Uncle Julio's Bridgewater — Restaurant in Bridgewater Township

What an amazing meal and beautiful restaurant. The atmosphere was so warming and the staff was super attentive and welcoming. And the food was phenomenal!!

I ordered a pineapple La Puebla Margarita which was absolutely beautifully presented. It was so pretty I was telling my guest that I almost didn't want to drink it because I just wanted to look at it. The taste was great it was sweet, but not too sweet ... which was perfect because I don't like things to be overly sweet.

The house guacamole was fresh and delicious. I was up in the air between the table side guacamole and house guacamole but since we got the queso also, the guacamole was a perfect compliment to the queso. The queso appetizer came out the perfect temperature. It wasn't too hot and I really enjoyed the flavor a lot, however it was a bit too salty for my personal liking so I favored the guacamole over the queso for that reason.

The mixed fajitas came out excellent. The shrimp stuffed with cheese and poblano was a perfect combination of texture and flavor. I did wish that it was a bit spicier but the bartender said it can be spicier (they have another dish where it is made with hot peppers) so maybe next time I can try that.

The chicken was perfectly cooked. I also ordered steak which I requested medium rare and it came out more medium. It was a little bit chewy and difficult to eat in the fajita without having to do a lot of chewing to get a bite down. So for the next time I used the steak in a wrap, I cut it up very tiny so that I didn't feel like I had to over chew.

I really loved the tortillas. They came out warm and were soft and the texture was my favorite kind of wrap. It's the kind that pulls apart and has a little bit of chewiness to it.

The peppers and onions were delicious but I did say something to the bartender about it being majority onions and only two or three pieces of bell pepper. I typically don't like to eat a ton of onion because of the odor and strong aroma - and I don't want to smell like onion LOL

The rice and beans were perfect and not too salty or too hot. They were done just right and the way I like them.

The only thing that was possibly missing was some kind of salsa or pico de gallo with the fajita dish. And one other thing that I really personally like with my fajitas are slices of jalapeno so I kind of wish that it had something spicy to add but that's just a personal preference and no negative feeling towards the actual dish itself.

Overall great experience! The wow factor and icing on the cake for us was the generous 30% military discount the wonderful manager Pedro honored us with. It rounded off our amazing meal and date night out! We weren't expecting such a generous and over the top compensation compared to any other discount request we've ever made at a restaurant for military discount. Huge huge hugeeeee...

Don't pay any attention to this review. Seriously, don't. I found Uncle Julio's to be adequate. If you are a millennial just finishing up your adventure at the mall, Uncle Julio's is for you. Clearly, I am not Uncle Julio's target customer. For those still with me, I'll explain. Uncle Julio's bills itself as an authentic Mexican dining experience. What is an authentic Mexican experience? Is it a little family owned cantina a bit off the beaten trail, or is it a restaurant in an all-inclusive in Cancun? I've been to both, and I know the answer for me. As you may guess, if it were Tio Julio's, and not at the mall, I'd be more impressed with its authenticy. As to my experience, it was not the best for any restaurant. We were told we would have a 20 minute wait. We were finally called just short of an hour. We decided to wait at the bar. Our bartender was very friendly and tried to be accommodating, but the staffing was not up to the crowd. I asked if hard cider was available, and was assured it was, but ended up serving me a beer. My wife thought her margarita was "ok". A couple of requests for water went unfilled. When we did get seated it was in front of the door. It was an unseasonably cold night, and every time the door opened we got a blast of cold air. Oh, well, I guess they had to put someone in the cheap seats! The menu is revealing. Half is dedicated to food, the other half to drinks. As I've said, I'm not the target diner for Uncle Julio's. I'm great with having a couple of drinks, but I'm really aware of my responsibility as a driver. Our server was friendly, but service was slow. I'm not sure of the precise number of times he apologized for the kitchen, but certainly the most in my recent memory. My wife had Chicken Fajitas, which she liked, I had the TexMex Combo, which was adequate. The sound level is pretty high, making conversation difficult. For the target customer this doesn't seem to be a problem, since a good number of diners found their smartphones more interesting than their table mates. The decor is adequate. My wife urged me to say something positive about the experience at Uncle Julio's. So here it is. I've been to Mexico a couple of times in which I became very familiar with Mexican porcelain. A couple of days have passed since we visited Uncle Julio's, and we haven't had any signs of Montezumas Revenge. That's a positive! So you were warned: some of you will love Uncle Julio's, and you'll have lots of company. And, there will be a few of you who, like me, will seek...

EDIT 7/8/24: No response yet.

EDIT 7/5/24: I have contacted Karan on 6/30 and he has not responded yet. Interesting. Quick to say they want to talk off maps to improve their service but then ghosts me? Not a good look.

We had a reservation at Uncle Julio's at 6:15 PM on 6/26/24, and our experience was nothing short of appalling.

Upon arrival, the restaurant was not busy, yet we were completely ignored. No server greeted us or offered water, even as we watched another party receive immediate attention.

After waiting over 15 minutes with no service, my mother approached the host station to ask about the situation, only to be rudely brushed off by a young white man with a man bun.

With his flippant attitude, he said "Someone will come," yet didn't do anything to ensure there was someone on the way. When my mother asked "When are we going to be served?" he said "I don't know, I'm a host, I'm not a server."

Frustrated, we decided to leave, and my father confronted the host about the lack of communication. The host dismissively continued to insist that it was not his job or problem as he's not a server and when asked about his manager's whereabouts, and he said "I am not my manager's keeper," displaying an unacceptable level of rudeness. Who says that???

Then he proceeded to engage in an argument with my father. My father asked "Where's the server?" and the host said, "I don't know, he left."

Adding to the bizarre nature of our visit, a random server from Fogo de Chao (across the plaza), who had no business being involved yet was hanging around the area, told us that larger parties get priority and that's why we're not being served. This excuse was not only nonsensical but also irrelevant, as the restaurant was nearly empty.

To top it off, as we were leaving, the manager, Amaris, approached my father offering her personal card and number, promising free stuff if we came back and to reach out to her personally if we do. She was very nice and the only nice person we spoke with. This gesture was too little, too late, and frankly, we have no intention of returning.

It was disheartening and disappointing. Uncle Julio's needs to address its staff's behavior and ensure that all customers are treated with respect and dignity. I won't be recommending this place to anyone who wants to be treated...