Great family dinner here out on the patio on a beautiful Tuesday night. We enjoyed the house guac, margaritas, and of course the famous complimentary Uncle Julio's salsa. Special shoutout to the bacon-wrapped shrimp which was cooked to perfection and the quesa birria-- delicious! Our son also enjoyed the chicken quesadilla; he ate the whole thing. Service was friendly and attentive. Will be back! read more

Particularly note that the restaurant was about 1/5 full at the time of our visit on a Sunday, with what could reasonably be called a full staff of waiters, food delivers, etc. The one star goes to a random food deliverer who was not assigned to our table, yet decided to help us. Our waiter was a joke. He stood behind the bar area 95% of the time that he was supposed to be waiting tables, doing absolutely nothing. It took him 15 minutes to take our drink order and another 15 minutes to bring SOME of them. He forgot others and never brought them. After a 45-minute wait a passing food deliverer could tell that our group was ready to leave, and kindly took our order and filled our missing drink orders. We received our food in a reasonable time afterwards, but the waiter's follow-up simply did not happen. Just a joke. As for the food...five people agreed that it was bland and missing elements of the dish. Missing sides, missing dressing, etc. If you own and/or manage this restaurant, it's time to catch up on what your staff is doing. Or rather, what they are not doing. We won't be back and we'll pass this feedback along. read more

Very few people in the restaurant and the service was still incredibly slow and the waiter messed up 3 orders. Taco salad shell was cold, stodgey and nearly stale and salad was mostly lettuce and very bland.. Strawberry basil mocktail was bland too. The Chocolate pinata was good but the food and service were subpar. read more

The service was slow and inaccurate and slow again The food was wrong and wrong again There was no one working the front, so we stood there for 15 minutes and just eventually sat at the bar. The bar tender didn't know how to bartend, make drinks, take orders, server food, or refill empty glasses. Overall a nightmare of an experience. No one should eat here. Ever. read more

Visited for the first time in a while on a Thursday. It wasn't particularly busy, chips and salsa came out quick, service after that was slow. We didn't get plates and it took a while to get our drink orders in. We would've put in an order for appetizers, but since it took a while to get service, we didn't want to wait and went straight to entrees. Entrees were good. Sides left much to be desired. Rice was undercooked and hard for everyone. I'm not sure if my rice was made differently, but it wasn't the same color or taste as others in my group. My order was supposed to come with beans, but they never came. The fish tacos are good. Everything is served hot and the establishment itself is spacious and clean, but overall the experience is lackluster. read more

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They've fallen off BADLY!!! The food is no longer good. There was a time I'd come in here 3/4xs a week. Now I barely come once a year. Unseasoned, sour smelling steak/chicken. My food and a few others at my table didnt like our food. Everyone needed heavy salt and pepper and the steak had a sour smell. 1 person said hers was spoiled, but it may be a marinade or something? I don't know, I know I didnt enjoy my food though. The manager and my server is tje only reason for 2 stars. I had a party of 19 and they were very accommodating and pretty attentive for the most part. So thst got them the extra star. Foodwise it was a 1 and I probably wont return sadly. read more

Food was solid but invest in some climate control , resturant was insanely hot A commercial fan was plugged in but that's not ideal read more

Went with the intent of ordering their carne asada, (used to be the best of any restaurant) to celebrate a birthday. So disappointed when our waiter came back to tell us there was none. How do you run out of one of your specials? at 4 p m . We should have finished our guacamole and left while we were ahead of the game. We really didn't want anything else. ordered the shrimp fajitas and my date ordered steak fajitas. we don't know what kind of meat they used but it was not steak. The shrimp were tiny and not a good quality . No fajita seasoning on either. Mushy onions and very little peppers. This is not anywhere near authentic Mexican cooking. I make better shrimp fajitas. Our waiter, Dave, felt bad but he's not the cook. We've been to this restaurant and the former on North Ave. a hundred times in the past 40 years. Never thought it could go downhill so bad. Hire a chef and buy some quality food or just lock the doors. I hardly ate any of my dinner. Brought it home to try and doctor up the shrimp. Might be hopeless. The margarita on the rocks had a strange taste, like mango or something. The waiter brought me a second one. Not much better but very little tequila if any. The first clue to the downhill of this former excellent restaurant that was always crowded: the landscaping was not kept up, but full of weeds and tall grass and there were was barely 10 customers in the restaurant. The one star is for the salsa, which is still very good. Wish I had taken photos. read more

