The food is good. I like the tortilla soup. It seems rather pricey compared to other Mexican Restaurants in the area.

We had tried some other sit down Mexican restaurants around town and liked this place the best. It's great for families of any size. Chips and dip come shortly after we sat down. The kids ran over to the tortilla maker and stood watching while we waited for food. We ordered a few meals and it was plenty, we didn't need a full meal for each person since we had our little people. There was lots of space and we weren't squished. The servers were good asking if we needed anything, but not too often bothering incessantly. When we crave Mexican we head to Uncle Julio's. read more

I have dined at rio grande several times and they were all good experiences. I love the specials where they combine soft/hard tacos, tamales and burritos with pico de gallo and guacamole. I recommend this place. read more

Great bartenders. Love the queso-guacamole app!

My friends and I love Rio and consider it our "usual". I will admit that there is only 1 thing on the menu that I like (the soft tacos with "supreme" chicken, which his fajita chicken). The chips and salsa are great, but they have been skimpy on the salsa l lately (only filling the small bowl less than half way and then not bringing more until I ask for it). What I don't like is how loud it gets and how close together the tables are. I joke that half the time I feel like I'm sitting in a plant or with the people at the next table. Service is generally adequate, and occassionally poor. Prices are also a couple dollars high. Two soft tacos with supreme chicken that comes with a small thing of fruit (lunch menu) and and iced tea runs about $17 including tax and tip. None of this keeps me away though. read more

Where to start? Went here with some friends for Sunday lunch. I drank a few of the margaritas of different variety, and they were all very small in comparison to other mexican restaurants I eat at on the reg. (El Paso - Springfield, La Toltecas Fairfax). The frozen margaritas come in 10 oz glasses . They cost 8.00 each. And they taste like total sugar. I also ordered a custom margarita, where I couldn't taste any alcohol. I ended up asking for it to be topped off, and then they double charged me for it(which I had to ask for it to get taken off, which they did) The chips and salsa is the only reason why this even gets one star, otherwise I'd write 0 stars. They charged my friend 8 dollars for queso, and claimed they asked him what size when I heard him simply ask if they want queso. Then, he argued with my friend over the interaction. They also charged him extra 2 dollars for 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese on the fajitas. The food was overpriced, and very bland. I will not be returning. PS: Yelp should change this price tag to $$$ read more

Rio is the best mexican food in the DC Metro area - even though Reston is a stretch from DC. I'm from LA and spent 3 years in Texas - this is where I go to get my Tex Mex fix! read more

I was in town on vacation and felt like Mexican food. Donya, our waitress was awesome! She was very helpful and attentive. And she always had a smile on her face. Chips and salsa were quickly on the table and excellent. I had the soft chicken fajita tacos and really enjoyed my meal. But everyone at my table, echoed the same sentiment. Good food, great service, and the next time I'm in town I'll be sure to come back. read more

Delicious food!!! Good customer service. I went with my daughter who has a strict diet and basically we prepare her food and we have to carry this food because she does not eat the regular meals. After a poor customer service at the Corner Bakery we went to Uncle Julius. The waitress asked the manager if they can heat my daughter's food and he did not have any problem with that (her food is not something that can cause alergy to nobody ), the waitress Beverly was really kind and extremely efficient, she brought my daughter's food really fast, and she was all the time asking me if I needed something else. Food was delicious I ordered Chicken garden and let me tell you I enjoyed every little piece of that meal. I like the food and the most important part they make me feel that they appreciate me as a customer specially with my daugther needs. read more

My husband and I ate at Uncle Julio's last night, and we went late so as to avoid the worst of the Saturday night crowd. We don't go very often because one can't talk at all over the ear-blasting volume of the dining room. Although we asked the manager to turn down the volume of the music, he did, and it helped, but I couldn't wait to get out. We were lucky enough to be moved to an outside table at about 10 PM, where it was quiet enough to actually hear each other. The service was very good. We've been going to Uncle Julio's long enough to remember when it was Rio Grande and when the vegetable fajitas were phenominal! That's changed. The portion is now half the size and the black beans bowl that comes with it is miniscule in size -- and the price has jumped up to 15.00 or more. Gone is the huge portobello mushroom, sauteed potatoes, and large porion of sauteed veggies and zucchini. The tortillas were still very good. My husband had the carne asada, which is an enormous slab of marinated steak that comes with sauteed onions. At $21.00, it needed more. Better be good! We were advised to buy a side of sauteed veggies, which we did. Thank God for that. My husband left two-thirds of the steak, which was nicley flaviored but was extremely chewy. He regretted the choice. But the saddest thing of all was noting that the chips that come with the salsa when you first sit down are now run-of- the-mill. The salsa is still the best around!! But the chips are completely forgettable! Such a pity! We've concluded that the standards aren't the same as in previous years, and Uncle Julio's caters to a young and less demanding crowd. I LOVE tex-mex, but it will be a long time before we return! So sad! read more

