My family and I were greeted by an exciting atmosphere when we sat down to eat at Uncle Julio’s, a new Tex-Mex restaurant on Interstate 10. Filled with sounds of hurrying staff and loud music, it was hard to hear but easy to feel at home at our table.

Although our waiter sounded a little bit out of it, we did not have any problems ordering, and our dinner arrived not too long afterwards. During the wait, we enjoyed getting to see more than one table being brought a Chocolate piñata– a dessert somewhat unique to Uncle Julio’s. The salsa they gave us was excellent, and had a delightful smoky flavor to it. However, the queso we ordered was somewhat lacking, and the chips were disappointing for a restaurant that boasts making things from scratch.

Our food was brought to us, and our reactions were mixed. I ordered the fajitas, and they were some of the best I have ever had. The meat was cooked and seasoned exactly right, the tortillas were excellent, and I could not complain about the rice and beans. However, the rest of my family found their dishes (mostly enchiladas and quesadillas) to be okay, but no different from other Tex-Mex places in the area. This would have been fine, but it was disappointing coming from a place that speaks of their “made from scratch” food. One thing that did set Uncle Julio’s apart from other eateries of this genre was that they did not load everything with excessive amounts of melted cheese, a mistake that the restaurant’s counterparts often make.

Uncle Julio’s is not a bad place, but it did not live up to our expectations of all natural, from scratch, fresh tasting food. If you do decide to go, order their fajitas, which is definitely the restaurant’s strong point. Oh, and don’t forget to order a chocolate piñata.
Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars.