Uncle Julio’s Mexican From Scratch

Overpriced and not very good. Tacos came with no cheese or sour cream and tasteless. I ordered carne asada not bad but definetly not worth the price, tasteless beans and rice. Also I got no sour cream and cheese either I had to ask for it and they charged me for it as a side order. Never was asked for refills on drinks either. Forgot to mention hostess was rude, we requested a booth and were never asked if we wanted to sit outside or inside, we were seated in a non boot hand said we requests a booth and had to wait extra time to get a booth, to bad because we had to give up our seat at the bar. We won’t be going back.

Had lunch there the food was outstanding. The service was great. Would recommend this place. To all my friends!

Recently stopped in for dinner, was immediately impressed. Place was tastefully decorated with dark ceramics, with a high end cultural appeal. Subtle tropical music was playing (salsa, meringue, etc).
Was relieved to experience that the place was NOT a mainstream gimmicky Tex Mex place like chili’s or On the boarder. Restaurant was a nice chill place that focused on the food and classy casual environment.
Food was very good and flavorful! Not a watered down bland menu. Table side server making fresh guacamole was excellent! The homemade tortillas (corn & flour) was a nice addition that is not available at a lot of places (many other restaurants use prepackaged tortillas).
Only thing that was not my favorite was the rice, but everyone else seemed to like it.
Overall, a great place and worth checking out! Will definitely come back.

Been to Uncle Julios a couple of times. Food is always spot on. Love the char flavor of the house salsa. One time the wait was long but I pin that on being a new restaurant in a busy location. Book ahead on open table and you should be good.
Last time I ordered the carnitas tacos on lunch menu and our group got tableside guacamole! Will go back and reccomend.

My husband & I went to Uncle Julio’s last night. The restaurant has a really big bar & nice overall décor. They have a lot of outdoor seating in the back & side of the restaurant, which is great when the weather is nice.
We had a younger gal as our server. It would have been nice if they automatically bring you small plates with your salsa & chips instead of having to specifically request them. I mean, am I supposed to eat right off of the table? The salsa is a little different. I think it is made with chipotle peppers, which not everyone likes. We ordered a small dish of guacamole, which was pretty good. I think it is whipped to give it a lighter texture.
My husband ordered the steak fajitas, which he liked. I ordered the cheese/​onion & chicken enchiladas. Not bad, but nothing to write home about either. I feel like the dish was more «Americanized» because they used the orange cheddar cheese instead of the real white Mexican that you would typically expect from a more authentic Mexican restaurant.
We ordered the special margarita of the day, which was the grapefruit margarita. It was good, but very weak. Usually, my max is 2 drinks, so some might say that I am a bit of a light weight when it comes to drinking. After 3 margaritas, I wasn’t even feeling at all tipsy! I guess I have a real problem with restaurants that charge you high prices ($ 11 per drink) when they barely have any alcohol in them! It makes me feel like the restaurant has just stolen from me! $ 66 for 6 margaritas with barely no alcohol is quite the rip off!
Bottom line, I like Cozymel’s in Wheaton much better. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area where you can get better authentic Mexican food. I would definitely try other restaurants before making another trip back. Sorry Uncle Julio’s, I will have to «scratch» you off of my go to restaurant list!

Over-​priced, extremely slow service, this is Taco Bell with upgrades. For the area, they might survive but in a Hispanic area hey would be a joke. Personally, the reference of Tex-​Mex food is an insult. Gave it one star only because ½ star wasn’t an option.
There was one positive but I cannot vouch for it, my girlfriend did enjoy their salmon.

Disappointing experience here on an otherwise lovely Friday evening. Service was desultory and slow. When our food arrived, it was cold. The server did not return to check on us so I did not have an opportunity to let her know our dissatisfaction. In fact no one asked us how things were the entire night.
The setting sun glared in our eyes for the whole meal. Shades were down but ineffective. We did ask the server if anything could be done. She said «no, sorry». That was inexcusable. I noticed several additional tables where people were awkwardly shading their eyes. It made for a very unpleasant meal. The wall of windows was huge so the glare stayed
with us throughout the whole meal.
We will not return (party of 4)

