We wanted a qucik dinner while we were visiting Lexington. We stumbled upon El Gran Tako and were suprised how much we liked it! The queso and chips were great and we loved the salsa bar. It was nice to be able to chose which salsas you wanted. The steak burrito I had might've been the best i've ever had. The steak was juicy and cooked well. The birria tacos were stuffed with meat and the consume was flavorful! I wish this was in Cincinnati as I would go all the time! read more

El Gran Tako - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Good service, cute location! They have stepped it up at the bar and the food is delicious as well with many options for everyone. read more

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Food was great service was terrible. Very slow like they didn't care. The guacamole was excellent and even though poor service would go again due to food being so good read more

Food was meh, just an average spot for some cheap sit down Mexican. Maybe a good spot for some Margs. Service was nice, a little slow for nobody being in there though. read more

food was really good and it wasn't to pricey at all i got steak tacos and they were delicious

I've heard of so many good Mexican restaurants over off of Lane Allen, so we decided to try this one for lunch and it was very good. They brought us chips and salsa. I love the salsa because it's not too spicy. We ordered queso, and it was your traditional white cheese. We then decided to try the tacos. So we got one chicken, and one birria. We also ordered a side of refried beans. I love the fresh salsa that they use on the tacos. They also have a hot sauce bar with several varieties of hot sauce to choose from. Prices are reasonable and we will definitely go back for dinner. Also, the Service was great, very friendly, bartender, and waitress. read more

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We stopped here for lunch. It has been some time since we have been here. lunch service was fast and food was very tasty. Servings was a good size and very festive decor read more

El Gran Tako - Chicken burrito - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I was returning from a wonderful bike ride with my brother at the Red River Gorge. We desired to gas up and get some calories in us. This was close and sounded tasty. Getting into the restaurant from the street was a nightmare. I abhor traffic and the road in front of this place is horrific. Once I got into the restaurant I was shocked by how small it was. We quickly got seated and my brother an i both ordered the first thing we saw on the menu. As we sat there our expectations started to raise higher and higher. It was clear this place was the real deal. We could here Spanish bot only in the kitchen but also being spoken to customers. I ordered a burrito de asada. And received it pretty promptly. The plating was utterly delightful. Showing the gorgeous innards of the burrito and the utter craft of the mad lad making this art. The beans, something I usually skip, were delectable and clearly made from scratch along with the rice. The rice was a slight let down but still awesome. The burrito was as good as I could ask for. The cheese was great and the burrito wasn't smothered so I could actually appreciate the grill marks. Just as I finished my meal I heard the best sign of a truly fantastic Mexican mom and pop restaurant. There was a smoke detector beeping for a dead battery. While this might sound like a bad thing this is in fact one of the best signs for the quality of a Mexican restaurant. I do not make the rules it just is what it is. The only thing this joint is missing is a child watching Spanish YouTube on a tablet. I highly recommend this restaurant. Great food at a good price read more

El Gran Tako - Burrito de Asada - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

El Gran Tako sits on Alexandria in the area known as Little Mexico. I had a taco craving and, being on that side of town, I thought I'd give this place a try. I had to ease up on the tortilla chips and the chunky salsa. You know you can't eat just a few. The tacos, Al Pastor and Carne Asada were very good. A gentleman, the owner or manager I assumed, stopped by my table to ask if everything was to my liking. Another stop on the Taco Trail! read more

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lwith four people for taco week. Service was excellent; fish taco was excellent; Queso Birria taco was better than excellent. All four in our group thought the Queso Birria was amazing. We felt the consomme put it over the top. It was so $&@! dang good we ordered more. Resturant was clean. read more

El Gran Tako - Queso Berria Taco and Fish Taco - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Best Mexican restaurant in the city. Took the family here for a Saturday lunch. Blown away by the flavor and freshness of the meals. We all shared tacos, a mega torta, and a chimichanga. Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them. They're all awesome. I kept trying the chicken tacos, then the steak, and then the pork, trying to discern a winner. Sometimes, everybody wins. And with these tacos, that's definitely true. They're all top notch, and the tortillas are tasty as all get out too. The chimichanga might be the best I've ever eaten. They season and spice the chicken in it, where other Mexican restaurants either don't or do so sparingly. It totally takes the chimichanga to another, superior level. And they've got more torta choices than any restaurant I've ever been too. We went with one of the mega tortas, and wow! It's like they throw anything and everything in that thing, and somehow it comes out tasting like heaven. Now, the service is not quick by any standard. You'd better schedule an hour (or maybe more) for a meal. But I don't see a reason to go anywhere else in Lexington for Mexican food. Delicioso! read more

