We were very excited to eat at this restaurant after a long drive from Hilton Head to Corolla--until we walked inside around 4pm, and were turned away by staff, saying they were closed for a few hours between lunch and dinner service. In hindsight, the website does indicate that they're closed from 3-5pm, but it would be a good idea to update the Yelp listing and perhaps lock your doors if you don't want customers walking in and interrupting the staff day drinking at the bar. We both felt like the employee was a bit rude with the way they told us to scram, so we decided not to give it another shot throughout the weekend. Bummer! This place looked interesting. read more

We visited this restaurant in the off season and it must be a popular spot because dine in and takeout were busy. The food And service were great. The Chommoro is exceptional. We will definitely go back. read more

Some of the best food we've had so far in OBX. Small place-need reservation. We arrived early, they were emptier and could accommodate us. We're a gluten free family. Chips and salsa came out along with drinks. Food shortly thereafter. I had chicken enchiladas mole, son's had chicken tacos and carnitas as did my wife. I had a Marg rocks. Everything's was very delicious. Server was great as was supporting staff. We absolutely will come back. If you like authentic Mexican-this is it. read more

This place had some solid food!! We went to order take out since the kids needed to nap and we needed some lunch. We ordered a good mix of stuff on the menu and all of it was really tasty! We had a spicy margarita while we were waiting, and boy was that delicious. They make their own spicy purée from jalapeños and they don't use the fake sour mix stuff so the taste is really great. They do take reservations! So we will definitely be back at our next vacation with the kids and family in tow! read more

Like everyone, they are understaffed and overworked. The food is great here , if you can figure out when they are open. Called today was told they were open, got there and opened the door and was told they are closed , come back in 2 hours. read more

We picked up carry out after an afternoon in Corolla. The family fajita meal was a great value and ton of food. Everything was fresh and delicious, and the staff was friendly. We'll be back. read more

Feeling a little misled by all the great reviews - although perhaps the in-restaurant experience is so perfect that any horrible takeout experiences fade away. Placed an order for six people that was fairly straightforward (tacos, guacamole). There was a LOT of confusion on the phone; for example, we were placed on hold and transferred to someone else three times, and one person said they delivered, then recanted. Clearly the people answering the phone have a lot going on, but that's not an excuse for poor customer service since our dollars are as green as the people who come in person. Upon arriving home with the food, we discovered a few oddities. The corn chips were in a plastic shopping bag and included lots of almost-black burnt bits. All the entrees were missing beans and rice. So on. We proceeded to try to eat, but the tacos were very dry... not to mention it's weird to have a tiny bit of taco filling wrapped in two floppy corn tortillas (instead of the typical single tortilla per taco). We called the restaurant politely three times trying to get the beans and rice issue resolved. The first time, someone put us on hold sighing, "I'll see what we can do for you" and never came back (we waited 15 minutes). The second and third times, no one picked up, so we left voicemail asking to speak to a manager. Of course no one ever called. We do not expect perfection during busy summer days, but we do expect when things go wrong, the restaurant shows some sort of desire to correct it. You have just guaranteed we will never come back nor recommend your establishment to any of the many friends who will be visiting the area. read more

Had a wonderful meal with the family at this restaurant. The flavor of rice, beans, fish tacos, fajitas, and tamales were spectacular! Our server Milko was excellent, very attentive!!!! read more

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NOTE: this is Agave To Go (same employees as Agave and across the street) If you are reading this DO NOT GO HERE! The night did not end as planned. We came in to Agave To Go and it was completely empty on a Saturday night. We were told to sit down and order. A man brought us chips and salsa which was nice. We were out of water and chips for 50 minutes with no apology. We asked for more chips and they were given by the man, however. We asked when our food would be ready, he said 3 minutes. We asked again, and the man looked as if he had no idea (no apology). 20 minutes later, there was no food out. We went back to the bar and asked the men in the kitchen when our food would be ready, and the chefs looked like they had no idea we had even ordered food. Keep in mind we were the ONLY customers in the restaurant for the entirety of the time (aside from 2 ladies sitting at the bar). We left after an hour and a half without our food, and still did not get an apology. read more

