went yesterday the service was so slow and can't believe they took off the nachos again the individual ones like it so hard for them to make such a disappointing experience will not be going back read more

We have not been inside a restaurant since March, 2020. We only began having takeout in the past couple of months. It was my husband's birthday, my sister was visiting, and we are all vaccinated, so we thought it should be ok. (One person--it's me--has to be VERY careful with germs of any kind. This was true before Covid) First, there was no one near us. The restaurant did a fabulous job of distancing diners. Our server was efficient and friendly and very good. The food was fantastic. If you're going to shelter in place for an entire year, you want your first dine out experience to be JUST LIKE THIS! The ONLY disappointment was that the chocolate piñata is still off the menu until it's deemed safe for its return. We love this location (Naperville), and we have never had a bad experience here, but this was even better than we expected. Some may not want to hear this but I'm going to put it out there anyway. We tipped our waitress 30%. It is expensive to do this on a $200 bill. We have 6 kids. We have always tipped like this because our kids take up a chair whether they eat a kid's meal or an adult meal, and they drink like fish. Compensate the waitstaff for the gazillion trips to refill the water because we just came from the zoo and we are dehydrated! Now our kids are all teens and newly minted adults. They eat like linebackers. We have kept the 30% tip because in this current economy, it costs the waitstaff to keep you safe just like it costs the restaurant. We noticed the food costs were up by about $2/plate. That's appropriate given the distance between tables, protocols, and supply issues. Waitstaff is no different. This is their livelihood. Treat it as such. Just my thoughts. Anything over 20% is considered generous. We just figure 30% into the equation before we even go in the door. That way we are prepared. If the service is poor, all bets are off. We tip 15% if the service is poor. If the server is training, that's different. Apologies for poor service go a looong way too. One side effect of having this respect for waitstaff is that the entire restaurant remembers you. The NEXT time you show up with your 6 thirsty kids, waitstaff scramble to see who gets to wait on you. Owners and managers love you because you treat everyone with dignity and respect. It's a win/win. If most people tip 15-20% anyway, we aren't talking about much, unless you have a crew like ours. I do not know who waited on us at Uncle Julio's on July 12, but she was fantastic. I hope she knows she is appreciated. read more

Uncle Julio's - Grilled chicken breast - Mexican Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Had a great dinner there with my sisters. We had two high maintenance entree orders but came out correctly and were delicious. Our chips were on a staler side, which is something we've never experienced there before and we didn't ask for a new basket. Drinks were good and our waitress was amazing! read more

Our dining experience was outstanding!! The food and service was exceptional. Even though it was very busy, the manager Ozzy stopped by our table to make sure everything was good...what a great guy and very personable. He is definitely an asset to your restaurant! We will be back soon!! read more

We had a group of 10 and wanted Mexican. Uncle Julio's was within walking distance from our hotel, so we figured we would give it a try. We walked in and wait time for a table was about 10 minutes. Then we ordered started ordering alcoholic drinks. They brought chips and salsa to the table, everyone was unsure about the salsa because it was like a dark brown red, we tasted it and it was not good. I ordered the steak and cheese dip and split it with a friend, it was $11.99 and the smallest bowl of cheese dip for $12. It was not very tasty. I am use to white queso not yellow queso. Everyone from the group ordered something to eat and no one was satisfied with their food except one girl. PECHUGA DE POLLO, she enjoyed this entree, minus the beans that comes with it. Our waiter was fabulous and very attentive, wish the food could have been better. read more

Uncle Julio's - Cowboy Queso - Mexican Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

This attempt at tex-mex is a serious fail. The chicken fajita was a patty cut up after receiving a few grill marks.

Very average experience. Went for lunch with my family. Service was good. I had the shrimp fajitas. They were strangely bitter. Also, I found onion skin in the veggies. My wife and kids had the tacos. My wife said they were ok, but really salty. We did the chocolate piñata, which was fun, but very average tasting. Prices were high for the value of the food. I'm sure there's got to be better places in the area for Mexican food. read more

The food and service at this location is amazing! I went with my mom for Taco Tuesday. My mango margarita was strong but really good and fresh. We got the taco bar with beef and steak. It was more than enough for two adults and two children. We had food to take home. 10 out of 10 would recommend read more

The tortillas were cold, the enchiladas were salty along with the meat, the food was bland.

