Agave Restaurant & Lounge – Bristol, RI
Agave Restaurant & Lounge / 805 Hope Street / Bristol, RI 02809 / 401-253-1566
Agave Restaurant & Lounge (formerly The Topside Lounge) is the perfect stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner. How do I know? Because I’ve experienced all three and each meal was phenomenal!
There is so much to love about Agave that I don’t know where to start!
How about the location and view?
Agave has a prime location overlooking the Bristol harbor and the East Bay Bike Path.
The outside deck is the perfect place to bask in the warm sunshine while sipping on a cold drink and enjoying Agave’s delicious food.
Raining? Cold? No problem! Step inside Agave’s beautiful interior and warm up by one of their two fireplaces and take in the water views from their picture windows.
The bar/lounge area is huge and welcoming and with flat screen TV’s and friendly bartenders.
Agave even has live acoustic music during the the fall/winter and spring on Saturday evenings (usually from 7-10pm) and Friday-Sundays during the summer. Sunday’s live music is usually outside on the deck during the afternoon.
Agave, which is the name for the plant that makes Tequila, lives up to it’s meaning offering 45 different tequila’s and a Latin influenced menu. The menu isn’t just Latin, however, it is quite diverse and has something to make everyone’s palate happy. Everything from tapas to seafood dishes to burgers!
As far as looks go, you can’t help but be impressed by Agave’s appearance. It is a stunning restaurant. Inside and out.
There is the huge bar & lounge area and the main dining room, which I like to describe as having a “nautical-barn-type-feel!” Gorgeous!
I was impressed with the different colored woods, art on the walls, fireplaces, lighting fixtures and even the dishes they use! Great detail went into the decor of Agave and it works beautifully.
It’s not every day you find a place that works perfectly as both a summary AND wintry hang out! Well done, Agave!
Another great thing about Agave is the service! You are instantly greeted by the friendly waitresses and/or waiters with down-to-earth smiles and unpretentious attitudes. The past few waitresses we have had, including our last waitress, Nicole, have been down right “family like”. I felt like Nicole was a cousin I just had Sunday dinner with at grandma’s house…no lie! Mangia! 😉
I also love the diversity of Agave. I have noticed families with children dining here as well as college students, married couples, gay couples, single people, girlfriends having a “ladies night out”……such a great, diverse mix!
But it all comes down to the food, right? Right! If that is the case, than Agave wins all around because the food is DE-LI-CIOUS!!
With today’s economy, it is the little things that mean so much, like free soda refills and free baskets of bread with to-die-for cornbread! Super yum!
Our bread basket was overflowing with toasted Italian bread and homemade cornbread, served with a delicious Jalapeno butter. MMM. This was only a preview of what was to come.
My partner, Jennifer, started the evening off with one of five made-in-house Sangrias, called “Pink Passion.” It is the only one made with a White Zinfandel and, as Nicole explained, the sweetest of them all!
Jen said it was absolutely delicious with the most fruit she had ever seen in Sangria.
For an appetizer we ordered their pear & gorgonzola salad which was served with peacans and a raspberry vinaigrette. It was extremely fresh and tasted as good as it looks!
For the main entrée I ordered a combo of chicken & steak fajitas and Jen ordered their Mariscada which was made with generous amounts of lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels, and scallops tossed in a garlic & parsley broth served over linguini.
Look at this dish! Wow! Jen savored every bite and had plenty of linguini to take home for leftovers.
My fajitas were out of this world! Yet again, the portion was BEYOND generous!
The steak was cooked to perfection (you all know by now that I love my steak well done..lol) and the chicken flavored with a “spice” that made my forehead sweat in that very good way! 😉 I also love that they toast their tortilla’s which adds a “crunch” and makes it extra enjoyable!
I can’t stress enough how perfect the flavoring was on both Jen’s seafood dish and my Fajita dish. The flavors were so delicious without being over-powering.
You can definitely tell the restaurant has a Latin flair. There is nothing worse than BLAND food or food with TOO MUCH FLAVOR, Agave get’s it JUST RIGHT!
We somehow managed to save room for dessert! 😉 Jennifer ordered the chocolate layer cake and I ordered the key lime pie.
The chocolate cake was moist and very good with powdered sugar and whipped creme.
The key lime pie was exactly what one would expect from key lime pie – TART! LOL!
Tart, ice-cold and very enjoyable!
HOURS: Monday-Thursday 7am-11pm; Friday & Saturday 7am-12am and Sunday 7am-10pm.
**Breakfast is served 7 days a week!
PARKING: There is ample parking in Agave’s parking lot.
PRICE LEVEL: $$
MENU: The web site is under construction, but menu’s will be featured here when completed: www.agavebristol.com/.
LUNCH & BREAKFAST: Our review was during dinner, but my partner and I had dined here many times for breakfast and lunch. In my opinion, Agave’s breakfast is one of the best in Rhode Island. Not only are the prices extremely reasonable, the portions are HUGE! Jen usually orders their French Toast and I order their Stuffed French Toast with Nutella and Bananas. Oh. My. God. Words can’t do either of these justice. You have to taste them for yourself. Agave’s homefries, bacon and eggs are also extremely delicious. This makes the perfect spot to start your day off….trust me!
For lunch Jen and I usually will sit at Agave’s huge bar and eat our hamburger’s of turkey BLT’s while taking in the beautiful water view.
A conversation with the bartender or fellow local usually ensues! 🙂
GAY & LESBIAN FACTOR: Several times while dining at Agave Jen and I have noticed other gay couples. The staff are some of the most friendly people I have encountered and always make Jen and I feel extremely welcome. Agave would be the perfect spot to meet up with a group of friends for drinks, have a date night, business luncheon, breakfast with the family etc.,! Agave is one of THOSE restaurants that make you want to return again and again. The type place you show off and brag about. The owner was very welcoming to being reviewed by Gay Travel Information and organized everything right away. With that said I am hereby “OUTING” Agave as LGBT friendly and worthy of our business.
Jen and I are lucky women. We are lucky because we live next to some amazing restaurants, Agave being one of them! We have already taken our families and friends here and dined by ourselves on numerous occasions. We are excited to share this enthusiasm with our readers because Agave is such a special place. The secret is out! They were even voted “Best Drinks with a View” by Rhode Island Monthly! I hear that Rhode Island Monthly, I hear that! 😉
Don’t be surprised if you run into Jen and I when you stop by! Come on over and say, “Hi!” even if our mouths are full, which is pretty much a given since Agave’s food is so delicious.
Until then….
Desiree Sousa
Owner
Out & About Travel / Gay Travel Information
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