AG Kitchen

Terrible service with some redeeming qualities.
Our meal started off well enough, with some tasty margaritas and guacamole. I ordered the fish tacos but received another dish instead, which was no problem, but when the fish tacos actually arrived, they were very cold (not «straight from the grill» as our server said). When I mentioned it to the server, he blamed it on the slaw on top of the fish. The worst part was the twig (or perhaps bone? I couldn’t tell) I found in the dish. It was so unappetizing I was unable to have another bite. I was charged for a dish I could not eat, no one apologized, and we walked out a bit frustrated. On the bright side, my husband’s Cuban sandwich was very good. Unfortunately, although I really wanted to like this place, I would not recommend it.

This was a special Valentines dinner. As new parents, we had an early reservation at 4:30. Overall, we thought the food was pretty good. The stars were the short rib arepa and the fried chicken. The pork and fish mini tacos were pretty good too as well as the Cuban Sidecar drink, so yummy.
The not-​so-​shining stars were; the ceviche which overpowered the seafood with the salsa and it really needed chips or something with it, the mashed potatoes were just butter, the plantains were too thick and undercooked and the surf and turf choices of NY strip which lacked flavor and lobster tails were totally hammered.
The two stars are because we had a major problem with the service. As a former server, I can take a lot from someone. I tend to be lenient and try to understand that there may be problem that we don’t see. However, from the moment that we sat down, we felt that our server did not want to help us. We were seated for a long time before we were greeted and then even longer for our drinks. We had plenty of time to look over the menus and then our server said he would come back to go over the menus. We didn’t need help, but when he came back he only took our order, no discussion.
We ordered our apps and tacos and he suggested, no decided that the tacos should come out first. We thought that was strange, but okay. Once we were done, we decided to order entrées and this must have upset our server. He told us that we would have to order from the dinner menu which was the same menu we used in the first place. I’m pretty sure there was a shift change and we were taking up seats in another person’s section. Regardless, there are things that can be done when a table comes in at the end of the lunch service and we should never know that there is a problem. Our server ignored us at the end and we had to ask another server for a box and our check. We were charged incorrectly and the manager along with our original server tried to smooth things over with a coupon for free guacamole (I don’t like guac) and apologies. Our server then tried to tell us that he was having personal issues… Again, we should never know that. That was poor server etiquette and he should have asked someone to help us/​take over his table.
I wish we had sat in another section, so the experience wasn’t so tainted by this one person.

I came here for happy hour last week and was pleasantly surprised. The margaritas were really good, especially for $ 6. I had a late lunch that day so I didn’t order any food, but my friend really enjoyed the chicken mini-​tacos. Also the customer service was great– several team members checked on us to make sure we had a good experience. We were even given free samples of the chips and guac upon arrival, and at the end of the meal the owner introduced himself and sent a delicious banana dessert on the house. I definitely plan on coming back here!
I’ll update my review to include the food once I’ve eaten here.

My overall experience here was so-​so at best. My girlfriend and I came in for dinner around 6 pm and were immediately shown to a table. On every table is a mini-​menu for their happy hour specials, including $ 3 Bud Light, which I ordered. Come to find out, after multiple drinks the «happy hour menu» only applies to the bar area. The menu doesn’t have any disclaimer about this and our server never mentioned a word of it until I questioned the bill at which point she acted like it was common knowledge. The worst part is every single table in the dining area has one of these pieces of paper. Upon questioning the manager, my experience got very poor because he too acted like it was common knowledge and didn’t see a problem with it and gave me a very yes man attitude as if my complaint didn’t matter. I will not be returning for this very reason.
As far as the food goes, it’s okay on my opinion. The bacon wrapped dates and empanadas were good appetizers but I thought the «NYC Best Cubano» was nothing more than store bought ham and pork, absolutely nothing special. My girlfriend seemed to enjoy the samba chicken however. As I said, my experience was actually very positive until their trick to make more money was revealed.

