We were doing some shopping in the Gainesville area and live in Leesburg. We decided to give the Uncle Julio's in Gainesville a shot. I was blown away at their service opposed to the other location we usually go to. There was a small error when my food came out, but it was quickly corrected. I big shout out to the staff of Uncle Julio's. We're planning on having my boyfriends birthday there in May and I hope Reagan will he there to host. Have recommended everyone this location since that visit. read more

I'm not sure with the draw is for Uncle Julio's; it's just another typical Mexican restaurant; on top of that, it's too damn loud, it seems pricier than most, and the prices don't reflect a higher quality of service or food. The drink orders were messed up. I ordered a gin and tonic with lime, I received a plain seltzer with lime. My wife ordered a classic margarita, without syrup; it came out sweet anyway. When we pointed this out, I did eventually get a correct gin and tonic, but it was surely a stingy pour. They explain to my wife that the lime juice they use has syrup; she decided to go with wine. I had beef fajitas, my wife had fish tacos; meh. You could get this stuff anywhere; why pay a little more to come here? It was not the worst experience, but it wasn't good enough for me to go back to. Solid two stars. read more

Opening week, the place is slammed! What 5 stars?! Yep. Looking at everything, this place is fantastic. Parking was easy, and even though there was a wait when we arrived, the patio is first-come first-serve. So we grabbed a spot outside. My wife and I enjoyed the food, everything tasted fresh and delicious. My wife had steak fajitas and I had beef enchiladas. This and a few adult beverages only came to $50; which I fine fair for dinner. Service was great, being slammed as they were, I expected a bunch of disorganized servers bumping into each other. This was the opposite, all of the servers were rushing around, but everyone was helpful and service oriented. Outside seating was nice, inside was really loud... again it was packed. I tried to think of things that I could take points off; everything considered, nothing came up. If you are hungry for Mexican, put this place on top of your list as must try. read more

Uncle Julio's Gainesville - Outside patio, nice ambiance. - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Virginia

If you go there to eat it's fine. It's chain food Tex mex.But.. DO NOT EVER ORDER DELIVERY OR A DELIVERY SERVICE. They just can't get it right. Plus the 3 star rating, you're better off at the many local family owned Mexican restaurants in the area. read more

Ordered carry out at 11:49 AM, email confirmation said it would be ready at 12:14. It's now 12:40 and nothing. Get it together, if I had ordered in the restaurant and it took that long I'd have walked out by now. read more

el peor resta que he visitado en mi vida! mala atención estuvimos hoy septiembre 22 y para comenzar nos sentaron en un rincon súper oscuro, segundo ordenamos las bebidas esperamos 20 minutos no las sirvieron el mesero Jesús pasaba atendiendo las mesas de alrededor of course white peoples! no recomiendo este restaurante para nada! Nos retiramos a buscar otro restaurante! read more

I saw the commercial several times and made a point to go have the great chocolate piñata! (No the technical name) They make excellent table side from scratch guacamole and the giant chocolate piñata was the most fun I've had with food in years! I would highly recommend you try this and the food is excellent! read more

See all

I came to visit a friend and his family week ending 2/18/23. We weren't able to get into a different restaurant that they like, so we went here. It was a BIG mistake. There was 8 of us. The waitress sat us down. There was only serving for 4 at the time, but she said she was going to bring them. She at first started off the conversation with that she was new!!! I knew it wasn't going to go well at that point. We ordered drinks, and had asked fir water fir everyone. She brought the wrong wine to the table. I asked for a chilled glass for my Beer. She didn't come back for almost 20 minutes. Never came back to fill the water glasses, never brought the chilled glass . She bc was clueless. We asked for silverware for the other 4 people, and had to steal some off another table bc she didn't come back with anything. We ordered dinner almost 45 minutes later. Most of the dinners were fine. She didn't bring a plate for me to be able to make my fajitas, I had to ask another waiter. I asked for a manager and asked to have a different waiter or waitress bc the other was inept. Ron came over and was terrific. They comped our dessert and the wrong glass of wine, which was nice of them. I left off the name of the waitress bc I think she knows she was terrible. She had glasses. Not a-lot of good reviews on here. I wouldn't ever go back there. read more

