I was there on a Saturday night and we were sat pretty quickly outside. The waiter quickly greeted us and asked if we wanted to start out with drinks and made some great recommendations. He came back with menus and that's when it went down hill. He started reviewing the menu & specials suggesting, "if you want to impress the lady, might I suggest a seafood special..." Besides the fact she is allergic to seafood I enjoy being told how to impress someone, especially with shrimp. Strike 1. The comment irritated me but I didn't sell it as we ordered. A large basket of fresh chips and a little thimble of salsa was provided which tasted great. When they brought more chips out it would have been great if they brought out more salsa but it would have distracted from the meal. Reminds me. Where is our food? I know it's all hand made but 40 mins for 2 non fajita orders seems a bit long. An other server came out with the entrées, mine was wrong as I asked for no cheese/no dairy at all and was slathered is cheese. They said they would fix it quickly and they did . Which lead to why it took so long for our items to come out. I was told by the other server, ours was not that smart, I said he was just busy but he corrected me and said, no he was just an idiot. I guess he was right as he over billed us but corrected after it was pointed out. Food was good, the specialty drink, I was told was great, but service comical. Best of luck in your experiences there. read more

I had dinner here tonight with coworkers, and it was great. Tried a combo plate so that I could try a little bit of everything here, and was happy with every bite. The queso was "ok", but the salsa was some of the best Tex-Mex salsa I've had, and the chips were fresh and hot. I agree with some of the other reviewers that it was a bit loud - there was a couple at the table next to us with their baby, and I'm not sure that we'd bring our babies here, and it was a bit hard to hear the coworkers across the table at times, but it was still a nice, comfortable environment regardless. read more

I always give chain Tex mex places a chance. One day while out shopping with family we spotted this place. I had to try it. Ordered steak tacos with a side of fried beans. I could't believe how chinsey they are with the ingredients, not to mention lacking in depth of flavor. Had I not eaten two baskets of chips and salsa I'd have still been hungry! My company had chicken enchiladas that were reportedly "OK", but rationalized that Chipolte or Taco Bell would have fit the bill and for a heck of a lot cheaper. My sentiments exactly. This place is so over-priced it's shameful. And with the plethora of really great Tex mex places in the northern VA and DC areas, there's no point in going to a sub-par restaurant like this. read more

Nice place to eat with a large group. Seats were not uber comfortable but the place was clean and the wait staff was fairly attentive. I got the fajita Cobb salad and it was really tasty! It was about $12, not too bad for Reston but maybe a little more than it was worth (with all the lettuce). Only a few recommendations- they did not ask about splitting the bill and in all the commotion of settling in we did not ask. That is their business, and they should be more attentive. The other suggestion would be to leave the sugar on the tables. Not sure why nobody does that anymore. I hate asking- it should just be there. All in all a good place that we would all go back to again. read more

I love mexican food but I'm not really crazy about Rio, though I never can quite put my finger on what it is I don't care for. (Perhaps a bad salad experience a while back. There's only one salad on the menu - DON'T get it.) Still, they do a few things right, namely a mean margarita on the rocks, best enjoyed in their great outdoor seating area. Quesadillas are expensive but enormous. I just don't understood the two-types-of-chicken thing. It always seems to be a issue, with the waiter asking what kind of chicken you want, and then giving a confusing explanation of the difference. If you're going to have two different kinds of chicken quesadillas, that needs to be better explained on the menu. The other thing Rio does right is fresh ingredients. Yes, its Tex-Mex and technically a chain at that. But the salsa, veggies, cheese, all make the dishes look slightly more like a colorful and authentic meal in Mexico rather than a pre-packaged, cheesey-sauce induced corporate food coma waiting to happen. So yeah, I'm just not sure what it is that keeps me away. read more

This place is great! I really enjoy the queso they have here, it's not runny and you get a fair amount. The salsa that comes with the chips is also pretty good. If you don't know, you can ask for the "hotter" version and it'll take your salsa up a notch or two "Bam!" The staff has always been very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. This place is INSANE on cinco de mayo, if you get a chance make sure you check it out! I usually make it over to Rio for happy hour. It does however tend to get crowded REAL fast, the bar area isn't the largest space and I've found myself standing on more than one occasion. read more

