Bakery$east-endWed-Sat 06:30-12:00; Sun 07:00-12:00; closed Mon-TueWalk-in onlyHand-cut glazed donuts
Spalding's Bakery has hand-rolled glazed donuts for Lexington since 1929, and the Winchester Road queue still clears the cases well before the noon close.
Try: Glazed donuts by the dozen
Tip: Cash-friendly, morning-only and gone when the trays empty; aim for 08:00 on Saturdays.
Worth the queue: Glazed yeast donut
Mexican$Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00; Sun 10:00-16:00
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.
Mexican$Daily lunch and evening service, roughly 10:00-21:00
El Buen Taco parks its truck at Village Drive on Lexington's west side, turning out no-frills street tacos that top the city's taco-truck rankings.
Try: Street tacos
Tip: Order al pastor and carnitas by the pair and eat at the tailgate; the truck holds its Village Drive spot daily.
Street food$Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00; Sun 12:00-21:00
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.
Hawaiian$Tue-Sun 11:00-21:00; closed Mon
Big Kahuna grills Hawaiian barbecue plates and stacked burgers on Liberty Road, the Lexington original that later added a second Clays Mill Road shop.
Try: Hawaiian barbecue plates
Tip: Closed Mondays at both shops; the Liberty Road original keeps the shorter queue at weekday lunch.
Cajun$chevy-chaseMon-Sat 11:00-21:00; Sun 12:00-20:00
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.