Very authentic Mexican. Black beans are amazing along with their empanadas to die for! Mole enchilada is incredible. Highly recommend

A pretty unassuming little restaurant in a strip mall that serves excellent food. My husband had the tempeh tacos and I had the chicken mole enchiladas. Both were delicious and enough left over for our dinner tomorrow. We sat at the bar and had good service from the bartender. When we are back in the island, I would definitely make a return visit. I would suggest reservations. They get packed. read more

Great Mexican place near Corolla! Came with my family to a house in Corolla and found this place to eat dinner. The chips and salsa were GREAT, and our waiter was great at keeping them filled. I ordered a copa del sur which was delicious! Not too sweet, plus they poured a little heavy. For my main, I got the shrimp tacos which were delicious. They were overfilled with the mango salsa and lettuce, but the shrimp were fried perfectly. The salsa complimented the shrimp perfectly. Unfortunately, we were rushed out due to a dinner reservation for our table, but our waiter was nice enough to give us a locals discount of 10%! read more

Made a reservation Got a confirmation email When we arrived the manager stated sorry, we don't have that reservation. Showed the confirmation and he stated sorry no room. Standing in front of the restaurant embarrassed (with 3 visible open socially distant tables) we elected to leave after he stated u can wait if u want but I don't know if we can sit u this evening. Not the best customer service!!! Previous visits food has been good. Won't go back though. read more

Was here with my wife for the first time today. We enjoyed it. The vibe is chill. The decor is cool. Most importantly the food was GOOD! She got pork enchiladas, i got shrimp tacos, we had a side of guacamole. The dinners came with refried beans and rice. We were given salsa and chips upon sitting, with water. We ordered iced teas. Everything was fresh, tasty and well put together. We have enough for seconds! Service was fast and friendly. We would go back anytime we are in the area and feel like this type of food. If your in the mood for "Mexican" food, you cant go wrong with this place. read more

This is the place to go to... didn't expect such good Mexican fare in North Carolina. The owner is one of the most genuine guys in Outer Banks and if you're considering going here I urge you to do it ... the food and service surely won't disappoint read more

Love the food Love the drinks Steve is awesome! Always hit this spot every year we come down. read more

Decent service but the food was sub par at best not to mention the most expensive Mexican food I have ever eaten. Not sure what I expected, but I would suggest traveling across the street to the Philly cheesesteak shop. read more

This place was absolutely a bust. The restaurant is super small. The bartender is not at all willing to give you a cocktail different to how he likes to make them. Zero since of accommodating! The food is not worth going back for seconds. The only thing giving more than one star for was the waitress. read more

Nice Spanish food. Had the steak and it tasted great. Didn't speak much English but were friendly nonetheless.

Upscale Mexican, loved it! The menu had your typical Mexican staples such as tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas, but I had one of the house specialties, a salmon dish, the salmon was cooked to perfection and the spice red sauce was exceptionally delicious. The meal came with a large ear of Mexican street corn and beans and rice were in side dishes (served family style). Hubby had a seafood enchilada dish--looked amazing, tasted amazing. Their corn chips were light, crispy and plentiful and their salsa was nice and garlicy. My only complaint would be that the place is so small, it would not be good for a big group of people (more than 10). Attentive wait staff and floor manager! We will be back! :) read more

I used to like this place a lot. The food is delicious, but now they're way too busy for their own good. The service has suffered severely. They're borderline insulting to guests. There is always a wait, and reservation times stink. We tried to order carry out and they had to check to see if there were too many tickets in already and there were. This place is another victim of how overcrowded the Outer Banks has become. If you do manage to be served there, queso is great. Spicy margaritas are good. So are the fish tacos. Not sure if we'll bother to try again. read more

Very disappointed with my experience here. We called in an order for pickup. They did tell us that they were short staffed and it would be an hour and 15 minutes before our order would be ready for pick up. When we got there to pick up, they pulled our ticket to take to the kitchen. It hadn't even been started. So we ordered a drink while we waited. It was another 45 minutes until we got our order. There were only 2 dishes in our order. Got it home to find that the cheese quesadilla I ordered had pork in it. When I called they told me it was tempeh. It didn't say anywhere on the menu that the cheese quesadilla had tempeh in it. And I had specifically told them I just wanted the cheese and veggies. Won't be going back there. read more

