Wonderful tasty fresh Mexican food ! My favorite place to go! Family owned & operated! You will not be disappointed!!

I keep putting off updating this review because the experience was so awful that it makes me mad even thinking about it. I feel obligated to though as it definitely was not the '5 star' experience I had reviewed it as the first time I went there. For this review a timeline works best. Keep in mind the timeline is not exaggerated and I should have walked out way before we did but after being a server for 10+ years I tend to be too patient and understanding. 5:45p - My wife and I decide after a long day that we are too exhausted to cook and want a quick dinner somewhere close by so we can get back home at a reasonable time. We are all very hungry including our 1 year old son. 5:50p - We arrive at Agave Azul. We stand up front which is pretty much right in middle of the dining room and wait for close to 10 minutes to be seated. It's somewhat busy but there are lots of tables that open but just need to be cleaned. 6:00p - We are sat and offered a high chair. 6:05p - We have to ask about the high chair because it still hasn't been brought. 6:10p - Our high chair is finally brought. We are ready to order but they just take our drink order and say they we be right back to take our food orders. We order a couple piña coladas and a water for they boy. 6:20p - Our drinks come but no water for our son and we ask if we can get that really quick before ordering because he is thirsty. 6:25p - Once again we have to ask for the water as it has still not shown up. 6:35p - An entire 10 minutes later it makes it way to our table and they take our order. At this point 2 tables that have came after us have already had their orders taken and we have already been there 45 minutes! 6:45p - A party of 8 arrives and sits next to us. Their order is taken quickly as the restaurant has slowed down at this point. 7:05p - The party of 8's food arrives. Ours has not. 7:15p - I ask our server if our food is on the way and he says yes but gives us no explanation or apologies of the long wait. Our son at this point is getting very hungry and restless but we figure at this point we've waited this long- how much longer could it be? I take him outside to get some fresh air. 7:30p - I keep checking through the window to see if ours has arrived yet. It hasn't and my wife is giving me the look like "are you f*$&ing kidding me?". I go back in to see the party of 8 is finishing up and is ready for their check. We start to gather our stuff up to leave- our server walks by a few times without any acknowledgment. I flag down the host and let her know that we are taking off and I'd like to pay for our drinks that we finished. She took our card and ran it, which I was surprised they would even charge us after the experience I described but whatever, I didn't want to be chased down in the parking lot. 7:35p - As we are about to leave our server comes out and tries to talk us into staying. Once again no apologies or explanations just letting us know that our food is almost up. No sympathy whatsoever for our 1 hour 45 minute wait. I explain to him our experience up to this point but he just looks at me almost as in disbelief that we were really going to walk out. 7:45p - We arrive at Bon Teriyaki which we know has quick service. Our son screams the entire way there because it's late at this point and he is starving. 7:50p - We have our food. Finally. We didn't get home until about 8:30p. Nearly 3 hours later! I will not step foot in Agave Azul again solely because of their customer service. read more

Wow - this is what Gresham has been waiting for. Great food and top-notch service. No typical Mexican restaurant bullshit with huge plates full of gloppy beans and rice. Warm welcome at the door. Super tasty soft bean taco as an appetizer. Huge margarita, which tasted like fresh lime. I see other reviews have said they used mix, but it seems they have changed. The wife got shrimp fajitas in one of those taco salad bowls, which was freshly made and deeeelicious. The onions in the fajitas were amazing. There were only 6 shrimp, but I guess that's average. I had the Chuleta Puerco con Salsa Verde, which was very good. The first order brought out was overdone and they happily made me a new one, which was spot on. Fresh tortillas, great salsas, strong drinks and nice people. A shining light in a sea of east county corporate dreck. Here's hoping it catches on! read more

It's fun to find a good off the beaten path type place with delicious food and warm service. The standard offering of Mexican fare was vast and decently priced. I had the Agave Azul Nachos, which was HUGE ($10.95) and hubby got a combo plate. read more

