When opening Agave Blue Cantina, chef Oscar Padilla wanted to offer something more homey than his other operation, and pay homage to his grandmother and traditional cantina cooking at the same time. He also aimed to launch the restaurant in a place where no other Mexican eatery has gone before.
Hence, starting today you can find Agave Blue Cantina open within the 1,500-acre Candelas, the largest master-planned community in Arvada. Padilla opens the restaurant with the team behind Lot One, also in Arvada.
“We are going to be the first Mexican restaurant, and we are looking not for something super fancy, but something casual,” said Padilla while sitting outside Gaucho Parrilla, his Argentinean-influenced eatery inside Arvada’s Freedom Street Social. “We are not going to be a traditional restaurant…something more proper for the people but with all these essences coming from the grandmas, coming from home.”
In essence, he said, the new spot will be a true cantina in honor of his own grandmother, who learned to cook by working in a Mexican cantina. Padilla learned to cook from his grandmother when the California-born chef lived with her as a kid.
But what does cantina food actually mean? The chef explained it’s, “a little bit more spicy, like [you have] a little bit more to drink in general. You take the bite and it’s like, give me a beer. I need a margarita. That’s it, you know?”
The Menu
Padilla has crafted a menu full of Mexican cantina-style dishes with his own flare thrown in. For example, Fajitas Exclusivas de Agave will have everyone wanting an order as soon as they see a sizzling cast-iron skillet coming from the kitchen laden with grilled meats, peppers, onions, and fries. When ordering, choose from chicken, steak, shrimp, or a mix, and then build your own wraps with lettuce and housemade tortillas.
Also on the show-stopping side, the Pork Chop Chicharron features a massive curl of crispy pork with a crackling crust and juicy meat inside. It serves two for $68, and comes with house green chile, heirloom tomato and radish salad, spicy avocado salsa, white rice, charro beans, and corn tortillas.
Other big plates include the Arrachera Tampiqueña ($27), a grilled skirt steak laced with enchilada de mole, charro beans, poblano rojas, and sweet plantains accented with crema. On the lighter side, try the Pescado a La Talla ($25), a haddock dish in achiote adobo and served with creamy white rice, sweet corn, heirloom carrot salad, and charred lemon. And if you want a classic dish, the Enchiladas Bien Verdes ($22) with shredded chicken, tomatillo salsa, crema fresca, and cotija cheese delivers.
Choose from smaller plates too, such as a trio of tacos with a choice of dark-beer-marinated sirloin asada ($16) or Chicken Al Pastor ($13) with grilled pineapple and achiote sauce. On the ceviche side, the opening menu features a vegetarian Jicama and Pineapple ($11) with orange leche de tigre, shishito pepper, and spicy peanuts; and the Maracuya ($14) with ahí tuna, mango aguachie, passionfruit boba, and corn tostadas.
On the bar food side, the menu offers three types of guacamole, nachos, and taquitos stuffed with chorizo and cheese. For dessert, don’t skip the Street Style Churros ($15) with chocolate sauce, ice cream, and fresh berries, or Abuelita’s Chocolate Cake ($28), a passion dish for Padilla, which he makes with Oaxacan chocolate ganache and strawberries.
The Chef
Padilla himself is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2023 the chef won his episode of the Food Network competition Chopped, Season 54, Episode 7, titled Pig Candy. For years he worked with chef Richard Sandoval and his local restaurant Toro by Chef Richard Sandoval in Cherry Creek, and Tamayo in Downtown Denver, and considers the chef a friend and mentor. In the summer of 2022 he became part of Freedom Street Social and brought Gaucho Parrilla and Chulo Taco to the food hall.
The opening of Agave Blue is just the beginning, he said. Soon he will launch a new pub-style eatery in Boulder, with other projects in the works.
For now, visit Agave Blue Cantina Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. 18168 W. 92nd Ln., Arvada, eatatagaveblue.com
