Being from Central Texas, we weren't sure what to expect from a Mexican food restaurant in New England. But we love Mexican food (specifically Tex-Mex), so we decided to try Julio's. And what a great choice it was, too. We were greeted by a host as we entered the restaurant, and we were offered seating indoors or outside on the sidewalk patio. The air outside was cool, so we opted for the patio. After looking over the menu, I chose two street tacos filled with braised pork, bbq sauce, and pickled jalapeños. While we waited, we snacked on the chips and salsa appetizer. The chips tasted as if they were the last of the day's batch, but to be fair, we arrived late in the evening. However, the salsa was delicious and seemed as if it was made in-house. Enough heat to make your tongue dance, but not so hot to have you gasping for water. And it was just so flavorful, too. When my tacos arrived, each one came with two corn tortillas, which was good because the tacos were a bit juicy. And they were oh-so good. The bbq sauce was not too sweet and very flavorful. The pork was well-cooked and tender. It was one of the top 3 tacos I've eaten, and I've eaten many. I wish I could say the rice was special, but it's your garden-variety Spanish rice, not unlike the box mix from the grocery store. And the black beans, while good tasting, seemed no different than the canned variety. Had the tacos not been so dang good, I might not have been so forgiving of the sides. But it looks (and tasted) like whatever money they might have saved on beans and rice was more than made up for in the tacos. (My wife chose the traditional tacos, and she loved those, as well.) If I had to pinpoint it, I would say it seems like Cali-Mex instead of Tex-Mex, as we're used to, but others might see it as more like actual Mexican fare. (I'll admit to not being too familiar with that style of food.) As for the restaurant itself, I didn't see much of it except for when I went to wash up (as I said, the tacos were juicy!), but there was a full bar and plenty of tables (it was quite full at the time). As for the staff, Hannah did a great job of taking care of us. She was friendly and attentive without being overly so. We're visiting Vermont for about 6 more weeks, and I think Julio's will be a weekly visit while we're here. read more

Julio’s Cantina - Julio's Cantina, across from the courthouse in Montpelier. - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

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Came here in March craving Mexican. No one ever came to my table to even ask for a drink order. A table that came in after me was served everything before anyone came over to me. Waited 30 minutes for someone to come over. Left without any server coming to my table. Horrible service. Never coming here again read more

We decided to stop here on our way through Vermont. Montpelier is a wonderful town full of character and charm. Unfortunately, Julio's does not match that. We were seated quickly, but waited quite some time before we got our order in. The portions were small for the price, and mediocre flavor at best. The service was friendly but sparse. I would recommended finding another place on the main strip with some more character. read more

Julio’s Cantina - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

Looks like a nice place, but the food was terrible. Nothing authentic about it. I ordered 3 different items and couldn't finish them. Nasty! Don't waste your time or money. read more

Some of the most tasteless Mexican food we have had. Asked the gal near the bar area for change for the parking meter. " I don't have any change, but the bar tender might " Employees seemed short-handed & a little overwhelmed. Combo plate, ground beef taco ,cheese enchilada (.75 extra for onions?) All tasteless. Out of a can? Chile relleno,no Bueno. Odd suace & ground chorizo. $2.50 extra for stale chips & salsa. Should have waited out the long line at Positive Pie next door. read more

Julio’s Cantina - Chile relleno appetizer. - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

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The tacos I ordered were cold and bland. Would have been happier eating somewhere else and we would not come back again. Having said that, service was very good and our server did all she could to take care of us. read more

Dropped in for a quick bite before heading home. They have a cute little outdoor seating space for those that don't mind the crisp fall weather. I enjoyed a make your own chorizo burrito! The server was helpful in capturing all the right ingredients. I read the other comments about the rice - not my fave but if you add the salsa and a little hot sauce, it's great! Next time I'll order the queso and chorizo. read more

Julio’s Cantina - Burrito dry - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

Friendly service and a pretty cool location with outdoor seating but the food is not good. It's so bland, the portions are small, and does not seem fresh. We had the street tacos. Enchiladas, and some kids menu items. I wouldn't recommend any of those items. The vibe inside felt stale and tired. They do have a decent beer menu that may help you cope with the lack of flavor. Go to Arandas at the gas station instead or Mad Taco. read more

Love the local and fun feel of the restaurant, staff are friendly and good. Best cobb salad in the area in my view and love being able to just relax, enjoy decent food, and enjoy time with friends and locals. Tends to be my go to when I do go out to eat. read more

