Food, drinks and service were outstanding. It is a very unassuming location, we almost passed it up but stayed because of the yelp reviews. I'm so glad we did. Our server was so welcoming, friendly, knowledgable and helpful with his recommendations. Everything we had was amazing. The drinks, oh my god, the drinks! The fresca azul, copa del sur and cucumber & serrano margarita were some of the best mixed drinks I've had. The mussels were perfectly cooked and the brocheta de camarones were delicious. As good or better than Jose Andres' Oyamel in DC. Please come to DC or MD! Thank you for an amazing meal. read more

Agave Roja - Ohhhh YEAH!!!!! - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

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We went for margaritas and guacamole (both delicious here) but based on how good they were and how great the staff was, we'll definitely be back for a real dinner during next year's vacation. We came at a very awkward time, I think most places would have told us it was just too late...but they were extremely accommodating for the timing. Conan and John were awesome, hope they're there next year when we go back for a real meal and even more margs. read more

Very impressed with this place! Called for reservations but the 9pm option wasn't good for us so we took our chances and showed up at 6. An hour and a half wait for dining room but immediate seating on patio. Our waiter, who was the owner was the best. Very friendly, funny and attentive but not over the top. Now onto the food, the guacamole was one of best I've had and the mango habanero salsa was a great combination of sweet and spicy. Three of us shared an order of fish tacos, shrimp tacos and steak tacos and they were all amazing. My favorite was the fish, the shrimp was spicy amazing and the steak had a delicious pickled onion on it. My daughter loved the make your own taco dinner. Overall, awesome food and service. A definite go to!! read more

Agave Roja - One of each, fish taco, shrimp taco and steak taco...yum!! - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

We made a reservation 5 days ago - we own a house down here and knew we needed to make a a reservation - the female Head Waitress was SO rude and FYI if u make reservation it is not guaranteed and don't believe them unless u have some electronic message (we showed her the phone call record) and we have supported ALL local business during covid - Luis our bartender was amazing and the only reason this is a three - that Same manager waitress has served us at least twice in the past and I won't ever acknowledge her presence again. Also there were 2 empty tables behind us the whole time we sat there so she just did not want to seat us. read more

Food and atmosphere are fun and casual with authentic flair. Drinks from the bar also did not disappoint. Be sure and order the Mexican Street Corn it was GREAT! Call in advance for a reservation. Restaurant filled up quickly with not much standing or waiting space for a table. read more

Very good service. Some of the food was good, but some was plain ole boring. The highlight for me was the red sangria: it was one of the best I've ever had with cinnamon, clove, and a lot of fruit. Our server accurately noted that it was a drink and fruit salad in one. The chips were good, and the fajitas had nicely-marinated beef (a little sparse though) and perfectly cooked onions and peppers. Another positive was that the rice (while bland) was real rice and not parboiled rice. However, the salsa tasted exactly like (and had the same texture as) canned tomato sauce. The chicken enchiladas and pork tacos were good but not as flavorful as one would expect. Oddly, the black beans tasted more like cumin than beans. The hot sauce got a lot of use at our table. The decor is simple, but designed well. Classic Mexican style paintings on the wall, tequila bottles with living plants as centerpieces, and brightly colored walls. read more

Upscale-ish Mexican fare with more hits than misses. The mixed drinks and flights of tequila/mezcal are on-point. I wish they had more of the harder-to-find tequilas on the list (it's mostly your Patron/Hornitos/Don Julio/Cabo Wabo stuff) but I appreciated what they were trying to do. NOTE: I like tequila but many in our group did not and found the non-tequila offerings lacking greatly. The food was pretty solid. Ceviche was fresh and well-seasoned. Tacos, across the board, were plentiful with traditional flavor combinations and well executed. Non-taco dishes were met with varying levels of acceptance. The snapper dish was met with "good, not great, could use better seasoning," their version of surf and turf was considered more of a flop. In the end, Agave Roja is a nice change-of-pace for Corolla and I'd go back. Reservations recommended/required for bigger groups. read more

