Lexington has a lot of Black-owned restaurants. Here is a guide for many to try
February is Black History Month and many people look for ways during this time in particular to support locally owned Black businesses.
And the Lexington area has many restaurants, bars and food businesses that are Black-owned or operated by Black chefs.
Many are involved in the annual SoulFeast and Black Restaurant Week celebrations which usually take place in June.
SoulFeast also maintains a directory of Black food and beverage businesses, many of which are included in this list and guide. But if we’ve missed someone, please drop us a line at bsimms@herald-leader.com or jpatton1@herald-leader.com and we will update this list.
List, guide: Black-owned dining in Lexington
Africa & Caribbean Cuisine, 1315 Winchester Rd., 859-212-9569, has house favorites like oxtail, fried plantains and stew and jerk chicken.
AJ’s Wings & Things, 1873 Alexandria Dr., opens Feb. 22 with a soul food menu of chicken wings, burgers, fish sandwiches and more.
Alfalfa, alfalfa-catering.com, 859-977-0121. The former Lexington restaurant now owned by Tiffany and Wali Yusef El-Amin is operating as a caterer now and you may find it as a pop up in a Lexington park.
BK’s Cookies & More, 356 Longview Plaza, 859-361-5429, treats can be bought online, in store or at Total Wine and More locations. Sweet homemade options include cookies, pop tarts, cookie balls and more.
Blessed Bro’s Bar & Grill, 909 Winchester Rd., 859-303-4020, has a menu of pub food featuring wings, chicken sandwiches and burgers.
Blue Skillet, 213 East Seventh Street, 859-537-9257. This restaurant specializes in soul food and southern specialties.
Bubba Grub, 1007 Elizabeth St. in Nicholasville, 859-241-1379. Located just over the Fayette County line and owned by Landon Marsh, Bubba Grub serves everything from gourmet burgers, wings and fried fish.
Chef Li’s Private Kitchen, 859-494-3819, operates in Greyline Station’s Market Kitchen three days a week with a menu focusing on tacos.
Cosmic Fry, 700 Maple Ave., 859-310-0856, is a diner that is known for breakfast, burgers and mocktails.
Creole Cafe, 833 Georgetown St., 859-554-5148, has a menu of crab, shrimp and other Cajun boil favorites. Creole cheese fries are popular.
Daughter’s Southern, food truck/caterer, 859-576-2804. Chef Chris Cain’s food truck sets up at locations including The Garage on Leestown Road and local breweries, with a menu of burgers, sandwiches, brunch items including chicken and waffle skewers and Bluegrass Egg-in-A-Hole. Check out the amazing Buffalo cauliflower.
Dova’s Kitchen, 428 Southland Dr., 859-509-9903, is carry-out only. The highlight of the menu is grilled lamb chops, smothered in their Dova sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. You can also get lobster, shrimp and steak.
Ethiopian Family Kitchen, 859-338-5824, operates in Greyline Station’s Market Kitchen on Sundays. The menu focus on Ethiopian cuisine like sega wot, a spicy beef stew.
Everything Spuds, 859-303-4881, 1070 Chinoe Rd., serves up baked potatoes, topping them with everything from steak to chicken Alfredo. There’s even a pizza option.
Fresh Bourbon, 377 Main St Ste. 100, 859-327-2127. Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co., which is one of the few Black-owned Kentucky bourbon labels, was founded in 2017 by Sean and Tia Edwards. They launched their bourbon in 2020, produced in partnership with Hartfield & Co. Distillery in Paris. In September 2022 they opened a tasting room on Main Street that serves their bourbon straight and in cocktails.
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Genesis Coffee House, 1403 North Forbes Road Suite 130, 859-309-0876. Tabet Wilson opened a coffee shop in 2020 in the Meadowthorpe area serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner sandwiches, pastries and sweets, soups and, of course, coffee and specialty drinks
Grimes’s Fast Food, 4248 Saron Suite and 325 Roosevelt Blvd., 859-255-0445 for Roosevelt and 859-523-8222 for Saron Drive. This is one of several restaurants in Lexington that really knocks fried chicken out of the park. You can get hot & spicy or regular chicken, fish, barbecue and sides to complete the plate.
Halligans Bar and Grill, 1170 Manchester St., 859-785-0858, is a bar and grill in Lexington’s Distillery District that honors first responders and firefighters.
Honey J’s Southern Eatery, 1474 Anniston Dr., 859-293-0225, is known for its Southern meals like fried chicken, catfish and shrimp. And don’t forget the cornbread.
Indi’s, 670 North Broadway, 859-233-7985. Indi’s specializes in fried chicken, perfectly spiced. You can get “just chicken” or go for barbecue chicken, ribs and tips, seafood and chicken strips. Sides include fried apples, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, rice, green beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, smoked baked beans, mashed potatoes, mixed greens and more.
Irie Flavors Jamaican Food, 428 Southland Dr., 984-268-9779, is closed for the season but will open back up in the Spring with a taste of Jamaica in Lexington. Operating out of the Southland ghost kitchen and a food truck, the menu features jerk chicken, oxtail and ackee and saltfish.
Jack’s Sandbar & Grill, inside Malibu Jack’s, 2536 Larkin Rd., 859-309-3211. Jack’s serves cocktails, pizza, wings and the kind of snacks you want if you’ve been playing games or riding a go-kart.
JD’s Kitchen and Catering, 161 E Reynolds Rd., 859-213-7374, serves bar food and lamb chops late, often closing at midnight.
