Encanto Agave Bar

I ALWAYS have a great time when I visit the back bar for Mezcal tasting nights. Go visit the bartender with the cool hat - he will teach you everything you need to know about mezcal and tequila.

I was disappointed by the whole experience. This is inside the night club so a $20 cover is required even if you just want to have a cocktail at the back bar. Which, fine, because I made the decision to do so on arrival. However we were not told that they don't do menu drinks on Fridays nights (?) We only learned this when we made it to the bar and were told by the bartender (not very politely I might add). Had I known upfront I would not have even bothered with any of it, as the menu cocktails were the whole reason I was there. I ordered a mezcal margarita ($14). Not sure what was in it but it was honestly not good and was barely drinkable (and I love mezcal). The music in the club was good at least. Kind of a weird layout though - there are a lot of tables so there's not a lot of room for dancing. Anyway, I don't think it's worth the cover nor the price for drinks.

Good experience! There were negative reviews about the bartender, but we found him to be an absolute blast! He was educating us about all the different mezcal and tequila behind the bar and the different processes used to create the booze. He gave us free tastings of a few bottles. He also told us many of the bottles they have are very hard to buy in the U.S. and most of their liquor is imported from Mexico. We believed him because a lot of the bottles we googled some of the bottles and we couldn't find them at any store in the area. Great time, fun night, and awesome bartender!

Clearly I should have checked Yelp reviews before "booking" a "tasting" here. I was in communication with someone from Encanto for about a week about booking a tasting at Encanto. When we arrived, no one had our name down. This was for a group of 10 people, so pretty hard to miss. The staff in the front was straight up rude to us when I was trying to pull up the email communication I had to prove that we had reservations. When we finally got to the back (because apparently, you don't even need reservations for Encanto...), no one came to wait on us for about 15 minutes, after which I went up to the bartender myself and asked what the issue is. They stated that they do not serve at Encanto at that time. I once again pulled up the email communication I had, specifically stating we had reservations for my friend's birthday at 8pm. They reluctantly sent over a waitress (who was super nice) to our table. Now it gets worse, because no one provided us with the tasting. They just gave us a cocktail menu. I once again went up to the bartender and explained that I had booked a TASTING, meaning I should be able to pick a flight of mezcal from a menu. The bartender was clueless at first, and then pulled out a flight board. He didn't explain anything about the different choices when I tried asking, and said he will pick for us himself because it "will be easier." I said fine and asked for the price. Apparently there's no set price for a mezcal tasting, which is super shady. He just thought for a minute and said ok 40 bucks. Then when our flight came out, they provided us with no explanation of any of the mezcals for us to even know what we're tasting. And the portions were SO SMALL. Finally, I have to mention that the pictures on their website are total false advertising. None of the cocktails looked like what they have pictured on the website. I would avoid this place at all cost, there's a handful of other mezcal tasting locations in Chicago which I would choose over this. Very disappointed.

Encanto is inside of Moe's Cantina. Towards the back you'll find the bar. I'm not sure if there's a clear cut distinction between the Moe's bar and Encanto. So yes, you can go up and get a Margarita/Paloma or whatever no biggie. But the real charm of this place is Enrique. I don’t know this, but gut says he's the muscle behind Encanto. Enrique knows his stuff and is incredibly passionate about Mezcal. We went specifically looking to just taste various mezcals and Enrique went above and beyond in terms of explaining and bringing out some of the most unique bottles I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. He was right along with us until it started to get busy. If you're looking for that experience, maybe try to get there a bit early as the Moe's nightlife crowd will likely takeover. Really just an absolute huge shout out to Enrique. Gave us the opportunity to try some mezcals that I'll likely never have the opportunity to again.

Lovely decor and aesthetic. I just came back from a trip to Tulum and I felt immersed in the mezcal concept with small batched mezcals and food pairings that offered a nice balance of fresh and earthy notes. 10/10 recommend, I will be back!

It’s basically just the back bar of moes... told hostess we were there to check out Encanto last night and she says oh yeah just go to the back. Then it was closed off for a private party. Something she should probably know 🙄

If a bathroom choice is a big deal for your employees I guess you don’t care to provide good customer services .

