This place is top notch. My first time there and it didn't disappoint. We got the mushroom tacos, chicharrones, and a French fry dish. I had them add steak to the tacos and they were amazing! The chicharrones were delicious and not too spicy. The waitress was very nice, the atmosphere is relaxing, and prices fair. We'll be going back. read more

Dropped in for a quick bite at lunch and was stunned by how good it was. They have a lunch special that is both affordable and outstanding. It comes with chips, a bowl of salsa, and three street‑size tacos. It also includes a dessert. Everything was simply outstanding. I plan on returning. The service was very good, and the atmosphere was nice and quiet since there weren't many people there. I will warn you that the dining area is quite small, so if you plan on going during a typically busy time, you may want to join the waitlist. read more

Deliciosa comida auténtica mejicana con un sabor limpio y no extra sazonado. Nada extra salado ni extra picante. Delicioso! De aperitivo pedimos las salsas con totopos! Ricas todas read more

Corto Lima - Steak Rajas de Poblano Taco - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

See all

This place hits it every time. Comfortable seating inside. Sidewalk seating that is pleasant on pleasant days. They'll take good care of you wherever you sit. It's a small plate place and every dish is delicious. I've not had anything I didn't like and I've sampled a good bit of the menu over the years. They have an excellent Happy Hour menu. I particularly enjoy the Crunch Wrap and $5 Margs. If you want to learn about tequila, this is a good place to do it. Order a flight and ask questions. This is a Jonathan Lundy establishment and he knows what he's doing. Good stuff in your glass and on your plate. read more

See all

The prices are ridiculous for the amount. I got the $9 elote and got 3 bites of corn. You're smooshed in there like sardines too. Service was great though read more

Corto Lima - Elote compared to my hand - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

If you're looking for a good taco place look no further! My husband and I came here for an early dinner around 5:30 pm on a Friday and didn't have to wait for a table inside. There are also some tables outside. They're known for their margaritas, and I got the watermelon one on the rocks. It was delicious! We got the queso without chorizo. It was nice and thick! It could have used a little more flavor though. The chips were good but a little salty. I got smoked pork tacos which were very tasty. I got the honey jalapeno salsa on the side, which I was glad I did because it was a little hot for me. They put a lot of meat on the tacos, so I think you're getting a good deal for the price. I would come back here again! read more

See all

Excellent food and very fun atmosphere. The vibe is fresh and modern, with a very varied crowd. Food was delightful and fresh. Getting a vegan meal was easy. read more

Excellent Ambiance and very creative tasty meals ! I have been here several times and tried a different item on the menu each time and I have NEVER been disappointed! read more

This popular eatery is on the small side and doesn't accept reservations so keep that in mind when you go. Wait times can be long. We visited early on a Sunday night and we were immediately seated. The service and drinks were excellent. I highly recommend the Rum Punch and any Margarita. Appetizers were disappointing, lacking flavor and the proportions were abysmally small. The Salsa Trio and The Blue Corn Empanadas were not portioned appropriately considering the price $10+ charge. There wasn't enough salsa to even dip a chip in. The Cerviche was 99% pico and 1% shrimp. Next time we will skip appetizers all together. The Chicken Chicharrone was delicious but we did not care for The Green Chili Macaroni. The Crispy Shrimp Tacos were excellent. This was my third choice as they were out of the Mojo Shrimp and the mushroom quesadilla. And my wine choice. We enjoyed most of our food choices, the atmosphere and the excellent service but our bill for 4 people was $200, before tip. This review would have been 5 a five star review, however, the price points and portions are so far apart that I can't recommend Corto Lima as a good value restaurant. read more

See all

I had a mid-afternoon Mother's Day brunch with my family today, and our party of six had a great experience! I was so happy to indulge in a few (ahem... three) watermelon margarita slushies while spending time with my child, bonus child, husband, dad, and stepmother. We shared a number of tapas, though I ordered a separate order of mac and cheese just for myself. The green chile mac and cheese is my favorite mac and cheese in Lexington! The servers at Corta Lima are always friendly and they SMILE! Great service, beautiful ambiance that makes me want to go buy all the plants, and fresh, delicious food - best Mother's Day ever! read more

Great food wonderful service John at the bar did a killer job even while very busy I highly recommend the mescal margarita and the Peruvian chicken read more

A bustling restaurant with tasty tacos! My group got guacamole, which was very good, and I got the shrimp tacos, which were excellent! It was very loud in there though, to the point where I could barely hear the people at my table. I think I'll only go back for lunch in hopes that it's less busy than dinner. Also because of the busyness, I felt our server was hoping we would leave. She was still friendly though. read more

