Called this restaurant to order carry out 3 separate times. Every time the phone was picked up and just immediately put down. I could hear phones ringing in the background that were not being answered as well. Not a single person would come to the phone to take our take-out order. Eventually I was hung up on. Will not be ordering from this Uncle Julios again. Service was truly terrible and unprofessional. I took a screen recording of the entire incident on my phone from the last time I tried to call. read more

I have been to other Uncle Julio's and I am generally a fan. I love the chips and salsa as well as fish tacos that are my usual go to. We usually share a sangria swirl as a treat. On top of it, I am a fan of the Covid policies that they implemented. read more

Well, I've found the Casa Bonita of Northern Virginia; urk.. For those of you who know Casa Bonita, this place has all the bad food, but no cliff divers or gorilla. Much less entertainment and ambiance. I will say this, the staff there work their asses off. Our server, Gordon, is fantastic. Wish he could work at a better restaurant. What's bad? First, the noise - inside it's astronomical. So bad, at one point, Wifey went outside to take a noise break. Second - no ceviche. Wanted to try that, none for us. Too bad. I've give them a break on that, if.....if the the other stuff was worthwhile, but it's really awful. The salsa for the chips and salsa isn't salsa. It's some kind of sickly-sweet barbeque-sauce-inspired, ground-up confusion. With onions. Not chopped onions, just slabs of onion marinating in this brown concoction. Wifey asked if they had regular salsa - like a tomato-based salsa? Best they had is some pico, for which there is an additional price. Brought us a bowl of pico (three teaspoon's worth - serious!), cost a buck. Better than the brown stuff. But not worth a buck. Main course - I had enchiladas, Wifey went big and ordered fajitas (no chimichanga, which is what she was craving that brought us here in the first place). Enchiladas - well, let's just say I won't order them again. Included a bowl of beans as a side. Not really refried, but really bad. Took a bite, threw up a little, spit it out. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Go try it. Taste for yourself. Also included what I guess is Spanish Rice as a side. Burnt. Dry. Flavorless otherwise. Wifey ate her fajitas. Said they were decent, but not worth the money. I don't know. Didn't try them. Place was packed. Added to the noise. Probably stays busy because it's lower priced than its immediate neighbors (high end steak and fish houses). Next time I'm in Reston for a meal, I will: Pay more. Eat elsewhere. Bypass this place. ** And I forgot about this until Wifey reminded me: the bathrooms are hideous. I seriously hope the cooks and employees don't use these restrooms. Scary. ** read more

I like Uncle Julio's as a chain. I think they keep the food at their various restaurants consistent and the service level is pretty standard across the board. So this location meets my expectation. But it is constantly busy, I mean, REALLY busy, so be prepared for that. If the server brings out the wrong entrée, you are in for a wait while they re-fire. This is may not be a place I would go on a Saturday night, but is a great spot for lunch or a swirl after work. Also, the new table side guacamole service is great, I like being able to ask for extra jalapeños or cilantro depending on how I am feeling. read more

Stopped in for Margaritas. Didn't eat this time. But I can tell you that their Patron Classic Margarita is A-Maz-Ing! I took a pic but sadly, it was almost all gone by that time! I can however tell you, it was delicious! The bartender was also great! He recommended the perfect margarita, as they have LOTS of different ones to choose from. Gave them 4 stars because well, the margarita (And the bartender Audis) deserved it!! Would have given it 5, but I feel bad doing that without eating!! read more

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We were walking around Reston Town Center this past weekend, and decided to eat lunch at this restaurant. Its usually packed, but was not so busy around 2:30 PM on a Sunday. We were promptly seated, and our server was very attentive. Their chips and salsa are delicious....I think I had more chips than I should have, but that's always the case at Mexican restaurants. We ordered the following: - Guacamole: This was decent....not as delicious as I have eaten at other restaurants. - Crispy Taco Plate (with veggies): They don't have veggie tacos listed on their menu, but I asked them to give me rice, black beans, cabbage, and some other veggies. They were nice enough to accommodate my requests, and the tacos were good. The plate comes with 3 big crispy tacos, and its more than sufficient. Overall - its a decent place to chill and dine. You can make any taco or fajita per your vegetarian taste, and they are happy to accommodate. read more

I love Mexican food and this place was recommended to me. I really enjoyed the food however the service caused me to drop this place a star. My coworker and I had the fajita dish with stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon, chicken and steak. I'm so glad we decided to split it because the portion size was large. All the meat had great flavor. The downside to this visit was the crowd and lack of service. The place was packed which is understandable but it shouldn't lack attentiveness to the customers being served. I had to ask 4 times for my water to be refilled before someone actually refilled it. We had to wait close to 10min for the receipt to be printed after paying electronically at the table. The restaurant was very loud that night due to it be so packed. The food was great but wasn't where I wanted to go after a long day of traveling and work. I would definitely eat here again but opt to order to go instead read more

