Central Kentucky dining on the water: Guide to restaurants with a waterfront view

There’s something about a waterside view that makes a good meal even better.

Just the sound of ocean waves or rolling rivers makes us wish that all restaurants came with a watery landscape outside their windows.

Alas, Lexington is somewhat lacking in restaurants with a water view unless you count the man-made lagoon outside Palmer’s and Bronte’s Bistro in Lexington Green or the apartment swimming pool visible from the bar at the Merrick Inn.

Even with this dearth of water in the city proper, diners can find plenty of waterfront view options — be it indoor dining or on a deck — within a half-hour’s drive of the city in Central Kentucky with this guide and list of the best restaurants.

Lexington’s Distillery District

Town Branch Creek may not be the Tasman Sea or the Tiber River, but it’s Lexington’s own waterway — if you can find it, that is. The one place where it trickles in serpentine fashion above ground is the Distillery District. Check out one of these spots and you might just get a glimpse of it.

Rustic Elkhorn Tavern (1200 Manchester St.; 859-368-8122; barrelhousedistillery.com) is housed in the original James E. Pepper Distillery dating back to 1789. It has plenty of atmosphere as well as great craft cocktails and pub grub.

Other Distillery District spots include Goodfella’s for pizza (1220 Manchester St.; 859-523-5280; goodfellaspizzeria.com); The Rickhouse Pub (1170 Manchester St. #130; 859-368-8558; rickhousepub.com); Break Room at Pepper (1178 Manchester St.; facebook.com/Break-Room-At-Pepper-756087201135495) and Ethereal Brewing (1224 Manchester St.; 859-309-1254; etherealbrew.com).

Ethereal is mainly the place to go for your craft beer fix, but it does offer snack options such as Rico’s Empanadas. Ethereal, along with the Break Room are the two original businesses when the Distillery District opened in Dec. 2014 and are your best bet for seeing the Town Branch.

Proud Mary BBQ overlooking the Kentucky River

Things are always rollin’ on the (Kentucky) river at this popular spot which combines southern cooking with southern roots music. As the only restaurant along the Kentucky River in Fayette County, it always has a lively crowd on the expansive deck during spring, summer and fall (closed in winter).

Recommended menu items: burgers, Cajun dishes and of course, barbecue.

(9079 Old Richmond Road; 859-913-5611; proudmarybbq.com)

Waterfront Grill and Gathering on the Kentucky River

The main draw here besides the deck overlooking the Kentucky River is the salt block used by the chef to grill burgers, chicken and pork chops. According to co-owner John Tucker, the process involves heating the plate to 500 degrees which allows for simultaneously cooking and brining. If the signature burgers are any example, the process is revolutionary. Before ordering the burger, sample their homemade beer cheese (the restaurant is one of the stops on the Beer Cheese Trail).

The bar and restaurant went through a massive renovation after flooding and there is still work to be done. But occupying the back of the building is a massive dining and concert hall that has been used as a staging area for other completed renovations: A bar, deck and bathrooms, the last of which features walls made of the same salt blocks used in the kitchen and are backlit with colored lights for a therapeutic, otherworldly feel.

(220 Athens-Boonesboro Road, Winchester; 859-595-6003; KentuckyWaterfrontGrill.com)

Hall’s on the River reopening update

Okay, it may not be open yet, but soon says Susan Mirkhan, whose husband Thomas is the restaurant’s general manager.

“We don’t have an exact opening date,” Mirkhan said. “It will be sometime in mid-to-late October.”

After disastrous floods in March did extensive damage to the restaurant’s infrastructure, it was forced to shut down for a complete renovation. A recent roof and deck collapse have hindered reopening efforts. “But we’ll get there,” Mirkhan said.

So, it will be all the more exciting when the popular dining destination reopens on the spot where John Holder, pioneer and friend of Daniel Boone, built a tavern in 1781. His legacy lives on in the bar named after him.

It has been known as Hall’s for more than half-a-century, hosting countless diners, and everything from business deals to marriage proposals. They all came for the popular beer cheese, catfish and views of the river from both the large deck and the glass-walled River Room. You can even get a glimpse of the water from the bar.

