Reserved a table for a party of 8 online. Reservation was for 6:30. We showed up around 5:30 and checked in and got seated around 5:45. Service was quick. Food was great! Definitely recommend the mango passion lemonade and the birria taco appetizers. The appetizer was a bit small but FULL of flavor and very delicious! Ordered a piñata of course and that was amazing as well! read more

Came here with the family. My sister-in-law made reservations ahead of time and thank goodness she did. It was packed the Saturday after Christmas at 5:15pm! The place is huge and pretty freaking loud. Tortilla chips complementary - a bit oily but good. The sister-in-law said the fajitas are good here. They are fairly sized. My husband and I ate a couple hours earlier so we shared. Comes with a side of rice and beans. Tortillas to share. I thought it was good. I also ordered Strawberry Guava Lemonade - delicious! Overall, it was a good experience. Standard sit down place that is good for families. They had a special kid's menu for my nephew that he could draw on. read more

Our waitress was great! She frequently checked on us, had a genuine smile, and offered to bring an extra plate when she found out I was ordering a kid's meal for twins. It's the little things folks! We had a large party but I felt like all the food arrived within a reasonable time. Then again I was busy munching on their complimentary chips and salsa practically the whole time. These are dangerous! Light and crispy so it doesnt feel like you're ruining your meal. I ordered my steak fajitas medium rare and they came out nicely minus a couple of thinner strips. It was quite a lot of food if you ask me. The entree came with flour tortillas and a side of rice and beans. There's also a side of fixings that included sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, and pico de gallo. The steak was well seasoned and overall I enjoyed my meal read more

Uncle Julio's - Fajita skirt steak cooked medium rare - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Terrible reservation system. Maybe it was just the hostess that made the whole thing worse. I come in on a Saturday 7pm asked to put on the dining room waitlist. I get the confirmation text and go to the restaurant and they tell me my table is outside when I asked to be seated inside. Then they put me on the waitlist again and say "we have put you on priority waitlist" when I think they just put me at the end of waitlist. So many tables have been seated before me. And there's a lot of tables that are empty that would fit my party. I guess this is why people decide Guapos instead. read more

Uncle Julio's - Hostess - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

We came here to celebrate my sisters birthday tonight and my family were seated right away. It's highly recommended to make reservations beforehand. This place gets busy during happy hour/weekend and the wait can be long without calling ahead. When I arrived at the table I noticed some of the drinks were small. I asked her if the drink was new on the menu and she said no it's a swirl. Apparently they have changed the glass size of the swirls, I'm sad about this. Please bring back the regular sized mugs! Uncle Julio's is known for their tableside guacamole and queso, amazing I tell ya! The combination of both plus their signature salsa can make you rack up on the bowl of chips! Fish tacos and chicken enchiladas are my usual go-to but I went the fajita route. The chicken fajitas were so tender and juicy I enjoyed every bite. I can't forget about their cajeta (fried ice cream) so delicious! Too bad I didn't get to take a picture it was gone within minutes! Overall, decent service tonight. They have added new items on the menu, can't wait to try the shrimp tacos next time! read more

Uncle Julio's - Chicken Fajitas. - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

This will solely go to our waitress today Adela , front of the house terrible HOWEVER this woman is the queen of customer service ! Took care of us with a wonderful smile was super kind and attentive to my family . She made our experience amazing! . Thanks ! read more

Salad was great for takeout. I think I ordered the taco salad + steak. The steak was phenomenal. read more

Uncle Julio's - Salad with side of steak - steak amazing - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I was very happy with Uncle Julios! Parking was no problem behind the restaurant. I had lunch with an aquaintence and the service was top notch. We ate outside on the patio , weather was amazing as was the overall vibe. Food was delicious. I thought it might be hard to get parking here but surprisingly it was not. Great location and a great experience. read more

I love the steak fajitas here and their home made tortilla wraps are delicious. Their family fajita meals for 4 feeds our family is enough for several meals. It's not the cheapest place but I've always enjoyed the food every time I come here. read more

As Mexican joints go, this is a decent chain. The food was pretty fresh, rather tasty, and definitely not bland. The service was a bit slow at times, but over all very attentive and friendly. We were there for a birthday for a 13 year old. We ordered the chocolate pinata, which was a fun and creative dessert. The churros were subpar, but the fruit was fresh and the mini chocolate donuts were stellar. More importantly, it was a ton of fun for the birthday girl. For the adults, the drinks were pretty tasty. This goes for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices. The seasonal margarita was watermelon and it was great! Overall, better than most Mexican chains. It isn't without its flaws, but these are for the most part overlookable. read more

Great place excellent food totally different than other Mexican food I xtremely recommend

4 star for the food but only 1 star for customer service. Uncle Julio, you should train your employees how to respect clients! Maybe we are not Caucasian White so when I chose my seat, she just replied, oh I don't know how long it will take for cleaning that table. read more

