What’s coming to Lexington in 2025? Publix, Wawa, Wingstop and more
Lexington, hope you’ve got a big appetite: Lots of new restaurants are coming in 2025, and you’ll want to try them out.
Whether it is an expansion of an existing restaurant or something totally new to the region, there will be a lot of new dining places to check out.
Lexington is a big city for dining, but how do so many places stay in business? Well, they don’t. Many restaurants close every year, including several that we lost in 2024.
So if you see something on the menu that you like, better check it out quick. And if you have a current favorite restaurant, don’t forget to keep showing the love. When it comes to dining, it’s definitely use it or lose it.
Here are more than a dozen places coming in 2025.
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Bert’s SpeakCheezy
Bert’s SpeakCheezy, which started in Old Town Berea, will be opening a new location near Hamburg at 2985 Liberty Road. and started serving in The Twisted Cork Bar & Grill, 145 Burt Road. The restaurant serves a menu of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and other sides.
Big Kahuna
Big Kahuna Hawaiian BBQ is opening a second location on the south side of town. Owner Harrison Ginsberg plans to expand the menu a bit with more vegetarian and pork options, but the Spam Musubi and all your favorites will be coming to 3101 Clays Mill in February.
Chocomania
Georgetown chocolate shop and cafe Chocomania is opening a second location Fayette Mall in early 2025 — maybe even in time for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. Expect to find lots of tasty treats, including the TikTok-craze Dubai Chocolate, made with pistachios, as well as many other sweets.
Crust
Crust, a wood-fired pizza place from renowned Lexington restaurateur Kuni Toyoda, is coming back in early 2025. This time it will be in Beaumont, in the former Whiskey Bear location at 3195 Beaumont Center Circle, Suite 100.
And this probably won’t be the only new thing coming from Toyoda, who said, “In addition to the relaunch of Crust, we’ve been actively searching for potential sites for Bella Café & Grille, Smashing Tomato, and Bella Notte in Lexington. We hope to add one more restaurant to our portfolio besides Crust in 2025.”
Dutch Bros
The popular coffee chain finally got permission for a second location with a double drive-thru on the south side of Lexington. The new Dutch Bros is expected to open at 2084 Harrodsburg Road., across from Turfland Mall near Springhurst Drive.
The Fresh Market
A second location of the gourmet grocery will be opening in Hamburg at 2321 Sir Barton Way, in the former buybuy Baby store space.
The new Fresh Market is expected to open in late 2025 or early 2026; next to it will be a new Sierra Trading Post and Skechers store in the former Bed Bath & Beyond store spot.
Jaggers
Jaggers, a fast-casual restaurant created by late Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor, is opening its first Lexington location just off Nicholasville Road in Regency Centre in front of Kroger in the second or third quarter of 2025. Jaggers’ menu is known for made-when-you-order double burgers, hand-breaded chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches and scratch-made sauces.
Jeff’s Donuts
Louisville-based Jeff’s Donuts is opening a Lexington location in early 2025 at 1080 S. Broadway. Known for premium long johns, glazed and filled doughnuts, as well as other pastries, Jeff’s is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Ketch
Fans of seafood have been keeping an eye on The Ketch, which closed in July 2023 after it sold. The former seafood restaurant just off Southland Drive at 2012 Regency Road has been undergoing a very slow (more than a year now) remodel. But it is coming back: Co-owner Ryan Foster said they hope to reopen in the first quarter of the year, with a similar menu and even some familiar faces.
Mystery bar in old Lynagh’s spot
The owners of Austin City Saloon are opening a new bar in the old Lynagh’s spot on Woodland Avenue in University Plaza next to Big Daddy’s Liquors. The new bar at 384 Woodland is expected to open in spring and will not be Irish-themed, according to Austin Brashear and Josh Brock. It will be “a celebration of the things we love about Kentucky ... including the University, music, artists, spirits and of course our customers.”