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A great dinner. Chips were great, Entrees are greats, the store made soft tortillas are PERFECT! The only thing I can complain is that they could really use some big tables considering how many items comes with just one fajita. read more

We went in early to check out the menu to decide if we wanted to do dinner here. I'm a smell person...are you? My nose leads me in most restaurant decisions and it did not disappoint on this occasion. Everything was delicious! Chips weee thin (our favorite) and very fresh. The salsa was very unique- I think it may have some black beans blended in? The house made guacamole really hot the spot. We asked for some lime wedges on the side and boy did that kick it up! We both had hard shell tacos- our favorite so we were thrilled to see them on the menu. Beef and chicken. were both seasoned just right and full of meat. Service was fast and friendly. No downsides to our visit. And while we're are in town for a short visit, we'll be back again! read more

Came here for dinner. Unfortunately was not able to book a reservation so we took our chances and got seats in the bar. Firstly there is a huge parking garage right across the street and it's free on weekends. Second, decent margaritas but pricy. Maybe I'm having sticker shock as I live near Baltimore. Got the chicken enchiladas with green sauce, came with rice, Pico, and I asked for the beans too. Wow great tasting! The Pico was sharp and so was the green sauce, it was a great combo. Would definitely return! read more

Made reservation online but when we arrived we were told there is no tables available and there are 5-6 groups ahead of us. And the employee said he doesn't know what's going on, no explanation or apologies. Very unprofessional. read more

This is by far our second favorite Mexican restaurant in the area! Second only to the infamous Chuey's! Before the meal: I've been here 4 times. The staff are polite and quick. We can always count on getting our food as soon as it is ready! Which is usually quickly. Delicious roasted salsa with light, then chips. On the rocks tequila margarita. Woah it was strong! The meal: This time I ordered the Benetizes combination special. It included a pork tamale, chicken enchilada, and a Chile Rellenos with of course beans and rice. All totaling about $17 which is a good deal to me. After the meal: Way too stuffed, but always recommend the fried churros! read more

Uncle Julio's - Benetizes special combo a delicious of chicken enchilada, Cheese Chile Rellenos and Hand Rolled Pork Tamales. So. Much. Gooey. Cheese!!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Reston, Virginia

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I would go to Uncle Julios just for the drinks. Nice and refreshing margaritas that don't just taste like a bunch of sour mix. They use fresh squeezed lime juice. The food wasn't that good. So I would pass on that and just order drinks. read more

Uncle Julio's - Tres Amigos margarita - Tex-Mex Near Me - Reston, Virginia

Ordered takeout during Happy hour. I had their Cadillac margarita and was told the 2 for 1 only applied to their 'regular' (water down type), but they didn't forget to charge me for both, even though I didn't get my second watered-down lemon drink with salt. I left with my take out order to the hotel just to find out they forgot napkins and silverware?? WTF?!! At least in a Chinese restaurant they give you chop sticks for the wonton soup. Too expensive for air-headed service. No bueno and muy malo service. Hasta nunca Uncle J at the Reston Town Center in VA. read more

Don't bother if you are hungry. So we went here and our food took about 40 minutes to come out - and 2 of the 3 meals were incorrect. The server didn't apologize but said he would have it fixed in 2 minutes. Apparently, 2 minutes = 20. We had to get the manager involved. He knew our table as he had to refill our drinks and chips as our server could not be found. He listened to our complaint and went to check on it - eventually the food came out. Hot, but not like straight out of the kitchen hot. In fairness the manager comped the meal, which is reasonable given the circumstances. But given the place was not packed, the service was so slow and the redo of our meal was also slow and subpar - it gets 2 stars and that's only due to the manager's actions. Still wasted 90 minutes and any semblance of a family meal. read more

A good Mexican restaurant with great service. Also some fantastic margaritas from the bar.

