Great food
Yummmm margaritas. People rave about Cesar's margs but these are pretty damn good too. Tried 4 different flavors, mango was my favorite.
We ordered the fajita platter for 2 and added shrimp. It was SO much food, we had 2 days worth of leftovers. Steak was so tender, chicken was a little dry but still good, and shrimp was tasssttyyy. We sat at a cocktail high top table and our margs, water, tortillas, meat, rice, beans, salsas, sour cream, guac, & chips could barely fit.
Waiter was so friendly. Awesome experience here.
Call ahead for a spot on the wait list, or else spend a lot of time in the bar waiting :-) But worth the wait. Â Convenient and reasonable priced valet ($7) Warm chips, awesome salsa. Try the raspberry drinks - the fruit is frozen in the ice cubes, super good. Food came quickly and all our plates looked like a 5 star dish. No left overs! Â Everyone finished everything on their plates it was so good. A little loud on a Saturday night, but def a great place for mexican.
Review Source:This place is not traditional Mexican and it knows that. They have a parking lot but it's valet only (and costs $7) so be sure to take the red line or park on a side street. This place is HUGE, it's hard to tell from the outside just how large it is. We were seated quickly and our very knowledgable server helped us go through the menu. We got the queso and guacamole to start with and both were excellent, their chips are thin and crispy too. I ordered the chicken enchiladas with smoky red sauce. They were out of this world! The bf got chicken fajitas and they were too pricey (but a signature dish) and I wasn't a huge fan but he loved them. Now for the drinks. The strawberry margaritas were awesome but I went for The Meltdown, a drink combining sangria and a margarita. I was in heaven. The atmosphere here is cheesy but the staff is nice as can be and the menu is huge. Be prepared to drop some serious cash here (for a Mexican spot).
Review Source:I always passed Uncle Julio's going to work and I always smelled the aroma coming from it and I couldnt wait to actually go.I really thought this was going to be authentic mexican food but was I so very wrong.The decor is nice as well as the service but the food taste like mexican food you can make at home. But yet they CALL themselves a FINE Mexican Restaurant,even the refried beans have lost their mexican flare .So I really dont understand how i paid almost $20 for food that I could have made at home.I go to Mexican restaraunts to experience the authenticity not to get Taco Bell tasting food.I should have just went to Chipotle!!!
Review Source:My friend and I stopped in after a killer class down the street to completely derail all healthy effects of said class. Â We ordered the Swirl (order it by name)--frozen margarita swirled with sangria. Â We had to order another round cuz it was just so good...and it goes down like candy. Â We also had the fajitas, a chicken and steak combo platter that was nice. Â No grilled peppers though, which was disappointing, just onions. Â Each of us got a little plate with guac and salsa which solves the whole guac-off fight that always ensues when people have to share something so yum and precious. Â We also got our own rice and beans--too much, I didn't even touch mine. Â We sat at the bar instead of the giant, cavernous dining room. Â We got extra tortillas easily and quickly. Â The free chips and salsa were great. Â Uncle Julio, you have a very nice hacienda.
Review Source:The food is good. Okay at best. Â Crowded, Very crowded. We went with 8-10 people. Wait for a table, Wait for service. Â We wanted a picture of Margaritas. NO!! pictures. A margarita in a rock glass $9.00. Â Good flavor but $9.00!! Â Give me a break. Â There are many better places forless $$ Â than Uncle Julios.
Review Source:Watch your bill! These people will cheat you especially when you come with a larger group and are not paying attention. Had a small gathering - 4 guys for x-mas and got charged over $500 for allegedly 60 drinks! - you do the math, and no they did not carry us out on stretchers. Got no help from managers and the finger from corporate when I disputed the bill.
Real nice way to treat your patrons guys - thanks! Not sure uncle Julio would approve.
We had a nice family dinner here recently and our waiter was fantastic. Â The wait for our table was a little long because it was crowded and we did have a reservation, but the good food and service made up for it. Â I really enjoyed the frozen lime margaritas. Â The chips are very good, light and airy. Â I loved the cheese dip, it was delicious. Â I had a combination plate (tamales, tacos, and enchiladas). Â Every thing was delicious.
