Los Agaves on Milpas Street has earned a Michelin Guide listing in part for its mole negro: a complex sauce built from dried chiles, chocolate, spices, nuts, and charred ingredients that requires hours of preparation and produces a deep, dark, bittersweet result served over chicken or pork with fresh handmade tortillas. The preparation at Los Agaves follows family recipes from traditional Mexican cooking.
Mole negro is the most complex of the canonical Mexican mole sauces, originating in Oaxacan cooking and requiring 20 or more ingredients and a multi-day preparation. The dish arrived in Santa Barbara through the Mexican community on Milpas Street; Los Agaves has served the family recipe since opening and the Michelin Guide recognition has drawn attention to the quality of the preparation.
1 editor pick for Mole Negro in Santa Barbara, ranked by editorial score. All Santa Barbara signature dishes · Mole Negro across every city.