I love going to Uncle Julio's! Though they can be on the expensive side, I love the great tex-mex and Mexican cuisine as well as the inviting, friendly atmosphere. My favorite is the beef fajita; However, it is quite expensive, at 16 dollars. The enchiladas are another favorite of mine. Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe is a great place for a festive atmosphere and great food. Just don't fill up on chips waiting for your food! read more

I went there with a friend. That was the best Mexican food I had had. It was fresh, and the quantity was large. The only downside is that it's really busy during lunch hours (we went on a Friday), and it's kinda hard to hear the person sitting next to you. However, I would go back for the food for sure. read more

We tried the Reston Town Center location for the first time on Saturday recently and loved it. We ordered the Original Fajitas for 2 and they were very good. So far I haven't found Tex Mex in the area that I like better. The restaurant is located on a busy corner in the Reston Town Center so there's plenty of people watching to do if you take an outside table. The restaurant was completely full, but our steak fajitas we're still out of the kitchen in about 10 minutes. The wait staff was very nice and attentive. About the only thing I didn't care for was the Frozen Sangria Margarita that I had. It wasn't bad, but I can't see myself recommending it. I definitely plan on going back. I've been to the Ballston restaurant a couple times and both are very nice. read more

Visited this fine establishment on a Wednesday for happy hour with my girlfriend. We sat at the bar and received fast, friendly and helpful service. The drinks were tasty, strong and on special as our bartenders let us know. We got an appetizer which was very good. The ambience was lively and all the staff looked very professional and clean. Oh and the bartenders did a great job of dealing with a drunk and unruly bar guest. read more

Uncle julio is a great restaurant. Every time I come there I'm treated with the upmost respect. My servers are always friendly and the bartenders are always nice. But today I watch my bartender (Jordan). wipe his forehead grab a cup, and block the ice from falling out of the glass. I literally watched all the ice cubes slide off of his hand in to the glass. I kindly ask for a new glass of ice, he gave me the nastiest attitude. I had to describe to him that you touch my ice with the same hand I watch you wipe the sweat off your forehead with, I don't want to drink out of that glass anymore. The other bartender kindly ask what was wrong, I explained. he said don't worry, I'll take care of everything. made me a new drink with a smile. I just want to say thank you. To the bartender CJ and the server Nicole . I will never go back to uncle julio bar because of Jordans attitude and work ethic. That needs to change. You're in the business of customer service read more

Not much has changed since this was just Rio Grande Cafe (back in the day). But now it's an Uncle Julio's and it's basically the same as it ever was. Freshly made chips and salsa are usually enough to make me not hungry for my actual meal. Seriously delicious. Strong margaritas. Sizzling fajitas. And ample portion sizes. Come early enough during dinner and can be a decent spot for kids. Service has been average to very good depending on the server. Also great for happy hours. read more

Is there was a option for given a negative - star review I WOULD! was here saturday afternoon for lunch - sunday night my 12 month old son and my wife and I are all sick with the roto virus. the f cked up part we didnt even use the bathroom - this is the only public place we had access too before we got sick. I heard one of your waiters talking to a customer that your bathroom paper dispenser was not working so I wonder how long was it till any of your people dealing with food didnt have time to wash and dry their hands. ROTO VIRUS IS OBTAINED WHEN PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WASH THEIR HANDS You can expect my complaint will not be limited to these complaint pages! read more