Just finished dinner at this restaurant which was such a great experience. Casual, clean place with great vibes. Staff was attentive and fun. Food was fabulous. I recommend the carnitas and fresh guacamole. read more

This place is amazing! We had them cater a family party while on vacation. The planning was easy and the communication was incredible. They dropped of a taco bar at exactly the time we had told them and the food was the best! Everyone was enjoying it! I highly suggest an evening with the family or friends with this delicious food and exceptional service!! read more

The catered to our party of 15 on the day of! They made us a spot in their catering building with the same menu and a private waiter. The food was delicious! Especially the cheese dip and the shrimp tacos! We will definitely be back next year! read more

Off the charts!!! Big family outing (16 total with 8 kids under 8) and the service was the best we've had in I don't know how long. Everything was amazing! The guacamole with mango salsa was some of the best I've ever had. Had the carnitas (steak tacos). Simple, and explosive with flavor. The caramelized onions were such a beautiful compliment to the steak. Well done! read more

Bag service.. super dope art work. The food was not good. The Guacamole and queso was bad. We have a picky eater and he paid 20.00 for a quesadilla and a soda. No seasoning or way 2 much. Just awful wouldn't recommend. read more

This place is TOP NOTCH!!!! The drinks are delicious, the service was amazing!! All of the staff members tended to us, we did not go without anything we needed. The salsa was so FRESH tasting!! The food tasted so so so good. We absolutely recommend you stop by, show this small business some love read more

I dined at Agave Roja last week while on vacation in OBX. I chose this restaurant based on all of the positive Yelp reviews and they were right on point. My first impression upon entering the restaurant was how clean and organized it was. Our reservation was on time and we were seated promptly. We started out with a classic margarita and they were delicious! All courses of the meal were well timed and we didn't have to wait long at all between them. We enjoyed the tacos and enchiladas, which were both well prepared and tasted of fresh ingredients. We didn't have room for dessert, but based on those that I saw leaving the kitchen they probably would have been just as good, if not better, than our main course. My only negative comment about Agave Roja is the seating/table arrangement. The tables are situated close together, so there is not much privacy at all between separate seated parties. A minor inconvenience for such a pleasant meal though. If you are in Corolla and enjoy Mexican food, you owe it to yourself to try Agave Roja. I highly doubt that you will be disappointed. read more

Good food, good service. A little overzealous on the ABC rules. This is not your typical American-Mexican restaurant, they are bent a little more to the tequila tasting menu than the food menu. I enjoyed the food I tasted (carne tacos for me, and some of my wife's chicken mole enchiladas as well), but was put off, when I was told that I could have beer and a shot of mezcal at the same time. I do not understand how they can sell you a flight of tequila shots, but you can't have a dos equis at the same time as a shot of mezcal in a snifter? Oh, I almost forgot, they added gratuity to our party of six, but did not mention that at all, even when dropping the check. If our server had mentioned it, I would have left a few extra dollars, but was not happy to have to read the receipt to find out. read more

Yelp never is wrong. I was skeptical of the Had the shrimp cauldron of fire, OMG awesomely boiling hot deliciousness. We also had the pork shank which was even better then the shrimp cauldron. Fish and shrimp tacos were Incredible. Dolces?we had them all best was the fried Mexican donuts. Drinks were perfection (margaritas are to die for). Only thing that needs improvement is kicking the patrons who have completed their meal for over an hour out so other patrons can get in there. Seriously, people be courteous we are all vacation. read more

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We found our way here after trying to get in to a few other crowded restaurants. Agave was busy too and short staffed but the manager and staff on hand did their best to make a very memorable meal out of what could have been a disaster. I got the beef burrito and wow, this thing was delicious! Even the refried beans were phenomenal. I'm no stranger to Mexican food and I highly recommend Agave Roja. read more