Agave Azul - Agave azul nachos - Mexican Near Me - Gresham, Oregon

Ah, yet one more option for our little food desert. We went here with a good friend, and had a wonderful experience. The service was wonderful; they're especially patient with sad attempts at ordering in Spanish and slaughtering the lovely language. The food is generously portioned, and delicious. We don't do a heck of a lot of Mexican food, save for a nearby taco truck, so this is a really nice spot to pop into once in while. And it's not just "Gresham" good. It's good! It holds it's own even amid the many options in Portland. read more

We went there based on reviews from yelp. They bring out a taco made of refried beans and queso fresco or cotija in place of chips and salsa, which I really like the originality. We enjoyed the taco, wasn't sure that the beans were house made, possibly watered down canned refried beans. My husband and I both ordered the same thing, chicken burrito enchilada combination. She said that one of them comes with mole and the other red sauce, would we like to change that? We both asked for red sauce knowing that we HATE mole. He ordered a Coors Light and I a Margarita Grande. The Margarita was $9.00 and tasted like blended ice with some lime juice! They brought the food out and we both had mole on our burrito. The mole was actually good! The portions were so skimpy, the burrito and enchilada were the same size, the size of large taquitos. The rice tasted like it was from a package and the beans from a can. The flour tortilla on the burrito tasted like it had some sort of chemical on it... reminded me of bug spray. $33 for something I wouldn't give the dogs! The service was very good though! I give my reviews starting with a base of 3 then give or take points after events, this should have a -3 according to my "grading" system! read more

I am thankful for Agave Azul on two accounts: I just took a job in Gresham and the food leaves little to be desired, especially because I am vegan. I can get the basic tacos I miss from SF for cheap. +1- The employees (wife and husband) are amazingly nice and remember my weird order. +1- The salsa, OMG THE SALSA! They don't give you chips before the meal but instead this little bean taco with salsa. and it is spicy and tasty. + I am able to get a taco with black beans, lettuce, pico, and avocado or guac (and OMG is their guac good). It is fresh, tasty, and cheap. +1- Varied menu. Not many veg options but if you tell them what you want, they are all about getting it for you. They also dont use lard in their refried so from what I gather, they are safe. Some vegan tips: Let them know that you can't have dairy. Do this right when you get in and ask them if the bean taco can be made without cheese. Also, make sure they know you can't have it on your food. The first time, mine had cheese and I went with it but my mom wasn't really specific (she still buys me things with milk in them). When I went, I was and it worked out awesome. Give this little gem a try if you are in Gresham. Its some of the best mexican food I have had in the Portland area. read more

Since Gresham is generally lacking in good food, Agave Azul is a keeper. We've been quite a few times and have never been unsatisfied. Sure, I love a basket of chips and salsa, but the food here is well worth trading them for a bean taco and special tasting food. Large, delicious fajita plates, huge and tasty nachos, yummy mole enchiladas, and good drinks. I had a jalapeno (or habanero) margarita. Their boracha beans (Whole pinto) are so good I could just eat a bowl of them. If you choose to do this, please take some beano. read more

Stopped here on our way back to the Portland area from Mt Hood. The food is pretty average honestly, and everyone in our party mentioned how salty all of the food was. The service was absolutely awful, long wait time for the food and very unfriendly wait staff. Top it off with high prices. read more

The pros: 1. Get to pick your own seat. We chose one next to a window. 2. When you sit down they give you a corn tortilla filled with refried beans and Mexican cheese instead of your usual chips and salsa. 3. The salsa is wonderful. 4. After dinner you get one of those awesome chocolate mints. 5. Prices are reasonable. The cons: quesadilla cheese used was extremely greasy. I have grease dripping down my hand. The shrimp wasn't entirely pealed and I ended up with some tough shell. The service was slow or nonexistent. The house burrito is very bland. They give you a very small amount of salsa and guacamole and you end up running out really quickly. Overall: Still looking for some good Mexican food read more

