Food truck turned Mexican restaurant opening off Nicholasville Road with breakfast menu

Madison Carter
·2 min read

One woman’s dream is finally coming true: Piedad Carrillo will open her own Mexican restaurant in Lexington this July.

Alongside co-owners Sergio Centeno and Maribel Reyes, Corrillo is opening La Doña — an authentic Mexican restaurant and food truck spin off.

Eager to share her love of cooking with others, Corrillo opened Tacos La Doña food truck in 2020, serving tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas, sopes and gorditas.

Looking for more stability than the food truck could offer and aiming to create higher quality meals for customers, the owners decided it was time to open a permanent location, said Viviana Cordova, general manager.

The Tacos La Doña food truck will still operate, but it will only do event catering, said general manager Paulina Zarate.

The new restaurant in the Zandale Shopping Center will offer a bigger menu that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, while also offering more seafood and vegetarian options.

La Doña will serve traditional favorites like burritos, tacos, and quesadillas while also offering new items including Carrillo’s favorites like barbacoa bowls and red pozole.

Breakfast will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring sweet dishes like tres leches pancakes topped with whipped cream and more savory options like breakfast chilaquiles and fajita omelets.

The new Mexican restaurant La Doña’s offers vegetarian options like nopales encebollados, or vegetarian tacos with cactus.
The new Mexican restaurant La Doña’s offers vegetarian options like nopales encebollados, or vegetarian tacos with cactus.

Located at 2220 Nicholasville Road, unit 102, the new space will not only allow the kitchen to serve a larger menu, it will introduce unique food presentations that will make La Doña stand out among Lexington’s many Mexican restaurants, Cordova said.

On the wall of the new Mexican restaurant is a symbol of a woman “La Doña”, who represents a female figure or matriarch known for her traditional cooking, general manager Viviana Cordova said.
On the wall of the new Mexican restaurant is a symbol of a woman “La Doña”, who represents a female figure or matriarch known for her traditional cooking, general manager Viviana Cordova said.

“We feel like in every family there’s some female figure that stands out to you,” Cordova said. “You taste the cooking and you’re like ‘wow, this was like home.’”

Through authentic Mexican recipes and fresh high-quality ingredients, La Doña intends to provide customers with traditional Mexican cuisine that will take them back in time.

The soft opening of La Doña’s will be Thursday, July 20 at 10 a.m., and the restaurant will be open everyday after that from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The official grand opening to celebrate La Doña’s will be announced when the restaurant receives its liquor license, Cordova said.

Whats on the menu?

Appetizers:

  • Carne Asada Fries

  • Mini Empanadas

  • Mini Flautas

  • Mini Gorditas

Bar Food:

  • Flautas Ahogadas

  • Shrimp Ceviche, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, red onion, tomato, lime, corn tortilla chips

  • Aguachile

Chilaquiles with chicken.
Chilaquiles with chicken.

Breakfast:

  • Avocado Toast

  • Breakfast Chilaquiles

  • Fajita Omelet

  • Breakfast Torta

  • French Toast

  • Plain Pancakes

  • Tres Leches Pancakes

Tres leches pancakes from new restaurant La Dona are soaked in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy whipping cream, and then topped with cinnamon, whipped cream, and dulce de leche or caramel drizzle.
Tres leches pancakes from new restaurant La Dona are soaked in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy whipping cream, and then topped with cinnamon, whipped cream, and dulce de leche or caramel drizzle.

Entrees:

  • Barbacoa Bowl

  • Burrito

  • Gordita

  • Green Pozole

  • Menudo

  • Quesabirria Taco

  • Quesadilla

  • Quesadilla Supreme

  • Red Pozole

  • Sope

  • Taco

  • Taco Bowl

  • Taco Supreme

  • Torta

Vegetarian:

  • Calabasitas A La Mexicana Tacos

  • Nopales Encebollados Tacos

Seafood:

Mojarra frita, with a whole tilapia deep fried, will be available at La Doña’s, located in the Zandale Shopping Center.
Mojarra frita, with a whole tilapia deep fried, will be available at La Doña’s, located in the Zandale Shopping Center.

  • Pescado Frito Tacos

  • Mojarra Frita

  • Aguachiles (rojo o verde)

  • Ceviche

  • Camarones Cucaracha

  • Tacos Gobernador

  • Torta

Tacos gobernador, with shrimp, from new restaurant La Dona is being opened by Viviana Cordova offering breakfast, lunch and dinner off of Nicholasville Road in Lexington, Ky, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
Tacos gobernador, with shrimp, from new restaurant La Dona is being opened by Viviana Cordova offering breakfast, lunch and dinner off of Nicholasville Road in Lexington, Ky, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

Desserts:

  • Chocoflan

  • Fresas con Crema

  • Pastel de Tres Leches

  • Mini Donuts

New restaurant La Dona is being opened by Piedad Carrillo offering breakfast, lunch and dinner off of Nicholasville Road in Lexington, Ky, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Carrillo previously ran a taco truck, but it has been her dream to open a brick and mortar restaurant.
New restaurant La Dona is being opened by Piedad Carrillo offering breakfast, lunch and dinner off of Nicholasville Road in Lexington, Ky, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Carrillo previously ran a taco truck, but it has been her dream to open a brick and mortar restaurant.

La Doña

Where: 2220 Nicholasville Road, unit 102

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Online: ladonalexington.com