I used to love ordering from Uncle Julio's on my lunch break. The WAS fast and fresh.The last 3 or 4 experiences I have had were so bad I even contacted their corporate office. They were no help at all, basically just an "oh well we'll tell them to be better" About the food my order was wrong and when I took it back they made it in away that looked like the kitchen was angry at me because they got it wrong. My new order arrived 20 mins later not fully cooked and I sloppy. I have thrown together better nachos at home. Every time I have ordered on my lunch break I have been told a certain time, my food has never been ready at that time and I have had to wait at least 10 mins for a person to acknowledge I am there at all. This happens even when the restaurant is not busy. I will not be going back or recommending this place any more. The saving grace is they have good salsa but it's not worth my money to get any if the service is going to bad in even the slowest of times. read more

Okay, so, there was a mix up between an employee and myself about call ahead seating at this location. The employee had mistakenly given me incorrect information, honest mistake is what it was, but it ruined our family's plans, especially ones coming in from out of town. As a result, I spoke to the manager, just wanted to tell them about the error, just to prevent it from happening again, etc. We had a group of 12, and during their busy hour, the manager Chloe figured out a way to rectify the error and make dinner happen for all of us. The kicker, I didn't ask her to do this, I just wanted to let her know what happened. I didn't expect her to do this, I wasn't complaining to make this happen either, she just made it happen on her own. That is rare around here where most restaurants have so much business coming in that they don't give a crap if they screwed something up or if potential customers go elsewhere. Chloe is the type of manager that every restaurant around here needs. Felt like they actually cared about our situation and not just about business. World class service here. The food was great and we will definitely be back. read more

Great location! Great food! Excellent smokey salsa to begin with followed by a variety of amazing flavors. Juanita's platter has a little but of everything showcasing their commitment to freshness. From the handmade corn and flower tortillas to the perfect amount of heat in the green sauce on the enchilada. I will be coming back for their table side guacamole too. read more

Why is this place crowded? Flavorless flavorless flavorless. Thin chips, watery salsa, queso made from velveeta. Boring enchilada. And the worst, virtually no tequila in the margarita. Just avoid and go somewhere else read more

Best fajitas east of Colorado! Always delicious and fast food; Tina is A great waitress that makes experience fabulous and fun! Chips are warm and salsa spicy! Love it!!!! read more

You wouldn't think that the best ribs in our area are at a Mexican restaurant. They are delicious. Another secret for frugal or calorie conscious diners...you can order items a la carte such as the tacos, enchiladas, chili reetc so you don't pay extra for the rice and beans you may not want. read more

First, I would like to point out that I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food. I typically eat Mexican a couple times a month. I just recently moved to the area and have been wanting to check out this awesome looking Mexican Restaurant!! Saying that I was highly disappointed is an understatement. The atmosphere when you first walk in.... it sounds like a cafeteria. Very unpleasantly loud. The food was OK.. a little pricey for the smaller portions. Typically Mexican restaurants give you lots of food, but not this one. I would've priced this at $$$ instead of 2. My boyfriend and I spent $75 all together for a Fajitas-for-2 and 2 margaritas. The margs were good, but the Fajitas were missing something. They didn't give us many vegetables at all. I'm used to lots of peppers and onions with my chicken!! The free chips and salsa was a plus! But the salsa was not my favorite. The service on the other hand, was great! And the homemade Guac and tortillas is very cool. I definitely wouldn't recommend this place if you're looking for a quiet, nice, date night out. We could barely hear each other talk from across the table! Maybe they should put in some booths to absorb some of the sound. read more

Uncle Julio's has great food, there's no doubt about that. But their service is incredibly unaccomodating. They gave us a reservation time of 7:45 for a party of 10, but I'm sitting here 45 minutes later and I still haven't been seated. There are plenty of open tables as far as I can see, and when we asked them why we weren't being seated, they just kept repeating "There's nothing we can do." I have come to Uncle Julio's many times with my family, but I'm incredibly disappointed at the way this situation was handled. read more

My food was good but a little overpriced and their new payment system does not work properly. It kept declining my card until I asked the server to run it through manually. read more

In town for a conference, dines with colleagues and conducted some business. Prompt and efficient service, good variety and value.