So happy to finally find really good traditional Mexican food in Portland (err, I guess we had to go to Gresham to find it!). The first time we ran across Agave Azul while doing some shopping out in Gresham. We were making a big purchase and it took forever to get all the paper work done so we were STARVING! We quickly went to the YelpPhone to look for good food and maybe a little cocktail, Mexican food, sound good? Yep, Always. We got seated right away as it was a little late for the lunch rush and not quite dinner time. The little bean taco complimentary appetizer was tasty and gave us enough protein to reactivate our brain cells to actually order food. Both of our meals were tasty, seemed to be prepared fresh, were delivered quickly and the portions were good sized. I don't get to Gresham often, but when I do and I need a food fix, this will be my go to spot. read more

Finally, my prayers have been answered. Good mexican food in the Portland area. Can't give it 5 because I have eaten mexican in the Southwest and in Mexico. But, compared to other Mexican restaurants in the area I'd give it a 10. Coming from the Southwest many years ago, I have since been very dissapointed in the quality of mexican food that I have tasted throughout the Portland area. What passes for mexican food in the region wouldn't be feed to the pigs in Austin Tx. How someone would think that the slop served at La Caretta in Gresham is anything but very bad is beyond me. Thanks to yelp I recently found Agave Azul. And what a find it was. My wife and I went there yesterday. I had the quesadillia with shrimp and it was delicious. As we sat and ate we observed the other dishes being delivered to various tables. Each plate of food we saw (and smelled) we would say "I'm trying that one next time". Aside from the excellant food we were also given very pleasant service in an small but intimate atmosphere. The dining area and restrooms were very clean and from what I could see the kitchen was too. The restaurant is a little hard to find so keep your eyes open while driving by on Powel. Too complete this great lunch I had the deep fried ice cream which kind of makes me drool a little just thinking of it. read more

Cute hidden gem. Not a big place, once you find it, but cozy and authentic Mexican food. The skinny margarita was as good as I've had in a restaurant: lots of fresh lime and not too sweet. The chile relleños were tasty, but I do like them with a bit more cheese, and points off for not removing the seeds inside. Otherwise, a great place. read more

Eaten here numerous times and always happy with the food and the service. If having endless bowls of chips and salsa is your idea of what's good in a Mexican restaurant - then this isn't the place for you. Instead, they start you out with a wonderful little corn tortilla filled with beans and a yummy salsa. The bar is small and friendly and the dining room is lovely. Service is knowledgable and attentive. Food is "clean" - not hidden under sauces and cheese. Located on a side street - watch for the small sandwich board sign on the corrner of Powell and Vista. read more

Delicious food and great drinks from this tiny-used-to-be-a-house restaurant and bar! They greet you with a bean soft taco and tasty salsa upon seating which is always welcome to me because the time I show up at a restaurant I'm usually pretty hungry! This tiny taco treat saves me from drooling over other patron's dishes while I wait for my own order. I've had several items on their menu and I have been very pleased with all of them. Not one order would I not order again! My husband feels the same way - he has raved about his orders as well. I will keep coming back! :) read more

What a freaking hidden gem this place is !!!! By far the best pollo la crema I've had in a very long time. The sauce is thicker and creamier than most places I've gotten it at. The margaritas are huge, there's no small margaritas here lol, LOVE IT! The prices are on point(only cause some Mexican restaurants can get a little expensive) and the service was so pleasant! The bar is very small but the dining side has a decent amount of room. Also the enchiladas are fuego! read more

Well, we found this place a couple weeks ago totally by accident. And what an accident. We used to live in Bend, and had our favorite Mexican food restaurant. Since we moved here, we have struggled to find one. But the search is over. The restaurant is really homey and small. Great atmosphere. The food....my good gravy...the food! I ordered the Arryo con pollo. The flavor was outstanding. Multiple layers of deliciousness!! My wife oredered the Carne asada, and it was cooked perfectly, incredibly flavorful, and perfect. Their drinks are strong too. 1 margarita was more than enough for this guy! Try this place, it is amazing!!! read more

