Why one of Lexington’s best sandwiches is made only 2 days a week
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dad’s Favorites Deli draws large crowds on Thursdays and Fridays for special menu items.
- The Rushmore sandwich often sells out early due its popularity.
- The local deli is also know for its homemade soups and cheese spreads.
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Everyone loves to find a hidden gem.
They especially love it when that gem is a local dining spot that offers unique, sought-after menu items.
Both can be found at Dad’s Favorites Deli.
The Lexington deli, deep inside an unassuming Garden Springs strip mall surrounded by a laundromat and a barber shop, has a cult-like following thanks to its variety of toasted sandwiches.
This includes one-of-a-kind daily specials, but it’s on Thursdays and Fridays that have everyone from lawyers to university students lining the corridor of the shops inside the arcade waiting for some of the best sandwiches in Lexington.
The highlight of these is the Rushmore ($9.95), made with the deli’s homemade chipotle cheddar cheese spread, sliced roast beef, BBQ sauce, bacon, fried onion straws on toasted ciabatta and served with beer cheese sauce for dipping.
Flavorwise, it’s almost like getting two sandwiches in one.
“I tell everybody, ‘Take a bite of it first, before you put it in the sauce, and you’ll get all that flavor — the sweetness of the barbecue sauce, the salt from the bacon, the roast beef and then the cheese comes in,’” said owner James “Dad” Caudill. “But then once you dump it in the cheese sauce, it goes to another level.”
That homemade beer cheese gives it an extra kick, while the barbecue sauce gives it a sweet release that helps make the Rushmore the most popular sandwich on Thursdays and Fridays, often selling out by 12:30 p.m.
A quick scan of the restaurant on a recent Thursday confirmed plenty of sandwiches were either getting dipped or covered in beer cheese.
“And if you’re not wearing it, you’re not eating it right,” said Caudill.
But, if it’s so good and so popular, then why not have it on the menu everyday?
Caudill said they simply cannot make enough of the beer cheese sauce, and there’s not enough kitchen and counter space.
But the beer cheese is also featured in another Friday-only sandwich, the Grip n’ Dip. It features a traditional bun, their chipotle cheddar cheese spread and pulled pork barbecue topped with Grippo’s chips and a side of beer cheese sauce for dipping.
What are Dad’s most popular sandwiches?
Caudill said he likes having the variety to go with their menu of eight signature sandwiches each day.
“I like a different special every day, and we’ll see the same people on those certain days, because we know they came in for a Reuben, or we know they came in for the barbecue or we know that they came in for the Farmhouse on Monday,” said Caudill.
Caudill said two other sandwiches stack up in popularity to the Rushmore: another Thursday special, the Ruben, and the Asiago pot roast ($8.95), which is available daily.
The Ruben ($9.95) is topped with homemade sauerkraut and Dad’s Signature Sauce (not thousand island) and served on seeded sourdough rye with Dad’s Swiss cheese. The corned beef is brined and slow-roasted for 16 hours.
“It’s the most tender corned beef you’re gonna get,” Caudill said.
The Asiago pot roast sandwich is made in house every day and served on a French roll with roasted red pepper sauce ($8.95).
What else on the menu is Dad’s known for?
Caudill and his sons Jay and Jeff started selling cheese spreads in 2008. Two years later, they opened the deli in Gardenside with one table out front. From there, they had seating for 20 in the hallway until they rented an open space in the arcade that can accommodate about 50.
Besides sandwiches and cheese spreads, Dad’s is also known for its homemade soups. The tomato basil sells out every day Caudill said.
“Nothing comes out of a can. Nothing comes out of a bag. Everything is made fresh,” Caudill said.
Caudill said Thursdays and Fridays are big draws for university students, and it’s not unusual to see UK athletes diving into the beer cheese, especially the football team’s offensive line.
A common sight is also Dad himself talking new diners through the menu as they wait in line.
“I don’t recognize you, you have any questions?” he asks them on his way back from delivering hot sandwiches.
“You’re not a number, you’re a name,” said Caudill, who added that he loves talking to customers. “I do, and it’s a lost art. I will tell you that you don’t get that anymore.”
Dad’s Favorites Deli
Where: Located inside the Arcade Shops of the Garden Springs Shopping Center, 820 Lane Allen Road
Hours: 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Call ahead orders: 859-309-1930
Online: dadsfavorites.com
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
