Had a great lunch at El CID today! First off, they have great lunch specials and pricing if you're on a budget. The food was fresh, spicy and while basic (no fancy tacos like other local taco places, but sometimes you need something simple!), very flavorful. The highlight of the meal was the Blackberry Margarita, which is easily the best Margarita I've had in Lexington! Will return for the fresh food and drink. There is room for improvement with the chips (ours were a little stale), but the salsa was fresh and delicious! Great place to try when you want something new. read more

El Cid - BlackBerry Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Decent food quality. Had the steak fajitas they were ok. The service was ok. The ambiance is ok as well. Renovated old building not so inviting. read more

Four of us walked over to El Cid for lunch today. It's straight out the front door a few yards from the entrance to UK Good Samaritan Hospital. Very convenient. Chips and salsa were brought over right away. We ordered the queso to share. That was great! I got two fajita tacos with Buffalo chicken & carnitas meats. The chicken was salty but the carnitas meat taco was balanced. I liked the sautéed peppers and onions. Opinions around the table were mixed. The ground beef wasn't high on the list. My favorite was the Barbacoa. Ambiance was festive. Service was great! read more

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El Cid is a quick service joint that is sort of a hybrid counter/table service. You order at a register when walking in, pick up drinks at the bar, and they bring your food to the table. It's not a traditional Mexican place that has free chips and salsa at the table either. That said the prices are reasonable and the food was really good. Their specials really stood out to me. Tuesday's you can get ayce tacos for $7.99 plus only $2 draft beers! Then on Wednesday's 0.85 margaritas...yes that is 85 cents. There is a limit of 2/person then regular price after but who can complain with that?? We ordered both salsa and queso but only got a single basket of chips. We really needed a small amount more chips to cover both dips so maybe ask for chips with each (not sure how or if there's a charge for that). You're basically on campus so parking is what it is. We didn't have a problem finding street parking but your mileage may vary there. I'll be back for some of those specials for sure! read more

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I didn't quite know what to expect when El Cid first popped up on Limestone in Lexington, but my sister is a regular and swore that we needed to go. When we went in, we were given menus and allowed to pick our table. We did have to go back up to the front to order when we were ready, but it was nice as a newcomer to be given the time to examine all the options, and EVERYTHING on the menu is worth considering. I appreciate that the menu shows which items can have substitutions or not and that you can choose your protein for most dishes (however the only vegetarian protein is beans & cheese). If your diet allows, the chorizo queso is a must-try! Reasonably priced for the quality and quantity of food you receive. Nice ambience and friendly staff. I'm so glad I visited while I was in town! read more

El Cid - Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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I think I just found my new Taco Tuesday spot. As much as I hate dining close to campus, this place is worth it! It's in the old Sav's location, across the street from Tin Roof, Local Taco, and other campus restaurants. Parking is street/metered parking, free on the weekends and after a certain time on weekdays. As mentioned in other reviews, they have some amazing daily specials... all you can eat beef and/or chicken tacos (up to 10) on Tuesdays. They're not sticklers with them either. They will let you order up to 10 at a time, take them to go, and even share. My daughter and son in law literally had a table full of tacos, it was insane! Each taco was stuffed, and included a hefty portion of white shredded cheese too. I had the grilled chicken chimichanga dinner. It was literally the best chimichanga I've ever had. Completely stuffed to the max with grilled chicken. The grilled chicken was flattened, thinly sliced, and seasoned to perfection. The counter service during COVID was super simple. Order at the counter, pick up your drink at the back counter, seat yourself and place your number on the table. They'll bring your food to your table, and pick up your trays after you leave. read more

I mean, it was okay? Look I love Mexican food, read my review of Taqueria Ramirez. I go into depth about what I look for. That said, I am gonna get the good out of the way. The fried fish taco was a banger and the atmosphere is great, sitting outside while music played was a good time and is what is keeping the at a two and not lower. Now that we got that out of the way, I went with some of my coworkers and ordered some Birria Tacos as recommended by my server (who also was okay, more on that in a bit). The taco itself tasted fine, but thats the issue it was just fine. The shell was crispy enough and the meat was nice and tender, but the consomé was the a disaster. The Au Gus made from the sauce/fat that the meat is cooked in was almost as clear as water, and devoid of flavor, so I ended up dunking my tacos in the salsa, which tasted good but had no heat. Our server today was super nice, I don't recall his name, and that is my fault cause I suck at remembering names. That said, he wasn't attentive much, and a couple drinks were not bring brought to table, until they were pointed out, so ya could have been better. The price of the food itself was a bit high as well, spending close to 15 dollars for three tacos ain't a good look. Its a great place to hang out, but everything else is underwhelming. I say there are better places for tacos, so ya, do with that info what you will. Final verdict is a shrug. read more