Food is okay at best service is very unwelcoming... sat at bar for a quick dinner... lone diner and didn't feel welcomed. Very uncomfortable 1 drink and 1 appetizers and I'm out!!! Should of went for Taco Bell... same food... SAME SERVICE and a quarter the price! read more

Had such a pleasant experience here! Ozzy was the manager at the time and he went above and beyond to make sure our table was having a good time. The food was delicious as well. I normally don't order skirt steak because I find it's always dry, but this was INCREDIBLE! I'm not sure how they prepare it but it was great. I wish I could give them 6 stars out of 5. Even if the food wasn't that good I would still come back because of the great, charming, and kind service and management. I've been to many locations throughout, and this Uncle Julio's is by far the best, clearly because of the excellent management. read more

Although we came at an off time between lunch and dinner, and there seemed to be plenty of open tables, we were told we'd have to wait unless we wanted the small table right by the hostess counter. We have an impatient toddler, so we took that table. Nothing wrong with it, but it would have been cozier having a table tucked away from the entrance and bar area. Service was okay, but the bartender was doing double duty and acted as our waiter between making drinks for other guests. I do like the interior of this place. Nice mix of wood and brick. We ordered shrimp quesadillas and ahi tuna tacos. The food was excellent. It came relatively quickly and offered plenty of flavor. They also give a complimentary (big) bowl of tortilla chips and salsa. Overall I enjoyed our meal here. I'd be curious to try the chocolate piñata someday! read more

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

Curbside ordering. I called to order and the hostess took the order. She either didn't know how to put through an order with special instructions or they didn't care. I told them to place the green sauce for the chicken enchiladas in another container. Instead they put this sauce on the bottom of the takeout container then placed the 3 enchiladas on top with cold shredded cheese that was in no way melted. Putting this cold sauce on the bottom of the meal made the meal taste terrible. It was very watery and I had no idea how it was made but I coulda done better. Then I ordered refried beans instead of chorizos beans but they didn't do it so I had to walk back in and get that exchanged plus get more salsa for the chips. They just put some salsa in the little flat container;not near enough. If I would've tried the main meal before I went back in there, I would have exchanged that-but I was really hungry. The Uncle Julio's in Downers Grove/Lombard is much much better! The enchiladas were delicious and they gave me a large bag of chips with a big bowl of salsa. So don't go to the Naperville location. read more

I went here with a friend for her birthday this was her choice. I live in Arizona and I've eaten authentic Mexican food and that's what I prefer. I like the atmosphere of this restaurant. The chocolate piñata is a cool menu item. I really like the salsa such a good smoky flavor. The salsa was my favorite menu item. I ordered the enchiladas rice and pinto beans it was average. My friend got an adult beverage and was very satisfied. Our server was pleasant. The food was affordable. read more

Uncle Julio's - Just getting started chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

I used to love this place but the food portions have become small yet prices increased. I would only come back for apps and drinks. You are not getting very good Mexican food here. This is a chain and there are so many other better options. read more

Went here for lunch, basing my experience on Uncle Julio's Dallas. This location does not have customer service. While waiting to be greeted and then seated, we got frustrated and just sat at the bar. As a server passed us, they did not acknowledge our bewildered existence. After ordering guacamole, we were presented with guacamole slopped onto a plate. Only after this did we realize there are actually two different dishes of guacamole on the menu. Needless to say, although we did not want the slop version, it was still edible. For our meals, one was a bowl while the other was carnitas tacos. We needed to ask for utensils as they were not originally provided. Bowl was acceptable, carnitas was dry. This included both the meat and the rice. I was unaware there is such a thing as dry carnitas as a dish. After eating less than half of one of the tacos and less than half the rice, I just asked the bartender to remove it, which directly to his credit, he did. After seeing a patron did not eat the food, and said patron asking to have the food taken away, I was more surprised he did not ask what was wrong with the food. Will not be returning anytime soon and recommend others to go elsewhere. read more

