Here to give this place a second chance and the food was much better this time. I did go during lunch (vs late night) this time so the food came out hot, fresh, and delicious. We got the chicken and steak fajitas for two which came with 2 sets of tortillas, beans/rice, and toppings along with plenty of chicken and steak strips enough for I'd say 3 people. The only thing I was a little disappointed ago it was the lack of bell peppers! I thought fajitas would come with more of this traditional ingredient and the onions were a bit oily. The meat was delicious, however were a little too salty for my taste. But the quality and taste was good. Overall, would come back again. I had a positive experience with the food, and received excellent customer service that was able to take care of my needs. read more

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

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This newer location is B-U-S-Y!! The restaurant is expansive but I definitely recommend reservations on peak nights. Luckily we had one and arrived early to hang at the bar first. The bartenders had their work cut out for them too on this Friday night but once you got their attention it worked out pretty good. We had a kiwi margarita (flavor of the day) and the grapefruit one. Grapefruit was excellent while the kiwi tasted like a regular margarita. Chips and salsa can be had upon request. The only downfall of the bar scene were the menus we were given were wet and sticky. Definitely could've used a wipe down first along with the bar counter area where we found a seat. This had me pulling out my hand sanitizer for sure. On to dinner: we started with the tableside guacamole and it was excellent!! A must have and full of flavor. For dinner we ordered the Jalisco and Guadalajara fajita combos. The meat (shrimp, chicken and beef) was tender, juicy and flavorful. Very good all the way around. Oh yea and the additional cocktails...the swirl (frozen margarita and sangria) with grand marnier in an inverted lime was a winner too. read more

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My husband and I did date night here before an escape room for the first time. Uncle Julios was a huge success. So delicious. The staff was very attentive and quick. We told them about our timeline before the escape room and they respected that Escape rooms were a major fail. We did not escape. We will not talk about that. read more

Solid lunch/dinner option, my favorite Tex-Mex spot to be honest. Love the beef/steak here. The mexican butter for the fajitas take them to another level and they dont skimp on the meat. Recently added quesabirria (beef quesadilla with the birria consommé), i could repeat that one too. Lately ive been digging their El Jefe margarita (nicely spicy with the ancho reyes tequila), while my bf is partial to their Grand Swirl marg. Busy location on evenings and weekends but service is efficient. read more

The food is delicious. If I had to give stars just for the food I would give the maximum of five stars. But; The dining experience is more than just the food it's also includes the service and atmosphere . The food was delicious, well seasoned, flavorful, tasty and very tender. The steak used for the carné asada is said to have been aged for twenty one days. This gave it a wonderful flavor that was a great change from the ordinary. They start you out with hand made tortilla chips and salsa. I had the Guadalajara fajitas that included a combination of chicken, steak and bacon wrapped shrimp each cooked to perfection. My waiter was great, he was attentive and was helpful with offering us a suggestion on what he thought we would like. My problem was with the atmosphere. It was just too loud for my taste. I like to hear myself think and I would like to be able to have a conversation along with my meal, I found myself yelling instead of talking. The lighting is very low and almost nonexistent. The seating is very tight, they have used every inch of space for tables for the large crowds. Maybe it's the newness but the wait is usually long. I thought if got there before 5pm on a Saturday I would be ok but the wait for two was still long when you cannot call ahead for a table. I have a tip but I'll wait to share it the next time I'm there just to be sure it is truly a tip and not a fluke. I'll come back, I'll try a week day and hope to avoid the crowds. read more

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I should have not listened to all of the hype about this establishment because it may have raised my expectations. So here's my thoughts: 1. Service: good greetings by the team of hostess upon entering. 2. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were very helpful and gave great service. Not the best of great but great. Meaning there could have been more friendly conversations..."I'M AT THE BAR"! 3. The food was absolutely nothing to write home about. For the record it was not bad food, it was good but nothing like I haven't tasted before. The food is on par with any average Tex-Mex chain out there. 4. Drinks: back to the bar. Well made drinks. 5. The happy hour "specials" aren't that special. There is no happy hour food menu. And the drinks are "mildly" discounted from there already expensive price. BUT I repeat the drinks are good. 5. Ambiance: Good looking place, well done with decorations. There's a good feel to this place. Overall I wouldn't rush back but I wouldn't say don't go. You should try it, it's worth dropping by for a drink and a bite. read more