Finally, after living in the southwest for 10+ years and moving here 5 years ago, we found somewhere that legit uses red and green chile, not some nasty red sauce they say is chile. We would gladly drive up here from C'ville anytime, to get this instead of anything down there. read more

I spent over $100 there last night, and now myself and my family all have wicked food poisoning. AVOID at all costs! read more

Uncle Julio's Gainesville - I spent over $100 there last night and now myself and my family who ate there all have food poisoning. AVOID at all costs! - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Virginia

Review is for Gainesville, Virginia on 12/27/20. Was not impressed with the fajita bowl. All of the steak was mostly fat and very little steak was provided. Paid for to-go chips and guacamole for $15, received a lot of chips and about 1 tablespoon of guacamole (meant for the fajitas. Will not be going back here. read more

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

Worst service ever on a date night with the wife. We got seated immediately and sat down to be greeted by our server. I will leave his name out and wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't work there anymore. Took our drink order and off he went. He returned 15 minutes later after witnessing him walk around and converse with every other employee only to ask what we ordered as he forgot. I kindly informed him and another 10 minutes before we got the drinks we ordered. Not off to a great start but i stayed optimistic. The food only made it worse and sealed my opinion to never eat here again. Steak was about a quarter inch thick and reminded me of leather it was over cooked beyond what dogs would eat. Save your money and hit one of the other restaurants nearby. I sure hope the waiter gets parenting on how to become a young man and obtains some work ethic. Customer service is what you do and maybe you switch to a stockroom at nights where you have no customer interaction. read more

Our party of 4 was pleased with the entire meal from apps to dessert. Had Open Table reservation for 7:00 PM and were seated upon arrival. While the restaurant is large and they were full, it was not noisy and we could converse without shouting. Our server was attentive from beginning to end. She refilled our basket of chips 3 times and each basket was heaping. Loved the salsa, not too hot. We got the table side guac and it was on point. It was refreshing that we could tell him how much cilantro to add, how much onion, etc. so that our guac was tailored to what we like. We each had different meals from taco's to tamale's and everyone enjoyed their food. It was served on time, it was hot, the meats were tender and the dishes were flavorful. The sides - rice and beans - were excellent, as well. We had the chocolate lover's pinata for dessert and that was not only great fun, it was YUM! There were little donut-like balls inside the pinata and they were still WARM. Dip one into a sauce, run it through some chocolate and whipped cream and pop them in your mouth. Divine! Our server was excellent about checking with us for refills and drinks and I will say that I certainly enjoyed my Skinny Margarita's. They were not skinny on the tequila, for sure! While this is a chain and is a more "Americanized" version of Mexican food, I'd certainly recommend Uncle Julio's. read more

This place is amazing 100% recommended every food is worth the wait Queso is so good as well as the guacamole and salsa plus very good service read more

Now I remember why I dont go here very often. Waters came out 10 minutes after the chips and salsa. Appetizer came out with the entree. Entree was meager portions of the edge of the cuts of meat, overcooked and charred to the plate. For the sheer number of employees buzzing around, they were quite inattentive. read more

My friend and I went to Uncle Julios..Tio Julio for drinks. Busy Saturday with ebbs and flows. We scored a seat at the bar. We waited 20 minutes for a drink while a walk up to the bar got his before our order had been placed. When we ordered a meal we waited..waited..waited 20 plus minutes. A manager asked what we ordered. Other people sitting after us got their food quickly. We paid our full bill. No compensation for the delay in service from management or offer for dessert. Muy malo. read more

This place is horrible. Neither my wife or I could finish our meals. Waiter was never around. We complained about the food but never saw a manager. Don't waste your time or money. Total rip off. Take a ride and go to Chuy's in Fairfax for a great Mexican meal. read more

GOT FOOD POISONING HERE! When I had my mom call because I was too ill, she spoke with a manager who said she needed to speak with the kitchen manager she was put on hold for over thirty mins with out speaking to anyone. She called back again and was also put on hold for over thirty mins with out speaking to anyone AGAIN. Everyone here wasn't to avoid us and what they did! I have missed work so far for two days now. And let me add that I came here for my birthday dinner and have now missed out on time with my family, my son and my work from this read more

Ya know nic gaina is a hard working individual, If your ever at julio's ask for nic you won't be disappointed

Love this place! Great food and potent drinks. Especially love the "swirl" drink. Atmosphere is great!