Don’t bother, there are too many good restaurants in Downtown Silver Spring to throw your hard earned money away on this one.
Oh man… this is the tackiest décor of a new restaurant I have seen in a long time.
It feels like you are eating in prison cafeteria.
Staff is inattentive and not really into it. They went as far as to hand me and my date menus, but never bothered to follow up and see if maybe we were interested in eating.
We finished our over priced martinis and left wishing we had spent 30 $ on two drinks at a place with at least some personality.

Look, it’s literally the best deal in town. Simple Latin-​American menu, simple ordering procedures. You pick one of four main meal choices and go from there. And, your choice includes a free side. Today I went with three quesadillas and opted for the side of plantains. Total cost, $ 8.22 and it’s good quality food. Try it, you’ll like it.

I tried the classic burger which was quite good. However, the fries that came with the burger were horrible. The fries were very salty and covered in powdered parmesan cheese. It was disgusting and made me gag. I ate three fries and then pushed the plate to the side. The restaurant needs to switch to using fresh parmesan cheese. If I decide to go back there again I will request plain fries.
The service was excellent. The two stars are for the fries.

I had a much better experience than my last visit, primarily because I really, really enjoyed their guacamole! The happy hour specials are pretty cool, as well. However, my entrée was still just average. The manager, or who I believe to be the manager, checked back in with us two times to see if we were enjoying our food and drinks. The bartender was pretty nice too and very patient, especially with the rude people that were sitting next to me. I commend that. I will come back just to eat a bowl of guac and chips! :)

Food is 4stars. Service is 2 stars.
Party of 2. Came in for lunch and we both had lunch fish tacos which were really amazing, the sauce they used was so bueno !
We caught a movie did some shopping around and decided to do the happy hour since our server was great, he may have also been one of the managers.
So here’s where is gets blah. Soon realized the lunch service was muuuuch better than the evening. The staff all seemed a bit bored, when we walked in we said just going to the bar and forgot about it, the food then took a very long time and the wine tasted very cheap. After a long wait for the Brussels sprouts taps, we got a burger each and the Manhattan Latin was seriously super :)
Luckily the woman bartender was very sweet, her English wasn’t the best but she had a smile the whole time and because of her we didn’t think there was a dark cloud over the place.

I’ve only been for dinner, so can’t speak to the lunch or brunch options, but AG is a nice latin-​themed place with large-​sized portions and several tasty options, with food on the salty side. The food and drinks have been consistently good over several visits.
The fried chicken was exceptional — flavorful and surprisingly juicy. The pineapple fritters are delicious slices of pineapple, battered and deep-​fried like fish-​n-​chips, and were a great combination of sweet and savory. Their NYC’s Best Cubano is better-​than-​average, but I’m a big fan of those in general and they’re hard to do wrong. Their guac is also pretty good, and they have several varieties to sample; the pineapple & pomegranate option makes another nice sweet/​savory contrast there. The mashed potatoes were exactly «ok» — I used that space for other things instead.
The sangria is more toward the wine end of the spectrum than the fruit punch end, the 1940 Sparkling Mojito has been great each time — well balanced and tasty, but not actually sparkly, and everyone seems to like the Sit and Spin as a sweeter drink.
The food is all pretty salty, so hydrate before and after. AG isn’t as loud as many places in the DC area, so you can actually have a conversation most of the time. The tables also aren’t jam-​packed together, so you have the room to relax and enjoy yourself without feeling cramped. We’ve never made it to dessert, unfortunately, after getting through the guac and large entrée portions, but plan to keep trying.

My friends and I really enjoy coming here for happy hour, which lasts until 7 pm. Two reasons: strong, delicious drinks & delicious tapa style food!
Def try their blended frozen alcoholic drinks: Her Name was Lola & the Spit & Spin. The first is mango flavored & the second is a mix of the first & some other fruit flavor. It tastes so fresh that one drink isn’t enough even though the glass is huge!
For $ 23, you can get 5 tapas. Their rice croquettes are the most popular & I can see why! their shrimp, meatballs, & Brussels sprout options are also really yummy. I took off one star because this one bartender didn’t recognize a Guam ID, like really? Have you not heard of this US territory?! If you take Puerto Rico’s ID, why is Guam any different? smh He wouldn’t even believe us when we googled it for him but whatever. thank God my friend had her passport ID just in case.