We have been looking for a good Mexican restaurant in the Portland area since moving here from Northern California in 2002. Based upon the Yelp reviews we thought we had finally found our place. The restaurant is tucked away in a residential neighborhood with limited parking, we were able to find street parking right in front. There were a few people sitting on the patio, nobody in the bar area and the dining room was about 1/3 full. We were there around 9pm so seemed normal. The four of us ordered our drinks; strawberry margarita, michelada, lemonade and a water. The margarita was extremely sweet and the strawberry wasn't a purée, just syrup. The michelada came as a bottle of beer and a mug full of the michelada mix, I had to pour the beer and stir it myself. No big deal, but I've never had to do that before. We ordered a chorizo and cheese dip as our appetizer. The four pieces of chorizo were burned and the cheese was stringy, not smooth like a dip should be. The dish was extremely greasy and really didn't have any flavor, which is surprising since it had chorizo. Our four meals were all ok at best. My wife ordered a quesadilla with chicken and avocado. The entire quesadilla had three slivers of avocado in it. My youngest had a regular quesadilla, he said it was ok, but then again it's tough to mess up tortilla and cheese. My other child had a burrito, which was covered in mole sauce, he said it was pretty good. I had pollo a la diablo. It was spicy, but not really flavorful. The rice and beans were cold even though the chicken was so hot I had to let it cool before I could eat it. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. We will continue our search for good Mexican food in the Portland area. read more

Going to Agave Azul is still a happy experience, in fact I bumped it up a star from the last review I honestly cannot think of anything I haven't liked here. I haven't had the chile relano yet but that will change soon! I know there is a margarita soon to be in my future too...YUM read more

First off, I'd better just get this out of the way... You will not find better Mexican food in Gresham. Let's face it, the Far East is restaurant challenged. No question about it, east of 205 things go downhill. Fast! Agave Azul is an exception to the rule. It's a quaint little converted home that, simply, does Mexican food right (or at least better than anybody else in a 10 mile radius). You're not going to find your typical, slathered in cheese, greasy, quantity over quality, Americanized style Mexican cuisine that you will find at La Carreta or the like. And to the disappointment of a few, you will not receive chips and salsa prior to your meal(don't stop reading), but as a pleasant surprise, you will receive an excellent soft bean taco (trust me, once you taste it, you will no longer be disappointed, regardless of what you're expecting). To tell you the truth, next time I go, I may try to order a meal of these alone. The dining experience just gets better from there on out. I have dined here several times and the only time I've been slightly disappointed was with the carne asada. I found it a little overly thin, but decent in flavor. So far, everything else has been excellent. Give it a try, I find it hard to believe that you will be disappointed. If you know of a better Mexican joint in the area, please clue me in, as I'm tired of driving 120 + blocks to find something that compares. Cheers. read more

Good service, place a little short on decor. That said, the food is better than average. Mole enchiladas were very good with great black beans. Girlfriend had chicken tamales and black beans, tamales were a bit small but tasty. Would I go back? Maybe if I was in the neighborhood, I will say I drove 12 miles round trip to try this place, as received an ad in a local paper, and decided to give it a try, but won't go out of my way to return, as we have several Mexican restaurants in our area that are just as tasty! read more

The best and most authentic mexican food on the East side. Sometimes it get a little busy and the service take a bit longer, but the food is worth the wait. Instead of the normal chips and salsa, you get a bean and caso taco (soft) with a small dish of some of the best salsa (not chunky) you have ever tasted. I usually order a michelada Instead of a margarita. Many Mexican restaurants don't even know how to make one. read more

This amazing little restaurant tucked away off Powell has the best Mexican food in town. The prices are very reasonable and the amount of food is perfect. read more

They closed 10 minutes early! We drove quite a way out-of-our-way for a late dinner here. And while the website says they close at 10 PM, we were there at 9:50 PM and the doors were locked. Having worked in good restaurants in the past, I know that we would have served to anyone who shows up even 1 minute to closing time. I've stayed for an hour after we locked the doors to take care of the last of our customers. To me, this is not even 3 star service. read more