Absolutely terrible do not go here! First we get there and the table was completely dirty. We asked them to clean it and they didn't so we asked for a rag THREE times before getting it and cleaning it ourselves. We waited thirty minutes to put in our food- not by choice they would just come-over for a second to drop off our food then leave right away. The people who sat 20 minutes after us ordered 5 minutes before us and got their food 20 minutes before us. Once we ordered it took them an hour to get it out. We complained to a manager being very nice and polite, and she was extremely rude. She said she knew our food took awhile to come out but that's just how it is basically. She was extremely disrespectful and did not talk to us in the way you talk to customers. She proceeded to yell at us in front of other customers. I wish I knew her name cause I would like her to be fired quite honestly. Awful awful place. read more

Came last night while on vacation with a party of 6. We didn't know reservations were needed but we were sat in less then 30 minutes so it was no big deal. Our server was Jonas who told us he was new z which was great. It would have been helpful then for the hostess to stagger his section a bit more to help him out. Getting a 6,5,3 and 2 top fairly close together makes it hard for him and the bar who were both fairly slammed by the fast arriving volume. He did a good job. Though when your table asks for more chips, just bring more. Don't take our half full baskets away to refill. Or marry the two baskets and bring another. And while yes it was a little crowded handing hot plates directly over someone's head.. No thanks. Food was great overall. Mango habanero mojiito was too hot to enjoy. We Definitely look forward to coming back when we are in town again. read more

The steak fajitas were delicious. The meat was tender and the veggies were crisp and fresh. I enjoyed myself quite a bit. read more

Agave Roja - Steak Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

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Back for an off-season visit, and the food + service is just as good as it was during peak season. Loved it. Had a lovely skewered shrimp dish along with house made guacamole. Oh, and a margarita on the rocks. Completely superlative once again. Great food served in an unpretentious setting. The wait staff was at tentative and spot on as well. If there was a contest for best food in OBX, I'd say these guys are seriously in the running. Thanks! read more

I got the fish tacos. They were great. The service was slow. I don't know if the outer banks can get away with claiming island time. Maybe. We were ready for apps with our drinks, but they asked us to wait to place that order until our drinks came. Same with entrees. We were ready to place them when we ordered apps, but they asked us to wait again. read more

Agave Roja - Fish tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

We hit a home run on our first visit to the Outer Banks, as this was our first dining experience in the area. What a fabulous (somewhat upscale) Mexican restaurant, with food options for the whole family. The staff is absolutely fantastic --- this is what you would expect when you take your family on vacation! The guacamole is amazing, the fish tacos were to die for, and the drink menu (everything, I can't remember exactly what) went down really smooth. We actually ended up going back a couple of times during our most recent vacation. To top it off. One of the waitresses went next door to buy my son a shark tooth. How's that for customer service! Wish we had a Agave Roja in my area. read more

Shrimp Azteca was seriously good. It's a must-do for anyone who likes seafood and spices. read more

Agave Roja - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

This place was exactly what I needed after a long, foodless drive to the Outer Banks from Philadelphia. The retail-type exterior is rather unassuming; you'd never suspect a restaurant in a setting like this to be anything worth raving about...but as the saying goes, you should never judge a book by its cover, right? It all started as my friend and I sat down at the bar. A bartender promptly came over and welcomed us, asking if we'd been there before. "Nope, we haven't". He replied with confidence "Well you're in for a treat. My name's John", followed by a firm handshake to us both. Well, he was right...this food was nothing short of awesome. So, there you have it: a great Mexican menu, great service, fair prices, friendly people, and I promise you'll leave with a "Wow". read more

Awesome food and awesome service! It is a little smaller in there, but there's some outdoor seating and the wait is definitely worth it! Unfortunately they don't do to go orders because it's usually busy, but fresh food is always better anyways. Food was flavorful, hot and fresh! Drinks were also awesome and definitely not watered down! Our server, Beatrice, was super nice, helpful, and attentive! Highly recommend for quality Mexican food in OBX! read more

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We got takeout, and the food was so-so... some was very good, while other things were not great. (The guacamole tasted like biting into a lime... the avocado flavor was undetectable.) The service, however, was atrocious. I was left waiting a LONG time after the pickup time. At one point, I was told the food was being bagged up right then, but I still didn't get the food for another 15 minutes, and the manager was not very polite about it. read more

