Well Fed On the Town

I’ll come out and say it. I am a Mexican Food Snob. Having been born and raised in Texas, I would definitely consider myself a connoisseur of interior Mexican cuisine, Tex-Mex and Mexican-American fare. With that said, Julio’s in Omaha, NE did not disappoint.

Julio’s bills itself as Omaha’s premier Tex-Mex. That having been said, while I enjoyed my experience, Julio’s is not Tex-Mex. What they have done, which is fun and unique, is adapt some of the popular dinner themes nationwide into quasi-Mexican food dishes which are well thought out, well made, just darn tasty and make for an interesting menu.

If I had to classify them, I would say they offer eclectic Mexican-American cuisine. Among the more interesting menu items:

• Cajun Chicken Tacos
• Portabella Burrito
• Steak and Mozzarella Burrito
• Chicken Broccoli Chimichanga

Of course their menu featured some more traditional items, enchiladas, fajitas, etc., and a few items which were borderline traditional, I was intrigued by the Steak and Chorizo Enchiladas.

I decided to play it very safe and go with the combo fajitas. I was mildly disappointed to find that they were not served with rice and refried beans, however that was made up for by the “cold plate” that accompanied my fajitas. A large tortilla chip “bowl” was loaded with sour cream and guacamole. This was sitting in the middle of the trio of lettuce, pico de gallo and shredded cheddar cheese.

While a more traditional cheese, like cotija, would have been preferred, I will compliment Julio’s on given me a large pile of thick, freshly grated cheddar. Easily more than I needed for my fajitas. I have grown used to seeing restaurants offer up a small pile of thin pre-grated cheese that only allows you to add a dusting to each fajita. So props to Julio’s for that.

The guacamole was also good, as were the tortillas. Quality of a restaurant’s tortillas is definitely one of my benchmark indicators on the quality of a Mexican food restaurant and Julio’s scored some points in this department.

As to the fajita’s themselves…the thick strips of chicken, steak, wide cut red onion and lengths of green pepper were all perfectly cooked, but could have used a bit more seasoning.

In one regard Julio’s far exceeded my expectations, and this, if for no other reason, will be what brings me back time and again. They have an excellent selection of premium tequilas, excellent selection!

I started my meal with a margarita made with Patron Silver and a floater of Grand Marnier. From there I moved on to a Herradura Reposada, neat. I had apparently impressed the manager with my knowledge of and taste in tequilas enough that when the waitress delivered my Herradura, she delivered a Julio’s Shot Glass with it, compliments of the manager. I will definitely be returning. They have Chinaco Reposada, Patron Anejo and more.

As hard as it is to find good Mexican food when you are in a state that doesn’t share a border with Mexico, finding a good selection of premium tequilas outside of the border states is almost impossible.

I am still on my quest to find what I would classify as “excellent” Mexican food in the Omaha area, but there are many more left to try. At the very least, I know that I have found a great place to sit back and enjoy a premium tequila when I take a break from my search. Julio’s has two locations in the Omaha area.

Julio’s Downtown
510 S 13th St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 345-6921

Julio’s West
13043 Arbor St
Omaha, NE 68144
(402) 330-2110