Don Julio's Authentic Mexican Cuisine — Restaurant in Florida

To provide some context for my review, I should mention that I very much prefer "authentic" Mexican cuisine, as opposed to the ever-popular, cheese-laden Tex Mex.

I was in town for the weekend, and my fiancee suggested Don Julio's, which she had found out about through internet searching and by noticing it while driving by. I should also mention that my fiancee's mother joined us for dinner, and she is not the biggest fan of ethnic food in general.

We found an empty table right upon walking in, and were quickly greeted by a waiter. Drink orders were promptly placed, and before long, we were sipping away while chowing down on some excellent home-made tortilla chips and salsa. My fiancee's mother had a margarita, which she enjoyed.

Our group ordered a variety of items, which we all greatly enjoyed. Everything (salsa, guacamole, tortillas, etc.) is homemade, and the love and passion that is put into the food shines through in its taste. A quick rundown:

Tacos: my fiancee and I got a few tacos each. The meat/fish in each one is wonderfully seasoned, and they are prepared very simply (just onions and cilantro). I'm sure you can get more toppings if you want, but we prefer the more authentic route. Almost all tacos (save for the fish taco) is under $3; an excellent price.

Torta: We also got a chicken torta for the table. It's listed as an appetizer, but it can easily be a meal for one. Good stuff!

Guacamole: Along with the complimentary chips and salsa (which are great), we got a small order of guacamole, which is enough for 3 people or so. Really enjoyed it!

Fajitas: My fiancee's mother got the chicken fajitas. The chicken was marinated before cooking, and as a result, was leagues ahead of fajitas you'd get from a quick and cheap Tex Mex place. I would definitely recommend this dish for someone who isn't really into traditional Mexican food (there's always one in every group, am I right?)

Churro: The surprise hit of the evening. My experience with churros is limited to the hard, crusty kind you'd find at a theme park, and my fiancee grew up on the churros from Hillsborough Public School cafeterias. Needless to say, this was leagues ahead. It was clearly made fresh to order. Soft, warm, and it came with a few dipping sauces (we couldn't decide on one, so our waitress was kind enough to provide a little of each one).

Excellent service, excellent food, excellent atmosphere. I really can't sing enough praises for this up-and-coming restaurant. I may live out of town, but I will be sure to stop by when I find myself in the Tampa area again.

P.S. We went on Mother's Day weekend (well, technically, Friday night) and we got a free rose. It was a nice touch and it was of good quality, not the cheap carnation you...

This by far after many decated of travel has been the absolute worst experience ever. From the moment I sat with my family through the end was terrible. First we are a party of four. We were sat at a high top by the door. No a bad thing. We waited about 10 minutes for our server( the only male in the place) to take a beverage order. They were delivered one by one by a runner….maybe. Just another person. Then another 10 minutes go by and then we get our complementary chips and salsa. Enough for one person. Keep in mind that a refill of chips is $5.99. We eat them, no beverage check for a refill, just a fly by to ask if we want more chips. Just a side note. There were only 3 parties in the restaurant and he had one of those that was finishing up. Plenty of time to work for a good tip. Another 15 minutes goes by, still parched and hungry. He takes the order and leaves, still parched. Our food comes out one by one. Simple menu items, nothing crazy. We end the meal. Skimpy at best. Finally a refill, after we were done eating. Still being parched. We order one desert, he drops it and leaves. We finish it and just watch him clear the other table he had….but wait, there is a busser to do that. We wait about 45 minutes and had to go and ask for the bill to pay from someone else. All we want to do now is leave. Not just be watched like a parrot in a cage. As I was given the bill for the full amount, not an apology or anything. I am not looking for free goods, just simple recognition that we were treated unfairly. By now we had been the re for almost 3 hours for a simple entree. By this time, the restaurant is completely empty and just simply ignored. I would not recommend going there to anyone unless they really want to be left alone. Apparently the waiter is independently wealthy and doesn’t believe in customer service. Good luck to whoever goes there...

When I first walked in the door I immediately asked, is this really authentic Mexican food? I was assured it was but they then stayed “we think so”. I should have gone with my gut instinct and just walked out but, my fiancé really wanted to try them out. The appetizer was awful as the cheese was waxed over. It didn’t even taste like cheese but actual fake cheese, wax. The salsa brought out with the chips also had zero flavor. Thinking maybe this was just coincidental I made the mistake of staying and not walking out. Boy did they disappoint! I ordered 3 different tacos just in case I would be disappointed by only selecting 1, however all the taco’s disappointed is zero flavor and they looked like something out of the kids menu. I had the fish, pork & pineapple and the chorizo and steak taco. None had flavor. The meat was not only over cooked but they must have cooked the meat earlier in the day. They seem to plate it from a precooked bin where they pour grease on it prior to serving, to make you think it is fresh. The fish was wet and tasteless. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone avoid this place. I believe the meat is not real or dog meat and the food is awful. Lastly, the prices are almost $4.00 per taco?! Upon further examination, there were ZERO Mexican people eating there. This tells you how inauthentic this food is. Cuisine??? This is worse than cafeteria food served in schools. You’ve...