Review Source:I really don't get the love for this place. Â The food is mediocre at best. Â The tables are smashed together. Â The noise level is unbearable. Â Â Service is good and they have valet for $7.00.
Went here tonight with a party of 20 for a bday celebration. Â We had 8:30 reservations, which they don't really take, but if you call ahead - they will hold a table. Â We were seated at 9:00. Â
This place is mobbed - seriously mobbed. Â Like there isn't another restaurant within a 100 Â mile radius, so every single person comes here. Â They have a 2+ hour wait for a table and people are waiting. Â I do not understand this. Â It is 9:00pm on a Saturday and you are all standing in a packed area, just waiting. Â There are a million Mexican restaurants in the city, that are much-much-much better. Â I.do.not.understand.
They put our group at 2 seperate tables - which is fine. Â But they only had seating for 18, and we are a party of 20. Â The 18 seats were smashed together, so squeezing in 2 more was hard. Â The service at my table was great. Â Our waiter was fabulous. Â We ordered and the food was out in about 10 minutes. Â The other table in our party had a different waiter and their food didn't come out until after our table was done eating. Â
Chips & salsa were plentiful. Â Their chips suck, the hot salsa is decent.
I had the fajita combo. Â The chicken and steak were good - very well seasoned and cooked. Â The portion is small. Â The meal is so overpriced. Â The rice that came with it was crunchy. Â Â
Our waiter did seperate checks for us - nice touch! Â My fajita dinner with a mango-lemonade (no liquor), no appetizer was $36. Â Serioulsy - way overpriced.
Uncle Julio's Hac-rearenda is delicious. Â The refried beans are so awesome and bacony and salty they attract mule deer (but the mule deer are not admitted into the establishment.) Â Awesome red sauce, green sauce, white sauce, their whole ROY G. BIV sauce spectrum is delicious. Â This place is so authentic I'm surprised they don't have VW Beetles and 1969 buses without catalytic converters blowing exhaust into the place. Â Taco Bell is to Uncle Julio's Hac-rearenda as poison is to vitamins.
Review Source:A friend who loves restaurants, not necessarily based on quality but more on the quantity of restaurant visited, I went to see if Uncle Julio's Hacienda was worthy. Having passed by the restaurants several times, nothing had jumped out to draw me there. So we went one mid afternoon on a Saturday only to be greeted with a crowd. Clearly this is a hot spot and had we not opted to sit in the open bar area, we would have been waiting for a rather long time to be seated.
Chips and salsa. Homemade guacamole. Guacamole with corn. Tortilla soup. Chicken enchiladas. Mojito. Margarita.
The food is indeed worthy. I can't speak to service in the main dining area, but the server we had in the open bar area must have some serious floor experience. He was all over the place and I don't mean in a scrambled manner. Nothing came to the table amiss and nothing was goofed by the server. Overall, it was a great dining experience. And as to price, my friend is a coupon fanatic, so the discount on top of a reasonable food tab was rather lovely.
We love Uncle Julios! Â The mesquite grilled steak tacos are fabulous! Â Great guacamole, chips and salsa! Â My boyfriend has ordered almost everything on the menu and we have never had a bad meal here - in fact it's always great. Â Since they are always very busy, the service at times might not be the best. Â But for food 5 stars, service 4 stars. Â I don't like the valet parking situation in the parking lot adjacent to the restaurant so we now find street parking if we are going. Â All in all for food - excellent experience!!
Review Source:Uncle Julio's was a complete disappointment for me. Â I came here with a group to celebrate a birthday, and we'd placed a reservation ahead of time. Â However, when we got there the hostess explained to us that they don't really do reservations and our name was just down to forewarn them that we were coming. Â We ended up waiting half an hour to get a table, and then almost another hour passed before our orders were taken.
