Black Restaurant Week: Lexington SoulFeast has $15 meals of fish, chicken & more
A popular Lexington foodie event returns this month for its fifth year, celebrating the flavors of Black cuisine and culinary culture.
SoulFeast Week is June 19-29, with many different culinary events, including Lexington Black Restaurant Week June 23-29, where Black-owned local restaurants serve off-menu dishes for just $15.
The 10-day SoulFeast Week celebrates Black-owned restaurants, chefs and farmers in Central Kentucky. Organizers say the foodie event has brought more than $300,000 into Black-owned businesses.
Lexington Black Restaurant Week menus (June 23-29)
A highlight of SoulFeast Week, Lexington Black Restaurant Week features 12 local restaurants serving dishes with at least one ingredient sourced from a Black farmer through Black Soil KY. New this year, diners can use a digital passport to earn rewards and win prizes.
All week long, from June 23-29, these Black-owned restaurants will be showcasing their skills with these unique off-menu dishes for only $15.
And if you want to explore more of Lexington’s Black culinary scene, SoulFeast has a directory of Black-owned restaurants at soulfeastweek.com/directory.
AJ’s Wings & Things, which opened earlier this year at 1873 Alexandria Dr. #110, will have a Southern Catfish Sandwich with fries and sweet potato soufflé. The lettuce comes from Cleav’s Family Market in LaRue County.
Chef Li’s Tacos, in Greyline Station, 101 W Loudon Ave., will have two tacos filled with low and slow smoked chipotle chicken, cheese and onions served in a tortilla shell. They will be served with a side of seasoned cilantro rice, guac salsa, homemade pico de gallo, sour cream and Birria consommé. Cleav’s Family Market in LaRue County is providing the jalapenos and onions.
Ethiopian Family Kitchen, in Greyline Station, 101 W Loudon Ave., will have Ethiopian Chicken Leg Stew with fried potatoes and cabbage. The dish will use collard greens from Black Soil KY (Fayette County) and tomatoes from Cleav’s Family Market (LaRue County).
Genesis Coffee House & Eatery’s dish will be announced soon. They are at 1403 N Forbes Rd. #130.
Geneva-Nicole Cooking, Baking & Catering in Greyline Station, 101 W Loudon Ave., will be baking some Colossal Cookies using eggs from Hills of Kindness Farm (Taylor County) and fruit from Black Soil KY (Fayette County).
Honey J’s Southern Eatery at 1474 Anniston Drive, will serve NOLA Bowl, a Southern-style comfort dish with gumbo greens & rice. It will feature slow-simmered greens, tender white meat chicken and savory turkey sausage, all cooked in a rich, flavorful roux. It will be served over white rice and a slice of cornbread.
Honey J’s Southern Eatery other location, 3449 Buckhorn Dr. Suite 100, will serve a different NOLA Bowl featuring red beans & rice plus fried wings. The hearty, slow-cooked red beans will be served over a bed of white rice and then topped with two crispy Southern fried chicken wings. Comes with a slice of cornbread.
Irie Flavors, the Jamaican restaurant located in Greyline Station, 101 W Loudon Ave., is smoking jerk chicken using a combination of selected herbs and spices for the perfect jerk sauce.
MiMi’s Southern Style Cooking will have a dish that will be announced soon. They are at 126 E New Circle Rd.
Moody Mike’s vegan restaurant, 802 North Limestone, is serving southern juicy jackfruit ribs with creamy mac ‘n’ cheese and tender seasoned greens. The collard greens on this southern comfort dish come from Black Soil KY.
Sassy Bleu Fine Southern Dining, which opened at the end of last year at 496 E. High St., will be searing up gumbo with a piece of catfish using bell peppers from Cleav’s Family Market (LaRue County). The slow-simmered gumbo is loaded with savory spices, tender meats, hearty vegetables and served with a fried piece of catfish.
Wing KYng, the popular Northside chicken wing restaurant located in Greyline Station, 101 W Loudon Ave., will serve up The Dirt Bowl Classic Meal with its House blend sweet & spicy and Kyng’s potatoes, which will be sourced from Cleav’s Family Market in LaRue County.
Lexington SoulFeast events
Ticketed events can be purchased online at soulfeastweek.com/events using a “Proud to Pay” method that lets patrons pay what they want and pay it forward for others.
The Chitlin’ Circuit Farm-to-Table Dinner: The country-themed dinner at Coleman Crest Farm will have live music June 19 from The Kentucky Gentlemen and Tee Dee Young. An evening inspired by the historic Chitlin’ Circuit, the farm-fresh meal will be prepared by chef Isaiah Screetch, a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalists.
Cocktails & Cigars: Local food trucks, handcrafted cocktails and cigars are the highlight June 20 at the Void Sake Company. A DJ will set the high-energy tone for the evening.
SoulTeenth Fest: As part of the city’s Juneteenth celebration, the free June 21 event at the Moondance Amphitheater will have live music, cooking demonstrations, art, vendors and more.
Soulful Sunday Gospel Brunch: There will be live gospel from the YMBBA Choir led by Grammy-nominated Nemo Achida June 22 at Manchester Events — plus, a family-style brunch from chef Danielle Conner and chef Antoinette Johnson, who won “America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation” in 2023.
The Finale: A Sable Bourbon Experience: It’s a bourbon, dance and R&B party June 22 at the Lexington Marriott City Center. There will be a DJ, food, cocktails and signed bottles of Sable bourbon. The new release was produced at Bespoken, the Lexington distillery at Greyline Station for Harold Perrineau, Malcolm D. Lee, Morris Chestnut and Taye Diggs, who collaborated for the film “The Best Man.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
