El Agave
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria is a single-location Mexican restaurant and tequila museum in Old Town San Diego, founded in 1996. It serves business diners, tourists, and tequila enthusiasts via full-service dining, catering, and 2,000+ tequila varieties including its own proprietary Tequila Agave Artesanal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Agave does
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria is a privately held, single-location hospitality business operating in Old Town San Diego since 1996. The company runs a full-service Mexican restaurant offering lunch and dinner service, with a beverage program built around the largest tequila collection in the United States — over 2,000 brands, marketed as an on-premise 'tequila museum' and including the restaurant's own proprietary 'Tequila Agave Artesanal' label. The venue holds the only Certification of 100% Tequila and the highest 5 Agaves rating from the Tequila Regulation Board in San Diego, and has accumulated recognitions including San Diego Union Tribune 'Best Mexican Restaurant,' New York Times coverage, Best Margarita in San Diego County, and Best Mole.
The business operates three revenue streams: dine-in food and beverage sales (transaction-based, per-cover), an off-premise catering line requiring a 25-person minimum (priced per person or per piece with a 20% service charge plus tax), and a high-margin beverage program anchored by tequila. Customer segments span business diners, couples and special-occasion guests, tequila enthusiasts, tourists visiting Old Town San Diego, and group/event catering clients. Distribution is direct: walk-in dining at the 2304 San Diego Ave B location, email-led catering inquiries, and OpenTable for online reservations — with no online ordering or third-party delivery.
Technology footprint is intentionally minimal and consists of the OpenTable reservation integration and standard hospitality digital marketing channels (website, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram). There are no disclosed apps, APIs, proprietary digital platforms, or AI/ML systems. Headcount stands at 42 employees, ownership is private with no parent company or institutional investor identified, and the founding signatory on the About Us page is identified only as 'J.C. Gómez' with no further ownership disclosure.
El Agave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Agave
- Legal name
- El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria
- Website
- https://elagave.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria is a single-location Mexican restaurant and tequila museum in Old Town San Diego, founded in 1996. It serves business diners, tourists, and tequila enthusiasts via full-service dining, catering, and 2,000+ tequila varieties including its own proprietary Tequila Agave Artesanal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Agave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mexican Restaurant Services
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)
Keywords
Where El Agave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
El Agave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from food and beverage sales during dine-in service. Restaurant serves lunch and dinner with full bar including extensive tequila selection.
- Catering Services: Private event and catering services with minimum 25-person minimum orders. Offers taco bars, enchilada bars, appetizers, dinner plates, and sides for events.
- Tequila and Beverage Sales: Sales from over 2000 tequila varieties and cocktails including award-winning margaritas. Own brand 'Tequila Agave Artesanal' included in collection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Catering Appetizers |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Catering Taco Bar (per person) |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Catering Dinner Plates |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Catering Sides |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
El Agave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria operates a full-service Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego serving authentic Hispanic-Mexican cuisine for lunch and dinner, featuring a full bar with over 2,000 tequila varieties and award-winning margaritas. The restaurant is co-located with what it describes as the largest tequila museum in the United States, and offers off-premise catering services with a 25-person minimum for private events.
Product overview
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria operates as a unified hospitality offering combining full-service Mexican dining with a tequila museum experience. The core offering consists of restaurant dining (lunch, dinner, and drinks menus), an immersive tequila museum featuring over 2000 tequila brands, and proprietary branded tequila 'Tequila Agave Artesanal.' An add-on catering service provides off-site event catering with customizable taco bars, enchilada bars, and dinner plates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tequila Agave Artesanal: The restaurant's own award-winning tequila brand featured in their tequila museum collection.
Products and services
- Restaurant Dining Service Full-service Mexican cuisine dining experience offering lunch and dinner menus featuring authentic Hispanic-Mexican gastronomy, including entrées such as Chile Relleno, Filete Chipotle, Short Rib, and seafood dishes, served to walk-in and reservation guests at 2304 San Diego Ave B.
- Tequila Museum Experience On-premises museum-style display of over 2,000 tequila brands in the restaurant's rustic interior, claimed to be the largest tequila bottle collection in the United States, available to dine-in guests.
- Drinks Menu Service Full bar service featuring over 2,000 tequila varieties, signature cocktails including award-winning margaritas voted best in San Diego County, available to dine-in guests.
- Catering Service Off-premise catering service offering appetizers, taco bars (tiered per-person packages), enchilada bars, and dinner plates for private events with a 25-person minimum. Contact via [email protected]; subject to 20% service charge and applicable sales tax.
- Tequila Agave Artesanal Proprietary, award-winning house tequila brand produced by the restaurant and featured as part of its 2,000+ brand tequila museum collection; available to guests as part of the dining/drinks experience.
Companies that use El Agave
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
El Agave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
El Agave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
El Agave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Puesto: San Diego-based upscale Mexican chain with multiple locations, offering modern Mexican cuisine and craft cocktails that compete for similar premium Mexican dining occasions across the broader San Diego market.
- Galaxy Taco: Modern Mexican restaurant in La Jolla from the Galaxy Restaurant Group, offering contemporary upscale Mexican fare that targets similar occasion-driven diners in the San Diego market outside Old Town.
- Rosa Mexicano: National upscale Mexican restaurant group with premium tequila-focused bar programs, sharing El Agave's positioning around elevated Mexican cuisine and extensive tequila offerings across multiple U.S. markets.
Direct peers
- Casa Guadalajara: Long-established full-service Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego, directly competing for the same tourist and local diner traffic as El Agave with a comparable menu, full bar, and patio experience.
- Old Town Mexican Cafe: Full-service Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego founded in 1993, with a comparable menu and tourist positioning competing directly for similar diners in the same historic district.
- Casa de Reyes: Full-service Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego within the Fiesta de Reyes complex, targeting similar tourist and family dining segments with comparable menu and bar offerings.
- Cafe Coyote: Iconic Old Town San Diego Mexican restaurant operating since 1989, directly competing for tourist foot traffic with a similar full-service menu, full bar, and cantina atmosphere.
- Fiesta de Reyes: Old Town San Diego Mexican restaurant and entertainment complex with similar full-service dining, bar, and event catering offerings competing for the same tourist-driven demand.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
El Agave social profiles
Digital presenceEl Agave compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
El Agave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Agave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
El Agave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Agave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about El Agave
What does El Agave do?
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria operates a full-service Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego serving authentic Hispanic-Mexican cuisine for lunch and dinner, featuring a full bar with over 2,000 tequila varieties and award-winning margaritas. The restaurant is co-located with what it describes as the largest tequila museum in the United States, and offers off-premise catering services with a 25-person minimum for private events.
Is El Agave a public or private company?
El Agave is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was El Agave founded?
El Agave was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is El Agave based?
El Agave is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Agave make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services and tequila and Beverage Sales.
Who are El Agave's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Puesto, Galaxy Taco and Rosa Mexicano. Direct peers are Casa Guadalajara, Old Town Mexican Cafe, Casa de Reyes, Cafe Coyote and Fiesta de Reyes.
Does El Agave have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Agave.
What industry is El Agave in?
El Agave's product category is Mexican Restaurant Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAK, Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.