I walked in and there were 6+ openings at the bar and we asked to be seated at the bar to grab ONE drink before being seated because it was a 30 min wait but the hostess (5/25 @ 6:30) said she didn't want to stress the bartender out so she refused to seat us....CRAZIEST THING IVE EVER HEARD!!!! Don't come here on a whim, actually don't come here at all...many other great places in the area..like Vais So disappointed and shocked how we were refused opened seats...ridiculous . read more

This used to be a favorite of mine, but the quality of the food has gone way down, especially takeout. They only started doing takeout for COVID, but it has now been TWO YEARS since then. I think two years is long enough to figure it out - get with the program! My order is always correct on the receipt but things are wrong when I get home. The chips are usually stale, and they have changed the crispy taco shells - they used to taste homemade, but now, I have had better store-bought ones, and today they were so stale they tasted like they had been left out overnight. I couldn't even eat them, I had to scrape out the filling and use the chips to scoop it up instead. There is no excuse for how far down the quality has dropped, especially with how expensive they are & how much smaller the portions are now too. If you can't afford to stay open & keep your food integrity, then maybe you should just close or don't do takeout anymore. read more

It has gone so downhill. Second time we've ordered Vegetable Fajitas for two. Check out the amount of portobello mushroom we were given in the photo below. No red or green peppers. We got mostly onions and some zucchini. How can this be dinner for two? On top of that we were given the pinto beans which the cook with bacon - we're vegetarian - this dish is supposed to come with black beans. Same with the rice, we didn't get vegetarian cilantro rice. How can this keep happening? Both times we spoke to the manager but they train their employees. read more

Uncle Julio's - The amount of portobello mushroom we received in veggie fajitas for two. - Mexican Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

We loved Uncle Julio's in Naperville. The food was so amazing and can't wait to return. We also had a great service. I would recommend making a reservation when dinning here because of the pandemic there are a few limited spots. We will be returning in the very near future. read more

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The chocolate piñata was definitely a fun experience, although the fruit and churro fillings were much less than anticipated. Entrees we're not very tasty. If you're looking for vegetarian options they are almost non-existent. Cheese and onion enchiladas are covered with a meat sauce. When exchanged for a cheese sauce, the sauce tasted like cheap canned cheese sauce. As for service, we were ignored and had to go find someone any time we needed anything. read more

It's never their problem - they pass the buck whenever they can. Our Uber Eats order was ice cold and all had to go in the toaster oven after waiting for a "15-20" minute delivery for over an hour. When I called, Lauren was incredibly rude and interrupted me, only to tell me that there was nothing she could or would do because Uncle Julio's doesn't own Uber Eats. Don't expect to get any delivery orders handled by this "delivery specialist" - only expect disrespect and for her not to care. Plus the food looks and tastes like beef, cheese, and a few spices thrown together in some random order, even when toasted / microwaved. Save yourself $100, go to a strip mall, and for $45, get real, high-quality Mexican food. read more

I just visited again today because despite the bad service, I really like the food. The restaurant was mostly empty and even so I sat at a table for 20 being ignored. I just walked out. Sad to say this will be my last time coming to what used to be my favorite restaurant. Even good food isn't worth this abysmal service. read more

We had reservations for 12 people when we got there they had 2 tables one behind the other and we wanted to sit together . So the manager told us to wait couple mins well that turned into an hour , I went up to ask what was going on and I spotted a big table and I asked why we couldn't sit there and they said " because it had 2 different servers " what?! We waited an hour to sit just because 2 servers so after they saw me take a pic of the tables and tell them I was putting a review they told me they would let us sit there but we decided not to give them our money and we went to Fago de chao Very very very bad management/ customer service . I will never recommend such a place in my life . Ruined the birthday celebration read more

Uncle Julio's - Empty table - Mexican Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

