Uncle Julio's Orlando
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This was our first time at Uncle Julio's, and we'll definitely be back. Parking wasn't a lot of fun, being that we had to park in the parking garage next to the mall-like area, but it could have been worse. We went on a Monday after Mother's Day, so there was no crowd or long wait. We were greeted and seated in about three minutes. The decor isn't overly in-your-face, which I appreciate. I did find it odd that the water glasses looked like votive holders. Our server brought us a glass bottle of cold water for the table, which, I think, is the latest trend, so we can serve ourselves as much or as little water as we wanted. I like this trend since I don't have to rely on the server to be around in a timely fashion with refills in water. We had taken a quick look at the online menu but had a couple of questions that were answered after our server checked with the kitchen. We have severe food allergies in the family, so we have to be extremely careful with what we order. Some restaurants are better at understanding this than others, and we felt fairly safe with what we ordered. We enjoyed the queso appetizer very much and decided that we should have ordered the larger portion instead of the small size. The enchilada with green sauce was ok, but the quesadillas (which is an appetizer that I got as my meal) was great. The chicken was seasoned well with just a touch of heat. We were both full by the end of the meal. As a value proposition, I think it was worth it. Especially in a tourist town like Orlando. Outside of O-town, I would like to pay a touch less. I usually like to eat at a place three times before giving an opinion on it, but we dont live in Orlando. We're about ninety minutes away, and we'll be back.
Dave LechugaDave Lechuga
00
I want to mention, look at all my reviews, I am one of Google's Top Contributors, in terms of content and my reviews are mostly positive. The atmosphere/vibe of the place, an employee by the name of Gaby, and the chips and salsa is what earned this place two stars. Service: It all began when immediately upon arriving to get seated we were told there would be a two hour wait. When we looked around, the restaurant was clearly empty. Mind you, there were reservations slots on their site showing plenty of times available. We were told reservations made are NOT GUARANTEED and "doesn't really work." So keep that in mind when making a reservation. The excuse was that the kitchen was severely backed up, which is what was causing the delay. So we gave them the benefit of the doubt, and agreed to wait. I came back in to ask if we could order drinks at the bar, a very nice staff member, Gaby, had told us we could absolutely go there and even order food from the bar. So my partner and I agreed to do so. We ordered drinks and food and got our food in 20 minutes! We were shocked considering being told the cook time would be two hours! We felt racially profiled at that point, but we just sucked it up and decided to eat. We paid our tab, took our food outside where we wanted to sit and then I decided I wanted to get one last drink. A female bartender comes up, tells us the bar is closed, but we could order shots, suddenly the male bartender (that helped us initially) comes out and serves someone mixed drinks to a couple right next to us! She asked if I closed my bar tab with the food I ordered earlier, so I told her I did, and she went to the male bartender and asked him in front of us if I paid my tab as if I was lying. At least be discreet and professional about it. Food: ** I can only speak for the tacos ** After returning to the table outside to eat, that we had to sit ourselves when everyone else was seated (mind you), the food came out to be terrible, and trust me I am not a picky eater like that. The meat was cold, the beans seemed like they came from a can, the rice tasted like a batch from the day before, and the taco shells were extra greasy. No bueno. This happened the night of Sept 14, 2024 around 1030pm, so this was a recent experience depending when you are reading this. Moral of this story: I honestly would not recommend this place at all (for tacos or if you want exceptional service). There are PLENTY of better Mexican spots with better food and service around this area, TRUST ME.
Antonio EscaleraAntonio Escalera
00
The tortilla chips were plentiful. The salsa was fresh and tasty in both the regular and spicy versions. The guacamole was fresh and delicious. The staff were very attentive in making sure we had plenty of these items. After that, things fell far short of my expectations. We were a large party and the food was never served in a way that allowed everyone to have some. After the salsa, more chips were brought to go along with the queso dip that came out. After that, there were small plates served (think appetizer plate) that had a small scoop of spanish rice. 2 plates for every 4-6 people. That equates to about 2 bites per person. After that was finished, they brought out quesadillas, with 4 very small sections on a plate. Again, 1 plate for every 4 people so you got 1 piece that was basically a couple of bites. Then bowls of beans were brought out, 1 bowls for every 10 people. No rice to go with it, no tortillas, and strangely no serving utensils to serve it with. Needless to say, it all went untouched. The salad was served family style in large bowls. It was quite tasty. It would have been nice to have a clean plate to use for it instead of the same little plate that was now covered in salsa, guac, and queso. Finally, we thought we were going to have some substantial food and not just appetizer bites. They brought out these large trays with seasoned ground beef surrounded by portions of pico de gallo, sliced jalapeños, chopped green peppers, sour cream, etc. It smelled delicious. Again, there was 1 tray for every 5 people and there were no serving utensils or even extra clean silverware to use to grab the food items. In the end it didn't matter because there were no tortillas or anything to use with the meat and toppings. Some of us picked at the meat, but I honestly don't know how they thought we were going to eat all those loose condiments. So, in short, not a great experience.
Gypsy GirlGypsy Girl
00
We love our lunch here. The restaurant has a great atmosphere with beautiful decor and the service was great. They give you free chips and salsa to start which was really good and actually a bit spicy. We tried the blackberry margarita which was actually really good. I forgot to ask no salt on the glass so didn't enjoy that part but that's not the restaurants fault. For the mains we had the grilled fish tacos which were delicious. Took the smaller portion of 2 which was a good amount for lunch. It came with rice, and a chili bean cup which was great. The other main we took was the chicken tortilla bowl which was also fantastic. Everything including the guacamole tasted fresh and I added some of the salsa from the chips into the bowl to spice it up a bit and it was perfect. It's a big portion though so keep that in mind if you get dessert. We had seen the chocolate pinana in previous reviews and thought we would try it. It's definitely huge for 2 people but still worth it. It's not cheap at $33 but everything in it tasted great so overall we loved it. The pinana is filled with fruit and pieces of churros which were actually really good. The chocolate sauce and whipped cream was also fantastic. The only thing they could do to improve in my opinion would be to make sure the stems of the strawberries are cut off, and maybe add some bananas! We took the leftover chocolate back to the hotel since it was too much to eat at the restaurant.
FrancisFrancis
10
The food was absolutely amazing, but the reason I gave it a 4 star rating is because of the service. From the moment we walked in, they told us they weren’t accepting walk ins despite having so many open tables available, so they told us to go to the app to book a reservation. When I logged on to the app, they had immediate times, so I booked a time 5 minutes from the current time (8:30). We weren’t attended to until 9:20 and I had to approach the front desk several times. They simply forgot us. When we were seated, we weren’t attended to for another half hour. Not even water or chips and salsa and we watched multiple groups come after us, sit down and being attended to. Finally, I had to go ask for a waiter because we really at least wanted water. By the time they attended to us, it was the last call for drinks because they were closing the bar. If you go and aren’t attended to, ask for Frank. He wasn’t assigned our table and whilst juggling his own tables, he still brought us complimentary queso and salsa and got our waiter to come over. Frank was amazing our waiter was SOOO inattentive. The food FINALLY arrived. Absolutely incredible! Best Birria I have ever had. The Caesar salad was a massive serving and the steak was so tender, it just melted in my mouth. My sister got tacos and it was just perfect. Therefore, the food gets 10/10, service gets 2/10. Frank gets 10/10 for effort.
Cricel CastilloCricel Castillo
00
Where do I begin!!!! Surprised my dad with a family trip to Florida and stumbled upon Uncle Julio’s by mistake after mistaking the building for Helena Modern Rivera. I was politely greeted by the host, followed by Giancarlo, the GM. He did not hesitate to welcome me and began setting tables for 14 people. However, Once it was discovered I was at the wrong restaurant I left to meet the rest of my family. Giancarlo’s happy and inviting energy helped me make the decision to return with my party of 12! Giancarlo is nothing short of a blessing, one of Gods hand picked angels walking this earth! This man showed us so much love from Quickly putting 14 seats together in a beautiful glass window section private for just us, to his shared excitement and hospitality! Adrian was our waiter. He was beautiful Inside and out! These two men went out of their way to make sure our experience was one we would never forget! After our lunch, Giancarlo pulled me aside and told me he wanted to do something special for my dad and present him with the chocolate piñata on behalf of uncle Julio’s! He came in and took pictures while we celebrated, he encouraged us to record, we sang happy birthday. This experience was unforgettable and full of so much love! We will never forget this & the people we met! Giancarlo and Adrian Thank you so much!! We love you, stay blessed 💕 - Kates Family, St. Louis, Missouri
nene katesnene kates
00
Nearby Attractions Of Uncle Julio's Orlando
ICON Park
The Escape Game Orlando
The Wheel at ICON Park
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Lockbusters Escape Game
Madame Tussauds Orlando
Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf
Avanti International Resort
Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive Convention Center

