The food here is actual garbage. A quesadilla is a kid level entree, a 10 year old can make it. This is the worst quesadilla I've had anywhere and it was $17. I could make something better for $3, and that's to say that any old moron can make something better than this first try with zero cooking experience. Imagine making food for a living and churning this junk out. I asked for a spicy margarita, they gave me a syrupy sweet concoction with the spice level of pepto bismol. And they put BLACK PEPPER ON THE RIM. Not Tajín, not salt, BLACK PEPPER. I almost spit it out, I had to wipe the entire rim down with a cocktail napkin. What kind of cretin of a bar manager puts black pepper on their margarita rims instead of salt or tajín? This is not a Mexican restaurant, it's not even Tex mex, it just... absolute garbage. I'd send everything back but what are they gonna do? Serve me more crap because the crap before was also crap? You've been warned. read more

You would think during this time with Covid and not many people eating out the service and food would be excellent...Not here. The waiter who worked behind the bar acted like he was annoyed he had to wait on us. Finally took our order again like he had better thing to do. The food was beyond terrible. The chicken inside the enchiladas had absolutely no spice or sauce ...just big chunks of dry chicken. beans were I would bet were Campbells. The rice was not bad. After giving our checks he ever cleared the table just went back to the bar. When leaving a woman I assume was the manager asked how everything was and when I told her about the poor service and terrible food..SHE LAUGHED!!!! We have eaten at Uncle Julios at Crabtree where servie was excellent as well as the food, as well as Chewyes...also excellent. I think Taco Bell is better then this Uncle Julios. This location should close and reopen the Crabtree location. read more

Delicious, upscale-ish Mexican restaurant that did not disappoint. Great atmosphere and both my grapefruit margarita & shrimp tacos were to die for. Also, the thin, lightly salted chips & perfectly seasoned salsa were amazing! Our server seemed a bit new/inexperienced. A different experience in this area would have made this a five-star review. read more

Uncle Julio's - Grapefruit margarita - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Let me preface by saying we are big Uncle J's fans. This operation however, is a disaster. Swung by for lunch (12:30 pm on a Wednesday). Place not busy...staff standing around chatting. Waited over 10 minutes after being seated...no one. Got up and inquired " is anyone serving our section?"....."be right with you." Sat down another 10 minutes....nothing. Inquired again and sat another 5 before leaving. This was the worst, but not our only such experience here. Just a horrible example of management incompetence/malpractice destroying the value of the brand. 3 strikes...... this venue is out! read more

Loved it here Went Uncle Julio's for girls get together & it was a great experience. Ambience & setting was awesome. Service was outstanding, they r sooo friendly & soo attentive Food was very fresh & tasty We had Shrimp Taco, Enchiladas & Fajitas Also we tried their Chocolate Piñata, that was sooo much funnn read more

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Can I just say WOW! Uncle Julio's is conveniently located at the Streets of Southpoint mall in the space previously occupied by Champps. They remodeled/redesigned the entire place, and it looks GREAT! There is a large bar area with a bunch of tables and a ton of seating in the main restaurant. I was invited to the Soft Opening and could not have been more excited. A friend and neighbor of mine is addicted to Uncle Julio's (which is a chain of from scratch Mexican restaurants). Dinner started off with a margarita, because it's a must in Uncle Julio's. They have a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including margaritas, sangria, mojitos, wine and beer. We opted to share the guacamole at our table, and it was HUGE! I liked it, but didn't love it. There was so much guacamole leftover, it got to take a ton home as leftovers. My UJ addict/friend suggested trying the tortillas with the salsa and guac rather than the chips, and I was hooked. We also ordered the queso dip and had the warm tortillas with that; it was good, but I actually REALLY preferrred their salsa as it's a little smoky and just makes me smile. For dinner, I ordered the Coronado Pollo Platter which includes 2 chicken enchiladas, a crispy chicken taco and a chicken tamale. This was enough food for 3 meals (and I have a good appetite). I didn't get to try it on my first visit, but Uncle Julio's offers a chocolate piñata dessert that looks amazing. I definitely need to get back there with friends and try it. I can honestly see myself enjoying a margarita and lots of chips/tortillas and salsa in the near future. YUM! read more

