My girlfriend and I decided to eat lunch here and we are more than happy with our decision..THE STEAK FAJITAS WERE DELICIOUS! and the chicken quesadillas were exquisite....yes, the food was amazing! and could only be topped by the spot on perfect service we had...our server, SHENAR!!, was key to our outstanding experience and we will definitely be back. A BIG THANKS TO YOU SHENAR!! Sincerely- Amanda and max read more

Rescued from Hampton Social by Alexis (waiter) and Alan (manager). Great food and drinks to celebrate friend's birthday!

horrible experience tonight!!!!@ this place is a rip off FYI! the cocktails are literally $14 and have no tequila in them. I asked for a specific Margarita with no jalapeño garnish and the waitress brought it to me anyways...she actually knocked my drink over so I asked for a new one again with no garnish and it came with the garnish. Not a huge deal if it was a lime or lemon however the whole drink was ruined along with my taste buds due to the stupid jalapeño seed. never again will I eat here nor shall you .....waste of money... read more

We've been here twice and had two different experiences. The first time was opening week, and although the service was VERY slow (it was opening weekend and they were understandably not quite ready), the food was great and the margaritas were terrific (though a bit more expensive than in most Evanston, Skokie and Wilmette places). The second time, the food was closer to fair...not great or memorable, but it fille d you up. What is consistent: Chips are delicious, service is good. We may stop in here if at the mall and craving chips and salsa, but we definitely would not go out of the way for this place. It is not that different from the much cheaper places that abound in Chicagoland...save for the atmosphere, which is lively. read more

Ah, where to start? Will not be back. Absolutely the worst "Mexican" food ever. We were sat right away (easy on a Sunday afternoon). The chips arrived dripping with grease, and soft. When we pointed this out to our waitress she said that is how they make them, and if we want, she could dig through the chips to find crispy ones. Fortunately an alert busboy noticed and brought new, slightly better, though still underdone. We had one order of chicken fajitas, though we had to wait almost 10 minutes for tortillas - again our wonderful busser to the rescue. Carnitas were ordered medium rare - were barely seared on the outside and cold in the middle. My daughter asked me to try her fajita, and either it was a pre-packed microwave chicken breast, or the meat had started to turn. It was inedible. She actually had to spit it out, it tasted so bad. Note to kitchen, Get your act together. Lost another customer, and there are plenty of great Mexican restaurants in the area read more

Where do I start? I went to the original Uncle Julio's on North Ave in Chicago over 15 years ago and it was love at first bite. I have recommended this place to everyone and can never stop raving about. The service has not always been great, but the food and drinks speak for themselves. The carne asada (to die for), the flour tortillas (can't just have 3), and the Swirls (enough said). However, on the recent visit to this new place, right off the bat, the tortillas were nasty. The ambiance is awesome, but it doesn't help when the food is not so good. We immediately gave our distaste to the waiter. He informed us that some of the food had changed because of corporate. Uncle Julio's was recently sold to a company that knows nothing about good food. He said that all the newly opened establishments will carry the new menu and eventually all will follow. My patronage has been struck. It saddens me to see a good thing end. Uncle Julio's has never needed specials or vouchers to bring in customers, the food would do it on its own. read more

So disappointed! We love the LP location and have been dining there for over a decade......not the same at all in OO. Too much staff wandering around, untrained? Margaritas were weak, service super slow,.... Chips and salsa were the only reminder that this was Uncle Julio's. Carne asada was half the size it used to be in LP. Such a disappointment as the space is huge, nicely decorated and in the suburbs! read more

We've been coming here since the Old Orchard restaurant opened, and have usually been satisfied, However, today, April 18, we came by for lunch and asked for a booth. The booth we were given was wet and the table was wet, and the floor was dirty. We dried the booth off ourselves and had to get new silverware because one of the knives had food stuck to it. Then, when the bill came, the waiter said the computer was down, which can happen, but it seemed that everything went wrong at once. The food is usually pretty good, but someone really needs to supervise the cleaning (or lack of cleaning the floors and tables. read more