As for the food, Uncle Julio's was overpriced and not very authentic. Â I can't have gluten, and we had called ahead of time to make sure they'd be able to accommodate this. Â Normally, Mexican restaurants are pretty safe, but Uncle Julio's marinades all contain gluten, and they primarily use flour tortillas. Â I was planning on just asking for a cheese quesadilla, but the waiter practically chose for me when I told him I couldn't have gluten. Â He recommended I go with the fajitas and told me they would make the chicken without the marinade and give me corn tortillas instead of the flour ones. Â I was actually kind of excited because I haven't had a fajita in years! But when the food arrived, I was puzzled. Â How am I supposed to make fajitas from two corn tortillas and 10 giant strips of chicken? Â That's literally all that was put in front of me. Â Shouldn't fajitas come with grilled vegetables or at least toppings? Â I tried to make it work, but the chicken tasted gross and the proportions were just off. Â I ended up picking at the strips of chicken as the rest of my group finished eating. Â Others told me that the enchiladas were disappointing, and the margaritas were just average. Â The only positive part of our meal was the chips. Â They were addicting! Â But they were definitely more like chips you'd find at Chili's than what you'd expect of a Mexican restaurant. Â
Especially for the money, you can find much better Mexican food and much better restaurants in general.
Uncle Julio's is one of my favorite mexican places in the city. Not only is the food authentic, uncle julio's has a lively, fun atmosphere. Their frozen margaritas are so yummy- they do a mixed flavor margarita which I definitely recommend. They have an awesome chicken tortilla soup, and both the salsa and guac are amazing. I usually get the enchiladas plate, but there's nothing I've ever gotten that I didn't like.
The place is huge, so the wait never seems too bad. It's the perfect place for birthday dinners or large groups, because you're not crammed in like in many other mexican restaurants. They also have a parking lot, which is a big plus on the north side.
Our friends took us out for dinner on 12/28, and this was their selection. Â It was packed when we arrived at 9 pm but rapidly cleared out around 9:30. Â We were able to secure a table in the bar, which was fine. Â It took a long table to get the table cleared off, and our friend actually had to flag down a busser. Â
The frozen margarita/sangria drink was quite good and refreshing. Â I would stop by for another one of these. Â The fajitas, cerviche, and special shrimp appetizer (delivered with our meal) were all very good. Â However, when our meal was delivered, my shrimp quesadillas were not brought to the table. Â Our friend advised the two servers in Spanish that my order was not delivered to the table. Â About 3 minutes later, a manager came by and told me that they were out of shrimp quesadillas. Â This was one of the oddest things I could imagine hearing at a Mexican restaurant, and even more odd as there was a shrimp appetizer on our table. Â How do you run out of shrimp or the other ingredients for quesadillas? Â The manager offered me any other type of quesadilla for free, so I picked chicken. Â The dish did come out rapidly and was quite good. Â The whole situation was embarrassing, as we were having dinner with another couple. Â Very strange. Â
Our original server left in the middle of our meal, apparently, and another server took over. Â Very, very odd.
I will not eat here again.......
I went here recently during the week lunch rush. Our waiter was very nice and attentive despite the busy place. Â I had a chicken fajita Cobb salad. It was sooooo good! Â I highly recommend it if you want something on the lighter side here. You have to valet if you are parking in their parking lot. I think that is ridiculous. Â And the valet guy was so rude. Â So sorry you hate your life, valet guy. Â Other than that, it was a nice experience.
Review Source:Not to be trusted. Keep an eye on the staff. I left an expensive item on my chair. When I later called they said they had it and would return it when I came back. When we came back, they pretended to have no idea of what we were talking about. The manager went so far as to accuse my girlfriend of lying in front of the entire restaurant. What's the difference between a mistake and stealing? Uncle Julio's.
Review Source:I'm giving this place just 2 stars because of 3 reasons:
-Valet guys were not very nice
-I'm Mexican and I know Mexican food, it is very good but Waaaayyyy overpriced..$19 for two steak tacos???!!!!!
-Asked the bartender if they had Sangrita (if u r Mexican u would know what this is)..and a real Mexican restaurant that sells tequila must have this and the bartender must know!! It is Essential!!!
Other than that it was OK but probably never go back because $80 for Fajitas and Two drinks is way too much to pay for...