A big round of applause for the staff!! We stopped here for lunch after arriving on the island and didn't know all of our friends would slowly start arriving and want to meet up with us. The staff was so accommodating by putting tables together and trying to seat us all as close as possible... and this was during lunch rush on a Saturday! One of the staff also started coloring with our kids when they started getting antsy (we were there for about 2 hours as everyone else was arriving, ordered and ate). Oh, and the food was absolutely delicious! Super fresh and no complaints from anyone in our group of 16! read more

I ordered the chicken tacos and the meat was completely bland, no seasoning. Everything looked delicious here but had no flavor. The chips tasted like the restaurant style tortilla chips that you buy from Aldi and the salsa treated like it was from a jar. My husband ordered the quesadilla and it was huge and no spice or seasoning, just completely lacking in the flavors you crave at a Mexican restaurant. I have never seen food that looked so pretty but had zero flavor. Very disappointing. read more

This place was disappointing... server was rude, salsa was watery, chips were greasy, we had to beg for more chips and water, food was gross, asked server for a modified version of dish and he told me it would be disgusting that way, definitely not a place for picky eaters. read more

Great service to DELIOUS food!! It is a small place and we had made a reservation the day we had arrived. It was well worth the wait. Drinks were equally good. For my vegetarian folks, ample of selection and the restaurant is accommodating. read more

The dinner started off well, but after we got our drinks and appetizer, we didn't hear from our waiter again. We had to ask about our order 45 mins later. Then they had a different waiter bring our food with the only explanation being that they were busy. It's a pretty small restaurant and it was a Tuesday...not a busy night. They really missed the mark with communicating to us. Instead of cutting the bill by 20% (or whatever) they gave us a piece of pie (there were 7 of us) and the waitress gave two of our 3 children maracas...thanks for leaving one of the kids out. Just missed the mark. Oh and the food was just OK. The waiter and staff can make all the difference in the experience! read more

Tried to dine here last night but the hostess was determined to turn us away. We walked in at 5:45 and half of the restaurant was full. Hostess took a few Minutes to greet us. We were asked if we had a reservation and since we didn't, she said it would be 6:45 before she could seat us. We asked if we could order to go and she said no, the kitchen is too small and they were too busy. There was a table empty, nothing set up and we asked if we could sit there. The hostess was increasingly rude and said again, "no seating til 6:45." We own a restaurant and were stunned at the repetition of NO NO NO. We were not encouraged to stay, sit at the bar, have a drink and wait for a table. Too bad because we had been referred to this restaurant by a food sales rep, a liquor rep and two home owners. Would love to add a review on the food, but the hostess needs training and customer service skills. Fortunately in the same building is fun, open to seat restaurant named Tomato Patch Pizzeria. We were greeted when we entered with a smile, seated immediately and thanked for dining with them by our server and hostess. 100% positive experience that Agave could learn from. We had the works fries with Bacon, what a treat! There were several delicious beers on tap and we had a great meal! Thanks for turning around the night and making us feel welcomed!!! read more

I wish I could comment in the food but we were rudely turned away. 2 hour wait to be seated. .mind you there were empty tables and one party of 2 waiting. As a service industry person, I understand reservations but they are not a guarantee of a table at the moment you walk in. We said ok, we will sit at the bar. The bartender YELLS across the bar, nope my bar is about to fill up! !! Are you kidding me? A bartender turning a customer away from ordering a drink? We just wanted to regroup and figure out where to go to dinner. Terrible customer service. GET OVER YOURSELVES We are now at la dolce vita.. An amazing Italian place that welcomed us with open arms even though we didn't have a reservation read more

Stop eating apple fritters from Dunkin' Donuts for dinner and go to Agave Roja! Their fish tacos and shrimp tacos are amazing. Dress code is tourista casual, so don't show up in a tuxedo and monocle. You'll feel overdressed. This place is an elite Corolla food spot. Worth the $$, worth the wait. read more

I'm going to give my first one-star review. I was so mad at this place. I came about 7pm on Friday night looking to place an order for takeout and was refused. Staff said they were too busy and would not accommodate until 9:30pm or later. That's poor customer service since nothing I saw had a mention about no takeout during busy times. Too bad because I had about a $150 order and I would have bought drinks while waiting. read more

