I was at this restaurant February 20 about 7 PM. The black bartender who was big ignored me and he was a terrible bartender. The drinks were terrible. I started talking to some people and he complained that I talk to people later. The manager came around and said I had to leave the restaurant she was very rude. This restaurant has gone downhill terribly in the last five years. I would never go to this restaurant, but fajitas are terrible. The margaritas are terrible. Everything's overpriced the manager and the big black bartender should be fired immediately. read more

So I ordered pick up - $44 - rice was over cooked, beans weren't cooked, cheese enchiladas had almost no cheese, a Lg queso was a less than half full ¼ pint container and watery, the chips are so think they break if you look at them, and the side of "guac" was a ¼ of an unripe avocado with actual guac that was brown - but yeah - I dont leave reviews unless im blown away or insanely disappointed- im beyond insanely disappointed - honestly save your time and go to Guapos up the block! I'd leave no stars if possible #TimeToClose read more

Huge restaurant, came here for lunch, immediately seated as the place was pretty empty. Server was nice, no issues with the service. The drinks were mid at best. The complimentary chips and salsa wasn't great, 5/10. My soup wasn't hot :( but the flavor was there so 7/10. My friend had the steak bowl, said it was lacking flavor. Won't be back again but thank you! read more

Uncle Julio's - Chips and salsa on the house - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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This place is THE BEST! Great table side gauc, drinks, and good vibes. Have Carlos as your server for a great time! Kid friendly :)

My husband and I used to eat at Uncle Julio's frequently back in the day when they used to be named Rio Grande. It's been years since we've visited the Bethesda location. They have since renovated the restaurant. It's more vibrant and modern now. The menu has slightly changed over the years. My go to dish was the ribs fajitas and they no longer have that on the menu. I was disappointed until I realized their new dish, the carnitas fajitas is just like the pork ribs without having to pick at the bones! It was quite delicious and I'm happy to know that they tweaked one of my favorite dishes from the past into something better! My husband ordered the chicken fajitas and he had no complaints about his food. We both ordered strawberry margaritas. Mine was on the rocks and my husband was frozen. Both very tasty. We had reservations for the restaurant at 6:45PM and they were packed. I don't think you'd be able to get a table without a reservation. Service was a bit slow and that seems to be the case at most restaurants we've visited since the COVID pandemic. Our server did mention they were a bit behind and apologized when our drink order took forever to come out. All in all, we were satisfied with our food and would come back. read more

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Ordered a Steak fajita meal and as always delicious ! Service was Great .. Ahhh but one thing , we need the swirl's and the ceviche back!

Everything has changed! I have been going to the Bethesda Uncle Julio's since it was Rio Grand on the other side of Bethesda ore than two decades ago. We really appreciated the way they cooked their fajitas. Apparently it has been under new management/ownership for the past month. I had the most disappointing dinner I've ever had there. Well, we had a terrific server, the food was awful. It's like they're not even grilling their beef fajitas anymore. It was almost steamed. Wet and overcooked even after we sent back the first serving. I don't even know how you get the beef to be that way. Do you steam it after initially grilling it or do you put it in the microwave? Uncle Julio's is now off the list. read more

The food was great! The service was a bit slow. The server took a while to take our order. Ambiance was great as well. We will be back. read more

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Uncle Julio's is always a good food spot! However I was disappointed this visit, because their frozen machine was not working. However, I did get the 3 tequila drink off of their secret menu (ask the bartender) and It did not disappoint. In addition to the drink and tasty chips and salsa, I had the crispy tacos (ground beef) and they were good as well. read more

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Have not been awhile a new location at least for me. Very nice looking indeed. Big change from the old place. They bring chips and salsa hot and mild the hot is very so be aware. Service was a little slow, it was not crowded but staff looked a little sparse. Silverware had spots (That doesn't bother me but some of you are triggered by such).now for the food, First off you get a lot of it second if it tasted better you would glad it was a lot. In this case not so much. It's not bad it's just not good enough. Nice place, good service, so-so read more