I've dined here about a dozen times, and I've enjoyed the experience each and every time. Rio Grande Cafe is located in the Reston Town Center, and it's less than a block from one of the parking garages, so it's easy to get to and parking is not an issue. About the only negative that comes to mind is that it's really loud inside. I'm not sure if that's an issue with the acoustics, or if everyone is just so happy to be there chowing down on the fresh tortilla chips and salsa while waiting for their orders to arrive. The food is great. I've been happy with everything I've ordered, and haven't had a dining companion complain about anything, either. That's impressive over a dozen visits or so. I like how they have the tortilla equipment out in the open, so you can watch them being made from the dining area. That's a nice touch! My favorite thing to order is probably the chicken fajitas. You get everything you could think of to put on (guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, beans, you-name-it) and you know the tortillas themselves were made less than ten (maybe five) minutes ago. The serving sizes are generous and substitutions are easy - black beans instead of refried? No problem! There is ample seating, so you generally don't have to wait very long to be seated, even during the lunch rush. It's a great place to stop in and have lunch at. read more

Three cheers for American stupidity!! I brought a British friend here for enchiladas and a drink. The idiot server and brain dead manager, combined IQ 72, refused to accept his perfectly valid identification and serv him a marg. I know that Julio's doesn't actively recruit Nobel laureates but can't they make sure that there is at least one person with above-monkey intelligence in the building? We won't be back. Poor service might have been mitigated by good food. Unfortunately, the enchiladas were overcooked and the rellenos were... strangly tasteless and rubbery. Disappointed. read more

Eye candy. Let's face it, Reason Town Center is place that comes as close to an 'it' place to be in the burbs as you can get. As a combo retail, restaurant and office space menagerie, it's got all kinds of folks floating around. Teeny boppers wearing 2-size too tight clothes, college kids on their first intern stints, and 20-, 30- and 40- somethings slugging it out at work and spending money they don't have. A long winded way of saying eye candy, for both sexes, is alive and well at RTC, and is one of the draws that Rio Grande relies on. For a mexican food place, the guacamole is okay, but not spectacular. The drinks are mediocre, once again proving that liquids are wet, and not horribly overpriced. The lunch menu items are reasonably priced. I have a soft spot for the sopapillas desert, that happily aren't too sweet. The biggest con about this place is the noise inside. All hard surfaces, and people drinking and being noisy, means that you really don't get to have conversations with your dining companions are normal talking levels. When the weather is good, the outside tables (roughly about 15 of them) are always packed. It gives a nice break from the noise (even with the occasional motorcycle, truck, or coffee-can enabled 4-banger. These are my preferred tables at all times. The eye candy and fresh hair outside is a nice touch. We normally get friendly service, with rare exception, even on very busy days for both lunch and dinner. Parking in the garages is sometimes tough to find. The new garage that Jacksons (across the street) is much larger and easier to get space in than the garage attached to Big Bowl. RTC is going to be one of the stops on the new Metro line (silver? chartrieuse? black? white? cyan? TEAL?! When will the madness end?!!?), so alas, it'll only get busier. read more

Expect a wait when you come to this restaurant as it is a local favorite. Their salsa and chips are excellent and I enjoy their chicken fajitas as well. Their tacos are also good. The restaurant is clean, the wait staff is on task and my only complaint is the noise. This is a loud restaurant -- even when it is not very full. A decent Mexican restaurant, but certainly not the best in the NoVa area. read more

This is the best Tex-Mex place in the area and their signature item (Fajitas) are the best I have ever had. I have been going to this place for 12 + years and over that period of time the food has been consistently good although the service has been steadily declining. In the old days (yea I know I am codgerrin here) this place was reasonably priced and the portions were huge - big enough for two meals. They even validated parking. Now the portions are much smaller, whilst the prices are much much higher, including ridiculous drink prices, seemingly designed to separate the foolish from their money. As a testament to their quality this place (all of them) are always crowded and getting a table is often difficult and the place is way too noisy even for a casual conversation, especially at dinner. My wife doesn't want to go here anymore but we still come for the fajitas. read more

My office recently moved out towards the Reston Town center and we wanted to order take out. I had a steak quesadilla and it was delicious. Everything was packaged great and they included a large bag of chips and a tub of salsa. We would definitely order again. read more

