If you are expecting the Uncle Julio's that you have eaten at in the past you will be disappointed. The menu has changed and the chips are not the same. Seems like ownership has changed and prefers this once laid back atmosphere to be more upscale. No longer plastic coco cola cups and music is more pop. Definitely the Uncle Julio's Rio Grande has been rebranded. Food was not bad just different. Sorry to see that one of our favorites has changed with the times:( will not be going back. read more

Popular. Good food. Service was also good. Ambiance...very noisy. Parking limited if the area is busy.

This Uncle Julio's is in a great location. The only downside, and it's not specific to the joint so really just a warning, is that parking can be annoyingly crowded. But, keep driving around, something will open up. I got the chicken and steak fajitas and we shared the chocolate pinata dessert. Would go back! read more

2 hours and 15 minutes for dinner. Worst service of my life. Food runner dropped our food all over floor. No visit from manager. Server and manager walked by us 20 times and never acknowledged us. I bussed our dishes. Manager was called over and didnt care at all. I sent email to all store managers and left review on website. No reply!!!! DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT!!!!!! Manager responded to this review stating that he already responded to my reviews. He is a liar! I sent 3 emails and 2 reviews and never received any response from him or any Uncle Julios representative. DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT!!!!!! and tell all your friends, family, and followers........DONT GO TO UNCLE JULIOS FAIRFAX!!!! read more

We walked in to 3 people standing at the hostess counter. Not one greeted us until I spoke and asked for a table. They showed us to a booth, pointed to the stand up card on the table and said there is the menu and walked away. I see other people with actual menus so I ask the guy who brought the water if we could please have them. He walks back with one....I then walked to the front and asked if we could please have another menu so we each could look at one. The hostess literally reached over and handed me one without saying a word. (Is this such a terrible inconvenience for each customer in a restaurant to have their own menu?) Enter food, 40 minutes after ordered. Honestly terrible, the beans tasted bitter and the rice was so dry. The cilantro was brown and wilted. The pork in my taco did taste delicious!! However, it was so dry it was crunchy. A total waste of $50 for 4 tacos and ....8.40 small Queso!!! Pic for reference. I have never, ever paid almost 9 for Queso. Terrible service and food as well. Dr. Pepper was on point though!!! read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - $ 8.40 cup o' queso. - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

The beef fajitas were way too greasy, I couldn't finish it. The chips were good, but the salsa here is terrible. Service was a little bit slow, but friendly. The bathroom floor was sticky. read more

Didn't honor reservation: Went in person to make a large reservation, specifically shown were we'd be seated and how with which tables. Time comes they'd given those tables away, barely apologized and displaced the responsibility onto us to find a solution. our party had to wait over a half hour to be seated separately and continuously wait for more tables/chairs. On top of that, service was very slow even after being seated. Barely saw the waiter. read more

Ambiance looked great so we decided to try it. Food took forever to come out. 1 dish was the right dish but missed elements, such as salsa and clinatro on the tacos. Everything except the fajitas was cold. The beans looked like it was scooped before the restaurant opened. They did not have kid cups. Everything was overpriced especially for the quality of food. I've had much better Mexican for way less. If it couldn't get worse, used the bathroom at the conclusion of the meal. There was vomit in one of the stalls. I discreetly let the manager know. He appeared not to care and it wasn't being addressed when I returned to do a diaper change. Will not be back. read more

As far as Uncle Julio's goes, this one is not great. I would rate the food a 2* but the quality of service brought it up to a 3*. No sopapillas...come on Uncle Julio, you're better than that.. read more

The other day some friends of mine got uncle Julio's and I had a bit, it was good and I decided to try it again today. Unfortunately I found some foreign object in my queso. I don't want to look closer at what it is because I've already eaten a bit of it. The chips taste different today as well. I at least have the churros to enjoy, although now I feel I don't want to bother eating any of the food. read more

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

I hate this place, but my dad loves it. It feels dirty and the prices are so ridiculously high. Six perfectly average shrimp and some stale rice and grocery guacamole is like $35-$45 dollars depending on if you get shrimp or shrimp fajitas but the plates look exactly the same. I live super close and never come here unless he's in town. The one saving grace is the swirls... read more

