The best food in Lexington, according to Reddit

Thu, July 28, 2022

Featured, Lifestyle

Lexington Times Web Editor

It’s Lexington Restaurant Week and on Tuesday, Reddit user u/Kechup17 arrived in Lexington for a weeklong stay. Being new to town, he turned to Reddit for restaurant recommendations. Here are some of the top replies, as voted on by the /r/lexington community.

Blue door or red state for barbecue
Choose between Eppings, Cole’s, Post Masters Pub, Carson’s or Dudley’s for a casual but nicer dinner downtown (Great to do for lunch too and Carson’s has an amazing brunch). Post Masters is the most casual of those. Coles\Dudley’s would be the nicest of those but they’re not stuffy (if you go to Dudley’s ask about the rooftop!)
Wallace station is a pretty drive past horse farms to midway for lunch. Drive over to downtown midway before or after. It’s a neat little area.
Best fried chicken in town is actually inside a meat grocer called Critchfield meats but Gus’ is another good one and close to downtown
Best burgers and fries: Favor Kitchen or Sidebar (favor is really cool/off the beaten path next to an arcade bar and sidebar is a hole in the wall in the best possible way)
The Distillery District is a cool place to check out (it’s an area with bars in a former industrial area on the campus of an old distillery). Good bars and check out the food truck called Little Fork near the cider place is! There is also goodfellas pizza, but see my next bullet for actual best pizza/beer option. And a lot of people on here will probably mention Crank and Boom, but it’s mediocre ice cream.
Best pizza and beer: Rolling Oven pizza which operates out of Mirror Twin brewing. That’s the pizza you want whether you’re a traditional pizza person or more creative. The potato and chorizo pizza is something my out of town friends still text me about.
Kentucky Native Cafe is my last must-do. It’s an outdoor cafe inside a plant nursery, but it has become a super neat hangout. Limited but fresh menu, so would probably a good place to start in the afternoon for drinks and small plates then get head over to a place like Favor or Sidebar for a burger and fries.

– Latter-Skill4798

Specifically for the breakfast/brunch/early lunch time slot:

Minglewood: Located downtown. Sat/Sun only for brunch time slot. $5 bloody mary’s and mimosas. Great venue for enjoying a meal. Definitely get the fried egg tostada and add the green chile pulled pork. http://minglewoodlex.com/menu/

Stella’s: Located near downtown in the Jefferson St. restaurant row. 7 days/week for breakfast/brunch/lunch. Cute house retrofitted for restaurant. Very vegan/vegetarian friendly, but you can get a great burger and Reuben there, too, so not exclusively vegan/veg. I love the breakfast burrito w/chorizo (rice & beans subbed for potatoes), but, seriously, they often have so many fun specials, you should go for one of those. https://www.stellaskentuckydeli.com/

DV8: 7 days/week breakfast/brunch/lunch service. Go to the East End location, not the one on South Broadway. The S.Broadway location is in a dull strip mall. The East End location is quiet, has lots of art, and a fun part of town. Breakfast & bakery menu. The huevos rancheros breakfast sandwich is to die for. I’m not a biscuit guy generally, but DV8 is an exception. https://dv8kitchen.com/menu/

– birdistheworm

Southern: Ramses

Cajun: Bourbon n Toulouse

Chinese: Asian Wind

Japanese: Miyako

Indian: Masala or Taste of India

Italian: Joe Bologna’s

BBQ: Red State

Mexican: Mi Pequena Hacienda

– MyUsername2459

Shocked no one mentioned Josies for brunch! One of my favorite places in town.

Dad’s is a good lunch spot, with a really unique vibe. Store is just a counter to order from. You have to eat in the hallway outside the restaurant, outside, or in your car. The #5: Chipotle Cheddar Roast Beef is my go-to. But their Wednesday special: The Cuban is a must try.

Carson’s is a great nice, but not over the top nice, dinner spot. Great bourbon selection if thats your jam.

Windy Corner is a really unique spot out in the horse farms. Havent had their lunch and dinners, but their Sunday Morning breakfast is really tasty. If you distilled all of Kentucky into a restaurant, this is it. Lots of Kentucky Proud ^TM items on the shelves to buy too!

– rwills

This is a question asked multiple times over. Use the search function.

– aaronjd1

Best burritos in town by far at Tortilleria Y Taqueria Ramirez.

Great tamales at Farm Market.

For pasta go to either Bella Notte or Pasta Garage. Bella Notte is more upscale and has more than just pasta. Pasta Garage is more lowkey but still very good.

Bear & the Butcher or Sage Rabbit for a bit of fine dining.

Gumbo YaYa or Bourbon n’ Toulouse for some Louisiana flair

– Pynchons_pension