This was my first visit here and let me tell you this place was amazing. First, Ray our waiter was AWESOME he was so attentive and friendly. He took the time to familiarize me with the menu. I ordered Juanita's Platter such a great choice. Just the right amount of food for sharing. I highly recommend this establishment and ask for Ray. Happy Eating read more

I love this places so much I always bring my family to eat the service is great the host Chris is amazing and always will come back

Great service and great chips. There are lots of interesting drinks but be careful if you don't like sweet drinks. Ask for no mixes and fresh lime juice instead of the mixers. If you like sweet drinks just order away off the menu. Food is solid but not great. read more

Stopped in for appetizers at the bar. Tamales were okay. One thing we were unhappy about was their Margarita. For $9.99 I'd expect more than a short thick walled glass that started out an inch low and had two large pieces of lime in it. I'm guessing we got maybe a 5 oz. pour. Not worth it. read more

This was our first time trying Uncle Julio's and it was fantastic. The place was nice and clean, the wait staff was polite and helpful. The food was terrific, full of flavor but not over the top. I would definitely go here again. read more

Ordered on Christmas Eve, arrived here and they could not find our order. Waitstaff and Manager were were very sincere and genuine, helped find the misplaced Grubhub order and prepared it quickly. Great experience. A couple came in while we were waiting and completely ignored the COVID rules the hostess was trying to explain in terms of the bar being full. The couple ignored her and walked right to the bar. If you don't want to follow the guidelines in place for eating out, however over-the-top they might feel, then don't go out to eat. Working at a restaurant is hard enough right now! read more

Choosing the rating for Uncle Julio's was an interesting exercise. Average the elements of the experience? Drive to the least common denominator? In the end the unfortunate elements drove my decision. My wife and her sister took our nieces there shortly after opening and they were pleased. As long as the girls get fries and/or cheese smothered chips they are happy and if the girls are happy the women will put up with nearly anything. I am more fussy. There was a very brief wait to be greeted and seated. Quite clearly a young woman had walked in before me interested in a summer job and the hostess and gone off to find a manager. No issue with that at all. The server, also the on-duty bartender, was prompt to greet me only narrowly beaten out by the food runner bringing chips and salsa. I laud Uncle Julio's for their decision to use food runners so customer food is not held up when a server is delayed by a table with new orders that become *ahem* interminable. My drink came right out and my El Dorado soft pulled chicken tacos were right behind. The bartender/server was attentive and checked on me twice despite customers at the bar - well done (in case the business reads this, young man, neat goatee, between 12 and 12.30 on 2 July '19). That's where things went downhill. The promised side of fruit was a very small bowl with a handful of grapes and pineapple, which seemed an odd choice. The grapes were elderly. The pineapple was okay but of quite varying sizes and required some messing about with to make bite sized. I don't really care if it came out of a can or not but some attention to detail at this price point would be nice. This same issue extended to the pulled chicken. In honesty I'm not completely sure what the culinary difference is between pulled and shredded but I am sure that the pieces should be approximately the same size. Not even close. One piece half-filled a taco. Most were thimble size. Some appeared to have been scraped into the taco with a bench scraper. The lettuce and tomato fell off the back of a truck and may well have sat in the sun for a while. All in all very meh. The tacos were delivered in a metal contraption that I'm sure someone thought was cute and/or helpful. It is neither. It might work for hard tacos. The specific reason I order soft tacos is because I eat my food with a knife and fork, especially with clients when I'm taking notes. Quite simply too hard to work around the metal holder. I'm not sure what Uncle Julio's business plan contains. Clearly they did not include adequate thought for weekday business lunches. Aside from the aforementioned metal doodad there is no customer WiFi. This is not a technology problem as they use WiFi for POS and for a rather nifty electronic payment device. The cell signal, at least from AT&T, inside the building wasn't adequate for any app to connect to look up solutions for customers; I carry around a lot in my head but not prices and availability. Connectivity wasn't even good enough to check into Yelp! The latter is a different issue of course as the Yelp app is a mess. Lots of cell signal in the parking lot interestingly enough. The electronic payment device was really very good. It is delivered to you in a folder just like a paper bill. The server will walk you through payment. Your credit card never leaves your hand. You have a choice of an email receipt, a paper one, or both. The first of this sort I've seen in the US and much like those I've seen in Europe for twenty years. Well done. The bathrooms are clean. So in the end: service 4.5, infrastructure (including WiFi/cell) 2.5, food 1.5. BOH for the loss. Overall a 2. Better choices in Annapolis for Mexican, and better choices on that side of town for business lunches. read more