The Uncle Julio's in Reston Town Center has a great lively atmosphere and is a place where the quality of food and beverages is always excellent. If I am out with a few friends for drinks and chips, the bar is great. They have a few high-top tables in the bar area where you can seat yourselves, if you don't mind hovering and stalking other diners as they pay their checks. Even the seats at the bar are busy like that, but once you find your spot, the drinks are always quality. They have a good selection of authentic cocktails, margaritas frozen or on the rocks, a skinny marg, some flavored margs, the frozen "swirl" (quite tasty), and a mexican mojito (also great!). Drinks can be pricey, but it's RTC. The crowd at the bar is a mix of people hanging out and diners ordering a drink while waiting to be seated. Sometimes at the bar we have to ask them to STOP giving us more complimentary chips so we don't explode. If you're looking for a seated table experience, the restaurant itself is huge, and typically packed. Wait for a table can be up to 90 minutes on a weekend. The indoor restaurant area can be very loud, but not necessarily in a bad way. It's a good place for families and groups. Definitely kid-friendly. Not the spot for a romantic date. There is also a decent sized patio, and on a nice day you can wait a LONG time to sit out there. The patio is table seating only. There is no outdoor bar. Whether ordering your food at the bar or a table in the restaurant/patio, food quality is always consistent and good. But be forewarned that if you are a person who thinks fajitas have a lot of delicious sauteed peppers and onions, you might be a little confused by the meat-heavy fajitas here. But somehow the grilled jalapenos that come with the fajitas make up for it. Chips, salsa, queso, guac, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas . . . all good stuff. I kind of also love the rice and beans that come on the side of most items. Prices for food seem kind of high sometimes, but pretty much everything is huge portions, and quality consistency is hard to find. read more

I came here with 3 friends for Cinco de Mayo. I had 2 strawberry margaritas. They are tasty, but very weak. My boyfriend had 5 traditional margaritas, and he paid extra for Patron. These were also pretty weak. I think they serve pretty watered down alcoholic beverages in general. Don't come here expecting to get buzzed. I actually came here 1 time before that and sat at the bar for a few drinks and also felt that the drinks were very weak that time too. I had the chicken enchiladas to eat. They were okay. Kinda dry for an enchilada and could use more sauce. Not terribly flavorful. The ambiance is nice, and it seems to be a family friendly place. The floors are very slippery, so be careful not to fall. I won't go out of my way to come here again. read more

This past Friday night, I went to this location of Uncle Julio's for a double date. With four eating and drinking adults the bill will be high guaranteed. The place is packed and there is a wait for a table outside. We take the first available "4 top" inside. We get the table next to the door that opens to the patio, with all the food runners and wait staff going in and out with heavy trays hovering over our heads. The table was shoved into the pillar that was preventing me from sitting up to the table. The table sure wasn't made for 4 adults. Not to mention when we all have our meals on the table... We did not get any attention from a server or host for the first 12 minutes of being seated. The $10 drinks were small and weak, yet we still kept ordering them. With the chips, salsa, guacamole and drinks, the table was full. Then the entrees come. I was impressed with the size of the fish tacos! Very good. Only positive aspect of the meal. The restaurant was incredibly loud. We had to yell to chat with our friends. The waiter had to repeat what we said a few times to make sure he heard us over the raucous. Oh, and the guacamole was causing every chip to break. The chips are weak and the guac has HUGE chunks of avocado. Were all the knifes dirty in the kitchen? With all the platters, bean and rice plates, along with the tortilla containers it was obvious this table wasn't meant for 4 diners. Overall we had a poor experience. The waiter didn't pay much attention to us and was slow on asking if we cared for another round. Unfortunately with all that we had to eat and drink the meal was fairly expensive and this sub-par restaurant had the pleasure of banking our money. We did not tip 20 percent. I will never frequent this location again. read more

Coming from Mexico City, this place is a total disappointment. Other than the food not being authentic, it's below average. There are many options in Reston Town Center, if I was you, I'd try something else. read more

Went here for dinner in 2007...It was noisy and crowded...and the prices were too high for the quality of the food, which was just passing as far as Mexican or Tex-Mex goes. I have never returned. I have had too much good Tex-Mex in Texas.... read more

Love the CARNE ASADA... the only dish I eat here... Always so tasty and yummy... Chips and pico de gallo are put on the table once you're sat and a great start.... My drink is the SWIRL - half sangria/half margarita... Fresh tortillas.... Love the fried ice cream, sopasillas and the flan.... YUMMY!!! read more

El restaurante es muy delicioso. Tengo los fajitas quesadillas y comparto la piñata de chocolate con mi familia. Me gusta mucho el servicio y los decoraciones. ¡Vas a Uncle Julio's restaurante de Mexico! read more

Uncle Julio's is one of our most favorite restaurants. The food is phenomenal, the staff is quick and kind and the ambiance is always awesome. The only gripe we ever have is the wait or how packed the place is but I can't fault the restaurant for being so good it's always busy! :) We particularly love the Reston location for its layout and location. We always love our stops for guac and fish tacos at Uncle Julio's! read more