I visited El Cid at lunchtime on a whim and was pretty happy with my choice. I've never had barbacoa, and whoa, am I now a fan! I got the "Quesa-Burrito," which features barbacoa (it's marinated shredded beef), avocado, queso, for some reason French Fries, and a crispy tortilla jacket. It comes with limes, a "consume dipping sauce," and tomatillo on the side. I preferred just using lime juice on it, and it's a flavorful explosion. Could've done without the French fries, which I still find a bit absurd, but I cannot complain with the savory experience. It was too much for me to consume at once, so I took home half of it. The restaurant is colorful and not over-crowded when I visited. There is no table service; you can refill your own drinks. It featured outdoor patio seating on the side of the building. There's only street parking, so know it may necessitate driving around looking for a spot. I didn't try any mixed drinks, so I can't speak to that, but I will definitely be back for some more tasty marinated cow head. read more

El Cid - Quesa-Burrito feat. Barbacoa! - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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We walked up and were able to order carry out. There were 3 of us and all of us thought their meals were fantastic! There were several construction workers sitting around, they had ordered the tortas(sandwich) they were talking about how big and tasty they were. Also, they said they rented the top and you could have small groups in and have meetings/gatherings (when that's allowed) read more

El Cid - Burrito bowl (chicken) - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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My husband's family and I stopped at El Cid for a family dinner when we were in town for a wedding. The venue itself is cool with lots of outdoor seating - I would imagine it is harder to grab table in the winter though. They had an upstairs portion to their restaurant but it was unfortunately closed off the evening we were there. They had a good variety of drinks - I was particularly interested in the blackberry margarita but they were unable to make it while we were there. They have a decent selection of food, I ended up going with the steak street tacos. The tacos were good, but not best I've had. Would probably try ordering something different next time. Service was very good, with our waitress being very prompt and attentive. We had our food and drinks out in a very timely manner, despite being a large group of 8. read more

I usually rave about El CID but I was let down by this experience. The tortillas were not homemade like they usually are and there was way less chicken in the tacos than normal :( flavors were still okay but the tortillas were what made them so good typically. I'll give them another shot some time & hope this was just a fluke! read more

El Cid - 3 All Street Taco - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Tacos birria Awesome take out service and food was excellent. Downside No chips and salsa read more

I came here Sunday night for dinner and drinks with my friend, and we thoroughly enjoyed our food and margaritas! The service was fast, and there was plenty of seating when we were there that night. I ordered the burrito bowl and a giant frozen margarita. Their burrito bowl was super good! Highly recommend this spot to whoever is visiting Lexington and wants Mexican food. read more

We love going here. This is a great place to eat near UK's campus. They have different deals for every day of the week, and the food and drinks are great. We love to come and grab a margarita with some tacos every once in a while. The food and service never disappoints! read more

El Cid - Frozen and on-the-rocks raspberry margaritas with a sugar rim. - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Attempted to have a beer a dinner with my wife last night, but ended up leaving out of frustration. They will have to make major improvements to the method in which food/drinks are ordered, food is served, and payment methods. It took us over 25 minutes just to get a beer and Bloody Mary. Found beer selection to be very poor, (menu just says "beer'), draft beer system "broken", and finally ended up with a warm bottle of Dos Equis. Bloody Mary was spicy beyond reason. The ordering method has you standing in the front entrance of the restaurant, mixed in with people getting takeout, placing food orders, etc. When I asked what beer they had, I actually had to go behind the counter and look at his computer screen. Halfway through this process, the guy left to go seat someone. Never got to the food, but I can say the table across from us returned everything and asked for a refund, the table behind us asked twice for a side order and never received. Table in front of us had to actually go up to the bar and get his beer after it sat on the counter for ten minutes. All and all, not a good experience and no way they will sustain business without coming up with a system. read more

