Eat well in Lexington without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Lexington for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Tortilleria y Taqueria Ramirez presses corn tortillas behind a grocery counter on Alexandria Drive, and Lexington queues across town for the burritos.
Try: Burritos and tacos on house tortillas
Tip: Buy a warm stack of tortillas to take home; the counter moves fast even when the queue reaches the aisles.
El Buen Taco parks its truck at Village Drive on Lexington's west side, turning out no-frills street tacos that top the city's taco-truck rankings.
Try: Street tacos
Tip: Order al pastor and carnitas by the pair and eat at the tailgate; the truck holds its Village Drive spot daily.
Wing KYng fries wings in more than 45 sauces from its Greyline Station counter, TO Williams' 2017 venture grown into a late-open Lexington favourite.
Try: Wings and fries
Tip: Ask for the Dirt Bowl Classic sauce, named for Lexington's summer basketball league, and expect a fresh-fry wait.
Big Kahuna grills Hawaiian barbecue plates and stacked burgers on Liberty Road, the Lexington original that later added a second Clays Mill Road shop.
Try: Hawaiian barbecue plates
Tip: Closed Mondays at both shops; the Liberty Road original keeps the shorter queue at weekday lunch.
Bourbon n' Toulouse ladles etouffee, jambalaya and gumbo over rice on Euclid Avenue, Lexington's counter-service Cajun habit and a family business since 2004.
Signature: Crawfish etouffee, Gumbo
Try: Etouffee and gumbo over rice
Tip: Order at the counter and grab a porch table; vegan and gluten-free pots are always on the board.
Han Woo Ri simmers soon doo boo and grills bulgogi on South Limestone by the UK campus, the Korean kitchen that keeps Lexington students and expats fed.
Signature: Soon doo boo, Bulgogi
Try: Korean lunch specials
Tip: The kitchen breaks between lunch and dinner; arrive before 14:00 or after 17:00 and start with kimchi dumplings.
Umami Ramen & Grill ladles tonkotsu-style bowls, katsu curry and teriyaki plates on Euclid Avenue, Lexington's budget-friendly ramen stop near the UK campus.
Try: Ramen bowls and rice plates
Tip: Ramen, fried rice and bubble tea cover most tables; Sunday opens at noon, every other day at 11:00.
Le Gourmet cooks Haitian family recipes on South Broadway, bringing poulet pane, grilled fish and slow beef stews to Lexington seven days a week until late.
Signature: Poulet pane, Grilled fish
Try: Haitian plates
Tip: Open until 23:00 nightly, Sunday from 14:00; portions are generous, so order the soup only if sharing.
Bert's SpeakCheezy builds Prohibition-named gourmet grilled cheeses like the Hotsy Totsy on Liberty Road, the food truck that earned a Lexington storefront.
Signature: The Hotsy Totsy
Try: Gourmet grilled cheese
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday only; the Blind Pig and Dizzy Dame rotate with seasonal melts, so order at the counter and ask what is new.
Wheeler Pharmacy keeps a 1958-style lunch counter inside its Romany Road drugstore, flipping Buddy Burgers and malts for Lexington's Chevy Chase regulars.
Try: Buddy Burger and a shake
Order: Buddy Burger with a malted milkshake
Why locals love it: A working pharmacy on Romany Road still runs a griddle lunch counter, and only Chevy Chase regulars think to eat at it.
Tip: Sit at the counter, order the double-stacked Buddy Burger and a malted milkshake, and let the grill cook set the pace.
Smithtown Seafood fries fish sandwiches and bowls inside the Bread Box building on West Sixth, sharing a wall with West Sixth Brewing's Lexington taproom.
Try: Fish sandwich and fries
Order: Fried fish sandwich with a West Sixth IPA
Why locals love it: A fish-sandwich counter tucked inside the West Sixth brewery building, easy to miss behind the taproom crowds.
Tip: Order at the counter and carry the fish sandwich into the taproom; a West Sixth IPA is the house pairing.
Spalding's Bakery has hand-rolled glazed donuts for Lexington since 1929, and the Winchester Road queue still clears the cases well before the noon close.
Try: Glazed donuts by the dozen
Tip: Cash-friendly, morning-only and gone when the trays empty; aim for 08:00 on Saturdays.
Worth the queue: Glazed yeast donut