My wife and I went there last night kinda late around 9pm so there was no wait time.
First, the good. The red sangria was very good. We ordered two each because after drinking the first one, we were sold. My wife loved the salsa that came with the chips. It had a sort of smoky flavor to it, which I didn’t really care for so I ordered a small side of guacamole, which came on a bed of lettuce. For $ 6, they didn’t really give you much of the guacamole and the lettuce was there as a filler cause I’ve never heard of lettuce with guacamole.
We ordered filet mignon fajitas for two and at first the waitress said that they only served it for one but on the menu it said for two so she checked and came back saying that they did have it for two. When they brought it to us, it didn’t seem like the size of the steak was for two and for close to $ 50, i expected more than that. Anyway, the order was supposed to come with rice and beans but it was never brought to us. Also, my wife ordered tamales and those never came either. We let our waitress know and she apologized for not bringing the complete order but when the bill came, there was no discount or anything. At least they took out the tamale they never brought. They even put the tip amounts ranging from 15% to 22%??
Look, this place has good food, no doubt about it but it definitely is well overpriced and you don’t really get what you pay for in terms of what they give you. I probably will be back but this time I will know how to order so I can compare the portion sizes. I think I definitely was taken for a ride in regards to the fajitas.

2 stars just so the review stays posted. This place is a nightmare!!! So much unfriendliness, from the hostess to the bartender. When we pulled up to the bar, not only were we not greeted, the bartender actually tossed us a menu and walked away… I’m not exaggerating, she tossed it (my wife and I looked at each other like WTH is her problem!!!). Little did I know the circus was just beginning, this story does not get any better. They were very short on servers, the guy who served us was run ragged, and apologized for any shortcomings… he’s the one bright spot in this hole called Uncle Julio’s. We had a party of 6, I counted 3 open tables for 6, but due to less staff, our wait was just over an hour! If you add the time to get our food, it was over 1.5 hours from door to eating. The prices are crazy, ridiculously high for Texmex, I’m only here because it’s for someone else birthday dinner. Our tableware was not only dirty, it clearly had food left on it (I posted a pic). No way on earth I return here even if I’m not paying. I personally will steer clear of this restaurant, if every other place is closed, I will eat peanut butter and jelly at home. I cannot state strongly enough just how bad this place is in every aspect, they have no doubt earned every bad review they have received… be warned. I’m putting money on the table that they will close, any takers?

1 hour to get our food after the manager suggested the length of time related to how long it takes to cook vegetables
Would have preferred he told the truth which was the busy but kind waiter didn’t put in our order
Most tables waiting simply for chips and the first drink order
Disappointed as the food was decent
Not going back

Yikes. Well we will never be going back. We had a 6:30 reservation and wasn’t sat till about 6:55(wasn’t too big of a deal). Our server might be new so I’m gonna go easy here and not say it’s his fault that we have been waiting almost an hour and a half for our food.
Update: I went up to the manager and asked to speak to him, he came over and he explained that the issue is in the kitchen but didn’t seem too sympathetic. I explained to him that I’m very disappointed because we are here for a birthday and this dinner ruined it.
Our food came out (finally) cold and our orders were messed up. The cherry on top was when my girlfriend was served her food, not only did they put the wrong meat in her tacos (and it was cold), when I went to put some sour cream on the chips there was a large black hair waiting for me in the sour cream.
They comped us $ 80 bucks (which is a slap in the face) and the manager explained that it was all that he could do. To be honest I don’t think he could comp us anymore because the restaurant had to comp a majority of the people that eat here tonight. Sadly, I don’t even think a free meal could compensate for the 3 hours of my life I will never get back (kind of joking)
I’ve heard such amazing things about this restaurant, but I will not be returning.

Just paid UJ a visit a week ago for the first time and I’m a fan. What makes a great Mexican restaurant is their salsa and guacamole. Both were amazing! I literally drank 17 bowls of salsa; it was that good! Not really, but sorta.
I ordered the chicken enchilada w/​verde sauce and they were killer! The service was great; fast, friendly and informative.
Will definitely visit again!

