Midway just got two new hangouts: A coffee lounge and golf simulator bar
If Midway has been on your weekend rotation for boutique shopping and a leisurely lunch, you’ve got two fresh reasons to point the car west again.
The walkable little town tucked between Lexington, Frankfort, Versailles and Georgetown just gained a coffee-shop-meets-cocktail-lounge with a quiet Hollywood connection — and a bourbon bar with golf simulators inside the original fire station.
Both spots are part of the Herald-Leader’s Inside Look series, and both are designed to make you stick around longer than you planned.
Serendipity Public House: The coffee drought is officially over
The big news for caffeine seekers: Midway has a coffee shop again. Serendipity Public House opened at the end of April at 137 E Main St., filling the gap left when Black Type Co. closed nearly two years ago.
The 1850s building sits right above historic downtown Midway, and it spent just over a year being renovated by Caitlin Battaglia and Henry Zahn. If the last name sounds familiar, yes — Henry is the oldest son of actor Steve Zahn (“That Thing You Do!,” “The White Lotus”) and New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Robyn Peterman Zahn. The famous parents live nearby in Georgetown and have been cheering from the sidelines, but Battaglia and Zahn are clear: this is their project, not a celebrity venture.
What they’ve built is exactly the kind of place a day-tripper dreams about discovering. Think new floors and ceilings, a custom-built bar, intimate seating arrangements, vinyl spinning in the background and a small patio tucked out back. It’s the sort of cozy where you settle in for “one quick coffee” and look up two hours later.
“We hope to be a destination spot because Midway’s in a good spot between Frankfort and Lexington and Georgetown and Versailles,” Zahn said. “We wanted to make a cozy third space for people to come and sit down and hang out and listen to some vinyl and have some good drinks.”
“Loitering is encouraged,” Battaglia added.
Zahn says the inspiration came from traveling to “cool eclectic places like meat markets, plant shops we love and cafés and bars” — and you can feel that influence the moment you walk in.
What’s on the menu
The coffee-and-tea side keeps things refreshingly approachable: chai for $4, latte for $4.50, cold brew for $4.50. Want to customize? There are seven house-made syrups you can add to any drink for a buck.
But here’s where Serendipity earns its “public house” name. As the day slides into evening, the lounge side takes over. Wine is available by the 5-ounce glass ($7.50-$11) or by the bottle. Six rotating beers are on tap, including Narragansett Lager ($4 for 16 oz.), Fat Orange Cat ($6 for 16 oz.) and the famously potent Belgian Delirium Tremens ($7 for 8 oz.).
“We’re gonna have a lot of cool products on draft and by the glass that you can’t get around here,” Zahn said.
The craft cocktail menu is led by a matcha martini ($12) that’s already getting attention. Hungry? Serendipity has partnered with The Midway Bakery and Cafe for scones, brownies and other baked goods, and there’s a $21 charcuterie board. Sandwiches are coming, along with expanded hours, once the team gets “a little more comfortable.”
“We were anticipating opening last fall and I think that’s what people were hoping for as well,” Battaglia said. “People have been up against the window, watching the progress as we’ve been watching the progress. So it’s been building a buzz. A lot of people have been excited.”
Where: 137 E Main St., Midway Hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tue.; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Wed.-Thu.; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Bruen Bunker: Bourbon, beer and indoor golf in the old fire station
A block off Main Street, three childhood friends have turned Midway’s original fire station into one of the most distinctive new bars in the Bluegrass. Bruen Bunker opened April 9 at 109 E Bruen St. after a yearlong renovation of the 2,460-square-foot space.
Co-owners Tanner Walker, Alden Gatewood and Joseph Bunker — all Kentucky natives — bought the building after the city put it up for sale in February 2025. They’ve kept relics from the Midway Fire Department on display throughout, with plans to add more historic touches.
“We always want to pay homage to what it was before us, and we’re going to continue to do so by putting up other items from historic Midway,” Walker said.
This isn’t your standard corner bar. Walker, who has spent a decade in the bar industry, says the goal was something broader.
“We want to curate a very family friendly atmosphere, not just, like, a bar atmosphere,” he said. “Our goal is to be a venue, event space, a community gathering spot.”
Pours, bourbon and that famous Kentucky lineup
The Bunker offers 10 beers on tap — including Country Boy and West 6th — plus domestic, imported and non-alcoholic options off-tap. The cocktail list is curated rather than sprawling, and the Kentucky bourbon selection is set to expand soon.
“I do know what tastes good,” Walker said. “It’s the quality of the product. It’s a quality of the ingredients that’s being put into those drinks that hope to set us apart.”
For food, Bruen Bunker has teamed up with nearby The Goose and Gander — call in loaded potato skins, wings, pizza or sandwiches and have them delivered to your barstool. Food trucks rotate through often, including The Wandering Dog (all-beef hot dogs with creative toppings), Big Daddy’s Fried Chicken (Southern-style fried chicken, wings and barbecue) and the famously beloved Red State BBQ, which will be parking a truck there soon. Walker says a full in-house kitchen could come in about a year.
And then there’s the golf
Two state-of-the-art Trackman simulators give Bruen Bunker its biggest wow factor. Each is loaded with more than 500 premier courses — St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Valhalla — with more being added regularly. Reserve a bay online at bruenbunker.com/reserve-a-simulator for $45 an hour. Bring your own clubs or borrow theirs for free.
Where: 109 E Bruen St., Midway Hours: 1-10 p.m. Mon.-Thu.; noon-midnight Fri.-Sat.; noon-10 p.m. Sun. Parking: Street parking Online: bruenbunker.com
How to make a day of it
Midway’s appeal has always been its walkability, and these two openings sweeten the deal. Start your morning at Serendipity with a latte and a scone, wander Main Street’s shops, grab dinner at one of Midway’s established spots, then circle back to the Bunker for a bourbon flight and a round at Pebble Beach without leaving Woodford County. Loitering, after all, is encouraged.
The summary points above are based on the reporting of Herald-Leader journalists. The roundup was produced with the assistance of AI. Herald-Leader reporters and an editor reviewed this story for accuracy. You can read more about our AI policy here.