Wife and I went to the bar for margaritas this Sunday about 4:30 pm ,bartender not friendly at all,took our drink order,but never offered or suggested anything,after he gave us the drinks we had to wave our hands to ask for an appetizer,being ignored by him! later when appetizer arrived,we again had to wave our hands for silver and chips and salsa,anyway we end up asking to seems to be the bar back (a young and super nice guy who I think should be the bartender ,didn't get the name )drinks were excellent,spicy margarita ,and another one with casa noble crystal, But really this bartender were more interested in leaving and counting his money from his drawer than taking care of us,and you know what I work in the industry,I know how it feels trying to get out of work,but he could've asked someone else to see us read more

We regularly visit this restaurant in particular. The food is consistently good. Guacamole is amazing. Service is excellent. And save room for the chocolate piñata dessert. Only restaurant I have been to with such a fun dessert. read more

Food was very average, but our server,Abby, was awesome!! She was extremely kind and conversational, but not over the top. She made our experience worth it and could not have asked for a better server. Outdoor seating was very nice, too. read more

It was a nice weeknight so we decided to go out to stroll around Old Orchard and try Uncle Julio's for the first time. Unfortunately after our experience it will be our last visit to this restaurant. The food is okay, but a bit pricy for what you are being served. But this was not what led to our decision not to return...it was the service provided. First we waited 10 minutes to be seated despite the fact that about 10-15% of the tables were empty. Perhaps part of the reason that others have complained about long waits is related to the fact that they seem to have trouble turning the tables quickly. Second, the wait for the food was a bit longer than average. When we asked our server for an estimate on when the food would be coming, her answer was that she did not know. No offer to go and check. Not even a generic answer of "soon." I had ordered the steak fajita, which arrived without any tortillas. I had to ask about them and then wait another 5-10 minutes for them to arrive, at which time the food was cold. No apology for the error. The server just seemed uninterested and unmotivated to perform her job. In summary, nothing special in terms of food, prices are above average, and service is lackadaisical and not oriented to the customer at all. read more

Love the ambiance and the homemade tortilla chips. The carnitas tacos are decent however I had a bad experience with the fish tacos. They are made with tilapia and tasted charred and were dry. I told the waiter who called over the manager. She had the audacity to tell me that they were "supposed" to taste like that. Really!? I've had tilapia and fish tacos several times before and they've never tasted burnt. She asked if I wanted something else, umm, if your food is supposed to taste burnt, why would I want to order anything else? I politely declined and then she asked if I wanted the nasty fish tacos wrapped up to go....umm no. If I didn't eat your meal at the restaurant, why would I eat it at home? Did you think I just wanted a free meal!!? Because that is the impression I was given. This manager needs a lesson in customer service. Not sure I'll be back. read more

Great addition to the neighborhood and glad the mall finally has something worth while going too. The service was great and all the food was very tasty as well read more

I went to this restaurant last night which was Friday night and the 30 minute wait time was definitely worth it. I had a frozen margarita sangria drink. I can't recall the name of it but it was excellent. The chips and salsa are so addicting. My friend and I ordered the steak fajitas to share and the portion size was huge. I also got a small appetizer guac and small queso dip and they were phenomenal. The tortillas were so fresh and soft. Our server was very quick and checked up on us often. I would definitely go back there. I don't know why there are so many bad reviews. I was thoroughly impressed. Definitely 5 stars in my book. read more

We visited on Mother's Day. It was very crowded and waited about 15 minutes for our table, even with a reservation. The food was okay. Loved the thin, crispy chips. The ladies restroom was a mess and the restaurant floor was very slippery. I wanted the famous chocolate piñata. The chocolate and fruit were good. The churros were supposed to be in the piñata but were served on a plate on the side. Strange, but perhaps explained by the burning smell in the dining room. I later overheard another table being told they were behind on the churros, so my thought is that a batch had been burned. The wait for the piñata was quite long. Our server was very nice, but a bit forgetful. All in all the experience was disappointing. read more

Seated in back corner of banquet room, with service station adjacent - Zero ambience - Bar or high tops in bar a better way to go Had a reservation but seated 30 minutes after booked time Food ok Server was great and did a good job Corporate chains need experienced floor managers to better accommodate patrons read more

Great service!!! Food was amazing and was served within 10 minutes of ordering. My favorite is the salsa dip and chips!!