Other than that
Unfortunately had to return to UJ with friends who wanted to go here. Â Turns out that a salt shaker must have accidentally fallen into the chicken that was used for our various meals. Â That's the only explanation I can think of for an EXTREMELY high salt content in the food. Â Our waiter was a sweetheart with a great sense of humor, which he maintained when I insisted that he taste our food. Â After the salt content made his face contort, the manager comped part of our bill and brought us a complimentary order of the sopapillas.
It was a win-win situation all the way around. Â Now 3 of my friends will not go to UJ again AND if I must go with other friends, I will get an order of those sopapillas. Â Deelish!
If you ask for hot sauce at this place to accompany your entree they will hand you a Costco sized bottle of Tabasco. EXCUSE ME?! Cajun hot sauce is totally not the same as Mexican hot sauce.
That's how non authentic this place is.
The only saving grace is that this place makes its own tortillas on sight which are delicious.
Uncle Julio's doesn't take reservations, but they do have call-ahead seating. Â We had a group of 8 and as we were driving in, my friend called in. Â Now I can only hear one side of the conversation, but it seemed like UJ's was giving her a hard time. Â Well, she got her point across and we crossed our fingers that we'd have a table and time before a concert at Joe's Bar.
UJ's is very STRICT about having your whole party present before you are seated. Â I understand that. We had a few gals just outside, getting ready to come in. But the hostess had a real snooty attitude about it, like we were trying to pull a fast one. Â Even though we said our friends were JUST OUTSIDE and WE ARE GETTING THEM; just give us a few seconds! Â So, when you dine, just make sure your whole party is right in front of the hostess, don't let anyone fall behind you when you walk in. Â
After that harried experience (and why should Friday night dinners be harried?) it was smooth sailing. Â Our server was totally friendly and on point. Â The chips and salsa was delicious--thin, crispy chips with a mild smoky salsa. The Sangria Swirl margarita was refreshing and a perfect drink to start the weekend. Â I ordered the tilapia tacos. The fish was very fresh, seasoned and cooked well. I didn't care for the side of beans--too salty. Â Kind of expensive for tacos and margaritas.
I was super hungry, and super hungry for Mexican, so I really wanted to enjoy my dinner at Uncle Julio's. Â Alas, I was disappointed.
For starters, they do not take reservations. Â You can, however, call ahead and put your name in for a table. Â This is where things started to fall apart (and we hadn't even set foot inside the place yet). Â When we were close, I called ahead to put out name in. Â The dude on the phone rather forcefully stated, "We will give your table away if you're entire party is not here when we call you." Â OK. Â Shouldn't be a problem. Â We had 8 people, and were in 2 separate cars. Â I walk in to inform them that out party is here, and the 1 car is just parking, and they would be in in about a minute. Â They inform me that they will not seat us until every single member of our party of 8 is standing before their eyes. Â In a matter of moments, the entire party is before their eyes (poof!), and they agree to seat us. Â Points off right away for the Nazi-ish behavior. Â
We were seated, and they brought chips and salsa right away. Â That part of the meal was delish. Â Tasty salsa with a bit of a smokey flavor, and thin, crisp, fresh chips. Â Yum. Â I ordered the swirl margarita, and was pleasantly surprised. Â It was stronger than I thought it would be, and very good.
I ordered the Juanita's Platter with cheese and onion enchiladas, chicken crispy taco, and pork tamale. Â The chicken crispy taco was the best item on the plate. Â The chicken was well seasoned, and the shell was fresh. Â The tamale was just ok, and the enchiladas were horrible. Â They tasted like they were reheated, and were flavorless.
Overall, I can't rate this experience very high. Â The food was totally MEH, and the service at the hostess stand was two big thumbs down. Â I'll pass on coming back.
One of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I love the atmosphere, the service, the food and the drinks. Ooooh, I love the chips and salsa. All are awesome.
I always order the Juanita platter, and usually will not deviate from it.
If you are in the area, and want authentic Mexican food, this is the place for you!