The wait staff was fantastic, seriously. The food was ok, not anything to write home about. Low options if you don't eat no meat. Cadillac margarita was on sale, can't complain. Feels more like a bar than a restaurant and that made it lose something. Has lotto machines. But if that's your thing, fajitas and lotto might bump it to a 4. Has hotter salsa available if your taste buds are hankering. Overall just fine but not superb. Refried beans- An A +! read more

My husband and I finally checked this place out after months of driving past and wondering it it was any good. We have a great experience here. Based on previous reviews I anticipated that we may want to sit in the bar and we did. The atmosphere in the bar area was nice, more cozy than the dining room appeared to be. My only complaint would be the lottery machines....cheapens the room a little bit in my opinion. And without them, the bar would have more seating available. Loved the bean taco that was served instead of chips and salsa. he sauce that came with it was excellent and I used it on my asada tacos. We also ordered guacamole, because I can never resist, and it did not disappoint. Nice amount of cilantro, which I love. We had the mole asada enchiladas which were wonderful. I would order them again in an instant. The rice was fine, but the black beans that came with it were very flavorful. We also had the asada tacos. Love that they aren't filled with cheddar, lettuce and sour cream....seemed so much more authentic. Overall I was very pleased with the food....nice to know there is a place in Gresham to get this kind of Mexican fare. My only complaint was with the margarita. I was optimistic based on previous reviews, but I was disappointed that they use a mix as the margarita base. I really want a margarita with fresh lime juice and not a sugary mix. For $4.50 it was decent, and there was plenty of tequila (which is my other margarita pet peeve), but fresh juice is always better. It would be great if they had a drink menu, where maybe they could have a variety of margaritas and charge more for fresh juice? Ultimately, we will be back when we are craving Mexican and don't want to venture out of Gresham. I will even order the margarita again, at that price, why not? read more

I'm not sure why everyone was recommending this place to my wife. The food isn't terrible but, this place isn't for us. As I sit here waiting for our check which is taking forever, I have a really bad taste in my mouth. We cheated on La Carreta tonight. It won't happen again. My kids portions were ridiculously small. My burrito was good sized but unfortunately mostly onions inside. My wife had the fajitas, by the time she received her tortillas the sizzle was gone. The server was cold and always in a hurry to leave us, yet service was really slow. We weren't even offered chips and salsa. At LA Carreta the staff are friendly and treat you like family. Their portions are huge, and their burritos are mostly meat. La Carreta we are so sorry, you are our go to Mexican spot and we were shown tonight why. read more

Gresham's greatest.., Great staff,amazing food. I can only hope they got the heater fixed. We will return time and time again.

One of the nicest Mexican restaurants we've been to... and I keep going back. Try the Pollo a la Crema... just wonderful. Strongly recommend this place. read more

Still amazing food, service, tasty margaritas. I look forward to sitting outside on their deck next time I go to eat dinner. This is the 5th time we've brought people to experience the best Mexican restaurant in Gresham and we aren't stopping there! read more

Good food, reasonable prices. One of the better Mexican restaurants I have eaten at. Servers actually speak Spanish. Instead of bringing you out chips and salsa, they give each diner a tortilla with refried beans and some kind of fancy cheese with a tasty semi-spicy sauce on the side before you order. I like their mongo-sized burritos, which require a fork and knife. Small interior, probably best for small groups. I've only been there for lunch, but it was never too crowded. read more