Stop what you doing and listen very very carefully. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! Went there on a Saturday night pretty late around 830. Place was busy but only quoted a 30 min wait time. We waited a 40 min host stand said another 10 min. Repeated this cycle 3 times. Finally after asking for manager 2 times. One came and told us their Point of sale system was down for the last hour and their restaurant was basically shut down??? And ur a manager interesting way to solve a problem. No one knows how to write a paper ticket I guess. We said we were leaving and the manager asked to stay and that he would comp some stuff for us because of thr time it took. Mind you two hours had passed we would have left if told earlier but now all the kitchens in other restaurants we beginning to close so we were stuck.
Sit down for dinner, here is the bullets
1)They were out of this and that. Settled for what they did have.
2)Asked for extra sauce, they told me the kitchen was closed.
3)Server was clearly irritated we were there so late. Even though the manager asked us to stay
4)Food tasted like we’ll North American Mexican food. Nothing authentic about and their «made from scratch» line not sure what that is supposed to imply but if it is that it taste better or something. That’s a lie.
Got the bill they comped one $ 5 g guacamole. For a table of 6 people
Don’t go yet readers it gets better!
I asked for manager, they told me manager In charge is not available. Told me to call Sunday.
I call Sunday first manager tells me that she does not handle these issues and second manager tells hears my story. Ask for my name and phone and say all customer service issues are handled by corp office human resources department and I’ll get a call in 2 days??? I literally laughed on the phone. I was like o really so I give them the info.
As u expected no call… I called back got the GENERAL MANAGER that’s right folks the supposed queen bee. She was the worst out of all of them. Lady right of the bat was irritated didn’t want to hear my story said corp handles all issues after the customer has left.
No call no answer. I called corp my self left a message on some lady’s voicemail that supposedly handles these issues.
Again no call
I am a Foodie been to every place in naperville large and small. By far the worst experience worst place. Bad customer service, average food. If you want to pay to have a bad time. Then go to unkle Julios naperville…

I ordered the Carne Asada. If you know me, you’re probably saying ‘typical’. The steak was lovely, but the sides were whatever. Could have used a larger portion of Guacamole. The beans and rice didn’t really compliment the meat to my liking. The protein was top notch but as an entire Entrée, I was left a bit wanting. I do recommend this place though.

Visited Uncle Julios on Sunday for lunch with the family. The first thing I noticed about this location was its sheer size and the high quality of the interior and overall design. It took awhile to get seated even though it wasn’t very busy. The hostess didn’t give off a very warm or welcoming vibe. We started off with the grapefruit margarita special and guacamole. We were really looking forward to the guac as they made it fresh table side here but it never came out. I told the server and he was super prompt in letting his manager know. The manager came over to apologize right away and offered us something else instead. Props to them for turning a potential negative situation into something positive. I’m okay with folks making mistakes as long as they own up to it and try to do better next time.
For our main course my wife ordered chicken and steak fajitas and I had the combo enchiladas. The portions were good and the food was cooked well.
This is a good spot to fill your Mexican cravings especially if you are looking for a nicer trendy type environment. Definitely good for large groups as well. Based on my experience I would definitely come back!

We came for lunch and the service was fast and friendly. Loved the drinks it was delicious. I had the skinny guava margarita loved it! They make all there food in house from scratch. You can see the tortillas made in the middle on the restaurant. Free chips and salsa upon dine-​in. My girlfriend had the chicken tortilla soup which is one of her favs here. It was the right consistency not too thick and creamy and not watered down. I’ll definitely come back again and try more.

My family and I came here for New Years. We still are talking about this dinner experience and laughing.
We ordered an appetizer before we placed our order, we got ceviche. I probably didnt have more than 3 or 4 scoops and the ceviche was gone… There were only 3 of us. This is not your typical Authentic Mexican restaurant ceviche were they serve you almost a meal portion (like El Barco and Lobo del Mar in Chicago or even Los Fernandez in Hoffman Estates)
We all ordered alcoholic beverages. I had a strawberry margarita, my mom had mango and my dad had beer, Miller Lite. No complaints there, our drinks were good, made in house with a decent serving size.
Then came our Fajita Grill Mix… We ordered this for the 3 of us, like we typically do. We asked our server if it was big enough for 3, he said yes… BAHAHAHA we get our meal and the platter had 3 shrimp, 3 SLICES of chicken, and 3 SLICES of carne asada. We only got 2 tacos each (the torilltas were homemade, yum!). This is not your typical fajita grill platter. Typically you have so much food that the 3 of us even have left overs. Ive never been able to actually count the pieces of meat on our plates. This was a sad New Years meal, with a deep Naperville price on it.
After the meal my mom joked shes sure Uncle Julio is my uncle on my dads side because Uncle Julio is stingy and no family member on her side would ever serve a meal like that… Cheers to 2016!