This interesting newish location finally has a happy hour, but still isn’t firing on all cylinders on this 2^nd visit.
The multiple-​tapas HH special is well priced for the area ($ 13 for 3), but the food itself is underwhelming:
A garlicky chorizo dish downplays the chorizo ingredient (and there’s not much of it). Shrimp didn’t taste fresh. The meatballs were the best of the bunch, but not as vividly flavored as this location’s latino theme calls for.
All of the tapas were topped with 2 crostini-​style slices of bread smeared with something like a garlic pesto, but the bread itself was dry and hard as if it were stale or over-​dried.
A tequila based cocktail was unusually acidic and imbalanced. One of the featured beers wasn’t available on tap. But there was one unusual plus: the wine special on HH lets you pick any wine that’s sold by the glass.
The solo bartender seemed overwhelmed, making for spotty, sluggish service.
This free-​standing restaurant is in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring, near the revamped Ellsworth Place mall. With its broad windows, colorful décor, and outdoor (seasonal) seating, this place has a lot of promise– but it has yet to fulfill that promise.

3.5 stars, rounded up because I want to love this restaurant. The guacamole really is delicious, the service is friendly, and the food is pretty good. So why the quibble over stars? Noise.
I’ll start with the good– the food. My husband ordered a simple burger with fries and I had the flying saucers with a side salad. The burger was big and juicy, and came with a mountain of Parmesan dusted fries. The fries were not crispy, but seemed freshly cut. I think he would recommend the side salad instead of you prefer crispy taters. My flying saucers were a fun throwback to the chef’s childhood. Two ham and turkey sandwiches with guava jelly, toasted in an old school sandwich press. I had one as a child, too, but my sandwich creations were never this tasty. My salad was perfectly dressed in a bright peppery vinaigrette and made me want to explore other salad possibilities.
Our server was attentive and knowledgeable when it came to the menu. We appreciated that she was willing to repeat herself when we asked questions– which brings me to the not so good.
My husband and I had lunch on a weekday just before Christmas. As we were led to our table he asked me about the noise level in the room. His hearing isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either, so he had wanted to be sure that it wasn’t just him. Sadly, I was having issues as well, and told him so. The acoustics in this space are really bad.
We were seated in the center of the dining room, right between two large parties. We sat next to one another instead of across, hoping it would help. The good news is that we enjoyed a nice lunch while gazing into one another’s eyes. The bad news is that we had to wait until both neighboring tables emptied before we could hear one another clearly.
So yes, the restaurant is LOUD. The management knows and has actually made some changes, moving a few tables and adding sound dampening tiles to the ceiling. I’m sure they have helped, but I’m guessing that a bigger difference could be made with carpet or by moving the booths to the center of the open space, maybe with a half wall to help separate.
Until big changes happen I can only suggest that you visit during off hours if you want to talk to your table mates.

I popped in this place one night for dinner with a friend and was shockingly underwhelmed. There were a few good points. Our waiter was knowledgable about the menu and helpful when ordering and the guacamole was amazing (I would come back just for drinks and guac!) we tried a sampler of a few and one had pomegranate seeds it it. I could eat that one forever! My drink was also pretty great. I had the Mango Mayhem and the chile pepper infused vodka provided a nice little kick. The not so good points; the room had a faint smell of dirty mop water, nothing overwhelming but once you walk in you smelt it then it went away. The waiter kinda disappeared after awhile but that could be because we stayed awhile. Also the food came out on cafeteria style plates and was just ok, I expected it to kind of blow me away. Also they have their dessert menu on a viewfinder but the one they brought our table was broken so it was kind of a struggle seeing the items.
Overall, I’d go for drinks and guac but I’ll get my dinner elsewhere.

