The Mexican restauraunt Don Julio's located on the downtown square
of Greencastle features a freshly renovated interior.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
On DePauw University’s campus Casa Grande reigns king when it comes to burritos, tacos and any other type of Mexican food you can mispronounce. Though Casa’s preeminence in Greencastle is undoubted, the newly opened Don Julio Mexican restaurant, located on the downtown square, may give it a run for its money.
In the dreary landscape of central Indiana, Don Julio offers customers a welcome break from muted hues with its vibrant color schemes. The newly renovated and opened restaurant located at 11 W. Franklin St. sports warm yellow and orange walls as well as faux stone archways. While this interior decorating comes off as cheesy, it does create a lite mood.
Co-owned by the same individuals who own Casa Grande, Don Julio’s menu is uncannily similar. Don Julio’s offers the same sort of Mexican fare one would expect, from tacos to burritos to enchiladas.
To start off the meal, all tables receive complimentary tortilla chips and salsa. You get what you pay for: the salsa is bland and watery. Off of the dinner plate section, the chimichangas deluxe, marked as a specialty, were better than expected. The chicken and beef chimichangas that constitute the bulk of the plate were nicely crispy despite them being doused in sauce. Of the duo, the beef chimichanga stood out with more flavor while the chicken flavor was muted. For customers looking to add a little flavor to their meal, a side plate covered in tasteless iceberg lettuce and guacamole, as well as onion laden pico de gallo accompanied the dinner plate.
The taco special barely exceeds any justifiably mediocre expectations: three tacos, either chicken or carne asada, with a side of rice and refried beans. The server will confusedly allow patrons to split their order and try both meats, should they please. The tacos originally appeared to be underachieving in size for something considered a special, but Don Julio’s sets the order up with a hidden batch of salsa that effectively makes every part of this meal better. The rice was delicious once concocted with this salsa and a healthy dose of hot sauce. The beans were identical to every other order of refried beans in a Mexican restaurant in Indiana. Order the chicken, or the Arroz con Pollo, because they’ll smother that in melted cheese.
The service for Don Julio’s was exceptional from start to finish. We were seated at a table faster than it takes to do a November boulder run, as the workers were still eager with the novelty of having just opened. The food also came out from the kitchen quickly, taking a little over ten minutes from when we handed our server the menus till she handed us our food.
Although Don Julio’s food is comparable to that of Casa’s, the upstart has a distinct advantage: location. Don Julio’s is only about a five minute walk from campus. Their opening is timely with the coming spring, with warm weather incentivizing the casual walk to the square. Students can now quench their margarita thirst by foot, if they’re of age, without worry of guilting a friend into the role of sober driver. Margarita towers can be shared by all legal patrons.
On the topic of alcohol, Don Julio’s features a full bar offering drinks from beer to margaritas. The bar, which is beautifully covered in tiles and wood, is partitioned off from the dining room and is open to customers 21 and over.
While Don Julio’s brings nothing new to the table, its convenient downtown location and average Mexican food gives students and citizens another option when eating out in Greencastle.