Food was great, service was great. So down to details. We tried one night last week to eat here, but the wait was an hour, so we went elsewhere. We came back at an earlier hour, and got right in. We were seated right away, and our server was very attentive. She really helped us with details of the food. She even brought me some extra spicy salsa to go with the warm chips. Be careful and don’t mix up the salsas. They look the same, but one is spicier. the spicy had a nice kick.
For dinner I had the Juanita’s Platter with a beef enchilada, a chicken enchilada, a beef taco and a pork tamale. I liked all of them, except the tamale. I think mine had one small strip (and I mean small) of pork. The one small piece of pork was quite tasty. It just needed more meat. The creamy hatch chili sauce on the chicken enchilada didn’t have much flavor. My wife’s salsa blanca on her chicken enchilada was much better.

I was thinking about sitting this one out for awhile because of the reviews, but I am glad that I didn’t. We arrived and had a super friendly, attentive server who told us all about their scratch-​made food and fresh fruit margaritas. The waiter tried pushing a grapefruit margarita, which I was skeptical about — but after trying it, I was so glad that I did.
I tried the carne asada which was fantastic. The guacamole was fantastic. Everything looked and tasted great. My only negative as far as food goes is that they don’t have a very comprehensive dessert menu. I’d love to have a flan or something at the end of my meal.
This place is a little pricey, but the food really is great and so is the service. Another plus is that if you sit at one of the booths they have phone chargers in the wall. I can’t wait to come back to this place for some more of those margaritas!

Between the reviews, knowing this place is a chain, a bad experience at the Julio’s in Oakbrook, and the fact that I’d just had oral surgery a few days before, I wasn’t very happy when someone suggested our party eat here. Having read all of the lackluster reviews, I went to Uncle Julio’s just waiting for glaring mistakes and bad food.
We were a party of six and yet were seated almost immediately. Service was friendly and timely.
They brought out very light, non-​greasy chips with a nice smoky salsa. I liked them so much, I could have just eaten those and gone home. They were quite delicate though. Enough that a woman with stitches in her gums could eat them. If you order guac, you’d definitely have to spoon it onto your chips. They wouldn’t hold up to dipping them.
We ordered 4 tamales as an appetizer and with the smoky salsa added, they were some of the better ones I’ve had in Naper. Very good, but not as good as my friend, Arturo’s. ;)
While I would typically never order enchiladas (especially chicken enchiladas), the stitches in my mouth dictated soft food. I ordered them with salsa verde and sang praises that I was eating good food that wasn’t soup. They were seasoned well and surprisingly, the chicken wasn’t dry. The salsa verde was the best choice for me because I hate food drowning in sauce. For enchiladas, they were not overly heavy on the cheese. I would order these again even if I didn’t have stitches in my mouth.
A few in our party ordered menu items with skirt steak. They all praised it as being well seasoned and very tender. I couldn’t sample it with condition of my mouth, but I did try part of a flour tortilla. Those and the side of tasteless beans we were all served, are the only part of the experience that were misses. Neither terrible, but not fantastic either. I am a tough critic on tortillas. I lived in TX and was taught how to make them by non-​English speaking Mexican women. And those tortillas are not «from scratch» as they say. If they were, they were «from scratch» elsewhere and heated up here.
But if tortillas that don’t stand up to my own and a side of boring beans are the only faults I could find, I know I’ll be back to try more. Especially because Naperville is severely lacking in Mexican restaurants. Yes, it’s a chain and I almost always, always avoid, but I can’t deny that I liked my food here.
I suppose it’s important to note that not only had I just had oral surgery, but I’d only eaten soup for my last 10 meals. I’m forcing myself to give it no more than a 4 star, knowing my near religious experience here was at least partially due to my starvation and my recent disdain and boredom with soup!