I just read the reviews and since when do they offer complimentary chips AND queso? I haven't been to Rio is YEARS. YEARS, it's been. I ordered the taco salad. Not sure why it arrived about 20 minutes before the rest of the food (which we then had to ask about). My meal was bland. I've had taco salads at other Mexican restaurants and it's great. I'm not sure how someone screws this up. read more

I ordered a carry out for combination Fajitas that I used to love but the portion got cut into half? This is horrible! The price went up by $6 as well... seriously? I expect better than this. The two stars is for the food and nice waiter who served us. He checked the bag for us and found that the kitchen forgot to give us the chips and salsa. The steak was prepare correctly as well. Please fix the portion issue! read more

After a 2 hour wait to be seated, I had to ask 3 times for a kids cup of water for my special needs child. So that sucked. Waited almost an hour for the food to arrive. The food was cold, cheese was hard (obviously because the plates were left out and not picked up). The food was AWFUL. I felt ill after eating it. Found multiple hairs in the food as well. DO NOT EAT HERE! read more

The worst don't even think about this place..tasteless wet, runny guacamole. Atmosphere isn't anything to desire...wait decent... drinks ok !! Unless you're just thirsty try avoiding this please read more

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

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More like 3 1/2 stars, but I rounded up. I deducted for their salsa, though fresh it wasn't that good and the chips were thin and full of grease, and being overpriced for portion size. I started with three pepper guacamole and steak nachos. The guacamole wasn't that hot compared to how it's described and smaller than I expected. The nachos were individual chips placed in a circle with the meat and cheese on it instead of piled up. The queso was ok. Steak, chicken, and stuffed shrimp fajitas was next. Decent portions and the tortillas were quite thick though a little fluffy. The -321° margarita was a pleasant presentation and tasted great. A frozen garnish is given to you to place in your mouth and you can breath the smoke out your nose like a dragon. Pretty neat. I would come back, but would be more picky about what I order. read more

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I honestly only come here because the tortillas are fresh. They make everything taste better. I also love their fajitas! I always get the chicken with steak because you can't wrong. I love queso blanco but they have both yellow and white cheese to satisfy your cravings. You can't forget about dessert. They have a piñata dessert with chocolate and fruit. It is amazing, I highly recommend this place! read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Chicken and steak fijitas and a cheese quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Don't go !!!!! The food was disgusting, cold and when we told them they went and heated up for up!!! The food was not made for us it was heated in a bad way!!! read more

Friends, let me let you in on a little secret...you can search all of the hole-in-the-walls in Northern Virginia for the best fajitas but the best one you will ever have is at Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe. Their steak fajitas is marinated in some type of lime, butter, spice, unicorn horn, and pixie dust mixture because the resulting taste is unwordly. And the texture? Melt in your mouth tender! My mouth salivates whenever I think of that sizzling cast iron skillet coming my way. Topped off with fresh guacamole, and grilled vegetables it is a meal fit for a king! read more

Went last night for a bday dinner with my husband and kids. We went at the right time! By the time we left (around 6:45) the place was packed! Anyway. Food was delicious. Steak fajita quesadilla was so good. Guac was ... good. Shrimp fajitas were great! Husband loved the enchiladas. And my margarita was delicious. Service was good despite the packed house. Will definitely go again. read more

Good food generally, though the table-side guacamole was a bit thin and disappointing. The atmosphere was nice with a large table and good spacing between tables. Nice decor. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this restaurant based on our service experience. Maybe they're lacking personnel because it seemed that our waitress had no busboy assistance, and she was either stretched too thin or absorbed in some other issues that kept her away from our locale. Our orders did not come to the table together; they came in three steps. Worse than that, after we finished our entrees the dishes were mostly never cleared. They served us dessert with the dirty dishes (lots of them) strewn about our table after we pushed them out of our way. Once done, we waited and waited until I finally got up and asked the hostess to find us a check. read more

Love this location. Their outside patio was super cool... larger than most... the staff was super friendly... food was great. Drinks were awesome as always! read more

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I usually like this place; however, I ordered the combo enchiladas and not only was my food cold when I arrived earlier than the pick up time, but I get home and realize they didn't give me any beans. What did I pay almost $20 for? A cold, incomplete meal... I do Not recommend ordering at this location. read more

