City guide

Where to eat in Lexington

68 hand-picked places in Lexington, chosen for people who are in town for something and have one night to get dinner right.

Open Lexington in THE SET LIST

Coming up in Lexington (31)

Trendy in Lexington

Bourbon n' Toulouse Cajun restaurant · $ · Chevy Chase, Euclid Ave
4.8 stars over 2,439 reviews. Cajun counter with a line out the door. The etouffee is the most-ordered dish in Lexington.
829 Euclid Ave, Lexington, KY 40502
County Club Restaurant Traditional American restaurant · $$ · Jefferson St
4.5 stars over 606 reviews. Smoked meats, natural wine, and a patio. The Jefferson Street room the young crowd picks.
555 Jefferson St, Lexington, KY 40508
OBC Kitchen Gastropub · $$$ · Lansdowne, Tates Creek Rd
4.7 stars over 1,383 reviews. Old Bourbon County: hundreds of bourbons, a great hot brown, and the room to bring visitors.
3373 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY 40502
Blue Door Smokehouse Barbecue restaurant · $ · National Ave
4.8 stars over 1,509 reviews. Tiny warehouse smokehouse that sells out. Get there before the brisket is gone.
819 National Ave Suite 140, Lexington, KY 40502
Minton's Southern restaurant (US) · $$ · National Ave
4.7 stars over 574 reviews. New-wave Lexington kitchen on the National Avenue strip. Where the food crowd eats now.
701 National Ave, Lexington, KY 40502

Top Tables in Lexington

Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse $$$$ · Downtown, W Vine St
4.7 stars over 2,147 reviews. Two blocks from Rupp Arena and the biggest-night steak room in Lexington.
Coles 735 Main Fine dining restaurant · $$$$ · East End, E Main St
4.6 stars over 507 reviews. Chef-driven American in a restored bank building. The quiet, serious dinner.
735 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40502
Carson's Food & Drink $$$ · Downtown, E Main St
4.7 stars over 3,920 reviews, the highest-volume high-rated room downtown. Steaks, bourbon, and a bar that stays full.
Merrick Inn Restaurant · $$$ · Merrick Dr, south Lexington
4.6 stars over 1,289 reviews. A former horse farm manor house. Fried chicken, country ham, and the old-Lexington crowd.
1074 Merrick Dr, Lexington, KY 40502

Sushi in Lexington

Zen Sushi and Sake Sushi restaurant · $$$ · Beaumont, Lakecrest Cir
4.9 stars over 1,096 reviews, the highest-rated restaurant of any kind in Lexington. Omakase-level nigiri.
3070 Lakecrest Cir Ste 500, Lexington, KY 40513
Osaka Japanese Restaurant $$ · Boston Rd, Dylan Pl
4.7 stars over 1,249 reviews. Sushi bar plus hibachi, and the rolls hold up against the fine-dining rooms.
Tachibana Japanese Restaurant Japanese restaurant · $$ · Newtown Ct, north Lexington
The old-guard Lexington Japanese room. Traditional, no gimmicks, sit at the bar.
785 Newtown Ct, Lexington, KY 40511
School Sushi Sushi restaurant · $$ · Downtown, W Short St
4.4 stars over 420 reviews. Walkable downtown sushi with a late bar. Convenient before or after a show.
163 W Short St, Lexington, KY 40507

Italian in Lexington

Bella Notte Italian restaurant · $$ · Nicholasville Rd
4.6 stars over 2,798 reviews. The Lexington Italian everyone in town has an order at. Huge portions, family run.
3715 Nicholasville Rd, Lexington, KY 40503
Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano Italian restaurant · $$$ · South Lexington, Nicholasville Rd
4.6 stars over 1,250 reviews. Old-school white tablecloth Italian, veal and osso buco done right.
4456 Nicholasville Rd, Lexington, KY 40515
Pasta Garage Italian Cafe Italian restaurant · $$ · Delaware Ave, East End
4.5 stars over 1,688 reviews. An actual former garage making fresh pasta. Cash-quick and the best value Italian in town.
962 Delaware Ave, Lexington, KY 40505
Frank & Dino's Italian restaurant · $$$ · Downtown, W Short St
Rat Pack-era Italian American downtown. Martinis, red sauce, and a room built for a late dinner.
271 W Short St, Lexington, KY 40507

Pizza in Lexington

Joe Bologna's Italian restaurant · $$ · Campus, W Maxwell St
Inside an 1891 synagogue near campus and the Lexington pizza institution. The breadsticks are the actual legend.
120 W Maxwell St, Lexington, KY 40508
PieTana Pizza restaurant · $$ · Rosemont Garden
4.7 stars over 641 reviews. Wood-fired Neapolitan from a small neighborhood shop. The best crust in Lexington.
210 Rosemont Garden, Lexington, KY 40503
Pies & Pints $$ · Victorian Square, W Main St
4.5 stars over 1,629 reviews. Craft beer and inventive pies two blocks from Rupp Arena.
Smashing Tomato Pizzeria $$ · Hamburg, War Admiral Way
4.6 stars over 774 reviews. Local Lexington chain doing Italian-style pies with good char.