This new bar is gorgeous and the cocktails are delicious, however, they lost a star from me for the following reason. They advertised their grand opening on Facebook as well as on their website a couple weeks ago. The website listed three events: three Leyendas de Mezcal, two spotlighting a couple mezcal brands and one for the grand opening. The grand opening event was originally advertised as 8-10p on the website. This event gave the public an option to RSVP which I did and it also gave the option to "add to calendar." I clicked the option to add to calendar. The day of their grand opening, for some reason I checked the website again and noticed the event was now changed to 6-8p. I checked my calendar to confirm there had been a time change. I messaged Encanto via email and Facebook to confirm the time change and the reason why. I received an email reply from someone (email had no name) stating that they have a media preview party from 6-8p which is invite only and that they are open to the public at 8p. I replied that I RSVP'ed on the website which now states 6-8p and ask if that is the media preview party he/she was referring to. I received a reply stating that is for their 8p party and that the media preview party is invite only. So we arrive shortly after 7p and sit at Moe's bar (Encanto is located within Moe's all the way in back.) After ordering three drinks and elotes, I got curious and walked back to Encanto around 7:45p just to peek. There was a girl at a host stand with a guest list. I mentioned that I RSVP'ed on the website and asked for the hell of it if that RSVP was for this preview party. She says yes and checks the list; sure enough I'm on it. She tells me I can go in. I enter Encanto and learn that they are passing out free hors d'oeuvres including the elotes we just ordered at Moe's, bacon wrapped dates, and three different small portion cocktails. I was furious we could have attended this preview party when we got there almost 45 minutes earlier. I went and grabbed our drinks at Moe's bar, cancelled the elotes and paid the tab. I meant to explain to a manager what happened, but never got around to it. Luckily we were able to sample a few bites of food and three cocktails: P'al Dolor, Oaxacan Twilight & De Granada Mule. The first two were delicious. I love mezcal especially with coconut and prickly pear. The mule was ok, not terrible, just not my cup of tea. One bartender was especially nice and smiley. I didn't see a tip jar, but gave her some cash. We ordered a full size P'al Dolor and Mi Mero Mole after the preview party ended although we could have had more free samples of the P'al Dolor if we had known we could have come in earlier. The Mi Mero Mole was also delicious, like a Mexican Hot Chocolate, but served cold with a toasted marshmallow on top, YUM. There were three tables set up with four different mezcal vendors passing out tastes of mezcal and sharing information about the brands. William and Trish from Bahnez were super awesome and friendly. We chatted with them a lot about Bahnez and how it is a co-op company that benefits farmers in Mexico. William was even wearing a shirt with photos of all the farmers (see my photo.) So awesome! The vendors remained set up until 10p. All in all, I love the concept of the mezcal bar and the entire interior and decor of the place. I am disappointed in the lack of communication regarding the grand opening event and the wrong information provided to me. I hope they work out this kink in the future. It would also be helpful if their emails included the name of the person responding. I would definitely come back to Encanto, but I advise everyone to be leery with RSVP'ing and emailing them.

This is part of the Moe's Cantina group. This is back where this was used as a private space. I had their Elote and it was ok. I had better. I talked to one of the manager's and he told me it's something their trying out. So being part of Moe's this is probably going to last.

A little scam they have going on! After seeing this place on Instagram and the website I pictured something completely different. This is located INSIDE moes cantina. You have to enter through moes and go through the curtains in back. It's a the back bar at Moes Cantina with three curtains. It's ehhhh. HOWEVER!!! the service was good and drinks were good. Happy hour was nothing to brag about. Literally one shot and one beer..... that's it..........

Clearly I should have checked Yelp reviews before "booking" a "tasting" here. I was in communication with someone from Encanto for about a week about booking a tasting at Encanto. When we arrived, no one had our name down. This was for a group of 10 people, so pretty hard to miss. The staff in the front was straight up rude to us when I was trying to pull up the email communication I had to prove that we had reservations. When we finally got to the back (because apparently, you don't even need reservations for Encanto...), no one came to wait on us for about 15 minutes, after which I went up to the bartender myself and asked what the issue is. They stated that they do not serve at Encanto at that time. I once again pulled up the email communication I had, specifically stating we had reservations for my friend's birthday at 8pm. They reluctantly sent over a waitress (who was super nice) to our table. Now it gets worse, because no one provided us with the tasting. They just gave us a cocktail menu. I once again went up to the bartender and explained that I had booked a TASTING, meaning I should be able to pick a flight of mezcal from a menu. The bartender was clueless at first, and then pulled out a flight board. He didn't explain anything about the different choices when I tried asking, and said he will pick for us himself because it "will be easier." I said fine and asked for the price. Apparently there's no set price for a mezcal tasting, which is super shady. He just thought for a minute and said ok 40 bucks. Then when our flight came out, they provided us with no explanation of any of the mezcals for us to even know what we're tasting. And the portions were SO SMALL. Finally, I have to mention that the pictures on their website are total false advertising. None of the cocktails looked like what they have pictured on the website. I would avoid this place at all cost, there's a handful of other mezcal tasting locations in Chicago which I would choose over this. Very disappointed.

I've tried twice to come to this place, and the bouncers keep telling me that they're not open. I'm not understanding what's going on. Is it because we're black that they're not letting us up here?

First time checking this place out and VERY disappointed. We got there around 8pm and it was closed for a private event. It looked like the bar was still open but the bouncers said we couldn't go back. Came back at 10pm since that's when we were told the party ended. Turns out there is was a cover free just to walk straight back. We didn't even bother. Seemed like such a hassle and not worth the time or effort. Never going back again.