Not bad. Not bad. Came here for happy hour… Not many people so service wasn’t bad. Sat at the bar. Nice ambiance and fun décor… And now the food…
Tried the pick your own 5 tacos. The choices are fish taco, pulled pork taco, chicken taco, and mushroom taco. Order of tastiness: chicken, pork tied with mushroom, and last fish. There was just nothing special about the fish taco… Just meh. Chicken taco was a burst of flavor. The pork taco was the least messy and great tasting. The mushroom taco was juicy and a rich flavor. I know which ones I would get next time.
Then dessert. Tried the chocolate empanadas. Melted chocolate on the inside… So be careful biting in! It can be very messy! It comes with two dipping sauces. Caramel and chocolate. Tasted good but not out of this world…
All in all I would come back and try different things. Also double check your bill… My friend was overcharged for a drink at happy hour…

I visited AG Kitchen for an invitation only event back in October and then was invited by a friend to come back a few weeks later. We were able to experience the restaurant without the VIP treatment from our previous visit. Throughout our meal, a few managers stopped by our table to check on us and I thought that was a nice touch. Our server became very attentive. I say «became attentive» because in the beginning of our evening it took an extended timeframe for him to come back and take our entrée order. Even then, I had to flag him down. We ordered an appetizer and if you ever visit, you must order the guacamole. I can literally make a meal out of it. As a matter fact, I kind of did. It’s listed as the 4^th best guac in the U.S. and I can see why.
The restaurant itself is so vibrant and full of life. Latin music playing in the background really suits the Latin flair of the restaurant. A nice big bar area is in the front and they have several happy hour specials daily. AG has plenty of space to spread out and a section stationed in the back, kind of removes you from the rest of the patrons. That room came in handy because a table near us was so loud, they literally ran a few guests sitting near them away and to the back portion of the restaurant.
I’m kind of torn when it comes to the food/​menu options. I ordered the 5 mini tacos; 2 chicken, 1 mushroom and 2 fish. Out of all of them, the best one was the chicken, hands down. I really wish the menu had more selections. They have a large variety of burgers to chose from, which is pretty weird in my book, since it’s a Latin restaurant. I mean, how many options of burgers do you need? When I think of Latin food, burgers are never on my list, but here, they’re a big deal.
I visited the restroom and I was confused as to why they didn’t have a built in soap dispenser. Instead, they had a dingy container that the soap was in, just sitting in between the sinks. Kind of tacky.
I really do like this restaurant but since I wasn’t in a burger mood, I had a hard time finding something I wanted to order. That’s important when dinning anywhere and for that reason, I had to deduct a couple of stars. If the restaurant doesn’t have a good variety on their menu, it can easily fall off the radar… for me at least. We did enjoy ourselves but I just don’t see me running back here anytime soon.

Just to be clear, the two stars are for the drinks I had. The food was very underwhelming. I went for HH so maybe the lunch/​dinner items are better. I would go back for the drinks alone. I will say i did have a bug in my second round and let the bartender know before drinking it. I would think most places give you a free round. Not only was I charged, but i was charged full price (claimed I ordered my drink after hh, which i know i didnt because I checked the time). The manager gave a discount after we brought it to her attention. Don’t bother ordering the chorizo, rice croquette, shrimp dish or the crab wrap or whatever it was supposed to be. You will be disappointed.

Pretty enjoyable! We sat outside and enjoyed the people watching in downtown Silver Spring. The servers were very friendly, but I’m not sure they were entirely comfortable with the menu yet.
We decided to start with the chips and medium-​spicy guac. It came out quickly and was quite yummy! I thought it could have used a bit more spice, but it has good flavor. The chips were salted really unevenly, but I found the super-​salted chips were an excellent accompaniment to the guac.
I decided to play it safe and get the Cuban sandwich, because how can you go wrong? She asked if I wanted fries — sure! My friend ordered a burger. So my sandwich shows up with some kind of mango coleslaw thing. The guy who brought told me that fries weren’t available at dinner, but obviously my server didn’t know that.
The sandwich was pretty great! I liked all the fixins’ inside, although the weird hot dog-​looking bun was a bit strange (but tasty). It was a bit salty, but that is par for the course for Cubans, I think. I thought the mango slaw was pretty good too. My friend definitely liked her burger and fries as well.
I think that once they with out the service kinks, this will be a nice addition to DTSS.

