On opening day, the large dining room at Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila in Chandler had the familiar buzz of a family reunion. A mariachi ensemble played while familiar faces from the original Old Town location and fellow Backbar restaurants Nello’s and Ghost Ranch caught up over margaritas. First-timers joined the party, getting acquainted with the tequila list and new menu additions.
Closer to Home
Part of locally owned Backbar Hospitality Management, Cien Agaves opened its first restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale in 2007. Nearly 20 years later, co-founders Roque Jimenez and Bob Schulken brought a second location closer to their Ahwatukee and Chandler homes, in an area where Jimenez saw plenty of chains and room for something original.
The Agave plant gives the restaurant more than a name and a well-stocked bar. Hohokam farmers and other pre-contact indigenous communities cultivated the succulent across the arid Southwest, where some domesticated varieties still survive in ancient agricultural fields. In Tequila, Jalisco, blue agave has shaped the region’s farms and distilleries for centuries.
Aside from the agave, Jimenez and Schulken drew on their own travels through that region to create the hacienda-inspired dining room. Mexican artist El Moises brings the harvest indoors with a colorful mural of farmers at work alongside a red truck piled with piñas, the harvested agave hearts bound for the distillery. Brick walls and deep leather-colored booths warm the room, while high black ceilings and contemporary lighting keep the bright artwork in focus.
Pick a Taco, Any Taco
Cien Agaves puts its calling card right in the name. Diners can build a two- or three-taco plate from familiar favorites such as Carne Asada and Carnitas, then wander toward Quesabirria, Calabacitas, or Diabla Shrimp. Beyond tacos, the menu stretches from Queso Verde and Tinga Taquitos to enchiladas, sizzling fajitas, and a Sonoran Burrito served with Mexican corn…