Downtown gastropub coming back with updated look, menu — and a few Idiot favorites
One staple of downtown Lexington dining is coming back to life after a year-long delay to wait out the pandemic: Postmaster’s Pub is opening in the former Village Idiot gastro pub spot on Short Street later this month.
“I renovated it, got excited, then just kept waiting … now here we are, a year later. Finally going to open the doors again,” said Brian Behr, who also has Bear & The Butcher on Euclid Avenue.
Behr, who opened Village Idiot in 2012, put the historic building, which is Lexington’s oldest surviving post office, up for sale in 2019. When it didn’t sell, Behr decided to close Village Idiot in January 2020. He was in the midst of revamping the inside and the menu, with plans to reopen in the spring of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“I was hoping to open in March of last year, but then the timing didn’t work with COVID, and as the year went on, I realized it wasn’t going to happen,” Behr said. “Last fall I thought about it but knew going into winter would be tough. So I decided to wait until spring. Now it seems like things are getting better and people are more comfortable getting out, more comfortable with the restrictions and knowing what they need to do to stay safe, and the vaccines.”
Behr said the restaurant, now called Postmaster’s Pub, is expected to open March 25.
The interior has been updated by designer Isabel Ladd. “It’s a little more modern looking, with an expanded cocktail lounge upstairs,” Behr said. “After eight years, our interior needed a fresh paint job.”
The Village Idiot, Lexington’s first gastropub, was known for “highly evolved pub grub” such as fries cooked in duck fat.
Now the Postmaster’s Pub menu also has been refreshed but there will be lots of favorites from the Village Idiot menu, including smoked tomato ketchup.
“The Idiot burger, Korean fried chicken sandwich, pulled pork mac and cheese … those are our staples that will remain,” Behr said.
And he plans to offer brunch on the weekends.
Postmaster’s Pub will offer takeout as well as dining in and Behr hopes to ask the city for extra space outside for sidewalk tables. Delivery also will be available through online services.
Postmaster’s Pub
Where: 307 W. Short St.
Hours: Expected to open March 25; 5 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Online: Postmasterspub.com
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
