figured we'd give it a shot ourselves. Bad decision! The bartender was incredibly rude from the start. He clearly poured me the wrong drink (I asked for vodka soda and I got vodka gimlet with extra lime juice). I politely asked him to fix it. He made several snide comments, insisted that the cloudy, flat fluid he gave me was a vodka soda, and only after several requests did he begrudgingly change the drink. Someone else ordered her second dirty martini - he said they coudln't make it because they had olives but no olive juice...which they clearly had. Unacceptable - someone needs to teach the bar staff the basics of customer service!

Pros: easy parking

Cons: rude bartenders

Posted 01/26/06

...good food. Lord knows he would be a connoisseur of tequila. I recommend the Patron 1942. For grub, the gorditas, tlacoyos, carne en su jugo, and tacos were all very very good. Service was attentive, if somewhat overwhelmed - the place was PACKED to the gills at 10pm. Go with some friends, during the week if you don't enjoy feeling like a sardine.

Pros: food, tequila, service

Cons: packed, no Sammy to be seen

Posted 01/22/06

I'm surprised by all the negative reviews up on Citysearch. It's true, Tres Agaves is packed and loud, and service can be slow...but I've had many amazing times there. The bar rips out tasty ass margaritas and the staff is knowledgeble. I've tried everything on the menu, and would steer first time diners to the guacamole, the succulent riblets, the carne asada and the flan. I've had the carnitas when they've been perfectly carmelized and juicy, and when they haven't. Tres Agaves may not be the culinary Mexican Mecca, but it is a place to get together with friends, have many tasty drinks, and have a kick ass time...and hands down the funnest spot in South Beach.

Pros: Tasty Tequila, Fun Atmosphere

Posted 01/17/06

I've been there 3x for food and a couple of more times for just drinks...food has ranged from fab to really good and the tequila has never disappointed. I actually gained a new respect for that nectar and tried some really good tequilas - never knew the difference before. Big fan of the pork ribs, cheese fondue app and the roasted chicken and carne. The service has definitely improved since my first visit, which was soon after they opened. My server was right on my last visit so I think this place has worked out the opening kinks. Overall, an interesting atmosphere. Check it out for yourself (surprised by the unhappy people on Citysearch...)

Pros: tequila, food, atmosphere

Posted 01/10/06

This is a really bad mexican restaurant. It is really designed to make money at the bar, devoted to pushing out the maximum number of tequila drinks. Food (even the basics, like tortillas and beans) is an afterthought, and hopelessly bad (and this, a few blocks from the Mission). Service is disorganized, decent wine is not offered, the valet parking mentioned on the website doesn't exist. Very loud and unpleasant. Had to argue with the hostess to get a decent table, when the restaurant was 90% empty. Write this off as a total loss. The sooner they go out of business and this space is recycled to new owners who will care about customers, the better.

Cons: wretched food, clueless service, unhelpful management

Posted 12/22/05

It is very noisy. The margaritas: not that great. More margarita mix than what we expected. The food comes really fast, we had finish dinner in 45 minutes. The table next to us had their check before finishing having dinner !! and the other table had no chips and salsa or their beverages before their main course, maybe because it was saturday. Nevertheless our main courses were cold and no better than a taqueria we did not even go for desserts so disapointing. Maya maybe more expensive is still my favorite so far.

Cons: very average food, noisy, very average margarit

Posted 12/17/05

I found the food very good and much "lighter" than your typical heavy and greasy Mexican food (not that that's a bad thing). The service was good considering the place had just opened up a few weeks earlier. The tequila is excellent. As for those who who complained that there were not enough selections of tequilas, they have 30 quality selections. I doubt most have drank more than 10. I don't know why people are so "hateful" in thier reviews. If you don't like it - fine - don't go back, but you don't have to write as if it was the worst experience ever. I'm sure you've much had worse.