First time to this Durham eatery that opened about two weeks ago. I thought 2 weeks should be sufficient time for the kitchen to know what they are doing so we took a chance. Tex Mex is spicy, but spicy from cumin and pepper plus jalapeño so we ordered the fish tacos and the carnita tacos. Chips and salsa are great, thin chips and out of this world salsa made with everything roasted plus some and cilantro. I could live from eating salsa alone. Tacos were great and filling, I almost fell asleep in the mall due to the big lunch. Our server was great but cant mention his name because these guys will hide my review, will call him Mr. D. Place looks nice and clean. Manager came to our table and told us they will open one at the mall here in Raleigh in about six months and I hope they take the place where the cheesy Cheese Cake Factory is. I am a bit tired of old mexican style, now with good tex mex in the area I am happy to add someething different to our rotation. Spicy, very spicy but so far I did not need any Tumms so I will return even if that means driving 19 miles one way read more

MY UNBIASED OPINION - Atmosphere - 5++++ Food - 5++++ Staff - 5++++ Music - 5++++ Queso - 10++++ My husband and I went here for a date night three days after they opened. Just amazing. From the front door staff to the wait staff to the food. Everything was amazing. Let's start with the chips. OMGGGG - you won't be able to eat just one! And they stay on top of it, so we you start chomping, they will bring you a fresh bowl. The salsa! LAWD the Salsa. The smoky salsa - the best!!! So delicious. Try the queso. TRY THEM ALL! I love the queso blanco. I love the Chile con queso. Our waitress was Claudia. She is from the Maryland store. A beautiful young woman who really knew her stuff. The tortillas. Wow. Amazing. Coming from a Mexican background, traveling and eating all different types of Mexican cuisine, this by far is one of the freshest meals I have had. The flour and corn tortillas were really good. The don't like guacamole, but the guacamole is amazing too! If you love guacamole, you can have it made fresh at the table from start to finish. I can go on and on and on, but you really just need to come and experience this for yourself. Prices range from $8 for queso to $17 for veggie fajitas. It's not the cheapest but you do get a lot of food. You can share. Location is direct across from Maggianos at South Point mall. You can't miss it. A special thanks to Destiny! She was a staff member who didn't even work our table. She was delightful and she was the best. She had a wonderful conversation and she told us about the loyalty program. Helped us sign up and all! Thank you Destiny. We hope to see you when we return. read more

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*Pet Peeve* walking into a Mexican restaurant while Caribbean music is playing. Not what I was expecting. The restaurant is completely remodeled and is nice, but we're going to critique the food. We ordered fajitas for two. Tasteless & pricey. Rice taste like boxed rice, chicken & steak did not have any flavor, guacamole was bland. Chips are the thin kind, which drives me crazy trying to get salsa. They break as soon as you get it in the bowl. The only thing I enjoyed was the tortillas. Margaritas are hella expensive & so was the "chocolate piñata" I was looking forward to trying. $30 is not worth the little amount of churros & berries you get. Bottom line, it tastes like franchise food. Similar to Chuy's but on the pricey side. read more

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Our server was really great, though the food took a long time to come out. The table side guacamole was fantastic, and so were the crispy fresh chips and salsa. It was a little disappointing, as we want on a Monday evening --- so would anticipate/be afraid that the weekends would be even slower. My cilantro rice was really yummy, but the shrimp tacos were unfortunately cold/lukewarm at best. We will probably try it again and hopefully the kitchen is able to push out the food faster. read more

Uncle Julio's - Great enchilada platter - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Not a very pleasant visit. We ordered a cevecha Fresca as an appetizer and was given someone else's appetizer that didn't look very appetizing. Anyways not knowing what my appetizer would look like I started to dig in when the server came to the table and realized that the appetizer was for table next to us. Took them from my table and gave it to the table next to me. Kind of gross. Then we get the proper appetizer the cervecha Fresca . Not very appetizing and tastes horrible. On the positive side the chicken fajita, our main course, was not bad. Unfortunately I will not go back. read more