Came here with a group. The restaurant was basically empty, so you'd think the service would be faster. But it took 40 minutes for drinks to come out and another hour for the food. The service was terribly slow and even when the food finally came out, those who ordered the steak fajitas didn't get it cooked to their requested doneness. Possibly the worst dining experience I've had. Would not come back here or recommend read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Lombard, Illinois

I used to come here almost monthly for a girls dinner and LOVED the vibe, staff and overall feeling of the restaurant. Went in tonight after not coming in for a while and had mixed feelings. Their menu changed and it's more Tex-Mex style with rice/beans complimentary but only on request. Thought that was a little off but okay. I got the chicken/steak fajitas and they were good but I noticed the portion was much less than before. Service was also not the best. Server was really annoyed that my friend was running late and seemed to have attitude the whole night. When we asked about dessert he said "it's on the paper on the table, but it's only 3 things" and walked away. It wasn't on the happy hour drink menu, it was on the regular menu...that he took from us after he took our orders earlier. When we paid it was almost forced upon us to give a tip (which we always do anyway) and the server was literally staring you in the face while saying "press pay" under the 20% tip. His name was Daniell. I felt super uncomfortable! Not sure if this is the norm, but if it is this needs to change. And if he wanted me to not be seated until my friend came, or if he wanted us to leave so he could go home he could've just told me something instead of acting how he did all night. I also thought it was weird that it was not even halfway full for a busy Friday night. It used to be filled with people waiting to be seated for over an hour (because I'm one of the people who used to wait). We won't be returning. read more

We went there yesterday to celebrate a birthday! We walked in and the place was dead and it was hot as heck in there! Found out They did not have AC ALL SUMMER LONG and they weren't getting it fixed!!! They had one small fan trying to cool down a whole restaurant. Are you kidding me? How do you expect your guests to enjoy a dinner while sweating to death?! We got up and left ! The place really has gone downhill now due to corporate. The also looks dirty and dingy! Love Mexican food but won't be going back! This really has to be addressed!!! read more

Came here with my wife. I've been to Uncle Juilos before, but here's my first review of them. We were seated quickly. We had just arrived before a larger group. By the time we seated, within a few minutes, it got busy fast. I love their tortilla chips. I ordered margaritas and their soft shell tacos. Although there were only 3 tacos, there was plenty of meat, rice, and beans. It was a lot of food. Service was relatively quick. I've never had a bad experience at Uncle Juilos. Just be mindful that service can slow down if they get busy. read more

We were seated next to the kitchen which was noisy, so we asked to be moved to a booth near the outside wall, and they accommodated our move. Way better away from kitchen for noise volume! We enjoyed our margaritas (1/2 price 3-6 pm weekdays), our table side guacamole, chicken enchiladas, and chicken fajitas. Not sure if it's real chicken breast or a pressed type, but the preparation was excellent and flavouring was nice. I thought maybe someone should have warned me re the large hot pepper in my skillet. I'm allergic to heat. But, waitstaff was great, very present and helpful. Overall, a great meal. read more

Uncle Julio's is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. It was the first restaurant I tried in Chicago, and I've been back at least 3-4 times since. For a Saturday date night, we decided to return and found the place packed with about an hour-long wait. Fortunately, my husband's gold membership allowed us to shorten our wait time, and we quickly got seats at the bar for drinks. Both drinks were delicious and refreshing, and we enjoyed chips and salsa while waiting. Once seated, our server Jeremy greeted us promptly and brought another basket of chips and salsa. He was very knowledgeable about the menu, answering our questions about different dishes and the fresh fruit of the day. He also brought us a spicy salsa that had a nice aftertaste rather than being outright hot. Our food arrived quickly and was, as always, delicious. We even got a small side of hot sauce for our fajitas, which added a great kick. As vegetarians, we appreciated that they offered cilantro rice and black beans with the vegetarian fajitas instead of the usual Spanish rice and pinto beans. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and will definitely be back, both by ourselves and with friends! read more

