Authentic Mexican Cuisine At Los Agaves In RPB

Find a taste of the real Mexico here in the western communities at Los Agaves, a new Mexican restaurant open in Royal Palm Beach.

Owners Leno Arceo and Salvador Gutierrez opened the vibrant doors of the authentic Mexican restaurant on Feb. 2.

VIDEO: Los Agaves Restaurant

“Our recipes come from our grandmas and grandpas back in Mexico,” Arceo said. “We are as authentic as you can get. The only difference from being 100 percent Mexican is that our food isn’t as hot.”

Arceo and Gutierrez decided to open Los Agaves together. “We are both from the same little town in Mexico,” Arceo explained. “And we met each other in Seattle while working for the same people but at different companies.”

Both have been in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years. They started working in the late 1980s, when they immigrated to the United States at the ages of 15 and 16. “We have done everything from cook and dishwasher to now owners,” Gutierrez said.

Owning a restaurant has always been their dream. “I had it in the back of my mind all the time that I would own my own restaurant one day,” Arceo said. “I wanted to be as successful as the people I was working for.”

Now a seasoned restaurateur, Gutierrez owns four other Mexican restaurants under the name Rancho Chico. Los Agaves is Arceo’s first restaurant in Florida.

With a variety of evocative paintings on the walls, Arceo and Gutierrez have put a lot of work into creating a look inspired by their homeland. “We wanted it to be perfect for our customers,” Gutierrez said. “That’s why we spent so much time getting it ready.”

The owners also try to share their warm, inviting Mexican culture with their customers. “We greet our customers when they come in and when they leave,” Arceo said. “We want to keep them happy and feeling good even when they leave here, because that’s the Mexican way.”

Los Agaves has an extensive menu, but its most popular item thus far is the fajita, which can be ordered to a customer’s liking. “We have different choices for a fajita, with either chicken, steak, shrimp, or a combo that combines all three,” Arceo said.

The Los Agaves menu also includes traditional Mexican and Latin dishes such as arroz con pollo. “We also have a carne asada dish, which comes with rice and beans, garnished with lettuce and pico de gallo, and tortillas on the side,” Arceo said.

The owners believe Los Agaves is different from other Mexican restaurants because of its authenticity.

“We still have that personal touch because we prep our own stuff in the kitchen,” Arceo said. “We don’t have a corporate office that ships stuff that’s premade from a warehouse to our kitchen. We do everything in-house and use fresh ingredients.”

Los Agaves also carries well-known Mexican dishes such as chimichangas, burritos and enchiladas. “What also makes our food different is the way we prepare it. We try to make it as healthy as possible,” Gutierrez said. “For example, we don’t use lard to cook any of our food.”

Los Agaves has a fully stocked bar with a large selection of margaritas. “We have our Rita house margarita with a wide variety of tequilas to choose from,” Arceo said. “It’s our own mix that we make with special ingredients.”

Los Agaves is located at 1179 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. For more information, visit www.losagavesfl.com or call (561) 798-1229.

ABOVE: Los Agaves owners Salvador Gutierrez and Leno Arceo with servers.