Julio’s Mexican Restaurant

I was hesitant to stop here at first, given the not-so-great reviews. But since we were on the road…read moreand this was the only option besides fast food, we decided to give it a try. The place is large, inviting, and very clean--almost too clean, like they'd just scrubbed everything down with Pine-Sol and Febreze. Drinks came out right away, and the tea was excellent. It did sit empty a few times, but that wasn't a huge issue. Service was on the slower side, and our server came across a bit stuck-up, which took away from the experience. Food arrived hot and in a timely manner. We ordered the #37 Carib tacos, which were very tasty. The charro beans were a pleasant surprise--flavorful and delicious. Queso was just okay, chips were disappointing, and while the red sauce was good, the green sauce was all heat with little flavor. The biggest downside was waiting about 25 minutes for the check. Eventually, we had to go up to the front before someone brought the bill. Overall, I'd say the food was good, and with a few improvements in service and sides, this place could be really great.

This is a very serviceable restaurant that wouldn't take much effort to be really good. We were not…read moreencouraged at the beginning, as the chips and salsa were not at all appealing. The tostadas were dry and tasteless, as if they were made from a dried cardboard slurry or something. The salsa was strange and impossible to discern whether it was homemade or commercially available. In any case, neither classification would want to claim it. It is incomprehensible how most Mexican restaurants seem to get terribly wrong this critically important this simple first impression offering. It's not hard, folks. You know what's in salsa; just make it fresh every day, and for goodness' sake, taste it before you serve it. Chips don't require a Ph.D, either; just cut some corn tortillas into triangles, fry them up and hit 'em with a little salt. But please...get rid of the little cardboard things! If you get this one thing right, you'll go a long way toward having more repeat customers. We had fajita tacos for our entree, and they were surprisingly tasty and tender. The service was very good, as was the ambiance. We would be back if they would let me make the chips and salsa.

Catalina, margarita in the glass usually comes in

Catalina Margarita

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Paper chips

Taqueria El Crucero

4.8(172 reviews)

12.6 mi

Worried about the waiting line? Call the phone number that's up on the sign on the building as soon…read moreas you drive up your order will be ready to go and you'll be the owner of delicious food. It's a drive-through only business, but that really makes it easy.

Menu as of January 15, 2026…read more Love this place best breakfast burritos in Waco. The tortillas are the best.

Taco shown next to a burrito for size comparison

Smothered crucero burrito

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Menu

La Cocina Tex-Mex Grill

4.8(14 reviews)

11.9 mi

Solid Tex Mex. The food is good and reasonably priced…read more Really enjoyed the Carnitas and Carne Guisada. Both were well seasoned and tender. Flavor was very good. Tortillas and accompanying salsa were excellent. Service was friendly and fast.

Found this place per YELP. It looks like a newer building; very neat and clean. The staff was VERY…read morefriendly and attentive. My wife had beef and cheese enchiladas and I had the sour cream / chicken enchiladas and added some tomatillo sauce ($1.95). Excellent Tex-Mex cuisine. Fair prices. Attentive staff. What more could you ask for?!?

Counter

Crispy tacos/ Taco Tuesday

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Very clean. Nice staff. Great menu and prices...

Refresqueria Tropical

4.8(4 reviews)

11.8 mi

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fire! even has a drive thru pull up for sure!!!!!!!read more

This place is great and has fantastic prices as well as wonderful food! I highly recommend this to…read moreanyone in Falls County or just passing through.

Amazing tacos because abuela hand made those tortillas!

Refresqueria Tropical - Worth the detour to visit. Mostly everything is made from scratch, from their mangonadas, aguas frescas, tortillas, liquados!

Worth the detour to visit. Mostly everything is made from scratch, from their mangonadas, aguas frescas, tortillas, liquados!

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They have a drive thru! no reason not to pay them a visit. even if you're in a rush

Ninfa's Mexican Restaurant

3.4(639 reviews)

13.3 mi

I love Ninfa's!…read more Service here is always friendly and upbeat. There's a decent size parking lot in front. I like the plants and Mexican decor. They have a taco salad that is absolutely delicious! Their margaritas are also on point. The Waco restaurant is a little more homey and not quite as luxe feeling as the Houston locations, but it can be solidly relied upon for good, filling Tex-Mex, so I love to stop by when I'm in town.

we miss the old Nifas. Sat night, place empty. Carnitas: a…read morelarge dry chunk of pork served in a scalding hot plate that burned skin. Don Quixote chili rellenos , waitstaff " I needed to pay an extra $3+ to have anything but cheese". It was embarrassing in front of our guests. and it was wrong, their menu still states ground beef and chicken are still an option with the cheese. Very expensive small plate of guacamole. Spicy salsa also very small portion and neither worth price charged. We end the night by the waitress announcing we need to pay a 3% +fee if we use a visa. I stated " that's new" she snapped I need to read the policy on the receipt. After decades, we will not return.

