Uncle Julio’s

I had been reading a lot of hype surrounding Uncle Julio’s from other influencers in the Orlando area. One happened to mention that Uncle Julio’s had quite a few decent gluten-free selections, so I thought it might be worth heading over to give it a try.

The restaurant is located in Icon Park, so traffic and navigating the area can be challenging. I highly recommend the parking deck as opposed to trying to find parking elsewhere. The parking deck is tight, and can take several minutes to navigate as well.

Once inside the restaurant, the seating experience was a little awkward. We had a reservation, but it was as if they were not really prepared to take care of anyone. After about 10 minutes (we were the only ones waiting) we were seated. From there, the service was excellent.

I was given a gluten-free menu that had two sides on it. I have the pictures below, but beware. I started asking some questions and the server told me that the gluten-free menu they gave is no longer accurate. They do not have an accurate gluten-free menu to share.

I was told that most every side has gluten in it. The only options I was given was rice (they were even worried about it having gluten until they checked) and fruit. The only option for a meal that was relatively safe was the chicken fajitas. The butter that they use is not gluten-free, and they said that the meal would come without any seasoning. You can see in the photo it is only grilled chicken with veggies, nothing else.

I was given a side of corn tortillas to go with my meal. I have to be honest, the chicken was extremely dry and had no flavor at all. I struggled to eat it as it was so dry. The veggies stuck to the hot plate. The rice was ok, but nothing special.

Aside from being bland and the complete confusion surrounding what was/was not gluten free, I didn’t really feel safe eating here. While I’m not celiac, I don’t think anyone can safely eat here without extreme risk or concern. I can’t recommend it.