Uncle Julio’s

Fajita and quesadillas are tasty. Only thing I don’t like is the yogurt or cream served with the orders.

I know it’s a chain, but best Mexican in the area no question. Chips and salsa (and guacamole) are damn good. Fajitas are good too! Can’t go wrong. Brunch is pretty great as well.

A must have everytime I’m in Arlington. I was there for a week for work. I went 3 times. My only regret was that I didn’t go at least once more!

Every time I go, I get their vegetable fajitas (gluten free dairy free) and they are delicious! Besides their great food, I think I love their service the most. The waiters and waitresses are really attentive and considerate. Mixed all together with the ambiance – I definitely put this restaurant at the top of my list of recommendations when we need a place to eat.

Visited Uncle Julio’s on a Monday night with a group of about 14 and we were seated very quickly. The restaurant is very open and has plenty of available seating. The hostess was very accommodating to our large group as well. The service was excellent and our waitresses was very responsive. The chips and salsa are delicious and you could almost make this your full meal. I ordered a classic Patron Margarita on the rocks which was a good size but a little on the higher end price wise. My main course was the Carnitas Tacos which were fantastic. I would recommend Uncle Julio’s for anyone new in town. Overall ⁵⁄₅ stars.

Pretty good Tex-​Mex. The tamales and red sauce were delicious! Just the right amount of chiles and heat. Cheese dip was ok and kind of thin. But overall I liked that the food wasn’t heavy. Many times Mexican food makes you feel sluggish afterwards but this place wasn’t the case.
Be sure to make reservations, the place has plenty of seating but still fills up!

Uncle Julio’s is great. The steak fajitas are my go to. They are perfectly tender and seasoned. The chips are great and always taste fresh. This time o decided to try the taco salad. It was HUGE! I went with the shredded chicken on top and it was pretty good! Being born and raised in San Diego, I know good Mexican food. Uncle Julio’s always has an authentic flavor and fun atmosphere.

Uhhhhh, so we had an early dinner at the bar. Two things in order of importance:
1) While we were eating dinner, a roach strutted right past my plate. On the bar. And then strolled across the bar until my husband squished it. Tough to see a brown roach on a brown bar, but yep, it was caught. The bartender and manager did the right thing – they comped our food and apologized (hence the two stars). Still extremely gross, and I don’t think I am going to frequent any restaurants in that immediate area for a long time.
2) The margaritas were not good. They were sickly sweet, and I ordered two high-​end types. I wish they would ease up on whatever sweetener they use… not that it matters, because there is no way I am going back to that place.

I had dinner there yesterday, the whole experience was not pleasant.
First, the host was very rude, tried to seat me at a small table in an obstructed corner, although half the tables were empty, and when i requested a different table he acted unprofessionally rude.
The food was disappointing as well, i ordered mixed fajita, i have never had a fajita that was served COLD, even the rice was cold, looks like it was sitting there for a while, or mot cooked enough, no wonder i had stomach ache all night.
Never going there again!

Not what it used to be.
We had been going since it opened as Rio grande years ago. We loved it. Great service great food. Especially frog legs and quail entrée. We went on a Sunday at 720. We were told 30min wait. At 40 min I asked if we would be seated soon. I was told they were preparing tables. A look in dining room showed me lots of empty tables. We waited Another 15 min. Got seated and immediately ordered queso and guacamole. It never came. Food came and was dry and not that great.
Definitely this restaurant has gone down alot. Very disappointed. Won’t go back. Nothing special about this place anymore

This is an good place for some casual Americanized Mexican food. Really laid back, tasty swirl margaritas, decent prices. Best dish is the Guadalajra platter. I’ve been getting it for years. Huge and tasty. Get it as a combo so you get chicken and steak for your fajitas. The bacon-​wrapped shrimp are fantastic. Service is ok. Reverse Swirl meltdown also a great drink.

I give it 5 stars for it’s salsa alone!!! Best salsa on the planet. For real. It has a smoky taste and is perfectly spicy. Chips are the perfect kind (sort of thin and crispy). LOVE the combo… Brunch is fantastic. Chicken chilaquiles are phenomenal. Services is always very very good. Like the tacos al carbon a lot.
PS Do not get a bloody mary here though — pretty lame version.

Went here on a Friday night and it was really busy, with quite a few people milling about waiting to be seated. We asked the hostess how long the wait would be and were informed 30 – 35 minutes, which seemed acceptable. We went to the bar where we found 2 people leaving to be seated and sat down immediately. They have a margarita special each day/​week/​month/​who knows duration that infuses fresh fruit with a traditional margarita. This period was grapefruit, which I do enjoy so I ordered one. I was not disappointed, it was good, but was $ 12. By the time our drinks were ready, the hostess found us to seat us. We waited less that 10 minutes as opposed to the stated 30+.
Once seated we were served quickly, ordering the Pineapple Bacon Guacamole which came with the fresh made tortilla chips. It was very fresh and flavorful. For an entrée I ordered Guadalajara, which was 3 grilled shrimp wrapped with bacon and stuffed with pepper jack cheese, and then a choice of steak or chicken fajitas. The server was happy to allow me to get the beef and then substitute the chicken with the new Honey Chipotle chicken. This was a great move. The Honey Chipotle chicken was a perfect blend of sweet and spicy and made a great fajita. The steak was good, but was a tad over cooked and was a little tough. Flavor was good but the texture was off. In retrospect I should have just went with the chicken. The shrimp were also good, but all I could taste was the bacon. The stuffing didn’t really shine through.
All in all, my experience was excellent, and as far as chains go, this one was very good. I wouldn’t hesitate to try again.

