Agave & Rye

 Welcome to 2025.

    I hope you're all hanging in there. Whether you're starting fresh with goals, aspirations, and motivation for the new year or you're just hoping to get through it, I send you the best. 

    I'm going to start the year by talking about one of my favorite things: tacos. I happened upon Agave & Rye in Columbus, Ohio on a whim with a friend while we were driving around trying to figure out what to eat. I enjoyed it so much that when I heard there was a Cleveland location, I told my friend we had to go. This Kentucky original restaurant boasts EPIC tacos, tequila, and bourbon with a mix of street art and fine art. The words that came to mind in both locations were punk, graffiti, gothic, Cyndi Lauper, 90s, urban, eclectic, etc... There's even a disco ball in each bathroom stall. It looks like the kind of place where you can enjoy tacos, a great cocktail, and get a tattoo in the back if you're nice enough. 

    Both locations are large with indoor and outdoor seating. We were seated immediately both times and both were on a weekend. Looking at the menu (check it out here), I immediately zeroed in the Little Red Corvette drink. I love the song and love Prince, so it was a no-brainer. (If it's now stuck in your head, you're welcome.) You could taste the alcohol, but it wasn't overpowering at all. The drink was sweet and a little tart 😉. It reminded me of a Tequila Sunrise. We also ordered the Strawberry Bombshell without the cream of coconut. It honestly didn't need it. Again, the alcohol was there, but not overpowering. It was a good balance of lemonade and strawberry flavor. The presentation on both was bright and fun. 

Left: Little Red Corvette
Right: Strawberry Bombshell

    My friend had wanted to try the Mac & Cheese donuts, and I agreed to share even though it wasn't something I normally am drawn to. It is now one of  my favorite things on the menu. It is a mix of mac & cheese, donut dough, and onion on the inside with a donut hole exterior. They are nicely fried without being greasy, topped with salty, crispy bacon and powdered sugar, and served with a habañero maple syrup. The syrup was sweet with a touch of heat, and my friend who is not a fan of spicy foods didn't find the syrup to be spicy at all. The donuts also do not ooze cheese so they aren't super messy, and have a mild cheese flavor. 

    Now on to these over-the-top tacos. They are loaded, and I mean LOADED. There is no minimal amount of toppings. Have your fork ready as a shovel for everything that is going to fall out. I also love that they are all double-shelled with a hard corn shell and soft flour tortilla. I am a Cheesy Gordita Crunch girl, so double shells speak to my soul. 

Top: Return of the Mac
Center: The Gangsta
Bottom: Sexy Vegan

    The Sexy Vegan was first on the list as a fan favorite. It had plenty of avocado puree that made it very creamy. The pickled red onions add a tang. There was a lot of chipotle sauce on the tofu, and while I always appreciate the smokiness of chipotle, I do wish there was a little bit less because it was overpowering. 

    The Return of the Mac was my original favorite after going the first time, and another fan favorite. It is a cheeseburger in taco form. There was plenty cheese, lettuce, and ground beef. I wish the pickles were chopped up and mixed into the ground beef instead of sitting on top, but I understand that it's so pickle-haters can take them off. There are fries at the bottom and I guess it depends on the location you are at. In Columbus, it was fast-food style fries, and Cleveland was waffle fries. I enjoyed both, but some people may have a preference. The trashy sauce was very spicy and overpowered the other flavors.  

    The Gangsta is listed as another fan favorite, and it was love at first bite for me. It is SO cheesy from the queso, white cheddar, and chipotle serrano crema. The birria beef is super tender and full of flavor. Plenty of mexican rice at the bottom. It's like a burrito bowl in taco form. It surpassed my original favorite, and I will happily order 3 of these. 

Top: The Naughty NOLA
Center: The Becky
Bottom:The Tae Tae

    The Becky had crispy and juicy chicken with the same mac & cheese as inside the donuts. The bacon and onion straws were crispy, and the A&R BBQ jam was spicy with a tiny kick, but not as spicy as the andouille sausage from The Tae Tae taco. It was a good blend of all the flavors, and it was my friend's favorite. She couldn't stop talking about how much she loved the jam. 

   The Tae Tae had juicy grilled chicken and andouille sausage that was a bit spicy for my friend. It messed up her palate a little bit for the other tacos, so if you don't like spice, I would skip this one. The onions on top were nice and crunchy, and the potato hash ended up being waffle fries, which we were not mad about.     

    The Naughty NOLA is not on the online menu, but is a spicy jambalaya with mexican rice, ranch crema, and crispy carrots. The crispy carrots don't have a strong carrot flavor, which my friend didn't mind because she was skeptical about what they'd do to the overall taco flavor. The ranch crema also helped take some of the heat off the jambalaya, and we again enjoyed the amount of mexican rice at the bottom of the taco.  

     While the brand is tacos and drinks, they have a variety of non-taco items on the menu that sound flavorful as well. I highly doubt I will get to that part of the menu. I enjoy the fact that you can do a taco flight and pick 3 different tacos to try (that's what we did), and we loved how full the tacos were. We could only eat half of each one. The atmosphere, presentation, friendly staff, and overall vibes with the balance of all these great flavors will be what continues to bring me back for more. 

    Tell me your favorite tacos in the comments!