I've given this place a few chances and, unfortunately, I won't be back. The food is incredibly bland and the service slow, though friendly. The guacamole had almost no flavor to it which is a shame as I went there with a craving for good guacamole! Gainesville VA has a great, small Mexican place - I recommend going there and avoiding the huge wait at Uncle Julio's. (They do have a fantastic patio. But nearly all the restaurants around them have patios, so it's not a reason to go back.) read more

Great food and service every time my daughter and I come for dinner. The combo fajitas are our favorite and on weekends we love to add the lobster tail. read more

The food was okay, but I wasn't dazzled by it. Food was probably 4 stars. The service was maybe 2. The couple we went with had to ask for refills and extra tortillas for their fajitas. The waiter was just not attentive to us. Price was good for the food quality. Margaritas were fresh and very yummy. No beer on draft. Also, the music was entirely too loud. We could not hear each other at some points of the dinner conversation. read more

Walked out without eating. The gluten free menu I saw on line didn't exist. The hostess went to get it for us and came back telling me they had a gluten friendly menu (cross contamination). She never brought it. Next staffer went to the kitchen and came back and told me there were only 3 dishes on the entire menu and 1 was chicken with no marinade and no sauce. Every item on the menu is mesquite. Also it's Tex Mex not Mexican. Stick with Chipotle. read more

I am a regular here. I really like the chips and salsa here. The chips are thin and crispy, salsa is flavorful. My favorite food item is the steak tacos. I should have started out by saying that the first few times I came here they got my order wrong every time for some reason. It wasn't a big deal really they quickly fixed it. They have gotten it right lately, so that is good. I guess they got the kinks worked out. read more

Food was not even average. Overpriced shrimp dinner that was not even a Mexican dish. Retried beans that were watery without any flavor. Would never come back. Chips had fries in the basket. Don't waste your money. read more

As regular visitors of their Fairfax location, we are big fans. Their fresh ingredients and made from scratch recipes are a big draw for us. The Gainesville location still has some new store pains to get through, but after eating here already close to a dozen times I can honestly say they are powering through them!! Highly recommend if you enjoy QUALITY TexMex!! read more

My father and I ended up going here because I had a craving for Mexican and we had heard good things about it. It's on the pricier side for a Mexican restaurant, so I expected good food and atmosphere. Inside the restaurant was crowded with blasting music, so we chose to self-seat and dine outside. The area is a nice place to sit and allows good people-walching. The food, however, wasn't that great. It came out cold and wasn't spicy at all. Besides that, it didn't have an authentic taste, and actually tasted rewarmed. The enchiladas are not the way to go, as neither my father nor I found them appetizing. I probably won't return to Uncle Julios for a long time. read more

I've been to this location twice before but when I recently visited the restaurant with my family unfortunately the experience was not great. It was Monday evening and we were seated promptly. The server went over the specials as usual. We ordered the table side guacamole which was fantastic! After placing the main order we had to wait for approximately 30 minutes. It was unusual given that it was a Monday night and it was pretty quiet. The server didn't check up on us and we were left hanging waiting for the food to arrive. Once the food arrived it was subpar . The bean bowl was chipped and the plates were not presented well. I felt so sad as I'd spoken highly about Uncle Julio's to my family. There was no flavor in the food. Given the reputation of the restaurant I hoped the quality of the food should be amazing. Overall, the night was very flat. Wasted $$ and probably not returning back. One star for the guacamole! read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant- bar none- in the. State!!! I have never had a bad meal here. Everything is made fresh and tastes sublime. The wait staff is knowledgeable and extremely friendly. The tortilla soup is a must, as is cowboy queso. read more

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

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We had a girls night here and the food was amazing. The issue we had here is while we were enjoying good talk and trying to eat our meal the waiter kept coming to us asking if we would like boxes for our meals ... while we were still eating ? Umm.. we don't know if we need boxes yet we are still enjoying our meal ?! We were not even there for long. We literally had to tell the waiter that we were not done eating yet ?!!! And she asked us about the bill while we were still eating. Felt unwelcome and rushed ! Not going to go there again ! read more

