Date Night and Mexican Food at Uncle Julio's

For our "date night," my girlfriend and I visited the new Uncle Julio's restaurant in Potomac Town Center to sample their Mexican flair.

Upon walking into Uncle Julio's, you are immediately greeted by friendly faces and vibrant colors.  Inside the restaurant, high ceilings, bright colors and mock family paintings on the walls envelop you, while the patio offers a relaxing setting with simple plants, wrought iron furniture and large umbrellas covering most of the tables.

The patio was a perfect setting for our meal on a fairly quiet summer evening -- though we were informed that it was rare for it to be that quiet -- even on a Monday. All of the staff were extremely friendly; the hostess greeted us with a smile, asked if it was our first time there and offered her recommendation on what to order. Our waiter was equally amiable. He also asked if it was our first time, and offered his recommendation—the same one actually -- the Guadalajara. Throughout the entire meal he was attentive, bringing everything in a timely manner, engaging in lots of conversation and we left feeling like we had a new friend. He really knew the menu and explained every section, answering all of our questions.

As we were seated, we were given chips and salsa. The chips were perfect: crisp, bite sized, and perfectly salted. On the flip side, the salsa had just the right amount of punch to it. We ordered the Guadalajara—all of those plugs paid off—and Juanita's Platter. The Guadalajara is a fancier meal, with bacon wrapped shrimp, jalapeños, and fajitas. The shrimp was perfectly grilled and the blend of bacon and jalapeños added just the right combination of flavor and zip. Juanita's Platter, a beef hard taco, beef and chicken enchiladas, and chicken tamale, is more of what you would expect at a Mexican restaurant and was excellent as well.  

The food was made in a timely manner, although one of the orders was a little late simply because the kitchen manager was not satisfied with the presentation and insisted that it be fixed. The servings were huge, but both had to be boxed up for home, because after eating half the meal we were stuffed. The food was excellent though, and we left extremely satisfied.

Overall, it was an excellent experience. It was a step above the typical Mexican restaurant and thus cost a little more, but it is worth the price and would be a great choice for a nice date night.