Wow I have NEVER been to a Mexican restaurant where a drink was so bad I could not finish it, but I finished the below average margarita and could not finish the Paloma. Perhaps it is a southern thing but I asked for a Texas margarita and the waitress had no idea what it was. The waitress was very nice, but 3 out of 4 did not like their food or drinks. I LOVE Mexican food and not really that picky, but this was literally one of the worst meals I have ever had. They claim to be top rated Mexican in Montpellier and I guess with just two Mexican restaurants that could be, but if this is number one I am sure as hell not trying number two. Don't waste time or money. read more

Terrible food. The worst "Mexican" food I've ever experienced. Refried beans straight out of a tin can. Rice was undercooked with some ketchup added, maybe? Chips were stale and salsa was bland. Enchiladas were weird with no sauce on top. Margaritas were good and servers were marginally friendly. But still a terrible food experience. Give this one a pass. read more

Always friendly service and good food. We had the street corn dip appetizer and it was yummy. They make a mean spicy Mezcalrita! read more

I just had the best chile rellenos ever! And I've had a lot of them being from Southern California. The food was great! The service was excellent. If I'm back in town I will certainly stop by. PS the bar scene looks fun too! read more

Julio’s Cantina - Chile Rellenos! Bomb dot com! - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

Fish burrito and taco salad were great. Service excellent. We're sure to go back. Lots of variety on menu. Liquor and beer selection good. read more

Food is pretty good. Since moving here a year ago. We have gone there a few times a month. The wait staff is nice and we enjoy sitting near the window and people watching as we enjoy our meal. Nice location in downtown Montpelier. read more

They provide you with chips and salsa. They have hot and mild salsa. The hot was not super hot and had good flavor. The mild was very sweet. We ordered the steak fajitas for $18. It was enough for two people to share. It comes with a large side of shredded cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes. It came with rice but we requested refried beans. For $4.95 you can get a side of white queso. The meat was flavorful and served on a sizzling plate with sliced onion and green peppers. The tortillas were flour and from a package. There is a bar with about six seats. They have nightly specials written on a chalk board. They play non Spanish music that doesn't go with the ambiance. There is Free street parking at night. They have outdoor and indoor seating. Overall, it was good American style Mexican food in Vermont. read more

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I am disappointed with the rice. In my Mexican family it is a big deal for the rice to be cooked, (every part of the meal uses rice) the food was oily and would not recommend to the Mexican food lovers read more

Julio’s Cantina - Grainy rice - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

We stopped in after our visit to the Vermont Museum. The restaurant is very nice, very high ceilings and nice comfy booths. The bar area is a bit small but it works. We went a little passed lunchtime but before dinner. All we wanted were drinks and an appetizer to hold us over. The drinks were great and the chicken quesadillas hit the spot. Nothing spectacular other than they were timely and tasted like they should. The waiter was great (Chandler) he was quick to take our orders and always checked on us. read more

Julio’s Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

I would leave zero stars if that were an option. The server Violet was pleasant and warm. The food was the problem. I ordered a taco salad with carnitas (pork). The pork was soured and the lettuce was all wilted/moldy. Not just limp. I paid $25 to eat a handful of chopped tomatoes. Violet noticed my completely untouched food but did not ask if there was something wrong. read more

Poor service Without question the worst Mexican food we have ever had Stuffed Poblano peppers were bland and slimy A small scoop of rice tasteless Plain refried beans refried beans We left more then half our food on plate as we payed and left NEVER to return read more

Great food variety, amazing margaritas. Service was fast and staff were friendly. Highly recommend

Such a cute place to spend Cinco De Mayo- great staff and atmosphere - check it out if you are in town! read more

Julio’s Cantina - Chips and salsa with some Margs- quaint Mexican place with great staff and cool atmosphere - stop in next time you are in town - Mexican Near Me - Montpelier, Vermont

This is by far the worst "Mexican" food I've ever eaten. Anywhere. And I grew up eating it. Chips tasted stale. Salsa had no flavor. Rice was flavorless and undercooked. Refried beans may as well have been out of a can. Disgusting. Taco tortillas were stale and cold. Chorizo was nasty. Enchiladas with flour tortillas? And no sauce on top? All in all a completely dreadful meal. read more

Comically Small burritos, think 1/4 the size of Chipotle at twice the price. They were good but not worth it at $4 breakfast burritos size. Extra star for minimally acceptable Mexican food in Vermont. Fun ongoing family joke how ridiculously small the burritos were. Funny, except I'm out $75 bucks for four burritos and had to make a second dinner which kind of defeats the point of take out. No sides, no beans, no rice, no chips, no salsa, just a very tiny expensive petite burrito. Think a taco rolled up and sold as a burrito. Sucks to get ripped off read more

amazing food! amazing service!! can't wait to go back again! friendly staff and amazing ambiance!