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

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We visited on Friday lunch time. It was our first visit and we instantly loved the atmosphere there. We ordered filled minion fajita and skirt steak entree, they were both super huge so we couldn't finish them.... they both tasted amazing though! We also loved the salsa that came with chips. People are friendly too! Highly recommend :) read more

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

I went with my family of 4 for my birthday. It had been a year or so since our last visit. We were very much looking forward to it. One of the dishes we ordered was fajitas for 2. The dish was served on a tray that so big for the 4-top table that nobody had enough room. The chicken was bland, the steak was ok. As for veggies, we got maybe 2 tiny slices of red peppers and a small handful of onions. We received a total of 4 tortillas. The two of us never received plates to eat on!! For all of our meals, the rice was undercooked and the beans were gross. Nobody enjoyed their meals. I ordered a margarita with salt which was served with the salt on the side of the lowball glass where you put your hand to hold the glass. Gross. The only time we saw the server after we received our food is when she brought the check. She never asked us if we liked our food. The answer would have been no. We were looking forward to ordering the chocolate piñata but after that experience we didn't even bother. Disappointing. Probably won't go back. It did not make for a happy birthday. read more

This was my first visit to Uncle Julio's Tex Mex Cafe. Came at lunch time and chose to sit on the patio because the inside speaker music was loud and tinny. Although the patio was lightly occupied, I was seated in front of a serving station. The view wasn't appetizing, and shouldn't stainless steel by shiny instead of covered in smudges? The floor appeared not to have been swept or mopped in a long time. I ordered fish tacos, which were bland, not sauced, and not even served with a lime to brighten. Service was correct and friendly. But all in all, if I had known this in advance, I never would have dined here. Now I know. read more

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

The food was delicious and looked beautiful. The drinks however were just not worth the price, I feel like they're light pours. Service was also kinda bad and I was sitting at the bar. There was 3 people at the bar and yet I only got checked on when the food was dropped then again when he asked if I wanted a check. That was sad read more

While having a drink and waiting order. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Here comes a roach trying to crawl under our table.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] My appetite is gone . E told one of the servers, he stepped on it, picked it up with a napkin and kept waiting on table. Last visit to this palace. read more

Food and service is not what it used to be. The piñatas are half empty they took away a lot of the fruit that used to be inside too. Our last visit they have tablets to take your payment and the waiter automatically hit 20% gratuity, he's an idiot because I would have given much more. read more

Definitely best Tex mex locally. Carne asada is perfectly seasoned. I usually prefer filet but the seasoning on the carne trumps it. I also really enjoy the chicken taco filling. I like to do the family meals to go or delivered and the salsa is excellent. I mark down one star because the beans aren't my preference and the meat could be trimmed ever so slightly better in my opinion. Also the guacamole is very good but not excellent. read more

Uncle Julio's need to get it together! My boyfriend (who is vegetarian) & I stopped in for dinner. We both ordered enchiladas...me cheese and beef, him cheese & onion. It gets to the table and both orders are incorrect, but I was fine with it. My boyfriend's enchiladas was covered in meat sauce when we told the waiter he was vegetarian. He apologized and said that he would remake the order right away to go. We get home & what do we find FREAKIN BEEF ENCHILADAS!!! So basically my boyfriend paid $61 and didn't get to eat! read more

Uncle Julio's - Beef enchiladas...given to a vegetarian - Mexican Near Me - Annapolis, Maryland

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Labor Day Monday so it was kind of slow but the service was fantastic. I kid you not when I say when we placed our orders and put our menu down the food was there in less than 5 minutes sizzling off the grill. My daughter then wanted white rice instead of brown rice so when she put her order in they came out in less than a minute with it. The food was delicious too. Pleasant bar tender too. read more

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We've been eating here about twice a month or so since January, and we are shocked that we can have such a consistently good experience from a chain restaurant. The serving staff is nearly always perfectly attentive, engaging, and super friendly with my kids. My son especially likes to see the staff baking the flour tortillas. First off, no matter what enter you get, their meat is perfectly seasoned. Steak, beef, chicken, or even fish. I've gotten steak tacos or fajitas from here probably 10 times this year, and every single time it's cooked well, and full of flavor. My wife really enjoys the taco bowl, but the portion is HUGE, just be warned. They offer Mexican or cilantro lime rice, which is good but not spectacular. Their black beans however are especially delicious. The kids menu is awesome. The chicken tenders are predictably boring, but the quesadilla and kids tacos are perfect for kiddos. Drinks are good, especially specialty margaritas. read more

Food was great! Service was great as well especially due to us having a large party! We had reservations & we did not have to wait at all. Server took care of us, didnt wait too long on the food either. Everything was good no complaints!! read more