Saw the commercial today and decided to give it a try. Ordered the carnitas lunch tacos which were way dry. Happy with the spicy salsa the server brought out when asked. Reminds me of the dwindling Chevy's chain in Nor Cal. Margaritas were OK, but not worth the price. Not sure if the bartender was the manager, as all seemed to flock to him. Overall, it was OK and would come back to try something else. read more

Came here for a coworkers going away luncheon a few weeks ago (I'm falling way behind on my Yelp-ing!! Uh-oh) I scored some great street parking and they have a tablet as soon as you walk in that will create a parking validation code for you! Bonus points for that! I love how easy it was to use...I thought it was self-explanatory...some of my older coworkers had some problems figuring the tablet out as well at the RTC parking app...but once I walked them through it, they thought it was pretty easy. We were a party of about 10 people; food came out and was quite tasty, the service was a bit lacking. IDK if she was new, had too many tables or nobody wanted to help her, but our drinks sat empty for a while, our chips/salsa were not refilled and she never came back to check and make sure our order's were correct. Someone ended up with the incorrect food, but ended up eating it and enjoying it (I think it was the shrimp tacos instead of fish) but my coworker loved the shrimp tacos...so maybe it worked out? Unfortunately wasn't able to imbibe in any adult beverages since it was a work function, but this last trip just left me kinda dissapointed. read more

Very disappointing. It took an hour to receive our food and when it arrived the steak in my tacos was undercooked and cold. The only thing in my meal that was the proper temperature was the side of beans which I poured over the tacos to try to make the steak edible. My coworkers said the shrimp was not good. Will not return to this restaurant. read more

Yes, yes, we've been to Uncle Julio's and its always decent. But this time, we REALLY enjoyed ourselves. Group of us went out to dinner last night. For a Sunday night they were totally hopping. When we walked in I was surprised there were so many tables open but so many people waiting to be sat so I asked if there was a wait. I think the girls up front were just a little disorganized. But they found their groove soon enough and we were sat- at a table of 6 for the 4 of us, but hey, whatever. My girl friend and I started out with -321 margarita. So much fun and love their ingenuity with the liquid nitrogen and meringues! The girls got a bunch of tacos, guys had fajitas and some margaritas with a big pepper on the side. With all the things we enjoyed... why only 4 stars? Because as good as the food was, as tasty as the chips and salsa... our server was disappointing. He started off good, but once the food was delivered he disappeared. The guys wanted refills of their margaritas which they never got a chance to re- order... I was wanting dessert but had sat so long staring at my finished plate that I was no longer in the mood. He missed out on the opportunity to up his check average since I was thinking chocolate pinata. And... I would probably have tipped better than 20% but just didn't feel compelled to after those things. I suggest they take a page out of the training book for the Great American Restaurant chain. Especially at Coastal Flats... the service there is ALWAYS on point and exceptional. Good service can lead to bigger check averages (simply be around to upsell??) and essentially bigger tips... but hey what do I know.. read more

Gross. Unorganized, and an insult to Mexican food. I may be a Californian so yes, standards are high, but let's focus on something Uncle Julio's can do RIGHT, and it's not the food, it's the level of detail they should pay attention to. My in-laws love this joint (not sure why) so we Doordash from here from time to time. The last 2 times, I have ordered a salad and noted NO DAIRY - ALLERGY in the notes. I even did my due diligence and called to ask if they received the note and the staff confirmed they did and will make sure there is no cheese on the salad. BOTH times, the salad came with what almost looked like extra cheese. When cheese is on a salad, you can't just pick it off, in fact, it was inedible due to how much cheese was on top and drizzled within the salad. So, here I was, eating salsa and carrots for dinner. Very frustrating....also, every time I eat their guac, I feel awfully ill. Something is not right here....all around. read more

Truly, it is a travesty that they have done to Uncle Julios. I have been a fan for 20+ years. The "Rio Grande" converted to "Uncle Julios" was always a family favorite on Friday nights. Even though we knew the wait would be an hour+ we would wait. Now... I would NOT. They have raised the prices on all plates and decreased the quality of food. Now, fajitas are priced at almost $30 for a single order. The signature plates are $30+. I mean, what family of 4 wants to spend $200 for a single meal. Margartias ate $13+. It's completely over-priced for the decrease in food. When you ordered fajitas, you'd actually get meat. Now, you can expect a mountain of onions and peppers with a side of fajitas. Instead of it being an authentic mexican restaurant, it has become a commercial travesty. I mean, in what Mexican restaurant have you heard them playing JET. SERIOUSLY! As a hispanic american, I am offended. This place has become a joke. I remember waiting for a table when you showed up at 9 pm. By 9pm on a Saturday night, it looked like the restaurant was closing. I'm so disappointed. I hope the leaders who make these changes realize they are not making anything better. Unless you got a week's worth of income to spend on ONE meal, I say avoid this place like the plague. read more

Great atmosphere for the family and I. Food is always hot and drinks are always well prepared. Parking is also conveniently located nearby as well. read more