It took them 10 minutes to come to us after we were seated to bring waters when it was 85 degrees and sunny. The people next to us warned that the service was very slow today. We finally were able to order and eat. By the time we paid I asked for a to go box... then 10 minutes later I asked again. Another 10 minutes later I just took the container the food was served in because the server was not coming back to bring the box. read more

Uncle Julio's - Taco Tuesday fajita steak - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Kaithyn gave us the best service ever...good food,great restaurant...Highly recommended,i am coming back for sure 1000%%%% no regrets how so ever....!!!! read more

Went there on Cinco DeMayo, had a great meal with a few cold beers. Hard to gauge what this place is like when it's not crazy busy, but the staff seemed attentive and food portions and quality were good. read more

Uncle Julio's - Chips, salsa and a cold Corona - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

This place is TERRIBLE! The service is absolutely garbage. We didnt get served last time I went for a long time and they just wouldnt come. We had to go up and get them ourselves to ask for drinks and food. Once the drinks came they " accidentally " made one alcoholic. The food took forever and they completely forgot tortillas and rice, we asked for rice snd they gave us one single plate, for 6 people, really? People from other tables began leaving due to not being served and the servers were just plain dumb. The vibe in general was terrible and I would NOT recommend Uncle Julios in Bethesda, go to Rio instead. read more

The atmosphere is great and our server was excellent - super friendly and welcoming. However, neither of us enjoyed our meal or thought it was worth the price. The grilled chicken fajita was dry. The soft tacos were pretty good but covered in soggy, unpleasant lettuce. The ceviche was not tart or spicy enough to be reassuring and was doused with chimichurri which somehow gave it a strange, almost Italian flavor. We will not be returning, but would come back for the location and service if the menu changed a lot. read more

Uncle Julio's - Ceviche appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

This was a family favorite until tonight. The service is terrible and you can tell they are cutting corners to reduce cost. As someone who loved restaurant since the old location existed, I think I've given up. The salsa recipe has changed, it's mediocre. Rice was cold, there wasn't a single bean in the side of beans. It was just bean soup. The teaspoon of cheese was disproportional to the $32 I paid for my fajita platter. And gone are the days where a little bit of guac came with the order. Also the 'pico' that comes with the fajita order is just diced tomato. Cilantro, onion is just too costly? As if the terrible food wasn't enough to never come back, the terrible service will do it. The staff is run by teenagers who have no training. The woman told us it would take up to 30 minutes to get a table, it's took over 45. Fine, it's Friday. But when I asked for a high chair she said she couldn't give us one. As if I didn't explicitly say it was 3 adults and a baby. Fine. Maybe I misspoke? Then it took them 15 minutes to even acknowledge us after being seated. And when they did, they asked for drink orders but we didn't have drink menus. What else? We had to ask for silverware when we couldn't find our waitress. The waitress brought me a small box despite seeing we barely had touched our meals and had to go because toddlers can't keep up with slow service. And then, the cherry on top...the machine froze as my toddler was screaming while we were trying to leave given the long and terrible service. Nope, never again. Chipotle and a six pack of beer would've run me $40 not $130 and the food would've been better. read more

We've been customers of Uncle Julio's for 10+ years. Their Queso was our family's favorite and we enjoyed the menu and service. Today, we were excited to get to Uncle Julio's only to learn that they have changed most of their menu, including the queso, which was not only not the delicious Queso from previous visits, but it was so bad that we actually thought we were given queso made with dairy that had gone bad. All four of us disliked the sour, Smokey spoilt milk taste and nasty texture. Other menu items were less awful, but the changes were not necessary. DAMN. I used to look forward to Uncle Julio's-- we won't be back. Dang! read more

Menu has changed... I used to like the enchiladas but now it contains way too much jalapeño in the Verde sauce .They also don't have ceviche on the menu. It came back on after Covid and now it's gone. Tacos seemed OK that my son had. Will not be going back Anytime soon. Unfortunately. read more

Almost empty. Long wait food. Taco salad terrible, wilted lettuce, avacado brown edges, assembled poorly. Waitress never ck back

Great taco Tuesday special. The best tortillas I have ever had!!! For $12 you get the meat of your choice and all the staffing you want and need. HH margaritas could be better, the first round was too sweet, and the second ( we asked for skinny ) was way too sour, but I have had their margs before and they were good It was 3 of us and the portion is so good. Our server (Zee I believe) was great!!! read more