A bit of a wait to be seated, but not because restaurant was full... but since about 8 empty tables that weren't cleared. Once seated, the food was good, the tortillas were not brought out with the fajitas ordered, but our server Catherine did a great job. Would still recommend this place to others & return again ourselves. read more

Been here a few times and it's pretty good :) I keep going back for their carne asada - it's so tasty that it's definitely not helping my weight loss hahaha. Came here on a Saturday afternoon, wait for a table was about 10 min so my friend and I decided to order at the bar since you get full service there. The bartender was really nice, friendly and accommodating. The chips and salsa were good, but not anything special. Most of the food is very standard for a Mexican cuisine restaurant, but that carne asada I had was amazing. It melted in my mouth and left me wanting more :) I also liked that our plates came out steaming hot. Overall, not a bad place for lunch or dinner. Just beware of the prices: my friend and I paid about $70-$80 for our lunch. read more

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I am not sure I understand the low ratings from others as I am a fan. And apparently other are as well as this place is ALWAYS packed ... with a crowd waiting at the door. My family and I love the steak fajitas ... and usually order multiple double portions (For Two option) when visiting. The meat is always tender and juicy ... the various sides are fresh ... and then you wrap it all up in their warm, house made flour tortilla's (which are so delicious you can eat it them by themselves) ... YUM!!! Of course, before you even get to your meal, you need to hold yourself back from devouring several bowls of free, fresh made chips with their chipotle salsa. Trust me, you need a lot of will power. The atmosphere is loud and vibrant ... and a lot of fun for everyone. To avoid the lines ... use OpenTable. All of their restaurants in the area are registered ... and you will not have to wait much at all. Enjoy! read more

Everyone's favorite avuncular! Deliciously thin and delicately crunchy tortilla chips freshly made and delicious sizzling hot skillets of steak and chicken fajitas with onions and peppers paired with decent mixology brings me back to Uncle Julio's. I try not to fill up on the tortilla chips, I really do; but they're made with a special machine inside the restaurant and seasoned perfectly (with some secret highly-addictive deliciousness!) Uncle Julio's ambience is one of rustic modern decor, close seating and a high ceiling that magnifies music, kitchen noises, and din of customers vying to be heard over the ruckus. Not my best choice for a quiet conversation or first date, but absolutely perfect for a early dinner after Happy Hour with the girls (or guys) after work--when the drinks are flowing and it seems perfectly natural to laugh loudly and raise one's voice above the clamor. There is also outside seating available that is quieter and lovely on the temperate days of fall and spring. The atmosphere is bustling and upbeat and kids often dance in their seats to the music piped in (at least mine do). It's just a fun--if a bit noisy-- and lighthearted place. My husband likes the enchiladas filled with chicken, beef or cheese, but for me there is only one thing I order as an entree-- the mesquite-grilled steak or chicken fajitas. If I had to choose a fav between the two, it would be the steak! I smell the glorious seared beef and sizzling onions all the way from the kitchen and my tastebuds are just as delighted as my olfactory senses with each lovely bite! Did I mention the service is quick and attentive as is the kitchen. I love that I can duck in and out with table service, real food prepared with fresh ingredients, & a decent cocktail menu and be done in 35 minutes if I choose! Or I'm just as comfortable to linger over dinner or cocktails for much longer without pressure or hustle. read more

Recently dined here with a group of 6. Service was attentive. Our waiter was happy to provide separate checks. The pre-dinner tortilla chips and salsa are my favorite. The chips are hot, freshly hand made. Well, there is a real tortilla machine on hand where you can watch them being made. Works for me. I ordered my usual, a platter with a little bit of everything. One chicken enchilada with a white cheese/creme sauce, a beef taco, a beef enchilada with red sauce, and a chicken corn tamale with lime and tomatilo sauce, all served with fried Mexican rice and pinto beans. I also had a tropical type lemonade. Everything was pretty good. Way too much for one person, so I wrapped up what I couldn't finish and took it to go. My only complaint, the ground beef has way too many green onions, lacking flavor, sort of rushed. Other than that, the hostess was pleasant as well as our waiter. I will return as I have been for the past couple of years. read more