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Food terrible they have lost their way not the Amazing service and food it use to be , it will close with one worker a night serving

We've eaten at Uncle Julio's restaurants for years, well over a decade. Not sure what's happened, but the quality of the food has gone down. I used to get the pulled (shredded) chicken, but we found out it's not gluten free. Bummer. Switched to the mesquite-grilled chicken, but it's terrible. The last two times I ordered my chicken this way, it was dry (not juicy), hard (not tender), and the smoky, "mesquite-grilled" flavor tasted just ... burnt. It has this bitter, acrid taste, and it's overwhelming. Not pleasant at all. The chips are excessively greasy now (my husband's former fave), my rice was sticky and clumped together. UJ is just not what it used to be. Probably won't go back. read more

Came on a Friday night with a fairly large group. They requested half our party be present before being sat, which is totally reasonable. Chips and salsa were constantly refilled. However, water was not. I had the el Jefe margarita, and it was spicy. On the menu, it states max 2. I had one on this visit. For my entree, I had the chicken tortilla bowl. I felt that it was very salty. Server did decent for our large group. read more

Uncle Julio's - El jefe margarita - Mexican Near Me - Lombard, Illinois

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it's was very hot in there they really need some air i was very uncomfortable.Its to hot out side not to have air inside a nice place like this. read more

This place has jumped the shark. Ordered carry out that was $70 and received 3 of the skimpiest orders of quesadillas and a "large" queso that was $12.75 for a small soup container- what a joke. On top of that they changed the queso recipe and it's terrible now. Last time for us, it used to be good but not anymore read more

Food was great as well as David our server. Kyle seated us, was very processional and had a good sense of humor. We will be returning read more

Father's Day @ 6 pm. Party of 5. Restaurant was filthy. Dirty tables everywhere. We had a reservation and were seated on time. Slow waiter approach. He took our drink order, and informed us food would take at least 40 minutes. When he brought the drinks, we ordered our food...and that was the last time we saw our waiter...until he brought the check, and asked how everything was. Someone brought us a basket of chips and salsa. We tried to get more chips, but there was nobody anywhere in sight to even ask. 45 minutes later, someone brought us our food. The fajitas were served without tortillas. We had to flag down a busboy to get them because we hadn't seen our waiter since we got our drinks. The food was very good. No complaints whatsoever. The noise in the restaurant was louder than anyplace I've ever been to. We couldn't hear a word anyone at our table was saying. If i were rating the food, I'd give it a 5. Service and ambience each get a 0. We will not return. read more

Years ago my husband and I had a babysitter cancel on Valentine's Day. We decided to bring our four young daughters to Uncle Julio's to have a family date night. We were thrilled to get a table last minute. It has become our new tradition. This year I reserved a table for 6 at 6pm. When we arrived we were told they did not have our reservation in the system. I showed my confirmation text message and was told, "I don't know what to tell you. We don't have you down and we don't have a table." I've never experienced a more rude hostess in my life. So now our tradition is over. read more

Tex mex, always consistent. Being Latino, I've always appreciated that they make their tortillas fresh in house. They did change the way they prepare their guacamole, size was a bit small for a large for 3 people, could have been a bit more flavorful. Had the steak bowl with cauliflower rice which was very tasty, steak enchiladas and the Al Pastor tacos were good, not a blow you away kind of meal, but it certainly was enjoyable. The grand finale...the churros were the highlight, as they were fresh, tasty, and had a crisp lightness to them. Drink specials were offered and service was very attentive. Be careful not to over indulge on the chips, they are thin, crispy, and will be gone before you blink an eye! Make a reservation, highly recommended. read more

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Perfect party place for large or small groups. Entertainment in form of food comes with your meal.

