Popular Cajun restaurant expanding into downtown Lexington, will be open for Mardi Gras
A popular University of Kentucky campus-area restaurant, beloved for its fast and delicious Cajun food, is expanding. And just in time for Mardi Gras.
Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse, which has been on Euclid Avenue for 17 years, will add a second location downtown at 1080 South Broadway in February, in time for Mardi Gras on March 1.
If the South Broadway spot seems familiar to foodies, it should: That was the former location of Gumbo Ya Ya for 18 years. But at the end of 2021, Gumbo Ya Ya owners Greg and Tressa Todd consolidated to their Brannon Crossing restaurant, which remains open.
That created a bit of a jambalaya vacuum for downtown Lexington.
Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse owner Kevin Heathcoat said the opportunity was too good to miss.
“We weren’t looking to open a new restaurant, but this was kind of thrown at us and we couldn’t pass it up,” Heathcoat said.
He said the menu will stay the same but larger kitchen will give Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse a chance to expand catering and possibly try new things.
“It will be Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse Part 2,” Heathcoat said. “We’ve got a lot of longtime employees who are phenomenal people and do an amazing job, and this will give some growth opportunity to them. We’re not going to change a thing.”
But they might add some. Heathcoat said that the new restaurant might have room for fryers, which could mean beignets and fried crawfish tails in the future. Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse also might be able to schedule a standing rotation of some of the customer-favorite dishes that run out.
The second Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse will have beer license. Hours are still to be determined.
This is the second big expansion for the Cajun restaurant, which opened a commissary kitchen across the street on Euclid before the pandemic to handle large orders.
Heathcoat and his wife, Cameron, bought out longtime restaurant partner Will Pieratt last year but they remain partners with Pieratt and businessman Bill Farmer in Chevy Chase Inn, Lexington’s oldest bar.
Kevin Heathcoat said that his restaurant and Gumbo Ya Ya also share an origin story.
“We all spawned from Joe Buskovich, the founder of Jozo’s and then Yat’s and lots of others. He actually had many little fingers coming out of his Cajun web all over the state,” Heathcoat said.
“This location just made perfect sense for us because Gumbo Ya Ya had been there for 18 years and had a loyal fan base ... and they’re going to be missing that food.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 10:36 AM.
