Lexington burger restaurant closes: ‘Thank you for supporting us through tough times!’
A downtown Lexington restaurant known for its burgers and sandwiches is closing.
The Southern Deli & Tavern, which opened in fall 2019 with a lunch and dinner menu of sandwiches named for Southern cities, announced on social media that it is closing.
The restaurant at 207 S. Limestone between the University of Kentucky campus and downtown offices hoped to capitalize on foot traffic.
But owner Bryan Henderson said on Facebook that between the pandemic and the economy, things have gotten too difficult.
“We would like to thank the Lexington community for their support! We are incredibly grateful for the amazing feedback we received. We opened our doors only a few months before the pandemic started and the current economic climate hasn’t been redeeming to our industry,” the post said. “It is with these conditions that we have made the difficult decision to close our doors permanently. Thank you for supporting us for over 3 years through tough times!”
When the restaurant opened in 2019, Henderson said he hoped the location on South Limestone would be a big draw, with unique offerings such as the Memphis, which featured Nutella, banana and peanut butter in an homas to Elvis; the Nashville, a play on hot chicken; and the Miami, a Cubano.
The burgers on the menu included the Southern Burger, made with more than a half-pound proprietary blend of Kentucky Proud beef, BBQ sauce, smoked cheddar, smoked bacon, a beer-battered fried onion, pimiento cheese and coleslaw, served with fries.
The building on South Limestone has been several restaurants, including House of Soul and Graze before Southern Deli & Tavern moved in.
“This corridor right here has gotten much more desirable, with Jeff Ruby’s, with 700 parking spaces, with Ethereal buying that (the building on the corner of High and Limestone,)” he said.
The restaurant had seating inside for about 40, with seating for about 25 planned for outside and offered quick lunch service for carryout.
“We’re a block and a half from UK, and we’re a block and a half from City Center, and a block and a half from Rupp. So I think I’m going to get a pretty good mix, especially during lunch, of students and business,” he said in 2019. “I think City Center has changed the landscape ... before, I wouldn’t have been interested in this location.”
Henderson was not immediately available to comment on the Lexington dining closure.
This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 9:39 AM.
