I was invited to a bridal shower luncheon at Julio's Cafe in Clarksburg, WV. (A Saturday in early March, 2024). I mistakenly thought that I would be going to a Mexican restaurant but, to the contrary, Julio's is a fine dining ($$$) Italian restaurant. The buffet lunch was made-from-scratch and excellent. It featured perfectly fried thick-and-gooey grilled cheese sandwiches; white pasta fagioli soup; chicken pastina soup with ditalini pasta; garlic toast; and spicy marinated peppers (which I put on my sandwich). I've had pasta and fagioli soup many times over the years but none as good as this -- obviously made from a traditional recipe from a real Italian cook! Some also enjoyed mimosas or aperol spritzes. The party host also purchased small bottles of Prosecco wine from the restaurant for us to take home as party favors. The ambiance was very comfortable in the back room for our group of about 30 persons, with three tables of about ten ladies each. The food was served along the counter of the bar area. A waitress took and delivered our drinks. There was a fireplace in the room but it was not lit. I hope to return one day for a special occasion to try their dinner menu. read more

My parents have been coming to Julio's for over two decades... We have since moved out of the area but this weekend we were in town for an event, and my parents insisted that I come to dinner here with them. I'm so glad I listened to mom! :-) What a wonderful dinner! Rack of lamb was stupendous, Dad got the salmon, which was very flavorful! This is not a rush and eat quickly type of restaurant. Expect to be here in an hour or more. But it's worth the wait. Every dish comes out prepared to order. Fresh ingredients & we ate in the dining room -but the café also looked very inviting. If I'm ever in Clarksburg again and want a nice sit down dinner with a wonderful glass of wine, I will definitely come back to Julio's! read more

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Clarksburg is known for its amazing, original 'old school' Italian cuisine and Julio's is the best!

I had high hopes for this restaurant, but unfortunately, my experience was disappointing. I made a reservation in advance, expecting efficient service, but after being seated, I waited **45 minutes** without so much as a greeting from the staff. no recommendations--just complete disregard. To make matters worse, I watched as an older couple walked in and were seated and the staff took there drink order right away At that point, it was clear that my presence was being ignored entirely. I understand that restaurants get busy, but this felt like an intentional lack of service. If the staff prioritizes certain guests over others, they should be upfront about it. Needless to say, I took my business elsewhere and won't be returning. I hope management takes customer service seriously because no one should feel invisible when dining out. read more

Just walking in the door of Julios is an experience. Sitting in the front bar area vs. the back dining area are like two totally different experiences. I would describe Julios decor as "rustic Italian." Everything we have ever had here is delicious - fresh and perfectly prepared every time. The service is impeccable. Menu and wine options are impressive. If you plan to dine for a special occasion or holiday, be sure to call for a reservation! read more

Julios Cafe - Italian Near Me - Clarksburg, West Virginia

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When it comes to the food, one word comes to mind - AH-MAZING! The service was personal, friendly and welcoming. We are incredibly thankful that they had a table for 2 on walk-in. Ambiance was perfectly dim it set the mood for a great date night. We will be back, this place is the best in town. We will return and it will be the place we bring friends when they come to town to visit. read more

Amazing food, you can buy their jarred sauce there. Great family owned business with excellent service. Highly recommend this place.

I usually go to Muriale's when I travel through this area but I thought I would try a different place. Italian food in WV is usually always amazing. That was a mistake. The place looks lovely but I stood in the waiting area for 35 minutes being ignored. They took the only other group waiting without even acknowledging me. Then they ignored me for another 30 minutes. I did try to get their attention but it seems everyone who goes here know each other. The establishment feels it has enough customers to last, and they don't want anyone new. It was not overly busy and there were a number of free booths. Total waste of my time that added time to my trip because I had to go somewhere else. I ended up at Wonderbar. It was very busy but they still gave me a spot at the bar and I had a great meal. Just wish I would have done that first and not wasted my time at a place that seems like it should really be honest about itself and be a private club. read more

Nice family owned 3rd generation. Original recipes. Every thing is delicious Ambience of fireplace room so warm and friendly

Great place to eat hidden gem but never seems to have management on site! Wouldn't answer phone to make reservation so took a chance drove to restaurant was turned away by a stressed looking young waitress! Wonder Bar made room for me even though they were busy. read more

My absolute favorite steakhouse in Harrison County! My go-to is the 10oz filet with hot peppers and onions.