Initially, everything was great. The service was good. I ordered the Maria's entree and received a pulled chicken taco in the meal instead of the crispy chicken taco. Not a deal breaker, but definitely has an impact on any return visits. read more

Kyle and Bethany were great. The portions were large and the food was fresh. Will come back again

We placed on online pickup order, so we did not spend a lot of time in the restaurant. The pickup order was very efficient. There are three pickup order spots near the door which were very convenient to use. The staff were polite and opened the door for me on the way out of the building. Everything was freshly prepared and tasty. Can't miss out on their fajitas, beans, and rice. The tortillas and chips are wonderful. I didn't know our order included churros. They were the perfect desert. Overall, a great take out experience. read more

Kristina was absolutely amazing. She anticipated our needs and made us feel warm. The food was awesome. I will definitely bring my family again read more

This Lombard location is an absolute crap hole. I haven't been in a couple of years so decided to be nice and give it a chance... I should've checked reviews first. I eat everything, so no problems on dietary, but my wife is veg... How in this day and age you suddenly don't have vegetarian options at a Mexican restaurant is amazing to me. We asked for veggie fajitas... told no... if someone would like to chime in on what the base of meat fajitas is, I'm pretty sure it's peppers and onions. So idiotic. The complimentary tortilla chips were undercooked, I though maybe one bad batch, get them again and same issue. Also just the simplest of things... party of 9 people at 5:30/545 pm and the setup was basically in the path of all their staff... we saw them setup a similar table for another party later as we were leaving, inside and away from any of us knocking into the poor staff trying to dance around us with dishes and drinks. This place was bad before and now it's just worse. read more

Beth was a great server, she went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect and was very attentive. Keep up the great work, thanks for the great experience Beth. Food was delicious read more

Had a great experience! Our server Kristina was super friendly, attentive, and made sure everything came out just right. They checked in often, food was great! Excellent service -- definitely made our experience enjoyable. read more

Kristina was so great. She regularly checked on us without being intrusive. Highly recommend.

Excellent service from Kristina. Stayed on top of the drink refills and was nice. Checked in just enough. Great job.

This food is VERY over priced. The kids menu were $8 meals. The bean burritos for the kids meal was a small tortilla and two very small sides. For $8 you'd think it would include a drink and a sopapilla. The drink orders were placed at the same time as the food orders. The drinks did not arrive until the food arrived. The service was slow. The complimentary chips were mostly crumbs. read more

Great experience. Ramon is the best. Great for groups and families. Always friendly and accommodating.

Wow! Okay so I have never had this experience before. Walked in waited for literally 5 mins. Finally I sat out table and grabbed menus and passed them out. Made a joke about me being their server. It wasn't a joke. Went to bar to ask for a server. He didn't show up for another 10 mins. Bar empty asked them to turn on the World Series (?) it was on a news channel and they have several TVs. Nope. Finally waiter arrives. Knows nothing about the menu (they got it only 9 days ago?) Food was awful. And the entire time this self-important host (who made me pass out menus) was bitching to everybody who could hear about the other customers. I felt like I was in a ridiculous nightmare. It was sad and tragic. How how how could you possibly be this bad? We all left early -like ASAP. What the hell? read more

Always a wonderful experience with delicious food and incredible drinks s! Daniel the bartender is always so attentive and knows what i like, making recommendations and suggestions based on previous visits. Kyle the manager stops by on the days he's working and always asks how the food and drinks taste and if I'm having a pleasant experience and if there is anything they could improve on or add to make for a better experience. There's nothing to improve upon as each visit has been an exceptional experience and why I always return. read more

Very nice place to have dinner. We love our server Cesar and all the details about the service . The piñata it's always so much fun for the kids . read more

Uncle Julio's - Piñata - Mexican Near Me - Lombard, Illinois

Good food, nice margaritas. I like the one that comes with a lime shaped as a little cup with extra tequila. The grilled camarones is always good and the chocolate piñata is fun to share read more

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Had dinner at Uncle Julio's in Lombard, IL on November 8th. Our waitress Kristina did an excellent job making sure everything went well!