What pandemic? Lots of new restaurants opened in Lexington for diners to try in 2020
Lexington’s restaurant scene had some bleak moments in 2020, beginning with the shutdown in March for the coronavirus pandemic. But restaurants rallied, adding takeout and curbside service, family meals and alcohol to go.
Nearly 40 Lexington restaurants and bars closed over the course of the year. But for every time a restaurant closed, it seemed like a new one came along.
In 2020, at least 40 places opened, including a new food hall in a refurbished bus station and two long-time restaurants either changed hands or moved.
Some new places were long-planned, others were sudden opportunities. Here’s a look at what came to town this year, from the many places offering street tacos to the several new coffee shops.
New Lexington restaurants that opened in 2020
Alfalfa, 141 E. Main St., looked like the first major COVID casualty but then a miracle happened and new owners stepped in. Now being run by Tiffany Bellfield El-Amin and her husband Wali El-Amin, the new Alfalfa re-opened in August to build on the historic restaurant’s legacy of healthy locally sourced and tasty food.
Backroads Bakery, 109 W. Sixth St., opened in March with sisters Ruth and Katie Ralph offering cheesecakes and other baked goods.
Bandido Taqueria Mexicana, 535 S. Upper, opened in the CenterCourt building in September. The Louisville-based chain offers Southern California-style street tacos, burritos, nachos and street corn, including versions with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos, and a salsa bar with 10 different options.
Bella Cafe & Grille, 890 E. High St., opened in December with carryout and free delivery. The latest restaurant from Kuni Toyoda offers a limited menu for now with sandwiches and burgers, salads and entrees. More will be coming as the pandemic eases.
Brevede Coffee Co., 1170 Manchester St., opened in July on the Pepper Campus. The upscale coffee shop features a Slayer Espresso maker and owners Viorika and Nik Kopets plan to added baked goods and a kids’ art studio.
Brewed, 124 Malabu Dr., opened in June serving pour-over coffee and bottled beer, plus a small food menu. The coffee shop was ordered to stop serving after defying state COVID restrictions on indoor dining. But the shop has been allowed to resume service.
Bubble Tea Studio, 535 S. Upper St., opened in the summer, offering specialty drinks including milk tea, tapioca bubbles and popping boba.
The Cattle Drive, 4561 Ironworks Pike, at the Bluegrass Stockyards opened in November with a hearty menu for breakfast and lunch, including Reubens and Rachels, burgers and handcut fries, breakfast burritos and more.
Crank & Boom, 31010 Clays Mill, closed inside the food hall at The Summit but opened a new location last summer on Clays Mill in the spot where Lyles BBQ had been for several years.
Distilled moved into 157 Jefferson St., the former home of Nick Ryan’s, in October with a refreshed menu and bar, with patio seating and parking.
El Cid, 304 S. Limestone, opened in February with a lineup of street tacos and authentic housemade sauces, and now includes birria, a traditional meat stew perfect for dipping in.
El Mariachi Mexican, 1916 Justice Dr., opened a second location at Hamburg in the former Taziki’s spot, with a menu of traditional fare and patio dining.
El Patio, 2628 Richmond Rd., opened in the fall. Tucked behind a carwash in the old Life Brewpub spot, the Mexican restaurant began building a following through word of mouth for tasty and authentic dishes.
ELIXIR, 249 W. Short St., opened in June in the former Parlay Social building. The music venue and bar also offers brunch on weekends.
Ethereal Brewing Public House, 102 W. Vine St., with Bazaar Eatery opened in the summer. The restaurant serves inventive tacos, including vegetarian offerings.
Favor, 574 N. Limestone, opened in July. Tucked behind Arcadium, the restaurant from chef Wyatt Sarbacker, has a small but ambitious menu. Patio seating is available.
The Fishtank, 500 Euclid Ave., returned in October after more than a decade, in the former Best Friend Bar spot. Owner John Tresaloni closed Cosmic Charlie’s and revived the music venue and bar and plans to bring back food too.
Freshie’s Ice Cream & Soda Fountain, 3851 Kenesaw Dr., opened in November. It’s a “retro soda fountain” featuring premium ice cream, milkshakes, egg creams, sundaes, “waffle nachos” and more, including a seasonal hot chocolate float.
The Futile Bakery, 399 Waller Ave., opened in October. Owner Daniel King started as a home-based baker and graduated to bricks-and-mortar with a lineup of gourmet decorated sugar cookies and cakes.
Goodwood Brewing, 200 Lexington Green Circle, opened a Lexington location in mid-December. The Louisville brewery renovated the former Mellow Mushroom spot. Besides beer, Goodwood has a full menu of brewpub favorites including burgers, chicken and waffles and more.
