We stopped at Uncle Julio's from Charlotte on our way back home to Wake Forest after my mother had recommended it a few weeks before. We generally splurge on our Sunday eating habits and after spending a weekend in the sun for our daughter's lacrosse tournament figured that this would be the place. If it were for first impressions alone, this restaurant would receive a one star rating, and after speaking to my mom about our experience afterward she remarked, "oh yeah, I should have warned you about how awful the hostesses and reception is there," which means that this is a consistent issue with the restaurant. We made reservations on Open Table on our way in since this was our first visit and we didn't know what to expect. Our reservation was for 2:00 in the afternoon, and while they were surprisingly busy at this time there was certainly not a wait and there were a number of empty tables, but arriving only 5 minutes early we were still given a buzzer and asked to wait for our table very apathetically by the THREE hostesses. I think that the restaurant needs to do a better job in defining the position of "hostess" to their employees, or remove them altogether because aimlessly wandering around the restaurant to find your table would be more welcoming. Since we had been traveling I asked where the bathrooms were so my daughter and I could go ahead and wash our hands, and you would have thought that we had asked them to perform a Cirque de Soleil routine in the middle of the restaurant. I am relatively capable, and all I needed was for someone to point a finger in the general direction, but the hostess in the middle asked the hostess to her left to show us where they were, and after sitting there staring straight ahead for several seconds in an effort to make us feel awkward for having dared to inconvenience her, she slovenly stood up and literally walked no more than 5 steps to point us in the direction of the bathrooms. On our way back from washing our hands another employee was loudly lamenting the fact that she had been calling for a certain table for 28 minutes (I have no idea what that means) but my daughter and I were both taken aback by how incredibly unprofessional everyone was behaving. Then, after returning to the bench to wait with my husband, the hostess that we had so inconvenienced by her having to point out the bathroom kept glaring over at us. I was seriously ready to leave at this point and my daughter was equally as uncomfortable, and had the experience not improved I'm pretty sure my husband would have made it clear to the manager. HOWEVER, once we were sat the experience improved dramatically. Our waiter was José, and I wanted to make sure to memorialize his great service and ability to combat our initial impressions of the restaurant. We ordered the Jefé margarita (because it said that you were limited to only 2 so, of course) and the bartender brought it over and hand shook and poured it, and she was amazingly sweet and kind; I came to understand the limit of 2 because there was plenty of margarita left in the shaker so it was 2-3 drinks alone ... and VERY good. The chips are the best and we ordered the combination queso and guacamole and my husband and I liked both, but my daughter, who is accustomed to white queso, said that it reminded her of Velveeta (I would not have eaten it if it tasted like Velveeta, but it was somewhat reminiscent of yellow American cheese). My husband ordered the fajitas with chicken, steak and shrimp and although I didn't try it, you could tell that the chicken was plump and juicy and fresh and he loved the Mexican butter, or whatever it was called. My daughter simply ordered the 3 hard beef tacos and really liked them, and they were not greasy like most Mexican restaurant beef tacos. I had a combination platter (my mom said that the tamales were good so I wanted to try them, but didn't want the 4 tamales dinner) so mine came with a taco, chicken and beef enchilada with different sauces, and the tamale. I definitely took over half of it home but was glad to sample several items and was impressed by them all. Then came the grand finale when my daughter decided that she wanted the chocolate piñata dessert, and my husband asked for it to go, which is not an option, so since it is a Sunday they went ahead and ordered it anyway. This is by far the most fun dessert that I have ever experienced and we already have plans to bring our younger nephew back because he will absolutely LOVE it. We did end up taking the bits and pieces home because it is enough for a large party. So my ultimate assessment of the restaurant is very positive, but they certainly need to remedy whatever is going on with the hostess situation because I would be hesitant to take clients or anyone that has little tolerance for rude behavior there and I know that they will suffer for that with the wealth of dining options in the Triangle. read more