See all

Any time you are downtown I bet you will find Corto Lima we pass by it every time usually we go down to downtown and it's really good actually so so this place I mean it's great The next thing you will see is likely a bit of a crowd, so Corto Lima might be a little crowded and that's OK and it's really fancy and I hope you like this place really really really good (Liam 6) Now, here is mine. (the mom) we come here all the time. The staff is beyond friendly. The food is always great. They have the best margarita in town. And I'm not just saying that, I promise. Ask for the hot sauce. Love the guacamole. If you're looking for a perfect spot to enjoy great feud and a friendly city this is it. it's our favorite. read more

Corto Lima - steak tacos, queso, and steak. - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

See all

Great service. Sat on patio which was nice! Food was wonderful. Food came out super fast! Very flavorful. read more

Corto Lima - Chicken tacos - delish! - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Started with salsa trio and queso and chicken chicharron appetizer and nothing was left of any of those 3 dishes. The salsa trio was excellent except the pineapple salsa felt like just chunks of pineapple cut up. Wish it was blended up like a salsa. I ordered the steak anticucho that was a ny strip on skewers with chimichurri and smashed potato and every part of it was excellent and delicious. Friends ordered chicken and beef enchilada and I was able to taste both of those and they were just ok. Service was great and never waited. Restaurant is smaller and packed which creates a vibrant vibe read more

To start off, I really like Corto Lima. The ambience and service are great. We started off with queso, guacamole, and salsa verde with chips as an appetizer and these are very solid. I also got their special margarita of the week which was passionfruit-pineapple and it was quite delicious. I got the tamales as an entree. I am a huge tamale fan, but these were not my favorite mainly due to how smoky the pork was. It overwhelmed all other possible flavors and all you could taste was smoke, this is personal preference. I would not recommend getting anything with the pork unless you're a big fan of smoky flavor. read more

Corto Lima - Tamales - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Can't wait to return! Food and service were great. Margaritas were amazing! This is perfect spot for when visiting town read more

Corto Lima - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Highly underrated. Chicharrones amazing. Peruvian chicken exceptional. Margaritas top-notch. Service was impeccable.

Great restaurant in downtown Lexington. The food is fresh and flavorful. A standout entree was the special of the night "Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas with an elote topping". The Smoked Pork tacos were a bit too spicy for me but loved the queso, guacamole, and mojitos. The crab empanadas were spicy and messy. Our last visit the hostess took her job very seriously and had us wait outside to not crowd the bar with our friends read more

See all

Yummy spot for food and drinks! I enjoyed an express lunch deal with salsa, tacos and a side salad. The prickly pear margarita was delicious, and pretty! Friendly staff and beautiful bar. read more

Corto Lima - Express lunch - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

See all

They have the best margaritas in downtown Lexington. Prickly Pear slush is my favorite! They also have a good crunch wrap on happy hour and drink specials. It's a cute spot for any celebration or get together with friends. read more

Corto Lima - Prickly pear slush & guacamole - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

We really loved this place. We were in town on a post-football-game Saturday for a concert and wanted a nice, intimate place to get dinner. This place hit all the marks. We got all sorts of food. Our heavy favorites were the queso blanco, anticuchos, shrimp ceviche, and shrimp tacos. We also got a couple kinds of empanadas that were glad we tried but we don't know that we'd get them again. All the flavors were so fun and bright and exactly what we were looking for. We sat at the bar, and the staff was super friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was cozy but hustle bustle so it made for a really nice experience. Can't wait to be back! read more

See all

This place was suggested by a colleague and sure enough it was in the top places that Yelp recommended as well. It is located in downtown and right on the corner. Inside is well arranged and has a nice ambiance! The food was good but what stood out was the margaritas!! Our waiter said they were #1 in town for Margaritas and that definitely felt right once we tasted ours. Their Guacamole was fresh and tasty. I think the best way to go is to order Tacos. We loved Falafel tacos, Machette Quesadilla was great in presentation but OK in taste. Peruvian chicken was flavorful and a large portion too. Overall service was kind of OK. When we asked for our 2nd Margarita they got busy and I guess the waiter made it and it wasn't as great as the first one. Hope they will not cut corners to get by busy times like this. read more

See all

Best hot sauce I've ever had and best taco salad i ever had! Solid margs as well. I had to buy a couple bottles of hot sauce and I will be back for more read more

Was excited to try this spot as the menu reads well. We ordered the steak tacos for the kids and shared the shrimp ceviche, elote, and steak plate. All were horrible. Elote was hard/cold and difficult to prepare with the toppings. Steak plate: steak was a poor grade of beef, ordered medium rare and came medium well; "potatoes" were essentially frozen Cisco fries unseasoned. Shrimp ceviche was just okay...no chips and lacked flavor. Steak tacos: same grade of steak and was poorly prepared. Tres leches: overly sweet, poor texture and taste. For the price of the meal, do not recommend. read more

