Julios Gourmet Bistro

Is this placed closed or have a new phone number? This # is disconnected. I driven by there a couple of times and they weren’t open. If they are still open the food is amazing!

I frequently ate at Julio’s Gourmet Grill at the old Pizza Hut, and was very sorry when it closed. I just ran into Julio, and he still remembered me. I was very glad to learn about his new restaurant. Great food, fresh ingredients (important to me), and a super nice guy… just a friendly place to go have a tasty, comfortable, filling meal. I’ve taken his catering trays to office luncheons, and were a big hit.

I found out about Julio’s, and bought a 50% off coupon from Groupon. So, we went there a few hours ago, only to find out that these nice people were the same ones who used to have a Puerto Rican Food restaurant on Hwy 60 in Brandon.
They used to be in the old Pizza Hut Building on Hwy 60, and no restaurant ever makes it there!
Perhaps people remember the awful murders during a robbery years ago ?
I was sad to see them go, but now I am happy to see them back again.
My friend and I both did the buffet, and everything was good. She had some kind of baked chicken in a coconut tomato sauce, and I had the Puerto Rican Baked Chicken.
It was very good, and she ordered these potato balls stuffed with meat, and I ordered their version of Garbanzo Bean Soup, and it was to absolutely die for!
Both of us had salads, hers with fresh Guacamole, and mine with Carribean Ranch Dressing.
The salads were fresh and great!
Service was good, although the owners wife seemed a little overwhelmed with all the people she was responsible for.
On the weekends, the owner Julio has many specials, just like he used to have.
If you like Puerto Rican Food, I think you will like this place.
And you really just have to try the Garbanzo Bean Soup !
Oh, with the 10 dollar off Groupon, our total bill was 12.53 cents! Plus, we have enough food we took home for another meal!
How can ya beat that?

Food was ok. No menu as all food is cooked and prepared daily. That’s the good thing. Now the bad… No ambiance, service was mediocre at best although our waitress was pleasant. The food was so-​so. We had a mixed seafood grill that looked awesome. Only wish it was as flavorful. For me it was bland.
Very disorganized. We had a group of kids sitting next to us that played video games with the volume up. Apparently they are waiting on parents after their karate lesson.
Now the shocker… Two meals and one side of empanadas came to $ 61.00. Really? We only drank water. For this I would expect better service, atmosphere, and presentation not to mention everything on a higher level. And no baby sitting service would be nice too.
Will we go back? No way. Too many places to choose from to hand over my hard earned money.