If I had to summarize my experience at AG Kitchen, it would be «gimmick.» The food is fine, nothing outstanding. We were passing by in downtown Silver Spring and came across AG Kitchen’s menu. A waitress came out with a tray of chips and guacamole (apparently their guac is fourth in the nation!) to sample — and that’s how they get you! There was a summer concert going on outside so my party opted for the outdoor seating– dinner and a show!
Our waitress was friendly and hospitable, but kind of pushy in terms of recommending what to order. They really try to sell their guac, which is made fresh to order. The guac was cool and refreshing but I would like more acid. Overall service seemed slow– I’m not sure if it was because they were busy or if it was because we were seated outside in the corner… But the word «neglected» comes to mind. I found myself looking around quite often for our server, who was nowhere to be found. We had another server that filled our water cups and took dishes away– these servers were very attentive– I never went thirsty during the meal.
My table tried several different plates. Each dish has great presentation, and everything tasted good, but overall the food looked better than it actually tasted; there was nothing that I had that I would return for. We got the wild mushroom tacos as an appetizer. These tacos came in a flour tortilla and could have used more texture… It ate soft and even with the green sauce, the mushrooms could have used more flavor.
The paella para dos was a good serving and had a good variety of seafood; it could probably be stretched to serve four people if you order other dishes. All of the seafood in the paella was well cooked, and the creamy rice was the best part. There was only one lobster tail included though, which makes you wonder how many would be included in a paella para uno…
I ordered the 1126 (Thanksgiving) burger but somehow there was a miscommunication in the kitchen/​with the waitress because I ended up with the meatless burger (but the waitress called it an 1126 when I ordered it and when she gave me my entrée, so I figured it was the correct order). After realizing that they got my order wrong (I found out the next day by looking at pictures on Unilocal), I’m a little bit relieved that what I ate was the veggie burger and not the turkey burger, because that burger was horrible. Do not order the meatless burger– it was bland and has no texture. The fries, which were only average, were the best part of my burger entrée.
For dessert, you get to look through a 3D viewfinder to see the menu (talk about gimmicks). We got the chocolate empanadas and banana mania. You get two chocolate empanadas and two dipping sauces (chocolate and caramel). The dough is really thick– too doughy for my tastes. It’s the same dough used for the savory empanadas, just filled with melted chocolate. I wish they sweetened the dough more for a dessert– a simple cinnamon sugar coating would work wonders! The banana mania is not as pictured, there were about three pieces of banana on top of the mushy banana cake — not quite mania caliber that the name suggests.
What the 1126 tastes like will remain a mystery to me because I will not be returning to AG Kitchen. My time and money would rather be spent at Nandos, Chickfila, or Red Lobster.

Let me start by saying that if I was able to give 3.5 stars I would. The new AG Kitchen in Silver Spring has all the promise of being a great addition to the area and I believe once the staff and management get their groove it will thrive.
During my recent visit I was able to sample a variety of dishes and was generally pleased. However, I was surprised that there was a clear lack of consistency between my dishes and the same dishes that were presented to my dining companions (i.e. missing ingredients, different size portions, etc.). Given this was a pre-​planned tasting and a time the kitchen should have been on top of its game, it left me questioning how the food would have been during a regular service.
My favorite dishes were the braised short ribs with a sweet yellow corn cake appetizer and the Garcia’s seafood «paella» entrée.
Diners also need to be aware that AG Kitchen is NOT a «$$» restaurant. Once you purchase a side dish or two — which are definitely needed to make a full meal in most cases — the price range easily falls into the «$$$» category.
One final note to help address some of the more critical reviews posted by others… AG Kitchen makes it very clear that it menu is «Cuban-​Latin inspired.» It never claims to be be a Cuban or Latin restaurant.