We had eaten at this particular Agave many times over the last several years. The food was NEVER anything special and the service was.... Hit and miss to say the least. Lately both the food AND service had gone downhill. The staff at Agave rotates constantly, there is always someone new unless it's Summer and then there is some consistency. We attributed the serious decline in food quality and more importantly service quality to the influx of "new" staff. Even so, we continued to have lunch there at least once per week. We had been dealing with subpar food quality however, It finally got to the point that the service became so bad we decided to eat lunch at another of the MANY eating establishments in that area. It always amazes me how servers, staff, etc. fail to understand that we, as patrons, have OPTIONS. Apparently, they don’t understand that until it’s too late for them. We treated the staff well and never expected preferential treatment, however, at the minimum basic respect. Even THAT became hard to achieve during our last visits. To make matters worse, there were several of my friend's children involved. Children don't understand bad food quality, let alone bad/rude service. No more trips to Agave, as noted there are MANY, other options in that area it's too bad that the staff at this location did not understand that.
Dakota Morris
Definitely need to update their furniture but the food is amazing ! And over all good staff.
Sarah Hughes
We waited to be seated for a good 10 mins or so. No big deal. Short staffed we understood that. Many waitresses saw us waiting again no one helped. The hostess ignored us and assisted someone who was behind us for a pick up order. Communication would have been nice but she made eye contact and did not say a word. We walked out ended up going to Chili’s. Very disappointing.
Jason McClure
Chili Verde was amazing! Crispy pork and great chili sauce. Wait staff was friendly, and overall great atmosphere.
Rene Hills
Very good food here every time! My fav is the Shrimp Chimichanga! Just to be clear… this is the mall location.
Rebecca Chandler
The atmosphere was what's you expect from a chain Mexican food place. Fairly cool decor some awesome day off the dead mannequins and a giant pinata rounded out some little surprises decor wise. The food selection showed the true color of Americanized traditional Mexican cuisine. If you're looking for mole, or lengua this is not your place. I ordered two cheese enchiladas with beans and rice. The meal came with chips and salsa. The food is where the chain quality comes in to play. Rice and beans should have tons of flavor and the rice should never be dry. Good beans and rice can be piled on chips as their own dip. These feel short but not short of you're used to eating at a lot of chain franchises. My biggest complaint was my enchiladas were cold. The cheese inside was not melted at all and actually felt cold inside. This let me taste the sauce in a semi raw tasting form. None of this led to an amazing first bite. The cheese also had a little wet taste to it from being stored already shredded. However my waiter and his buddy waitress handled my complaint very well. They asked me how I wanted it handled and that is exactly how they handled the situation. They brought me my food comes properly and it was tasty. The sauce didn't have the biggest depth of flavor but cooked to the proper temp it was still today enough to eat both enchiladas. Overall if you are not worried about having homemade everything or if you're that's are an American ideal of Mexican food, this place is going to make you happy. The prices are typical of going out to eat anymore. It isn't going to be a cheap night if you have kiddos but it also won't bust the bank. They didn't rush me which was my biggest concern as I was looking to kill some time. I enjoyed the food but more so the service was the thing that got the 4 stars today. Anybody can make a mistake, how they fix them mistake means more to me than the mistake at times. These two were great servers and id be happy to have the wait on me any day
Dan Bircher
Long wait for pickup order, food was ok, a little soggy since it was probably sitting around for awhile but I have had great experiences as well so mixed bag on this one.
Laura Potrzuski
We just recently discovered this restaurant, & we're very happy we did! The inside of the restaurant is inviting (especially if you can sit near the fireplace) & the waitstaff is extremely friendly & attentive. The food is great! And a great value for the money! The last time we were there, I got the chimichanga (it comes with rice, beans, lettuce, tomato & sour cream) & my boyfriend got the enchiladas (also served with the same sides). The plates were packed with food! The housemade salsa is very good, too!
chase hampton
The food was good . We got strawberry daiquiri along with pop and the pop was good but the daiquiri was not so great. Presentation looked good but just didn't taste the greatest. I would not order a drink there again but I did enjoy the food. Was a little pricey in my opinion.
Paul Stebleton
This was my second attempt at eating here. The first time, I waited to be seated for ten minutes and nobody came to acknowledge me. The second time after a few minutes I was seated. The seemed well staffed, and my server was very nice. It did seem to take a bit to get drinks, but food came promptly and was prepared well. Taste wise, it was a bit bland, I suspect the clientele are mostly people who want Taco Bell, and they are catering to that. I don't know if it was someplace, I need to go to again.
Very nice place. Had to wait a bit, but when we're seated, service was fast and friendly!
M Guillen
Local Mexican Food restaurant in Traverse City. Fast service, friendly staff, and clean environment. They have regular or spicy salsa for your tacos. But watch out for the spicy salsa. After you eat you just walk out into the mall.
Stephanie D
My husband have attempted to go here twice over a long period of time and both times we had walked out without even getting acknowledged. I get people are busy and short staffed. However, at least offer some form of acknowledgement - that would be appreciated.
L K
I really this place. It was clean, they expanded their use of natural light and the artificial lighting is pleasant and muted.Please be patient when you go here and pays off in generous portions and yummy food.
Brad B.