(1225 Athens-Boonesboro Rd.; 859-527-6620; hallsontheriver.com).

Frankfort restaurants on the Kentucky River

Those in search of waterside dining will find plenty of places to choose from without having to go all the way to Louisville or Northern Kentucky. They just have to drive the 25 miles to Frankfort.

▪ Jim’s Seafood (950 Wilkinson Blvd.; 502-223-7448; jimseafood1.wixsite.com/jims-seafood). There is nothing fancy about this Kentucky River outpost, but it will certainly satisfy your craving for seafood, with catfish, shrimp, crab, oysters and even clams. Everything is made from scratch and the waterfront dining spot has been family-owned for over 35 years.

▪ Cliffside Diner (175 Old Lawrenceburg Road; 502-362-2454). Opened in 1948 on a cliff with the Kentucky River directly across the road, it seems a natural choice for water viewing. But be warned — the river is only visible in the winter when leafy trees don’t block the view. But go anyway and just know the river is there, as is its nostalgic 1950s vibe with tile floor, counter seats and booths, and a host of home-cooked meals, most notably the signature Cliffside Burger (two patties, grilled onions, cheese, bacon and tartar sauce on Texas toast.

▪ Bourbon on Main (103 W. Main St.; 502-352-2720; bourbononmain.com). Dine on the outdoor patio here for a view of the river and great apps such as deviled eggs with house-made bacon preserves and pickled onions and beer cheese served with a jumbo pretzel. Paying homage to the distilleries of the area, the cocktail menu is heavy on bourbon, and if you have a sweet tooth, try the Creamy Buffalo with Buffalo Trace bourbon cream, Disaronno, cream and orange. If you’re a non-tippler, you’ll have to be satisfied with chocolate chip bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce.

▪ Goodwood Brewing (109 West Main St.; 502-871-5070; goodwoodbrewing.com). This spot has a lovely tree-lined balcony overlooking the Kentucky River, where it’s easy to spend several hours doing a beer flight or having a cocktail from their respectable bourbon list. The Louisville-based brewery’s food menu features burgers, pub food and a favorite of the Frankfort location, chicken and waffles. The brew pub also has a more than respectable menu of dishes, including favorites such as shrimp and grits, Drunken Chicken or cod with a house-made beer batter, accompanied by such sides as beer mac ‘n’ cheese, Chipotle sweet potato mash and spicy braised collards.

▪ Riverboat Grill (101 Riverboat Landing; (502-234-8949; riverboatgrill.com). You can’t get much closer to the water than at this spot at the marina alongside the Kentucky River. If you want to try their most popular dish, order the fish and chips — fresh cod fried in seasoned flour from Weisenberger Mill.

▪ Rick’s White Light Cajun Diner (114 Bridge St.; 502-696-9104; whitelightdiner.com). Often described as “a bit of the bayou on the Kentucky River,” Rick’s is a tiny (and I do mean tiny) cottage in the shadow of Frankfort’s Singing Bridge. An alumnus of the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” Rick Paul is a Harley-riding, CIA-trained chef who, according to his many regulars, doubles as a stand-up comic. The White Light Diner is Frankfort’s oldest restaurant (1948), and it can truthfully be said that proximity to water is a secondary reason for its cadre of loyal fans. The primary reason is the authentic Cajun and Creole dishes he loves to make. When I taste his oyster po’boys, crawfish pie and soft-shell crab, I feel like I’m back on the bayou.

▪ The Stave (5711 McCracken Pike; 859-879-0101; thestavekentucky.com. While The Stave isn’t on the Kentucky River, it IS near Frankfort. And it has a Treehouse deck overlooking Glenn’s Creek at 5711 McCracken Pike. The restaurant features Southern specialties, with a twist. Like Shark and Grits, a recent weekend special from chef Kyle Klatka. Check out the fried bologna sandwich with housemade chowchow. The Stave has lots of covered outdoor seating, live music on weekends, and firepits when it gets cooler.

This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM.