Over 25 Lexington restaurants closed last year, some lasted 4 months, others 37 years
Lexington’s dining scene lost several favorites in 2019.
Some were restaurants that had been around for years; others opened and closed in months.
Altogether, about 30 restaurants closed in 2019. However some have reopened in new locations.
But in the past year almost 40 new dining options opened.
Here are some of the restaurants we lost in 2019:
▪ Louie’s Wine Dive, at 854 East High St., opened in November 2016 with an ambitious menu of charcuterie and wine pairings. In February 2019, it became the latest restaurant to close at the corner of Euclid and High once occupied by The Saratoga when it shut down in February.
▪ The Sweet Spot, 126 North Broadway, closed in February. The ice cream store opened downtown five years ago.
▪ Ted’s Montana Grill, 120 Summit at Fritz Farm, in February became the first restaurant to close at the new shopping center at the corner of Nicholasville and Man O’War. The restaurant opened in May 2017, one of more than a dozen new places to eat at the development.
▪ Mandarin Cafe and Sushi, 2220 Nicholasville Road, Suite 120, closed in March after five years in business. The restaurant had landed on the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department probation list in January, then health department shut it down in March after the restaurant declined to be inspected.
▪ Clawdaddy’s, 128 North Broadway, closed in May after six years of serving gourmet lobster rolls and whoopie pies.
▪ Nash’s Southern Table & Bar, 286 Southland Drive, opened in June but closed four months later. From the same people who operate Lyles BBQ, Nash’s focused on Southern favorites from Mama Lyles. Despite that, the restaurant just ran into unforeseen costs and not a cursed location, said co-owner Chandler Lyles.
▪ Napa Prime, 319 Cedar St., closed in June after less than a year. This was the second location of a restaurant that built a following in Versailles. But both locations closed in 2019 amid a flurry of legal problems.
▪ The Mill, 341 Southland Dr., closed abruptly in June after 18 months in business. The Arabic bakery announced on Facebook it had closed “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
▪ Grillfish, the upscale restaurant in the former Atomic Cafe spot at the corner of North Limestone and Third Street, closed in July, just a few months after Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse opened. The restaurant had opened in August. 2016 and had one of the most expensive menus in Lexington. The restaurant location now is for sale, along with the rest of the block.
▪ Babalu Tapas and Tacos at the Summit at Fritz Farm closed in July. The upscale Latin-inspired restaurant was the second restaurant at the new shopping center to close. The restaurant opened in Oct. 2017, and was one of several “new-to-market” concepts that Bayer Properties brought to the development.
▪ Red Light Kitchen & Lounge, 780 North Limestone, the last restaurant opened by the late chef Lucie Slone Meyers, closed in July. The contents of the restaurant were auctioned off, ending an era in Lexington fine dining.
▪ Arby’s, 507 South Limestone, the distinctive “blue Arby’s” by the UK campus, closed in July. Built in 1994, it was at least the second Arby’s to go out of business in Lexington in 2019, following the Arby’s on Southland Drive, which closed at the end of March.
▪ Hanna’s on Lime, 214 South Limestone, a breakfast and lunch stalwart that was part of Lexington’s dining scene for 16 years, closed at the end of August. After owner Beth Hanna announced her retirement, fans came to the tiny location for one last fix of her cakes and veggies.
▪ Le Matin Bakery and Zuni Cafe, 890 East High St., closed at the end of August after decades of serving pastries, baguettes, vegetable soups and more.
▪ Detroit’s World Famous Coney Island, 825 Lane Allen, was a mom-and-pop burger and hot dog stand that closed and was demolished in April. The restaurant also had landed on the health department probation list in March.
▪ McDonald’s, 537 South Limestone, next to the University of Kentucky campus, closed in late May and the building, one of the original McDonald’s in the city, was demolished. In its place, a new “posh” version of the fast-food chain was built, reopening in time for the return of students in the fall.
▪ Pasture, in the Barn at the Summit at Fritz Farm, closed over the summer. It was the first tenant in the acclaimed food hall to leave. Pasture was an off-shoot of Marksbury Farm Market in Lancaster. The food hall stand closed as Pasture ramped up participation in the UK Dining halls.
▪ Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse, 2041 Richmond Rd., which was in the former Coba Cocina restaurant space, closed in September after being open less than a year.
▪ The Ruddy Duck Grille, 131 Cheapside, at the corner of Short, closed for good in September. Keith Clark, who was one of the original owners of Cheapside, tried to bring a restaurant to the spot but just couldn’t get the concept to fly.
▪ Jamba Juice, at the CenterCourt condo complex on South Upper, Lexington’s only location of the smoothie favorite closed at the end of September. Now, the owner has opened a non-franchise smoothie place called Jump Start.
▪ Yummy Yummy, 1395 Wet Main St., a long-time Lexington Chinese restaurant closed Oct. 1. The restaurant opened in June 2010 and did a brisk carry-out business.
▪ Mandarin Cafe and Sushi, 2220 Nicholasville Rd., closed in March after being closed by the health department. The restaurant opened in November 2013.
▪ Shakespeare & Co. at Hamburg closed in October as owner Edward Saad consolidated his Lexington restaurants into the one location downtown on Short and Broadway, where he’s also opened a new bar and a new nightclub.
▪ Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken. All three locations in Lexington closed in November. Signs on the doors said that the locations will be renovated but it is unclear when or if they will reopen as Lee’s.
▪ Beach House Caribbean Coffee & Tapas opened at 109 West Sixth Street in January, serving a menu of spicy Caribbean food. But by the end of the year the restaurant had closed and apparently was converted to a food truck or pop-up operation.
▪ Pazzo’s Pizza Pub, 385 South Limestone, apparently closed in December. A sign on the door of the bar and restaurant said it “is currently closed until further notice.” Owner Seth Bennett could not be reached for comment. Tom Behr opened the restaurant in March 2000 focusing on craft and imported beer and hand-made pizzas and calzones. Behr sold it to the owner of Two Keys Tavern in 2018.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Over 25 Lexington restaurants closed last year, some lasted 4 months, others 37 years."