Terrible Terrible Terrible! WORSE SERVICE EVER! Took forever to get our order, took forever to get our food. Took a drink order, got it wrong. When the food came out, the quesadilla was wrong! Took another 8 minutes to get another one out! How long does it take to melt cheese in a tortilla? Bill came out WRONG! Over charged on item. Took another 10 minutes to correct. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! read more

Wife and I stopped in for a glass of wine and a beer along with some chips and salsa. Sat in bar. Only two others in the bar. 5 to 8 wait staff scurrying around seemingly doing nothing. After 10 minutes flagged down waiter and got drinks. He brought us chips. Chips wsere foul smelling. Obviously fried in oil that had gone bad. Bartender agreed and brought us another batch of good chips. Restaurant was about 25% full. This restaurant has performed at one star rating for about three years. I stopped patronizing the restaurant for two reasons: length it took to get a drink and low food quality. At my last visit, I ordered 3 beef tacos. They were inedible - 90% fat and grizzle. Not going there again.....not even for a Dos Equus amber. read more

I stopped by Uncle Julio's a couple of weeks ago for a bite to eat with my wife and children, and I was beyond impressed and pleased with the experience. We were immediately greeted and sat, which was very pleasant, because we often wait for 5 minutes or so. After we were sat, our server swiftly brought us chips and salsa. The chips were fresh and the salsa was delicious. Our server brought our drinks out fast, and took our orders when we were ready. The music in the restaurant and the environment in general is quite awesome to say the least. Everyone was having a good time, including the staff. Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy their time working, which I probably have to give credit to the management for. I ordered the Chicken Fajitas, and when they came out, I was very impressed. They were smoking hot and looked absolutely great. The best part was how they tasted though. The chicken was so juicy and enjoyable. Paired with the veggies also provided on the plate, the fajitas I made with their homemade (and delicious) tortillas was some of the best Mexican food i've had in a long time. The rice and beans that came with the fajita was tasty too. The portion of chicken that I received was very comfortable, I definitely got my money's worth. I asked one of the workers for some hot sauce, and he gave me multiple options of sauce that they have, alongside a recommendation for their homemade spicy salsa. He brought me some to try and it was absolutely delicious. The spice and the savory made the sauce perfect to put on chicken. The staff all around was so caring, and really made this experience great. All the reviews about the food being less than amazing are dead wrong. My wife got the fish tacos, and was very impressed with how good they ended up tasting. My kids got the chicken tenders, and said they were some of the best tenders they've ever had. I cannot say enough good things about the service, staff, and the food here. If I could eat here every night, I would. If you're on the fence about giving this place a try, you're missing out. One of the best restaurant experiences i've had in a long time. read more

Been to this place multiple times, but this last time really ruined our experience. One of the glass mugs that holds the margarita shattered upon picking it up by the handle and all the frozen margarita spilled over my girlfriend and her food. We weren't offered a replacement meal, just an offer for the manager to pay for another drink instead. I was shocked--it was totally their fault and the most they could do was offer a drink. She was soaked--she wanted to leave and I had to end up taking our food to go (mainly my food because her food was wet). The servers response: "this has never happened before". Managers response: "this broken glass should have never gotten to the table--it won't happen again". I'm not sure we'll be back to Uncle Julio's, the food was good... but it's the principle, and the experience that keeps our business. $61.00 and a girlfriend with alcohol spilled all over her outfit. What a Sunday date night...RUINED! read more

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

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First time visiting this location. They were mildly busy so we got seated 20 minutes later. Got the worst table they could find us. We had a child with us and got seated where they kept opening the outside door constantly with it being cold outside. It made it miserable to eat our dinner. We had to ask for pretty much everything menus, utensils, drink refills, Plates for appetizer didn't even bother to dry them) and beans (which he messed up). We then sat there for 20 minutes waiting for our server to come back so we could ask for a check. Don't think I will be going back here. read more

Love this restaurant! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I've enjoyed every meal I have eaten.