We heard about this restaurant through friends and decided that we had to check it out. We made reservations which were quickly honored and we were seated immediately. The menu was clear and accurately descriptive of the choices. The waitress recommended a dish and it was out of this world tasty! The tableside guacamole was awesome and tailored to your specific taste liking. The atmosphere was comfortable and not too loud and the food was very good. It might not be traditional or authentic or whatever the other reviewers touched on but if it didn't have it's own flare then it would be like every other dime a dozen Mexican restaurant. So we appreciated the nuances that added to it's uniqueness. We are tired of the same old thing so this was a nice change. Then we had the CHOCOLATE PINATA~~~ That was really fun and it tasted great. I will admit it is a bit pricy but it's not something that you will order each time you go so for a celebration it was nice... and it could serve 2-4 people so that makes it about the same as a solo dessert. Overall it was a nice experience and the waitress we had was a delight and had a fun attitude about the restaurant and making the night nice. It was a Thursday night so we couldn't get the Lobster and steak fajitas but we will go back for that another time. We had a nice time and enjoyed the entire experience. Hope you do too! read more

best tex mex in the country!!!!! thank you for bringing your show to durham!!!!!

Tonight we went with four other friends for a first (and last) dinner at Uncle Julio's at Southpoint Mall, in the former Champ's space. The new interior is very nice with a good, slightly upscale Mexican ambience. There is a good selection of menu items and cocktails. The quacamole made at table side was very good. That's all I can say that's good about it. Negatives: quite overpriced and under portioned for Mexican food. The raspberry margarita that my husband ordered was 90% ice, and small, for $11.50. My fish tacos were dry, and the black beans were mushy. I asked for some sour cream to put in the tacos, and they charged an extra 99 cents for that. The food was luke warm. The service was mediocre. The runners who brought the food had not the slightest idea of who ordered which entree. We had to ask the waiter more than once to bring more iced tea, and finally the printed receipt (from a slide your own card electronic check tablet). Needless to say, our group of eight agreed that this was a "once and done." This place pales in comparison to MEZ, which gets 5 stars from me. read more

This was my fourth visit to Uncle Julio's and every time I've gone it's gotten worse. The food itself is great, it really the service that needs some work and the drinks. This visit I told the waitress I had a free tableside guacamole because I signed up as a loyalty member, and they didn't even give us half of what usually comes in the bowl. I was appalled, I've been there 3 other times and purchased the table side guacamole ever time and it was so much we couldn't finish it and this time I think he used one avocado for a table of four. I can't believe Uncle Julio's is that hard up that they have to save on avocados! And how is that anyway to treat a loyalty member? I know they don't do that at the Dallas location! They have such a good reputation there and I know they would be sad to know the Durham location is treating people that way. It was very clear our waitress was trying to get us in and OUT as fast as she could! She took our drinks before we had hardly sat down and before the other two guests arrived. Then we were chatting and enjoying our conversation and I went to order another drink and she brings the check. So we did continue to sit there for a while with no service and she could have continued to bring us drinks or maybe a dessert but we were never asked. If I wanted fast food I would have gone to McDonald's but I set up a reservation at a restaurant to enjoy the evening with friends. So this time and the last I ordered a margarita and they were so weak! They cost $10.50, and I was going to add a shot but they also cost $10.50. If you want some good tequila just order a shot on the rocks their drinks are too weak for the price, but they do have a good selection of tequila. I think Uncle Julio's is so close to being an amazing restaurant, but they need to train their employees to read the clients better and not worry so much about turning tables. I know people are waiting but don't rush those who are enjoying their food, it's not always about turning tables! read more

I booked this establishment for a surprise birthday party. The food was fresh and amazing! A lady comes with a cart to make your guacamole- and asks what you want or don't want in it, and she makes it in front of the table. The chips are the perfect width, crispness and aren't greasy. Oh my gosh, and the chocolate lovers piñata is to die for! They bring it out and you crack it open with a thick wooden stick and the chocolatey goodness falls out with chunks of the shell, strawberries, churros and then the best dessert item I've ever tasted. They are warm spheres of what I think is a mini buñuelo or round donut filled with melted chocolate that seeps out. Omg! Definitely go to Uncle Julio's- they also make the tortillas fresh and on a conveyer stand that you can look at. The waitress went out of her way to make sure we were enjoying our dinner. Beautiful and classy decor with a nostalgic Mexican feel. read more