I would rate the food here at least a four possibly five for a Mexican restaurant. It's really good!. This is the second time I've taken my family to the restaurant that we were kind of lost by the wait staff. Last night we sat outside and received our meals pretty quickly but without any of the tortillas so could not assemble the awesome titular while meat was hot I had to embarrass my family after waiting about 10 minutes by flagging down the manager and then the waitress to get the tortillas which had been forgotten by a secondary waiter So basically it is a restaurant with great food, and you will enjoy it, as long as you stay close to wait staff and receive a prompt service. Don't let yourself get lost, as it is a busy place read more

Uncle Julio's has always been my absolute favorite restaurant! The salsa, chips, and fajitas were my favorite meal for the longest time. I am not sure if they changed their salsa recipe or if I went on a bad day but man was the salsa TERRIBLE today! The salsa was SO watery and limey. I can normally drink 4 salsas on my own but we struggled to finish the first one with three people. I was hopeful that when we got the second salsa that it would be back to its regular flavor and consistency, but it was almost worse than the first one. I really hope that this is not a new recipe or else I will really have to reconsider what my favorite restaurant is. read more

I had a reservation for 8. It was a beautiful night so I asked about being seated outside. They said, "of course, we'lll just have to clean a table." We agree and wait outside where we count 4 open tables. 20 minutes later we decide to get a margarita (might as well have a drink while you wait!) and I ask the hostess about our table. She said, "yes, we're cleaning off the table now, it won't be much longer." I close my tab and stand to wait to give other patrons room for the bar. 10 minutes later I go to the hostess stand to ask about the table and hear the hostess tell another customer "they're clearing your table now." Hmmm a pattern! I then inquire about my table again and the same hostess said "yes, they're clearing your table now." At this pout there's a really strong pattern and I'm pretty sure they're not being honest. It should be pointed out that the restaurant was not busy. Tables were sitting open all over the place. I tell them to just seat us inside and I wasn't waiting any longer. We get escorted to a table in the very far back corner despite there being MULTIPLE other, more desirable tables, available. We had a view of the super gross chip machine that a staff even stuck their hands in to grab chips. The chip scoop was handled and put back on the chips several times. No one swept up the broken chips from the floor and there was food sitting out on the ledge. Super gross. Our table wasn't clean, it had greasy marks and crumbs on it. We ordered a quest dip and left. Overall the menu is exactly what you would expect from an Americanized Mexican restaurant, but what I wasn't expecting ting were the prices. I live here, I get things are expensive, but their prices were disproportionate to the cost of an actual enchilada. Between the unnecessary wait, having the hostess be rude, being told the same thing for 40 minutes and seeing unsanitary conditions it was better to go elsewhere for dinner. read more

The thirst quenching margaritas, the fresh, thin and crispy chips, the smoky, slightly spicy salsa, the meaty fajitas with their pillowy home-made tortillas and the friendly, attentive service make Julio's one of the best places you can go when your hungry for flavorful Mexican food. Enjoy! read more

I have moved from DC to the south east US. Uncle J's is something I truly miss. Food, Service and atmosphere is unmatched. I really miss the salsa and the Steak soft/street tacos. I will be back at the restaurant anytime I can get to DC. The one in One Loudoun is the best I have been to. read more

Service here is not the best. We had a reservation and we were seated 40 minutes after our time. What's the point in making a reservation then? The hostesses in the front didn't help either because when we first arrived, it was "or your table is being cleaned" to "oh, you're table isn't ready yet." Not to mention their poor waiting area. People are crowding the front, and people are coming in and out for their grubhub/to go orders. Finally got seated and we were squeezed into a table like a pack of sardines.Would rather go to the ashburn location. read more

Celebrating was doused by poor service. They served shrimp and chicken fajitas cold! Then brought out hot chicken without the shrimp and told us we ate the shrimp They never made it right so we asked for and got refund. Unfortunately we didn't enjoy the meal with all the drama! read more