VERY DISSAPOINTING.......just another lousy chain! Went for lunch today based off all the reviews of their Rockville location. While being walked to the table and then again at the table; their staff emphases how EVERYTHING is made fresh and from SCRATCH! (Not the case) We ordered the Ceviche app and two enchiladas combos. The ceviche was maybe a spoon full of what they consider their version of ceviche and did not taste "fresh" at all! I'll pay good money for ceviche, but a table spoon full served with 6 stale round tortilla chips for $13 is a joke!! When our combos finally arrived I thought to myself no one can mess up cheese enchiladas......and I was wrong. I had two simple cheese enchiladas and my wife had one cheese & one beef. Her beef enchilada was edible, but only ok at best. Her cheese enchiladas and the two I was served were inedible. I literally had to saw through them in an attempt to take a bite. I don't send back food, but in this case I had no choice and could not wait for anything else to be cooked as I was on my lunch break. It was obvious that these are not made from scratch, nor fresh, and absolutely heated up in a microwave! The "Manager" came to the table and was very indifferent about the entire thing. I don't expect this place to last long once all of their opening hype subsides. We will never return to this establishment and for what they charge; it should be the best Mexican food in all of Annapolis. Unfortunately they can't even hold a candle to the food truck on the corner across from them at the local Exxon! THIS PLACE IS A RIPOFF!!! SAVE YOUR MONEY and take it to one of the local restaurants close by. They are 1000 times better. read more

Been going to Uncle Julio's/ Rio Grande for nearly twenty years (Gaithersburg location). Every time.... EVERYTIME... I have been to Uncle Julio's, no matter the location ... never been disappointed, the portions are huge, drinks are great, food is phenomenal.... great for families, date nite and business meetings over lunch. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Annapolis, Maryland

So let me start by saying the two stars is merely representative of my previous visits to Uncle Julio's where my experience was pleasant. In each of these previous visits, I only came with my husband. So I'm assuming that a party of 2 is easier to accommodate in this establishment, because tonight I experienced a dinner party from HELL. HANDS DOWN THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE EVER! Let me explain. We went to Uncle Julio's for my dad's birthday dinner. We had a 7:00pm reservation for 6 people on a Monday. Upon check-in, we were told that our table would be ready in 5-10min. Unfortunately, we weren't shown to our table until 7:30. We had to take the liberty to wipe down our on table, as it was dirty, and then proceed to wait another 10 minutes for our waiter to show up. When our waiter finally came to our table we ordered drinks and table side guacamole immediately. Shortly afterwards, our drinks were brought and we placed our dinner orders. Following and after waiting 30 minutes for our guacamole, we were able to catch our waiter and ask her if she forgot our order. She blamed the slowness on new hires. So we insisted that she just bring our food if possible and she replied with "Oh did you want me to put your order in?" As if we did not place our orders, 30 minutes ago. At this point, if it weren't my dad's birthday, I would've walked out. So we wait and wait. After over an hour of watching our neighboring tables not only place their appetizer/guacamole orders, but receive them, our table side guacamole guy shows up. Using ONE AVOCADO, he then proceeds to make the worst and most bland guacamole I've ever had here. Now, it's about 8:45 and we begin to watch tables who came in after us leave or receive desserts. Even a table of 15 people who were seated after us received their meals. We complained to the manager several times, he mentioned that our food was coming and they will provide some compensation. However, at this point, I felt completely disrespected. It's my dad's birthday. I am 7 whole months pregnant. Yet for no reason at all, in over 2 hours the only food they could bother to put on our table was some subpar guacamole!!!! Anyway, our food came at 9:30pm. We had most of it boxed up to take home. My dad wanted to do the piñata style dessert, but we were sure if we ordered it, we probably would've had to wait another hour. So it was a hard pass. It really sucks that I had this experience especially because I had very pleasant encounters in prior visits. However, this ruined it for me. I'll never come back. read more