Racist to Mexicans it made me wait an hour serves other people instead of us but mostly racist because a whit person came before us and had no reservation and got attended when it was full. read more

Uncle Julio's - Waiters , unfeeded people. - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I came here with my family on a Friday night and it was packed- definitely recommend making a reservation if you are going on a busy night! They served complimentary chips and salsa which were tasty and a nice touch. I ordered the carnitas tacos and was a bit disappointed- the meat was dry and difficult to eat. The corn toppings were good, but did not make up for the tough meat. The beans were tasty though! The servers we interacted with were kind and accommodating, but I do not recommend the carnitas tacos if you go here. read more

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When they stopped taking American Express they essentially said we no longer want my business. Not to mention I had service issues on my last visit and the prices are high. The food is good but I'm willing to bet I can find as good or better at the taco truck at my local gas station. read more

I went to Uncle Julio's for the fifth time with my mom at 4pm, and had a great time. First, let me just say, 4pm isn't peak time -- there was hardly anyone there and it was quiet which was nice. Oddly, their happy hour starts at 4:30 though so we couldn't get a drink until then. I got the meal with two enchiladas and carne asada--the bomb. Only took off one star because all though service was good once we got it, we did wait for about ten minutes or so before actually having someone come check in on us. read more

Uncle Julio's - Carne asada with Enchilada (Chicken, Beef or Cheese and Onion) - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

In one word "horrible". The food is tasteless, I ordered the carnitas tacos and the rice was hard, the beans taste awful. My son eats anything and he did not finish the beef enchiladas, that to me says a lot about the food. Never again! Server was nice! read more

This use to be one of my favorite places to go and have cocktails back in the day and spark up great conversations with random people at the bar. I love The Rio and I always will and this place has always been one of its staples. The service here has always been great, the food here has always been great and the customers here have always been. I don't think I can truly say anything negative about this place. It's a good time in all regards to a nice night out for dinner and drinks with your friends or while on a date . Stop in and try them out. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy! read more

i was pleasantly surprised by the service . the waiter was very nice everything was good Iwould recommend this place. read more

The chips and salsa and queso Blanco are the best ever. Salsa is smokey and flavorful. Hard to stop eating the queso. Taco platter for lunch today - all excellent. read more

Uncle Julio's - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Seems like the menu is generic Mexican fair: what many people think of when they think Mexican food, but don't know what Mexican food is or should be. Nothing of note here that is both vegan and gluten free. The roasted salsa is made up of burnt things and tastes like ash with the consistency of thin soup. read more

Could have been better service seeings this is the first time most people have been in a restaurant since months. The food is always pretty good, but this time I didn't feel like they where on point. You could kind of sense that some of the host staff and wait staff where not happy wearing the mask, which I don't blame them but it's what needs to be done for public health. Also I asked for the steak fajitas to be well done, they came out medium. My margarita wasn't the one I asked for neither was my friends. I think they gave us someone else's but the did fix the issue. read more

Uncle Julio's - Strawberry and grapefruit margarita - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

My husband and I have been here 4 times now and the service is ALWAYS GREAT! Last night was no exception. The place was absolutely slammed. I have no idea how they manage that huge space with outdoor seating too. It's a well oiled machine apparently. We waited about 30 minutes for a table outside. No big deal, it was a gorgeous night with live music. The server Ally had about a bazillion tables in her section and she greeted us and every single guest with a huge smile. She was so pleasant and accommodating. She had excellent suggestions and truly went so far above and beyond to provide amazing service. Our food was piping hot and delicious. Not one single thing was brought out wrong and I loved my tortilla chicken bowl and my husband loved his fajitas. For such a busy night, it's pretty par for the course to dine at a restaurant and have something go wrong. Not in Ally's section. She was amazing. We left feeling really, really good about our experience on such a ridiculously busy Saturday night. Thanks Ally!!! read more

Came here on a very busy Sunday night, luckily we made reservations for 7:30 and were seated immediately at that time. Tonight was my first time here despite being in the area already for quite some time. We began with two huge bowls of free chips and salsa which started the night on the right foot. Nothing special- just regular tortilla chips and salsa, but it was a nice to have something to fill ourselves while talking and waiting for our food. Now, looking at the menu, I must say I was quite turned off by the prices. Most dishes such as the fajitas and classic texmex orders were around $19.99 per person. My friend and I ended up ordering the carnitas fajitas for two for about $39 after tax. However, after seeing the portioning, I think you can understand why it's so expensive. We each got a plate of guac, cheese, sour cream, tomato salsa, rice, beans, and two tortillas, in addition to a HUGE plate of carnitas. Everything was absolutely delicious, and the carnitas reminded me of juicy, perfect homemade pulled pork. It was so flavorful and there was so much...we ended up having a decent size to take home afterwards. Service-wise, we only got to see a waitress a few times, but people need to understand that on a busy night your waiter simply doesn't have the time to ask you if you're enjoying your food after every bite. Tonight, our waitress got the job done. Though we didn't see her often, she got us refills and made sure we were all good whenever she had the chance, and that for me is great service. Like several other reviewers, the music is extremely loud. Unfortunately, it was hard to hear what my friends siting across from me were saying, so I do hope they'll consider our comments soon. This is a great place to go with friends and eat (and share) tasty food. I do wish they could shrink everything a bit- their portions and prices- however, this place definitely surpassed my expectations, and I'll consider coming here more often for special occasions. read more