Been here twice, food and service is a bit of a train wreck both times. They need some new managers. Hostesses not knowing what's going on, waiters playing around and forgetting to put orders in, The food bland both times. It took 50 minutes until we got our food when I went in the other day. He meal itself has a bit of a Taco Bell feel. Way too many other good restaurants in Reston, maybe pass on this one read more

Rio Grande has awesome fajitas, the rest is all just "average". The pricing has also gotten a bit high for what you get these days. Normally, I love their salsa, but they are using the hurricanes and a "tomato" shortage to have made the salsa nasty now. So, even that is no good. I'd like to see the quality back, but for now, it is sub par. Chevy's is actually better at the moment, and I am not a Chevy's fan. At least they have kept their salsa consistent. I do not want to see "we can't offer our free salsa because tomatoes are expensive" at a joint that has their prices. Baja Fresh still has their salsa consistent...and they charge fast food prices. read more

If you want an honest opinion of Uncle Julio's Rio Grade, based solely on the quality of food, versus pricing please read this review. FIRST THING I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW: YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE YOUR PICO DE GALLO WITH GUACAMOLE OR SOUR CREAM FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE. Most people don't know this, and if you order a side of these items you will likely pay a minimum of $2 EXTRA. Fajitas only come with a small scoop of guacamole and pico de gallo NO SOUR CREAM OR CHEESE. NEVER ORDER A SIDE OF SOUR CREAM. It cost 1.95 for a side of sour cream and cheese. THIS IS DAISY SOUR CREAM I KNOW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. You can go to the grocery store and buy an entire container for the same price they will charge you for one scoop. I strongly suggest substituting you pico de gallo for sour cream instead of ordering an extra side. NEVER order fish I REAPEAT NEVER ORDER FISH. It's dry and terrible. The fish tacos in particular are really nasty. No one usually likes them, unless they have a very specific taste, but it is very rare. Now about the fish specials. The waiters will work their tails off to sell you the specials, but they ALL SUCK. The waiters are just competing to get free fajitas for dinner, to not have to roll silverware, or to get off early. NO ONE has honestly ever told me the specials were good. SERIOUSLY they will rip you off. Just don't order them. Most of the waiters wont tell you the price of the sour cream when you order it neither will they tell you that you can substitute it. They also will never tell you that the specials all suck, because they want prizes. ADDITIONALLY they definitely will not tell you the price of the alcohol (which is NOT on the menu), or how much extra it will cost to upgrade to better liquor. It costs the price of a shot to get better tequila in your margarita. If you want a decent margarita you'll end up paying $16 for just one. It is ridiculous. Obviously you will not be told this, so be warned. They are just trying to jack up your bill, so they get a higher tip. BEWARE OF THE BEANS. The frijoles a la charra are the most disgusting "bean soup" you will ever have in your life. It will mostly be liquid (waiters are told to give you half liquid and half beans, but most of the time they are rushing and you'll get about 80 % liquid 20 % beans) It may have one chunk of tomatoes and a few chunks of pork, but it is really nasty SERIOUSLY. The pots of beans get all crusted over on the top/ sides, and the waiters just mix it all in and pour it into the little bowls they come in. If you want beans you can substitute for no additional charge the REFRIED OR BLACK BEANS. The FRIJOLES A LA CHARRA ARE FOUL. Never, I repeat NEVER ORDER ENCHILADAS OR TAMALES from Uncle Julio's. They are terrible. The enchiladas and tamales are BY FAR complained about most often and/ or sent back. If you must order enchiladas, which I do not recommend stick with the beef or cheese and onion. The chicken enchiladas are disgusting unless you get the sour cream sauce, but still it is very bland and not worth ordering. The red and green sauces are so nasty it is kind of shocking. These sauces come on the tamales as well. The meat is nasty pulled chicken/ mystery meat. If you are in the mood for enchiladas go to On the Boarder near best buy or Don Pablos on route 7. DON'T ORDER ANY OF THE SOUPS. THEY ALL SUCK. On a positive note here are some good, but over priced items from the menu: Queso very good, but WAY overpriced (5.95 for a VERY small cup really only enough for 2 people MAX) Quesadillas- FAJITA MEAT ONLY 14.95- ridiculously expensive, but really tasty. Flautas are great but again over priced at 11.95 for only 3. The fajitas and everything from the grill is incredible. It will cost you a MINUMUM of $16.95 (fajitas), but it really is the only thing worth getting. Just be aware it ALL is grilled in butter and then topped with an extra scoop of butter when it comes out. You can ask for no extra butter, but it is still cooked in butter. If you are in the mood for chicken and sour cream order the Chicken Blanco. This item is NOT ON THE MENU. Yes it will cost you almost $20, but honestly it is amazing. The Blanco comes with fajita chicken in sour cream sauce, fresh has avocados, and black beans. This was my favorite dish by far, while working at Rio Grande, but I was usually too broke to order it. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope it was helpful and that it might save you some money when visiting the restaurant. Please remember most of these problems are not your server's fault. They have horrible managers that over schedule them and treat them very badly. It is a difficult job and in this area people complain quite often. Give the servers some slack and remember the standard tip in the United States is 20%, regardless of what cheap people may say. read more

