Keep voting! Here’s the Elite Eight spots in our Lexington best tacos competition
Our bracket competition seeking the best tacos in Lexington has reached its third iteration and we’re down to eight competitors.
After 1,219 votes in the second round, Taco Tico came out on top for the second week running with 609 votes. It and seven other taco spots moved on to our Elite Eight round.
The eight establishments eliminated in our last round were Taqueria El Sabor Oaxaqueno, Durango’s Mexican Restaurant, El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, El Cid Mexican Birrieria, Chuy’s, Taco Time, Mi Pequena Hacienda and El Patio.
The third round of voting is open now, and you can read on for a bit about how the competition works.
What we included
Our competition kicked off with 32 restaurants in Lexington that serve tacos as a main or featured menu item.
Readers recommended a couple additional businesses, and you can find them all below. You can let us know if we’ve missed one with an email to ask@herald-leader.com.
Three chains available across the U.S. weren’t included: Taco Bell, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
How our brackets work
These competitions are aimed at highlighting small and local businesses in the Lexington area. They aren’t scientific, just fun, and you can vote as many times as you’d like.
Previous brackets included our local bookstores bracket, our best doughnuts contest and the popular top small brewery poll.
How and when to vote
The Elite Eight will remain open through noon Oct. 31. The Final Four round goes live that afternoon.
The final round will open the afternoon Nov. 7, before we announce the following week.
To cast a vote, just use the polling feature below. Emailed votes will not be tallied.
Where can I get good tacos in Lexington?
Below are the contestants and some reader-suggested taco shops, with a link to online menu offerings where available, as well as their locations.
Cinco de Mayo Mexican Restaurant: Online ordering is available. Two locations, 122 W. Maxwell St., Lexington, KY 40508 and 3031 Richmond Road, No. 120, Lexington, KY 40509
Condado Tacos: Online ordering available. 114 Summit At Fritz Farm, No. 110, Lexington, KY 40517
La Taquiza Taqueria: Online ordering available. 130 W Tiverton Way, Suite 190, Lexington, KY 40503
Agave and Rye: Online ordering available. Two locations, 3535 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY 40503 and 123 N Broadway, Lexington, KY 40507
Chuy’s: Online ordering available. Two locations, 3841 Nicholasville Centre Drive, Lexington, KY 40503 and 1856 Alyshba Way, Lexington, KY 40509
Mi Pequeña Hacienda: Online ordering available. 3501 Lansdowne Drive, Lexington, KY 40517
Taqueria El Sabor Oaxaqueno: 3527 Lansdowne Drive, Lexington, KY 40517
La Marquesa Mexican Restaurant: Online ordering available. 3101 Clays Mill Road, Suite 400, Lexington, KY 40503
The Local Taco: Online ordering available. Two locations, 315 S Limestone, Lexington, KY 40508 and 1916 Pavilion Way, Lexington, KY 40509
El Rancho Tapatio: Menu available online. 144 Burt Road, Lexington, KY 40503
Campestre Mexican Bar & Grill: Online ordering available. 910 Beaumont Centre Parkway, Lexington, KY 40513
Tortilleria Y Taqueria Ramirez: More information available online. 1429 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, KY 40504
El Buen Taco: Online ordering available. Bondurant’s Pharmacy, 1465 Village Drive, Lexington, KY 40504
Taco Tico: Online ordering available. Three locations, 1483 Boardwalk, Lexington, KY 40511, 3110 Pimlico Parkway, Lexington, KY 40517 and 212 Southland Drive, Lexington, KY 40503
Taco Time: Online ordering available. 2220 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY 40503
Papi’s Mexican Restaurant & Bar: (One location is Papi’s Rapido) Online ordering is available. Three locations, 818 Euclid Ave., Lexington, KY 40502, 3901 Harrodsburg Road, Lexington, KY 40513 and 1214 South Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504
Bandido Taqueria Mexicana: Online ordering available. 535 S Upper St., Suite 145, Lexington, KY 40508
Taqueria Santa Fe: More information available online. 2350 Woodhill Drive, Suite 168, Lexington, KY 40509
Taqueria San Miguel: More information available online.3429 Buckhorn Drive, Lexington, KY 40515
Tacos El Rey: Online ordering available. 413 NW New Circle Road, Lexington, KY 40511
Que Taco: Online ordering available. 659 Plunkett St., Lexington, KY 40508
El Patio: More information available on Facebook. 2628 Richmond Road, Lexington, KY 40509
El Gran Tako: More information available on Facebook. Two locations, 1801 Alexandria Drive, No. 156, Lexington, KY 40504 and 340 E New Circle Road, No. 100, Lexington, KY 40505
El Cid Mexican Birrieria: Online ordering available. Two locations, 304 S Limestone, Lexington, KY 40508 and 701 National Ave., Lexington, KY 40502
Maria’s Kitchen: More information available on Facebook. 805 N Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508
Taqueria Luna: More information available on Facebook. 781 E New Circle Road, Lexington, KY 40505
Durango’s Mexican Restaurant: More information available on Facebook. 2121 Richmond Road, No. 150, Lexington, KY 40502
Mama Tequila: More information available on Facebook. 367 W Short St., Suite 150, Lexington, KY 40507
Burnaco’s ft. Maiden City Brewing Co.: More information available online. 561 S Broadway, Suite 110, Lexington, KY 40508
Jalapeño’s Mexican Restaurant: Online ordering available. 1030 S Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504
El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant and Cantina: Online ordering available. Two locations, 125 Towne Centre Drive, Lexington, KY 40511 and 1916 Justice Drive, Lexington, KY 40509
El Azteca Mexican Grill: More information available on Facebook. 1060 Chinoe Road, No. 104, Lexington, KY 40502
La Guadalupana: More information available on Facebook. 1533 Eastland Parkway, No. 6, Lexington, KY 40505
