Lexington is getting a second location of popular Tex-Mex chain

Do you love Chuy's but not the drive out Nicholasville Road to get their fresh salsas? Hold onto your tortillas, because Lexington is getting a second Chuy's.

The Texas-based chain is opening another location at Hamburg, on Alysheba Way where Applebee's closed in January.

The new restaurant is expected to open early next year, according to Chuy's spokeswoman Courtney Pelly.

"We're super excited," Pelly said Monday. Chuy's has been expanding in the Ohio Valley area and is now "focusing on building in Kentucky. Hamburg seems like a great spot for us."

It isn't far from the first Lexington Chuy's but taps into a different traffic pattern, she said.

Chuy's Mexican opened its first Lexington location at 3841 Nicholasville Centre Drive, off Nicholasville Road, in August 2011.

And that one isn't going anywhere, she said. "That’s such a successful restaurant for us, and it's just continued to grow."

The chain is known for funky decor and has a cult-like following for its Tex-Mex menu, which includes hand-rolled tortillas, fresh-made salsa, green chiles from New Mexico and 10 signature sauces.

And there are shrines to the late Elvis Presley. Each restaurant also celebrates The King's birthday every year.

The new one in Hamburg will have all those funky touches, Pelly said.

This story was originally published May 14, 2018 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Lexington is getting a second location of popular Tex-Mex chain."