The ambiance was lovely, and despite it being a busy Saturday evening, we were seated right away with our reservation for 6. Parking at Fairfax Corner is a nightmare these days, though that's hardly the restaurant's problem. I ordered the steak fajitas, and while my steak came out more well-done than the medium rare I'd requested, it was still juicy and full of flavor. The guacamole was a standout. Our server was attentive and personable, checking in on us regularly throughout the meal. The strawberry basil lemonade was the highlight of the evening -- absolutely worth ordering.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ read more

We went with a couple Sunday . New waiter waited on us. She was very good. Our na hos and salsa were filled up several times . We ordered Margarita frozen. Both were really good . Table side Guacamole was yummy too. We got chicken fajitas and shrimp fajitas . Both very tasty perfectly seasoned my. Shrimp and chicken were cooked to perfection. We enjoyed our dinner . read more

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Years ago this was a great restaurant. It has definitely had a change for the worse and has deteriorated considerably over the years. The cheese and onion enchiladas which were my favorite had hard cold cheese inside and a sweet sauce that was essentially inedible. The refried beans which were also a favorite were something I cannot even describe and were served cold and congealed-- again inedible. The chips were stale, and my beef taco had mystery dried meat in it. The only decent thing was the salsa which it seems has remained the same. The price is high for what you get. The service was good so we did not complain. Unfortunately will not be going back. read more

We had a large party and went here because it's a favorite for many of my family members. I liked it a lot. The margaritas were good- I got a regular and skinny frozen, and the skinny was better than the regular. The salsa and chips were good. Multiple people at my table got fajitas which they all enjoyed. I got crunchy beef tacos (honestly my go-to for Tex-Mex) and they were also very good, I think they forgot to bring my beans though. The service as overall good. The atmosphere was nice. Overall enjoyable meal and would return. read more

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Their chicken soup was phenomenal. I honestly wanted to order a second bowl. The staff was super nice I was the only one at the bar and he was very attentive read more

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Really great! Our server was incredible- she was super attentive and friendly. Upgraded our visit entirely! The shrimp fajitas were fantastic and generous, and the carne asada was okay. Would definitely return if I were in the area again! read more

Looking for a simple, yet "hit the spot", type of happy hour drink? Grand Cadillac margarita is it. The flipped lime adds a unique touch to a tart, refreshing drink. Plus, the additive chips and salsa are a plus. Didn't need anything else to kick off the weekend. Definitely making this a HH place to go. Bartenders were friendly and shared about the drink. Bar area wasn't too crowded when we arrived, so it was perfect timing to sit at the bar. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Grand Cadillac margarita - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Soooo, I gave Uncle Julio's another try and I must say your girl is now a fan. Their special dish MUST be the fajitas...more specifically, the Guadalajara (which our waiter recommended). So, we ended up coming here randomly, on a Saturday and were quickly seated outside (the weather was beautiful). Our waiter was prompt, observant, and super timely with all of his appearances, which we greatly appreciated. He gave great recommendations and was super friendly. Our table had the Chile Con Queso, which we all enjoyed. I then had the Swirl, which was just okay. I wished it gave more of an authentic frozen Sangria taste , but that honestly may just have been my cravings because per the drink's name it is blended/"swirled" with the house margarita. For my entree, I had the Guadalajara, which is a fajita dish that comes with steak, shrimp, and chicken. The melted butter, the sautéed veggies, and the tasty meat did it for me! So much so that i was super excited to eat my leftovers and was still very pleased, taste wise, as I ate those leftovers. Overall, it was a really good experience. I will be most definitely be back when those fajita cravings kick in. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Guadalajara - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Uncle Julio's is one of my favorite restaurant. I stopped at this location around 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Initially I thought the store was closed because no one else was in the restaurant. But I love an empty restaurant, I call it the VIP experience. However, a few more people had come when I left an hour later. I had the chicken fajitas and they are great, along with the strawberry margarita on the rocks. I would highly recommend this location. read more

