New Mexican restaurant and tequila bar is coming to Lakewood Ranch. Take a look inside
For those who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Agave Bandido, a colorful, high-energy Mexican-inspired restaurant and tequila bar, the wait ends Monday, March 11, when the owners put out the open sign.
The new restaurant at 1550 Lakefront Drive in Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside Place, faces onto Kingfisher Lake, and is a feast for the eyes with its clustered Mexican skull chandeliers, colorful murals and plush booth and tableside seating.
Seating is also available along a room-length bar with its expansive tequila, mezcal and cocktail offerings, as well as on the lakeside patio.
“Just get ready to experience something you haven’t before,” Matt Faul, 35, chief operating officer of Wolverine Management, said of what awaits guests.
“We feel like what separates us is our smoked margaritas, our table-side guacamole, our flaming shots and over-the-top celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries and more,” Faul said.
Mat Baum, 39, Wolverine president and Faul’s partner, said when they opened their first restaurant in Pembroke Pines in 2020, it was the first year of the pandemic and a very challenging time.
Agave Bandido to open in Lakewood Ranch
“Fortunately, we opened busy and stayed busy,” Baum said.
The key to success has not just been good food and drinks but intangibles that make for a fun environment, Baum said.
Agave Bandido’s expansive menu offers diners a lot of choices: tacos, churrasco steaks, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas and more.
Within each of the main menu categories there are more options — some of them exotic, some very familiar.
Example: tacos. Among the offerings are pork belly, grilled steak, chicken, beef, fish, barbacoa, shrimp, veggie and more.
Also look for the fire-roasted octopus tentacle, served with seasonal potatoes, Spanish chorizo, radishes and pickled onions and coated with agave guava glaze.
No discussion of Agave Bandido would be complete without talking about the restaurant’s extensive cocktail and drink offerings.
Agave, of course, is the plant that yields the nectar used to make tequila.
The week before Agave Bandido opened, the staff was intensively training to make sure the service, the food and the handmade drinks would be just right for guests.
The Lakewood Ranch Agave Bandido is the second location, after the one in Pembroke Pines. Additional restaurants are planned for Atlanta, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Greenville, South Carolina, the owners said.
“Our focus has always been to grow in highly sought-after suburban areas, which may have minimal hip locations for dining and nightlife,” Baum previously told the Bradenton Herald.
“People want to have an exciting dining experience without driving half an hour into the city. Agave Bandido’s cuisine and atmosphere will offer those lively downtown elements conveniently close to home,” Baum previously said.
What to know
▪ Name: Agave Bandido
▪ Address: 1550 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota. The restaurant is in Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside Place.
▪ Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
▪ Other services: catering, third-party delivery
▪ Phone: (941) 260-8866
▪ Online: www.AgaveBandido.com
