Julio’s Cantina

What a disappointment. I wish I had read the reviews before, but we were so tired and hungry and the sandwich board outside advertising for the margaritas clinched the deal.
Unfortunately, the margarita was uninspired, as was the rest of the meal.
The thing that confused me most was that the place was very close to empty, it was a Sunday night past prime dinner hour, and when we walked in, no one greeted us, no one showed us to our table, it took quite a while to get our menus, our water, our food, our bill.
Ironic that they include a feedback form in the folder with the check because reading the reviews that date back months, it seems they had enough to go on to make this pleasant place (atmosphere wise) better or even great.
In a town that has a well known culinary school, it surprises me that the kitchen can turn out a fajita dish that was clearly microwaved. (I have never seen meat cooked like that). The peppers and onion mix was totally mushy, the chopped lettuce an unappetizing brown and a giant pile of sliced canned olives made me sad and a little revolted.
I guess what made it uninspired was that the cook clearly didn’t understand the concept of balance, and neither did the bartender.
C’mon people! At least get your margarita down! All else could be forgiven.
Not recommended.

An extensive menu of Mexican standards. But refried beans arrived luke warm with some cold spots in them. Glasses of water had no ice. Chimichanga was warm but kind of lame. Not crowded on a saturday night when other places were.

Food here is really good and so was the service. Tried the burrito and chicken quesadilla with guacamole added in and was very pleased.

We ate at Julio’s for the first time the other night. It was the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. Just a few examples: the main dish was scorching hot while the rice and beans were barely warm. My husband’s pork enchilada was flavored with orange, not a good combination. It turns out they make a dish called pork a l’orange; they use the same meat in the enchiladas. There was so much garlic in my enchilada I could barely get it down. The chips were greasy and the salsa was, again, overloaded with garlic. I could go on…
Please, go elsewhere–

The two tap beers we ordered were flat. The meat in our burgers smelled a bit old/​gamey. Empty glasses were never cleared off the table during the meal. Thick layer of dust on every wall fixture, picture, ornament, etc. All in all it was very average at best.

First time at this restaurant. Our server Ali was terrific. It has outdoor seating but we sat inside in one of their booths. Very comfortable and cozy. We ordered their special chicken and a shrimp fajita which were very good. If you like it really spicy just ask. We thought both were fine. Would come back again.

Every time we visit from Florida we stop in and they never disappoint. Who knew, great Mexican food in Vermont

Cold chips. Lukewarm food. Cold plates. ZERO FLAVOR! My own fault being new here and just traveling through and not realizing it wasn’t authentic, just some hipster place. WASTE OF MONEY.

Eccellent service Steak grilled very good. Squash taco excellent. Cucumb rest Rickie $ 10 but worth it.

Great place! Spacious inside and small but adequate outdoor patio. Good selection of local beers, and fantastic street tacos. Our table tried several different kinds, and the braised pork, steak & green chile, and ground beef were standouts. Chipotle shrimp tacos were kind of one note (just spicy and not much else), and the guacamole was bland, but overall we really enjoyed our meal.

We enjoy going here. We know its not authentic Mexican, but it is a good restaurant with a southwest flavor.
We try to sit outside when we can to people watch. Inside can be too warm and loud.
The food is average or right above. My wife enjoys the veggie burrito, I used to get the crispy fish tacos, but have been trying something new the last few times.
I do agree with the other reviewers, the salsa is fresh but seems like its from a blender. I like chunky fresh raw salsa. The rice does always seems bland and clumpy.
All in all, the wait staff is always nice to us.

I’m actually planning a trip back to Montpelier to go back to Julio’s! I loved EVERYTHING about the place – our server, Jacqui, was courteous, quick and helpful. The salsa was extraordinary (I’m going to see if I can buy it to go) and chips home-​made. I had the veggie trio and had to box up the burrito. No way I could eat the whole thing! I’ve read the other comments and I seriously thought I’d stumbled upon the wrong place. Maybe there’s been a sea-​change since those comments were put up or maybe the reviewers were expecting something else (Julio’s IS in Vermont, NOT Tijuana!) but my experience at Julio’s was memorable! Clean, quick, copious!

Meh. If you want fast, bland food head here. The spicy jalapeño and service were good… just nothing else.

Walked into this restaurant when visiting for a weekend of skiing. We were very pleased with the service. The chimichanga was one of the best I’ve had. Chicken was juicy and the plate was hot.
Reasons for why I didn’t give it 5 stars. The atmosphere and décor was lacking for a Mexican restaurant. It kind of felt like a diner. Also, the food came out almost immediately (fast food like, under 4 minutes), which didn’t give us time to enjoy our aps/​drinks. Also the draft beer was not working the day we went.
The above complaints are mostly recommendations. Otherwise it was a fantastic dinner and I would return if ever back.

Went there yesterday. Boring salsa, tacos that say the meat is 2 days old. The rice that came with it tasted like was served in the soup kitchen the same 2 days ago. Ordered the combo enchilada and taco. Couldnt’t eat it. Just bad tasting food. My husband ordered a quesadillaand was like… all right… blah. Today a friend sugested Mad Taco just around the corner and yessssssss just go there. Fresh is the name o the game go there instead.

I am not at all in the habit of posting 1-​star reviews but unfortunately the food I had at Julio’s tonight warrants it. I opted for the Julio’s Special Combo, which featured a cheese enchilada with semi– melted cheese inside a flour tortilla with what appeared to be bland marinara (!) sauce on it, a bean burrito that resembled what a grad student on a budget would make in a microwave, and a beef taco where the beef was bizarrely unseasoned.
I have had Mexican food many different places around the world — some wonderful and some mediocre — but this was probably the poorest such meal I’ve had outside my own college-​era kitchen. You can do much better in Montpelier in my opinion.
In fairness to Julio, I may have simply picked poorly — some of the dinner plates (e.g., the pork shoulder) looked promising, and I was just passing through so may have caught the kitchen on an off night.

Went here 9÷4÷14 about 6 pm. Sat at the bar. Great margs and the food that both my husband and I got was fantastic! Love the garlic and cilantro they put in the food. Great service too. If I lived in Montpelier, I’d go once a week it’s that good! HIGHLY recommend!!!

What a great restaurant! Loved the drinks, they were outstanding! I ordered a margarita with blue curacao and my sister in law got the midori one. Both were delicious. Our server was Angela and she did an awesome job in keeping up with our orders, chips salsa etc. The food was fresh, made to order and scrumptious! Needless to say gone in a few minutes. We’ll definitely go back.

Long day of traveling up from Florida and working. Was looking forward to some fajitas and a couple of beers. Was sat immediately. After 10 min, nobody ever looked in my direction, let alone offered to take my drink or food order.
Might have been good, but since I wasn’t even acknowledged, I guess I will never know

This place was delicious-​I liked the guac and my tacos (esp the beef ones!). We got an assortment of four different tacos.
What else? The white sangria was nice and sweet. Our server was also friendly-​seems like a ton of out-​of-​towners come here!

I stopped at Julio’s on our way to Maine and the food was very good. Fresh vegetables and home made salsa, fried beans and the fajitas and burritos excellent. They also have a decent choice of imported beers which is nice for a Quebecer visiting the States! The service was very good as well. A very nice place to try!