Pros: Great Food, Great Tequila

Posted 12/14/05

Was looking forward to dining here as my husband and I are HUGE fans of Tommy's. I realize Tres Agaves is a totally different dining experience and so one should not compare, but... Julio is no Tommy. The margies are good, but significantly more expensive. While the carne asada and camerones al mojo de ajo are our favorite dishes at Tommy's, they fail to impress at Tres Agaves. "Family-style" sides are also not the case... unless you consider tea cup portions "family-style".

Posted 12/14/05

After reading the mixed reviews here, I was reluctant to go the first time. However, our food was perfect - everything from flavor/spices to presentation. I could really relate to the review with yummy description of the food in the Examiner (http://sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/12/14/eats/20051214_ea01_tres.txt). There was nothing missing in our service. The place is noisy, yes, but no more, perhaps less, than the Slanted Door at the Ferry Building, if you want to talk about noise. The ambiance overall is nothing to rave about. The long-n-short is that we'll be back. The chilli rellenos were the most delicious and unique I've had. And my mouth waters thinking about the tacos. As far as people with complaints about the food - maybe there's some inconsistency in the kitchen. However, I recommend giving it a try on the chance that you'll have the same food and service experience that we had.

Pros: food

Posted 12/14/05

I wasn't impressed with my dinner, had the carnitas...it was a bit dry. But when I tried the flan, it was absolutely the best I've ever had, and I don't even like flan. They have a great selection of awesome tequilas, but their menu is confusing. I think they should have a separate tequila menu. Overall, I probably won't go back, but I would say give it a try, maybe I'm just being picky.

Pros: tequila selection, flan, parking

Posted 12/08/05

This place was horrible. The worst $65 dinner I could have imagined. Save your money and go to the local burrito shop. I will cost you $50 less and taste much better. I have no idea how this place recieved any psoitive reviews. I ambience is nice, could be better (plastic booths and wooden benches), but the food is terrible and highly prices. The carnitas were burnt to a crisp, literally! The shrimp were average at best. This for two dishes that cost $16 and $17 respectively! I don't mind paying, but I expect SOME culinary skills. It's obvious that they cooks here have NONE! I can't see how this place is going to last. Do yourself a favor, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!!!

Pros: Nice Lighting

Cons: Expensive, Horrible Food, Bad Service

Posted 12/04/05

I recently hosted a large group dinner at Tres Agaves. Although the restaurant was extremely busy, the staff was very attentive and totally on-top of our group. The food was very good and served in generous portions. The margaritas are potent and are made with top-shelf tequila. Bottomline: this restaurant is a great value by SF standards. Good food and very consistent. The staff is eager to please and attentive. You won't be disappointed.

Pros: Reasonable prices, easy parking, great staff

Cons: loud

Posted 12/04/05

If I could give this place half a star, I would. My experience there was so annoying that I just joined CitySearch to complain about it. My husband and I frequent Maya quite a bit, and expected top shelf Mexican food at Tres Agaves. We had reservations, and walked into the half-empty restaurant early on a Sunday night. The hostess sat us facing a small room where you could see bins of dirty dishes and trash, not exactly the most appetizing sight. Seeing other people's dirty dishes set the tone for the evening. Service was rushed and brusque, and the food was absolutely mediocre. With so many excellent restaurants in SF, there's no reason to waste your time on Tres Agaves.

Cons: service

Posted 12/03/05

I live right by tres agave's and hoped and prayed it would be a great addition to the neighborhood. To be sadness I am still in search of a well prepared mexican meal. The food is totally in-correctly spiced and overpriced.

Pros: Service

Cons: Food, Price, Decor

Posted 12/01/05

I had high expectations for Tres Agaves before it even opened and after eating and drinking there a half dozen times, I have not once left disappointed. Definitely make reservations and don't be surprised if immediate seating is not an option. Luckily, the drinks at the bar are fantastic (I recommend the "La Rosa" or a pour of tequila) and Julio, one of the owners, will often walk around and answer any tequila questions. Guacamole is done in the traditional Jalisco style and is the best I have had in San Francisco. The only suggestion I would make to the owners is to incorporate daily happy hour drink and guacamole specials.