The ¹⁄₅ stars is more from a service standpoint. I ordered delivery (via Eat24): Juanita’s combo platter which is supposed to come with rice and beans. I also put in all caps NO CHEESE/​SOUR CREAM– deathly allergic in the remarks section and called them up afterwards to reiterate the point ad nauseum. Also, requested an extra side. Order comes and cheese is speckled all over my meal; extra side nowhere to be found; there is no rice or beans. God bless Eat24; they expedite a redo and re-​delivery right at the cusp of the restaurant’s closing. Second round: All good except the cooks still neglected to include the customary rice and beans. Seriously, guys? You aren’t Taco Bell. Give better service.
No sanctuary for those w/​special dietary needs.

Uncle Julio’s is a great neighborhood restaurant and my husband and I come here on a weekly basis. I highly recommend the carne asada (ask them to bring tortillas hot off the press), the tamales, and their enchiladas. My husband swears by the fish tacos and the fajita beef tacos. Chips and salsa and guacamole are the best in town.
If you’re a margarita fan, the Patron Classic is the way to go — ask them to make it the «old way» with fresh lime juice and to add just a touch of simple syrup. If you’re a frozen margarita fan, I recommend getting a meltdown (frozen marg or Swirl topped with a shot of your choice).
We usually sit at the bar, but we get great service wherever we are in the restaurant. In short — this place is awesome and you should give it a try.

I had a decent experience here last night for dinner. Food was good and well cooked, and service was decent. I have no complaints about the two.
What does bother me is the lack of orchestration of how to enter the building. If you enter from one side — you have no door or signage that is directing you to where to go. Instead we had to ask a guy who worked there that was out on his cigarette break. This would be a lot easier if they had a sign saying to go around or something. We entered through the patio area which made things a bit awkward then had to walk through the restaurant itself to get to the hostess stand.
Post some signage and where you’re fire exit is directing patrons on where to go, and I’ll give you a 4^th star. That’s how frustrating this was.

What happened to Uncle Julio’s lately?
Did the owner change in Texas?
I really hate the changes they made recently.
My favorite fajita now has less meat (beef & chicken), less guacamole and the chopped tomatoes and onions, instead they added unwanted sour cream and shredded cheese to the plate. To make the matter worse, they raised the price too.
My favorite regular flan was removed from the menu.
Instead they now serve coconut flan. It was tasty but did not have the dignity that the regular flan had.
The signature drink «Swirl» had much less alcohol in there.
No wonder there were so many open tables on a Friday evening. This place used to be packed with people all the time for a long long time. But not any more. This location may become the first Uncle Julio’s in the DMV area to close in the near future.
Too bad.

Uncle Julio’s is standard Tex-​Mex fare. The portions are pretty large, especially if you order an entrée that comes with the sides (beans, rice, pico de gallo). So it’s great if you have a large appetite or want to be able to take some food home with you. The enchiladas are pretty decent. Their swirl frozen margaritas are the drink highlight on the menu and they also have a skinny marg which is great if you’re watchin your waistline (although if you’re watching your weight mayyyybe opt for a different restaurant altogether as this one cannot be healthy with the mountains of carbs and cheese included on most dishes). Overall the food is always enjoyable and very filling, albeit not memorable.
The interior is large, and they’re usually able to accommodate pretty large parties. They also have a great outdoor patio space for nice days/​evenings!
Ok soooo here comes the bad part: I’ve definitely seen a cockroach once at this location of Uncle Julio’s, while sitting up by the bar area. It was crawling on a wall. That is pretty gross, and probably would lead many people to never return. I’ve actually been back once since then, though, maybe just because I’m not squeamish or because I would prefer to live in blissful ignorance haha. I haven’t noticed another cockroach yet… but be advised.

Food here is solid. I love their salsa but it is a bit watery — so thats why we order the pineapple bacon guacamole. The creany richness and thickness of the guacamole pair well with the spicy, and fresh salsa. I take one bite with guac and the next bite with salsa. The chips are just so thin, so you might have to grab a few at a time.
I got the ahi tuna salad. It is so fresh and wonderfully flavored. The dressing is citrusy and light.
Bf got the shrimp tacos with mango slaw on corn tortillas. It was so flavorful! ! The mango slaw balanced perfectly with the salty shrimp. The black beans and incredible as well.
We both got a marg of the day which was Strawberry Mint. Amazing highly recommend.
Our waitress was super nice but she just went MIA for most of the evening so it took a while for our check to come and she didnt even check up on us. So for that reason i deduct one star.
I will definitely be back for the food.

Consistently good!
The tableside guac is good but so is the regular guac. Fajitas are awesome — meat is tender, flavorful and verified legit by a San Diego-​an. I hear they know their fajitas and tequila. Appetizer portion tamales are small meal-​size and the tacos dinners are large and filling.
Fast service, loud and happy customers. Great place to escape the boredom of Arlington.