After 15 months of wrangling with contractors and getting city permits, the partners behind UniConcepts will finally open their third restaurant in the University of Arizona’s bustling Main Gate Square on Wednesday, June 28.
Richard Fifer, co-owner of the Agave House, center, talks with John Oliver, far left, and Jody Ipsen, during a soft opening of the restaurant for friends and family on Monday.
“It has been an emotional rollercoaster and we are finally getting close to the finish line,” Richard Fifer said Monday, June 26, hours before he and partners Leandra Fifer, Russ Moore and Jennifer Treusch hosted one of several friends and family soft-opening events at Agave House, 943 E. University Blvd. “I’m really excited.”
This is the third restaurant for UniConcepts, formed by Fifer and his partners in 2022 after they acquired Bacio Italiano at 943 E. University Blvd. and the lease for Agave House. The group, which owns Gentle Ben’s Brewing at 865 E. University Blvd., plans to open a fourth concept in the space that was home to Grand Central Clothing at 922 E. University Blvd. Fifer said that concept is in the discussion phase as they explore ideas that would complement their existing restaurants.
Fifer, UniConcepts managing partner, said they initially hoped to open Agave House last summer after some small renovations to the 3,000-square-foot space that was home for several years to The Dutch. But those renovations turned into a $1.7 million near complete build-out of the space that included relocating the restrooms, expanding the outdoor patio space by 20 feet and adding a seven-table mezzanine above the bar that looks out onto the sprawling UA campus.
“It’s such a cool environment,” Fifer said.
The improvements added 1,000 square feet to the space, which can accommodate 150 diners.
The Agave House infuses 100 agave spirits in its cocktails and cuisine, borrowing from styles that represent a wide range of Mexican regions.
“I think it is going to be a great addition (to Main Gate) because it is a sit-down Mexican restaurant and they are doing a modern flair,” said Jane McCollum, general manager of the Marshall Foundation that owns the building and most of the property along East University Boulevard. “We wanted that. We have 400 hotel rooms (between the Graduate Tucson and the Tucson Marriott University Park) and the first place people want to go is a Mexican restaurant.”
The agave-centric restaurant that will boast more than 100 agave spirits infused into cocktails and cuisine is the only sit-down Mexican restaurant in Main Gate, which also is home to the Mexican fast-casual eateries Illegal Pete’s and Chipotle. The kitchen is helmed by Luis Berraza, a veteran chef from Sinaloa, Mexico, who in concert with General Manager and Agave House partner Jonah Gomes curated a menu that draws from Mexico’s extensive culinary landscape.
So-called “small bites” include grilled nopales queso flameado, seasonal oysters, charred brussels sprouts and hearts of palm ceviche dressed in a lemongrass vinaigrette. Tacos come seven ways including carne asada, salmon, sweet potato and Yucatán-style barbecue pork (pork pibil). Entrees include a chimichurri ribeye, salmon dressed in an agave-chipotle glaze and a pork chop brined in agave before it’s grilled and served with a chile agave oil.
Agave House also has a selection of burrito bowls including a birria bowl, soups and salads, red and green chicken enchiladas, and sides from beans and rice to grilled elote dressed in a garlic lime crema and topped with cotija cheese, cilantro, guajillo chile and the fan-favorite chamoy.
At the bar, you can order themed flights of tequila or mezcal for a varied tasting experience, or agave-based cocktails including “Smoke and Mur,” made with mezcal, lime and blackberry; the Oaxacan Old Fashioned that mixes Reposado tequila and mezcal with chile liqueur bitters and agave nectar; or the Tucson classic Prickly Pear Margarita sweetened with prickly pear syrup.
Agave House opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 11 p.m. Sundays-Wednesdays and at 2 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Follow Agave House on at instagram.com/agavehousetucson or online at agavehousetucson.com.
McKale Center was built at the University of Arizona in the early 1970s. There have been updates through the years.