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We came here for a quick toast to Cinco de Mayo & even with the massive crowd, our visit & service was good. Before we got the notice of a 1.5 hour table wait, we encountered the heavy police (6 officers) presence outside. & security at the door made sure anyone who was consuming alcohol got their ID checked & a wristband. Once inside, we saw the hostess to get a pager yet lucked up on a shared table in the bar area...thanks to a cool group of people. Our Server didn't skip a beat in managing his tables & giving out friendly service. A Sangria, a frozen Chambrod Margarita & a large Guacamole was our easy order as we sat back & people watched...lots & lots of people watching. Upon my next visit, I'll make sure to request the Tableside Guacamole, as the order we received left much to be desired with the overkill of shredded lettuce. Enjoyable visit. read more

Uncle Julio's - The Juarez - Pork Ribs w/Chicken & Beef Fajitas & side order of Bacon Wrapped Camarones. - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

The guac was flavorless, we had to ask for lime and salt to try and fix it but even then it was just barely edible. The steak bowl had basically raw steak when we asked for medium rare, and the veggie quesadilla was just okay. Our waitress was really nice and the manager was very accommodating with fixing the issue but we won't be coming back read more

So this was my first time at Uncle Julio's and man was it fantastic, it's a little pricey but you definitely get a lot of food for you buck. So I went with the smoked glazed Ribs and I think I made a fabulous choice, I also tried the chicken fajitas and they are amazing. Now everything on the menu is priced around 15+ but again you get a lot of food and it's worth every penny. Customer service was wonderful and you never have to sit around wondering when someone is coming to check on you or give you a refill on a drink.. fantastic place, I will be back soon read more

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Great food, loved the steak fajitas and margs! Really busy on Saturday night, seemed the staff couldn't keep up with keeping everything tidy (mainly floors). There was a 45min wait for a two top, so found a high top in bar area. Gets 4 stars easy without all the chaos. read more

Uncle Julio's - Uh oh...marg time to celebrate all our mom's!!! - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

The smokey salsa here is to die for. Beef tacos were good, not excellent. The other person with me loved her shrimp fajitas. Good service in a relaxing atmosphere. I will return again soon to try the fajitas and a margarita. read more

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2/27/21 I have been to this restaurant a number of times and each time was a wonderful experience.  I haven't  been back to this place in a while.   I use to take my girlfriends to this restaurant when I lived in Rockville Maryland.  My most current girlfriend is now my wife and I took her here some time after I asked her to marry me. I remember when my parents introduced me to the Rio Grande in Bethesda Maryland.  It use to be near the old Mill,  but then was relocated  to another area in Bethesda.     Prisendnt or ex-president Bush are at this restuarant.  Whatever chair he sat in was painted red, white and blue.  On two occasions I had sat in that chair when visiting that restaurant.  My favorite meal is the camarones brochette. This is a shrimp...excuse me...a jumbo shrimps sliced open with jalapenos  slivers inserted with cheese and finally wrapped in bacon  and grilled to perfection.   The name of this dish changes depending on which restaurant you may visit, but Uncle Julio's I think has made  camarones brochette the best so far.  Now if you have read a lot of my reviews,  you know I don't like Spicy food. I always remove the jalapenos before eatting the camarones brochette. I hope to revisit this location again one day. read more

I recently dined here for lunch with colleagues from work and we were far from impressed. My colleague ordered the seared shrimp burrito bowl and the shrimp were REALLY small. While I appreciate that lettuce wraps are available for fajitas as a low/no carb option, the kitchen staff should probably do more quality control as shown in a couple of the lettuce leaves that arrived to the table. The customer service could definitely improve as well-the staff forgot to bring tortillas to the table for someone who ordered fajitas and forgot that we asked for more chips. We dined during lunch time during the week and it wasn't a full house so some of these issues couldn't have been an oversight. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Was there on a Friday night at 7 pm. It was really crowded and loud inside. Went there on a recommendation and food and beer was very delicious(!). Hat a steak fajita, steak was perfectly medium and really tasty. But -1 star as our waiter was slow and missed to ask if we were fine during our stay. Maybe another waiter would've been better. read more