The host was so nice and sat me and my mom near a window after first saying we wanted one table then changing our minds twice! Mom ordered a beer I ordered a shot of tequila with club soda. The chips I was not a fan of and the salsa was okay my mom enjoyed them though. I did like the shrimp and lobster soup that I ordered it filled me up. Had a little spice to it and good chunks of shrimp in it. My mom ordered shrimp vegetable quesadilla she said it was good she was just full from chips. She said that had a little spice to it. Overall we had a nice experience here after shopping all morning. read more

Great, attentive service, generous portions, and a great kids menu. We love coming here as a family. Try the chocolate piñata -- it is an experience! read more

The food is good, I'd say not great but not bad. The service is ok as well nothing amazing. The chips and salsa is actually fantastic. The nachos are good and the cheese and onion enchiladas are ok. The place is just ok. read more

I'm a fan and wanting more. I was impressed by their turn-around with food arriving to the table so quickly especially during the lunch time hour that I went here. Waitstaff, ours in particular, could have been a little more friendly, but trivial discrepancies aside, the food was good, hot and fast. Would I come back here, yes. They have a decent menu list that I can't wait to try other things. It's kitschy Mexican food done well with all of the tastes and flavors one would expect. I ordered the guacamole, ceviche, and the fish tacos. Everything was perfect and fast and flavorful. read more

I've gone here several times and each time I leave happy. The table side guacamole is really good and fresh. It's also nice to be able to customize it. The drinks are yummy too. I love the swirl. I generally go with one of their combination platters because you can get a little taste of everything that way. Even my extremely picky 7 year old likes the food. He ate half of his cheese quesodia which considering how picky he can be is high praise lol. We'll certainly be back. read more

So I think Uncle Julio's has worked out some of their kinks. We decided to give it another shot when we were in the area and I'm glad we did. I think some of their service issue may have been due to being new and having inexperienced staff. read more

It's a 3.5. The ambiance, decor is pretty nice in a HGTV meets Telemundo sort of way. Now this is evaluating the lunch meal only...so brace yourself. Initially, the prices seemed high but I have to hold back criticism because food has skyrocketed everywhere. I just ordered the simple pick three--tacos and enchilada. I mean really no problems here. Was it exceptional? Probably not, was it bad no. I like it overall and would probably opt to go here over the other options in the mall....actually I would given the crowd I'm with. I have to admit....I thought this was Lalos at first so bad on me. read more

Well this is what happens when a suburban restaurant tries to expand from the city and therefore doesn't believe it has to have the same standards since it has a trapped clientele. The only good thing here is the chips and salsa. Way overpriced-my meal was decent and that would have given it maybe 2.5 stars but my daughters carne asada was a of dog meat leather. Absolutely inedible---and she has gone there on another occasion with her dad and had the same experience. No one from out Family will be returning. Neighbors had similar experience. read more

Rice and beans and guacamole were ok. Their ceviche barely has any flavor or citrus in it. We told the server and she asked if we wanted it taken off the bill. We had just gotten a bunch of lemons and limes and told her we wanted to see if that would fix it first. She said that the manager would probably come over. Later, she said the manager was going to give feedback to the chef. We told her that, despite the citrus bath, the fish had an odd chemical taste to it and really tasted off. She was more curious about the other restaurants and countries that we've had proper ceviche in, than fixing the issue. The manager never came over and we were charged for it (11.99). This was really poorly handled. The whole place is overpriced, with mediocre food. Sangria was OK, but that probably comes out of a box. read more

Great service, margaritas are very good and the seafood salad tasty and delicious! Chips and salsa can definitely be better (chips a little bland and salsa a bit salty and could be spicier, but everyone's salsa preferences differ). Friendly servers and had a pleasant experience. They have outdoor seating, delightful! read more

