Popular Lexington brunch, lunch restaurant moving into former El Cid building
A new restaurant is moving onto a prime corner in the National Avenue dining and retail district.
Minton’s, the tiny but mighty brunch and lunch spot, is coming to 701 National Ave., just off Winchester Road and Walton Avenue and across the street from Epping’s on Eastside.
Owner and chef Ashley Minton said they hope to open on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.
“We’re excited to finally put it out there for everyone,” she said. “Seating inside will be triple what we have now ... with room for more.” The restaurant patio could add another 30 seats downstairs and 30 more upstairs in warmer weather, she said.
The current location at 760 N. Limestone will be open until the end of January.
She said that the new location off Winchester “is more visible and easier to get into and there are constantly people down there. ... I think the neighborhood has been incredibly welcoming and they have a tendency to support businesses in the area. We’re excited to be down there with like-minded businesses.”
The new location has more parking and joins a thriving local restaurant community.
“As a loyal fan of Minton’s, I am beyond excited they have chosen our neighborhood as a welcome addition to Lexington’s greatest culinary neighborhood that already hosts Epping’s, Mirror Twin Brewing, Rolling Oven Pizza, Blue Door Smokehouse, La Petite Delicat, Void Sake, Sav’s Gourmet Ice Cream, Brewer Dude, Wild Lab Bakery and the Lexington Farmer’s Market,” said Chad Walker of Walker Properties, which owns the Warehouse Block on National Avenue. “Minton’s will greatly complement the existing businesses while adding their personal flare to their already stellar menu items.”
The restaurant serves brunch and lunch (with vegetarian and vegan options) and offers catering, including take-home meals at the holidays.
The menu includes locally sourced items such as Weisenberger Mill buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy. Signature dishes include the Elvis Pancakes (peanut butter pancakes topped with bananas foster sauce and candied cayenne bacon) and the Little Brother (pan-fried smoked sausage topped with Dijon mustard and freshly made mac & cheese on a hoagie bun.)
Minton said that they will expand their menu to add appetizers and she will bring back her popular desserts. When she opened the restaurant in 2012 serving a menu of “Southern with a twist” family favorites, Minton offered desserts but in recent years those have only been available by special order.
“And we will have fryers, which we don’t know, so that kind of opens up a lot of things we can do,” she said.
She plans to continue to offer catering. All of her current staff will make the move to the new location.
She’s also working on getting a liquor license to resume alcohol sales at the site.
The spot, for many years the Sportsman’s Liquor store, was remodeled into a restaurant that opened as Locals’ in 2015. It had an open-air rooftop patio that Minton said they hope to bring back for events and rentals starting in April.
After Locals’ closed for good during the March 2020 pandemic shut down, the spot in 2021 became a second location of El Cid Mexican restaurant.
But after that changed hands the business took a turn for the worse and El Cid was evicted last year after a fatal shooting.
Walker said there was a lot of interest in the location when it opened up.
“Although we had nearly a dozen letters of intent to lease, facilitated by SVC Stone Commercial Real Estate (specifically Weston Lockhart), the decision to pursue Minton’s was one of the easiest of my career,” he said. “We weren’t interested in chains or hipster joints that offer expensive hot dogs and overpriced beer. We wanted a local chef, and Ashley’s creativity coupled with her family-oriented approach only adds to the roster of local culinary celebrities gathered inside the Warehouse Block.”
Minton’s
Where: 701 National Ave.
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Monday.
Online: Mintonsat760.com
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