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

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It was my third time eating at uncle Julio. I'm not impressed is so over priced for the quality! read more

I came here on a Saturday night close to closing time. The restaurant was not busy, and we were seated immediately with no wait time. Shortly after being seated, our waiter came over and gave us chips and some sort of salsa. I have a severe tomato allergy, so I was unable to taste the salsa, but my friend said that the salsa was pretty good. The chips were okay, they tasted homemade, however, they lacked salt. For food, we both ordered the fajitas. The fajitas were GREAT! The fajitas came on a sizzling plate, so they were exceptionally hot when the came out. The tortillas were also very good -- tasted fluffy and homemade. We both ordered the "Swirl" which is Margarita and Sangria. The drink itself was fine. It had a pleasant taste to it and it was not overly strong. read more

Oh man! The food we had was Ah-mazing and it was coupled with some good service. Took my son here - his choice - for lunch the last day we were together and we ordered the mixed meat fajitas and tableside guacamole! Do yourself a favor and order the tableside Guac!! We couldnt finish our food! This is a 6'3 man and his fat mother - so you know there was a ton of food if I sent him home with leftovers! Lol! Delicious and worth every penny! I saw a birthday party while there and they had ordered the chocolate piñata. Guess where I'll be taking him for his next birthday?? :)) read more

Uncle Julio's - Tableside Guac! - Mexican Near Me - Annapolis, Maryland

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Service was horrible. It took 20 mins for a server to greet us then they gave us soaking wet plates and water in a mason glass but with no cups. It took us tracking down the server for the cups. The food was average. They didn't have any of the typical sauces of a Mexican restaurant which was a littler weird. They didn't even have salsa verde... the only thing that was worth the money were the drinks. They were really good. Overall it wasn't really worth the money or time. read more

This place looks nice from the start. Great location and design. Place is clean, stuff is friendly, menu options are good. Food served good, hot and fresh. Chicken Fajita and Fajita steak was flavored great with Mexican vibes. Seasoned good, cooked good. And we also grabbed spicy tuna taco, it was spicy, but on a level when you can enjoy other ingredients inside. Definitely place worth a visit. read more

This is my first Yelp review, and I just couldn't let this slide! If I could give ZERO stars, I would. Absolutely unacceptable!!!!! I ordered the veggie fajitas curbside to go. When I got the food, my 1-year-old started crying, so I took out the beans and fed her on the way home. It was around 8:30 pm, so it was pretty dark out. I couldn't see the beans had meat in them until I tasted them myself. I've been a vegan for 10 years now, so I'm very disgusted! I'm also PISSED because my baby has never had meat in her life until now!!!!! I get back to the Restaurant, and the manager apologizes and says, " I will take your drinks off your order" ..... just my drink! No ma'am! Then she says, "can I ask you what color your rice was?" That's when I knew the rice also had meat in it. While all of this was going on, my baby was in the car still eating the rice!!!! I'm just so sad that this happened. I WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN! If you order the veggie fajitas, please make sure you have black beans, not pinto and white rice, not reddish looking.. I feel sick to my stomach! read more

Great service by Brian this evening! He was an excellent waiter with a wonderful disposition. We celebrated my mom's birthday and he was the perfect waiter. We enjoyed the drinks and food. read more

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I really enjoyed celebrating my daughter birthday here on a lovely Saturday evening! It's located across from Annapolis Mall with plenty of parking. I have drove past this place millions of times but never stopped in. My friend recommended it to me. When we arrived we was informed outdoor seating was first come first serve so we found a table immediately. It was a very diverse and mature crowd of people dining around us. Our server came within 3 minutes and took our order. The customer service and servers did a great job! I loved the presentation of our food. The food was sooo fresh and yummy! I didn't like my Watermelon Margarita it was a tad bit too sour for me but I'm nooooo big Margarita drinker. We had a party of 3 and our bill was $162.00 which included drinks and desserts. I enjoyed my dining experience here and it's definitely a spot to return too! read more

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

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My family first had Rio Grande food, now called Uncle Julio's, in Virginia, over 25 years ago where it was outstanding and had a wide range of distinctive dishes. We frequented the restaurant often. This Uncle Julio's is a sad shadow of what it used to be. The food is utterly ordinary in every way. It was a wonderful restaurant, now it is like any other run of the mill Mexican Restaurant in a high end space that is attractive...but the great food of the past is gone. Sad and disappointing but I suppose they have changed in order to survive. read more

