On opening day, the large dining room at Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila in Chandler had the familiar buzz of a family reunion. A mariachi ensemble played while familiar faces from the original Old Town location and fellow Backbar restaurants Nello’s and Ghost Ranch caught up over margaritas. First-timers joined the party, getting acquainted with the tequila list and new menu additions.
Closer to Home
Part of locally owned Backbar Hospitality Management, Cien Agaves opened its first restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale in 2007. Nearly 20 years later, co-founders Roque Jimenez and Bob Schulken brought a second location closer to their Ahwatukee and Chandler homes, in an area where Jimenez saw plenty of chains and room for something original.
The Agave plant gives the restaurant more than a name and a well-stocked bar. Hohokam farmers and other pre-contact indigenous communities cultivated the succulent across the arid Southwest, where some domesticated varieties still survive in ancient agricultural fields. In Tequila, Jalisco, blue agave has shaped the region’s farms and distilleries for centuries.
Aside from the agave, Jimenez and Schulken drew on their own travels through that region to create the hacienda-inspired dining room. Mexican artist El Moises brings the harvest indoors with a colorful mural of farmers at work alongside a red truck piled with piñas, the harvested agave hearts bound for the distillery. Brick walls and deep leather-colored booths warm the room, while high black ceilings and contemporary lighting keep the bright artwork in focus.
Pick a Taco, Any Taco
Cien Agaves puts its calling card right in the name. Diners can build a two- or three-taco plate from familiar favorites such as Carne Asada and Carnitas, then wander toward Quesabirria, Calabacitas, or Diabla Shrimp. Beyond tacos, the menu stretches from Queso Verde and Tinga Taquitos to enchiladas, sizzling fajitas, and a Sonoran Burrito served with Mexican corn.
El Trio is a good place to begin, with queso verde, guacamole, and salsa clásica. Green chile pork folded into the queso brings a satisfying amount of heat, while the guacamole is tart and generously salted. The tomato-forward salsa tastes almost sweet beside the other two, and pulls the plate into beautiful balance.
Most of the menu made the move from the Old Town location, but executive chef Memo Bracamonte added two new dishes at both locations. The Tampiqueña combines grilled arrachera steak with poblano rajas, a cheese enchilada, guacamole, Mexican rice, and creamy refried beans, with a choice of red or green sauce for the enchilada.
We chose the deeply flavorful red sauce, although Bracamonte favors green, and we’ll certainly indulge in it during the next visit. The well-seasoned steak held its own beside the rich cheese enchilada, and the Mexican rice, which had no business being as memorable as it was.
The second addition, the Sea Bass Tacos, pairs pan-seared Mexican sea bass with citrus slaw, avocado salsa, and pickled red onions. The fish is tender enough that a crispy corn shell adds nice contrast, and the onions bring brightness and texture.
Among the returning dishes, the Island Shrimp Taco takes a left turn toward sweet-and-sour with Tecate beer-battered shrimp in a spicy island sauce, giving the taco a playful Asian spin. The Al Pastor Taco heads back toward familiar territory, with charred pineapple adding sweetness around the edges while tender pork remains the star.
From Agave Fields to Margarita Flights
At the bar, there are more than 100 ways to taste the plant behind the restaurant’s name. Cien means 100 in Spanish, and the spirits list spans tequilas and mezcals from heritage distilleries and smaller producers.
The Arizona Prickly Pear Margarita brings another desert plant into the glass with prickly pear juice made in-house each day. In the margarita flight, the prickly pear keeps the sweetness in check, though the original still won the vote at our table.
Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6 p.m. and has a second round from 9 p.m. to close. Specials include $7 Cien-A-Ritas, half-off appetizers, $3 Tinga Tacos, $5 Modelo beers, and $2 off wine by the glass. Taco Tuesday keeps the $3 Chicken Tinga, Barbacoa, and Diabla Shrimp tacos going all day, along with $4 Tecate beers and $7 pineapple-infused tequila shots.
Bracamonte’s preferred green sauce and the many taco selections leave plenty for a return visit, as does an agave list that takes far more than one margarita flight to explore. And we’re here for it. A restaurant named for 100 agaves was never meant to fit into one visit.
Cien Agaves Chandler is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight. 900 N. 54th St., Suite 1, Chandler, cienagaves.com