Uncle Julio's is our absolute favorite. The salsa is one of a kind and has the best flavor ever. We have been eating at Uncle Julio's for at leat 20 years and you can't beat the flavors. Everything is so fresh, especially the in house made tortillas. They are hot and pillowy soft! Can't get enough of this place. It isn't the cheapest place in town and it isn't true, authentic Mexican more like tex-mex. But it is deliciious!! read more

The manager, Brian was rude, sexist, and unprofessional. I walked in and sat with my friends with my ESA. (Who is well-behaved, quiet and calm). Brian immediately came over, very aggressively, and from several feet away started loudly telling me I had to "take that dog out". She couldn't be there. He said I don't care if you've got papers, it's a health code violation. She is a registered ESA, Which I stated, and he said, I don't care, you can sit outside, we will turn the heaters on for you. but you can't be in here. Not 10 minutes later, a man walked in with his dog, and he was permitted to sit inside the restaurant. If it was a health code, violation issue then it wouldn't matter if it was a service dog or an ESA. I was able to speak to another manager who was respectful and listened, but as a veteran with PTSD, I am DISGUSTED, that people with mental health issues are treated this way. Brian's assumption was that I was probably some ditzy girl that didn't want to leave her dog at home, but there was no question, rudeness or loud disruptive behavior for him when he came in with his dog. I stated that I have been permitted to bring my ESA to the other uncle Julio's in the area, and Brian said "I will be calling to make sure that stops". Honestly, if I hadn't driven an hour to be there to meet my friend, I would've walked out. Not to worry to all the bartenders and servers out there, I did not let his asinine and idiotically behavior affect the tip I left for her. read more

The service was great! Our waiter was fast and attentive, but the quality of food was poor. While the food may be made from scratch, it's no guarantee of fresh, delicious food. I spent 7 years living in El Paso, TX and grew to love Mexican food. It's fresh, citrusy, and, to varying degrees, spicy. Uncle Julio's hits none of those notes. Everything was way too sweet and lacked the subtle heat that is the calling card of good Tex-Mex. I do not recommend this restaurant if you are looking for good Mexican food. read more

When we got to the restaurant, we were told it would be 15 minute wait but it ended up being 39 minutes. People that came after us, were seated before us and were already eating when we were seated . The staff did not tell us that there was a first come first serve section . When we approached the staff about it, they did not even apologize . The food is ok and nothing out of this world. The server gave us the wrong check twice. Not going back read more

I've been to this restaurant once and loved it. I've only been once because I'm a new mom and I just don't get out much...but I plan to go back! The food tastes FRESH and delicious! I went during the lunch hour and was impressed with the large portions. The guacamole, which others have talked about, is just delicious, yum, YUM! The wait staff were courteous and it felt up-a-notch...without snootiness. Super friendly people serving delicious food in a classy setting. Loved it. I had the steak and chicken fajitas. Also the sangria (they have both on-the-rocks and frozen-style). Fantastic food. I WILL be back! read more

Today a late lunch here is really poor! Service is poor, server poor, slow correction on effort. Ordered black beans instead and came at end of meal! Steak fajita good but daughter says "no more Uncle Julio's! Will have to pick another "go to" Mexican style dinner spot! Been here four times and dinner is pretty pricey! Did much better last time with veggie quesadillas and fajita steak quesadilla! Still going to hit you for $20 bucks a person for meal but they are generous with proportions! Not a fan of their salsa but Queso is good! read more

Good eats. Enjoyed the time. Closed the shade just perfectly when it started raining.

I visit this uncle Julios pretty often and I am in love with the food. a few days ago, I decided to sit at the bar for food and drinks. The bartender that attended me was Nickie and her drinks were phenomenal. In addition, she provided great service, provided recommendations, and was very professional. I would recommended drinks from her to anyone as she made the drinks fast and were delicious. Five stars hands down!! read more

Good Mexican food and convenient location for movies. Sometimes very noisy but generally ok. Nice to sit outside when weather allows.

I really looked forward to my visit to Uncle Julios. Many of my friends hyped it every time we talked about good restaurants. We went on Vet day and the wait was about 15 minutes. We were greeted promptly by our server who explained that all the food was made fresh. I had a steak taco and beef enchilada platter. The food was really good. I thought the steak taco was extraordinary. The meat was cooked to perfection. The server did a great job of checking in. The only thing I didn't care for was the cheese dip that came with our appetizer. The only thing that kept this place from getting five stars is partially because of the appetizer. If I could give a 4.5, I would. read more

i love Mexican food and margaritas so when we saw uncle julio's so close to out hotel we had to try it. It was OK - i have had much better. about $85.00 with tip for two entrees and two margaritas - pricey for mexican. overall you can get a better meal and a lower price within a stone trow. read more