I grabbed lunch here today with a co-worker. The Queso looked like Velveeta (and was still 5.50 for a cup), everything on the menu was over-priced (no prices on the website is lame btw) and the food was meh. My co-worker ordered the chicken quesadilla, it about the lamest quesadilla that I've seen- it looked like it came from Baja Fresh. He was disappointed in it. I had the El Campo- with a chicken enchilada and a beef taco. Both were fine, but the enchilada was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. It was the size of a taquito, very small. 2-stars says it all, "Meh. I've experience. read more

I just moved to Virginia from Texas. My brother drove up with me. We love Uncle Julio's in Dallas so we decided to grab a margarita while we checked out the Reston Town Center. Three stars because our waitress was having a bad customer service day. Food was good, margarita was good. But it really rubs me the wrong way when a waiter or waitress is having a bad day. It really bothers me during the entire meal. That's probably stupid. But if you're in customer service, I feel like it's your job to be pleasant and friendly.... even if you got a flat tire that morning or something .. fake it to make it! Otherwise the food is good, chain restaurant, duh :) read more

This place has really good food, but expensive. Very busy, although I see why. Not very friendly though. Def feels like they want you in and out. read more

I always enjoy my experience at uncle Julio's in Reston town center. They have the kindest staff and most amazing Mexican food in all of northern va. There bar tenders are very attentive and pay close attention to there customers. Thanks for always being there read more

Great service and always a fun place to go. It is usually quite busy, so prepare to wait or put in your name or stand in the bar. I love the service here, as I have always had good experiences, but I am sure others might not feel like that. I have never eaten the food here, so that could change my review, but everyone else's food looked really good. The margaritas are delicious and the chips and salsa are yummy and still free since so many restaurants started charging for that now. Always enjoy and love the outside seating too. read more

Love that they cook every thing in house fresh from scratch! The have some very yummy cocktails and the made to order table side guac is very good. Not your standard Mexican cuisine but everything I ordered was very yummy! The ahi tacos were pretty legit and you get pretty big plates so you never leave hungry. Come for the guac and margaritas. read more

Very disappointed! My husband and I were very excited to try this place out but everything didn't go as we expected. That's ok but the food was overly priced which is also fine if it was good but the steak tasted like it was old and has no seasoning. The same for my margarita it was like drinking a sugar juice. We barely ate anything from our plates and the server didn't even ask what was wrong , if we liked it or not when we said we didn't want box. We don't expect to not to pay but at list it would've been nice to be asked if everything was ok or not. I don't think we will be back here anytime soon. read more

As far as chains go, it doesn't get much better than Rio Grande. With their warm salsa and fresh chips - it's the perfect appetizer for dinner. Their delicious flank steak fajitas (chicken is good too!) are really second to none. The tortillas are always fresh and all of the ingredients are top notch. It's the perfect place to go with your partner or a group of friends. The atmosphere can get kinda loud so it's not the top pick for a romantic night out, but the food is so tasty. Outside of the fajitas, I haven't tried much else. But the fajitas alone are worth the trip. Service - Every time I've been there, the service has been quick, kind and efficient. Usually are food is out within 5-10 minutes. They turn around the tables very quickly at the Reston and Arlington location. Both places have excellent service. read more

Quail and frog legs on the menu - cool. I only had the cojones to try the quail and chicken fajita plate. I really wanted to get the frog legs but I was hungry and thought, I want to make sure there is at least one thing I really like and you can't go wrong with chicken fajitas. The quail was tasty but it really did not need the bbq sauce. It would have been really good just as it was grilled, but it was just okay with the sauce. Margaritas were wonderful. After three they were awesome! Fun laid back restaurant. It's pretty loud and on a Monday it was packed at 7:30 p.m. There's outdoor seating for a warm night. Salsa and chips - yummy and the guacamole was a super duper large serving. Everything was pretty good and pretty cheap. read more

Whenever I have a bad day, I know I can snap out of it after two Swirls (Frozen marg/sangria drink) at Uncle Julio's. They are my break from reality. I love them. Other than that, the food is fair, noise level is too high, and usually it is hard to even find a place to stand at the bar. Good thing those Swirls are so damn good! Now if only they weren't $8 each! read more