Terrible delivery service. They charge a hefty delivery fee and still took over 2 hours to deliver the food. Then, they did not bring everything they were supposed to. Â Since I ordered thru grub hub, I called its customer service line about not getting the entire order. Another 2 hours went by before they brought the rest of the order.
Skip this restaurant.
It was not my choice to come here and I don't understand how there was a 30 minute wait.
It was like an Olive Garden version of a mexican restaurant. I had the chicken enchiladas with red sauce and rice and beans. It was edible, but nothing to go back for. The skinny margarita was good, but I would probably need to drink atleast 4 to get a buzz.
I would skip this place and just go to a taqueria with authentic mexican food.
Seriously? People continue to go here? Be prepared to spend more money on Mexican food than you ever dreamed possible, have it taste less flavorful than a cheap corner joint, and only get a sugar buzz from those $9 margaritas served in a small beer glass. was there any tequila in those?
Good god. I mean, c'mon. All I can do is literally laugh at this point.
Uncle Julio's has really great food and great service. Â I haven't had a bad experience here. Â The location can be tricky getting in and out of, and offers valet parking... however if you're on public transportation is a few steps from the North and Clyborn red line stop.
The fajitas here are hard to be rivaled and the swirl of frozen margarita and sangria is near impossible to compete with. Â The service is always above expectation and honestly, I don't know why I don't visit more.
The only negative is that it is one of the more higher priced Mexican restaurants that you'll find- but the food and service are more than worth it.
Oh the swirls they are so tasty and the food is pretty good but it certainly can get pricey.
The famous Swirl is a frozen margarita and a frozen sangria - and yep you guessed it swirled together in a glass. Â It's quite tasty and def has a kick to it...after a couple I'm a little buzzed!
The food is alright but nothing out of this world to me. Â The chips are addicting like almost every Mexican restaurant I've been to. Â The guac is good and they have a variety of concoctions...unfortunately the people I were with this past visit weren't in the mood to be adventurous so we stuck to the traditional. Â I had the pobalano soup and the ceviche and it was good. Â My dining companions enjoyed their fish tacos and fajitas as well. Â For the prices they charge I feel like I should have been blown away by the food and I just haven't been yet.
The service was okay nothing fantastic. Â The place gets pretty busy on the the weekends so plan accordingly. Â We went around 6pm on Saturday before meeting up with people and had no issues getting a table but it was getting crowded as we were leaving.
I'll be back for the Swirls!
I sat at the bar because I was killing time waiting for the Yelp Binny's event to start and I ordered the Swirl with the extra shot of tequila. I wasn't sure what to order but I wanted some bang for my buck.
The bartenders were awesome and were really excited that someone ordered the swirl, cut to 20 minutes later when I ordered a second one they were amazed. Even some of the servers came up and were excited that we weren't eating (except for the chips & salsa they brought us) and just drinking Swirls.
I only wish I had more time to sit there and eat because the drinks were just the start to what would have been an awesome night I'm sure. Â I love the spacious bar area that was child free and I never realized how many tables they had.
Can't wait to go back.
Honestly, it's a 3 star kinda place, but since I'm so nostalgic for Tex-Mex ever since I moved to Chicago, it gets bumped up a star.
Pretty awesome drinks. Even the skinny diet ones are yummy! Try the skinny guava margarita!!!
Salsa here is more Southwest style rather than Tex-Mex. Btw, it's also served warm.
Get the roasted vegetable tamales. I can't even describe how good it is. Trust me.
The combo fajitas are so-so. Whatever, it hit the Tex-Mex spot. Yee haw!!!
Unfortunately the day we went we were simply killing time, so we were unable to order actual food. BUT we have surveyed the menu hard and already know what we are ordering next time. AND if the amazing chips (plus he gave us a tortilla) are any indication the food is going to be a.w.e.s.o.m.e.
ALSO THE SWIRL. LEST WE FORGET THE SWIRL. ALWAYS ORDER THE SWIRL.
I can't speak for the authenticity of Uncle Julios but the food was damn good and I am a fan.
Great place for a group, we had 12-15 for a birthday and they were really accommodating. Only problem was they don't seat you until your entire party is there but the waiting area is great to get drinks while you wait. Not a big deal.