Great atmosphere and good eats with service that is good in these tough times. Are many and well within what you would consider.

Best Tex-Mex restaurant in Annapolis! I've been here now a handful of times and had a great experience every time. My favorite items are between the shrimp tacos and the Guadalajara fajitas. All of their margaritas are delicious and of course you receive complimentary chips and salsa as soon as you are seated. Also have always had a pleasant server that was always attentive to anything we needed. I haven't tried one myself yet but I know they are famous for their "piñata" desserts that you literally get to smash open with yummy treats inside. read more

Uncle Julio's has a different name through Uber eats, however it's the same location(Savage Burrito) sounds suspicious to me. Only received partial of my order. Paid $2.50 for a canned soda. Also paid $5.00 on the side for extra meat and only came with a couple pieces in the whole burrito. Paid for xtra for cheese as well which it didn't have cheese in it. And it was made late as I was keeping track of the Uber driver. She was apologizing furiously for the restaurants mistake. Uber eats also gave me credit before the food was picked up because the restaurant couldn't make their timelines. I called the restaurant and they didn't seem to care. Not ordering here again. read more

My son and I went to this location on September 10, 2021. We were seated outside (which was fine). A couple was seated right after us also outside. We were chatting and looking over the menu for about 10-15 minutes. A waiter came out and greeted the couple that was seated after us. The waiter took their order and stopped to check in on some other guest. My son and I continued to wait for 10-15 mins with no one coming to take our order. We decided to leave. I have visited other locations of Uncle Julio's and never experienced this before. As much as I enjoy the food and drinks, I definitely will not be back. read more

It is quite crowded, if you want to come here make sure you have a reservation! Other than that the food is awesome, service is great, and the ambiance is really nice. Good for a date night. Its also a bit loud but totally worth it. read more

Uncle Julio's is the best and most FRESH Mexican food on the planet! Chelsea and her team provide an excellent experience. From the top notch service, to the fresh salsa made daily, to the Steak Bowl which is to die for. Want an amazing drink? Order the spicy margherita!! You won't be disappointed! read more

We walked in on our way to BWI around 945 pm. Sat down at the bar...our first time there. A lil packed but not crazy...took one of 3 bartenders over 15 min to even acknowledge us due to them scrubbing and cleaning the bar. Still no one to take our order...so we walked out! Horrible service read more

Birthday celebration dinner with family and friends- first timers. The restaurant is huge and has a nice atmosphere, our server was beyond great and he was very friendly. The food and drinks were honestly just average. I felt we over paid for the name and could have easily went down the street to our local Mexico restaurant. The $30 chocolate piñata was a fun treat for the birthday girl... I'm at least glad the company was amazing. read more

