Located at 12631 N Tatum Blvd in Phoenix, Julio G's Mexican Restaurant has garnered a reputation as a local favorite for its excellent value and authentic flavors. Many diners, including longtime patrons, appreciate the generous portion sizes and the delightful chips and salsa served as a welcomed starter. With a lively atmosphere decorated in bright pastels and friendly service, guests enjoy meals ranging from the much-lauded carne asada fajitas to the comforting chimichangas.
Signature dishes such as the beef taco and cheese enchilada combo stand out for their quality and affordability, making them perfect for a casual lunch or dinner date. Regular visitors rave about the well-spiced offerings along with two salsa options, allowing patrons to customize their experience. While some dishes may occasionally miss the mark—like the occasionally overdone chicken—the overall dining experience remains satisfying and consistent.
With friendly staff, including attentive servers like Zack, and a welcoming ambiance, Julio G's aims to keep diners returning. Its perfect blend of traditional Mexican dishes and wallet-friendly pricing makes it a must-visit for anyone in search of authentic Mexican fare.
Amenities and More
Service options
Outdoor seating
No-contact delivery
Delivery
Takeaway
Dine-in
Highlights
Fast service
Great beer selection
Great cocktails
Popular for
Lunch
Dinner
Solo dining
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Wheelchair-accessible seating
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Offerings
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Coffee
Comfort food
Food
Happy-hour drinks
Happy-hour food
Quick bite
Small plates
Spirits
Wine
Dining options
Breakfast
Brunch
Lunch
Dinner
Catering
Counter service
Dessert
Seating
Table service
Amenities
Bar on site
Toilet
Atmosphere
Casual
Cosy
Crowd
Groups
Tourists
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
NFC mobile payments
Credit cards
Children
Good for kids
High chairs
Kids' menu
Parking
Free of charge street parking
Free parking lot
Parking
Pets
Dogs allowed outside
Photos
Reviews For Julio G's Mexican Restaurant
common law
Jun 25,2025
Context is key. This is not the fanciest, nor necessarily the best Mexican food, but in terms of bang for your buck this place is the rodillas de las abejas. Here's why. You go in at lunchtime and it's full of gray haired folks. You go in between 5 and 6:30 and it's full of gray haired folks... why? Well because they've learned a thing or two about good value for your dollar. The food is good and a couple of dishes are really good. Such as the Carne asada fajitas or the ground beef taco/cheese enchilada combo. Those dishes run about 16 and 10 respectively. Great value for the money. The lunch specials are basically all under 10 or thereabouts and offer plenty of food with rice and beans. Dinner is slightly pricier, more along the 15 to 20 range, but still good value. The food is well spiced/flavored. The chips are typically great. Usually hot, then you splash a little salt on them and you get two salsa options. White cup is pico mild, black cup is a peppery hotter non-chunky salsa. The way to go is to take a little of the hotter stuff and mix with the pico style and that seems to be just right for me at least, but nice to have options. Add some iced tea which is decent or a sharp diet soda and it makes for a regular day date lunch spot or an early dinner place. It shuts at 8 right now. Also, rumor is it was bought and things might tweak a bit as to the menu and likely pricing. Let's hope they don't wreck a good thing, place is usually packed but waits tend to be under 10 minutes even during busy times and it's a fairly large space. As for the staff, we'll they've always been attentive and polite, sometimes talkative but in a good way. Eventually they start knowing your order or at least drinks and get them to you straight away after a quick ask. All good stuff at very fair prices. A few things are just okay, the chicken can be a little overdone here and there and the taco salad can be a bit too much of the toppings in terms of ratios, but probably works for some folks. I do crave the chips and salsa, so it hits cravability factors which are important. The atmosphere is a bit kitschy but kind of true to form with bright pastel type colors, a dash of pink neon and some interesting wall paper photo montages. Nothing spectacular but also nothing overdone. Go, you'll get great service, great chips and good food for a very reasonable price. Let's hope the new owners who apparently have some experience with a Mexican joint out of Flagstaff tweak things just right and don't jack up the prices too much.
