Uncle Julio’s was founded in Dallas in 1986. It is a Mexican restaurant that started with the aim of providing delicious handmade recipes from fresh ingredients.
The restaurant slowly expanded over the past 30 years, and now they have opened 35 restaurants across 11 states.
Uncle Julio’s interiors are very distinguishable, and they also have an outdoor dining facility.
Some of the very first dishes at Uncle Julio’s were crave-able guacamole, mesquite-grilled fajitas, etc. Although the menu has a lot of options, not all of them are vegan-friendly. We have done thorough research on our part to help you.
Yes, there are vegan options available at Uncle Julio’s. In this article, we will discuss all the vegan options available at Uncle Julio’s.
What Does Uncle Julio’s Serve: An Overview
Uncle Julio’s is spread across 15 states- Florida, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. It is a big restaurant chain that serves tasty food items.
Uncle Julio’s menu has different varieties of fajitas (their popular dish), quesadillas, enchiladas, taco plates, and refreshing margaritas.
The guacamole of this authentic Mexican restaurant tastes out of the world. It comes with various dishes. It is creamy and flavorful. If you have never been to Uncle Julio’s before, then you should order it.
Can You Order Anything on the Menu?
Regrettably, you don’t have many options as a vegan. Uncle Julio’s serves dishes with chicken, steak, shrimp, and other animal-based materials like cheese and cream.
The list is relatively small, but it is enough. You can enjoy drinks and food together at this restaurant. What else can a vegan possibly ask for?
Also, you can request to make specific changes to a few dishes to make them vegan friendly. What ingredient should be omitted and from which dish? Well, stay tuned to get all the answers.
Vegan Options at Uncle Julio’s
The menu has many options available, and it can be intimidating to search for vegan options. We understand your problem. That’s why we have made a list of all the vegan options and the dishes that you can customize to make vegan-friendly.
Go through the list and make sure you do not get confused, as we have also listed the customizable dishes.
In Appetizers
Here is a list of vegan appetizers at Uncle Julio’s.
Made to Order Guacamole
This exotic appetizer is very healthy, and it is entirely vegan. It comes in traditional Molcajete, which is the Mexican version of mortar.
You can customize this dish by choosing different combinations from Hass avocados, onions, cilantro, jalapenos, and tomato. The paste contains raw garlic and olive oil. It is very healthy and nutritious.
The taste is just awesome. It has a perfect balance between salty, tangy, and creamy flavors.
As you can see, all the ingredients used are plant-based, so you can order it without having second thoughts.
Guacamole
It is more or less similar to the previous Made to Order Guacamole. The only difference is that the ingredients used are limited to Fresh Hass avocados, onions, and tomatoes.
Veggie Quesadillas
It is not a vegan option by default, but you can ask to omit sour cream and Monterey Jack in the preparation to make it vegan. The other ingredients used are onions, sauteed peppers, and flour tortillas, served along with fresh guacamole.
Make sure to give clear instructions so that you don’t end up having a bad experience.
In Dine-in Specials
The dine-in specials at Uncle Julio’s mainly consist of their famous Fajitas like Summer shrimp fajitas, Skirt steak fajitas, Chicken & steak fajitas, and chicken fajitas.
However, there is only one option for vegans here that can be made vegan-friendly after customization.
Grilled Vegetable Fajitas
It is a delicious option for vegans. These exotic Fajitas consist of grilled mesquite, including portobello mushrooms, Yellow squash, zucchini, onions, and sautéed peppers.
This dish is served with black beans and cilantro rice, freshly prepared guacamole, pico de gallo, sauteed peppers, onions, sour cream, and cheese. You can ask to omit the cheese and sour cream in the servings, and you will have your vegan version of Grilled Vegetable Fajitas.
In Tex-Mex Classics
The Tex-Mex classics at Uncle Julio’s usually have Enchiladas, Taco plates, and meal bowls. Here is the only vegan option from this section:
Classic Taco Salad
It is not a vegan dish by default. It contains two non-vegan ingredients- Cheddar and Monterey Jack. Also, it is served with ranch on the side, which is not vegan. Make sure to mention that you don’t want ranch.
This dish contains all the flavorful ingredients like romaine lettuce, avocados, grape tomatoes, sweet corn, and black beans, along with the two non-vegan options in the homemade tortilla.
You will surely miss out on some flavors, and the dish will not remain the same anymore, but you will still enjoy the taste. Being a vegan, you will agree that it’s not all about the taste after all.
In Drinks
There are plenty of options available for vegans in the drinks section. Most preparations include % agave Lunazul Tequila and St-Germain, both of which are vegan-friendly. Here is a list of the vegan options from Uncle Julio’s drinks section:
Fresh Peach Margarita
This refreshing drink has fresh seasonal fruits, squeezed and muddled, a slice of peach, and agave Lunazul Tequila and St-Germain.
You can add a premium tequila floater with Exotico Reposado or Lunazul silver at $2 more. Please note that this option is only available per the law.
This drink will soothe you in warm summers by giving you a refreshing feeling.
Fresh Strawberry Rita
It is another vegan drink available at Uncle Julio’s. It is made up of fresh strawberries & lime juice which is blended well with the Lunazul Tequila and St. Germain.
Fresh Grapefruit Margarita
It is full of freshly squeezed grapefruit and limes with % agave, Lunazul Tequila, and St. Germain. You can enjoy this refreshing drink as it is or along with the food item of your choice.
Another margarita available on the menu is Julio’s Gold which is Uncle Julio’s special.
Tres Amigos
It is also a margarita drink that contains Casamigos Blanco and Resposado Tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice, topped with a shot of Casamigos Anejo Tequila.
All the liquors used in making this particular drink are vegan-friendly. You can enjoy this drink without having to worry about anything.
The presentation of this drink is fantastic. You will surely love it.
El Jefe
This drink is hand-shaken at your table hand, containing Exotico Resposado Tequila, Ancho Reyes-ancho chile liqueur, and fresh lime juice with salt & pepper. It is the most expensive drink on the menu, but it is worth all the money.
All the ingredients are completely vegan-friendly, so enjoy the tangy and salty flavor to the fullest.
Perfect Patron
It is the last alcoholic vegan drink on the menu and contains the juice of freshly squeezed lemons, Patron Silver & Patron Citronge.
Patron products are vegan-friendly, so again don’t worry and enjoy.
Mango Passion Lemonade
It is the only non-alcoholic drink on Uncle Julio’s menu and is the cheapest one. Moreover, you can enjoy the refills for only $1. Isn’t that amazing?
In Dessert
There are just two options available in the dessert section, and only one of the two is vegan.
Churros
Churros come from Portuguese and Spanish cuisine. They are very popular and tasty.
Churros are traditionally vegan and very easy to make. It is fried flour.
At Uncle Julio’s, they serve a dozen churros with chocolate sauce. Please note the chocolate sauce is not vegan, so avoid it. You have the option of enjoying the cinnamon-sprinkled churros with the sauce anyway.
For Kids
Sadly, there are no vegan options available for kids at Uncle Julio’s. There are four options in total, out of which three have chicken as their main ingredient.
Conclusion
Uncle Julio’s is indeed a famous restaurant chain but keep in mind that it is not a place to order anything and everything. You have to be extra cautious because they serve meat at their outlet as well.
We have listed all the vegan options available and how to make another vegan friendly, but we suggest you politely enquire about the ingredients. Do not hesitate to ask questions. You got nothing to be ashamed of. Taking care of your dietary habits is good, and you should take pride in being a vegan.
We hope that this article has helped you. We are sure that you will enjoy your time at Uncle Julio’s without any worries this time.