Popular Louisville brewpub expanding into former Lexington Green pizza restaurant
Louisville-based brewery Goodwood Brewing Co. is expanding into Lexington two years after moving into a location in the state capitol.
The brewery opened a brewpub in Frankfort in 2018 in the historic Vatter building at 109 W. Main St., with a large deck overlooking the Kentucky River that has proved a big hit during the coronavirus pandemic. (The Frankfort location participated in Lexington Burger Week to give people a chance to try them out.)
Now Goodwood is planning to open a location at Lexington Green. While it won’t have a river view, it will have lots of people nearby at Fayette Mall, not to mention nearby hotels and Target, all just off Nicholasville Road.
The new Goodwood brewpub will be in the former Mellow Mushroom spot at 200 Lexington Green Circle. The pizza restaurant closed in 2018.
“Lexington represents a great opportunity for Goodwood! Lexington has a vibrant and growing craft beer and spirits community, which makes it the perfect location in Kentucky,” said Ted Mitzlaff, Goodwood CEO and chairman, in a statement. “Lexington Green offers a truly unique space, having been a movie theatre converted to a restaurant. We are thrilled to offer ample outdoor seating, a huge bar with a 40 handle draft system, numerous TVs for all sporting events, and a mezzanine for private dining and an up close view of our brewing system.”
The Lexington spot also has plenty of parking.
Goodwood’s newest location should be open by late November or early December, according to spokesman Jake Kalter.
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The location will open with lots of beer, including Goodwood’s two or three monthly experimental brews from Frankfort, and as well as burgers and better than average pub food, Kalter said.
The menu will including the favorite from the Frankfort location, chicken and waffles, as well as lots of vegetarian and plant-based options, Kalter said.
“We’re not talking just fried pickles,” he said.
Goodwood specializes in year-round barrel-aged and “wood-touched” beers, with seasonal offerings, too. And the brewery has bourbons, including some created in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Co., that it plans to offer as well, Kalter said.
Goodwood plans to expand further, with a location coming to Jeffersonville, Ind., in early 2021, Kalter said. They also are looking at the Nashville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis markets too, he said.
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
