Another Lexington restaurant closes. An old campus favorite will take its place
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pollo Azul closed during the January ice storm; owner won't reopen it as a chicken spot.
- Vaccarrezza and Seth Bennett are expected to relaunch Two Keys this spring.
- New Two Keys aims at evening/late-night crowd with beer, burgers, bar food, patio.
Pollo Azul, a rotisserie chicken restaurant on South Upper, closed during January’s ice storm after about a year.
Owner Carlo Vaccarezza said he’s decided not to reopen it as a chicken restaurant but instead will go with something familiar to generations of University of Kentucky students.
Vaccarezza said he is teaming up with Seth Bennett to relaunch Two Keys Tavern at 503 S. Upper St. It is expected to open this spring.
The spot has been home to a variety of restaurants over the years, including Mellow Mushroom, then Vaccarezza’s own pizza concept, Damiano. Both Damiano and Pollo Azul did OK, Vaccarezza said, but not as well as he’d hoped.
By bringing in a longtime campus favorite name in Two Keys, he is hoping to attract an evening and late-night crowd for beer, burgers and bar food, with live music on the side.
He said they plan to redo the parking lot to create a large outdoor seating area and hope to use the original Two Keys Tavern sign.
Bennett owned Two Keys Tavern when it closed at 333 S. Limestone in the summer of 2020 after 66 years. The business went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after pandemic-related shutdowns and revenue losses.
Three months later, Bennett reopened Two Keys down the block at 380 S. Limestone in the former Pazzo’s Pizza Pub space.
Now, it’s moving around the corner to South Upper.
The original Two Keys Tavern space at 333 S. Limestone is now a bar called The Hill. The building, along with most of the rest of the block, was purchased last summer by developer Diversified Properties LLC.
Pollo Azul joins a growing list of Lexington restaurants that have closed in recent months, including:
- Zim’s Cafe and Thirsty Fox in the old courthouse downtown
- Tolly-Ho on South Broadway
- Bad Wolf Burgers off Leestown Road
- Joella’s Hot Chicken in Hamburg
- Sam’s Hot Dogs in Lexington Green
- Columbia Steak Express on Southland
- Big City Pizza in Hamburg
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