Uncle Julio's - Taco Tuesday special - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Don't know whether this was an off night or this place has just gone downhill. Service was awful. At least some of the steak in the fajitas had faint grill marks but it might as well have been steamed (same with the onions and peppers) and was swimming in liquid. The amount of guac they now serve along with the dishes that come with it is laughable (literally). Used to be better than Guapo's. No longer sure that's true. read more

What was in my 3 day old guacamole, oh half of an avocado peel! When did take out salsa get so hot and thin it makes sriracha look thick and mild? After 20 something years will not return! read more

Uncle Julio's - Old guac with a side of peel - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

This being in a great location is probably my only pro to this restaurant. Had never been here, but it's a chain, and I can certainly tell. My friend and I split the chicken fajitas and ordered 2 rounds of The Grand Swirl. The fajitas weren't great. Not even good, actually. There wasn't any flavor, and the chicken was like uncooked strips -none of that sizzle and spark like fajitas should have! The drinks were actually good, not strong, but beautifully made and tasty. I wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Uncle Julio's - Grand Swirl - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Swing by this place after salsa dancing on a Monday Evening. It was quite busy. Outdoor seating was full so we decided to sit at the bar. The complimentary chips and salsa was DELICIOUS!!! (Specifically the chips) We ordered the following: Three Crispy Taco Dinner - Beef Tacos that didn't seem to have any seasoning, that also came with rice and beans. My wife ordered the chicken tortilla bowl. She liked it but the dried beans that looked like they were 3 days could go. The food was super subpar/mediocre. The fresh strawberry margarita was GREAT! My wife said she would definitely come back for the drinks. I also ordered the bacon wrapped shrimp but the kitchen forgot them. Between to food and the kitchen the get 2 stars but the chips, drink, and bar waitress brings it to 3. Hopefully next time will be better. read more

Uncle Julio's - Chicken Tortilla Bowl - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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What's your favorite Tex-Mex Mexico Restaurant? #unclejulios Why because they are very Accommodating -- For My Food Allergies. I have IBS, what some might call a tricky stomach. When I alert the staff to my issues to their happy hour offerings here's what happened... Love Uncle Julio's for listening to my food needs and working with me. I'm a foodie with a tricky stomach. I have food intolerances and I react poorly to bean, certain fruits, vegetables and alcohol. Red wine and tequila, do not agree with me. The other day, I stopped at Uncle Julio's for Happy Hour. It had been a long while since my last visit. The issue I ran into was that all the happy hour drinks were tequila based, which for me would be a very bad idea. Most establishments ignore my request and concerns, not Uncle Julio's. For a small amount extra ($2), they were able to substitute out the tequila for vodka. Which means, I could enjoy happy hour without purchasing a premium drink. They made me so happy and delighted with their A #1 level of excellent and service. I'd highly recommend them, for your next happy hour. Cheers!! read more

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We were looking for an after dinner drink/dessert on a Friday night. This place looked quiet and is open later than others. A The atmosphere outside was perfect. Lighting was flattering and the music was a volume where you could hear it and still talk. The tables are set back from the street so it is quieter. I ordered the grapefruit margarita with sugar rim. My friend ordered the blackberry margarita with a salt rim. We each liked our drink. They served chips and salsa but we were pretty full from our dinner. The chips were light. I highly recommend this place for an outdoor experience. read more

Uncle Julio's - Grapefruit margarita in front, blackberry margarita in back. - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

This place on Bethesda Row is usually busy and seems very popular with groups. The menu isn't extensive but has enough good options to satisfy most tastes. I had the TexMex combo, which comes with a chicken enchilada, beef enchilada, beef taco, and rice / beans. Service was friendly but a but overtasked and disjointed despite there being what seemed like plenty of staff onhand. The streetside outdoor seating area looks nice for mild days. read more

Uncle Julio's - TexMex combination - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