Interior

Pechugas Alfonso

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The bar area - parrots everywhere

Frida’s Cafe

5.0(1 review)

6.7 mi

THE BEST Mexican food since California. Every meal started from scratch and it tastes it. It's a…read morehole in the wall you'd never realize was there but beyond excellent food. Too bad it's not closer to where I live.

Los Magueyitos Restaurant

3.0(2 reviews)

13.1 mi

Looks closed! Sign is gone, looks empty and like no on has been there for a while. Website says…read moreit's still open! Confused?

So delicious and a breath of fresh air in Mexican cuisine. Never heard of this place til recently…read moreand it did not disappoint. Staff were so kind and patient while we ordered. Since the dishes are mainly from state of Hidalgo located in the pre-Hispanic region of Mesoamerica, the food was new to my family. Portions were plenty and affordable for all the food my family ordered. While the food was new to me, it was a delish experience and I can't wait to try more items on their menu. The restaurant had plenty of seating and the ambiance was nice. I recommend trying this place at least once (and hopefully more!)

Inside of restaurants, very clean

Chicken Tamale Qaxaqueños

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Dining area

Huaco Eatery

4.6(142 reviews)

13.5 mi

This place was amazing! Chef Sebastian's food was so good we have been craving it since leaving…read more Would definitely recommend.

Some of the best Mexican food we've ever had! We will definitely be back…read more We enjoyed the trio, shrimp taco, and empanadas. Everything was so fresh and clearly made with love.

The stores location in the union

Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wrap and Yuca Fries

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Bright design- can you spot the chef? Stop in and say hello!!

Sagrado

3.6(49 reviews)

13.3 mi

The food is amazing - and service even better - Our waitress was very attentive and managed our…read moreexpectations from the start that it might take a little bit for our food ! But it wasn't a bad wait at all ! This is not Taco Bell after all ! The food was hot and delicious and the drinks are great as well I had the cucumber Paloma !

Food was excellent Service was great!…read moreAmbiance was very welcoming Definitely recommend

Interior and Bar Area

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Grilled Mexican Street Corn

La Familia Restaurant

4.6(36 reviews)

12.2 mi

Awesome breakfast burritos!! Quick service, friendly staff, very accessible. Highly recommendread more

Brace yourself, really small building also they take cash only but the food was good. I got a…read morechalupa plate with double rice. The cashier was pretty nice and patient with us since it was my first time.

Menu 2023

Burrito Supreme Plate

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Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

4 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Daniel G.

1

76

35

2 years ago

I recently ordered to go at Julio's, a homestyle family-owned Mexican restaurant, and I was thoroughly impressed. The service was incredibly quick, which is always a plus when you're hungry. The food was absolutely delicious, bursting with authentic flavors that made me feel right at home. I highly recommend Julio's to anyone looking for a genuine and tasty Mexican dining experience! read more

Aaron F.

14

7

1

4 years ago

Don't let the hole in the wall appearance fool you. This place is great. The Food is amazing, the people are nice and I always have a great experience. The green sauce is a must try you have to ask for it but its great. read more

Howard Y.

0

1

0

11 years ago

The food is fantastic some of the best around, but the service is awful. The lady who works their during the day is terrible if you go on a weekend or in the afternoon the service is fine. read more

Matthew J.

0

37

13

3 years ago

Everything was amazing!! Super small but don't let it fool you. Highly recommended.

Julio’s Mexican Restaurant - mexican - Updated August 2026

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Kasa Kosse

4.5

(13 reviews)

Great service Tender fajitas…read moreSpicy tomatillo salsa And Chiclets Will definitely be back to eat here again

Hamburgers are not the same every time dry tomatoes on the one yesterday was soggie the onion…read morerings were burnt wast ask if we wanted a reg order or lg order on those the tater tots was good again don't know if the order was kg or reg wast asked . We had water always do . Our meal came out to $30. If you're paying $8. For a burger make it bigger with more onion on it fresh veggies and mustard on both sides of the bun no one likes a dry burger or burnt onion rings .. that was our 2 nd time haveing this there not sure if we be back which is sad cause usually they ( were ). Good .

Tacos Jalisco

3.4

(8 reviews)

This place is quite possibly the worst Mexican restaurant I have ever been to, I went here with me…read moreand my coworkers. Ordered the chicken enchiladas and the chicken was raw. My rice had a long black hair from one of the lady's that served it, I'm bald for reference. Asked if I could get a new one or a refund I was immediately declined since they manager said I didn't bring it up till after my coworkers were done eating even thought I was willing to show her the untouched food in person.

the food is like SO AMAZING! 10/10 service was good too! they were so nice! music was really nice…read morefollowing culture so clean and the decor 100% matched the theme! i'm SO coming back! i recommend getting the flautas with sour cream lettuce and queso fresco! MWAH!