El Gran Tako - Tortas so good they'll make you sing. Look at the size of that thing! - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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The Gran Tako isn't the best in town. The asada meat is very dry and they charge 3.75 a taco and hardly no meat. The best Gran Tako is located on New Circle rd. read more

We ate here tonight after attending day of the dead at the Lexington Arts Center. We ordered a steak burrito and Tako Loco! The food was excellent and I love their chips and salsa! The food came out exceptionally fast. Our meal was under $15.00 not including the tip we left. The restaurant is not fancy but has a nice casual atmosphere. read more

El Gran Tako - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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I've been here since they first opened and they're always so amazingly good. Everything is so clean. The waitresses are super friendly and food is always delicious. read more

El Gran Tako - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

This place is wonderful! My wife had the fish tacos; while I had the alambres. Both were excellent. The table salsa is okay. We asked for salsa verde and it was very good. The portion sizes are large and the prices are very reasonable. Best of all, the food is excellent. Big bold flavors, quality ingredients and full of love. read more

El Gran Tako - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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This is a good place to go if you are looking for your typical Mexican dinner. There is some language barrier as many waitresses and staff speak mostly Spanish. The restaurant is overall very clean. Chips and salsa are complimentary, but it was hard to get a refill. The food was ok. Their burritos weren't my favorite I don't recommend them, but the tacos are very good. They have very authentic drinks however no liquor such as margs. Their drinks unless it's beer is non alcoholic. Overall I wasn't wowed or thought it was any different then the other Mexican restaurant in town. read more

I visited El Gran Tako during Taco Week and tried both the pastor and barbacoa tacos. Both were just OK. However the salsa was excellent. Service was good as well so it maybhe worth visiting again and trying something from their regular menu. read more

El Gran Tako - Pastor and barbacoa tacos with a Victoria beer - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

A quick trip south-of-the-border without a passport! Authentic atmosphere, mostly in Spanish where a warm welcome always waits for an authentic Mexican meal! With the meal, there is the expected and the unexpected put together with a grandmother's care. Chips and Salsa: Complimentary (usual) salsa is made with habanero peppers (wonderfully unusual) Red and green cream salsa's as a side with any meal, and spicy hot and good! Great Mexican food! read more

El Gran Tako - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

First time here...went on a whim and was not disappointed. May need to brush up on my Spanish to truly feel like I know the menu. I had the fajita with steak, Chicken, shrimp, and pineapples. My boyfriend had the steak Chimicanga. Portions well very large had to take to go boxes as we're the beverages. Be careful with the sauces they bring with chips not for the faint of heart! Almost gave a four because my queso Blanco was runny. But it was still pretty good. Our server was very sweet and friendly. Will definitely come back!! read more

El Gran Tako - Yummy!!! - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

My new favorite Mexican restaurant. This is by no means Americanized Mexican food. I had a combination of 4 different street style tacos. Very unique and yummy. They have about 10 to choose from. They also have a huge variety of Tortas or Mexican sandwiches. Plus a full menu of other authentic Mexican food. Service was prompt and courteous. 5 stars. read more

Absolutely delicious food, with large portions, and delicious deserts. We often take guests from out of town here as it is some of the best Lexington has to offer. The staff are polite and friendly, and the food comes out fairly quick. As I live nearby and it is right near my barber's and supermarket, I eat there reasonably often. It is a great spot to watch soccer, and the inside is usually tidy. There is free chips and salsa, which is always very delicious. I have enjoyed their tacos and burritos, but my favorite is the fajitas they serve. I also love the plantains for desert. It is located in an area of Lexington that is home to many people of hispanic and latin american descent, so the food is very authentic, however many staff members speak limited English. I don't mind, because I like the chance to practice my Spanish, but it may be an issue for some. I definitely recommend. My only complaint is that it is often quite dark inside, and can be loud. read more

I have fond memories of El Gran Tako, ordering a whole chicken and a pitcher of pineapple agua fresca back when the walls were clad in risqué posters of soccer bikini girls and soccer season calendars. The changes in decor suit the place better now. We were quickly seated and we ordered a large piña colada agua fresca ($3) and I ordered 2 tacos Al Pastor, 1 Tripa and 1 Longaniza (sausage). The food came out in about 10 minutes. The Al Pastor was really good! Not the best I've had, but I've been blessed to have amazing Al Pastor, so I won't hold that against them. I did, however, really appreciate then including actual, fresh pineapple with the taco. The Tripa was also very good! It was very crispy, which is good for Tripa to ensure cleanliness. The Longaniza was also really good, sausage like this and chorizo just aren't my favorite. Everything on their menu looked great! 1 star deduction for really slow service between getting our food and paying. I felt ignored for a good 20 minutes as I tried to get our check and pay, other than that El Gran Tako makes a truly good taco and is worth the stop! read more