Josanne’s Homestyle Kitchen and Honey J’s Southern Eatery, 3449 Buckhorn Drive, 859-245-0110 for Josanne’s and 1474 Anniston Dr., 859-293-0225 for Honey J’s. Owned by Tamara Hall and Robert Webb, Josanne’s is a Black-owned, veteran-owned and woman-owned restaurant that features soul food and home-style cooking, made from scratch and reasonably priced. Besides classics like pork chops and catfish, you can get fried shrimp and baked potatoes with your choice of toppings. Last year, Hall also opened Honey J’s, which also serves from-scratch Southern-style favorites and sandwiches in a quick-serve format. It’s drive-thru and carry-out only, with no seating.
Le Gourmet, 115 N Locust Hill, 859-693-6936, is a Caribbean restaurant that will open in May with a menu focusing on Haitian recipes. Owner and chef Patricia Gedeon says the Haitian restaurant will use her family’s French heritage, African descent and Caribbean attribute to stand out. Gedeon expects the most popular entree on the menu to be boeuf bourguignon, a traditional French beef stew braised in red wine with carrots and onion. Other entrees include boulette (Haitian-style meatballs), griot de porc (fried pork) and poulet en sauce (sauteed chicken stew).
LeanFeast, 220 Ruccio Way, 859-687-1007, serves healthy meals already prepared, allowing you to customize your order with different proteins, carbs and vegetables. The food comes completely cooked and ready to reheat, with a selection of sauces available
The Melroy, 144 N. Broadway, coming soon, will be a private dining club and bar from Ieasha Allen, former co-owner of Creaux Creole bar on Short Street. Allen also is launching a food truck called Soundbites that will be parked at Broadway and Church beginning this spring serving Southern comfort foods and playing music.
Mimi’s Southern Style Cooking, 126 East New Circle Rd, 859-523-0490. Visit Mimi’s for a menu of comfort food, sandwiches, salads, chicken dinners and Southern sides from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Moody Mike’s, 859-433-7633. This vegan food truck opened a permanent location at 800 N. Limestone inside Broomwagon last year. The cafe will serve coffee and breakfast food, grab-and-go items, salads and seasonal vegetable dishes sourced through nearby Black Soil — don’t miss out on their oatmeal cream pies.
Never Too Much Creamery, 110 W. Sixth St., 859-309-0388, serves amazing ice cream and treats in endless combinations. Owner Jameshia Croley specializes in over-the-top cone creations and milkshakes.
The Peach Cobbler Factory, 561 S Broadway, 859-303-5710, specializes in its namesake desserts. The menu features a dozen different kinds of cobbler, including five kinds of peach. And cinnamon rolls.
Playa Bowls, 3900 Fountain Blue Ln., 859-303-5351, is located at the Fountains of Palomar serving acai bowls, smoothies and more. The Lexington location opened in August 2024.
Poppa Snax, a Lexington food truck, often serves at Douglass Park. The menu is heavy on jerk chicken and ribs.
Rayann’s Popcorn Co., operates in Greyline Station three days a week. Known for hand-crafted gourmet popcorn flavors like PB & jelly, caramel and cheese, penut butter cup and more.
Redds Kitchen, 428 Southland Dr., 859-490-9264, is operating out of the Southland ghost kitchen with tacos, chopped cheese sliders and cheesesteak egg rolls.
Sam’s Hot Dog Stand, Lexington Green, 192 Lexington Green Circle, 859-286-9704, is “hot dog headquarters” in Lexington. They are known for their famous chili sauce and reasonable prices.
Sassy Bleu Fine Southern Dining, 496 High St., 859-309-0043, opened in Dec. 2024 by the co-owner of MiMi’s Southern Style Cooking chef Sabrina Booker. The home-style Southern comfort food restaurant is in the former original location of Ramsey’s Diner at The atmosphere might be upscale, but the menu is all comfort with items like catfish, fried chicken, mac and cheese and sweet potato casserole.
Sav’s Gourmet Ice Cream, 819 National Ave., 859-229-0250, is located between the new Blue Door Smokehouse and Void Sake’s place. After closing his restaurant in August 2022, owner Mamadou “Sav” Savane opened the ice cream shop with 18 flavors and two sorbets in April 2024.
Silver Springs Farm Eqwine & Vineyard, 3710 Leestown Rd., 859-351-9067, is located five miles from downtown Lexington in horse country. Hand-crafted sparking, dessert and white wine is made on the farm.
Stings Lounge, 123 W. Main St., stingslounge.com, 859-806-8064, is an upscale dance and night club on Main Street in an historic building. Owner DeBryant Beatty opened the lounge in February 2020, just before COVID hit, but the downtown late-night hot spot has weathered the pandemic in style.
Thea’s Bass & Biddy Kitchen, 101 W Loudon Ave, 859-309-0166, started as a food truck and now has a brick and motor location in Greyline Station. Owner and chef Thea M. Mason’s menu features Kickin’ Chicken & Fish (fried), chicken alfredo and more.
Wing KYng, inside Greyline Station at 101 W Loudon Ave unit 110, 859-785-1661. Owner Thomas Williams serves dry rub wings and sauced ones, with potatoes and desserts.
Woke Junk Food Vegan chef Anetra Polk creates a tasty all-vegan menu that she serves at catered events and have found a home at The 90, the dining hall at the University of Kentucky.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 4:55 AM with the headline "Lexington has a lot of Black-owned restaurants. Here is a guide for many to try."