Do not patronize this establishment. We have been doing so -- in the restaurant and via Grubhub -- since it opened, so can speak from deep experience. The food is adequate but not nearly as good as other Mexican options in the area, and it is far more expensive than those other options. However, living reasonably closeby, the convenience of ordering for delivery often has outweighed our concerns about quality and price. After tonight's experience, however, it is clear we cannot patronize this restaurant again, and urge others not to do so, on the basis of the character, honesty, and service provided. Tonight, we ordered four meals via Grubhub, and were given a delivery time window of approximately 45-55 minutes. After more than an hour, we received a message from the delivery driver that he was at the restaurant still waiting for the order. OK, I texted back. It's Saturday evening and things are a little slow. No big deal. We waited for another half hour or so with no update. Wait, wait, wait. Finally, nearly 90 minutes after we ordered, we received an automated message from Grubhub informing us that the order was canceled. After spending some time on the phone -- hungry, now nearly at nine o'clock p.m. with small children at home, but wanting to figure out what happened -- the Grubhub operator finally told us that the restaurant, Uncle Julio's, GAVE OUR ORDER TO A RANDOM PERSON WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR who was not a Grubhub driver, customer, or otherwise entitled to the food. Did the restaurant offer to make us new food that could be quickly delivered, I asked? No. Was there another way they could help make it right for the hungry, small children we have at home, I asked? No. Was the restaurant in any other way apologetic, I asked? No. Was there anything else that could be done to correct THEIR MISTAKE? No - just a pathetic offer to credit our money back within five days. Just small children at home, hungry and with no food in the house on a Saturday night, expecting to eat by 8 pm but now 9 pm and out of luck. DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS TERRIBLE RESTAURANT. read more

We love this spot! We recently moved to RTC and have come in for happy hour (delicious margaritas!), ordered take out, ate dinner on site (delicious shrimp fajitas!) and tortillas are made on site and very fresh. The staff is friendly & great service. read more

I haven't been to the restaurant in months. It has changed its quality of food. I realize that food can be be prepared differently according to who the chef etc is for the time that you're there but this was more of a true change of how the food was prepared as well. read more

I love the food at this restaurant but I especially enjoy their Reston Town Center location. The food is so fresh and delicious, especially when Chef Gracia is in charge. We went the other day and our favorite bartender, Audios was our server. Just the best experience all around! read more

3.5 STARS Amazing margaritas. Great service. Good food. CHICKEN ENCHILADAS for two $11.99 With choice of creamy hatch chili sauce, salsa verde sauce or salsa blanca sauce I had it with the salsa verde which was delicious, the pulled chicken was a little dry and normally I don't like beans but I like how these beans were treated. MARGARITAS SHAKEN TO ORDER Pick a tequila, add Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Patrón Citrónge and we'll shake it for you! This was my favorite margarita because you can pick from: BLANCO AND GOLD TEQUILAS REPOSADO TEQUILAS AÑEJO TEQUILAS I went with Don Julio Anejo for $10.99 with Cointreau and it was a simple margarita but executed so well! I could've drank a pitcher of these by myself! STRAWBERRY MARGARITA Too sweet. The strawberries they muddle aren't fresh so they are quite sugary. I couldn't taste any tequila and I was able to suck the drink down in a few gulps. Service was consistent throughout dinner. I also really liked their chips and salsa especially since I'm wimpy when it comes to spicy salsa and this was fairly mild so definitely in my wheelhouse. read more

I have been a regular customer of this restaurant for several years. The food is always on point. The atmosphere is nice. The changes in the menu since covid are disappointing. I always began my meal with bean and cheese nachos or steak nachos. I was a fan of the chicken flautas too. These items are not on the menu any more. Really? The Bartenders and Waiters are consistently complete jerks. read more

There were flies inside the restaurant, my margarita was tiny, my wife's had salt when we specifically asked for no salt, no water was served at first. My enchiladas were mediocre. My wife had the steak fajitas. They were quite good, actually. Too bad they messed up her Margarita. All and all, a mediocre experience My son, who has a beautiful soul, thinks I should not write them a bad review. He liked his crispy taco with beef. I beg to differ. The service at this place is awful. Really terrible. This place is not deserving of my patronage. read more

Food always enough deliciousness for two meals. Wait staff above and beyond. However for the 3rd time I must complain about the floors. They are as slippery as an ice rink. Very dangerous for those of us over 30 something. read more

Fantastic high end Mexican restaurant. 5 star food with 3 star service. We got the "new" guy so hopefully it's not the usual. The chips and salsa are fantastic, thin crisp chips and thick salsa. They do not skimp on the chips and salsa, big portions that are on the house. When we finally ordered, the food came out fast and hot. Overall great place for Tex Mex in an upscale establishment. read more

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This was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The staff were all helpful and attended to us quickly. When our glasses were empty, they offered refills. When our chips were running low, they hurried off and got a new batch. All of our meals were wonderful as well and they were respectful towards my dad's birthday when we went. We ordered the chocolate piñata dessert and the employees wrote happy birthday and happily took pictures for us. The noise level was average and choice of area to sit in was splendid as well. At lunch, it was a little less than half full by the time we left. read more

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