Yelp rating of 3.0 is wrong. Google has rating of 4.1. I have eaten at Uncle Julio's several times. Food is always good. Service varies from one visit to another. A rating of 4 is more representative of the food and service quality! The Ambience is a little noisy, but that is normal for any Mexican restaurant. read more

My son and I went here last night and had another great experience! The last time that we went to Uncle Julio's was the Gainesville location. We were not impressed at all. Our server Sam was one of the best servers that we have ever had. He made such great conversations with my 9 year old because of the shirt that he was wearing -- they are big Percy Jackson fans. My son legit ate most of the queso that we ordered and the chips lol. That's his favorite appetizer. He kept saying how fast the service was. My son had the steak quesadilla and I had the Baja Fish Tacos. They were the best that I've had since San Diego. I've missed them! I also had the mixed berry margarita and it was delicious. This is my son's new favorite restaurant so we will be back VERY SOON. Sam, thank you for making it such a great experience! read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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A solid standby. Pleased that the service was good this time. It's been hit or miss lately, so this was a welcome return to form. You know what you're getting here. Above average fajitas and decent Tex-mex at a solid price. read more

Uncle Julio's: From Gold Standard to Aluminum Foil The service was bad, and the food somehow managed to be worse. Back when Uncle Julio's was still Rio Grande, it was the gold standard of Tex-Mex -- sizzling fajitas, crispy chips, and pride in every plate. Then private equity got involved, and the bean counters did what they always do: chopped portions, downgraded ingredients, and called it "efficiency." The even cut down on beans Today's visit was a masterclass in how to kill a brand. The meal came before the chips and salsa -- because who doesn't like to eat fajitas while watching their chips show up fashionably late? The fajita meat was two-thirds the size and one-quarter the quality of what it used to be. Even the tortillas looked embarrassed -- thin, soggy, and translucent enough to qualify as edible cellophane. This place didn't just lose its mojo. It pawned it off to cover debt service. I'm done with them. Goodbye Julio, Hello Taco Bell. read more

Great food and drinks and service loved the pinata with the name on the board was such a special touch!

This used to be my favorite place to order catering. Never again. We ordered this weekend for 20 people. The meat, chicken queso and beans all were still in factory sealed bags which were placed inside the catering trays. Cleary nothing is made fresh there anymore. Im guessing this is the same way they are doing things in the restaurant. Do better at least open the bags before delivering to give the illusion. Private equity takes down another great restaurant! read more

Had a 6:15 reservation for Saturday night. We arrived at 6:10 and checked in. It's been many years since we've gone to Uncle Julio's. The dining area was insanely loud! Upon checking in, the host gave the other host the ok to seat us. We got all the way to the back of the restaurant when the host told us to go back to the front. They apparently weren't ready to seat us. We proceeded to wait an additional 25 min before we were finally seated. It seemed there were a lot of hosts walking around with iPads but nothing getting done. It was very chaotic with so many people waiting and no one getting seated. Thankfully once we were seated, our server was prompt and attentive. Meal was food. Shrimp fajitas and chicken quesadilla. We had a movie to get to and so we put food and drink orders in all at once. Everything came out quickly. Food was good, but not worth the chaos read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Chicken quesadilla. This was enough for 2 meals! - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Tacos and quesadillas were both delicious! Melanie(?) was our server and she was very attentive without being pushy. My margarita was good/decent - felt like a lot of the margarita mix. Overall it was a positive experience. read more

We sat at the patio last weekend. Waited for 20 minutes and nobody appeared to take the order. I walked inside to let the hostess know about this. She gave me a surprised look but then sent a waiter whose standard responses were ' This is how we do it' Q: We want more salt around the margarita glass rim A: This is how we do it Q: Can we get spicy salsa? A: This is what we serve here Quite disappointed that such a popular chain is sinking like Titanic... read more

I used to enjoy their food--particularly the chicken quesadillas and the bowls, none of which appear to be on the menu anymore. Also, they used to operate Savage Burrito and now have only three measly options to choose from (none of which appeal to me). Bring back some of the old favorites, please! read more