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1 star service, 4 star food... I visited El Gran Tako based solely off the good Yelp reviews. The restaurant is small and we were seated quickly. Menu is in Spanish but can be roughly translated using the descriptions. There are no vegetarian options so I ordered a burrito and they removed the meat (price remains); my friend picked a steak burrito. Both were served with rice, cheese, and beans. My burrito was filled with grilled veggies but they weren't cooked through which was unappealing. My friend said his steak was yummy. If you follow my reviews, you'll know my boyfriend orders ceviche ANYWHERE. He raved about El Gran Tako's. The ceviche was served on a Tostado and he said they were delicious and very authentic. The service was NOT good. The wait for drinks was over 10 minutes and our waitress never checked back with us after our food was brought. We never got a check. I walked to the back after waiting and asked how to pay. The hostess said she could take me right there and just charged me. I wasn't able to see a check which made me uneasy because I always double check that it is correct. It is possible I'll return, I just wish they were more attentive to their customers! read more

El Gran Tako - Burrito with no meat! grilled green peppers, onions, cheese and rice - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Awesome authentic tacos! Try the Al pastor, lengua and carnitas! Great service and atmosphere read more

El Gran Tako - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I always like this location- good service overall and plenty of food! One of my favorite places in Lexington read more

El Gran Tako - Fish and shrimp caldo - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Lots of tables and fast service, so it's easy to pop in and get a great meal quickly. Food was delicious and filling, and the margaritas were bomb. Prompt service and overall the perfect place to grab some good Mex and margs!! read more

This use to be my go to place pre Covid, but i agree with some other people the recipes have changed and the quality isnt as good as it use to be. The frozen Margaritas are huge here thats the only thing i can reccommend at this point. Sad to see my favorite mexican resteraunt go down hill like this. read more

First time back in a while. The wait was about 10-15 minutes to order and another 20 for the food.It was busy, so I figured maybe the kitchen was just overwhelmed. First we tried the Torta.My son loves them. This is my first time having one of these amazingly huge sandwiches. Unfortunately, mine came with more mayonnaise than meat. I sent it back for a try at the burrito which I'd had trouble finishing in the past. Of course, needed El Gran's Brava Asada variation. What came out next was equally underwhelming, with cold beans inside the burrito I ate half and left it at that. Well, I am disappointed not sure why the kitchen was so terrible and miserly with preparation. read more

This El Gran Tako has the same menu as their other location on New Circle Rd. I found the Alexandria location a few years ago when in the shopping center for something else, and have just now gotten around to dining here. They didn't have a yelp page so I was unsure if it still existed. Anyway, glad I dropped in because the food is GREAT! I had the barbacoa platter. There was enough meat to make several tacos, beans and rice and a small lettuce salad. The best part was the salsa they bring to your table. It was warm, and spicy, and very very good. One of the best salsas I've ever had. They also bring bottles of red and green hot sauce for tacos. Another favorite. Next time I will try the lamb soup. It looks like it's only available on the weekends, as it was listed as a weekend special. This is a great place if you are just looking to have authentic Mexican Takos, or if you are looking for a full meal with great chips and salsa! read more

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I was very very excited to try this taqueria, I love some good and authentic tacos. The tacos were good, but they probably would have tasted better had customer service been more professional and friendly (being kind is free). We drove an hour and half to get these tacos, so the hype around them was high! We got there and ordered take out (due to COVID-19), we ordered EIGHTEEN tacos, which was around $60. Decent amount of money and food. When my mom was on the phone with the "gentleman", he told her to "calm down, calm down, I just asked you a question" in a rude manner, although no one wasn't not calm....his demeanor was rude. After waiting 20 mintues for our food, we went in and got it. Returned to the vehicle only to find we received 4 small containers of salsa.....for eighteen tacos? Naturally, I wanted to go in and ask for more before we started our drive back to home. I go in and a man "greeted" me by asking how many would be eating, I explained to him i just wanted to get more salsa for our tacos....he said "How many more?" I replied "four" considering they are small. He replied "four?" in a rude tone questioning how many i really needed....I answered yes considering we had 18 tacos and a torta. He came back, gave me the salsa. I said "Thank you so much, have a great day!" He replied "yeah." I replied with how rude it was that he lacked any common courtesy. Food is mediocre, like I said, it probably would have been better had the interactions been more pleasant. Below is a picture for size reference of the salsa given to us. read more

