Celebrated and family-owned Mexican restaurant Don Julio’s has opened a second restaurant in the city of Tampa. Its first location can be found at 2808 E Bearss Avenue. The New Tampa Don Julio’s is located at 16023 Tampa Boulevard. They celebrated the grand opening of the newest restaurant on May 2 to wide acclaim.
Don Julio’s might just be the best kept secret in all of Tampa. In just over four years the restaurant has transformed walk-ins into regulars with its handmade tortillas, award-winning tacos, and massive burritos blanketed with melty cheese. And we haven’t even gotten to the totally satiating quesabirria tacos, or newly added molcajete.
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Don Julio’s brings savory birria to New Tampa
“We are thrilled and so excited to invite all of you to our Grand Opening of the 2nd Don Julio’s location in New Tampa,” wrote the owners in their grand opening statement. “Come share with us this special moment and as always we want to thank all our Customers, employees and especially our family members for all the support in helping us continue to make our dream a reality! Salud”
Make sure you sink your teeth into one of their most popular items, the Quesabirria tacos. The social media sensation has found its way to Don Julio’s and each bite is well worth the trip to the restaurant.
Pro Tip: You just have to remember to dip your Quesabirria Tacos in Don Julio’s Consome (broth) to get the full experience. It’s that proverbial restaurant drip.
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Other authentic specialties you can enjoy include: Fajitas, Carnitas, Enchiladas, Chiles Rellenos, Carne Asada and their Molcajete. Of course, you should pair any of these dishes with their homemade Margaritas, Pina Coladas or Sangria.
A dream come true generations in the making
Founders Julio and Esther Rodriguez came to the Tampa Bay region from Mexico in the early 70’s. Esther (or Doña Esther) always had a passion for cooking Mexican food and she used those talents to get all three of her children to graduate from college as her husband passed away when they were very young.
Doña Esther started offering her authentic dishes in the West Tampa area to relatives and friends in the late ‘80’s and early 90’s and many of them recommended she open a Mexican restaurant as her authentic flavor was unmatched by any existing restaurant in the Tampa Bay area.
Decades later Don Julio’s opened their doors in 2018 making the family’s dream come true of sharing Doña Esther’s authentic Mexican flavor to the entire region. The name was chosen in honor of the late Don Julio who would be proud to see how his family has come together to make a legacy.
Unparalleled handmade tortillas
In 2019, Prospera USA, a nonprofit whose mission is to help start, sustain, and grow Hispanic-owned businesses, named Don Julio’s the most outstanding hispanic-owned business in Tampa Bay.
“Don Julio’s is a small, family-owned restaurant, and we take pride in the delicious flavor of our meats, freshness of our ingredients and our daily handmade tortillas. We do not buy anything pre-made, we make everything from scratch and it’s fresh every day” said Julio Rodriguez, owner of Don Julio’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine. “As soon as customers taste our food, they ask us “where have you been all these years” as they love the authentic and traditional flavors of our cuisine. Once they try our food, they become regulars at the restaurant. We really want to bring the authentic flavor of Mexico to Tampa Bay.”
Follow Don Julio’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine on Facebook and Instagram if you’d like to whet your appetite for their award-winning dishes ahead of your visit.
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