Agave & Rye set to open vibrant space in Cleveland’s warehouse district (photos)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Step into Agave & Rye, and it’s like stepping into a vibrant and colorful museum of modern art.

Massive and luminous murals appear. Statues of dogs are placed near the tables. Exotic Chihuly-like swirling glass light fixtures hang down. Caged chandeliers hang.

Except this “museum” has tequila. And bourbons. And tacos.

As Salt-N-Pepa played in the background, waiters and hostesses scrambled to prepare the venue for its official opening on Wednesday.

“It’s an eclectic escape for people,” said general manager Mia Beavers. “What we want to do is provide an escape for everyone, a getaway. We’re going to have epic tacos, epic drinks, epic service. »

Located at West 6th Street and St. Clair Avenue, it is the Covington, Ky.-based company’s 13th restaurant and northernmost location. The owners are Yavonne and Wade Sarber.

The 5,700 square foot space, located in the former location of Bar Louie, includes indoor and outdoor bars. It can accommodate 280 seats inside and 100 on the terrace.

A high-end private Alibi room is expected to open within the next month and a half downstairs, Beavers said.

“We’re thrilled to have this,” she said. “We only sell high-end drinks for high-end customers (in the Alibi room). You will get the best of the best bourbons out there.

She added: “Each location is completely unique. At Grandview, we offer an arcade. In Chattanooga, we offer the Alibi Room.

In Cleveland, a tribute near the front features chef Michael Symon while artwork depicts “Saturday Night Live” alum Molly Shannon of Shaker Heights.

Over 70 brands of bourbon and tequila each are stocked. Everything — food and drink — comes from scratch, Beavers said.

“Nothing from yesterday goes tomorrow,” she said.

Twenty tacos are on the menu with fun names (“The Love Shack,” “The BFF of Karen”). The tacos are double-shelled with crunchy corn and soft flour shells. They can be customized to include a “love cushion” between layers, she said. So, you can add guacamole, queso, chili, or roasted beans to bourbon bacon.

Irish Birria nachos, sticky cauliflower bites and mac and cheese fritters are among the “big cravings”, while small cravings are also available. And half a dozen “not a taco” options can be ordered.

“We are looking to get known across the United States; we’re going region by region,” Beavers said. “We didn’t have an operation in Cleveland, and what we wanted to do was put down roots in Cleveland and in downtown Cleveland, the heart of the city.”

About the location: the downside is that 900 parking spaces were lost with the massive building project across the street. The good: This is the site of the future Sherwin-Williams headquarters, which is due to open in about two years, so many workers will walk out of this huge complex and see Agave & Rye directly across the street .

“We’re a family here, we’re all coming together to make West 6th Street amazing again,” Beavers said of the area’s restaurant scene. “We all unite as a team – Acqua di Luca, Blue Point (Grille), Barley House. We’re trying to survive together to make West 6th the fun place it’s always been.

Part of that fun, she said, is that the location is a perfect pre-game spot for downtown sports. It is approximately half a mile from FirstEnergy Stadium, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field.

“One of the big reasons he’s so special is that he sat vacant for so long, and he was a mainstay for the Browns tailgates,” Beavers said. “We can’t wait to bring this back to the community.”

If you are going to: Agave & Rye

Location: 1352 W. 6th St. in Cleveland’s warehouse district.

Car park: Meters, area lots, garages nearby.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. No reservations.

Happy Hour: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

I am on cleveland.comfrom the Life and Culture team and covers topics related to food, beer, wine and sport. If you want to see my stories, here is a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I usually talk food and drink at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.

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