Newk’s Eatery
Newk’s Eatery, a Southern fast-casual restaurant that left Lexington a few years ago, is coming back. Where, exactly, we don’t know yet, but the chain announced plans to return and bring three to five locations to the Lexington/Central Kentucky market, with 15 altogether in Kentucky, including several in the Louisville market.
PKL LEX
PKL LEX will be opening at 223 Owens Ave., just off Winchester Road in what is now an empty yellow metal warehouse. It will have indoor pickleball courts, golf simulator, a craft beer taproom and a restaurant.
Publix
Publix was supposed to be here already, right? The Florida grocery had planned to open its first Lexington location at the Fountains at Palomar before the end of 2024 — which obviously didn’t happen.
The new timeline: First quarter of 2025, which means those Pub Subs are getting closer as the building on Man o’ War near Harrodsburg Road looks more complete every day. And another location near Citation and Georgetown won’t be far behind. So the race is on: Will 3855 Fountainblue Lane or 1952 Stockton Way open first? (As for the one planned for Romany Road, it’s still in limbo with no movement as of the end of the year.)
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Santorini
Lexington restaurant owner Ilias Pappas is building up to a big new opening: An upscale, elegant, sit-down place that will showcase his native Greek cuisine.
The new restaurant, which he plans to call Santorini for the picturesque Aegean island, will be at 3801 Mall Road, #120, just off Nicholasville Road near Fayette Mall by El Asadero Bar & Mexican Grill, Chuy’s and Bella Notte, in the location where the original Saul Good closed earlier in 2024.
He’d hoped to have it ready before the end of the year, but construction delays have pushed it into 2025. Pappas said he’s hoping for a March opening.
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New Suggins-type place
Some of the partners in the popular AP Suggins restaurant on Romany are opening a new neighborhood pub/family-style place in Hartland where the Shamrocks closed.
Teriyaki Madness
This fast-casual Japanese place will be opening in a mini-restaurant row on the other side of Man o’ War in the Hamburg area. Teriyaki Madness Japanese will be opening in the spring at 1925 Justice Drive. in the same row as Wild Eggs and Graeter’s Ice Cream and near Drake’s and across from El Mariachi and Double Dogs.
Tupelo Honey
The Asheville, N.C.,-based restaurant’s expansion into Lexington has gotten off to a slow start. It’s delayed by the finish of the Publix at Fountains of Palomar. The restaurant, which will be going in on Harrodsburg Road, was originally expected to open in the spring of 2025, but now it’s unclear what the timeline might be.
Tupelo Honey is known for its scratch-made items sourced from local farmers, brewers and distillers, a modern take on Southern cuisine. Think fried green tomatoes, but Tupelo Honey’s are panko-crusted on goat cheese grits with basil and roasted red pepper sauce.
Umami Ramen
When the McAlister’s Deli in Chevy Chase closed, Lexington sushi restaurateur Guang Ni saw an opportunity. Although he was already expanding his Omakase Sushi to a second location in Fountains of Palomar, he wanted to try a slightly different, more affordable direction.
Umami Ramen will offer full dine-in Japanese fusion including innovative ramen and grilled kitchen dishes when it opens in early 2025.
Wawa
OK, Wawa isn’t opening in Lexington ... yet. But the first one in Nicholasville is expected to open this summer at 3012 Lexington Road, just south of Brannon Crossing, as will one in Louisville. Known for great coffee drinks and Sizzli breakfast sandwiches, Wawa also has expressed plans to build at 4075 Richmond Road near Jacobson Park.
Wingstop
Lexington is apparently getting at least three locations of this TikTok-famous chicken restaurant, known as much for its spicy sauces as anything. One Wingstop is opening on Woodland Avenue between the bar going into the old Lynagh’s spot and a Subway. One is going at 3101 Tates Creek Centre Drive. and one is going in at 3080 Richmond Road Suite 110 near Liquor Barn.
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