6-14-19..This was my first Meal of the day as well as my first time dining at ANY Uncle Julio's Restaurant so I was filled with soo much Excitement!!!!...Yet was met with an Entire Disappointing experience. My server forgot about us and went to the table that just sat down to dine in, He waited on them, After 15 minutes of waiting My Guest had to flag down the server for our water and to take our Beverage along with Food orders.  My Guest and I ordered the Lunch of Steak & Chicken Fajitas and Handcrafted Strawberry Guava Lemonades. Our Skillets Arrived but they weren't sizzling Hot as like I heard the sizzle and seen steam come up off the other tables. , it wasn't even hot simply luke warm!!! I just ate the Guac, Pico de gallo,beans with cheese ,sour cream with a torn piece of tortilla . From what I had it was soo Authentic and bomb especially the Guac!!!..I figure I'd make my food sizzle hot whenever I go home,  I kept having to ask the other more upbeat and welcoming server Scott to get me small things like refills, another this or that. It was really heartbreaking to me being a Foodie and finally crossing something off of my list that I've tried. I Told the Manager about how everything including my experience and all he said was We'll try to do better next time. The Only Highlight was The other tables conversation with mine and a server named Scott He was much more welcoming, pleasant, conversation, funny we even high fived on the Handcrafted strawberry guava Lemonade Goodness. It really does pay to give Better than the normal- take your order, here you go, here's your receipt type of service even if you're not that much of a people person. I didn't even know how to pay for my meal with my card It wasn't explained to Me just a you put the card here and walked away. But listening to Scott tell the other table have you ever used these kinds of payment method things before,  if not let me show you so for your future visit you'll already be set up. I was BIG JEALOUS. Anyways I'll Try Another location or if I do come back I'll definitely ask for SCOTT which is why I'm even giving the rating 2 Stars. read more

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Overpriced and overrated. I was sitting at bar. Waitress was snooty and arrogant. Had to wait over 20 minutes to get napkins and a beer. Guacamole comes mixed with iceberg lettuce so can't recommend. I asked for corn tortillas twice and they brought me flour. read more

Amazing simply amazing! The food is wonderful! Drinks are amazing and the chips and salsa are fresh and Devine! A must for those who want good food and a beautiful atmosphere! I work at Regis in the Annapolis mall and I'm Always sending ppl there since it's a must for those who are craving Mexican food read more

Went in for lunch and had the best service ever. Lexie was awesome, food was hot and delicious. The drinks were mixed very well and I will definitely go again. Thanks for making my visit memorable. read more

Food was great. If your a foodie check it out. Definitely from scratch and really good. Reserve online and expect to pay high end for Mexican food. Tex Mex for sure. 4 stars due to Tex Mex and high prices, but if you are looking for amazing food and do not mind spending a bit, check it out. Get the Guacamole! read more

I am so sad to say I have to give this SPECIFIC location 1 star. I absolutely love the Uncle Julio's in Bethesda, but the service at the Annapolis location is so disappointing. We waited almost 2 hours for our food and another hour for desert. When we walked out, the floor was trashed and tables were dirty. I would have rather used my hour to drive to the Bethesda location for better service and cleanliness. read more

Spacious, and rustic ambience. The server that took care of us was very polite, and sweet. They will give you a generous amount of chips and salsa prior to waiting for your order. You definitely need to take advantage of the outdoor dining before getting really cold. read more

Had a very good lunch! Frozen Swirl + veggie fajitas = ! Service was prompt and friendly. Would go again for sure.

So the queso is great and so are the drinks..... however the service is horrible... as a person in the service industry this is not the place to go!!! The bartenders are already spoiled and believe serving you is a blessing unless you are a former bunch of cute blond servers!!!! They were the only ones helped tonight.... Eddie forgot my group existed. So sad I will never come here again. It's just not worth it. We spoke to a guest next to us that sat here 15 minutes and never got served... we sent him to a better place. One that cares for their guests!!! Sad this place is busy cause people like trendy Mexican food but service is shit!!! read more