My first visit to Uncle Julio's and, most likely, my last. It wasn't terrible, but for the price, they need to step up their game. No problem with the service. We were seated immediately and our server was at our table within a few minutes. He brought water and complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa was good, but it was so runny it wouldn't stay on the chip. I wiped more salsa off of the table than I got in my mouth! We ordered a small guacamole, which is really small for $7.99. At least I now had something that would stay on the chip. It was pretty good. My wife ordered the Classic Taco Salad with pulled chicken. It was a large portion and she said it was very tasty. I ordered the Juanita's Platter. Based on the description, I was sure there was going to be food left to take home - and I was correct. The platter has a beef enchilada, a chicken enchilada, a beef taco and a pork tamale. A very small side of beans and some of the driest and tasteless rice I've ever had accompanied the meal. The enchiladas were OK - not great and filled with dry meat. Drinks were expensive. $11.99 for a margarita? Holy crap! I had to order a few beers because the food sucked the moisture right out of my mouth. The vibe is pretty cool, but our meals, small guac, 2 beers and 2 margaritas, with 20% tip, set me back $97. Ay caramba! read more

Uncle Julio's - Complimentary chips and salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Annapolis, Maryland

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BETHESDA is a 5 star - Annapolis is at best A 3. Not friendly service, place is always dirty and not nearly as good quality as BETHESDA or Rockville! Dear Uncle Julio's if you want to keep your reputation, you better do something soon about Annapolis location! Just having a big crowd every night is not going to cut it! I was born and raised in Bethesda and when your company came here I was so excited and now I'm not! I still will drive to BETHESDA vs eating at this location, it is not the same vibe. Please do something soon! read more

I wasn't expecting much from the "Mexican" restaurant in Maryland but the service and drinks provided a solid atmosphere that got the taste buds off to a good start. Homemade (from scratch) chips and salsa brought to the table. The El Jefe (margarita) was spicy and very delicious. The waitress recommended the chicken and steak fajitas which turned out to be a good call. read more

Uncle Julio's - El Jefe - spicy margarita (yes that's a jalapeño) - Mexican Near Me - Annapolis, Maryland

We have added Uncle Julio to list of restaurants we will not return to. The prices have escalated and the quality and portions have decreased. I typically get Fajitas and queso/chips. 1. Chips-We were told it was extra to get chips to go (When we also placed an order to go). 2. Queso has doubled in price for the exact same amount and it was actually runny. Typically Queso will harden if it cools. This was not the case. 3. Fajita-Typically the steak is marinated and flavorful and you can get 3-4 wraps. I had 6 strips of steak. The price was 28.00. It was more like a snack portion. 4. No refills on Coke. Did not ask. I do not know if it is even included anymore. 5.Chicken tacos were also soggy and overpriced. We gave Uncle Julio one last try. (The previous visit was less than memorable as well). I do not mind paying for quality but when prices increase and quality and quantity significantly decrease, I do not see you sustaining this business. Do better. Good luck. read more

Another visit 6 months after the last episode. We keep trying because the food and atmosphere are awesome. Tonight we has a huge potion of fresh Tex-Mex and a triple version of attitude. Service here needs huge work, will give it a year and try again. Disaster. Called two weeks out for a party of 10. Reconfirmed a day out. Arrived 10 minutes prior to reservation we checked in with the manager. At time of reservation we confirmed all were present. Then we were told they had the reservation for 30 minutes later. Asked for the manager but he was not available. That sat us 58 minutes from our reservation or if we were wrong 28 minutes from what they thought the reservation was. It's very popular and they are taking any reservation or walk-in no matter if they can service it or not. Horrible greed at the expense of every guest. Food is good but the management is super greedy, looking for bottom line not happy customers read more

Table was a booth. Squishes you in, and we're not big people. It was liking eating in coach on Southwest, not comfortable at all. Asked for sugar for the iced tea, all we received was splenda. Had the steak soft tacos. Was cold, cheese not melted. Side Rice was overcooked, beans we're okay, but again cold. Asked for another iced tea. But that arrived after he gathered glasses from 2 different tables, who knows who got what glass back. I didn't drink the second one. You gotta be kidding me. The waiter doesn't want to be here and it shows. It's ashame because the last time we were here the food was good. Not coming back for a very loooong time. Would have given a 2 star until the iced tea nonsense. 1 star is being generous. read more