We tried to call El Cid today to place a to go order. No one answered the phone, so I was a little skeptical. My wife had heard good things from her co workers, so I decided we would try to go in person. Worst case scenario, we can scoot over to the new Sav's location instead. Am I ever glad we did. Their menu had a decent amount of choices, but with customization options it seemed like there were a crazy number of choices. I was intrigued by the Quesa-Burrito with carnitas and was not disappointed. We ordered to go, and this thing filled the whole to go styrofoam tray, end to end. The carnitas meat was flavorful and fresh, the fries inside were crispy but soft inside, and the avocado finished it out perfectly. The tortilla shell itself was salty and cheesy, it all worked perfectly together. And now I can't move. We decided to picnic this lunch at the Arboretum, and I'm not sure how we're going to get home now without my wife rolling me there by hand. read more

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I ordered a chicken & a steak street taco. The food came out super fast. I was born & raised in Arizona so I'm a bit of a Mexican food snob. These street tacos were pretty dang good for Kentucky. Definitely going to come back & try some other things on the menu! read more

El Cid - Ordered a chicken & a steak street taco. - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

The food was scrumptious and flavorful!! I definitely had a great lunch! Beautiful atmosphere and super friendly staff. Recommend going there for sure read more

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It's open!! $0.85 margaritas all day on Wednesday. Some items on the menu are discounted by $1.50 from 11a-3p, Monday- Friday. If you pick up a sombrero with your cashier you get a $5 rum bucket pitcher on Thursdays. They offer to-go. There's a good amount of sitting space. They were a little scattered when I ordered, but there was no long wait and I was really taken care of. All of the food that I watched come out looked good, there's a decent variety selection! All employees were very kind. The space was very clean. Restrooms are in the back corner and very visible. No wifi, a small bar, but also kid friendly. Fun colored atmosphere. Open 11am-10pm Monday- Friday. read more

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The atmosphere and service of this place is good. Unfortunately food wasn't good. Meat texture all mushy, consome barely had flavor. read more

El Cid - Inside of quesa-taco, at the beginning I couldn't tell if it was beans with meat or barbacoa (shredded beef). - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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I had an amazing time at El Cid! My friends and I were seeking something yummy at a late hour and were delighted to find that El Cid was still open at 11pm. Since it was late, I decided to get something small and just ordered the chips and queso. The serving of queso was quite large and was enough to share with friends, plus they brought out more chips as often as we needed them. I also enjoyed a Dulce Margarita which was topped with yummy rainbow candy and had a sweet kick to it. Finally, the atmosphere of the place was great. The dim, colorful lights give it a colorful finish and the music makes it fun. Our waitress was also very kind and fun and welcomed us to come again. I'll definitely be following her suggestion! read more

Well, this one is better than the one on National. Not by much. I ordered steak quesadilla again. Wasn't burnt but one shake of the salt shaker away from a salt lick. Just not worth the money to me. Still could do better at Taco Bell or most definitely Casa Cafe in Richmond. Sorry to the owners but this food on my opinion is just not worth it. read more

You really need to try this place out. The birria tacos were insane. It would remind you of a pot roast taco. Shredded beef slow cooked all day, then they dip the shell in the juices and throw it on the flat top. They then add some liquid gold, aka white gooey cheese and toast it all up. So delicious and priced perfect- tons of food per order. We will definitely be back!! read more

Margaritas were no bueno. Couldn't even finish it. Queso was liquid. No salsa with chips. Hostess was a sweetheart but otherwise we don't recommend. read more

Maybe low volume on music This location is more for college crowd not a family sit down place Food is good read more

The food is amazing. Loved the torta. Easily enough for two. The ramen was amazing. Really everything is great . A much richer flavor than other Mexican restaurants. Maybe this is real Mexican versus Tex-Mex. was here twice this week!!' read more

Great food. The torta is stellar. Large portions. They are doing a great job during this pandemic.

