‘Another one of our childhood places gone’: Oldest Lexington Tex-Mex restaurant closes

A legendary Lexington restaurant, open since the 1970s, has closed, apparently for good.

The oldest surviving location of Taco Tico at 1483 Boardwalk, just off New Circle Road on the city’s north side, has closed permanently.

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As word on the closure spread, fans began lamenting online, saying “another one of our childhood places gone.”

A sign on the door on Aug. 23 said, “To our Taco Tico Boardwalk Guests, We are sad to announce that our Taco Tico Boardwalk location in now permanently closed. ... We appreciate our loyal guest for your many years of support at Boardwalk.”

Lee Greer of The Greer Companies, which bought into the chain in 2019 and began an expansion in the city, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is the second Taco Tico location to close in less than a year. On Aug. 31, 2023, a relatively new location on Southland Drive closed.

Only one location at 3110 Pimlico Parkway remains.

Historic Lexington restaurant

The location on the north side opened in the 1970s. Taco Tico, which opened in Lexington in 1973, is thought to be the city’s first fast-food Mexican joint, preceding Taco Bell in Lexington by more than a decade (the first Taco Bell location opened here in 1986, according to a 2016 column by former Herald-Leader writer Cheryl Truman.)

At one time there were several Taco Tico locations scattered around the city and some served alcohol.

Taco Tico part of Lexington childhood

In 2019, Greer said he’d “had a passion for (Taco Tico) since childhood,” something that he shares with many in Fayette County.

“We are delighted to be part of the Taco Tico family. I remember going to Taco Tico as a kid, and I always loved the food and fun, friendly environment,” said Greer, Greer Companies president, in 2019. “Taco Tico is truly all about the taste and has a long history of providing fresh, high quality food at a reasonable price.”

First Tex-Mex fast food in Lexington

While many might not consider Taco Tico anything special by today’s standards of Mexican food, or even fast food, back in the early 1970s it made a big impression on many in Lexington and even Eastern Kentucky out-of-towners.

It gave Lexington a taste of Tex-Mex, but not with so much spice that those unfamiliar with jalapenos were put off.

The seasoned beef that was in everything including the taco burger (taco filling on a bun) was made with seasoning from chain headquarters in Wichita, Kansas. The prices were cheap, with a combo meal less than $10, so kids could eat there, and it was fast, something increasingly important to busy families.

Taco Tico locations, when they opened

An ad published in the Lexington Herald and the Lexington Leader in 1968 solicited interested investors, saying “The next big food franchise will be in the “TACO” business,” and for those able to invest $6,000 “profits of $15,000 a year are available.”

According to newspaper archives, the first location was opened in the spring of 1973 at 1466 Village Dr., just of Versailles Road by Robert J. Hassur. Ads in the paper touted “MEXICAN FOOD ALWAYS IN SEASON ... SEASONED TO PLEASE.”

But in July, that location was involved in stories of a different kind: A manhunt for a kidnap/rape/armed robbery suspect, who robbed the Taco Tico restaurant at gunpoint after abducting a woman elsewhere.

In 1974, second Taco Tico opened at 2213 Richmond Rd., and a third at 575 New Circle Road was on the way. A fourth, at 160 Moore Dr., was added in 1975. A fifth location opened at 1155 Centre Parkway in 1976.

The 1483 Boardwalk location, then dubbed “the Newest Arch in Town” in an ad, opened in 1978.

By the 1980s, locations around Lexington were closing; of the original Taco Tico restaurants, only the Boardwalk one remained.

Greer Companies added the Pimlico Parkway location 2020 and then the Southland Drive location later that year.

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