Not sure what words to describe Agave Roja that can't be summed up with one word: AWESOME! Drinks: Excellent Mixolgist Estaban is muy benito! Ceviche - Out of this world Pork Ribs - best around Some kind of seafood enchilada - Some kind of wonderful Service - best in class Atmosphere - airy, cool, bustling yet intimate- outside seating nice touch My complements to the chef - Juan Oh yeah One last suggestion Chili Chocolate Torte read more

Let me start by saying the food was inventive and fresh. My husband and I really enjoyed our meals here. Chips were crispy and light. Salsa had a nice thickness to it with a great flavor. Guacamole was very tasty, but very rich and almost too creamy. For lunch, I ordered the shrimp tacos. The lunch portion was two tacos - more than enough for me. The shrimp were very lightly breaded, slightly crisp, juicy and flavorful. My husband ordered the chile con carne which was braised pork enchiladas topped with a tomatillo serrano sauce. Both were served with sides of delicious refried black beans and rice. The beans had so much flavor and my husband declared them the best he had ever had. I have to agree. They have a nice selection of tequila, especially for a small restaurant in Corolla. Every item on the menu had a tequila pairing with descriptions of the tequila which I thought was a nice touch. The margaritas were delicious - Konan mixed a mean margarita. I love when house made mix is used as it so improves the flavor of the drink. I would have rated Agave Roja 5 stars, but there was an unmistakable tension in the restaurant which almost made our dining experience a bit uncomfortable. We thought about lingering for another margarita since it was cold and raining, but instead decided to move on. While we received decent service at the bar, without going into too much detail, I didn't sense a feeling of teamwork amongst the people working - just a very weird vibe for what should be a relaxing lunch at the beach. Quick tip - Agave Roja is small. If you wish to dine during peak hours, make reservations. The menu at lunch is understandably smaller so I really do want to come back my next visit to try some of the dinner menu items. Their food is delicious. Try it - I doubt you will be disappointed. read more

When we entered there were plenty of open tables. We were quickly seated and served chips with salsa. This is where the positive experience ends. Our server never came back. We watched while several others were seated but left unattended. After 25 minutes of waiting to have our drink orders taken (not even our food order) and trying to politely grab the attention of someone, we decided to leave. read more

This is my first post ever because I really felt compelled to do a rating on this restaurant, especially given that one star rating below on the SAME DAY that my friends and I were there (we called in a reservation and actually ate there...host was not rude, just matter of fact IMO and it was quite busy). So here it is... On Spring Break with friends and family. Went here for lunch earlier in the week and it was so good we went back for dinner Thursday night (6pm same time/day as that one star). We really had a fantastic experience both times we went. We saw families, young couples, twenty somethings at the bar, all types dining. Music was fun, decor pretty cool and eclectic and the place was clean. So far so good! FOOD (see the pics I uploaded on some of these): fish tacos and chicken tacos (good), pollo mole colorado which is roasted chicken in corn tortilla with mole sauce...mole was complex and delicious! I had this for lunch and loved it so much that I had it when we went back for dinner; fajitas (wives LOVED it and it looked really fresh and smelled incredible), and camarone aztecas (jumbo shrimp in a lava cauldron...pretty cool and buddy said it was delicious, especially over rice). Had the huge serving of fresh avocado guac and it was great and lots of it ($12). We were served black beans and rice on the side and it was very evident that both were made fresh and from scratch. We all agreed that the black beans were the best we ever had and had a lot going on ingredient wise. DRINKS: tropical mojito, pineapple coconut margarita (loved it), and the dos especias spiced margarita (spicy but not uncomfortable). Drinks were strong but not overwhelming so spot on. DESSERT: dulce de leche cheesecake (like a cheesecake chimichanga/sopapia deep fried with cinnamon sugar) and the tarta de margarita key lime tart (crazy good!) - both had fresh made whipped cream! I have never had a key lime tart with tequila and WOW was it incredible and complex. Tart, refreshing and packed a punch. pretty cool Service: we had Kelsey both times and I don't think she could have been a more perfect server...knowledgeable, genuinely happy, fast as heck, refilled drinks without us even noticing sometimes (ice tea, soft drinks), checked back with us often and then jumped to get what we asked for. Fantastic. All the staff seemed happy to be there and very focused on their tables. I think the owner was jumping in clearing tables and when we asked for more chips he dropped what he was doing and grabbed them for us. Nice to see this kind of service in this day and age. Overall we couldn't ask for a better experience, especially at the beach where restaurants can easily put out mediocre food, mediocre service and get by. Agave is shoulders above a typical tourist restaurant for sure and NOT your typical mexican joint. So good in fact that we made reservations for 12 for one weeknight when we come back to the beach in July. That's pretty much a solid vote of confidence I'd say! Highly recommend you check this place out. read more