We came here one night when we were craving Mexican food because it's just down the street from our house, and we see it all the time. So I was curious. We were seated right away, and the restaurant wasn't too crowded when we came in. There was some confusion with which server was supposed to take our table, but we were still greeted right away and served with chips and salsa. Their salsa is very good and different from what I'm usually used to from Mexican chain restaurants. It's slightly spicier, but I definitely enjoyed it. Our food was decent. Nothing really extraordinarily good or bad, but we had a good meal. I would definitely come back again for the convenience of the location, but it's definitely not my favorite. read more

The service was amazing! Mya was our waitress and she was excellent! The food was so fresh and delicious! The strawberry margarita was recommended and it did not disappoint! The guacamole was so fresh! We will definitely be back in the future! read more

A little more expensive than your usual Mexican restaurant, but its upscale ambience definitely makes the experience and the food that much more enjoyable. I will definitely try the chocolate piñata next time; the presentation of the dessert is unique and looks like a fun and sweet way to top off the night! read more

Uncle Julio's Gainesville - Fajita skirt steak - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Virginia

See all

I have eaten at Uncle Julio's for years and in several different locations ...but today was a standout because of the service. Took my son for lunch and our server Nick was so friendly and cool... he made excellent recommendations... it was just a really amazing experience. We had steak fajitas (perfect) and the coconut caramel ice cream dessert. Nick helped us make all the right choices. My son even said "this is the best meal we've ever had here." Truly. Go to the Gainesville location and ask for Nick! read more

I've been in this area for almost 2 years and I have not eaten at this location partly because it only has three stars on yelp. My neighbor told me it was good so since I love Mexican food I decided to give it a try. Upon my arrival I was surprised that it was only rated three stars because the atmosphere was very nice and it smelled good. Let's just say don't judge a book based on its cover. I can usually judge by the taste of the chips and salsa how the rest of the meal is going to be. Upon payment presented with the chips I have to admit they were fresh because they were still very greasy from the fryer. They were also paper thin and you could not scoop anything onto them without them crumbling in your hand. The salsa was not horrible but it wasn't that great either. It definitely was not spicy (which I prefer it to be spicy) and it was somewhat watered down. I ordered the tableside guacamole which I have to say it was excellent. The server that made it was also very polite and made sure to ask us how exactly you wanted it made. That's about all I can say was excellent though. My dish consisted of one beef enchilada, one chicken enchilada, one beef crunchy taco and a pork tamale. On the side it was rice and beans. The dish was presentable although it did look a little on the small side but I figured if taste was phenomenal I could trade that for having a huge dish front of me. Unfortunately the hardshell taco, ground beef, beans and rice tasted like they came from Taco Bell. I was not impressed and I would not get it again. My wife ordered three floutas two with chicken and one with rice. This was inedible for her as the ground beef again tasted like it was from Taco Bell and the whole thing was just dripping in oil. They resembled smaller taquitos or than anything else. When the waitress came by to ask how everything was she told her thehonest opinion of her dish and the manager came over and without question let us turn it in for another which was the steak fajitas. This was indeed better but for $22 you did not get a lot of steak. My mother ordered the shrimp tacos which since it had a pineapple mango salsa on top I really did not want to try it since that is not my favorite combination. I did try one of the shrimp which was tasty and there was plenty of. My mom was extremely happy with her dish and thought it was very tasty. I cannot rate the drinks or dessert as we did not order any. The restrooms I have to say were horrible. There were no toilet seat covers. Meaning not that they were out, they literally did not have any. No dispensers or anything. My wife even asked for some from an employee said who "they don't carry those there". It was urine on the ground and it was just unsanitary. The staff was extremely nice. The manager took the time to explain to me that they don't use Taco Bell meat, that everything was authentically made and what was the ingredients used to make the ground beef. I appreciate him doing that, unfortunately it's still tasted like Taco Bell. But I have to say the managers level of service was outstanding. We did have to ask for water refills a couple times but they were on the busier side. Our waitress was very nice and I tipped her generously. Overall I'd like to give this a 2.5 star review but yelp does not deal in half radians. Would I go back to this establishment? Probably not but I'd like to make it clear he does not because of the employees as I felt they were very nice and hospitable. read more

Had dinner last night for to celebrate my Mom's birthday. We used opentable.com to book a reservation for 6 people, on St. Patricks Day, we were seated immediately. Five of us had fajitas, all came out hot, wraps were fresh, drinks were always full. Our waiter AJ was fantastic, the rest of the staff that brought out our food was excellent. We did the pinata to finish up for the night and were delighted with the fresh fruit inside. Will go back. We frequent (at lease once a month) BJ's Brewhouse, next to Uncle Julio's, and I found Uncle Julio's the better choice. Thank you for a great night out with my family. read more

The chicken and steak fajitas were delicious! The steak was tender and the chicken was moist! For the appetizer we ordered chips with queso and guacamole- the queso was great and so was the guacamole but the portion size was pitiful only enough for one so not enough to share with a party of 4! Also they brought the appetizer and no plates! Took forever to get plates! The taco with beef salad came with no dressing and the dressing on the the side was a little too spicy! Chocolate piñata was a fantastic and dramatic dessert to be shared! However, the chocolate is waxy and the quality of chocolate could be improved! I give the this restaurant a 4 for food and a 3 for service! read more

Last evening we held a pre wedding celebration for our coworker at Uncle Julio's in Gainesville. I redeemed a Loyalty reward, The Appetizer Fiesta for 15. From booking it online with Brittany G. to our final bite it was amazing! Our high top table in the bar area was set up and waiting for our arrival. The abundance of food was remarkable and delicious. Our server, Adriana LaRiva was outstanding! She kept our food and drinks coming with the most pleasant and professional attitude and attention. Thank you to the Loyalty program, corporate, store management and Adriana for a perfect experience! read more

Visited this restaurant for curbside P/U on Cinco de Mayo. The restaurant was totally unprepared for the number of orders & people that night. I don't know who was in charge of managing the restaurant that night, but they deserve a very large demotion, if not to be fired. There weren't enough personnel to handle cooking, packing, & curbside serving! There weren't enough personnel policing the patio area where people stood without masks & no regard for social distancing. It was such chaos that the police showed up. Then, they ran out of food! So, after a 2 hour wait, we went home empty handed. Uncle Julio's was one of our go-to places here in Gainesville, but there was NO good excuse for this situation. Seeing how poorly this was handled, we will find another place to enjoy Mexican food. read more

We placed a take out order last evening! We first received the wrong order; went back waited, got the "correct" order, got all of the way home to find all of the meat missing for our taco dinner for 4! Called the restaurant, not even an apology, went back and picked up meat so we actually had a dinner! $70 for absolute trash!! Oh and the shredded cheese was moldy!!! read more

Wow! What a fun place. Attended with good friends and family for a birthday celebration. The food and service were spot on! Keep it up. We will definitely return! read more

Had a great time! The tequila list is a little pedestrian here... but my skirt steak was excellent, and the décor was perfect for the environment. The server was great as well. Not much to complain about. If this was in the city, it would be less impressive... but compared to the neighboring restaurants, it's a great option. read more

