Uptown Oakland’s buzzy dining scene got even more so this summer with the opening of the stylish Oaxacan-inspired Agave Uptown, a mezcal and mole mecca a block from the Paramount Theater.

Executive chef Octavio Diaz, who also has an Agave restaurant in Healdsburg, opened the Uptown version in June on the airy, light-filled ground floor of Oakland’s Kapor Center for Social Impact. The dining room was designed by Arcsine, the same Oakland design firm that did Calavera, Duende and Walnut Creek’s Teleferic, three very different, stylish spots. From an ambience perspective, this is a four-star spot: modern, chic and buzzing with energy. Teak floors ground the dining space, which hugs a large curved wall lined with banquettes and wedge-shaped tables. The eye-catching mural was done by Lapiztola, a Oaxaca-based art collective.

Diaz is all about farm-fresh, seasonal housemade fare. The tortillas are handmade, the mole crafted from 20 “secret ingredients” brought from Diaz’s home town, and small-batch mezcal dominates the drinks menu. Some 32 varieties of mezcal, priced from $10 to $40, are available by the glass, and the cocktail menu is all about this particular spirit.

An Uptown Sunset cocktail ($12), for example, made vividly violet by the addition of smoked hibiscus, arrives not just rimmed with spices, but thoroughly dipped. It’s a seriously adult beverage.

The El Melocoton Ahumado ($13) is equally serious, a mango-infused mezcal cocktail that may sound like an umbrella drink, what with its tropical syrup and mango and yuzu foam, but it too is well-balanced and very grown-up.

If you hadn’t already gathered by the cocktails, this isn’t a taco joint. You’ll be paying for that basket of chips ($4) and tasty salsa, for one thing, and the menu is considerably more interesting than any cantina. The botanas — or starters — include ceviche ($12), Oaxacan empanadas filled with cheese and mushrooms ($10) and molotes ($7 for half a dozen, $13 for a dozen).

The latter are small doughy turnovers made with masa, and filled with chorizo and potato. Served over black bean paste and topped with shredded cabbage and queso fresco, the molotes are beautiful to look at, but they’re too garnished to be finger food — and that garnish provides most of the flavor, which seems odd for something containing chorizo. A fork is inadequate, though, and we end up using fingers and forks, glad our mothers are not there to witness our messy table manners.

Other starter options include raw oysters from the Del Mar section of the menu ($3.50 for an oyster shot, $21 for half a dozen and $39 for a dozen), a prawn cocktail ($16) and fish or shrimp tacos ($13).

The rest of the menu provides an array of meats – or seasonal grilled vegetables – accompanied by rice, black bean paste and those excellent handmade tortillas. The Tasajo ($14), for example, features grilled beef, seasonal mushrooms, onions and guacamole with the above accouterments. Cecina ($13) includes pork in adobo.

There are a few unusual items on the menu — unusual to Oakland, anyway — including an eye-catching Tlayuda ($14), a Oaxacan pizza topped with black bean paste, cabbage, avocado and, for a few dollars more, grilled vegetables, chorizo, chicken or beef.

Given the emphasis on mole, though, we head straight for the Mole Negro de Oaxaca ($19), available with Niman Ranch carnitas or Rocky’s chicken. On this particular evening, the carnitas arrive completely smothered in the sauce. It’s certainly tasty, but given the build-up and ingredient secrecy, we were expecting to have our socks knocked off. A squeeze of lime might have helped brighten the flavors.

The Molcajete ($19) provides significantly more razzle dazzle for the palate. The impressive and delicious dish arrives in a stone molcajete brimming with prawns, grilled beef and chicken, strips of nopal, peppers and onions, quesillo — which reminded us of fresh mozzarella — and a savory, tomato-based sauce. All that deliciousness can be folded into tortillas with a dollop of salsa and guacamole, or forked up on its own. Either way, it’s a great dish — easily the best of the night.

The dessert menu includes just four items, including churros with a goat milk caramel and tequila ice cream sandwiched between bunuelos. We have a weakness for flan, so we opted for the Flan De Galleta ($8), whose texture, unfortunately, had us wishing we’d gone the tequila ice cream route. Next time, for sure.

AGAVE UPTOWN

2 1/2 stars

WHERE: 2135 Franklin St., Oakland

CONTACT: 510-288-3668; agaveuptown.com

HOURS: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, until 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday

CUISINE: Regional Mexican/Oaxacan

PRICES: $10-$19

VEGETARIAN: Several options, including chile relleno ($12) and verduras ($13), grilled seasonal vegetables with rice and beans

BEVERAGES: Mezcal cocktails, California wines, Mexican craft beer and aguas frescas

RESERVATIONS: Recommended

NOISE LEVEL: Loud

PARKING: Metered street parking, pay lots nearby

PLUSES: Great decor, fun atmosphere and tasty fare

MINUSES: Some dishes are sensational, others are less impressive

DATE OPENED: June

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Ratings: Restaurants are rated on a scale of one to four, with four representing a truly extraordinary experience for that type of restaurant.