Agave & Rye to open next month in downtown Chattanooga near Tennessee Aquarium

Sep. 24—Agave & Rye, a tequila and bourbon hall that features a diverse menu of freshly made epic tacos, appetizers and desserts, will open next month across Chestnut Street from the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga's downtown waterfront district.

The new bar and eatery is locating in the former Blue Plate restaurant and ROBAR cocktail bar, which closed in February in the corner first-floor location in the River Pier Landing. The new 6,100-square-foot restaurant will be the 10th location for Agave & Rye, which began three years ago in Covington, Kentucky and has quickly expanded to other locations in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Alabama.

"We absolutely love Tennessee, and Chattanooga has been on our list of cities to expand to for quite some time," said Yavonne Sarber, the CEO of Agave & Rye who started the restaurant chain with her husband, Wade, in February 2018. "We knew we wanted to expand south and once the former Blue Plate space became available we jumped on it pretty quickly because it was exactly what we were looking for."

Agave & Rye was named this week by National Restaurant News (NRN) and one of the five hottest restaurant concepts in the country.

"In spite of the added challenge that was the COVID-19 pandemic, Agave & Rye has maintained a growth mindset that borders on aggressive," said Tara Fitzpatrick, senior editor and a contributor to Restaurant Hospitality and Nation's Restaurant News.

The new Chattanooga location is one of a half dozen being opened every year by the growing chain, which opened its most recent restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky in June and is preparing other units in Columbus and Hamilton, Ohio and Birmingham, Alabama, among other cities.

"We truly feel we've created an escape," Sarber said in explaining the restaurant concept. "In fact, we now call Agave & Rye a 'playground' where we get to create something that causes guests to want to leave their homes to experience something amazing and one-of-a-kind."

Sarber worked in the past at fine-dining establishments with highly-trained chefs but she was eager to provide fresh and quality culinary food options in a more casual and less time-consuming and pretentious format.

"We're able to take everything about fine dining and proper French technique and put it into a vessel called a taco and it makes it fun," she said, noting that the restaurant offers 19 different epic tacos with a whole host of options. "Add a margarita, tequila or bourbon and the party has just started."

Tacos range from $4 to $12 each, Sarber said, and include such unique items as the Crown Jewel taco with truffled mac 'n cheese and lobster. "The Easy Ranchero" features house-made tater tots, queso, salsa, and fried egg, and the "Swipe Right", features herbed grilled chicken, sweet and spicy bacon and aged white cheddar . The "Epic Chicken Sandwich" includes crispy chipotle chicken, Agave & Rye's Hotty Honey, serrano aioli, pimento cheese, spicy bacon, bourbon bacon BBQ beans, roasted tomatoes, and crispy wontons on a brioche roll.

Among popular food items are crispy Brussels sprouts, a cauliflower dish and recently introduced Kung Pao chimichangas, and "epic burgers." The menu also includes such drinks as a Bourbon, Black Cherry & Mango-Habanero Slushee and a Jalapeño Pineapple margarita.

"We're primarily known for our freshly squeezed margaritas, but each of our locations has nearly 100 tequilas and 100 bourbon offerings as well," she said.

In Chattanooga, the new location will feature two bars, including a cocktail bar in what was formerly the ROBAR location next to the main 150-seat dining and bar area in what was previously the Blue Plate. Sarber, a former interior designer, said the Chattanooga location is being retrofitted to include about 177 seats inside, including 22 in the former ROBAR cocktail bar, and another 80 or so seats in an outdoor patio.

"Thee new location in Chattanooga will evoke a style that blends soothing and contemporary décor, as well as design features that call to mind "Scenic City's" culture," she said, noting that it will feature art work highlighting Chattanooga natives Samuel L. Jackson and Usher, among others.

The new restaurant will employ more than 50 employees and Sarber said so far about 40% of the staff has already been hired and will start training next week. Myron Harvey, a former restaurant manager in Huntsville, Alabama, has joined Agave & Rye to serve as general manager of the new Chattanooga restaurant.

"Our people and our culture come first and we try to promote from within so we've been able to attract a lot of great talent," Sarber said.

Agave & Rye will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to midnight. If demand warrants, the weekend hours may be extended, Sarber said.

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.