3 stars is generous. Arrived with 40 people which they had been told 2 months before would be coming and require separate bills which management agreed to. They had only 1 waitress assigned. By the time drink orders were taken and drinks were delivered most had filled up on chips and salsa. "Special " drink - Cranberry Margarita was ordered by many. No price listed on table ad but menu said all margaritas were $8. When we got our bill it was $13. Ordering and placement of orders took forever (only 1 Server) and didn't start until we had been there over an hour. Food delivery was "auctioned " (Who had the tacos?, etc) and most had finished their meals before all had been served. Part of many meals were missing the beans although they were part of the meal ordered. Distribution of the bills was a complete disaster. The Server got almost no assistance bringing the food out and less distributing it There were less than 10 occupied tables in the rest of the restaurant. I had been there before and was displeased but decided to give it another chance. The prices are high for what you get. I'll never go back. read more

This was our first time at Uncle Julio's. We have a friend that wanted to go there so the 3 of us met there at 4 pm. We were immediately seated upon arrival and given menus. Our server did not arrive at our table until 4:15 and mumbled something about sorry for being late. He took our drink and food order. He came back after a few minutes with my diet coke but did not have the mixed drinks. He then dropped off a bowl of chips but still no margarita and other alcoholic drink. At 4:30 he came by the table again without the drinks to tell us that our food would be ready in awhile. I asked him about the drinks and looked surprised ! He had to ask the ladies again what were the drinks. About 5 minutes later the drinks finally made it to the table but without straws. We asked him for straws but he never brought them. Finally the food arrived and my Carne aside bowl was mushy and barely warm. The meat had no taste. Very dissapointed. We paid our bill and left. It seems there are very mixed reviews on this place. Some people like it and others have a very bad experience. For us ,we will not be returning. There are much better choices in this area. read more

The worst Mexican food I've ever had in my life. Serously the food is bland and just disgusting. Such a disappointment and waste of money.

The food was good I got the soft taco set it was like 8/10, I went for my birthday and got the birthday piñata only 35$ it tasted amazing, the service was looking at 10-15 min wait for food but the tortilla chips come in like 2 mins. Loved the music I usually choose this one table every time I go and it's the table right in front of the chefs. Definitely would recommend, but do not get the strawberry margarita I barely drank it and felt so dizzy and had to go outside for fresh air. Only drink if you have a high alcohol tolerance. read more

Typical Mexican food. Nothing to write home about. I went in wanting a traditional enchilada with red sauce, but was told they no longer serve red enchilada sauce. This was a slight disappointment, but I ordered the fish tacos instead. I could have, and actually do, make the same taco at home. There wasn't anything unique about the dish. The service was good. I'm still looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant in the area. read more

Probably the worst experience I've had in a restaurant. We went in, just a party of two, around 1:30-2pm, definitely not a busy time or anything. The restaurant is fairly empty, we request a booth over a table, and we're guided over to where they're leading us. Again, it's very empty and there's plenty of other seating, but we're placed right behind a group of men, which isn't a problem or anything, except they were very loud and one of them had their arm swung over the booth, so I sat next to my date as opposed to across. Basically all this could've been avoided if we were placed even one booth over. The waiter came by and was initially friendly, brought over chips and salsa and water fairly quickly. He came by to place our order after a few minutes and after he was done asking if we wanted beans with our meal, he rushed off to the kitchen to put in the order without verifying if that was all, which it was, but typically staff is supposed to check. We each order 2 tacos, one was fajita chicken and the other was fajita steak, the waiter made note that the steak is prepared MEDIUM. Btw, we requested a side of limes with the meal because we did traditional style with onions and cilantro instead of their suggested American style. The food comes out and I take a look before taking any bites. Initial look and half the chicken is pink in color (I wish I got a picture of both) and the so called "steak" was cooked well done, over done if anything. It was not steak to begin with, it was a roast or chuck slice of beef, not any nice kind of steak. It was very chewy, fatty, and over cooked, with no flavor at all on top of it. The chicken didn't have any flavor either and was dry, I tried topping it with some salsa but it didn't help, we both only ate one of our tacos. Oh, and the waiter never checked in, ever. The manager fortunately was already there walking around asking how things were, so after everything being horrible and completely disappointing so far, I let him know. He asked even after I stated both the tacos were not up to standard at all, if I wanted them boxed up to go, after I said again how bad it was, he asked if I wanted any chips and salsa or a free desert to take home, I nice gesture I guess, but especially the chips is nothing out of their pockets. I wasn't asking for anything to be taken off, but he was kind enough to at least remove the "steak" taco meal that was basically inedible. On top of it, my date got physically sick from the food shortly after we finished. The only redeemable thing was their side of beans, otherwise everything was absolutely terrible and disappointing to say the least. The ambiance was pretty uninviting and dull also, there's another location I've seen that's more lively and colorful Find another Mexican restaurant around, food and service was awful UPDATE: the next day I was having issues with my stomach the entire day, later in the evening I got physically sick as well. This place should be condemned, I'm surprised no one else is saying they got sick read more

