On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, my photographer, Ella, and I headed to Downtown Binghamton for lunch and decided to stop into local Tex-Mex restaurant Iron Agave.

Located on 60 Court St. in the heart of downtown, Iron Agave offers an extensive, rotating menu of food and drink options inspired by Mexican and southwestern flavors. Opened in December 2023, the eatery features high ceilings and wooden accents that create a relaxed atmosphere.

The lunch menu includes three courses — an appetizer, entree and dessert — for $18. For our first course, Ella chose the chicken tortilla soup with tomato, black beans, corn and a crema drizzle. The soup had a mild level of spice with an extra crunch from the chips. I considered ordering the Texas red chili but decided to get the Mexican shrimp cocktail served with tortilla chips in the end. A combination of red onion, jalapeno and horseradish gave the dish a kick.

For our main course, Ella chose the lunch bowl with black beans, chicken and guacamole. She also added a side of rice and ordered it smothered with red sauce. The flavors complimented each other well, and the portions were generous, so she ended up taking some home for dinner. I ordered two beef brisket tavern tacos. The brisket is smoked at Iron Agave’s sister restaurant, Food & Fire BBQ-Taphouse in Johnson City. The tacos have jalapenos for a bit of spice and are served on your choice of flour or corn tortilla.

While we waited for our dessert, we admired the thought put into the decoration of the space. Colorful murals of agave plants and dragon motifs adorn the walls. The light fixtures by the bar, which are also shaped like agave plants, provide ambient lighting and the many booths that line the seating area make this spot perfect for a chill night out with friends. The bar is centrally located and has a variety of drink options as well as televisions for those looking to enjoy the game while they eat.

For dessert, we shared the mini churros with dulce de leche dipping sauce and the mango sorbet with chamoy. The sorbet was sweet but not overpowering, and the churros were perfectly crispy and bite-sized, making them easy to share with a friend.

One of the restaurant’s owners, Dan Polhamus ‘00 sat down with us to talk about his experience in hospitality and food. After working in restaurants throughout college and in the Alumni Relations Office post-graduation, he began working in the hospitality industry. He opened the restaurant with one of his friends from the wrestling team.

”I wound up working with Marriott for a few years and enhancing my interest in hospitality,” Polhamus said. “Personally, when the opportunity came to open up a business and get back into restaurants with two of my best friends, it was a no-brainer. You know, being able to commit to being a locally owned business, employing people locally, trying to be community-driven, trying to do things the right way in a business that we love.”

The dinner menu includes limited items like the salmon molcajete and Santa Fe chicken that were created specifically for Restaurant Week. This $30 menu also gives you the option to substitute an appetizer for a Cantina ‘Rita or Sangria, as well as some additions to the appetizer and dessert options. Restaurant Week deals are available until April 10, so stop into Iron Agave for some lunch deals or a margarita tower before it ends!