Spectacularly poor service. The place was nearly empty only two tables eating and a single sitting at the bar, all of which were finished or finishing their meals. Don't try to offer the "short staff/be nice" argument as the staff was standing chatting with each other and there were literally no other guests in the restaurant.
We had eaten at this particular Agave many times over the last several years. The food was NEVER anything special and the service was.... Hit and miss to say the least. Lately both the food AND service had gone downhill. The staff at Agave rotates constantly, there is always someone new unless it's Summer and then there is some consistency. We attributed the serious decline in food quality and more importantly service quality to the influx of "new" staff. Even so, we continued to have lunch there at least once per week. We had been dealing with subpar food quality however, It finally got to the point that the service became so bad we decided to eat lunch at another of the MANY eating establishments in that area. It always amazes me how servers, staff, etc. fail to understand that we, as patrons, have OPTIONS. Apparently, they don’t understand that until it’s too late for them. We treated the staff well and never expected preferential treatment, however, at the minimum basic respect. Even THAT became hard to achieve during our last visits. To make matters worse, there were several of my friend's children involved. Children don't understand bad food quality, let alone bad/rude service. No more trips to Agave, as noted there are MANY, other options in that area it's too bad that the staff at this location did not understand that.
Definitely need to update their furniture but the food is amazing ! And over all good staff.
We waited to be seated for a good 10 mins or so. No big deal. Short staffed we understood that. Many waitresses saw us waiting again no one helped. The hostess ignored us and assisted someone who was behind us for a pick up order. Communication would have been nice but she made eye contact and did not say a word. We walked out ended up going to Chili’s. Very disappointing.
Chili Verde was amazing! Crispy pork and great chili sauce. Wait staff was friendly, and overall great atmosphere.
Very good food here every time! My fav is the Shrimp Chimichanga! Just to be clear… this is the mall location.
The atmosphere was what's you expect from a chain Mexican food place. Fairly cool decor some awesome day off the dead mannequins and a giant pinata rounded out some little surprises decor wise. The food selection showed the true color of Americanized traditional Mexican cuisine. If you're looking for mole, or lengua this is not your place. I ordered two cheese enchiladas with beans and rice. The meal came with chips and salsa. The food is where the chain quality comes in to play. Rice and beans should have tons of flavor and the rice should never be dry. Good beans and rice can be piled on chips as their own dip. These feel short but not short of you're used to eating at a lot of chain franchises. My biggest complaint was my enchiladas were cold. The cheese inside was not melted at all and actually felt cold inside. This let me taste the sauce in a semi raw tasting form. None of this led to an amazing first bite. The cheese also had a little wet taste to it from being stored already shredded. However my waiter and his buddy waitress handled my complaint very well. They asked me how I wanted it handled and that is exactly how they handled the situation. They brought me my food comes properly and it was tasty. The sauce didn't have the biggest depth of flavor but cooked to the proper temp it was still today enough to eat both enchiladas. Overall if you are not worried about having homemade everything or if you're that's are an American ideal of Mexican food, this place is going to make you happy. The prices are typical of going out to eat anymore. It isn't going to be a cheap night if you have kiddos but it also won't bust the bank. They didn't rush me which was my biggest concern as I was looking to kill some time. I enjoyed the food but more so the service was the thing that got the 4 stars today. Anybody can make a mistake, how they fix them mistake means more to me than the mistake at times. These two were great servers and id be happy to have the wait on me any day
Long wait for pickup order, food was ok, a little soggy since it was probably sitting around for awhile but I have had great experiences as well so mixed bag on this one.
We just recently discovered this restaurant, & we're very happy we did! The inside of the restaurant is inviting (especially if you can sit near the fireplace) & the waitstaff is extremely friendly & attentive. The food is great! And a great value for the money! The last time we were there, I got the chimichanga (it comes with rice, beans, lettuce, tomato & sour cream) & my boyfriend got the enchiladas (also served with the same sides). The plates were packed with food! The housemade salsa is very good, too!
The food was good . We got strawberry daiquiri along with pop and the pop was good but the daiquiri was not so great. Presentation looked good but just didn't taste the greatest. I would not order a drink there again but I did enjoy the food. Was a little pricey in my opinion.
This was my second attempt at eating here. The first time, I waited to be seated for ten minutes and nobody came to acknowledge me. The second time after a few minutes I was seated. The seemed well staffed, and my server was very nice. It did seem to take a bit to get drinks, but food came promptly and was prepared well. Taste wise, it was a bit bland, I suspect the clientele are mostly people who want Taco Bell, and they are catering to that. I don't know if it was someplace, I need to go to again.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very nice place. Had to wait a bit, but when we're seated, service was fast and friendly!
Local Mexican Food restaurant in Traverse City. Fast service, friendly staff, and clean environment. They have regular or spicy salsa for your tacos. But watch out for the spicy salsa. After you eat you just walk out into the mall.
My husband have attempted to go here twice over a long period of time and both times we had walked out without even getting acknowledged. I get people are busy and short staffed. However, at least offer some form of acknowledgement - that would be appreciated.
I really this place. It was clean, they expanded their use of natural light and the artificial lighting is pleasant and muted.Please be patient when you go here and pays off in generous portions and yummy food.
Spectacularly poor service. The place was nearly empty only two tables eating and a single sitting at the bar, all of which were finished or finishing their meals. Don't try to offer the "short staff/be nice" argument as the staff was standing chatting with each other and there were literally no other guests in the restaurant.