El Gran Tako - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I'm Mexican. Come and eat here. That's all that needs to be said lol they for sure have the best tacos de al pastor anywhere within a 300 mile radius. Also their tortas are great. And put salsa verde on everything! read more

El Gran Tako - Tacos tacos tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Amazing food and amazing service! I got the Takos de Barbacoa, Pastor and Birria and they were all so delicious! It was such a great atmosphere in the restaurant and I plan on returning soon! read more

If you are indecisive then you are going to have the simultaneously worst and best experience at El Gran Tako. There are so many options and they are all delicious. Even though you might take forever to pick your tacos, you never regret your choices, unless you cannot handle spicy foods. My mouth was definitely burning, but I chose the taco with hot peppers (I do not remember the name of that taco) then did not get any water. Anyway, support this restaurant because I am actually flabbergasted that places like Local Taco get more attention when they are less authentic, more expensive, and not as amazing! read more

Tried this place awhile back at the suggestion of co-workers. Was not disappointed! The food was really good, cooked well, not greasy, had more than enough flavor and spice. It wasn't your typical bland American Mexican food that feels greasy and horrible for you. I ordered Burrito Fajitas (Chicken) and not only was it only like $7.50, it was huge and the taste was great. It definitely helps if you have someone with you who can speak Spanish but the staff are extremely polite and friendly. Definitely coming back the next time I want good Mexican food! read more

El Gran Tako has awesome food and atmosphere. The food is packed with flavor and fresh ingredients.. I recommend the takos and burritos. The staff was attentive and friendly. Last, the owner dropped by to thank us for our business, always a great touch. read more

Decided to go because of Crave Taco Week and wanted authentic tacos. El Gran Tako did not disappoint, salsa is probably best in town if you want authentic, they have very reasonable prices and food is very good. I had tacos, al pastor, barbacoa and tripa. The tocos had tons of meat, seasoned well and was tender. The michelada was good, several beers to chose from. Margaritas are cheap on Thursday, Bogo. read more

Came here after a plastic surgery appointment because I hadn't eaten since I left my house 5 hours earlier. I wasn't really waited on, it took pretty long for someone to even ask if i wanted a drink even after they gave me chips and salsa. Which were so good! Another group of two had been sat seconds before me and they already had their drink and food order taken by the time someone came to ask if i wanted a drink. Still, im a patient person and it didn't really bother me but they weren't busy at all so I did wonder why no one would come take my order. Was it weird that I was by myself to eat out? I would rather eat at a local restaurant than a chain ESPECIALLY when my kids aren't with me and i can actually take my time to enjoy it without a toddler meltdown. Menu had a lot of different options which was great but I'm always going to choose tacos. I had the chile relleno, pastor, asada, and birria. The relleno (cheese stuffed jalapeño) was the best, hands down. I would order just those if I come back. The birria was the second best, it came with a TON of meat and was pretty juicy. The asada and al pastor tacos were so dry i had to drown them in salsas, and I try not to do that ever. The meat was so tough on both of them but it had a bit of flavor that I could taste and it wasn't horrible so maybe if they aren't over cooked they would be better. Overall just for the chips & salsa and chile relleno tacos I'd be back. The salsa flavors were great too! I hope that with the snowy weather and the in between busy time was the reason for the lack of welcome feeling and dry food. It wasn't the worst, and wasn't the best but I'll always try something twice! read more

This place is my "go-to" for authentic Mexican in Lexington. Great tacos (I ordered lengua, tripa and chicken), menudo and fried tilapia. Other pluses in my books include: man singing Mexican karaoke at 9, the place being open until 11pm (most of Lexington closes at 10pm), frequent water refills, free chips and salsa, great homemade hot sauces, and a woman being able to come in to sell flowers to fundraise. read more

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Decent Mexican food, but too much salt on a few things, which makes me suspicious. Didn't feel great after eating it either. They do put a lot of meat in their tacos/burritos, and that is probably a positive for some people, but I had some quality concerns. I did not think this place at all lived up to the 5-star reviews. Gave them another chance and found something I like-- the pastor tacos with the pineapple! read more

Looked forward based on Yelp, but was disappointed. The menu seemed "authentic", but the service and some of the food quality was minimal. The server spoke minimal English, and the "helper" understood none. Even with pointing to the menu, one order was incorrectly taken. After being served, it took two attempts to get flatware and napkins for two of the three guests. And are refried beans more authentic when thin and watery (to the level of mistaking it for gravy)? Did like the sliced fresh radish and pickled scallion garnish and the horchata was good, but won't return. read more