Corto Lima Restaurant

What Corto Lima Restaurant does

Corto Lima Restaurant is a privately-held, single-location Latin-inspired restaurant operating at 101 West Short Street in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2017, the restaurant is led by Chef Jonathan Lundy (culinary direction) and TJ Cox (Director of Operations/Owner, beverage program). It serves Latin American cuisine spanning Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the American Southwest, with a defined technical anchor in the nixtamalization process used to produce homemade artisanal corn tortillas. The menu accommodates vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan dietary needs, and the beverage program is concentrated on Tequilas, Mezcals, Rums, and wines of Latin origin, including award-winning margaritas.

The business operates a 45-seat dining room plus a 16-seat bar (61 seats total) on a first-come, first-serve basis with no reservations; priority seating is offered by phone for larger parties. Revenue is generated across five streams: dine-in service, full bar service, takeout/curbside pickup (powered by Toasttab), private dining events, and gift cards. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, supported by organic social media on Facebook (@CortoLima) and Instagram (@CortoLimaLex), an email newsletter, and review platforms (TripAdvisor, Yelp). The restaurant has accumulated sustained regional brand recognition through seven consecutive "Lexington's Best Margarita" awards (2019-2025) and three consecutive "Best Downtown Restaurant" recognitions (2023-2025), alongside national press including Zagat and Southern Cast Iron Magazine. The founders have also opened a separate sister concept, 3TEN, indicating portfolio expansion beyond a single-unit Corto Lima identity.

Name

Corto Lima Restaurant

Legal name

Corto Lima

Website

https://cortolima.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corto Lima is a privately-held Latin-inspired full-service restaurant in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, founded in 2017 by Chef Jonathan Lundy and TJ Cox. It serves Mexico/Caribbean/Central-South American cuisine with nixtamalization-made tortillas to local diners, visitors, and private-event guests.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Latin-Inspired Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

Keywords

• Latin-inspired cuisine
• Full-service dining
• Artisanal corn tortillas
• Craft cocktails
• Private dining events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington, Kentucky

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Service: Full-service restaurant dining with table service for up to 45 guests and 16 bar seats. Revenue from food and beverage sales during operating hours including weekend brunch.
2. Bar Revenue: Full bar service featuring Tequilas, Mezcals, Rums, and wines of Latin origin. Specialty cocktails including award-winning margaritas. Bar accommodates 16 seats.
3. Takeout and Curbside: Online ordering through Toasttab platform for pickup. Curbside service available during operating hours. Guests may add margarita offerings to pickup orders.
4. Private Dining: Private dining room available for events and parties. Inquiries handled via form on website or phone call.
5. Gift Cards: Gift card sales for restaurant dining and beverages.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Corto Lima is a mid-scale Latin-inspired restaurant serving modern interpretations of Mexican, Caribbean, Central and South American, and American Southwest cuisine. The restaurant offers full-service dine-in for up to 45 guests plus 16 bar seats, a Latin-focused beverage program featuring Tequilas, Mezcals, Rums, and Latin wines with specialty cocktails, weekend brunch, takeout and curbside ordering through Toasttab, and private dining for events. A key in-house technique is the use of nixtamalization to produce homemade artisanal corn tortillas featured across the menu.

Product overview

Corto Lima is a mid-scale Latin-inspired restaurant offering a unified dining experience centered on modern interpretations of Latin American cuisine. The core offerings include a food menu featuring Mexican, Caribbean, Central/South American, and American Southwest dishes with homemade artisanal corn tortillas, alongside a beverages program specializing in Tequilas, Mezcals, Rums, and Latin wines. Supporting services include Barrel Pick (curated tequila/mezcal selections), Gift Cards, Private Dining, Online Ordering via Toasttab, Curbside Pickup, and Weekend Brunch. The restaurant accommodates 45 guests for table service and 16 seats at the bar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Menu Latin-inspired cuisine featuring Mexican, Caribbean, Central and South American, and American Southwest dishes with homemade artisanal corn tortillas using nixtamalization, including vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options.
• Drinks Menu Beverage program focusing on Tequilas, Mezcals, Rums, and wines of Latin origin, with specialty cocktails including Lexington's Best Margaritas and Latin classics.
• Barrel Pick

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ToasttabcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline ordering platform partner for pickup orders. Customers order through Toasttab at cortolima location for ready-in-15-minutes pickup service.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Masa Cocina: Regional Mexican restaurant concept with chef-driven interpretations of traditional cuisine and craft cocktails. Closely comparable to Corto Lima in upscale-casual Latin positioning, artisan-ingredient emphasis, and cocktail-forward beverage program.
• bartaco: Multi-unit Latin-inspired casual restaurant chain featuring chef-driven tacos, craft cocktails, and tequila/mezcal programs. Highly comparable to Corto Lima in concept, daypart mix (brunch, happy hour, dinner), and cocktail-forward positioning, though bartaco operates at chain scale rather than independent.
• Condado Tacos: Build-your-own Mexican casual restaurant with a strong tequila and margarita program. Comparable to Corto Lima in Latin-cuisine focus, build-a-taco customization paralleling Corto Lima's tortilla-centric menu, and bar-driven traffic, but operating at multi-unit chain scale.
• Cha Cha's Latin Kitchen: Independent Latin-inspired casual dining concept with full bar and Latin cocktail program. Directly comparable mid-scale positioning with full table service, Latin small-plates and entrée menu, and a margarita/cocktail focus similar to Corto Lima.

Broad incumbents

• Chevys Fresh Mex: Established Mexican casual dining chain with full bar and tequila-focused beverage program. Comparable in Latin-cuisine full-service dining format and bar emphasis, but operates at significantly broader scale with a more standardized menu than Corto Lima.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest U.S. Mexican fast-casual chain. Operates in adjacent Mexican-cuisine territory with strong tortilla emphasis, but with a counter-service/limited-service model and mass-market positioning rather than Corto Lima's full-service Latin dining experience.
• Moe's Southwest Grill: National Mexican fast-casual chain offering build-your-own burritos, tacos, and queso-focused menu. Adjacent Latin-cuisine competitor operating in similar flavor territory to Corto Lima but at quick-service scale.
• On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: National Mexican casual dining chain with full bar, margaritas, and combo dining. Comparable Latin cuisine and bar positioning but operates at broad chain scale across a much wider price and format spectrum than Corto Lima's single independent concept.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Mexican fast-casual chain with build-your-own menu format. Competes for Latin-cuisine demand in the same broader category as Corto Lima, but with limited-service model and significantly lower price point.

Regional players

• Tony's of Lexington: Upscale steakhouse in downtown Lexington, KY. Regional peer rather than direct cuisine competitor, but directly comparable as a downtown Lexington destination-dining concept competing for the same high-discretionary-spend local diner and event clientele.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CortoLima
• Instagraminstagram.com/cortolimalex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corto-lima-restaurant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Corto Lima Restaurant