Ninfa's Mexican Restaurant

3.4

(639 reviews)

I love Ninfa's!…read more Service here is always friendly and upbeat. There's a decent size parking lot in front. I like the plants and Mexican decor. They have a taco salad that is absolutely delicious! Their margaritas are also on point. The Waco restaurant is a little more homey and not quite as luxe feeling as the Houston locations, but it can be solidly relied upon for good, filling Tex-Mex, so I love to stop by when I'm in town.

we miss the old Nifas. Sat night, place empty. Carnitas: a…read morelarge dry chunk of pork served in a scalding hot plate that burned skin. Don Quixote chili rellenos , waitstaff " I needed to pay an extra $3+ to have anything but cheese". It was embarrassing in front of our guests. and it was wrong, their menu still states ground beef and chicken are still an option with the cheese. Very expensive small plate of guacamole. Spicy salsa also very small portion and neither worth price charged. We end the night by the waitress announcing we need to pay a 3% +fee if we use a visa. I stated " that's new" she snapped I need to read the policy on the receipt. After decades, we will not return.

Wako Taco

4.5

(76 reviews)

We really wanted to like Wako Taco, but our experience was just okay. We ordered tacos that were…read moresupposed to come with pico, but they had Baja sauce instead. Unfortunately, the sauce made them super spicy, and we could barely eat them. Since we picked up our order, we didn't realize the mix-up until it was too late to fix it. On the bright side, the guacamole was the best part--super fresh and delicious! Overall, the flavors had potential, but the order mistake really took away from the experience.

Stopped by on our way home from the hill country. Delicious food, clean atmosphere and good service!read more

Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant

3.2

(18 reviews)

I didn't expect much. It's in Mexia. They have fantastic Jim's Krispy Chicken. Couldn't possibly…read morehave another top notch spot. Wrong! Met family there and we posted up for hours. My cousin orders the shrimp ranchero religiously. Swears by it. It looked really good too. I had the shrimp stuffed avocado. It was really nice. I was only a bit put off by the avocado being warm - didn't expect that - but the shrimp flavor was so good I got over it quick! The beans - soooo good! Thick, creamy, cheesy, perfect! It was so good Inforgot to take a picture of it.! Chicken tortilla soup is fully loaded, no short cuts! The nacho chips aren't my fave. Too cornmeal ish and thick. Not like fresh cooked ones. They could step their game up in this area. But with the bean dip being so good, the chips fade to background. They have a full bar and a big selection of margaritas. I have to say my cucumber margarita was ok. Not as tangy as I hoped it would be. But maybe the premier would hit the spot. The staff were very friendly. (Must admit, with all the anti-Cali immigrant hateration going around, I was very surprised to find it harder to communicate with the wait staff here than I ever have had in Cali, but I digress.) There are highly competent English speaking staff available to assist when needed. I had a great meal here, wonderful staff, tasty food, and all at really reasonable prices. So now I have another place to eat at when I'm visiting Mexia.

Service was languid. Felt we were annoying the waitress by asking for check. " it's up front" …read more... Food was ok. Part of my objection is Tex Mex style and it's regional - queso sauce is on everything, but the waxy orange cheese in enchiladas & chili rellano is just wrong. No ambiance. Cracked front window not safe. Bathrooms poor condition. No paper towels.

El Mexicano Bar and Grill

3.7

(16 reviews)

Amazing. We were going to chuys for dinner but they were…read morepacked to the brim so we came across 6 to go to Don Carlos but we were behind a convoy that had left chuys as well. We decided to try this place out instead. Man I'm glad we did. Hidden gem! Will be returning. Soon!

We went here because of the reviews and proximity to our hotel being across the street from…read moreTownPlace Marriott. This place is amazing! Our server Christopher was awesome, he was very courteous and recommend great dishes. He checked on us multiple times and was very friendly. With the complimentary chips you get 3 sauces: salsa, warm salsa, and queso! All very good. We ordered the special and super molcajete fajitas (beef, chicken, shrimp fajitas with grilled onions, cactus, and peppers. Both dishes were FANTASTIC, both juicy and savory. The margaritas were very good as well. GO HERE!!!

Huaco Eatery

4.6

(142 reviews)

This place was amazing! Chef Sebastian's food was so good we have been craving it since leaving…read more Would definitely recommend.

Some of the best Mexican food we've ever had! We will definitely be back…read more We enjoyed the trio, shrimp taco, and empanadas. Everything was so fresh and clearly made with love.

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