Famed Lexington dining spot getting an $8M ‘sister restaurant’ in Northern KY
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- One Holland will open Royal Kentuckian, an $8M Merrick Inn sister eatery by March 2026.
- The restaurant in a 36,000-sq-ft horse barn anchors a $54M Northern Kentucky development.
- Project includes Barleycorn’s, Spear Ridge Cafe which will be expanding to Lexington area.
One of Lexington’s premier white tablecloth restaurants is getting an $8 million “big sister” in Northern Kentucky.
One Holland owner Gary Holland said he is building a 36,000-square-foot “horse barn” in his hometown of Independence that will house, among other things, a new big sister to Lexington classic Merrick Inn that will be called the Royal Kentuckian.
The look is pure Bluegrass Thoroughbred farm, in the form of a $54 million mixed-use development dropped into Northern Kentucky. In addition to restaurants, there will be an events center across a small lake that will be called Grande Nicholson, with adjacent short-term rentals, patio homes, townhomes some other commercial buildings.
“I decided I would build what looks like a horse farm, straight out of Old Frankfort Pike,” Holland said. “We have a First Watch in a really nice ‘barn’ and a Spear Ridge Cafe and General Store in another barn and the focal point is one very similar to the Manchester Barn on the back end of Calumet by Keeneland.”
That big barn will horse a bigger version of One Holland’s Barleycorn’s Brewhouse, which makes the Crazy Norse IPA, in the basement, while half of the main and second floor will be a Barleycorn’s and the other half will be the Royal Kentuckian.
Royal Kentuckian menu, bourbon program based on Merrick Inn
The Royal Kentuckian menu will be based on that of the Merrick Inn, which One Holland has owned since 2021, and feature classics including the fried chicken, bacon-wrapped shrimp, Kentucky Hot Brown and more. It will have three bars, which Holland aspires to get onto top 100 bourbon bar lists alongside Merrick Inn.
“Merrick Inn is the crown jewel of One Holland, along with Greyhound Tavern. But so many people from Northern Kentucky have not eaten at Merrick. Northern Kentucky deserves to have a Merrick,” Holland said. “It’s more than a steak and seafood place, it’s just slice of Kentucky.”
The Royal Kentuckian and the Barleycorn’s at 2050 Katie Lane in Indepence are expected to open by March 2026, he said.
Barleycorn’s, Spear Ridge expansions
One Holland operates First Watch, Skyline Chili, Dunkin’ and LaRosa’s restaurants, but the company now owns outright the Barleycorn’s restaurant chain and has begun expanding it.
Holland bought the existing three Barleycorn’s from Heil Brothers in 2021 and added one in Wilder with a small brewery that already has made its mark in Cincinnati.
Now, Holland said, the company is “extremely likely to bring a Barleycorn’s to the Lexington area, too.”
Although possibly not into Lexington proper, where real estate is expensive, he said.
“I’m partial to Georgetown and Nicholasville and Richmond,” he said.
Spear Ridge Cafe, which is an entirely new concept Holland describes as a Kentucky diner, also is likely to expand into Central Kentucky, he said.
“The first place I’d probably look is Midway,” he said.
One Holland is about to open a Dunkin’ there.
“Spear Ridge reminds me a lot of Wallace Station, although the menu is different,” Holland said of the Ouita Michel restaurant on Old Frankfort Pike.
“I wanted to bring Lexington to Northern Kentucky. It’s such a special city. And there’s a lot of Northern Kentuckians who don’t really understand how wonderful Lexington is,” Holland said of the new development. “I thought this was a chance to give them a taste of Lexington.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
