Closed Lexington restaurant bringing old favorites and more to new location
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Southern Cookhouse & Bar opening in September in BLVD Apartments on Hays Boulevard.
- Menu revives Southern Deli & Tavern's burgers, sandwiches, adds house-made comfort food.
- The expanded bar, sports TVs and patio to target neighborhood and regional traffic.
A downtown Lexington burger and sandwich restaurant that closed in January 2023 is coming back with a new name, new location and new menu items with a Southern twist.
Partners Bryan Henderson and Troy Thayer said they will open Southern Cookhouse & Bar the first week of September in the clubhouse of the BLVD Apartments on Hays Boulevard. The restaurant, which is going in the former BLVD Grill location, is in the Chilesburg and Andover neighborhoods, just off Richmond Road and minutes from I-75 and Man O’ War Boulevard.
“I brought a lot of my favorite items over from The Southern Deli & Tavern downtown,” said Henderson, who opened the restaurant known for its menu of burgers and sandwiches named for Southern cities in 2019 but had to close shortly after COVID. “It’s a second coming, and I feel blessed to be able to bring parts of that back.”
Henderson and Thayer each have more than 30 years of experience in restaurants. Despite being in an apartment complex, Henderson said they are counting on 7,000 homes between Hamburg and Richmond Road and the nearby new soccer stadium to help.
“Our slogan is good food, great friends, easy living,” said Henderson. “We’re part of this neighborhood, so we’re invested in many ways in this. It’s a place that we would want to come to, since we live here.”
What renovations were done at BLVD Apartments’ restaurant?
The restaurant is in the midst of a major renovation that includes tearing down a wall, adding a fireplace and more. The focal point of what Henderson calls their “neighborhood tavern spot” is a newly built bar that is double the size of the previous.
The bar is wrapped in strips of bourbon barrels, and the full-service bar will have eight draft beers on tap, while highlighting a menu of bourbon and tequila.
Fifteen televisions will surround the bar and dining room, including four 85-inch TVs on the wall above the bar and a 100-inch set facing the bar area.
There’s also a covered patio that can seat 50 with a fire pit overlooking the apartment complex’s pool.
Henderson said to capitalize on televised sports, they are going to have expanded hours. Starting out, they are going to be open six days a week, 3 p.m.-midnight Tue.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-midnight Sat.-Sun.
“We’re hoping to grow into seven days a week,” said Henderson. “Definitely going to grow into brunch on Saturday and Sunday. So we’ll probably shift to a nine or 10 opening.”
What’s on the menu at Southern Cookhouse & Bar?
Henderson said the menu will feature burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, a few entrees of comfort food, salads and desserts. He didn’t want to give away details of what the new items will be, other than to say the majority of the menu will be made in-house and from fresh local suppliers.
Several burgers and sandwiches will be coming back from Henderson’s Southern Deli & Tavern, including The Southern Burger, The Winchester and The Fort Worth, which came with one or two beef patties, slice smoked cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mayo and dill pickle.
Sandwiches returning from the Southern Deli menu will include:
- San Clemente: Carne asada, tomato, tomatillo salsa, mashed avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and cojita cheese with mayonnaise on ciabatta roll.
- Nashville: Hot chicken, bread and butter pickles, coleslaw and mayonnaise on slider rolls.
- Charleston: Grilled ham and pimento cheese on French roll.
- Decatur: Grilled chicken, slaw and pickle with Alabama white BBQ sauce on slider rolls.
Henderson said because of Thayer’s experience and the size of the kitchen, there is an opportunity to expand into catering.
They also plan to have soft serve ice cream.
“It’s going to be a neighborhood place where you can come get a burger, pitcher of beer, an ice cream cone and be close to home,” said Henderson. “And we think we have the ability to draw from outside the zone here.”
Southern Cookhouse & Bar
Where: 844 Hays Blvd., in the clubhouse of the BLVD Apartments
Expected opening date: The first week of September
Hours: 3 p.m.-midnight Tue.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-midnight Sat.-Sun.
Online: southerncookhousebar.com