This place was dirty and the service was slow, I've never had this experience in the Chicago location...

Went there for a girls night out with a couple of my girls! Great margaritas- Good food - Excellent service! Nothing to complain about. We were too full to order dessert, so we will definitely have to go back! If you're looking for a nice evening, this is the place! read more

the food is alright. i ordered a side of elote and it tasted so terrible they really should not even offer it as a menu option. it tasted like whoever made it hates mexicans. at least the service was semi decent read more

I've been to the Naperville Uncle Julio's a bunch of times and have always had good food and good service. This past time I was there for lunch on a Sunday, apparently there was an issue with the main part of my dish having not been pre-prepared in advanced, and was causing a delay on our food being cooked. The manager came over and apologized to us and to inform us of the situation. She then explained that's why the food was taking a little longer to arrive. She offered a solution to substitute the part of my dish that was missing and that they would comp my dish and offer a free take home desert. Her substitution recommendation worked out great and we were very pleased with the rest of the meal. I felt that the exceptional hospitality we received by the manager and staff deserved some sort of recommendation. Hopefully a high Yelp rating will do the trick! read more

Food and drinks are always great and the service was very warm and attentive. They have made some updates to the menu which we liked but kept the grapefruit margarita which is outstanding. read more

Highly disappointed. Had friends with their kids in from out of town. I was embarrassed. Waitress said no shrimp. Yet the table next to us came an hour later and had shrimp dinners. They served 1 of the 7 dinners. Polite society says you don't eat until everyone is served, we had to wait awhile for the missing dinner. Waitress went missing a few times. My friend's daughter had her dinner so over cooked it was rock hard... I try to be understanding of the wait staff. And I usually tip well. But this was a huge disappointment and embarrassment. I told the restaurant before and I'll said it there. I won't be returning and I'm sure They won't miss my business. read more

Ate dinner here last night for Father's Day and service was bad. The waiter forgot most of the sides that came included with the dishes ordered. We had to remind him on 4 separate occasions "hey, we're still missing this other side." I understand it's busy but it was annoying to have to keep reminding him, that's literally his job. We weren't a huge party either, it was only 4 of us. read more

I was in the area for a training so I stopped at Uncle Julio's for lunch. I ordered a combination plate that came with a crunchy taco, ground beef enchilada, chicken enchilada, and Mexican rice. The house specialty made ground beef taste like it was made in some random uncle's house; rather than a restaurant. The rice was dry and flavorless, and the chicken enchilada was the very forgettable. Overall, I wish I would've went somewhere else, especially after seeing how expensive the meal was. If you're in the area then I recommend going to Maggiano's and checking out the lunch menu. You can get two entrees for the same price as you'd pay for one at Uncle Julio's. read more

I had food delivered and it was packaged very well. No mess and well organized. Food was great as always. Best TX Mex queso and fajitas in the area! read more

always met our every need and we're super nice even gave us some tips on how to save money here and considering we had a group of 10 it was really helpful of how nice they were and food was amazing and perfectly cooked read more