Wow, you certainly did not read my review throughly, my filet was served rare and burnt on the top because your chef apparently does not know how to cook properly. As a business owner one would think you would appreciate feedback to ensure this doesn't happen to another guest. I'm not sure how hard you work when your only open 2 days a week from 5-9. It's obviously how little you care about customer service. read more

Best Italian food in the WV area! The atmosphere is antique and old fashioned which adds to the experience. Service was a little slow but you could tell they were short staffed so we didn't mind waiting! read more

Truly one of the greatest dining experiences in North Central WV, if not the state. Ingredients are sourced locally, and from the vendors from Pittsburgh's strip district - in fact unless things have changed since my list dinner visit, there is no printed dinner menu, it all factors on what is fresh that day. Although I have relocated nearly 2000 miles to Las Vegas, I try to make time on each visit back to WV to stop in here for lunch. The pasta fagioli alone is nearly worth the price of the flight. They offer 3 kinds and I usually get a red, and get a red and a white to go - my grandmother (93.5 years old) LOVES the fagioli, and has me mix the red and white together - she and my aunt will have at least 2 days lunch out of the generous portion. The sandwiches are delicious, incredible value for their filet on a sandwich. The salads are wonderful too, especially topped with a nice salmon filet if it's available. I don't think the broccoli sauce is on the menu anymore, but they made it for me the last time I went. Desserts are made in house daily - no frozen junk here. Julio's for lunch is very affordable. For dinner - it is a special occasion/splurge, but well worth it. Truly a hidden gem in Clarksburg's Glen Elk neighborhood. read more

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I very much enjoyed this restaurant. On a Saturday night, it was not very crowded there were about 5 tables eating. We did not need a reservation. It was quiet and the décor is rustic and Italian. The food is delicately prepared and delicious, everything on the menu has a made by momma at home feel, but it is upscale enough to pay the money for. I felt that the food came out extremely slow for a restaurant with 5 tables in it and zero people at the bar. In fact, there was no bartender at the bar which leads me to believe that someone may come if I sat there, but I'm not sure. We waited 5 minutes for menus and a few more for waters. 10 minutes later bread came, and even longer for the appetizer. Salads did not come until much later, and then the meal arrived much after that. We were at the restaurant for around 3 hours. I also felt it odd that the other server or runner or whomever it was would bring our server plates for other tables while she was taking our order or talking to us, and she would abruptly take the plate from him, leave our table and run the plate to another table. He apparently will bring the server whatever is ready whenever it is ready no matter if she is not at that specific table or not, which it was weird to have this kind of serving going on but it didn't really bother me much. Two of us got pollo funghi, which was good although I wish the chicken had more of a sear on them for more flavor, as it looked to be boiled chicken breasts or something. The wine sauce and the pasta was a light delicious combination. The salmon looked to be cooked perfectly, and the lamb special was also cooked perfectly and was yummy. I did not care much for the white pepper sauce they brought to accompany it, but it was not bad either. The meatball appetizer was out of this world. I could eat that every day. Meatballs were tender and did not loose their shape, and the sweet and spicy peppers that came in the sauce were amazing. I would have loved to try the tomato plate and peppers, but we knew we would be too full. It was 3 of our party's birthday, and they brought us a large warm piece of pistachio cake to share which was delicious. Our server was very attentive and excellent at her job, she even removed a straw wrapper from the table and reorganized our silverware without us even noticing. Overall we had a nice time and would definitely make it "our spot" if we lived in the area. read more

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A few of my co-workers went in for lunch and we all ordered the same sandwich the gisapie (sp) and it was pretty good. Service was good and though dark and dim the interior is interesting. read more

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We had reservations. Seated promptly. Drink orders taken immediately. Wine is generic, so overpriced. They buy it at WalMart. Soup was very good. Main course seemed like it took forever. Our party was just 6 so it should not have been a big deal. Food was very good when it arrived. They definitely need more servers. I had to ask twice for my cola to be refilled. Prices kinda high considering everything. read more

We went for Valentine's Day and we loved the atmosphere. the service was a bit slow, (it took a half an hour to be seated past our reservations), but I tend to expect that at busy times. The food was great, We loved the bread and the prices are reasonable. read more

Wow! Super friendly, knowledgeable, friendly service! Excellent personal attention. We ate in the back room, full of rough-hewn dark wood and a strong of sense of history. The salmon was very good. The bean and garlic soup with fresh cheese was *excellent*. I mean seriously delicious. The salad with homemade gorgonzola with bleu cheese dressing, was decadent. This is the way bleu cheese dressing should be made, with enormous boulders of bleu cheese bursting with flavor, never acid or sharp but bold, decadent, and freakin' delicious. I also had their homemade limoncello. Really, I would characterize the soup, salad, and limoncello as off-the-charts amazing, and the salmon as very good. And when you add the personal touch and super great service, it's impossible for me not to give this five stars. read more

