AGAVE Lounge

Went into Agave for a nightcap… almost wish we hadn’t. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. Went in for a couple of drinks.
We ordered Zambuko, B&B, Grand Marnier, and a couple of Expressos.
First, the girl didn’t know what Zambuko was. So we tried to explain it to her. She wrote something down and disappeared. Then came back and said they were out of B&B. Got a replacement order and disappeared. Finally came back from the bar, with all the drinks in wine glasses (not snifters). Then disappeared.
After about 5 minutes or so, there was a commotion in the hallway, and she came back to tell us the Expresso machine was on the fritz (or she forgot entirely). After a few more minutes, she arrived with the Expressos, when all of our drinks were finished…

Same as ever, except they made the size of the drinks smaller during happy hour. I have never seen such a stupidly cute little beer in my life, I felt like Gulliver with the Lilliputians. Nice that it goes until 7 though.

Ample parking, coverd & safe. The Friday lunch special Rocks! The service is courtious & rapid. Save room for desert, you will be glad that you did.

I’ve heard nothing but great things about the happy hour here, unfortunately I’ve only had the luxury of tasting their yummy cocktails. The service was great, I look forward to coming again for a happy hour and tasting more than just the drinks.

This place has a really great happy hour. The house margarita is on point and only $ 5, sign me up. We ordered nachos (not on the happy hour menu) for $ 10. Pretty good deal. I’ve had smaller portions and less palatable nachos for the same price. Good quantity, very tasty and only $ 10. Done and done. We ordered wings too, not sure if they were lost in transit or never entered, but it was fine by us, the nachos were enough. Not crazy busy at 5:30 on a Friday. Overall, pleasantly surprised.

Un-​friendly staff. We came in last Friday night (a party of 5) around 11:30pm, the place was pretty dead. We sat down at a table in the bar area, the waitress brought over menus and the cocktail list. One of the negative stars was her attitude problem, she was NOT happy to be there and it showed. She was not very helpful at recommending a cocktail either. It was my first time in Santa Fe and I was on the quest for a fresh quality margarita, I decided on the $ 12 classic margarita. The ambience was very nice, it was definitely upscale. Everyone in our party ordered a cocktail we waited about 10 minutes, kinda of a long time for how little people were there. The presentation was beautiful, unfortunately I could only drink about 5 – 6 sips. Long story short the local that I was with said it was terrible because they used store bought lime juice in there margaritas… And that lime juice contains all kinds of preservatives. It was un-​drinkable. Worst margarita I had my entire trip in Santa Fe and one of the most expensive, and the whole time we were drinking the waitress was about 10ft away leaning up against the wall just radiating bad vibes. She never came and asked us how are drinks were and she clearly saw I couldn’t drink mine. I didn’t send it back, I should of. The local told me they have the worst margaritas, it’s funny seeing how it’s called the agave bar, they should really use fresh squeezed limes, major disappointment.

We stopped in during happy hour last night. Server was very nice and met us right away. Thought she did a good job of explaining the food options that were available. We tried the chicken quesadillas and the artichoke dip. Both were really good. The dip uses feta cheese and it was very creamy and light. The quesadillas also tasted fresh — just the right amount of cheese for me. Bonus was that they had Gruet Brut champagne which was nice way to toast our special night

Manny’s the man! We stopped into the agave lounge on a cold snowy night. Manny recommended hot toddies. They were a little pricey but worth every penny! I don’t know what was in his secret recipe, but these were the best toddies ever.

Surprisingly good bar food with a gorgeous fireplace. Ended up eating here for lunch on Christmas Day and was pleasantly surprised despite the poor reviews. Service was slow– but understandable given the holiday crowd. Food was simple but tasty New Mexican bar-​fare: smoked pork tacos, blue corn quesadillas, and the like. They offered all in gluten free options. My only real complaint is that they closed off the fireplace section which would’ve been perfect on a cold, snowy Christmas Day.

Lovely happy hour. This place is meant to feel fancy — leather, sophisticated cocktails, sushi. The service can be a little inattentive (and no, it wasn’t that busy) but there are lots of things that make up for lack of love.
House margaritas are not too sweet, and deliciously lime-​y. The reposado tequila flight is a really cool learning experience, tasting and sniffing different three different varieties side by side. The wine list, while short, has great by the glass options.
Do get the fried calamari, with fried jalapeño slices included. Both the spicy dipping sauce and the aioli are delicious. The oysters are also excellent — icy cold, plump, creamy, not super briny. I’d love some shallots in my mignonette, but that’s being a bit picky. And the sushi is definitely more than acceptable, particularly for the middle of the desert. The rice has an excellent texture, and is appropriately room temperature, the fish is properly cut and clearly of high quality, with bright fresh color and clean taste.
The back room, by the fireplace, is a nice cozy place to start the evening or, as we did, grab a quick bite before the opera.

