What's Shakin' in Katy ~ Uncle Julio's

There's a new dinner destination in town, Uncle Julio's at 20526 Katy Freeway between Fry and Westgreen on the North side of I-10.  This stretch of the Katy Freeway is rapidly becoming the Food Corridor instead of the Energy Corridor (see what I did there?)

Uncle Julio's opened in Katy on February 8th.  And, as usual, when there's a new restaurant in Katy, the wait times are horrific.  There's even a 15 minute line just to put your name on the list.  Ofcourse, this could only be at peak times.  The wait on a Thursday evening was one hour.  We gave up on that one and came back on Saturday at 5pm.  The wait then was only 30 minutes.  This is why, you should make a reservation.  Phone:  832-464-8946.  Even better, you can make a reservation on their website at UncleJulio'sKaty via opentable.

Question number one - Is all that hassle worth it?  Short answer, yes?  The food is superb.  However, the place is loud and crowded and you will have to wait.  

Question number two - Is it expensive?  The prices are no higher than other nice Mexican restaurants such as Chuy's or La Finca.  

Question number three - Is it better than Chuy's or La Finca?  I won't say it's better than my two old favorites, but some things are better.  The flavorful la charra beans with ground pork are a remarkable addition to your Tex-Mex plate. 

As you can see here, we created our own little Mexican buffet by ordering mixed fajitas and a combination plate that included a tamale, a taco and enchiladas.  The fajita meat was marinated and mesquite grilled and tasted soooo good.  It does rival the chicken fajitas at La Finca (I feel so disloyal). The tamale was spicy but not too spicy.  All in all, it's a great place to go.

The flour tortillas were light and fluffy. The salsa was top notch, just the right combination of spices. And hey, there's no vegetable medley mixed in with the rice, which is a plus.

I should also mention, that if you don't want to wait, go further down the frontage road for Chuy's or get on Westgreen and go to Jimmy Changa's, which is also excellent.  When it comes to Mexican food in Katy - we've got a lot of choices.