Every time I come here I look forward to the chips and salsa and the Carne Asada. The salsa they use tastes like roasted salsa. Its pretty good. If you want the raw type of salsa, you'll have to ask for pico de gallo. Their chips come out nice and warm...and are scrumptious. When I get my entree, I order the carne asada or the tacos. I mostly order the Carne asada. The Carne asada dish comes with a nice tender chunk of meat, marinated with really great spices, and comes with rice, beans, guac, pico de gallo and flour tortillas....sounds like a fajita, right? But only this is better. I don't know about you, but i only use a small amount of the grilled veggies that come with regular fajitas...then all the left overs go to waste. But with this dish...you get the goodness of just meat, and just the essentials. The tacos are very tasty too. Doesn't matter which one you get they're always good. Also...if you tend to eat kosher....please note that the beans are NOT kosher. You need to order the vegetarian black beans to ensure you're eating kosher. ENJOY! read more

Best Mexican (consistently) in the NoVa area in my opinion! I can wait for the Sterling one to open! Best Salsa!!!! Best Margarita flavors!!! I've had a couple of the wait staff not too knowledgeable, but I always get the same thing. Keep in mind it's a MEXICAN place.... so they don't have the best Steak you have ever tasted, but can make some super ultimate nachos, and have some great flavorings for chicken and shrimp. I have never had a bland meal here! read more

Don't come here for happy hour unless you just want a few discounted drinks. No app specials. Salsa not as good as Chevy's. Free parking at the garage tho. read more

Great food and service! We were very happy with our server Christopher who was quick to bring whatever we needed! The serving sizes are rather large so we usually split the meal. read more

Really disappointed by this place. We ducked in for dinner on a whim with some friends, having never been before, and were shoved into the far back corner of an enormously packed and loud beyond reason restaurant. I don't mind some background noise, but the design of the restaurant causes even normal volume conversations to echo and makes it damn near impossible to socialize with your friends. We started off with some margaritas and some "nachos", which turned out to be more like individual tortilla chips loaded with meat, salsa and cheese. Like potato skins, only sans potato. They were actually quite good, just not what we were expecting. The margaritas were delicious, although one barely had any ice in it and turned into a sloppy mess. And for the size they gave us, not worth the excessive price. The food itself was OK. Nothing to write home about. I had the cheese and onion enchiladas, one of the cheaper menu options. When we got the bill, we were surprised to find out how badly they had nicked and dimed us: extra charges for sour cream, guacamole (nearly $6 for a not so large portion) and cheese were never mentioned by our waiter until the check came around. You've got a number of better options in Reston for dinner. And if you really need your tex-mex fix, there's a chipotle up the way. read more

Really good Mexican food! The Fajitas are fantastic! Tender meat n very tasty! Only negative is the noise level. Very noisy. Hard to hold a conversation with out speaking very loudly! read more

I called at 5:00 pm to make reservations for a party of six for 6:00 pm. I was told they don't take reservations, but to call back at 5:40 pm and they would add me to the call ahead list. When I called back at 5:40 pm I was told there no wait and to come in at 6:00 pm and would have no problem getting seated. We walked in at 6:00 pm and the wait was 55 mins. I was not thrilled and explained the phone conversations. They gave us a pager and promised to seat us ASAP. After waiting 35 mins we were told we had to wait another 30 mins. We returned the pager and had a GREAT dinner at Uno's restaurant. Thanks, Uno's!!!!!! read more

Came for lunch. Chips and salsa are good. Service is fine. But, the food is just plain sub-par. Poor quality or old, perhaps high fatty content. It does not taste fresh and sits for hours after eating. Cannot go back there again, which is a shame since I live in the neighborhood.. read more

Food is great, but this is price/service related only. Went for a quick dinner after work. Had to wait 45 minutes, but that's to be expected in the Town Center. Waiter was nice, thoughtful. But holy UPCHARGE. We got the bill for: - 2 margaritas - guacamole - 2-person fajitas...And it's a $90 bill. So we realized our waiter got us the SPECIAL "tableside" guacamole... without making that clear to us, and he also ordered us the "filet mignon" fajitas... When we clearly and expressly said.. "steak fajitas". That's a $10 extra for the steak upgrade... And $3 extra for the swanky guac. So keep a'hold of your wallets, folks. read more

I used to love this place, but it began to decline for several years pre-COVID. The recent "Made from Scratch" addition to their logo does not address the declining quality of taste and ingredients. The shrimp fajitas were once jumbo shrimp. A good portion of grilled vegetables were a part of the fajitas, too. The addition of a whole roasted jalapeno pepper was a great gourmet touch that provided the heat I crave. Now the shrimp are medium- large, not jumbo, the flavor is just not the same and the portions are smaller. The taco meat is also not the same. That being said, the food received from Door Dash and other online delivery service is even more sub-standard. I would rather pay up to $5 per meal for excellent rather than just so-so food and go out to eat less often. read more