SERVICE
The service was excellent. Our server Felicia was really nice and chatted with us all night and made sure our drinks were full. She was one of the highlights to my night, I will for sure be going back to see her.
FOOD
It was my first time at Uncle Julio's so I took her suggestion on the Carne Asada. Absolutely no regrets, it was amazing. Priced at $20, I was a bit skeptical but it was worth the price. The serving size was huge. A giant hand-cut marinated beef skirt steak topped with sautéed seasoned vegetables and a generous side of guacamole included. Cooked perfectly medium rare, this is a can't miss dish.
I suggest getting the Guadalajara. I was very envious. It is a giant plate of jumbo shrimp stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese and jalapeño, wrapped in bacon along with your choice of chicken, beef or combination fajitas. It looked AWESOME and I will be back to try this. Can easily be shared by 2.
My friends also got the fish tacos and said they were not that good, however. Seemed like a lot of cabbage and fillings and not enough fish. Also, I finished my friend's chicken taco plate and it was nothing more than decent. The chicken was a bit dry.
No cake cutting fee, extra bonus.
BOOZE
Drinks were a bit pricy, $9+ for a margarita? I drank beer, much more reasonably priced at $5.
I've been here a few times in the past 6 months, and made a point in sitting in different parts of the restaurant (bar, patio, and general seating area). Â The food is solid: good for a warm day or to feed a craving for Tex-Mex. Â The fajitas have never disappointed, and neither has the Bacon Wrapped Camarones Brochette (shrimp stuffed with cheese jalepeno, and wrapped in bacon). The margaritas are also pretty spot on, although particularly not fancy.
Unfortunately, the restaurant can be extremely loud, especially in the dinning room. Â This is multiplied by the families that typically sit in here... and since every surface seems to be lacquered to a shine, sound travels like a grocery store bouncy ball. Â The patio is quieter, but the service tends to be much slower. Â The bar area is probably the best place to be here, as I've found the service to be pretty good, not filled with children (for obvious reasons) and fairly relaxed. Â
Overall, while not an exceptional restaurant by any means, if you can forgive the occasional service slowdowns and conversation murdering noise in the dining room, it's a nice place for lunch.
Go here for the margaritas and the outdoor patio.
If you are going for the food or service, this is not the place.
The outdoor patio space on a hot day allows you to sit and people watch on North Avenue.
They have a bunch of different flavors to choose from for your margarita and will even do swirls.
The have beer too, but this is not the place to go for beer either.
The service is friendly, but your wait time for drinks and refills is almost unbearable.....especially on the said hot day.
Food is bland and mediocre at best.
I had the enchilada trio (steak, chicken, and cheese).
Large portions, and I was not able to finish.
Chips and a chipotle salsa start you out, and are decent.
Nice presentation, but like I said....drinking on the patio area is where it is at.
There is not any bicycle parking.
Went here after my grand daughter's soccer game. Went with the "family". It is a great place, so they say. Well if you enjoy overpriced drinks ($8.50 for a Margarita) so-so food (my enchilada's made with hamburger meat not shredded beef), served luke warm this is your kind of place. I could have gotten better food at a more reasonable price served HOT in a Taqueira near Humboldt Park. Uncle Julio's relies on location and Yuppie customers with open wallets to keep the place full. Sorry Unc, I don't jump to your beat.
Johnny Chitown.
The only reason this place didn't get 1 or 2 stars is because of the AWESOME service the waiter provided. Everything else was sub par.
My boyfriend and I decided to check out Uncle Julio's because I've heard raving reviews and we both love margaritas and Mexican food. The place itself is really nice and constantly busy, which is great. The margaritas however, don't even compare to Caesar's Home Of Killer Margaritas. They're really small and just don't have the taste I was looking for. The chips and salsa were also disappointing.
Through the entire dinner, I kept comparing it to Caesar's and it constantly fell short. The food was very good, but too expensive.
The waiter was the only highlight of the night. He was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and when I followed his recommendations, I wasn't disappointed.
I doubt I'll come back. I'm just gonna stick with Caesar's.
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