Sneak peek: New ‘American street taco’ restaurant comes to Lexington’s Summit
Lexington is in the middle of a taco turf war, and there’s a new restaurant ready to turn up the heat.
Condado Tacos opens Sept. 9 at 114 Summit at Fritz Farm Suite 110, the former location of Edley’s Bar-B-Que, near Origin Hotel and Shake Shack. Edley’s closed in March 2020 when the pandemic hit.
Columbus-based Condado Tacos is bringing the first location of its “build-your-own” concept to Kentucky.
For the grand opening at 11 a.m. Thursday, the first 100 guests in line will win a “Year of Yum,” a free taco every week for a whole year. All guests on the first day will get a free taco with purchase, and their signature margaritas will be $5 all day. There will be contests and prizes all weekend.
It’s the latest in a pretty crowded field of places ready to feed Lexington’s appetite for tacos. In the last year or so, El Cid opened a second location, Agave & Rye added a second restaurant, Local Taco Lexington announced a second spot, local Mexican restaurant Papi’s opened a taco stand and another restaurant, Bandido Taqueria, came to town, and that barely scratches the surface.
Condado Tacos menu
What makes the menu at Condado Tacos stand out?
Bill Dullen, general manager in Lexington, said Condado doesn’t bill itself as a Mexican restaurant but is squarely in the “American street taco” lane, with a little something for everybody.
“We embrace individuality,” he said. “I think we appeal to everybody because we’ve got great vegan options, great vegetarian options, the kids love being here because of the artwork. Anybody who loves tacos — which is pretty much anybody, right? — has a ton of options they can try.”
Customers start with a shell, bowl or nachos. Besides the hard corn or soft flour taco shell, there’s also “Firecracker,” a fiery-flavored corn shell, or “Kewl Ranch,” a ranch-flavored corn shell.
Then add proteins (there are 11 to choose from, including tequila-lime steak,k pulled pork, chorizo, roasted portobellos, Korean BBQ jackfruit and Thai Chili tofu), toppings, salsas and sauces.
The menu also has “taco suggestions,” if you’re the kind of person who gets overwhelmed by too many choices. The most popular options, Dullen said, are the Lucy’s Fire, which has a hidden Firecracker shell, roasted chicken, smoked cheddar, corn salsa and cilantro-lime aoili.
Another big seller is the Blue Dream, with a secret Kewl Ranch shell, ground beef and avocado ranch sauce. The Korean BBQ Pork Taco, with smoked cheddar queso, pulled pork, gochujang bbq sauce, pickled jalapenos and pineapple salsa was a featured taco that became so popular it is now on the regular menu, Dullen said.
Tacos are about $4-$5 each, with sides for $1.50.
The menu also has five kinds of queso dip (check out the spicy “Dirty” with chicken, black beans, onions and dirty sauce), three kinds of guacamole and four kinds of salsa. If you can’t make up your mind, you can get a trio of dips and chips to share.
Condado also has a full bar with specialty margaritas, which also can come as booze-free lemonade or agua fresca as well.
Condado Tacos locations
This is the 27th location nationwide of the chain, which makes each location special with murals. Lexington’s include nods to horse country.
Condado Tacos is eyeing the Louisville market, according to a spokesman. The chain is opening new locations in Franklin, Tenn., and Indianapolis later this year.
Condado Tacos
Where: 114 Summit at Fritz Farm Suite 110
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight.
Online: Condadotacos.com
Delivery: Most major online services