Gary V
Jun 7,2025
Another one of my favorite local Mexican restaurants in the valley. I always love when you go to Mexican restaurant and they offer salsa with chips as part of the introductory meal that should be a benchmark standard at every Mexican restaurant across the valley. Makes me kind of sad that some of the Mexican restaurants out here don’t do that. You have to pay extra for chips and salsa. I happen to love their spicy salsa. They’re mild one is a little too tame. I’ve always enjoyed their food and their waiter/waitress are always top-notch when it comes to Customer Service. There’s a reason why this location has been in business for many years. They’re doing a great job and they should definitely be proud of themselves. Thank you for all of your delicious dishes and outstanding Customer Service.
Providence Vargas
May 15,2025
Been dining at Julio G's since 1998 stated in Scottsdale then moved to North Phoenix, I now live in Glendale and I'm moving to Peoria next week. I celebrated all special occasions when my kids were growing up there. Birthdays, Graduations, Anniversaries and other accomplishment. I love Julio G's Restaurant. The quality and quantity of their food is 100%
Jay Voorhees
May 7,2025
I take my Mom here once per month when I visit from out of town, and we both just love it! The service is excellent, the interior is bright and cheerful, and the food is consistently great. Our favorite dish is the chimichanga served enchilada style. The chips and salsa are wonderful too.
E Z
May 1,2025
If you dine out often (and I do) you begin to notice certain “food patterns.” There’s “not good,” “good,” and “very good.” And “very good” is where Julio G’s Mexican Restaurant comes into play. And lucky us, we also had “Zack” at our table. He genuinely cares about his customers, and it shows. I mean, when is the last time your server stopped to talk to you about other subjects besides the food? He works fast and fun, which is always a good thing. I keep harping on this in my reviews: You can’t train people to “like” customers. It’s a “behavior,” and not something you can “learn.” We also met the owner, “Ben.” He’s the real deal. Ben’s in the restaurant business, of course, but he’s also in the people business and you can tell by the personnel he recruits and trains. They like working there and I can understand why. He cares about them. FOOD & AMBIANCE: So, here we go: Genuine, authentic Mexican food with more than generous portions. The chicken tacos rocked as did the beans and rice. The Albondigas soup is very authentic and a clear winner (though it is not on the Happy Hour menu). Then there’s the subtle, casual ambiance (especially outside)and the hustling, ultra friendly vibe. Very nice! It’s an easy menu to navigate and everything on it looks tasty (and it probably is based on what we saw and heard from neighboring tables). Unless you have an enormous appetite plan on sharing your food choices. PRICES: About 90 for the three of us, but this included several well-made and VERY BIG margaritas. I’ll stop here. I could go on and on. We’ll be returning for sure! Thanks “Zack and Ben” for an outstanding evening!
Eileen C
Apr 19,2025
We love this place, we always passed by and said we should go! Finally went and enjoyed it so much! Cannot go wrong with the chicken mini chimi's! Bri is literally the best, she's so genuinely kind and we're always happy when we get her!
Isabella Cats
Apr 11,2025
The perfect restaurant! The food, service, and decor were all amazing. This place eclipses any Mexican restaurants nearby. The food was incredible, the fajitas sizzled, sounding like an angelic chorus in my ears. Our waiter, Zach, was affable and personable. He made us feel like family and was incredibly humorous. Lastly, the decor was gorgeous and colorful and brought a smile instantly to my face. I will come back 100%!
Gabrielle Ackerman
Mar 31,2025
I dine at Julio G’s regularly and have never been disappointed. The staff are fantastic, quick to serve you and engage with everyone. Darren specifically is amazing with how he engages directly and his communicative personality. I typically get the kids bean and cheese burrito so it’s not too big and the portion size for the price is phenomenal. Make sure to get the chips and queso as well. I get chips and queso at every Mexican place I go to, and Julio G’s is top 3 with the amazing portion size, the phenomenal flavor and amazing price. Everything has such high flavor including the salsa. The atmosphere is a diner-like vibe in a Mexican form, amazing. I highly recommend coming here and if Darren serves you, he’s great!
Reviews For Julio G's Mexican Restaurant