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3 adults 2 kids & we all loved everything. Kids had cheese quesadillas & cheese dip which was really good. Chips where so thin & fresh, too. Hubby had fish tostado, I had chicken taquitos, & shared brisket tacos with my daughter. The tacos were the best of everything & I highly recommend giving it a try. Only complaint is a little pricey. read more

Drove 30 minutes to come here for dinner. Website says open but door days 'closed on mondays'. We are not the only people that have showed up tonight thinking the restaurant was open. Please update your website to be courteous to future patrons read more

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I went to this restaurant with my family on vacation, and every year we come here and their food is normally good. This time when I came, I ordered the vegetarian tacos and rice. We had to wait a long time although the restaurant was practically empty. When I got my food, I noticed that I didn't get the rice that is supposed to come on the side. When I tasted the taco, I almost gagged. Not only was it piled with onions, it had a sweet taste, but it wasn't a good sweet. I asked my cousin if her tacos tasted the same, she said she would refuse to eat them! About an hour into dinner, my whole table noticed that mostly all the waiters were not doing their job and sitting at a table eating. We eventually couldn't take it and we left without dinner. If you ever visit the Corolla area in North Carolina, your experience there could be a 50/50 situation. I would not go there again for sure. read more

Agave Roja - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

One of the few places in the Outerbanks that was open during the Christmas to New Years break and I'm glad it was. My fiance and I were hankering for a good day drinking extravaganza (it was technically a vacation for both of us- so day drinking is expected) and margaritas and mojitos fit the bill. The place had about 4 groups with 5 or more people when we arrived. It also only had one waitress who was also the bartender- she was running around like a maniac but the service NEVER faltered. We started with the guacamole with crab meat- SOLID I had a margarita and Ken had a mojito, both very strong and by 2 drinks I was feeling very happy. lol. Ken had steak, chicken and shrimp fajitas which were AWESOME and I had the chicken tacos. The tacos were great, but Ken's dish won this time. We will definitely head back here when we're down for my birthday weekend! read more

We had read and heard such great things about this place so we had to come. We came on a Monday with a group of 8 and we were seated within 15 minutes. Prior to being seated, we sat at the bar. The bartender was very talkative and proud to talk about how everything was their own mix/homemade, especially the margarita mix. He was attentive and gave good suggestions to those who didn't want a margarita. He was a little slow but that was ok since we weren't in a rush and he was chatting with us. Our waitress was equally as nice and good. She was very talkative and proud of the food at Agave Roja. She made excellent suggestions and was friendly. We started with the guacamole. It was fabulous. It wasn't made table side but I think that's always a bit overrated anyway. It was pretty smooth though...usually I prefer it a little chunky, It was tasty though and so were the chips. The salsa was also good but not great. I ordered the fish tacos which is always one of my favorites. They were outstanding. The fish was mahi mahi instead of tilapia and grilled instead of fried. I loved it. My sister wanted a few kinds of tacos and the waitress said that although they don't normally do that, she would make it happen. She had carnitas and chicken tacos and loved them both. My husband and another person got something that had pumpkin seeds and shrimp (it's not on the menu on their website now). This was recommended by the waitress. They both loved it. Others thoroughly enjoyed their fajitas. Overall it was a great dinner. Our plates were clean, our glasses empty and we were stuffed. And it is just awesome how much both of the workers we encountered were passionate about the food and drink their and proud to work there. I think that really shows a lot about the establishment. read more