This place had great food and great service but when my fajitas came they forgot the actual tortillas rolls so I had to wait until I could get someone over to tell them they had forgotten my rolls until I could eat my food. But overall I thought this place had great food. read more

Waited for outside setting but watched several parties get seated before we did even though we came first . Service was good once seated and food we good to . Just needed to be seated in order read more

My first experience at this restaurant was a very enjoyable one. The atmosphere was very fun and easy going. Our server Matt was incredibly knowledgeable and made the experience a worthwhile one. He recommended the chicken and steak fajitas which turned out to be incredible! I would highly recommend this establishment, and look forward to returning in the months to come. read more

T/A order took awhile (20 min for queso only) so we were offered free salsa. Which was great until we got home & saw the salsa was burnt (Hows that happen??) and tons of black chunks floating in it. read more

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

I used the Yelp Order Delivery service and apparently it doesn't work here. Then, I called to confirm and was told that my order could not be made and would never be delivered even though it was on Yelp. And they had charged my card for $72.00+. The manager, Ingram, was extremely rude to me and then was rude to my husband when he called after I had. Not to mention, that we had to sit on hold for a while and get transferred to numerous people to not figure out the problem. The manager, Ingram, was completely unwilling and rude in trying to understand that possibly an "order delivery" function on Yelp (much larger company than Uncle Julio's) could result in such a thing that charged our credit card. Who hires such a person to manage such a place? It's a chain and quasi Mexican food at best. How would you actually let such an easy point of access to customers fail? We were told to come pick up our own food. However, we ordered deliver on Yelp. I would suggest that Uncle Julio's should get over themselves and coordinate with their online providers. read more

Unbelievable service(and I mean that in the good way). Be careful with the chips, very filling. The menu is extremely creative,however, it is expensive. One beer costs 15-20 dollars. The waitress was extremely interactive with my family and I. They also offer some table side service such as the dragon breath margarita and the homemade guacamole. I can't believe I'm saying this, but their guac is better than Chipotle. Unfortunately my chicken did taste frozen which was a disappointment, however, the rest of my meal was fantastic. For desert, we shared the chocolate piñata. This was the most creative desert I've ever had in my entire life. They bring out a giant chocolate piñata ball and you wack it and fruit and churros spill out. The piñata is especially enjoyable by small children(limit unless you want your children bouncing off walls). Overall, the service was kind, the prices are a little expensive, and you can expect great food,however, the chicken does taste frozen :( read more

Pros: -was able to get a table right away (although different sized groups had to wait) -waiter was very attentive and friendly -the queso and guac were amazing. the tortilla chips do taste different but they were still good -dish portions were pretty big; I was able to take some left overs home for later Cons: -the restaurant was very dark. We had to use our phones to read the menu and we were seated next to a window with light coming in.. -it's very loud in the restaurant which makes it hard to hear people at your own table -the dish I got (pulled chicken quesadilla) was okay. There wasn't anything really special about it that would make me want to go here again read more

Carne Asada. Worth every penny. Great margaritas. Friendly staff although occasionally a little hectic with noise and traffic, but I suppose that means people like to go there and enjoy it like we do. I was told we have one opening soon in Gainesville. We can't wait! read more

We've tried just about every Mexican there is out there an this is by far the best there is. There isn't a thing that is bad here. The best value for your wallet with a large family is the Plato Gordo, feeds more than 4 if you have smaller kids. The chips and salsa are hands down the best there is anywhere out there, and the fajita beef/chicken is high quailty meet. The restaurant is a nosiy but we have kids so we are ok with the noise. The prices are not too high and the food is well worth the money. read more

I'm a big fan of Mexican cuisine and this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the area. I've gone to this place to celebrate my birthday many times. Food is great and casual atmosphere. You won't be disappointed. read more