This was my second visit to El-CID and unfortunately it was worse than my first. Paid 9.53 for two tacos (they forgot to include the side of beans) and waited over 30 minutes for my to-go order during lunch :( read more

I was hoping this place would be good as they are opening another location by house. It did not disappoint - the food was really good! We tried the street tacos, the nachos, and the chimichanga. All were tasty and solid choices. We had it delivered and it arrived really quickly. Can't wait to have an El Cid within walking distance! read more

El Cid, a place you need to visit if your in Lexington and in the Limestone are! Fast service, hopping atmosphere, great food. What else could you ask for? If you're reading this you and wonder if you should try it out. Yes, you need to head on over and get yourself some El Cid! They have a great Taco Tuesday and awesome specials everyday! read more

So good! Try any of the speciality tacos! Can't believe this is right on campus. They even have .85 cent margs on Wednesday's! They have the tables spaced out due to covid. The place is clean and very nice. Perfect for lunch or casual dinner. read more

Great service and the food is awesome!! It's our new go to when it comes to Mexican food. Really looking forward to trying more items!

They had great food and had a very short wait time for our food. The margaritas were excellent. We went on a Friday night and it had a good crowd and nice atmosphere read more

Delicious and authentic street tacos made with the best corn tortillas I have ever had (and I don't usually even like corn tortillas - these were fresh, warm and slightly crispy). If you get the 2 or 3 taco plate, you can mix and match with several meats including steak, carnitas, al pastor, etc. FYI it does take a bit longer for your food because they're cooking it to order and it's not Taco Bell. Recommend going for lunch when you have the afternoon off, so you can enjoy the food coma afterwards. read more

Came for the torta, stayed for the margs. Margs are made strong and are v tasty, and they are 85 cents a pop on Wednesdays. Food was good, reasonably priced with large portions. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, I will be back! read more

Let me start by saying this place is vegetarian friendly. I came in with a group of friends and we all placed our orders upon walking in. I explained to the person taking orders that I am vegetarian and after reviewing the menu, I picked the burrito bowl and explicitly requested no meat. You pay before you receive your food. We had to wait a while for the food and I had to remind the server that I had ordered margaritas, as everyone else at my table received theirs and I hadn't. When our food finally arrived to the table, I took a few bites before I found the meat in my food. After looking more closely, I noticed it wasn't just one piece, but many small pieces. I believe the rice was cooked with meat, something I feel as though I should have been warned of when I placed my order. I didn't feel comfortable requesting a new plate as I knew the service would be slow and I didn't want my friends to wait on me. Needless to say, I paid and tipped for food I wasn't able to eat. read more

We ordered El Cid for delivery through Door Dash recently and were pleasantly surprised. This is our second time ordering from them and the first experience was not so great. The first time we ordered, we didn't get more than half our meal, and what we did get was incorrect and cold. Figuring that the first experience could have been an issue with the delivery driver or just a fluke, we decided to try again. I'm glad we did. This time, we got our full order and we got it quickly, so it was still warm. I got a dinner chimichanga with veggies (peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc) and my boyfriend got the American tacos with chicken. We also got chips and queso as well as chips and salsa. It was all very tasty. I was particularly fond of the queso...it was very good. I was a little bothered by having to pay for chips and salsa when other Mexican restaurants include that for free, but I'm not going to hold that against them...it wasn't expensive at all. The food was good, though not my favorite in Lexington by far. However it was good enough that we'll definitely order it again. Overall, it was a good experience. read more

El Cid - A veggie Dinner Chimichanga from El Cid. - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I was hoping we'd like this new restaurant and I was not disappointed! I ordered the chicken enchiladas with the red sauce and that's prob what I'll always order I loved them! The sauce was so good. Someone else order them with the green sauce and loved them. Another buddy got the street tacos and fries and I ordered a tamale just because I'd never had one and our table really liked it also. So everyone was very satisfied ! We will be frequent guest. Thank you El CID read more

This places food is absolutely amazing but i will say at there new location on national ave that they need to work on getting customers orders in quicker I was sitting in line for almost 45 minutes and there was only maybe 10 people in front of me! The person at the register was more into talking then getting people orders in she kept leaving and coming back! Just was kind of annoying. but I'm not gonna let that take away from how good the food and drinks were! Some of the service there was excellent there some employees I could see working there butts off! But I'm giving them 5 stars based in the food and drinks! read more

Amazing food and tons of it. Great food for the $. Highly recommend. We had the Chorizoqueso for an appetizer and it was fantastic. The Queso Burrito was over a foot long! read more