Food was very good. Our server Abby was very helpful and made suggestions on the menu. This is a big restaurant and we were seated right away. The fajitas are excellent and they have table side guacamole. I suggest using valet parking because it will be hard find parking. read more

Its fast chain Mexican food basically so you have to go into it with those expectations. We have been here twice and for some reason i always end up feeling sick afterwards. I dont know if its the chicken or too much grease or what but every time i end up not feeling well. Service is fairly slow but typical of a "friday's" type of place with young/inexperienced servers. Plus side drinks were good. read more

$90 for a family of 3 ----would have been better quality and $50 cheaper at On The Border. The $10 Queso bowl is $5 at On The Border and the taste is not one of strong onion. Fajitas were ok, the $13 margarita was just ok (I guess you pay 2x mark up because they put pepper on the glass). Meh! read more

Aside from the table side made guac and jicama and cucumbers we got along with chips for dipping all else was bleh. I had the lunch sampler which comes with your choice between 2 items (a taco, enchilada, or quesadilla) and it came with beans and rice. The beans looked weird and were neither black or white, instead looked pink and almost seemed like baked beans to me. The rice was too spiced. Not spicy but overly spiced for such a small portion. I picked a beef enchilada and a pulled chicken taco. The taco was tasteless and the enchilada was overly spiced again. Neither were great. Not that hard to nail this type of food. read more

Bad business practices. The good: kind of cool interior, location good, servers seem good and on ball. After that it is down hill fast. Mediocre to poor food with high prices and not bashful about the up sell. Increasing sales is certainly fine. the bad part: two of my lunch guest ordered fish tacos that came out burnt. One guess returned it and the replacement dish didn't make it out until we needed to leave so she never got to eat her lunch. Mind you these weren't blacked fish tacos they were burnt fish tacos. Second guest didn't want to complain and he ate the burnt tacos. Management refunded only the woman's lunch apologized and didn't refund the other guest burnt lunch. (he didn't want to complain) I did and manager shrugged his shoulders. The guacamole appetizer was ok. My tuna salad was fair. Granted I'm a food snob but the tuna quality was poor the rest of the salad was fine. Again our server was a nice guy and seemed on the ball I was at a loss how Management wasn't more proactive about trying rectify the situation. Felt like management was focused on their bottom line and tried to get away not properly handling situation. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go out of business soon. read more

First time here. Delicious food, fresh flavors. Great service. Sat outside and had an awesome experience. Certainly going to put this on our list to come back! read more

Very delicious food. Great service, the music was cheerful and it was not crowded (noon on a weekday). The plates are huge, one dish it's enough for two people. read more

It was my first and last time there. It is my 34th birthday and I reserved a party of 15. The lighting was horribly dark couldn't even read the menu. It was to cold in there. Food was not great and prices were way too high. I read there reviews and knew that it was an almost 3 star rating but what caught my eye was there chocolate piñata which was very pretty but the fruit could of tasted more fresh. I should of listened to yelp. I was very disappointed and my crowd spent over $800 what a waste and our waitress must of not understood English or something because she sure didn't know how to take a tip without asking the men 5 times. I suggest you deal with the woman next time Dominique. Chipotle is way better and cheaper. I don't even like to post reviews but this was a must read more

We love this restaurant and go there every opportunity that get. There is something about the atmosphere...and the food is to die for. I only wished they had "flan". I guess you can't have everything...where would you put it! read more

We got there and there was 25 min waiting list, but since we didnt mind we took the bar which is first come-first serve. As soon as we sat we were offered a drink, which of course for being at the bar came almost immediatly. Then we ordered food and came pretty fast, 15 minutes later. We were constantly asked if everything was ok. Food was delicious and healthy. Salsa was good! Margaritas too. Prices are reasonable. I will definitely continue coming. read more

Went here with boyfriend. Packed.. pretty loud inside.. complimentary chips were good and the salsa. Other than that its over rated. But id still give it another try. read more

I must say I was pretty impressed with Uncle Julios. I've never been a fan of a Tex-Mex restaurant but after my recent visit I must say I will be stopping in again. Table side guacamole was amazing and fajitas were made just perfect. read more