Every food we ordered tasted really good and the portions are big so it is well worth the price you pay. Our server was very friendly and attentive. He made sure to check on us consistently and the manager was going around tables making sure everyone is satisfied which as a very nice gesture. We will surely return so we can try the chocolate piñata dessert. read more

I used to go to the Bethesda location many years ago and figured why not try this one since it used to be decent for chain Tex-Mex. This was the definition of "meh" not bad but not great either and overpriced for what I got. The food was pretty good, the chips and salsa were solid and they offered more refills than I could possibly finish. The Barbacoa fajitas were hot and fresh and provided enough food I was able to box some of it up and have it for dinner the next night. A little overpriced but a solid meal. The service was friendly but unfortunately my server was MIA for about 20 minutes right after serving my food and no other servers were around so I wasn't able to get a water refill. Not quite ideal timing when you're eating a Tex-Mex meal. In sum, Fajitas were solid. Service was friendly but uneven at best, Uncle Julios is okay but I wouldn't be in a hurry to come back here. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Chips and Salsa - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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My Uncle Julios saga continues Today I went to uncle julios to redeem my plata status ($25 gift card). Sign up if you haven't...its free. The experience today was wonderful. Our waitress, Jaelyn, did an excellent job. She came to serve our table within minutes of sitting and had fresh chips and salsa in hand. She was warm, welcoming, and seemed happy to serve us. We ordered our usual table side guac and fajitas. Rarely do we have complaints about the food itself. Just a side hint to get a better guac experience. ditch the tomatoes. you'll thank me later. The food came out quickly and tasted great. I was reminded today why uncle julios is one of my favorite go-tos whenever my wife and I have an hour long conversation on deciding what to eat for dinner. Not sure what it is but the service has been getting consistently better and the food is still excellent. will be back! stay tuned for our next update read more

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Every time we go we experience great efficient service. Delicious food. Love their freshly made tortillas. And love that the chips are light and crispy. Real salsa here. Not that fake canned tomato stuff. Pictured: quesa-burria. I often order the veggie fajitas. The quesa-birria was really good and nice and spicy. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Quesa-burria - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This is my first and only one star review and I'm sad to do it. I love the food, and I used to be willing to pay despite their ever increasing cost but wow, the service is pretty dismal. I was probably the last out of my friends to keep making excuses for this place because I used to work here but yikes. For years their service has been hit or miss but lately it's always a miss. I recently went for dinner with a group of friends on a Wednesday night and was blown away- in the worst way possible. The restaurant was nearly empty, so we assumed service would be fast. We were sat and ordered food at 6:50. We ordered 1 chicken quesadilla, 1 taco, 1 chicken fajitas and everyone else ordered beef fajitas. The evening started promising but really we were excited to catch up with friends. In between conversation, we started to wonder where our server was/ when the food was coming out. Our server appeared at 7:50, I kid you not, a whopping hour later. We asked when the food was coming out and he seemed confused. He came back out with the manager and he said food would be out in 5 minutes. When asked what happened with the food, the manager said that an order of beef fajitas was on a separate ticket from the other food and that's why food took an hour. What? One person had plans at 8 and started getting worried. Food came out at 8:05 and she scarfed her food down and left before any of us. The manager comped the guac and 50% of the bill, but the whole experience left a bad taste in our mouth and ruined the evening. Go to Guapo's, Chuy's, or Julio's in Reston or Arlington, anywhere but here. Edit: Management replied to this: 1.) everyone ordered at the same time and 2.) no one ordered the Guadalajara. I'm assuming theres some miscommunication or lying between the server and manager but regardless. Waiting an hour for food in a nearly empty restaurant is ridiculous. read more