I am well travelled and from a food service background, we ate in the dinning room where I hade the lobster and filet. Both were easily the best I had ever had. I had been warned about the prices, and was still surprised at how expensive it was. That is the only reason it didn't get 5 stars. This is not a quick eat and go establishment, but the service and atmosphere were very good, and in line with what one would expect for a "fancy" restaurant" in a big city. Unfortunately, so r the prices. You better enjoy food and not be picky because u get what they have and prepare, but again, everything they described, and I saw delivered to ours and others tables was excellent. read more

Julios Cafe - Filet and lobster! - Italian Near Me - Clarksburg, West Virginia

Great place in an area probably not expecting this level of good food. I know some have complained about slow service, which is due primarily to the amount of personal attention given to each party instead of quickly moving from table to table to simply get orders. I didn't have a problem with that. Overall, I'd highly recommend to all. read more

Julios Cafe - Italian Near Me - Clarksburg, West Virginia

No menu, the owner recites everything to you, which may seem cute, until you get your bill and realize how expensive everything is! I thought the food at Olivero's was better, and more reasonably priced. Guess where I'll be going next time I'm in town? read more

I LOVE Julios! Excellent food, service, and atmosphere!! The only drawback is what most have mentioned, and that's the lack of menu (because they change their entrees by night of week I think). I have eaten here a couple times, most memorable was prom. They were VERY accommodating, and I couldn't have picked a better spot! We all had lasagna, because their lasagna is that good! read more

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Service was extremely unorganized, the food was good when we were actually served, waited close to 2 hours for a meal for two.

This restaurant never disappoints. Valentines celebration with perfectly cooked food eaten by the fireside. Soup, steak, veal parmigiana, and in house crafted dessert. A relaxing evening served by a attentive staff. read more

There's not a single day of the week where this place deserves anything less than 5 stars. Julios sets the bar very high. I've tried so many things on the menu and the thought of them all makes my mouth water. I've never had one single mediocre meal here. A hidden gem is an understatement. Yes it takes some time there, they're making everything fresh for you. If you don't want to wait for fresh food, go to McDonald's. Also, best atmosphere in the entire area! read more

My mother still talks about how she and her girlfriends had lunch and great wine (during the 70s) there. I was skeptical about dining there one evening, thinking: "oh, this place had it's day..." It is in a dicey part of town, but has good close parking and is well lit. I have been twice before deciding to write this review. The first time, my husband and I ate in the 'back' room. No prices are listed and the menu is recited to you by your server and the atmosphere could be close if it were jammed packed, but both times I felt like we had room to breathe. The food was very good. Tasty, and well presented. I had a filet and my husband had the lasagna. For the second visit, we just decided to pop in in the early eveing. We sat in the very well-used, but comfy booths in the front part. I had the filet again, and hubby had the ribeye. The restroom seemed very tidy and you can even 'glimpse' into the kitchen in the small hallway to the restroom. If you don't leave room for dessert, you can have them package it up to go. I recommend the Pistachio creme cake. Price: about $20-35 per person dress: casual smart to dressy read more

Very disappointed in the way we were treated. Food is great. However we were taken advantage of on the drinks. Each person was charged for 6 drinks and the reality is we had probably 3 each. Be careful when going hear so you don't get ripped off. read more

The service was wonderful. We sat in the back, a bit more classy and date appropriate compared to the bench seats up front. It was overpriced, but for great service in West Virginia, we've only found it in upper scale restraunts. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the jazz music in the backround. The food wasn't terrific, but wasn't terrible either. If your a health-nut like myself it's a once a year splurge type meal. My pasta was so calorically rich, it seemed sufficent for the entire weekend! I asked for lighter options but they didn't have much to offer. read more

We were traveling thru town and stopped for dinner because a friend had highly recommended Julios. Incredible gem hidden away in West Virginia. You are made to feel welcome as you walk in the door, service is wonderful, and the food is exceptional. We had a great dinner. read more

Love the food, the service and the atmosphere! Pam and the staff are wonderful. There could be no better dining experience in the area. Clarksburg is truly lucky to have Julio's. I visit as often as possible. read more

I have dined at Julio's twice and both times have been below average. At my first dining experience I had brown water and was unable to order a grilled chicken salad because they were out of chicken. My second visit included extremely slow service and very cold lasagna. There are so many Italian restaurants in the area - if you are looking for a good meal I would suggest you try one of the others. read more