Best Tex Mex i've had in a long time! we came for my mother's birthday and ended up trying basically everything we wanted except forgot to save room for the Chocolate Piñata. it was a slightly busier than usual thursday night but our food was all correct, fresh and delicious. Our waiter Shawn was a little new and finding his footing but he was helpful and knowledgeable of the menu and different options and was very nice. read more

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I love Mexican food and it may be my favorite type of cuisine. It was my first time visiting this restaurant and the experience was pleasant. I sat inside with friends and the first thing I appreciated was the fast service. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. She brought out chips and salsa for us first and the in house salsa was great. I ordered the bacon wrapped shrimp fajitas with a special butter for dipping. I wish I remembered the name of it but I'll do better next time. The food was great and very filling as I could not finish the entree. I definitely recommend this place and can't wait to go back. read more

Uncle Julio's - Bacon wrapped shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Annapolis, Maryland

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Ok.. First off when they first opened I would have given a 5 star, and even during COVID I would have as well. Now the reason they got at least a 3 star... is their staff... very friendly and quite attentive... However, the food quality has been slipping the last few times... Main menu items removed and the prices have climbed dramatically... To be honest , it's a more expensive Chevys , same quality, same friendly just higher priced. read more

I came here for my birthday. Only come with a reservation or you get hangry waiting for a table and their staff isn't coordinated enough to give you reasonable ETA for seating time. Our party finally had to hard press a manager to get a table. Overall the food is good but you're paying more for a more mainstream American version of Mexican food. Around Maryland there are so many restaurants that Uncle Julio's seems pricey. My sister was bold and ordered the ceviche which surprisingly had good fish but shrimp were hard (overcooked?) but the chips it came with were way past their freshness peak...RIP. I like their rice is tomato flavored but beans were very salty. The service is not managed/trained well or has high turn over, though they were polite we continually had to follow up and signal we were ready for dessert etc. The pinata is best ordered when the fruits in season, sadly my birthday is in March so strawberries were bland. Even though its gimmicky it is very fun and probably would taste much better in summer which would warrant more the high price tag. read more

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This was our first visit to this location (although I have eaten @Uncle Julio's in Bethesda and in Gaithersburg). We chose Friday at lunch, because this place has been busy since it opened a few months ago. They have inside and outside seating, including dining tables outside plus hightops on the bar side and a few sofas with a firetable. Our server was Miguel, who came over right away. He was very pleasant and he brought over the chips & salsa immediately. The chips were warm, which was a nice touch. I ordered the chicken fajita Cobb salad ($14.95) which I have enjoyed before at other locations. My husband ordered an enchilada combo plate, where you can choose chicken, beef, cheese, etc. The food came out quickly. My husband would have preferred it if the enchilada plate had a small dollop of sour cream or guacamole, but he said the enchiladas were good. But my salad was the hit, and soon, my husband was nibbling on the far side of my salad dish, along with his meal. The salad was SO big that I ended up getting a box to bring it home, and it will be dinner too. It had a generous amount of cubed fajita chicken, avocado, chopped tomato, roasted corn, black beans, etc. The total was a little more than $40, and we did not order alcoholic drinks, but the portions are so generous that we are all set for today. We are glad to have Uncle Julios on the Annapolis scene, where some of the TexMex competition is a little tired. read more

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Pretty good service and their taco bowl was pretty tasty. Never ate here before and it was well worth the stop!

I had such high hopes for this visit. The restaurant has everything in place for a successful business. Good location, good ambiance and great menu. The only bright point was the queso. My enchiladas were inedible. The corn tortilla was tough and hard to cut. The rice dry and the beans appeared to be undercooked. The salsa was too smoky but overall the evening was a disappointment. The service was subpar. read more

My experience at The Annapolis location was very dissatisfied. I originally told my server I had a coupon for a free guacamole, he assumed it was the small guacamole instead of checking my coupon he said we will handle at the end. The guacamole had large dice onion in it as if I was eating an onion salad coated with mashed avocados. I recommend cutting the onions in small dices or mince. The seasoned shrimp fajitas were very flavorful and the beans. The rice was very gummy and flavorless. I also tried the margarita of the month: watermelon margarita which was watered down and not sweet I do not recommend. Once the bill came out, my server got the manager to approve my coupon, but he stated that my coupon was only valid for a free table side guacamole and refused to accept my coupon. The server should have looked at my coupon before to confirm I was getting the correct menu item. I ultimately had to pay for the guacamole that I only ordered because I had a coupon. The manager should make sure the servers check coupons first, so it doesn't cause confusion at the end when customers are trying to pay. read more