Pros: Great Tequila, Beautiful people, Fun

Cons: Loud

Posted 11/28/05

I went to Tres Agaves last Thursday night and I didn't get seated at my reservation time but I went to the bar and had dinner at one of the small tables in the bar area. I must say that I hate tequila but the cocktail server made me feel at home and convinced me to drink a Don Felipe margarita because it was her favorite and behold it was pretty tasty. I was satisfied with the tacos al pastor and all of the side dishes that come with it. The guacamole is a must! I will be back a few times a week. Finally a good bar within walking distance ans staff that makes you feel appreciated!

Pros: service, stiff drinks, beautiful women

Cons: long wait time

Posted 11/20/05

It seems to me that they have not really figured things out down there. The menu to me was very limited only 8 items for main courses. Also only about 50 tequilas I have seen dive bars with more. I found it to be a cold space witch was very hard to talk in. The pluses are the food, quality ingredients and I think the bartenders were professional and nice.

Pros: quality food , bar

Cons: limited menu, limited drinks

Posted 11/17/05

Maybe I was expecting too much. The place itself is nicely done, but noisy. I don't need hushed dining, but this is shouting level. The margaritas are excellent, from house drinks to $18 Don Julio 1942, but on the smallish side. Appetizer portions (gorditas) were small, 2 bites. Good, not great. The carnitas were so salty they were almost unedible. Carne was just ok. The sides were delicious, really liked the small corn tortillas. Wish we could have had more before our entrees got cold. As I sat with half of my meal remaining I was asked 4 times if I was done. Ifinally gave up and let them take my plate. All in all it was a very mediocre, $120 for 2, dinner

Pros: Tequila Selection, Location

Cons: Service, Noise Level, Value

Posted 11/16/05

Quite possibly the finest tequila selection I've ever seen! Great displays of rare, large tequila bottles, amazing design, and great flow! The bar is always packed and I can see why. Some of the hardest working bartenders on Earth squeezing fresh limes into every margarita, and they use organic agave nectar to sweeten the margies! Have you ever heard of Arette tequila? I hadn't until I tried the Casa Margarita, delicious! I haven't even begun with the food. Amazing wood grilled Carne Asada and Carnitas to die for. Granted it has been hard to get in, this place is packed! The long wait was worth it, though, service was sparse, but attentive. It's about time SF has an affordable, great Mexican restaurant.

Pros: the best margs, great ambiance, upcoming neighborhood

Cons: very busy, can be a long wait

Posted 11/15/05

Long waits - deplorable service. The "Coctel de Pulpo" tasted like fake crab in bitter tomato soup. This one is all the rage now, but in the end will undoubtedly joing the ranks of last year's news. Don't waste your time here. Although the food overall is not disgusting (they seem to do a great job with the grilled meats and seafood) you could get almost as good at Chevy's. The margaritas were decent, but overall, this place is not worth the hour wait.

Pros: Margaritas

Cons: Sloppy service, uneven entrees

Posted 11/13/05

Food and ambience was good. Too bad service was slow and incomplete.
We ordered beef broth, you'd think they'd give you soup spoons, instead we got 2 forks and a knife! We had to ask for spoons and small plates, otherwise we'd be scooping our forks into the communal beans and rice with the main course. There were a lot of servers around, it was hard to get their attention. Our waiter came one time to ask if we wanted dessert, and that was it. I hope they get their act together so people can enjoy the food and place without being distracted by the poor service.
Our rsvn choices were 5:30 or 10pm. We got there at 5:30, there were a lot of empty seats for the next hour and a half. We were also placed at the farthest corner where all the servers hovered.

Pros: food, ambience, good people watching

Cons: poor service

Posted 11/10/05