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

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The cauliflower bowl is nothing short of amazing. Delicious, well done. Has a good combination of seasoning and flavors to make some thing that is healthy also taste great. read more

This location has the worst customer service of any Uncle Julio's. I took down my previous negative review, because the company itself is really great and the other surrounding locations in Reston and Arlington, especially, are a high quality experience each time. Do not come to this location in Fairfax. I have received low quality food and even worse service, especially from their manager. I was supposed to receive a refund months ago and the manager was supposed to call and verify that for me, but I never heard from the management again and never received the refund. The company itself did reach out after I reached out to them though and provide some closure. The Reston location is only about 6 miles away from Fairfax and well worth the drive. I'm once again today left with a disappointing meal and a shitty customer service experience. read more

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

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Ordered takeout twice from here. Because of the shutdown and everything opening up again I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. The first time I ordered I waited 30 min past designated pick up time. No big deal I am patient. I was told toward the end they were waiting for the margarita to go. Well as soon as I got home, it was not in the bag and when I called they gave me the vibe they did not care that they forgot it. Luckily I live next door so I quickly drove back to pick it up. No apologies just a here you go. Food was good so I decided it was just a rough reopening. Well I ordered again last night. No one came out to greet so I walked in with my mask and was told to go outside. I told them I was waiting and finally someone had come out. There was a confusion with the order on the ticket so they went to go make sure the order was correct. 10 min later I was told it was fine. Order came out gave my payment and went home. This time the food tasted stale. The chips were rubbery and had no crunch and the cheese in the quesadilla was barely there. I am not sure I am going to want to come back. Not worth it for subpar service and food. read more

I mean I hate writing this review cause our waiter was so kind, but the restaurant itself was just not great. I ordered the fajitas and I mean there was only four tiny pieces of meat on my plate. It was way overpriced for the low quality food. The floors were also very dirty and woolly table and we have to wait 30 minutes for our drinks. Very disappointed if you're craving Mexican food.. go to guapos in shirlington! read more

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

Good food and clean restaurant. The staff is mostly young but they work hard for the most part.

This review is specifically for a visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tables are very well spaced out and all staff were wearing masks properly. We had a party of 3 sitting at a large table so we could each have one seat between us (though we did share the chips, so I guess that defeats the purpose...). I'm not a huge fan of their food, so it was as average as usual, but I wanted to commend them on the safety and cleanliness of the restaurant. The one area of improvement is their new portable credit card payment system. We each got to slide our own cards and touch sign to pay, and I do get a bit skeeved out by payment terminals these days, especially when there is no visible evidence that they are being cleaned or covered in plastic wrap. Bring a stylus. read more

It was such a gorgeous day for outdoor patio seating! We weren't expecting it to be especially busy, and I have. Feeling Ray the manager and Eduardo our server were surprised as well. The food was delicious, but slow arriving, and Eduardo explained the kitchen was "catching up". Later adding they were down several staff member today. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time, and when the manager Ray stopped by we found him to be engaging and interested in what we had to say. THEN HE COMPED US A WONDERFUL DESSERT and we left feeling really honored. We came for a friend's birthday lunch and it didn't disappoint! read more

Uncle Julio's Fairfax - Chocolate piñata! - Mexican Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Arrived at 5:15 and there was already a 2 hour wait. Had to settle for a high top. They have changed their menu again. Ordered beef enchiladas with the carne sauce expecting it to come with carne sauce and cheddar cheese on top, but instead came with drizzled sour cream. I am not a fan of the new menu. As always, it is very noisy, between clientele and the music. I have been a customer of Uncle Julio's (Rio Grande) for 25 years and I am not sure I will return. read more

They changed the look of the restaurant, the music and it's all awful. The food was not up to par. I would no longer recommend this restaurant. read more

very poor and slow slow service. Food was decent but waiter was covering too much rtc

We had dinner here with our 2 young kids & I was impressed by the attentive staff, the quality of the food (delicious!) & I was blown away by the adorable kids' meals that came in a bento box style with fruits! For the first time my husband & I ate our dinner peacefully as the kids enjoyed eating their meal. What a brilliant & fun idea of plating kids' meals. Good job, Uncle Julio's Fairfax! read more

Second time back, Brandon is a great bartender. He had great recommendations and great service in general.