This business has gone downhill. I didn't know you could still order drinks to go. I understand why people are doing it because the food is substandard. The food me & my guest ordered had less than 4 pieces of meat and they were totally different dishes. It's not worth the price we paid (no it was not a happy hour plate). Will not return. I would rather make my dish at home vs. being ripped off at Uncle Julio. Shameful!! You no longer have to wonder why you don't have customers. Withholding products that are vital to the dish is the reason, now you can fire the person that tells the person preparing the food not to place the correct amount... I'm sure the vegan option is awesome read more

The quesadillas, nachos, tacos, enchiladas are your choice chicken, pork, steak or shrimp. They were good not spectacularly amazing but yeah fresh and quality you can taste. The chocolate piñata looks amazing. It is filled with fruit and churros. They have wide selection of alcoholic beverages and modern cocktails. The ambience is very impressive; it's a traditional architecture that is very authentically Spanish colonial Mexico. The service is also friendly and professional. read more

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I have been coming here for years but today's experience will not have me coming back. At the bar we are waiting more than 45 min to get our food. I couple next to us ordered the same two dishes as us but asked for carry out. They were in and out in less than twenty minutes. How can they give preference to a carry out order. The server said they put carry out orders to the front. Really how ridiculous? Did she just make that up? Originally 2 stars but upgraded to 3 stars: We told the manager what happened. He promptly apologized and researched the situation. Then made our meal free. Kudos to the manager. Maybe I will come back again. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Shoutout to the best waiter ever: Rodrigo! Rodgrio served our group of 18 adults and kids so well; he went out of his way to make sure all of us were comfortable and happy. He refilled our chips and salsa frequently while we hungrily awaited our food to come and even hand made us a special spicy salsa. Just from the short conversations with Rodrigo, we felt so welcomed at the restaurant because of his hospitality! Our group came here for Mothers day dinner celebration and man was it packed! There was a long wait even though we made a reservation, but that is understandable with a weekend dinner. I am very impressed that none of our 18 orders got mixed up or incorrect, so kudos to our waiter and the kitchen. Now onto the food: my family ordered chicken and steak fajita and shrimp fajita. These 2 orders were more than enough for our 3 stomachs because we ate A LOT of chips and dip. The chicken and steak were charred nicely and fajitas are always a classic with the guac, pico de gallo, soft tortillas, rice, and charred veggies. The shrimp fajitas are good for people with a sweet tooth because the shrimp has a sweet sauce and it is paired with charred pineapple and mango and jicama slaw. I forgot to bring my own to go containers, which I regret a lot so if you come REMEMBER YOUR TO GO CONTAINERS because literally every family I saw was carrying a to go container home. Also, a note to Uncle Julios: please dont give every single person a plastic straw. Because not everyone needs a straw and that's just a waste then. Anyways, I had a wonderful experience at Uncle Julios and when I come back, I will ask specifically for Rodrigo! read more

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This is one of my fave places to dine on special occasions. I love the chocolate exploding dessert and the food. The location is perfect right on the waterfront at the Rio. The place is lively and always full. It's a community staple for those that love good Mexican food and a great atmosphere. read more

For both my birthday and my dad's - my family went to Uncle Julio's to celebrate. I don't know why but my sister ordered the chocolate pinata which is probably for like 10 people. Anyways, it came out as a surprise, and it was pretty cool and we smashed the chocolate open and ate about 25% of it, then packed some to take home. Other than that, the fajitas were on point - delicious and the server was attentive for the most part. Table-side guacamole was pretty delicious too. Pretty crowded/busy although we went on a Wednesday night. read more

Uncle Julio's - The chocolate pinata - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Amazing meal - the table side guacamole was delicious. The Jefe margarita is huge (enough for 2). And the fajitas are delicious. The best part was our incredible server, Helen. She is incredibly attentive, quick, thoughtful, and helpful. She makes us want to come back again and again. She was so helpful with our kids and made their experience and ours such a special one. read more

Uncle Julio's - Pinata birthday dessert! - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I feel bad giving this review because the place was absolutely packed because it's the holidays and I don't want to seem unappreciative of the lunch my team was treated to or the staff, who genuinely seemed to be trying their hardest, but they could do far better here. Pros: The queso was good and I enjoyed the salmon I ordered for the most part, even though the presentation wasn't that great and the portion was way too large for an item on the lunch menu. Would've been completely happy with half the fish but double the quality at the same price. Cons: Many. We were seated nearly 20 minutes after our reservation. To be fair, there was quite a large group in there that day and the staff seemed to be having a hard time turning the tables over. The cocktails my coworkers ordered were exceptionally weak. The server did offer to have them remade but it wasn't worth the hassle. We ordered queso and guac for the table of 7 and rather than having the forethought to bring us small plates ahead of time, we had to request them. I will say everyone generally enjoyed their meal but the execution and food quality could use some work. read more