Avoid like the plague if you need to be somewhere (like a concert). Had a 630 reservation. Arrived and were told that they have a table for us in 15 minutes. That's their "policy." That's right. The policy is to make you wait 15 minutes even if you arrive for a reservation. Ours finally buzzed at 658. When we did get in, service was slow. Do yourself a favor: Go somewhere where "reservation" means that you get seated at the reserved time. read more

We eat here often and have never had a bad experience, but when we ate there last night we had an EVEN BETTER experience thanks to our awesome waiter NICK! Nick provided the best wait service we've EVER had, even compared to very fancy restaurants. We never had to ask for anything, he was always ready and knew what we needed before even we did! Not to mention, Nick is very genuine and makes you feel right at home. Thanks Nick!! read more

Have been here for lunch twice since it opened. They have got everything right! Food quality, portions, service... All spot on. There are a lot of options for dining in Gainesville, but service or quality have ruled most out for my family. Give Uncle Julio's a try and I'm sure you'll enjoy it! read more

This place absolutely lives up to the original Uncle Julio's standards... and then some! The best staff, top to bottom. The food is amazing great! And they have the absolute best drinks around with the absolute best bar tenders. They deserve to be on TV as the experts that always outshine the competition. Truly professional in every way possible! read more

Actually this is no rating ! Made reservations a few months ago and arrived on time as it was a date night for my husband and I. Waited to be assisted as my husband was parking the car. The hostess made eye contact with me and smiled as she was assisting someone ahead of me. Other people came in and were called on by the hostess to be assisted. When I stated to her that I was waiting to be assisted next, the hostess told me that she did not see me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I requested to speak to the manager and he stated that the hostess was young and made a wrong statement. What???. He offered to serve us, but we waited for several minutes as other people were coming in and being seated. We left of course after having to wait, not only after being insulted, but even with having a reservation. We were trying to give them a chance to correct their wrong. Have never and will never go back. This still upsets me. It used to be my favorite restaurant in Gainesville, VA. Why spend your money where you are not appreciated?!!! read more

Love Uncle Julios, their fajitas and chips and salsa are truly the best around!! Always fresh too, their tortillas are super soft and yummy too! read more

A neat customizable experience but watch the salt! They don't ask if you want it and our preparation included way too much. read more

Uncle Julio's Gainesville - Guacamole prep station. It's neat to watch them slice lemons with a large machine! - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Virginia

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The food isn't terrible, but it's drastically overpriced and the service has been very slow nearly every time I've been there. Also, the servers go out of their way to state that the cooks can make many items that are not on the menu. However, they refuse to put sour cream on enchiladas for some reason, which totally defeats the purpose of stating that they have the ability to make custom dishes. It's an absolute joke that you must have sour cream on the side and it takes them 20 minutes to get it for you. The only reason I go to this joke of an establishment is because my wife loves it. I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

We have been to the one in Brentwood TN and it was very good. This one did not disappoint. Their table side guacamole is delicious. I ordered their taco salad with ground beef and it was excellent a huge portion and I could only eat half. read more

I made a reservation for Saturday evening. They did say to come in earlier so they could have everything situated. There was a little wait, but I didn't mind as it was really busy and the staff was friendly and working their hardest. It does irk me when some restaurants just stand around. We had a really nice server who kept checking back in on us. The food was amazing...I've only had Uncle Julio's one other time at the Fairfax location, and I swear I don't remember the food being that great. I will be back again to enjoy the food! read more

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

This Uncle Julio's location has a lot to be desired on their staff. The food is awesome, but the service has a lot to be desired. I don't think I have once had a waiter/waitress ask if I had a loyalty card (which they should be promoting that big time). I have been given a free app buffet for 15 people, even had everything arranged (reserved table, food etc) and when we showed up they had no clue what we were there for. The manager at the time was HORRIBLE..not sure if he is there still. Since this restaurant location has opened... the service hasn't been great. Wish you could train people the right way... read more

I went here for a birthday dinner and the food was amazing!! Donate was the waiter and his service was excellent! I would highly recommend the steak fajita and for desert we got the chocolate piñata. The fruit in the piñata was fresh and sweet, it is defiantly worth the money. The 30 min waits was worth it!! read more