Didn't actually eat here but I have to say this: DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. I noticed a similar review from another person this is how they treat customers. We went at 3:30 PM on Saturday. The restaurant was busy so we expected to wait. There were 4 adults and a 2 year old in a high chair. I asked for the wait time and was then asked if I had a reservation. I said no. The young woman told me that I had to have a reservation and her next available is 9:15 (please look at the 2/2/2019 review where the exact same thing happened and also the review on 1/12/2019 where the exact same thing happened). Clearly this place wants parties of 2-4 and no more..... I then asked if all the people standing around (about 30 people) had reservations. She said not, but for parties over 4, you have to have a reservation. I stated that it was 4 adults and a baby, and she said that if we wanted to come back at 9:15pm , she would seat us Bottom line: the place is busy today, but businesses fail every day because of bad customer service. I predict a bad ending for this place. The word will get out that they are not customer service oriented. In addition, the hostess was curt and rude. Not only were we treated poorly but their policy is idiotic.....will not seat parties larger than 4 with out a reservation? never seen this in my 65 years. Never going back again. Spread the word. you can do better elsewhere. read more

Just had a wonderful meal. Loved the table side guacamole. I had the tamales, friends had Chipotle Salmon, and Tuna Tacos. Ice Cream and Churros for dessert. Great drinks! Will ALWAYS ask to sit in ABBY'S section. FABULOUS Server with a great welcoming personality! Nice time we are going to do the Chocolate Pinata. read more

Met up with gf last night, arrived at 4:30--sat at 4 top in bar. Not too many folks yet. Waitstaff friendly enough...when we saw them! I was surprised that neither of them offered Happy Hour. Doesn't UJ do HH??? Here are my nits: the wine (only drink order) took forever to arrive. When it did, it was served in a dirty glass. Couldn't find waiter for the longest time to tell him, and after he finally took my glass, it never came back! I had to ask the bartender if she knew anything about a perseco! Perseco in new glass finally arrived and we put in our order. Gf ordered tortilla soup, some sorta GINORMOUS salad w a side of ground beef, and I got steak fajitas. Very very quickly, our order came out--all at the same time! Isn't soup usually served as a first course? Anyway, fajitas were not sizzling and tasted off, gamey, but I ate them w/o complaint--mainly bc our waiter disappeared. After way too long, I finally had to bother the bartender AGAIN and she brought my second perseco herself! We still hadn't seen our waiter. He finally came and asked if there was a problem. We explained what happened, but after that, he disappeared again! This continued the rest of the night, but he was helpful enough when he appeared. Even reminded me about my take out order that I had mentioned earlier. All and all btw the horrible service and questionable food, I rather doubt I'll ever eat there again. So guest what?! I just ate for lunch the rest of the ground beef we brought home: I have severe stomach cramps, nausea and chills! I hope I don't have food poisoning!! This was my third and final dining experience at UJ's. read more

This was my second and probably my last visit. My first experience was wonderful, I wanted my husband to see. There was a 15 minute wait which wasn't a problem. We waited outside on the shady patio. After about 30 minutes our buzzer went off. We were lead to the other outdoor seating area to a table in the direct sun. It was over 90 degrees. We asked the hostess if we could get an umbrella. She asked a busboy for help to move the umbrella that was shading the table next to us! Seeing the other customers give us dirty looks, we told her we wouldn't take their shade and leave. As we walked out, my husband spoke to the ladies at the front desk. They just smiled and nodded at him. I was so disappointed! My first experience was wonderful. Our server, Eric was so professional. I told my husband how wonderful the service and food was. He was disappointed as well. Uncle Julio's is not the only Tex-Mex restaurant in Annapolis. You would do well to brush up on how you handle and deal with your customers. read more

*****5 STARS! Here's what we found, -The food was fresh, we knew it would be when we saw staff juicing crate after crate of fresh limes. -We hadn't made a reservation so we were happy there was only going to be a 30 min wait. The host told us that the extensive bar area is free seating - we had a look and immediately got 2 great seats. -free chips and salsa always goes down a treat. -we like the method of payment...our credit card does not leave our possession ...means it's fast and it eliminates any wait time of staff going back and forth, back and forth with checks and pens. -I had fajita quesadillas with chicken. Delicious and enough to bring some home. Can't remember what my daughter had. -plenty of free parking. -a new building so the decor is fresh, clean and up to date. -we will go back and we will recommend to friends. read more