I wish I could give this restaurant NEGATIVE stars. My S.O. and I headed straight to the bar for apps and drinks. Before we had even sat down, bartender 1 demanded our identification with out even a hello.
Bartender 2 checked our IDs and gave my SO his back, but kept mine. She took my ID to the back of the restaurant with out saying a word to us. We sat around for over 10 minutes and were not even given food menus or water. I then flagged down bartender 1 and asked for a glass of water, bartender 1 poured the ice and walked away without giving it to us and cleared one plate from a table. After 5 minutes of asking we finally received water.
When the bartender 2 returned she handed back my ID and said they couldn’t serve to me because I had a provisional license (the standard license given in the state of Oregon) and it didn’t say «drivers». I am over the age of 21 and this ID gets me through airport security, other bars, and is used to obtain all legal documents in my name. This is not a fake and they knew, but still refused service.
The bartenders clearly noticed our frustration and didn’t even offer to seat is else where or apologize for the inconvenience. We will not be returning, I strongly advice all to not go to this restaurant unless you want to be very upset at the end of your visit. Fellow Oregonians beware, they refuse service of alcohol because of our standard license.

I went to the happy hour expecting to have a wonderful experience when I was told that my Washington DC license was not valid because District of Columbia is «outside the country». Needless to say after this comment I left to get my passport. What kind of a bar doesn’t recognize that DC is part of the United States? How silly is that?

Excellent cocktails using fresh and premium ingredients. Their margaritas are excellent and so is their sangria. What made it perfect was our bartender Shannon who made us feel so welcome and gave us some great insights to Santa Fe. Will definitely go back !!!

Our server Ronnie is a boss!
The sushi and Champaign were the BEST!
We should have skipped round one at La Taberna and come straight here.
My hubby had a quesadilla that was equally delicious with generous guac, sour cream and salsa.
Excellent atmosphere, to notch service and delicious eats, what more can I say.

I really don’t share much of anything especially when it comes to something that looks me in the mirror. I finally met my match in the difficult town of business ownership at the Agave at the El Dorado Hotel. With all of the attraction to Santa Fe as a native there isn’t much left to enjoy except the Agave.
One of the star attractions besides the classy comfort of the lounge and an exceptional happy hour is a bartender named Rochelle. As a former business owner and restaurant manager for the last 25 years recognition never leaves one’s site. It is with great pleasure to share the enthusiasm and exceptional service of this literally one woman show. She’s a diamond or any other gem in the rough of a town that has lost what she still instills what customer service should be all about. You go El Dorado Hotel, just make sure everyone else trains with Rochelle, including management. She runs circles around everyone…
Smalls

We went here after our rehearsal dinner. I had called earlier to reserve an area for 35 people and they said that they’d try but that they usually require a deposit. When we arrived later that night, there definitely was not room for all of us. The server was good, but poor thing was overwhelmed by the amount of people. I tried to warn them beforehand so that they could provide sufficient servers but I guess they didn’t take it seriously. Overall it was a fun experience, but they could’ve been a little more accommodating or helpful.

Stopped in for a quick drink and thought the lounge area was quite nice. Plenty of seating for different groups, with a nice ambience. Got the Pom and Centennial margs. Both were very good. Wait staff was friendly too.

Ventured out to Santa Fe for a day trip and walked by. Great proximity to Eldorado (which I need to stay in one day) also!
A glass of wine sounded good along with getting out of the sun for a few minutes. My +1 and I sat down right away and took it all in: Nice setup, great music, fun, neo-​adobe finishes. It’s Santa Fe’s version of «swanky» and I’m okay with that! :-)
I ordered one of the French wines, just a glass. Nice service, quick turnaround, chill day. I wish I remember the name of our server, but I don’t…She was awesome!
Many of you have commented about the service, and I have to say I genuinely had a nice experience. Though it was more of a pit stop and not a «sit down and have a meal» kind of thing, I liked it and would return.

Good food, good décor, awful service. Pushy, unpleasant, untrained staff not great to deal w when u haven’t had yr morning coffee yet. I usually don’t complain abt service but staff is loud and inattentive. Used plates linger on table, beverages arrive late… In short, not exactly a luxury experience.

I was in the county clerk’s office around the corner, and inquired where to get a good lunch nearby. It was a Friday, and the chorus that came back was «Agave Lounge, in the El Dorado.» Well, OK then.
So off I set, I found the El Dorado easy enough, and I saw a door outside that said Agave. I tried to open it (it was noon) but it was locked! Curses, foiled! But alas, I would not be deterred. I entered the hotel proper, hung a left, and lo and behold, I gained entry into Agave.
The Friday $ 5 hamburger special is a heck of a deal. You get the burger and some fries for a good price. They have a nice selection of beers to choose from, you should pick something local.