Julio's Cafe One of the old Clarksburg (Glen Elk area), WV restaurants still living up to the reputation that is built back in the 1970's. Last dined: Spring 2007. 1) Food - The food is a solid 5 stars. Everything is freshly made is with sincere Italian influences. The quality is always spectacular and is the reason why this place is a "must try" for anyone wanting a quality food night out. Don't be afraid to try the seafood as it is very fresh for such a landlocked location. New dishes are always fun to try and the wines are of the same great quality. 2) Service - Knowledgeable! Another 5 stars. This is especially true since Julio's does NOT have menus. That's right; don't even expect to see a wine list. They just don't have anything written down. So you will have to rely on your waiter for everything. In most places this would be a nightmare, but in Julio's it just seems to make perfect sense. The waiters are attentive but not obtrusive, can describe any dish on the menu perfectly, and are definitely going to earn the big tip that you'll be giving at the end of service. 3) Atmosphere - This is why the place is down by a perfect 5 star score. The atmosphere only deserves 2 stars. Julio's is located in the historic Glen Elk area of Clarksburg, in a very old building. In most cases this would be a huge boon and could easily be used to its advantage; however, the dcor is very, very outdated. It is truly stuck in the late 60's early 70's at best. In the front dining area where you enter, there is a large classic bar (circa early 1900's) and while bit dark, it has ghost of glitz to it. A few repairs and good cleaning would go a long way in restoring it to its former glory. As for the "dining room" or "back room" it is where the decade shock hits you, and not in the retro fun kind of way. The carpet is shag, multi-faded hues of orange. The walls are dark, faux wood paneling. The tables are 70's/80's dark wood country kitchen like and the hardware/glassware varies. There is a dismal fireplace, a few cobwebs, and a very old huge gondola wallpaper mural flanked buy typical 70's gold swirl mirrors. This place should be very retro classic but I don't think the owners have received the necessary push to do a remodeling. People keep coming back and the food is still tops. 4) Price - This is one of those places where you will pay for what you are getting. No menus means no idea of the cost. Julio's is very expensive, but the food quality is worth it. Because the cost equals the quality it is a solid 4 star rating. You will be shocked by the bill but you'll get over it because the food is worth it. read more

I went with another couple for Valentines day dinner. I know that I should know better than picking Valentines day but we hadn't been out in a while. We had 730 reservations and we were seated at 915. The waitress was very kind and we were liquored up so it did soften the blow of an 1:45 wait time. The wine was great and the food started rolling as soon as we were seated. No menu but the waitress/owner did a great job describing the evenings dishes. The food was excellent but the price was a little shocking. Two couples and we had 2 bottles of $30.00 wine and our bill was $350.00 per couple. (Yep that's $350.00 per couple, $175 per person, $10.00 per bite.) I do give the food a 4.5 star but the price combined with the wait time will only result in a 3 star. I'd love to say I will go back but I will have to take a second mortgage on my house to return! read more

Not sure why this restaurant has received so many good reviews. There is very little that is actually Italian about its menu and the food is nothing better than 'fine'. The crab cakes were VERY bready and salty and the chicken with mushroom pasta I had was ok. I would have got an entree, but they were so expensive I couldn't afford it. Though, I imagine those are probably not much better than the dish I ordered. The ambience is terrific and the service was very good. I probably won't go back. If you want Americanized Italian food, go for it. But if you are looking for real Italian food, I'd skip it. read more

Overpriced and mediocre food! I'm not sure where the hype is coming from but it was overpriced to an egregious degree and the food was average at best. Oliverios and others are much better if you want good food in Clarksburg. read more

One of WV's best restaurants, this low-lit, fireplace-warmed spot is a romantic dreamscape with a seven-course reality check of sumptuous appetizer, entree, and dessert offerings. My mother took me there for my 11th birthday, and I returned recently to find that it hasn't missed a beat over the years. If you're even passing through the Clarksburg area on I-79, it's worth the 7-minute detour to and from, on Route 50. Be prepared to spend some money, but also be prepared to raise your standards. read more

This is a wonderful restaurant for a special occasion. Book a table by the fireplace in the dining room for an intimate, romantic date or a book a group for a birthday, retirement, or other special occasion. Relax and savor each course. The staff are very attentive and commit the menu to memory to recite to you ever evening. My favorite meal here is the veal and the lobster tail! Lamb chops are also excellent! read more

I have eaten all over the world at 5 star restaurants and the food at Julio's is as good if not better than any other restaurant I have been to. The filet mignon is perfection, pastas are out of this world, the lobster and seafood is cooked perfectly...and the service and experience cannot be beaten. An absolute favorite! read more

Probably one of the best meals I have had at a restaurant in years. The food and service was wonderful. The deserts are all homemade and wonderful. My son and I had the filet, my wife had the lasagna and my youngest son has the spaghetti. Everyone enjoyed their meal. The staff even offed to prepare something off the lunch menu for my youngest. read more