Restaurants in Lexington

Every day at all of El Nopal’s locations, cooks whip up fresh batches of salsa, chips, and beans. The sauces and sides accent chicken or beef chimichangas, handmade tamales, and nachos smothered in cheese. All El Nopal locations offer complimentary chips and salsa with every meal, and some locations have outdoor seating areas. Performances by live bands at select locations serve as a pleasant distraction from meals, unlike a judge with highfalutin ideas about not eating in court.

At Taj India Indian Restaurant, chefs pride themselves on their expertly seasoned sauces and "off-the-pier-fresh" seafood. Traditional Indian ingredients of coriander, ginger, and clarified butter permeate curries blended with succulent chunks of lamb, chicken, or fresh cheese. Before sinking into a charcoal-fired tandoor oven, skewered meats marinate in tangy yogurt, which infuses each smoky morsel with extra juiciness. White tablecloths brush diners' knees and vestigial marsupial pouches as they slide into cushy black booths or tables, where sips of Indian beers such as Kingfisher or Maharaja help cleanse palates between bites.:m]]

Inside Masala Indian Restaurant’s kitchen, chefs infuse a savory mix of spices, or masala, into their halal and kosher Indian dishes. They roast marinated bits of chicken and skewers of minced lamb in a tandoor-style clay oven, and bake eight types of indian bread whenever the absorbent accompaniments are ordered by customers or demanded by a booming voice in the sky. Other table-toppers include more than a dozen vegetarian dishes brimming with fresh vegetables, homemade cheese, and lentils.

Bolstered by a consistent stream of media praise, including a spotlight in the Daily Bruin in 2011, Extreme Pizza's thrill-seeking founders channel their penchant for outdoor adventure into a menu of healthy, creative pizzas. Their chefs slice veggies and twirl dough each day before molding pizzas such as the Paia Pie, a smorgasbord of hawaiian pineapple, canadian bacon, and mandarin oranges atop a bed of mozzarella and cheddar. The website conveniently displays approximate calorie counts to accommodate diets and phobias of eating foods containing prime numbers.

Patrons can carryout take and bake pizzas, or kids can blow through excess energy in the game area while adults scrutinize incoming broadcasts on TVs in the dining room.