What an absolute disaster and one of the worst lunches in recent memory. Let's start from the beginning. So many good choices in this area but I convinced the wife uncle Julio's it is, why? Because you just can't go wrong at uncle Julio's but today...it was soooo bad. Get seated and ordered some drinks, table side guacamole, the habanero shrimp appetizers, steak chicken fajitas for 2. As soon as we ordered literally 3 minutes later even before we received our drinks, here come the shrimp appetizers. Great! They came out fast but wait....how...? We both take a bite....oh....pre made and just hard. Not juicy shrimp but old...stale...bacon? Stale as well. I dont return food but I had to it was that bad. Waitress understood and she took them. Drinks arrived and so did the gentleman to make the table side guac. Guac was good no issues there. As we're eating the chips there was an unfortunate man going table to table asking for chips and salsa. He comes to our table and yes I feel bad but we're eating the food and he took one of the salsas saying it's free anyway can he take it. I was thrown off as I was literally eating the food and he takes the salsa. Ok sure just take it. I guess this is normal here as no one intervened or stopped the person from going table to table but sure , we got to be giving so what can we do. I'm sharing this as don't be surprised if this happens if you sit outside..... Anyhow the steak and chicken fajitas for two arrive. Sizzling. Great, uncle Julio's fajitas are good always....right...? The medium steak (yes ordered them medium), the chicken, cooked so juicy with a butter type sauce over them....but wait. What the heck is this...? Oh...pre cooked food once again re heated. Steak comes out absolutely well done and chewy. Chicken came out with HARD pieces. You know what? I didnt even bother to complain about the entree so we just ate it. Manager comes over, starts explaining or more so asking why did we not like the shrimp appetizers? I said because they were very hard. He said well they came out super fast, "we cook them and just preheat them in the oven so you can get them faster". Um...so he basically verified my issue...they are pre cooked and just cooked again in the oven.....so pre made, re heated therefore hard and not enjoyable. He said he will take them off the check which he did so thanks for that but no...you don't do this... And CLEARLY they did this with the fajitas too. Check the photos. Hard, chewy... Anyways the service was fine. The lady who helped us was efflcient and nice. But to spend $100 with tip for fajitas for 2, margarita, soft drink, guac.....sorry but don't waste your money since I feel we absolutely did . Fairfax and reston Virginia locations are amazing...this one...why is it ran this way? read more

Uncle Julio's - Hard chicken, re heated chicken that is - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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The worst restaurant for margaritas drinks and mislabeling. I had tres amigo margaritas and supposed to have a lime with tequila shot. I asked to have a tajin salt rim. They forgot to do it. The drink tasted like poison alcohol. I had to return the drink. read more

Okay but not great. We were in the area and hungry so decided to stop in for food. Wait staff was slow. The guacamole was good but the chips had a funny taste to them. My wife got the fish tacos and hated them. Did not even eat them. I had the bacon wrapped shrimp special and it was okay. The only thing that was good was the skinny margarita I ordered. This is not very Mexican at all. I might actually be too kind with the three stars. If you want good authentic Mexican food, look elsewhere. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Went to Uncle Julio's Sunday around 3:00pm - it was very empty (maybe because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend). We were celebrating a wedding anniversary! We were seated quick! Drinks, chips and salsa were brought to our table very quick! We ordered a couple dishes - my top favorite were the Skirt steak fajitas and the steak street tacos! The steak had an AMAZING FLAVOR! The street tacos has some melted cheese and avocado that really tied the flavors together! I really recommend you try them!! For dessert we got the chocolate piñata of course! Never disappoints! 100% recommend you come to this location! Our server was excellent & food was amazing! read more

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Met a great friend for after work libations. Note: park in the garage right across the street! So much more convenient! Ambiance: Very comfortable with enough space for an intimate dinner or a meet up with friends. Booths are not fluffy girl friendly...unless you are tall. I am NOT! Lol we opted for a table! Food & Drinks: Everything was delicious. Had absolutely no complaints about how fast anything came out or how it was made. Just excellently executed. Drinks were strong and reasonably priced! Customer Service: We had the most attentive server ever. He was only 18, but his professionalism was amazing! read more

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Food quality has diminished, which is sad. They don't even put sauce on their enchiladas anymore.

Not what it used to be. Ordered takeout, food thrown in containers. Portions considerably smaller, layer of grease across beans, salsa watered down. All guacamole had brown oxidation. Ordered a side of extra cheese that was about 2 tablespoons. Used to come in a larger plastic container. Meat was dry. Chips and tortillas still good. read more

Just who runs this business??? We went there for dinner, after a long wait ( many tables were empty) we finally got to be seated, after 15min wait and dirty menus with salsa we ordered beer! Simple and easy right, well wrong !!! The guy brought the beer in a bottle and no glass and when we asked for a glass, he, reluctantly gave us the small blue water glasses. We knew at this point after being ignored and humiliated this restaurant can not be trusted and the kitchen is probably a mess! I can not stress enough about how under trained and rude the staff were. We left. We went to Guapo's and it was great. I don't recommend this location and this is the second time we have given it a chance. Folks please be smart about choosing restaurants. It's sad to see some chain food restaurants just don't care any more. read more

I told the staff it was birthday and they ruined it. The food took 2 hours to arrive. The food was good but by the time it came out I felt like my stomach was eating itself. Also my group ordered some pink and mango lemonades, but after a hour and a half we were only given the mango lemonades. Our sever Gabi tried, however was not very hospitable. My friends then procceded to ask if they would sing me happy birthday. They proceeded to decline my offer and say they would only sing for $35!!!! Im freaking pissed. Night ruined!!! read more

Went to get a drink and shrimp fajitas on a date Monday night. They were dead! Was shocked by how few customer were in there. Was wildly disappointed because they were out of sour cream and corn tortillas. I'm not one to complain but these seem like VERY basic things to have on hand at a Mexican restaurant. We weren't told they were out of these items until after our food arrived and would've ordered differently if we had known. This place needs better management they shouldn't be running out of key ingredients. read more

Yeah I'm not sure what to say. Uncle Julio's food and drinks are amazing, but the service.. questionable. I would rather not accuse the server of being on drugs except for the fact that she was obviously on drugs. She kept putting her hands on her hips in a very exhaustive way despite not working. She kept sniffing glasses in front of the customers, very odd. She could not remember orders, water included, and would not make eye contact nor take an order. She gave the table next to us a glass of tequila and lime juice. They were obviously perturbed as they ordered a margarita. She proceeded to follow them around the restaurant while they tried to escape her and request a new section. The real lime in the salt wound is that the methhead overlord of our bartender overcharged us, and we tried to leave. We had to request that an extra charge be removed off our check. We paid and got on our merry way out of Ripleys Believe it or Not. STAY AWAY. This place sucks y'all read more

I've gone to Uncle Julio's for over a decade. It has gone downhill the past few years, but tonight was a new low. It took about 30 minutes for our drinks to come, and well over an hour for the queso. When the queso was served, it had cooled and was clearly sitting for a while. It took another hour for quesadillas to arrive. We ordered the quesa birria originally only for the kitchen to tell our server 90 minutes later they didn't have it. Prices have gone way up and portion size / overall service way down. Our server was absolutely lovely and very apologetic. At one point, she felt so bad that the bar and kitchen were so slow that she talked to the manager on our behalf to see if there was anything they could do for us. the manager did not even acknowledge us and looked annoyed that she was being spoken with at all. she displayed absolutely no customer service skills. our server was so embarrassed. everyone else sitting around us seemed to have similar delays in getting their orders. my friend and I were so disappointed when we went a few weeks ago that we decided we would only buy drinks and appetizers this time. it's clear Uncle Julio's can no longer even handle that. I'm sad to say it, but I will not return and recommend you stay away, too. read more

Finally made it here and I must say I was underwhelmed. I had heard others raving about this place for a long time, but for my first time visit, I wasn't that impressed. I met up with a friend on a Thursday evening and there was a decent crowd but not packed. Apparently, we had just missed happy hour (it ends at 6:30). Drinks were pretty good. Service was good. Food not so much and I found the prices somewhat high, so this is where my 3 star rating comes in. Overall I didn't have a terrible time so I would give them another chance. At least, there is ample street parking as well as a garage nearby. read more

Uncle Julio's - Platinum swirl. *Disclaimer: drink at your own risk* There's a shot of 1800 sitting on the top - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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