Came for late dinner Friday night. There were a lot of people waiting for seats by the door but since I was by myself got a seat at the bar immediately. Got the mojo shrimp plate, it was good, not amazing. The bar didn't have that much choice for non-alcoholic drinks besides soda and jarritos. I asked if they had a chicha morada (peruvian purple corn drink) and the server has never heard of it. I've had better peruvian food in other cities, this is ok. Service was good and food arrived fast. read more

Food and service were wonderful! The guacamole was excellent and paired perfectly with the tacos! HINT: use their hot sauce on the tacos!!

The Old Guys Pub Crawl loves this place. Everything was good. Young Obie, the youngest old guy crawling with the group, forgot his teeth so he just drank beer. He's not a pretty man but he's a happy guy and Corto Lima made him happy. Happy 70th Obie. read more

Horrible: It started with all the wait staff standing around the computer area eating laughing and talking and not paying any attention to the customers, we waited over 10 min for the waitress to come take our drink order. Then came the food. The triple salsa and chips... Chips were not bad and the pineapple salsa was ok, while the other two salsas were lacking in flavor and spice. We both got the nachos and I added steak to mine. Again everything was slow and lacking in flavor. I can say without a doubt this was one of the worst places I have been. read more

So glad we stopped in for happy hour! And thrilled we found a happy hour that happens every day of the week. This place is so bright and cute and the servers are so nice. Everything was delicious! We intended on only staying for a drink and a small bite, but we were hooked and kept ordering. I was in a wine mood, but my boyfriend loved their margarita slush. We both enjoyed their nachos with chicken and went for some queso and chicken tacos after that. Highly recommend this spot! So good and such great value too! read more

See all

Great place for a night out. Drinks are fantastic, food is great and servers are attentive. Ambience also great with nice music and cozy atmosphere inside. read more

See all

John Bernard at Corto Lima recommended Anti-Cochu which was amazing with my Brazilian margarita. He then recommended the Tres Leche and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!! when you go, take a pass on the menu & just ask for John's recommendation. cooked to perfection as ordered and terrific service!! read more

Corto Lima - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

See all

A fun and festive atmosphere with Latin food! The drinks were delicious (we sat at the bar). We ordered empanadas two different styles. Everything was tasty. Definitely a popular spot! read more

See all

Underwhelmed by this place. Popped in, had a couple of drinks and some food. Food wasn't great, the selection is small. I had their happy hour nachos and they were just kind of a greasy chewy mess (I added steak). The thing comes piled into a cardboard box so toppings just aren't distributed evenly and it's hard to eat. We had some kind of berry margarita, also pretty meh. My wife had the civiche and she said she did enjoy that, so maybe it's not all bad. Prices are also pretty steep for the overall quality IMO. I don't mind paying the prices they want, I just expect better overall quality. read more

I tell you hwhat, this place is the bees knees. Killer tapas style, great chips and drinks, packed all the time, and really makes you feel like you're in a small cantina. Highly recommend for date night, birthday, night out, cocktails, break ups, solo dinner, business. Just go read more

Are you ready for an experience from a James Beard recipient? This place does not disappoint. I arrive by myself and the place is bustling. There is one spot available at the bar. I love watching them make the drinks and talk to the customers. It is busy but happy vibe. The house margarita is amazing. I ask the bartender what is giving it a smooth but slightly sweet flavor and am told it is a mixture of fresh lime juice and maple syrup. So good! I get the queso and chips and the blue corn empanadas. Everything is absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. I highly recommend!!! read more

See all

The food is very delicious and the drinks are great. You can't go wrong with either the mojito or margaritas. The service is always great. It is a rather small place but is always packed. Great all around. read more

See all

First time here ... food was exceptional... I had the Masa Falafel Taco Drinks were nicely balanced and perfectly prepared ... I had a Mojito and Mezcal Margarita Leah the server was attentive, warm, and insightful Beautiful interior with cool vibe read more

Corto Lima - Masa Falafel Taco - Latin American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

See all

Love their unique dishes! Also delicious Margarita slush drinks. The specials are usually unique and delicious!

The food at Corto Lima was so delicious and flavorful! We arrived and our group of three was seated within 15 minutes - the host and our servers were very kind and attentive! The ambiance inside is very trendy and has touches of Latin American flare in the decor. We ordered several drinks including non alcoholic (any of their cocktails can be made virgin which is nice!). The food came out quickly and was delightful, I look forward to coming back again! read more

See all