Greyline Station, at the corner of Loudon and Limestone, began opening in late November. The former bus station is now home to locally owned food providers and bars, including North Lime Coffee & Donuts (moving in in 2021), Old North Bar, Laura Lou Patisserie, Wilson’s Grocery and more.
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The Horse and Jockey, 131 Cheapside, opened in January in the old Cheapside location with Irish comfort food like shepherd’s pie and fish and chips in an equine atmosphere complimented by photographs by the late Tony Leonard. One of the big winners: Breakfast all day, including all your Irish favorites.
Infinity Sky Bar, 150 West Main St., opened in January and features some of the best views of Lexington’s downtown skyline from the top of the Residence Inn that is part of the City Center hotel complex on Main Street. The menu varies, but includes sandwiches, burgers and salads. In warm weather, you can sit under the open-to-the-sky roof. Or just park it at the gorgeous bar and watch the world go by.
ItalX, 160 W. Main St., opened in the City Center in October. Featuring reimagined Italian food and handmade pastas, ItalX is the latest high-profile restaurant from chef Jonathan Lundy, with partners TJ Cox and Brie Lowry Cox, with the backing of the Greers.
Jefferson Street Coffee, 471 Jefferson St., opened in March, just as the pandemic hit, offering fresh roasted coffee with big garage doors wide open in warm weather.
Joella’s Hot Chicken, 2305 Sir Barton Way, opened a second location in November. The restaurant announced it was coming in the spring, then the pandemic hit and the deal looked dead. But by the fall it was back on again and opened in November.
Kismet at The Burl, 369 Thompson Rd., opened in June as a food option on The Burl music venue property in the evenings. Chefs Tonya Mays-Cronin and her husband Philip Cronin put together a small but mighty menu of spicy favorites honed in pop-ups over the last two years.
Leestown Coffee House, 1416 Leestown Rd., opened in the fall with a drive-thru right off of Leestown serving fresh coffee and baked goods from local suppliers.
Old Kentucky Chocolate, 735 Palomar Centre Dr., opened a fourth location in Lexington in the Palomar Shopping Center in October, with a drive-thru so you can swing through on your way to Blue Grass Airport or Keeneland.
Papi’s Rapido, 1214 S. Broadway, opened in June. The taco stand is owned by the Marcos Valdes, who also has Papi’s Mexica Restaurant on Euclid. It specializes in street tacos, tamales, burritos and quesadillas with outdoor seating only.
Rackhouse Tavern, 1375 S. Broadway, opened in February the renovated Campbell House with a menu of Kentucky favorites and over 300 bourbons. It also has a big fireplace and lots of patio seating for warmer weather.
Rickhouse Pub, 1170 Manchester, opened in the Distillery District in September with a menu of burgers, fried foods and sandwiches designed to go well with beer. The pub is owned by the same people who have Battle Axes, the ax-throwing venue next door, so you can go back and forth.
Roulay Restaurant and Bar, 107 W. Short St., opened in February with a menu of Cajun-Creole-French fusion cuisine including muffalettas, beignets, turtle soup and more, plus an amazing dessert lineup in a charming atmosphere. It has a gorgeous rooftop patio perfect for al fresco lunches and brunch on the weekends.
Seafood Lady, 833 Georgetown St., opened in June serving pans of Florida Panhandle-style seafood and Cajun boil. She quickly found a lot of fans willing to wait in the parking lot for their takeout crab legs, lobster mac and shrimp boil.
Shake It, 814 Euclid, opened in March just before the pandemic hit but kept going with curbside pickup for low-calorie protein shakes popular with college students, fitness buffs and moms on the go.
Southern Countrylicious, 4300 Winchester Rd., opened in February with a traditional meat and sides line up.
Sweet Creations Bakery, 2312 Palumbo Dr., opened in the summer, specializing in custom cakes for birthdays, quinceaneras and more. They also make conchas, a Mexican sweet bread; mini cakes in a cup; cakesicles and other treats including tres leches cake.
Sumo Hibachi & Sushi, 1030 S. Broadway, opened in November in the former Bankara spot, between KSBar and Grille and Jalapeno’s. The menu features loads of Japanese favorites for lunch and dinner, with a patio for extra dining space. And for $22.95 per person, get all you can eat. Seriously.
Taco Tico, 3110 Pimlico Parkway and on Southland, had a big year, opening two new Lexington locations. The one on Pimlico Parkway opened in January and another opened on Southland Drive in the fall.
Tudor’s Biscuit World, 757 E. New Circle Rd., brought its first Lexington spot to the area around Winchester Road and promptly started causing early morning traffic jams in September. But you can get these biscuits (and all the other stuff) at lunchtime too.
Texas Roadhouse, 3116 Richmond Rd., opened in October on the other side of Richmond Road, in a larger restaurant with more parking carved out of the former Walmart parking lot.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 7:35 AM.
