I drove past this place for years, on my way to other restaurants and destinations. If my sister-in-law hadn't recommended it, I'd still be driving past. So last month we decided to give it a try, after all this time. I have to say, it was a good recommend.
The first thing we noticed is that this is a popular place! My wife and I are lunch time eaters; neither one of us likes the whole hustle and bustle of dining out for dinner so we opt for lunch. We decided to hit this place at our usual time of 2pm on a Saturday- there was a line growing out the door! I thought for sure we'd avoided the lunchtime rush but obviously I was wrong. Still we lucked out; everyone else was waiting on a table so we'd put ourselves on the list when a few seats at the bar opened up and we opted to sit at the bar- this works out great because its pretty much our favorite seating arrangement for most places. In this case, it's right next to the kitchen so wait times are minimal on food and drink. That's a win, twice over. Anyway we were greeted by the bartender, who was restocking his station but got us some fresh chips and salsa. They were hot, crispy and the salsa had a smoky flavor to it and wasn't all thick and red like what you'd get out of a jar. Quite good, as far as chips and salsa go. My go-to meal for Tex-Mex spots is the basic ground beef tacos with rice and beans; my wife's is chicken fajitas. We ordered a couple Modelos and I had a chilled Lunazul Blanco neat, because when in Rome...
The food came out shortly after we got our drinks, on multiple dishes, very hot and smelling really good. For my meal, you could say if you've had one taco you've had them all but that's not really the deal. Some are better than others and this is one of those places. The shells were warm and crispy, the beef filling was tasty and they didn't skimp on the amount, lettuce and tomatoes were cool and crisp, they pair well with the smoky salsa. The rice was good, had a nice color and consistency with a hint of tomato, plus you get a good amount of it. Here comes the best part for me, and it totally surprised me. A little background; I've always loved Tex-Mex; I look for a spot wherever I go should the craving hit (which it usually does). But there are levels; my first really great experience was at a little place called La Carreta, down in central VA back in the mid-90s. I had no idea til then what it was supposed to be like as all my previous experiences centered around Taco Bell and similar fast taco establishments. But I digress...the best part of this meal was the BEANS. I know, crazy, right? But let me explain- most places will give you refried beans, which I've always found a bit off-putting; I won't get into what they remind me of, suffice it to say that I never once tasted them until last year when we were at Queretaro and my wife pushed me to try them. I was shocked, they tasted good! The consistency was similar to mashed potatoes but the flavor wasn't like BBQ-style beans (which I despise and will never eat), it had a hint of garlic and cilantro despite looking like mess on a plate! Anyway, the beans at UJ's are whole, in a sauce- like what you'd get with BBQ style but DAMN they are worlds better than any I've ever had! It probably strikes you as funny that I'd be so enthusiastic about the beans but as a person who didn't/wouldn't/couldn't eat beans of ANY kind his entire life, this is a big, big deal! HUGE, for me anyway. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her fajitas; plenty of chicken, fresh tortillas- I didn't taste them but I did eat her beans! Yeah, they're really that good. She couldn't finish her meal so we ended up with take home containers. Which I demolished later that evening, it was a nice snack!
All in all, we had a great experience, so we've gone back three more times since then; once with my sister-in-law who first recommended the place- she remarked that it is as good as the other ones she's been to. We also learned it is better to get there before noon on the weekends; it opens at 11:15am and it is pretty accessible til around 12:30pm when we noted that the place started filling fast! I suppose I should also mention it is the most expensive Tex-Mex restaurant we've ever been to but it has been my experience that good food on the cheap is the rarity, not the norm and I'm not averse to paying a higher price if I know what I'm getting is going to be worth it. The service is great at the bar; zero wait for drinks and short wait for food adds up to winning for us. And them beans y'all!!! read more