Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe

We love chips and salsa. Mexican food is one of those things our marriage is built on: trust, love, and salsa.

We're exaggerating of course, but still...it's one of our favorite types of food to eat. It really doesn't get better than margaritas, chips and salsa, melted cheese and grilled peppers.

So we are really on the hunt for a great Mexican place. We've been let down in the past and we're tired of being burned, Ballston and Virginia Square! I'm tired of the constant "Chipotle is the best Mexican restaurant in NoVA" statement in our home. Not knocking Chipotle...that's our favorite semi-fast food place...ever. But we're looking for a sit down, free chips and salsa, paired with an amazing margarita type of Mexican place.

We might have found it...

After over three years of disappointment, we finally went to . We had an amazing experience, had delicious food, and had great service!

We arrived for lunch on Saturday and were seated promptly. It was moderately crowded, but still had seating available. The waiter was over so quickly to grab drinks ... we couldn't believe it! Is service getting better in Ballston?! We've had good experiences lately-which is more than we have in the last three years!!

Chips and salsa were quickly brought over. Their salsa is not your typical “chunks of tomato” salsa-it has a smokey flavor to it, making it still delicious but unique.

We ordered the Guacamole and Queso Combo as an appetizer (I love guac, Josh loves queso-so it was perfect!). The guacamole was really delicious. The queso was pretty good too, but like I said, I’m a guac girl-this is a great appetizer to get and share with your group because it’s affordable (under $7) and you’ll then have a decent sized amount of guac, queso, and salsa to share with everyone! Our waiter even brought tortillas to go along with the Guacamole and Queso Combo ... and the tortillas at Uncle Julio’s ... don’t even get me started: AMAZING.

Joshua ordered the Vegetable Fajitas Especial (under $15). We received a massive serving of freshly grilled veggies (with a full, grilled Portobello mushroom cap on top-YUM!), smokey black beans, and again-the amazing tortillas. They were delicious, the portions were huge, and Joshua loved them. They were a little oily, but that comes with the fajita territory. Really, an excellent dish.

I ordered the Appetizer of the Day: Spinach Quesadillas (under $12 as a special, just under $15 regularly). Uncle Julio’s features an appetizer each day at a discounted price: Saturday is Spinach Quesadilla day. Now-picture what you would typically think a quesadilla from a Mexican restaurant would look like. An unhealthy amount of cheese and covered in grease. These were nothing like that! It had just a little cheese, piles of spinach, and some onions and mushrooms mixed in. They were not overly heavy, there was plenty of food and the cheese was not overwhelming. Really, they were delicious!

The bill (2 entrees and 1 appetizer) was around $36.00. It’s pricier than the Mexican restaurants we’re used to, but this one has more gourmet food and a cleaner feel-so it’s worth paying a little extra.

We would absolutely visit here again, and plan to shortly. We loved both the service and the food-check them out, Ballston and Virginia Square!

The Low Down:
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:00am-10:30pm
           Fri: 11:00am-11:30pm
           Sat: 10:00am-11:30pm
           Sun: 10:00am-10:30pm
Brunch: Sat-Sun: 10:00am-2:00pm
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri: 4:30pm-6:30pm  
Price: Moderate for Mexican Food (We spent a little over $40 for 2 people with an appetizer and tip)
Outdoor Seating: Yes, when it's in season (so not right now!)
Attire: Casual-but not sloppy.

Final Thoughts:
Joshua: Load up on tortillas-they’re awesome and go with everything!
Kelly: Eat your veggies! Their vegetarian options were great and tasted fantastic!