Prefect place. I really love coming here. A new location at Southpoint mall. Really good crowd. Not far from valets parking. You can call ahead for reservations tel:984.329.2900. Lobster tail with Almost anything of the menu. Great bar also. Table side guacamole is to die for. read more

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Chips and salsa were amazing! Fajitas were solid but nothing particularly notable. Restaurant was spacious and modern. Our server was polite but did a poor job. Kept forgetting items, our drinks took 15 minutes each time (even when just beers), and after we asked for the check, took 15 minutes. She just kept disappearing and we had to flag down a random waiter to ask for things. Overall, quite expensive for a Mexican restaurant read more

we have been there twice. Once last year and once today ( closest option due to rain storm). the place is beautiful, the service is good and that is it. the food is bad, like if it was a taco bell. they need to improve their meals, get a chef, buy good food. never trying to go back again. read more

Our server was nice and friendly and tried to be helpful. BUT unfortunately overall it was not a great experience. First, my husband ordered a beer which came in the bottle with the cap still on (no it was not a twist off) No glass. No chance of a cold glass. Only a plastic beaker. I ordered a bottle of wine which came without glasses (finally did get glasses) but no cooler..,,, it took 45 mins for a small house guacamole to arrive (which actually was very good) we shared the mixed chicken/steak fajitas which also was very good although the accompanying beans and rice were not very hot. Finally, one really annoying thing all night was the table clearing cart that noisily rattled past on a regular basis. Overall was ok ish but I won't rush back. read more

Finally went to Uncle Julio's! First, the aesthetics is really nice! It's warm, inviting, clean, professional and festive. The chips and salsa are amazing- especially love the smokiness of the fire roasted salsa which compliments the crispy thin chips! I ordered the steak and chicken fajita. The meat was perfectly cooked and tender- though I wished my steak had more grill marks or a better sear. The onions unfortunately were still slightly raw. Overall, a great experience and great restaurant. I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 star since I only give 5 stars to restaurants that blow me away and have perfect execution with the food. I look forward to coming back. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Terrible...worst dining experience I have ever had. Staff is horrible. You can tell the food has good flavors if only someone could manage and run the restaurant properly. read more

Waited one whole mf hour for our food. Ate so much of free nacho chips I'm full now. Did not accommodate allergy even after explicitly expressing. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Very good food from my first experience. The ingredients tasted fresh and hand made. They are understaffed which leads to a long wait to be seated. read more

Terrible service, we walk in don't even get greeted I say "hello" and they look lost and confused. Mind you there are three hostess one on the phone and the other two too involved in their conversation. The front of the house sets the tone for the experience. I decided to walk out and go else where with better customer service. read more

Good setup / ambiance and makes fresh tortillas in house in live counter so cant complaint. But limited veg options and didnt taste very good compared to for examples chuves.but compared mi- cancun much much better food and setup. read more

Mexican food is my favorite. I come to Raleigh once a year. Decided to try the new Mexican restaurant at south point. The blond hostess did not welcome us, did not smile and did not say anything other than "how many ". The three different margaritas we ordered all looked different but all tasted like strong lime. A raspberry one, a watermelon one and a classic one (pictured). It had a pile of salt on one side. Awful! The table chips are paper thin and easily brake when dipping into the unspicy bland salsa. Th Natcho's, well what the hell is that? (Pictured) The carnitas tacos were served lukewarm with a floppy shell. The pork was large chunks of dry meat and tasted like cooking oil. Should be soft, pulled and flavorful. The decor doesn't have any Mexican flair. I predict this place won't be here next year without burning lots of cash. Bottom line, pricey and not good. When leaving, not one of the 3 hostess said anything. No thanks, no come again no anything. read more

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Excellent! First time customer & very impressed by the quality of everything. We sat at the bar and they have so much fresh fruit out for their drinks, which is rare- most places use syrups and fruit substitutions. Walking to the restroom, there's a huge wall filled with fresh fruit & vegetables for your food. And the food came out in no time! read more

Uncle Julio's - Taco Salad - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The food here was absolutely amazing! Everything tasted fresh from the corn tortillas to the guacamole. Whoever cooked my food made it with love! I was pleasantly surprised by the food. read more

Uncle Julio's - Tex-Mex Combination Dinner with sour cream and guacamole. - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The place is very busy, but the food is worth the wait !!! I had chicken quesadillas for lunch on Sunday and it was tasty and fresh!!! The guacamole side is really fresh and delicious. Well done !!! read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Food and service was great!! The flour tortillas were freshly made, the guacamole was fresh too. Steak was perfectly done. I will definitely be coming back. read more

The wait took forever, The food was undercooked and tortilla for the cheese enchiladas was not at all soft/ pliable .They don't even have nachos, which every Mexican restaurant has. Can't recommend this place, at this time . read more

Uncle Julio's - Enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Two stars for aesthetic. Food is basic but customer service terrible. Not blaming our waitress but her management would not allow substitutions of any kind. Shocked because most places are very accommodating with an upcharge. Bummer. read more

My first and last time at this particular Mexican restaurant. The food is totally bland no taste nothing special about it and very pricey which is fine if the food is worth it but not this place is just a place very nicely decorated and in a nice area but nothing else nothing to be impressed about. My dish came with beans which you can clearly notice that the beans were reheated In a microwave. Quality and quantity of food very poor not worth the price. I would not recommend this place there are a lot more less expensive Mexican restaurants in the area but the food is really great. I see so many bad reviews about this place I have no idea why didn't I read them before going there to waste my money. Please DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND SPECIALLY YOUR TIME AT THIS PLACE!! read more

This was my first (attempted) visit there. I arrive at 5:05pm before the crowds were bad and a party of four was seated right before us, but they would not take our party of five. The group of hostesses said they could not seat us! I asked why they could not pull up a chair??? This is not an acceptable way to run a business! Taking my financial support elsewhere! I've never heard of a restaurant turning down adult patrons before. Maybe I was not dressed to their standards! First and last visit there! I'm sure other restaurants would appreciate our business! Service gets zero stars! I had to give one star to even post, but zero is my actual post!! read more

My daughter took me here for a belated birthday celebration and this place is simply amazing! We started with some tableside guac, and I was floored to see that he used three whole avocados to make our order. It was delicious! For our entree, we ordered the fajitas and they came out sizzling hot. The seasoning on them is perfectly balanced. I ordered mine with the corn tortillas, which are hand-made, and they were honestly the best tortillas I have ever had! We didn't have room for dessert but we had a great time watching families enjoy their chocolate pinatas. read more

Uncle Julio's - Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I had heard numerous people praise this place sadly I don't agree. My first complaint was our seating area it was worse than being near kitchen. I was order corner station with people who bus tables and a loud crash of them dropping dishes echoed. A big FYI please put tabs on chairs the floor is extremely DANGEROUS AND SLIPPERY! There was a family seated next to us and before my request of moving us to a better table our waitperson stated they had 5 tables so patiently we waited. The young child seated next to us was sitting eating when the chair slide from under him he fell face first before any of us could catch him. Thank goodness he didnt knock out his teeth. These floors are a death trap for customers and staff I witnessed 2 slips not a great first impression but I guarantee you it's my last. The fact our waiter was over booked caused us to keep repeating request and 15 min wait for our order to be taken. It was a gringo episode of what is called Mexican food and it was a very big miss at the bulls eye. The restuarant wasn't fully booked nor were there wait for table. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I'm usually very positive but this was worst service I had and for 2 women having lunch which was lackluster costing almost $51.00 no alcohol at all would have been fine with better service, flavor and overall dining experience. I have eaten taco bell drive thru beef tacos that tasted better and cost less. Food temperature was barely warm. Thankfully I ordered queso and guacamole as we waited the best things I tasted during our lunch. Our server did her best but she had too many tables. Get your front and back house in sync potential to be better than just another chain. I am only giving 2 stars because waiter tried to make the best of it on top of having a child who fell it was a scene of tears the little boy was a trooper he did come back after tears and fears. Your menu actually contains more alcohol than authentic dishes maybe that's your marketing concept drink enough and you will not notice not a hint of cilantro or any of the ethnic spices that solidify Mexican cuisine.My truly most disappointing meal years. read more

Uncle Julio's - Chicken fajitas.I honest felt the meal was tyson fajita dish u get in frozen section n cook at home onions soggy and trace of green pepper - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Uuuuggggghhh!!!!! Soooooo fulllllllll!!! Cant think!!! Seriously...you know its all good when you have that post Thanksgiving food coma working on you right? So....we had reservations and we got an AMAZING table in a quiet room with a corner table. Noice! Then...we were SO lucky to have the Fabulous TeTe(?sic?) as a server. She was very very nice and helpful and knew the menu. We all got drinks...2 beers and I got a Mojito(well of course right?). She immediately brought out a bowl of chips and the BEST salsa. Seriously guys do you put crack in there? We plowed right thru it before she came back with our drinks and took our order(te hee). There was an order of chicken fajitas, skirt steak fajitas and me being a taco girl, I got the carnitas tacos. I heard from the other 2 as they ate that it was good......I was more into savoring every morsel that they gave me. These were some of the BEST tacos I have ever had. I will have dreams about these tacos in the dark days in between return visits. No.....seriously they were that good. They came with black beans(yum) and this light rice (not spanish rice) along with the usual pico, guac and lettuce. Heaven. I tasted heaven. Oh...the Mojito wasnt the best.....but it wasnt the worst either. Could have been a smidge stronger imo.but hey...the meal was.so awesome who cared! Lol To the mgmnt....seriously....give TeTe a raise! You have a treasure there! read more

My friend and I met up for dinner here at 6:30 and were able to easily find two seats at the bar. Some upper scale Mexican restaurants charge for chips and salsa but they were provided free here---the salsa was an authentic recipe and didn't taste like any salsa I've had at any other Mexican restaurant, and I've been to a LOT of Mexican restaurants. It was the best salsa I've ever had. There are two different skinny margaritas on the menu, so I had to try both. We watched the waitress make one of the mixes in front of us at the bar, made completely with fresh ingredients and not with anything pre-packaged. I liked that they didn't try to upcharge the margarita because it was less calories, which seems to be common now among restaurants. I ordered the shredded chicken hard tacos, but was actually most impressed with the beans that came on the plate. They were a little spicy and had a lot of flavor. The atmosphere was great and I really liked that they had an outdoor seating area, as well (we would have chosen this if it weren't in the 90s outside). Service was quick and the bartender/waitress was very attentive, even when it got busy. Will definitely be coming back! read more

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I order the same thing every time I come here because it's just that good! I getvthe carneisada steak on that sizzling platter, I ask for a side of Mexican butter and I drown the steak in it! The smell and the flavor is amazing.. if I'm really hungry I get the bacon wrapped shrimp on the side and make sure I have enough Mexican butter. Im not a huge fan of their flour tortillas they are very thick for my liking. The table side fresh guacamole is great to.. I get it with just salt, black pepper, limes and extra garlic oil... I've been to many uncle julios and it comes down to the one in Durham and the one in Orlando as my favorite. Im so sad that they took the lobster tail off the menue. It was available on the weekends. That lobster tail along with the steak covered in that Mexican butter on that sizzling plate was just heaven. PLEASE BRING BACK THE LOBSTER TAIL! read more

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Late dinner after a movie, just Jordan and I. Uncle Julio's is really cute modern Latin decor. We ate in the bar at a high top. They have indoor and outdoor seating, but North Carolina in July outdoor seating requires a commitment to the heat I lack. Our server, Matt came right over and took our order. I got chicken tamales as a starter and grilled fish tacos for dinner. Only water to drink, but they do have a full bar and plenty of beers and specialty margaritas. A basket of fresh chips and salsa were delivered and we gobbled them up like we had never eaten. The tamales were delicious, light, fragrant of corn and spice with just the right amount of shredded chicken. The fish tacos were good. Anyone who follows me on Yelp knows I am always looking for the perfect fish taco. The corn tortillas on these tacos were the best I've had. Soft, but enough structure to not disintegrate with filling. The toppings were good, fresh and did not overwhelm the tortilla or the fish. The only downside was the fish was overcooked. Having come from the movies where we ate a giant bucket of popcorn, I brought food home. The portions were decent. I would not say giant. Pricing is on the high side. Two of us with taco plates and an appetizer was $42 with no drinks or dessert. But quality fresh food is worth a little more. I would come back. read more

Was there at The Crabtree Mall location. Was not really a fan. Not bad salsa and chips but the service was very slow and not very Accurate on the orders. Nice little places, but I don't think I'll visit again. read more

3 1/2 stars. A solid Mexican restaurant. No complaints with my crispy taco plate (two chicken, one ground beef) or with the chips, guac and queso that preceded it. Service was good. read more

I would like to start by saying the only reason this review is two stars and not one is because of our wonderful server, Benjamin. He was hands down the best part of this awful, awful experience. If I was ever to go back (unlikely), I would only go if he was my server. He was polite, funny, and thoughtful as we navigated our way through the very long night. 1. The menu. Two options for vegetarians. I kid you not. The quesadillas and the fajitas. Their enchilada sauce is apparently made with chicken broth, so take that as an option off the menu. For a Mexican restaurant, this has the least amount of vegetarian food options. 2. The pricing. $18 for one person veggie fajitas? Do I have to grill them myself? $30 for two person veggie fajitas? What a joke. 3. The atmosphere. We waited 2.5 hours for a 5-person table while walking past the restaurant multiple times noting that there was more than enough seating available. I understand, it was a Friday night. But we were not even thought of until we went to ask about our buzzer because it hadn't been called. 4. The hostess. Super rude. Wish I had gotten her name to complain about her lack of people skills. We asked for an outdoor table due to the frigid AC inside. She seated us inside. We reminded her, again, that we wanted outside seating. She said the cocktail patio was seat yourself (um, if you told me that in the beginning we prob wouldn't have had to wait 2.5 hours, but, whatever). After we got there, she did not follow us to give us menus or even have someone come clean the table. In the span of 10 minutes, we asked her *twice* if she could clean our table. She did no such thing, and said a busboy would be by to clean it. Nobody came, until our server Benjamin arrived and cleaned it. The hostess was rude and uncaring, and started the night off on a wrong note for us. 5. The food quality. This goes along with the price. Food quality did not match food taste. The guacamole on the side of the fajitas tasted like it was store made, as did the appearance. The sour cream was runny and watery. Disgusting. 6. The fact that there are no vegetarian options needs to be pointed out again. Now, the positives: 1. Service. Benjamin did everything he could to make sure we had a good time. He checked on us often, always asked if we needed anything, and re-filled our waters a lot. He was a great server who has really mastered his job. 2. The chocolate piñata. Delicious! The spectacle itself is worth it. Getting to break it down while your friends and family watch. We got the more expensive one that comes with those bites, and they were delicious! The churros were yummy as well, as was the dipping sauce. The only real reason to ever visit this restaurant again, but still not worth it, in my opinion. read more

We are not usually chain restaurant goers, but went a few weeks ago and had a good meal. Food was hot & fresh, although servers seemed overwhelmed (hard to get plates/napkins/cutlery). Pricier than most Mexican, but fajitas were huge portion so we had leftovers. Queso blanco and salsa were tasty. Decided to return for Taco Tuesday tonight since it seemed like a good deal. Short story: it wasn't. Food wasn't as good or as fresh tonight, and somehow our meal was more expensive than ordering from the regular menu. Server even more overwhelmed tonight (meaning slow or no drink refills or attention). Chile con queso was not good - onions knocked us out, and we like onions! Not sure we'll be in a rush to return. Although we do have a coupon for free guacamole - sign up for their rewards program to get a free guac coupon. Atmosphere lively and bar area tables first come, first serve. read more