Margaritas are very good & the food is OK in my opinion, nothing special. Service was not great on my visit in one of the first couple weeks it was open, but I expect that to improve in time and that the typical high volume from opening begins to die down. read more

Solid 4 stars. This is the second time my family has been to Uncle Julio's and it is fantastic. It is a chain restaurant, but the food, service and drinks (margarita anyone??) makes it feel and taste like an authentic mom and pop establishment with amazing Mexican food. My husband ordered the chicken fajitas (hot fresh and very tender and tasty) and I had the seared tuna tacos which was seared to perfection. A bonus is the place caters quite well to toddlers as we have an energetic 3 year old. They have a kids menu which features items like kids tacos, quesadillas and even chicken tenders. Great place and will definitely go back! read more

Went today for a work lunch meeting. Immediately after eating my boss felt sick and I then had to leave early from work because I started feeling ill a few hours later. The food is overpriced and mediocre. After we both got sick eating the same food I can't help but feel that it was the food. You are paying for the Uncle Julio's name and decor. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

This place is a giant freight train full of fail. I always know how a Mexican meal is going to go from the chips and salsa. If that is bad, things never get better. The salsa had a weird smoke taste to it and was bitter. Chips were bland and flavorless. The cheese enchiladas were some half melted yellow cheese that resembled American cheese wrapped in a tough tortilla and overly dressed with a bunch of onions covered in a flavorless sauce. The tamale was only a little better. Mostly starch and little filling. Hell, the frozen tamales at Trader Joe's are far better. You are better off to do a Trader Joe's run, Doctor up a can of refrieds and stay home. The only positive was that although the beans weren't true refried beans, the thimble full we were served with our meal had good flavor. Annapolis is desperate for some good Mexican food. Anyone that thinks Uncle Julio's remotely resembles quality Mexican food has never been to California, Arizona, or New Mexico. Uncle Julio's would be out of business and the place turned into a bowling alley if it were located anywhere people have the slightest idea of what Mexican food is supposed to be. The final indignity is that the customer is given some tablet to swipe their card and check out with. I'm paying to be served, I'm not an employee. It's the server's job to take my card and process the payment. read more

Amazing this place is a chain, it sure looks like one from the outside. The place has an amazing staff which sets the tone for the rest of your visit. The craft cocktails are delicious and actually, have booze in them. Lots of different tequilas to try. We had a large group so was able to try a bunch of different things. The Ceviche was great, Cowboy Queso was delish and Quesadillas were off the hook. Beware, the place is always jammed, try coming in the late afternoon during the week and take advantage of Happy Hour prices. Enjoy I did. read more

There was a 25 min wait when we came here on a Saturday afternoon around 4pm. That was ok, but when I went to the restroom and noticed how many empty tables there were I was a little concerned, because that means they don't have enough staff. We were finally seated and our waitress came over promptly and took our order. They have made at the table side fresh guacamole for $12.00. I got the honey chipotle chicken fajitas, and my husband got the chicken fajita Cobb salad. The fajitas were good and very flavorful, the salad was big but pretty dry. They have something called a chocolate piñata, that's $30.00 but we didn't get it, but a lot of people did. It was too big for just two people. This is just your run of the mill Tex Mex restaurant, nothing super exciting about it. Also the floor is super slippery, and the women's bathroom was out of toilet paper in one stall! Check it out for yourself, if you like On The Border you're sure to like this place. read more

Today was my 1st time coming here and the food was amazing! Chris the server was AMAZING!!! He's customer service skill was on point, after he took our order food came out right away and he made sure that we wAs good. I will be back.... great experience for the 1st time read more

Server was knowledgeable! Nothing better to say!! Cold food, guacamole stuck to lettuce and appetizer, drinks and food arrived at same time! Cheese wasn't melted at all solid cheese in enchiladas . Mgr slowed approached table with odd greeting for a complaint..."How's It Going" then silence. Ruined a good night. read more