For those of me that know me in real life, you know I never say no to Mexican food.

Fast casual, a hole-in the wall place, or a modern take on the timeless classics, I love it all, but there’s one place that stands above the rest—Uncle Julio’s. So when they invited me to come in a try their new chocolate piñata (!) and enjoy margs and fajitas, I literally did a little happy dance at my desk.

(But really, I can’t think of a collaboration I’ve ever been more excited about.)

A popular Mexican joint here in the DC area—with other locations scattered throughout the country— my introduction to Uncle Julio’s was in high school. Reston Town Center was the place to be back then, and Uncle Julio’s was the most popular place in the shopping center to celebrate sweet 16 parties with friends. At one particular dinner party, the guy I had a crush on decided to order the quail as a way to demonstrate his refined taste, yet he ended up picking at my fajitas the whole night. Ah, high school.

Nowadays, the Uncle Julio’s in Ballston—where Monica and I went this past Saturday for girls’ night—has become my go-to place to celebrate my birthday with my team at work or place to grab a skinny marg after a long day at work.

Since this Labor Day Weekend weather was unbeatable, Monica and I opted to dine al fresco. The Uncle Julio’s in Ballston has a wonderful patio, and once the sun set, they turned on their string lights, which created such a fun and lively ambiance.

We kicked everything off with fresh warm chips and salsa, and since this isn’t Monica’s and my first rodeo—she is Texan after all—we opted for our usual queso and guac to start. Since we knew our entrees would be out quickly since the kitchen at Uncle Julio’s is so fast, we waited a while to order and enjoyed our apps while sipping on delicious frozen lime margs, which were the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. Our server, Antonio, somehow knew just when our drinks were nearing empty and showed up with fresh ones. #idonthateit

For dinner, we both opted for chicken fajitas. Served with sour cream, cheese, pico, lettuce, guac, rice, beans, and fresh warm flour tortillas the portions are sizable enough you can get two or three meals out of them depending on how hungry you are. (Or, of course, share a single entree with your best gal!) And since Uncle Julio’s is all about fresh foods, everything tasted delicious.

Though we were so stuffed after dinner, we did manage to save room for Uncle Julio’s chocolate piñata.

That’s right. A chocolate piñata.

They bring it to your table with a bat, and once you break it, it pours out delicious churros and fresh fruit. The tray the piñata comes on is garnished with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, meaning it’s a huge plate of Mexican dessert goodness that’s perfect for sharing. Click here to see me taking a whack at our piñata over on my Twitter.

(The chocolate piñata is definitely more birthday appropriate than the aforementioned quail! Or, you know, just a fun way to spice up a regular ol’ Saturday night!)

Thank you to Uncle Julio’s for sponsoring this post and providing us a wonderful meal. As always, opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep A Touch of Teal’s doors open!