Two new Mexican dining options open in Lexington with very different menus
Two new restaurants with Mexican roots have opened in Lexington. One is a chain, the other is as local as they come.
Hot Head Burritos opened May 10 off Newtown Pike at 1445 Newtown Center Way, next to a Shell gasoline station.
Hot Head Burritos is a popular quick-service Ohio-based Mexican chain with lots of options, including burritos, bowls and tacos.
This is the first Central Kentucky location.
Spice levels range from mild on Sweet Habanero Chicken, Hawaiian, Veggie, Americano or Teriyaki recipes to wild on Pork Verde, Southwest Ranch, Jalapeno Ranch and Leroy’s Spicy Chicken.
You can also build your own bowl, burrito, taco, quesadilla or nachos from more than 40 ingredients and 12 sauces, plus five salsas.
Owner Steve Estepp said that the teriyaki sauce is one of his favorites. “You can go to other places and get a burrito or a bowl or a taco, but the sauces really allow you to customize it,” he said.
Burritos and bowls also can be toasted, he said, which give a nice crispiness to the outside and melts the cheese.
Hot Head Burritos also has a cantina with a full bar. The restaurant is open daily 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. but may add late night hours for the bar, Estepp said.
He said that this is likely to be just the first of several locations. “We’ve been surprised at the people coming in who said, ‘I’m from Dayton and I’ve been waiting for you to open,’” he said.
Rosticeria Doña Coco rotisserie chicken restaurant
The other new restaurant is Rosticeria Doña Coco, a storefront at 1804 Alexandria Dr. Owner Alberto Geronimo has a tightly focused menu.
Formerly part of the Country Cooking By George restaurant on Alexandria that closed, Geronimo launched his own place in late April.
While Country Cooking featured a wide ranging buffet for dining in, this is just carry out only, and it’s just juicy seasoned rotisserie chicken, sides, fresh tortillas and housemade salsa, Geronimo said.
In Mexico, and increasingly in the U.S., rosticerias serve gourmet rotisserie roasted chicken.
But simplicity has proven to be very popular: Geronimo said he roasts 80 to 100 chickens a day and some days even that isn’t enough.
Sometimes people getting off work in the evenings will order six chickens to go, he said.
He said this is the Mexican version of American street food: Where people in the States like to grab a bite at a taco stand, in Mexico they grab some roasted chicken.
Everything is pretty simple: A whole chicken is $14.99, a half chicken is $9.99. Both options come with two sides. You choose from rice, beans, mac and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes and sweet corn.
And where does the name come from? It’s from his mother, whose nickname is Coco, who will be visiting from Mexico soon.
“She doesn’t know, it’s a surprise,” Geronimo said.
The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 10:35 AM.
