“We are thrilled to bring the Agave & Rye experience to Main Street in Hamilton,” said Yavonne Sarber, co-founder and CEO of Agave & Rye. “Hamilton has been incredibly welcoming to us, and we are eager to expand our footprint in this vibrant, hardworking city.”
There have been several projected opening dates for a Hamilton Agave & Rye restaurant since it was announced in 2021, but the 2024 date announcement is accompanied by a groundbreaking date, which had never been previously set. The first Butler County location, which was Ohio’s first, opened at Liberty Center in late October 2019.
Agave & Rye is a modern tequila and bourbon hall founded in Covington, Kentucky, in February 2018. The unique menu and dining experience will open at the former Ritzi Auto Body in the 300 block of Main Street and across the street from the soon-to-open Rossville Flats.
Agave & Rye has been aggressively expanding not only in southwest Ohio but there are also restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Alabama. It will open a 17th location in Cleveland (the second in that city) this spring, making the Hamilton Agave & Rye the 18th store for owners Yavonne and Wade Sarber. The restaurant had been featured in Restaurant Hospitality Magazine and tapped as one of only 20 full-service restaurants worth watching by FSR Magazine. It was also voted No. 8 in the 2023 Restaurant Business Future 50.
The Sarbers promise guests this new location will provide the same menu the restaurant is known for, from gourmet tacos with diverse ingredients to more than 70 varieties of tequila and more than 70 varieties of bourbon, as well as specialty cocktails and a series of select wines and beer.
The menu will include the “epic tacos” known at each Agave & Rye, including “The Crown Jewel,” featuring truffle mac n’ cheese and lobster, and the “Swipe Right,” featuring honey lime grilled chicken, sweet and spicy bacon, and aged white cheddar.
Hamilton City Manager Joshua Smith said the Agave & Rye restaurant “is a missing piece in our Main Street puzzle.”
“With great coffee at True West, farm-to-table options at The Farmer’s Collective, food trucks at Hamilton’s Urban Backyard, ice cream at Village Parlor, craft beer at Fretboard Public House, pizza at Richards, great American fare at Billy Yanks on Main Street, drinks at The 513 Bar, and other fun options like Smoochies and Main Circuit, we will now have epic tacos and margaritas,” he said. “Not only will Main Street act as an entertainment district for Hamilton, it will be an entertainment district for southwest Ohio and Miami University students.”
Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dan Bates said Agave & Rye is not just exciting because it’s a new restaurant in Hamilton, it’s a destination and attraction that will give yet another boost to Main Street. And it’s a different type of experience for Hamilton.
“What’s fun about Agave & Rye is it takes that higher-end experience with a lot of fun added to it, too. It’s not just the food, it’s the experience,” he said.
The restaurant boasts that every visit is “an epic encounter” and has even dubbed their tacos as epic, saying their patrons will “step into a world where the essence of the community ignites a culinary adventure like no other.”
Yavonne Sarber said her team “is dedicated to providing our guests with an epic dining adventure that combines bold flavors and innovative cocktails. We’re creating something that causes guests to want to leave their homes to experience something amazing and one-of-a-kind.”
Bates said when he first arrived in the city in January 2017, he told the businesses on Main Street to “just be patient,” saying Spooky Nook would give them a significant economic impact. While it has to varying levels, the gigantic sports and conference center also helped to create pockets of destinations around the city. The five-plus-block stretch of Main Street is one of those pockets that’ll only be aided by Agave & Rye.
“I think all of Hamilton benefits (from Agave & Rye), but Main Street is within walking distance, and there are a lot of attractions to make Main Street a great place to hang out for the evening,” Bates said. “You can spend the whole afternoon or evening going from one experience to another.”
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