This article originally appeared in the February 2020 edition of Canby Living Magazine.
Any Canbyites who don’t watch the local food scene closely may be forgiven for not noticing the change.
The restaurant anchoring the Canby Station development at the corner of NE 1st and Ivy was, and still is, a Mexican place, and even the names are similar. Formerly, Los Dos Amigos; now: Los Dos Agaves.
But, if you went inside, you would notice the difference right away. The bar, banquet room and dining area have all gotten makeovers. There’s a salsa bar now, and they make their own fresh tortillas.
Of course, the signage is all new. And they also have chic new lights and bar stools — imported from Mexico.
“Gotta be authentic,” laughed Andrea Gonzalez, server at Los Dos Agaves and daughter of one of the owners, Jose Luis.
Luis has worked in the food service arena for many years, as has his business partner Angel Ramirez. This is their first collaboration running a restaurant.
“They connected and wanted to open a place, and they picked Canby because it’s growing,” Andrea said. “It’s a small town, but it’s getting bigger and bigger. They saw potential in here.”
Only in business since November or so, Los Dos Agaves is already gaining a name for themselves thanks to their authentic food and drinks, quality service and ever-popular happy hour (3 to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, noon to 6 p.m. on the weekends, and then 8 p.m. to close every day).
Their happy hour specials include $5 plates (with the purchase of a $5 bar drink) such as taquitos, nachos, flautas, street tacos coconut shrimp and Mexican pizza.
“It’s a pretty good deal,” said Andrea. “I don’t think you can find that anywhere else.”
Their specialties lean toward variety, like their caldo de siete mares (“soup of the seven seas”), a flavorful seafood dish served all over Mexico, Central and South America that features shrimp, crab, mussels, clams, fish and other delicacies; and molcajete Mexicano, a traditional recipe served in a stone dish with steak, chicken, shrimp and cactus.
“I always like to get the molcajete,” Andrea said. “I crave everything, so I get that, because it comes with a little bit of everything.”
One of their most popular dishes in Canby is milanesa, a South American variant of an Italian recipe that features tender, thinly sliced filets of meat, breaded and deep fried, which is then served over taquitos.
On the bar side, the margarita is king, of course. If you’re feeling adventurous, try their blended mangorita that comes with an upside-down Corona for an added kick. Another house specialty is the cantarito, an iced concoction of tequila and various fruit juices served in a clay pot.
The restaurant hosts live mariachi music every second Sunday of the month from 3 to 5 p.m., and has plans for a new patio being built in time for the summer.
Los Dos Agaves is located at 102 N. Ivy St. in Canby.
Hear more from Andrea on Episode 134 of the Canby Now Podcast: “On the Linebackers.”