ICON Park
4.6
(16.5K)Click for details

The Escape Game Orlando
5.0
(8.5K)Click for details

The Wheel at ICON Park
4.6
(7.9K)Click for details

SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium
4.4
(4.8K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Uncle Julio's Orlando
Dave & Buster's Orlando
Kobé Japanese Steakhouse - International Drive
Boston Lobster Feast
Café Tu Tu Tango
Cafe 34 Istanbul
Sugar Factory - Orlando
Señor Frog's Orlando
iCafe de Paris
Ole Red
Charley's Steak House

Dave & Buster's Orlando
4.2
(5.7K)$$
Click for details

Kobé Japanese Steakhouse - International Drive
4.8
(5K)Click for details

Boston Lobster Feast
4.2
(4.6K)Click for details

Café Tu Tu Tango
4.6
(4K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
8409 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819
Map
Phone
(321) 430-0600
Call
Website
unclejulios.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.2
(2.2K reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Tex-Mex chain serving mesquite-grilled fare & margarita-sangria swirls in a hacienda-style space.
attractions: ICON Park, The Escape Game Orlando, The Wheel at ICON Park, SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Lockbusters Escape Game, Madame Tussauds Orlando, Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf, Avanti International Resort, Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive Convention Center, restaurants: Dave & Buster's Orlando, Kobé Japanese Steakhouse - International Drive, Boston Lobster Feast, Café Tu Tu Tango, Cafe 34 Istanbul, Sugar Factory - Orlando, Señor Frog's Orlando, iCafe de Paris, Ole Red, Charley's Steak House