Solid Mexican food, with fresh ingredients. We had fish, chicken, and veggie tacos and they were all were good. Service was pretty quick considering they were orrery busy at lunch. read more

Hours on Yelp said open until 8:30pm. We arrived at 8:02pm on a Thursday and were turned away because they were closed. They had just seated a party in front of us as we were walking in the door. They could have easily seated us since clearly the kitchen was open. read more

We love Julio's and come here whenever we're in Montpelier. The made-to-ride guacamole is amazing - get the large size! - and has amazing flavor without being salty (this is a balance most restaurants miss). On our most recent visit, we shared the guacamole and each got veggie burritos, which were also amazing. They feature a great mix of vegetables - portobello, squash, and apple, to name a few. Definitely go with the smaller size; it was plenty of food! Our son got the kids quesadilla and fries - he loved it! My only wish is that the "hot" complimentary house-made salsa was hotter. I love hot food and know it's not for everyone, but having something more lethal available would be awesome. The staff is friendly and on-point without being the least bit irritating. They provide excellent service without standing over you. A++++ I noticed a sticker on the door - "practice kindness." It was a nice touch and says a lot about the place. There's a very positive vibe here, and we love it! read more

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Great service. Food was lovely. Out of a lot of options but we did come later in the evening. For this area of the country I'm surprised to find really decent Mexican food. Had the taco trio; beef, chicken, guacamole veg. The guac is literally just that, they could have done fajita peppers in it or something but the guac was really tasty so that's good and I added the rice and beans from my side to it. Husband had the trio street soft tacos; chicken, pork, & shrimp. Loved all three. It's A LOT of food be warned. Don't over order unless you're planning to take it home. Would come back if in the area. read more

Food was absolutely delicious! Hard to believe you would find good Mexican food in Vermont but we did. Service was fast and great!

Quaint and on the main drag, had chips, queso. Guacamole, and salsa- it was quite tasty. Cadillac margarita isn't as good as the strawberry but still good. Overall enjoyable. Service was good- she checked in on us several times. read more

Really solid Tex-Mex and delicious margs. They're very gluten-free friendly. Great for a regular night out if you don't feel like cooking at home or want to mix things up from standard VT "burgers & beers" fare, but it's definitely a casual place to grab a food & drink. read more

Ordered carry out from restaurant website. Ordered and paid for pint of salsa only to get a little cup. My order was a bit over cooked too. Website said to call or text a number, tell them you are there and order would be brought to you. Wife went inside to check status of order and found out the hostess knew nothing about this. Said they were short staffed but place was not busy and employees were standing around not doing much. So ripped off a bit even though I left a generous tip. Unlikely to return. read more

WARNING TO ANYONE WITH A FOOD ALLERGY: Asked for no dairy in the food, and he purposefully put it in anyway and made fun of me when I brought it up. Seriously unprofessional and disgusting business. read more

Everyone please steer clear of this place! They are completely inconsistent of people with food allergies. They could have sent me to the hospital. I asked for my burrito to not contain cheese and the owner out both sour cream and cheese in my burrito. I caught it early and so I didn't have to use my EpiPen, but it was a really close call. Rude owner. Bad food. Complete lack of concern for customer well being. Crazy. read more

Great solid Texmex food. Always good quality and consistent flavors. Great margaritas. The recent remodel is great. Makes the restaurant seem more spacious. Always a great choice. read more

Great food with a lot of flavors wow Hmm Staff was pretty shitty Dude named Hmm Chandler, I mean of course you know where I'm going with this come on guys. Come on guys. Come on guys. Come on guys. Guys. Hey. Where am I. read more

Decent place for standard Americanized Mexican food in Vermont. (You have to grade on a curve for these things) Nothing tasted old or reheated, everything seemed fresh. The kitchen looked very clean. Service was attentive but not overbearing. We had the grande loco nachos and they were exactly what you'd expect at this type of place, full of a mountain of good stuff. We will be back to try other parts of the menu. I took off a star bc I asked for no jalepenos and they were some read more

Worst Mexican Food ever. Horrible fajitas!! No flavor at all. Corn tortillas which sat on a open plate until the food arrived. Hard as rocks. Had to put salt and pepper on the meat for flavor. Let alone how tough it was. My husband had the chicken fajitas and the same problem. No flavor. Terrible experience. read more

This place was delicious-I liked the guac and my tacos (esp the beef ones!). We got an assortment of four different tacos. What else? The white sangria was nice and sweet. Our server was also friendly-seems like a ton of out-of-towners come here! read more