Not exactly sure what happened to this place. I worked here during college and made pretty good money, the workplace culture was in-line with the pricepoint and was way more customer-centric. Flash forward 15 years and it's turned into an absolute s-show. Upon walking in, I noticed that the hostess stand wasn't very welcoming, and the employees seemed more interested in their phones than greeting customers. Looking around, the lightbulbs were mismatched so the cool, Mexican decor looked way off. Okay sure, that might be nitpicking, but it gets better. The menu had the same items, but different names? I'm assuming there was a change in ownership and everything was changed due to copyright reasons, or who knows. We sat down, it took about 7 minutes for our server to greet us, and I asked a question about one of the menu items. "HUH?!" She replied? Not off to a great start but alright fine. We waited probably 10 minutes for my date's salad to come out, and another 15-20 for my fajitas and shrimp brochette to come out. By the time I got my food, my date was almost done with hers (after a minute or two I just told her eat the salad before the steak got cold). The portions were smaller, the only redeeming thing about the restaurant is their chips and salsa. Save yourself the trouble and go to Guapos at Fair Lakes. It runs like this place used to, 15 years ago, probably even better. Sucks bc we live in Fairfax Corner, but whoever bought this place ran it into the ground. read more

Two Hairs Found in Food! I ate at Uncle Julio's in Fairfax on 8/31/25. We, me and two other people arrived at 11AM - right when the restaurant opened. We were the only ones in the entire restaurant for the duration of the time we were there. Food arrived with hairs on 2 out of the 3 dishes we ordered. Pointed this out to our waiter and he took the plate immediately, went show the food with the hairs to a manager. The one salad dish was brought back out without a hair, yet was full of salad stalks and hard pieces. The lettuce of the two salads we ordered came out with large, uncut chunks. The lettuce was wet, wilted and some appeared to be rotten, as it had already turned brown. The other dish that had a black hair in it was an enchilada plate. The manager NEVER did come over to apologize for the experience of having hairs in our dishes. Nor did anyone ask us if the dishes had been corrected. We received no discount on the bill and no apology. It is very clear that this restaurant has gone down, in management, in quality of food, customer service and overall cleanliness. I have dined at this location over the past several years. This is the third time I have been to this location, in the span of 1.5 years, where the service and quality of food was sub par. Each of these visits, the manager never came over to check on us or correct the issue at hand. Do not recommend this location of Uncle Julio's. Don't let the fact that this location is within Fairfax Corner lead you to believe their operate under clean standards. My only mistake was not getting a photo to post here of the TWO separate and completely different dishes with hairs in them. read more

Went here yesterday with my family and we got food poisoning. Called them to let them know, and they said the GM would call and they never called. No urgency shown... read more

A friend and I visited Uncle Julio's on a Thursday evening during happy hour. There was plenty of seating available and were able to sit down immediately. Everything we ordered was absolutely hot, fresh, and delicious. We had the tortilla chips, queso, chicken enchiladas, and fish tacos. Highly recommend if you're looking for Mexican food in the Fairfax area. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Chicken Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

We enjoyed our dinner at Uncle Julios on the patio. It was a nice evening and we went just a little bit before the dinner rush. Chips and salsa are good here - I love the salsa cause it's got a smoky flavor to it. We tried the queso blanco as an app and it was good but not great. Probably wouldn't get that again, it was kinda too thick and got cold relatively fast. Margs are yummy, but I like Guapos more. I enjoyed the carnitas tacos and with the chips and salsa, two were plenty to fill me up. In general the staff seemed stressed and a little chaotic. While the restaurant was busy, didn't seem like it was more busy than to be expected for a Saturday night. Maybe short staffed? Overall, I know what to expect with uncle Julio's and this was about on par. Don't expect to be blown away, but good for a casual dinner. The patio is pretty nice outside. read more