I'm a big fan of this chain, have dined in their restaurants all over the US. I've been to this location 4 times and every single time I've had a problem with the service or food came out late and cold. Probably the worst run Julios and the manager completely useless. Not to mention hired a staff of fools. I won't be coming back to this location. I've had my food cleared and have an empty water glass and an empty beer glass for the past ten minutes, meanwhile I'm one of 3 people at the bar and there and several people working, but are more worried about closing the bar than attending to their patrons who actually pay them. They close in an hour too... read more

eh. There is just so much better Mexican food around this area, there really is no reason to come to Uncle Julio's where you'll most likely wait a while for your table and pay a lot for your "just okay" meal. I'm not saying it's bad. It's not, it's good food. It's just really pricey for the what you get. In my opinion, the best thing they have is the bacon wrapped shrimp dish, which is pricey, but very good. The chips are good and get replenished quickly, and the tableside guacamole is way overpriced. Honestly, I"m not one to complain about the price of food, eating out is where all of my money goes...but I just don't feel satisfied when I've left here feeding my family of 4 for close to $100 with appetizers, NO alcohol and tip. Like I said, there are so many mom and pop shops that you can eat for less than half that cost and it's just as good, if not better. We've been for lunch and dinner and both times, servers dropped huge trays full of used dishes on the ground. Drinks and glass were everywhere. That is definitely a safety hazard that should be addressed. read more

This place looked really good from the outside but I have to say it's a pass. There are much better Mexican places in the area for much better prices. The Wife and I decided to do a lunch here since Friday night dinner had over an hour wait, so we thought it must have been good... unfortunately we were really wrong. The only saving grace was that our server was really nice and friendly. Now onto the awful food. We ordered the Fajitas for two and it came with the usual stuff, I will admit their tortillas are actually pretty good but come on, I'm not paying 50 bucks for Tortillas. We did a combo of chicken and steak, the chicken was ok but I don't know why they leave the skin on... yuck. Now what really pushed the meal into the death spiral is the steak portion of the fajita, I'm not a professional food critic but who uses steak with gristle in fajita meat??? I expect thin, lean steak when i make my wraps not ones where i feel like i'm chewing rubber. read more

Although the food was good, they looked sloppy on the plates, too oily & $$$uper overpriced! $79 for 2 with 1 appetizer & 2 not so fancy entree wasn't worth it! read more

See all

Food is fine service was lousy. Hire right people or at minimum honest people. Asked for booth table, the host (looks like high school kid) says there are none available. Really? I see clean booth tables with table setting at least every other tables with customers...and my party was sat in the corner by the door. Who knows maybe she doesn't like asians... then waitress comes and takes our order never saw her face again. Finally the guy who was serving water got us what we needed. Really? Would i go back to this place? You guess. These kids also needs understand what customer service means.. too spoiled... if you dont want to work, no one is stopping you... leave room for other folks who actually wants to work. read more

My boyfriend and I went here just about a week ago for a little night out. The service was wonderful out waiter was excellent, and he suggested the most incredible guacamole, which was made at our table for us. He also clearly conveyed the specials, and some menu items that we might be interested in. We also ordered margaritas, and I got the taco platter. The food was delicious and the service was speedy. Overall everything from our experience was incredible. And I will definitely be back to Uncle Julio's right away! read more

Ate here tonight. Had some enchiladas. They were nice and hot, and the cheese was tasty. This is not super complicated food so the fresh angle they take is a good one. This restaurant seemed understaffed. I'm not blaming our server, because she seemed super busy, but the service could have been a little more attentive. I wouldn't have minded some hot sauce on my food, but nobody asked if there was anything they could get me. By the time we left the place was really busy. read more

We arrived at our reserved time and were seated quickly. The waiter quickly took our drink order and the chips and salsa were brought over. Our order was then taken. Like two minutes later, our meals arrived. The waiter then "checked on us" once every five minutes. He rushed us through our meal, constantly interrupting our conversation and asking if we were done. I literally had to hold on to my plate and glass to keep him from taking it away. The quick evening out ended with the fire alarm being pulled, and allowed to continue sounding for more than 10 minutes. Give me a break. Not a good experience. read more