" FANTASTICO NOCHE!!! "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I came with a group of friends, I heard a lot of things with this restaurant already, excellent and so-so reviews, but of course we cannot wait to try, last Saturday is really a blast!! we have a party of 11 people, the whole restaurant is pack, they have limited seats, that is why you can see the line in front of the door waiting while drinking thier margaritas, great atmosphere, Delicious Mamita Burito & their Nachos, for the price its gigantic & really yummy, Quesadilla is really a tummy warming, with the the passion fruit & the strawberry margarita & with the warm smile and welcoming team of Cantina, its really a kudos for them...cant wait to try the other parillada.Cheers Cantina for a very excellent experience!!

" Just Average "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

My partner and I went to Cantina Agave last week, it isn't somewhere I would go back to in a great hurry.
We went early in the week and there was around 6 people there, which is okay but the atmosphere in the restaurant was lacking and I think the heating wasn't working?
I love my Mexican food I ordered a a chicken buritto and my partner the 3 meat dish. I found my chicken burrito to be rather bland and the refried beans had no flavour at all. My partners food came out cold, although when sent back they were nice enough to heat it up... The salsas etc are average, again I think very bland for Mexican.
Maybe we timed it wrong and arrived on the chefs night off?

" Great For Shanghai's Standard "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

As far as Mexican food goes in Shanghai, Cantina's great. If you're picky about Mexican food however, like real, South-of-the-border, I-used-to-drive-down-from-California Mexican food, you'll be disappointed. But, for a quick taco fix, this is a fun choice. Also, if you're looking for something more casual, the table set up and decor here is preferable to the more sophisticated feel at Maya. Service is decent, neither outstanding nor bad. Wish the nachos came with more cheese and the refried beans had more flavor; huevos rancheros weren't bad (maybe better at Azul).

" Friendly Service, Great Atmosphere & Food "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

We started with chips and guacamole (best I've ever had). For main we had the two soft taco combo that comes with rice, beans, and salad. Tasted great! Washed it down with some Coronas and Tequila (endless choices). Servers were fun and friendly. Makes me feel like I'm back in Mexico.

" Love Cantina Agave, But The Rice Is Always Undercooked! "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I love the food here, but the rice is always grossly undercooked!

" Mexicannn "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Went to cantina agave last week after much intro from friends. i simply love their nachos!the small one is enough for 3-4 people.. also love their sauce that goes perfectly well with their food~

the place is rather small.. but i guess it's fine for such a menu.

will definitely go back for their tequila!

" Decent Mexican Food, Decent Prices, Venue Bleh.. "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I have been here twice now and both times have been enjoyable. This time I went there on a Wednesday for an early dinner with friends and the venue was pretty much empty which I did not mind. The time before I believe I came on a Thursday and it was packed. Their mango and some sort of bbq-tomato-esque salsas are to die for. As for the negatives, the waitstaff fibbed on an order (but were willing to replace it) and not all of their meats were available. Their prices are decent for their portions. Expect something closer to American prices. Coming from southern California, I do expect a certain genuine mexican flavor which Cantina Agave somewhat satisfied. Of course it could never compare the California Burritos or Carne Asada fries from Alertos,but it was good enough. Has a flavor somewhat more comparable to Baja Fresh. Side note, try out their carnitas...it's pretty good for Chinese chefs attempting mexican.

edit: ok, so I went back last night and I have to warn that the management for the building shuts off the AC at around 10pm. Bad circulation + sh humidity + heat = no bueno. the venue became unbearably hot and stuffy even after request from numerous patrons, the staff could do little about the hell-like temperatures.

" Mexican Wave "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

This is the hot place in Shanghai at the moment it seems, and on the quality of food, deservedly so. The mixed meat platter is reasonably good value, and when washed down by your group with a margarita jug it tastes even better. Some of the salads came with a sauce I had not tasted before and didn't like, but overall food tasted pretty good to me.

The ambience in here is nice, but seems ruined by the loud music - as a previous reviewer said, is it a restaurant or a nightclub? I never understood why places without a dancefloor have loud music. Also its a bit cramped in here, we were all eating cheek-by-jowl even with those at other tables.

Overall though very good - busy at weekends so booking is probably a good idea.

" Well, Another Mexican ... "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Well, I have never been a fan of mexican food (besides I still do not understand that the cuisine of a whole country is summarized under tacco, nachos, quesadillas ... did I forget one? ... and in general they all taste the same .... and people get crazy about it).
The place is very small and packed, they do not know if they are a bar (because of the crazy loud music) or a restaurant (because of the dinner tables), service was ok and quick, but still: the food is the same simple take away level you get in any other so called mexican restaurant (I say "so called" because I still hope one day I will go to Mexico and see that there is more to say about mexican food then above mentioned stuff).
Maybe it is great and authentic (then I will not stay a long time in Mexico)but for me not worth going back.

" Good Food, Too Bad For The Service. "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

The food is good, but sadly, when we tried to clear out an honest mistake on the waiter's part, we were treated EXTREMELY bad by the managers. My and my friends will NEVER go back there after that. So rude, so sad.

" FINALLY A Taco Joint In Town! "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Probably one of the things I missed about home was tacos. FINALLY, Cantina Agave opened up right down the street from me and it's bangggggggggin. Prices are KIND OF steep, like 20RMB per taco but right now, you should def. go and get them b/c the wait staff are filling the tacos up with like 3 spoonfulls of the meat, I mean I don't know if it's on purpose or not, but at least you're getting your money's worth. They're refried beans are fine and the rice is pretty authentic, I guess. But yeah, like the dude below me said, the salsa bar is awesome w/ the mango/bean salsa. What they REALLY need is like some sort of happy hour w/ half price nachos or some shit like that on Tuesday or one day of the week. NOW we're talking. The place is packed almost every night of the week since it's opened though so get there a bit early otherwise... it feels like a bar in the states. which is a good thing.

By the way.... where's the Tecate beer at?

" Real Mexican For A Decent Price "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I couldn't believe my luck when this place opened up right next to my work. The meats are incredibly well-seasoned, the salsa selection is impressive (even if the bowls to put your salsa are in are kinda small), and the sides are delicious. I recommend the taco combination so you can try out the different meats (carnitas traditional, beef machaha, chicken salsa verde, and veggie are what I've tried so far and I've enjoyed them all). I just hope they start selling chips in some fashion other than with nachos because that salsa bar will become an even bigger asset.