The Local Taco (Lexington, KY)

The Local Taco in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, features cuisine that blends Tex-Mex and Southern flavors. Its high-quality ingredients will have you going back for more!

By: Alisha Trenalone

The first time I heard of The Local Taco in Lexington, Kentucky, was several years ago on an episode of Secrets of Bluegrass Chefs. It sounded wonderful, and I filed it away in my memory as a place we should try some day.

But when we go to Lexington, we have our favorite places, and so we didn’t get around to trying The Local Taco… until now. Turns out, it’s amazing, and I wish we’d gone sooner!

How to Find The Local Taco

The Local Taco is located at 315 South Limestone in downtown Lexington. Parking is available in a small lot at the back of the building.

Check out the menu here.

Looking for other things to do in the Lexington area? Check out the UK Arboretum, Evans Orchard, Talon Winery, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and Raven Run Nature Sanctuary!

Exploring the Menu

The Local Taco’s website describes its cuisine as a combo of Tex-Mex and Southern flavors, but the menu is even more varied than that!

It was hard to make a decision between things like the Korean BBQ taco, the spicy shrimp taco, the fish taco, the vegetarian taco, the tequila lime chicken taco, and the list goes on.

The Local Taco also has delicious sounding quesadillas and enchiladas. Embellishments like zucchini slaw, pumpkin seed pesto, and honey-lime mayo made my mouth water just reading the words!

I ended up opting for the vegetarian taco, which consists of a marinated portabella mushroom, sage goat cheese, zucchini slaw, tomatoes, and crispy fried red onions.

The flavors of the vegetarian taco were fantastic, and so was the satisfying blend of crunch and softness. I’m an especially big fan of those fried red onions.

My mom chose the Korean BBQ taco. It was made with beef tenders, Asian slaw, toasted sesame seeds, and green onion.

I sampled a little bit of her taco filling, and found the Korean BBQ to be a well balanced mix of savory and sweet!

And the chips... yes, even the tortilla chips wowed me. Chips are so standard at Tex-Mex places that I almost forget to notice them, but the chips at The Local Taco stood out by being fresh, warm, and salted to the perfect degree.

At $3.50 per taco (as of spring 2021), this is a really affordable place to eat. They even have lunch and dinner taco baskets that come with two tacos and one or two sides.

Lexington is full of great restaurant options no matter what you're in the mood for! Check out Condado, Athenian Grill, Han Woo Ri or Pietana, and take an ice cream break at Crank & Boom! And for something fancy, don't miss the Kentucky Castle.

Dine-In or Pickup Options at The Local Taco

The building features both indoor and outdoor dining.

The Local Taco’s website allows you to order online for pre-set time slots if you want to plan ahead.

If you want food right away, just stop by and place your order at the pickup counter!

More Taco Ideas

For a Honduran spin on tacos (and more), try Mami Monchita's in Frankfort! And in nearby Paris, we loved Burnaco's.

Don’t live close to central Kentucky but love the sounds of fancy tacos? Sarah’s got a whole array of taco recipes.

Try making your very own cilantro lime fish tacos, rockfish tacos, halibut tacos, potato tacos, mini shrimp tacos with pineapple, or tilapia tacos with strawberry and rhubarb!

But if you are in central Kentucky, do give The Local Taco a visit! It’s independently owned and operated and takes pride in using locally grown and organic ingredients as much as possible.

This was our first visit, but it definitely won’t be our last!