Restaurants in Lexington

Eric Leon has been wrapping enchiladas and simmering the spices of traditional Mexican cuisine since he was 12 years old. Now, he helms a team of chefs as they bury crispy chimichangas beneath mounds of melted cheese, serve heaps of shrimp and bell peppers in a still-sizzling skillet, and marinate chunks of chicken in a dark, chocolaty mole sauce. Authentic dishes such as these have earned San Jose Mexican Restaurant its spot as Columbia’s Best Mexican Restaurant according to Columbia Metropolitan readers. The eatery’s popularity also stems from the lively environs: the glow of TVs and video games flicker off brick walls, and occasional live music encourages syncopated chewing.

Bucky’s BBQ owner Wayne Preston honed his craft at a young age, spending boyhood afternoons in his father’s meat-packing plant and Wednesday nights preparing suppers for his local church. Word about Wayne’s saucy ribs and pulled pork spread shortly after he founded his own roadside barbecue stand, forcing him—like the barbecue-sauce barons of years past—to expand his operations to new frontiers. Today, each of Bucky’s four locations fashions heaping plates of never-frozen Boston butt, tender chicken, and St. Louis–style ribs in the traditional country style: hand-rubbed with secret seasonings and slow-cooked over a smoky fire of hickory chips. Five house-made sauces garnish slices of juicy meat served alongside traditional sides of baked beans, coleslaw, and sweet potatoes. When they aren’t dishing out meals in the restaurant, Bucky’s tireless staff serves parties, formal events, weddings, and flash mobs as large as 1,500 people with fully catered barbecue feasts.

When it comes to nightly entertainment, Joe's Underground Cafe fulfills plenty of pub requisites: trivia, poker, live music, and pint glasses brimming with domestic and imported beer. Although many of its dishes, such as Philly-style cheesesteaks and chicken wings, evoke classic pub grub, the cafe's culinary team doesn’t limit itself. Chefs cater to more refined palates with almond-topped baked brie, whip up comfort foods such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches filled with banana, and prepare homemade desserts.

The warm, no-frills bar sits at the bottom of hard-to-spot stairs, located beneath Augusta's SRP Federal Credit Union but still high above the city's subterranean mutant population.

Chefs at Delhi Palace craft each piece of clay-oven-baked bread from scratch, evincing an attention to detail that helped earn them the title of Best Indian Restaurant 2010 from readers of the Free Times. Plain, topped with garlic, or stuffed with peppers or potatoes, this bread soaks up sauces from goat, lamb, and seafood dishes on the à la carte menu, and also pairs with vegetarian dishes formed from housemade cheese or roasted eggplants. In addition, lunch and dinner buffets lay out traditional dishes under the dark wood arches, ivory-painted columns, and Indian-style murals of the dining room.

Ismael and Silvia Villegas have been snipping off sprigs of cilantro and squeezing limes onto tacos inside Casa Linda Mexican Restaurant's kitchens since 1993. Beneath decorations such as papel picado and piñatas, staples such as chicken in mole sauce and tacos al pastor join specialties such as the Pollo Loco, a chicken breast topped with cream sauce and a medley of squash and other vegetables. The restaurant also shakes and blends specialty cocktails such as açaí cosmos and superfruit margaritas.

Carolina Deli has stood on the frontlines of the lunchtime rush for more than three decades, furnishing empty belly space with fresh sandwiches, salads, house-made sweets, and freshly brewed iced tea. Owners Travis and Melanie Mooney prevail over the homey, family-operated eatery, where Midlands munchers flock five days a week to tackle the shop's diverse menu with their mouths. Carolina Deli's specialty sandwiches, such as the Eagle, stuffed with roast beef, turkey, and bacon, challenge jaw-stretching capabilities with hefty stacks of meats and veggies, and the deli allows diners to design their own meaty, handheld creations. Luncheons, corporate events, and weddings can also treat taste buds to a catered Carolina Deli spread, including an optional, 3-foot tall chocolate fountain, in which guests can dip fruit or "accidentally" drop a penny into before diving in to retrieve it.