Lexington’s first arcade bar is closing. Here’s what’s next for Northside spot
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Arcadium and Favor will close end of April; Arcadium owners are selling the business.
- New owners plan Mulberry Street Bar & Kitchen with new cocktails, beer, Sunday brunch.
- Seasonal menu and late‑night eats planned for former arcade bar.
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Recent restaurants closing in Lexington
Starting at the end of 2025, the Lexington dining scene has seen a rash of restaurants announcing they are closing. Here is a rundown.
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A late-night hangout that was the first arcade-themed bar in Lexington is closing. But a new concept is coming for the Northside location.
Arcadium, at 574 N. Limestone, opened in 2012 featuring classic video games like Donkey Kong, Galaga and Tetris along with craft beer and bourbon. Eventually, Favor Kitchen, a popular, small chef-driven restaurant, opened in the back under Wyatt Sarbacker and Aaron Withers.
Now, Arcadium owners Sean Taylor and cousins Spears and Will Hinkle are selling the business.
Arcadium and Favor will close at the end of April when their leases are up. But a new bar and restaurant concept will open after a short renovation.
A group of three new owners plan to open Mulberry Street Bar and Kitchen in late spring or early summer. The cocktail-centric bar will have a menu of shareable bar snacks and entrées.
“We’ll switch up the arcade bar concept to create a warm, welcoming space,” said Kurt Bachelder, who was an Arcadium regular. “This will include more tables for groups to gather, both inside and out, along with cosmetic updates to freshen the interior and exterior.”
Bachelder will co-own the new bar and restaurant with current Arcadium manager and bartender Sean McClary and 17-year veteran of Lexington restaurants Julia Estes (Sahara, Crust, Pearls, and County Club).
What will be on Mulberry Street’s drink, food menu?
McClary said there will be more attention on curating a seasonal cocktail menu with fresh herbs and ingredients while still offering locally brewed craft beer. Mulberry Street, which gets its name from Lexington’s early days before it was called Limestone Street, also plans on adding more domestic beers to the menu.
“Our wine will pair perfectly with an afternoon of patio hangs and a meal from our kitchen,” said McClary.
Estes said the food menu is still being worked on, but it will have items in the $5-$20 range.
“We want to be somewhere you can come in for a bite and beer for $10, but also allow room for creativity and celebration,” said Estes.
The seasonal changing menu will offer consistent quality with its late-night food options, Estes said.
“Our dinner menu will include vegetarian dishes such as falafel sandwiches, spiral fries and spiced yogurt dips,” he Estes. “For those looking for meatier options we’ll have tinned fish selections, house-made lamb sausage and classic hotdogs. While the overall menu will change with what’s available, there will be reliable staples to count on.”
The new owners said they don’t plan to be open for lunch, but will have an afternoon/early evening Sunday brunch menu with a Bloody Mary bar.
“Lexington has some great restaurants and establishments, but there’s a real gap when it comes to late-night eating,” said Estes. “I am excited, and I think others will be excited to have another late-night option to grab a quick bite, share a bottle of wine or a couple pints and savor a cocktail that Sean’s dreamed up.”
Arcadium, Favor to close at end of April
Hinkle and the other Arcadium owners said they are optimistic about the changes to the bar, which will include losing most of the vintage arcade games, except Ms. Pac-Man and Street Fighter.
“Our lease was coming up, and all three of us have different things going on outside of this, and it makes more sense to allow people that have the excitement and the time to really put into it,” said Hinkle. “Honestly I think in the end, this will be much better for the space.”
Favor opened in early 2020 featuring a “unique take on pub food” with a menu of locally sourced, bar-friendly snacks and bite-size portions. They were popular with local foodies for their seasonal empanadas and thin-grilled hamburgers with homemade buns.
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The local restaurant was sub-leasing from Arcadium, and Favor’s lease is ending at the same time.
Sarbacker, Favor’s chef and co-owner did not respond to requests for comment, but a social media post hinted at a move.
“New projects have been in the works for well over a year, so stay tuned for updates throughout the summer,” the post said.
List of recent Lexington restaurants closing
Arcadium and Favor join a growing list of recently closed or closing Lexington restaurants, 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.
- Fazoli’s locations on Richmond Road and on Nicholasville Road.
- The Goose Lexington on Jefferson Street.
- Dingbats Pizza on Jefferson Street.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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