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We dined here with a large group (10-12 people) for a birthday tonight. My fiance and I arrived early so we sat ourselves at the bar for a couple of drinks. I got the seasonal margarita and my fiance got el jeffe. The woman working behind the bar could've totally up-sold me on my drink if she'd asked if I wanted to add a shot for $2. Once everyone else arrived, we were seated. It took forever to get our drinks at the table. I'm guessing it's because they had two, maybe three people working the bar for the entire restaurant (based on what I saw while sitting there earlier). The chips and salsa were good and the food was standard tex mex. I liked my chicken fajita but I've had better. I'm used to my fajitas arriving still cooking on a hot stone. This one was warm but not as impressive/hot as others. The real fun was the chocolate pinata. My stomach still hurts from all the chocolate. it was filled with fruit and churros. The fruit was good but the churros we're cold and soggy. They did not hold up well in there. Even between all of us were still had leftovers. Like I said, everything was pretty standard. The food was fine, the service was fine, and the drinks were good. Nothing stood out, for better or worse. read more

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We normally sit at the bar with no issues but on my last visit we decided to sit at a table. The hostess walked us through the mostly empty restaurant all the way to the last booth. I don't patronize any establishment that seats people of color in the back. When I asked the hostess why that seat was chosen, she became very irritated so we left. read more

Dirty, dingy, poor food quality and expensive. Will not return! Use to be a nice place not anymore!

We just went here to drink. The bartender is nice and awesome, he is very accommodating. The ambiance is good to hang out and drink. will go back to try foods. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - gimme the skinny - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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This is my first time eating at an Uncle Julio's restaurant. I came here to celebrate my late friend's birthday. The service was great! Very friendly staff. The food seemed overpriced. I got the fish tacos and they weren't very flavorful. They weren't bad either- just not worth $19. Same for the Spicy Piña marg- wasn't bad, just wasn't worth the $13. really liked the tortilla chips and the housemade salsas. Also it's a very loud place- patrons enjoying themselves, busy hour, etc. It wasn't a problem for me but just something to keep in mind if you choose to go. Overall, the service was excellent, the food was ok, and I'd come back again if someone else was paying. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Baja Fish Tacos, Spicy Piña Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I can walk to this restaurant. It was always my go to place. Over the past two years it has constantly gone downhill. I went friday night. They were terribly understaffed and the food was terrible. However the bartender was awesome! read more

Food is great I recommend the carne asada the staff is very nice compared to some of the other uncle Julio's I've been to but overall a great experience read more

Food was good. Atmosphere was fun and pleasant. Server was attentive. Fun place for a birthday.

0/5 Edit: They called me the next day to buy me off to take this review down but I didn't accept because the staff should have been properly trained. My $180 shoes were also ruined due to grease and they weren't willing to compensate for that and the wound. Drinks took as long as the food even though the restaurant was half empty. A server dropped sizzling fajitas on my foot and none of the workers knew how to properly respond to a minor burn. Thank goodness my friend and I are both medical providers so we knew what to do. When I asked for an ice pack and some first aid kits, it took them more than 10 minutes to get back to me with it. No one properly apologized and I didn't even see the managers face. To top it all off, they still made us pay the bill. I asked to speak to the manager about filing an incident report because no one mentioned that and they said I needed to email corporate to get that. Does that make any sense? I lost my appetite due to the awful service. Find another location, better yet find another restaurant to go to. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Stopped in for lunch and Brandon at the bar took care of me today. Brandon was excellent! He provided great service, and answered all my questions. He even provided some education about a few tequilas I inquired about. I was impressed! Sometimes you go out and your questions can go unanswered and sometimes that's ok, but today ALL my questions were answered! If you're visiting this place, I highly recommended you request/visit Brandon! read more

I've always loved Uncle Julio's and was always my go to restaurant for my fajitas cravings. However, this time around, I was a bit disappointed. My wife and I walked in on Thursday evening, around 8pm for a late night dinner. It was nice that the restaurant wasn't crowded and thought we would get our already late dinner sooner than later. However, we found ourselves sitting there going through two and a half baskets of chips and salsa before we took our first bite. Seems like the delay in getting the main food is always the issue. The food was okay, but my wife was not enjoying her chicken as it was a bit dry than what we had before. Not sure if we'd be coming back to this location for our next fajitas craving. read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - guadalajara signature trios fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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