Best tacos I've ever had!! We had to wait a long time because we didn't call for the take out order before hand. But it was totally worth it. read more

We stopped in just for the tequila flight. They do not currently have the selection of tequilas that they did pre COVID but still nice selections. Service as always was very good. They too are struggling to get enough staff. We did order food and as in previous years we were not disappointed. It is a yearly stop for us. read more

Excellent margaritas, delicious chips and salsa, friendly wait staff and wonderful food. We are so glad we stumbled upon this place in October, it's now one of our go-to places! The shrimp and crab enchiladas were amazing and my 10 year old inhaled his burrito! Even kept my 7 year old happy and asking to come back. If you are looking for yummy Mexican food this is your place! read more

I've been here twice. First time was great (2 years ago). Now the portions have dwindled, prices have gone up and the service has fallen off the deep end. We won't be going back. If you do happen to be served by the woman who also bartends good luck. She made my daughter cry after removing an empty glass directly from her hands saying these are not to be handled by children. read more

Awesome drinks and food. An absolute MUST anytime of the day. I'm from the DC area and we have great Mexican food. This place blows our locale market away. Amazing, non greasy, clean Mexican food. And the staff are super attentive. Very nice folks to dine with! A OBX must! read more

Agave Roja catered our wedding, and wow--I do not have enough room to write how amazing they were! I've never been to or hosted an event where I had so many people 1) compliment the food and 2) ask where the restaurant was so they could visit again in person. We had plenty of leftovers, and the whole house was grateful to get to eat it again! Punctual and prepared, Agave Roja came right on time, set everything up and made sure everything was disposable (while still looking good) for easy clean-up. Thank you for making our wedding day even better! read more

Yum! Amazing food, even better service! Attention to detail was apparent in everything and we will definitely be back. The only disappointment was that this place is so far from home. Otherwise, we'd be regulars! read more

Agave Roja - Prickly pear margarita. Amazing! Almost as good as the food! Asade tacos. Chicken tortilla soup, guacamole, yum yum yum - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

This is great! We just ordered the recommendations. I ordered a pork rib, and it's awesome! It's the best Mexican restaurant I've ever been to, and it's super cheap. read more

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Did not expect to have this great of a meal. Attentive staff with fresh local ingredients. Great for kids and drinks where amazing. We will return for another visit some time shortly read more

Agave Roja - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

This is the best Mexican restaurant we have ever been to. The guacamole is fresh and tastes amazing. I had the steak tacos which were made with smoked brisket and pickled onions - the best ever. My husband had the fajitas - they were fantastic! The normally picky kids ate all of their quesadillas. The margarita key lime pie was perfection! This restaurant is in a little strip mall in Corolla; it's definitely not a dive but the atmosphere is informal and family friendly. It's quite busy and loud inside the restaurant. The service was great! We showed up at 8:30pm with no reservation. The place was packed but they were able to get us in at 9:00. The waitress was friendly and efficient. I highly, highly recommend you include this on your list of restaurants to visits when you're in the Outer Banks. read more

Agave Roja - Steak tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

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Worth the wait! We arrived at 730pm on Sunday evening and had to make a 8pm reservation. We checked back in at 8 and they were still backed up, and we weren't seated until 815. What's really cool is they take your cell and text you when your table is ready. It makes a lot more sense than those stupid buzzer things! I ordered a cucumber margarita that had a hint of spice that was o so nice. The 3 chicken tacos come in a super awesome stand which keeps all the goodness from spilling out. For dessert-tres leche cake for the win! The decor was cool, the service was outstanding, and the food was delicious and well priced! The complimentary post dinner shots sent my group over the edge! We may go back one more time before we leave for the week! Go! Enjoy! Make a reservation first though! read more

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Not your typical mexican menu from taco bell. Authentic food and very tasty. Service was excellent. Not crowded at all and was seated in a timely manner. I would definitely come back again. read more

One of our absolute favorite spots. Highly recommend the ceviche, mole, shrimp quesadilla, & mango margarita. Upbeat, fun vibe. Popular, so prepare to wait. read more