Papa Julio's Mexican Grill and Bar — Restaurant in Seneca

2022 Updated Review 4 stars:

I went back to Julios seeing they have a new, complete menu. I'm not sure, but I don't believe they were originally owned by Puerto Nuevo. They are now and the menu is almost identical. They nixed the elote bites, which made me sad, but overall the food is good. If you like Puerto Nuevo, you'll like Julios. I got the #5 lunch special, which included a burrito, taco, and rice. Since the menu didn't specify a meat, I clarified I wanted a steak burrito and chicken taco. The server didn't tell me this, but I guess you don't get to pick the meat without an upcharge? Seeing the 2 dollar charge, I assume they are supposed to be ground beef. My bad- but the menu didn't say that. My chicken taco (hard shell) was really dry and not worth it. My steak burrito was great! The red sauce was stellar. My wife loved her ACP with shrimp (they were generous with their amount of shrimp; they were huge and butterflied).

Now let's talk atmosphere. Julio's vibe/aesthetic is interesting. It feels like a white guy tried to combine Las Vegas and their idea of a Mexican restaurant, or like a Blue Lives Matter version of Guy Fieri decorated a Mexican restaurant. If that's your jam, have fun! I think that's what they're going for. 😂

Third, price point. The price is a lot more reasonable than when they first opened. It was $35 for a lunch entree, regular entree, appetizer, meat upcharge, side of avocado, and a soda. Beyond reasonable here in 2022.

Los Arcos is still my home when it comes to local Mexican restaurants, but I'll give credit where credit is due. Julio's is a good place to eat.

Original Review 3 stars: Note: this place is basically a bar with appetizers. They have about 4 entrees. I've attached photos of the menu. I strongly (STRONGLY) recommended the elote bites. They are AMAZING. The taco trio was highly underwhelming. The chicken taco was clearly the best. The rest were meh. I paid about 40 bucks for an entree, two appetizers, and a coke. Tbh the only food worth the money were the elote bites. There are so many great Mexican restaurants in the area (read: Los Arcos in Walhalla), I will not be...

I love this restaurant. It was my favorite. Hence the WAS. I came all the way from Columbia, SC just to celebrate cinco de mayo with them and i brought my family. They sat us quickly but then took over 40 mins to take our order. Yes they were busy but our waiter disappeared and his coworkers couldn’t even find him. And they didn’t want to take our order either until they found him. Then we also asked for water and didn’t get our water until 2 hours later. Yes 2. On top of that we asked multiple times for the water and it took that long. When our food came out, they didn’t bring our guacamole or our tortillas. I asked for more queso and never got it. On top of all of that the band was extremely loud. I’m not mad about that part because they were amazing and it’s a holiday but we had to scream just to talk to each other & they wouldn’t seat us elsewhere. Even tho there were other open tables. To top it all off to make me write this review, when we got our check they tried to charge us for a meal we never got. Me and my gf got food to go and she didn’t get hers but still charged us. He tried to argue with us that we got it but we never did and had to show him what we did have. Luckily my gf didn’t eat all of her food to prove that. Then I asked for extra shrimp and queso for my to go order. I thought they did that from looking at it. When i got home and was ready to eat it, the cup was salsa. & i got 3 shrimps. That was not extra as the food naturally comes with shrimp. There wasn’t even queso in my food!!! & I looked at the receipt & they charged me for it!! I then called and told them that but they told me there’s nothing they can do about it cause it was yesterday. But when i called them after we left they didn’t answer the phone. I tried to make the excuse of it’s a holiday and they were busy but that doesn’t excuse the fact they messed up our food, took care of those around us but took forever to help us, and then wouldn’t even correct my order with a refund or a free meal or discount or something. I loved it here but now me and my family won’t be coming back and I’ll make sure that people know about what we...

First time at this place on August 8, 2022. I'm typically not very picky about restaurants and I hardly ever write reviews, especially negative ones, but I have to say, this restaurant was very disappointing and people deserve to be warned. It is a shame, because I really wanted to like this place. I would have given it 1 star but, the interior design is amazing and the wait staff are awesome...so 2 stars for that. Unfortunately, they really have a sanitation issue and the food is actually terrible. It made me kind of sick after eating it (I had a simple ground beef quesadilla). The smell when you first go into the restaurant is just nasty and we almost turned around and left because of it (my stomach wishes we had). It is unmistakable, like something is spoiled or unclean. Also, the floor is slick and greasy. Whoever is doing the mopping isn't using the proper supplies or not rinsing properly (I have done a lot of floor mopping, so I know). It is a shame because it really is such a great location and like I said, the interior details are really cool. However, I will not be returning. Bad food and cleanliness are the main issue. To the owner: I would shut the place down for a week and do a deep clean from top to bottom and maybe re-think the menu and ingredient choices. You should not buy the lowest quality ingredients (don't be greedy) and you should not microwave the food, ever. Also chill on the salt, that is just a cover for bad cooking. You have a great location and you should crank up your ingredient quality and your kitchen staff quality to match. Maybe get a real chef too. To potential customers: Smell is everything when it comes to a restaurant. If you get an unpleasant smell when you first enter, just turn around and find another place to eat. This place is too expensive for the level of food quality and sanitation being delivered. If you come just for the drinks, then sit outside so you don't have to smell the place. Mostly, I would just avoid this place altogether, unless they make some serious changes. I...