Very good food. Nestled into a cozy neighborhood off of Powell in a quaint homestyle restaurant. You wont get your typical chips and salsa here, which I wasnt sure if I'd handle very well at first. However, they give you a warm corn tortilla that has refried beans spread onto it and cotija cheese sprinkled around, along with some very tasty non-chunky salsa. The whole combination was tasty and warmed me up for my meal. I got the Agave Azul burrito and my wife got the Carne Asada. My burrito was VERY huge and quite tasty. It had nice chunks of quality steak and perfectly cooked red/green bell peppers and onions. The really nice touch for me was the chipotle sauce that smothered the burrito, as opposed to your typical red sauce, it really stood out. The burrito was topped with sour cream and a dollop of very tasty guacamole. The real star here was my wifes carne asada. The skirt steak was beautifully cooked, every bite was tender. The seasoning was very suttle and really made the flavor of the quality meat the star, which I absolutely prefer. When you take the carne asada and place it into a corn tortilla along with the amazing pinto bean mixture and rice, guacamole and sour cream... you get an amazing combination. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. read more

We had a great experience , the food was great , service was speedy and the staff was very friendly . We had Carne Asada which is one of our favorites and it was delicious :-) Highly recommend this place . read more

This is the FIRST yes first review I have ever written on being so disappointed in a meal. Not even 1 star PLEASE! I ate here last week as a special treat to myself and, I was so disappointed $25.00 later. I had the Chiles Rellenos and, they were terrible. They were flat, wrinkled and appeared to be left over from the night before & reheated. There was water underneath them & the rice was barely warm as was the red sauce while the plate served on was hot! I had two margaritas just to wash the food down~I had waited all morning to have a great lunch here! I tried first to go to their web page but it is no longer available? PLEASE pass this on. Respectfully, Sharee P. p.s. the margaritas tasted very watered down :( read more

Thank Yelp I found this location. Our group was headed back into Portland after a day in the Gorge and at Mt. Hood. We were trending later than I'd planned, so I whipped out Yelp and searched on Gresham -- the next town ahead. Agave Azul caught my eye -- well rated and convenient to the road. Boy, am I glad. Reasonably priced, and the best Mexican food I've had in ages. Not Tex-Mex, but Mexican. The full bar was also reasonable, with a special margarita (featuring a touch of Grand Marnier) coming in a big-as-your-head glass running just under $8. This is the type of local, just-off-the-path restaurant one dreams of finding. If you're in the area -- heck, if you're not in the area, even -- do yourself a favor and seek out Agave Azul. Hint: Items on the left side of the menu (labelled "lunch") are available at dinner for a slightly higher price by a dollar or two -- quite reasonable. It's this menu that's the home of the Enchiladas de Mole con Pollo so well reviewed by others. I was almost frightened away by the description, "spicy mole," but it was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I wish I could have relatives ship me another serving of this delightful dish. read more

I was doing a search on Yelp to find a local, small Mexican restaurant in Gresham for lunch on a Friday. I decided to give Agave Azul a try. When I first walked in, the place looked very inviting. Hardwood floors, paintings decorated the wall, 12-15 tables in the dining area. Very cute and cozy. The food was served extremely fast. It came out 5 minutes after I ordered it. Burrito I ordered was big. Waitress was very friendly and polite. I noticed a small, enclosed lounge as well. ;) read more

Agave Azul - interior shot of Agave Azul - Mexican Near Me - Gresham, Oregon

my quesadilla was supposed to be a seasonal vegetable quesadilla, I suppose I figured it would be a typical onion tomato quesadilla ended up being a carrot, broccoli cauliflower and mushroom quesadilla tasting nothing like a quesadilla and being overpower with vegetables, was honestly not good at all. That could be a tastebud issue but I had a difficult time with the taste of it . The nachos were great and the people were awesome so I would just caution about asking what the seasonal vegetables are before ordering which I stupidly didn't do! But the customer service says a lot to me and the guys were super nice! read more

Outstanding Mexican food and large portions. Great value! Very friendly staff. We drove from Vancouver and it was worth the drive. We will definitely be back! read more

1st time coming to this Restaurant and I have to say I'll be back! Their food is authentic and delicious, Waiter was very friendly, drinks were refreshing. read more

Stopped here on our way home into Portland from Mt. Hood area. All the reviews are right on. Very yummy food, reasonably priced. Good service too. If I lived in Gresham, I'd come here more often. read more