Lexington sports bar reopens with new menu & look in time for UK football season

By Brian Simms

Updated August 29, 2025 8:36 AM

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.

KSBar & Grille reopened August 26 with a refreshed menu and renovated space
New items include smash burgers, expanded wing flavors, and Kentucky Proud fare
Upgrades include improved floors, TVs and more UK sports memorabilia

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A popular Lexington sports bar that closed during the summer is back just in time for University of Kentucky football season.

KSBar & Grille, owned by the team behind Kentucky Sports Radio, reopened Aug. 26 after a menu and restaurant renovation.

Matt Jones, one of the owners, said he thinks people will notice the improved food.

“We’re very proud of the changes we made,” Jones said. “We knew we had some things we needed to clean up, improve food quality and service, and we wanted to take time during the summer to make it happen. And we think with the new menu items and our new setup, it’ll be a much better experience for our customers.”

The menu has several new items such as smash burgers, Kentucky Proud items, appetizers and wing sauces.

The Midnight Madness smash burger ($13.50) with American cheese, egg, bacon and crispy onion tanglers from KSBar & Grille. The sports bar is getting its Kentucky Proud beef delivered from Noche Linda Farms in Paris. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

KSBar & Grille, photographed Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 in Lexington, Ky., reopened after a menu and restaurant renovation that included refinishing the floors and repairing or replacing many of the televisions. They also moved the hostess stand inside. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

The restaurant, which opened in 2018 at 1030 South Broadway, repaired or replaced many of its TVs, put up some new UK memorabilia, updated the patio seating area and refinished its tables and floor.

“I think the floor is the biggest difference, because it does brighten up the place,” said General Manager Monique Harpole.

KSBar & Grille’s renovation included new UK memorabilia on the walls. The sports bar and restaurant will serve breakfast at 9 a.m. for UK’s season-opening football game Aug. 30. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

The owners of KSBar & Grille moved the patio TVs, making them easier to see and refinished the tables. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

KSBar & Grille grew out of the hugely popular live KSR radio show and KentuckySportsRadio.com, a sports blog that Jones sold in 2020. The radio show hosted by Jones, Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin and Shannon “The Dude” Grigsby, airs on WLAP in Lexington and WKRD in Louisville with syndication to other locations.

From left, Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond and Drew Franklin broadcast a live KSR radio show, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, at KSBar & Grille in Lexington, Ky. The popular sports bar recently underwent a menu and restaurant renovation that included new UK memorabilia, especially in the around where they do the radio show. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

What’s on KSBar & Grille’s menu?

Some popular items stayed on the menu, like the chicken tender wrap ($12.50), club sandwich ($13.50) and cheese logs ($15). “Those could never go away,” Harpole said about the massive hand-made cheese sticks served with marinara sauce.

To go with KSR’s popular French fries, Harpole said they have added potato wedges as a side.

Two appetizer dishes from KSBar & Grille in Lexington, Ky., photographed Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. At left is cheese logs ($15), which were a staple of the sports bar before a renovation and Bavarian Pretzel Sticks ($14), a new menu item. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

Tater Kegs appetizer ($12.50), oversized Tater Tots filled with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives from KSBar & Grille. Provided

New appetizers include Tater Kegs ($12.50) — oversized Tater Tots filled with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives. Grilled Chicken Nachos ($19.50) feature blue and white corn tortilla chips, black bean sauce, queso, grilled chicken, pico de gallo, jalapeños, sour cream and fresh-made guacamole. Bavarian Pretzel Sticks ($14) are served with beer cheese sauce and can be accompanied by whole-grain mustard.

Smoked chicken wings with medium sauce from KSBar & Grille in Lexington, Ky., photographed Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

There are several new sauces for the smoked, fried or boneless chicken wings, including lemon pepper and Korean BBQ. The local restaurant and bar now also has three dry rubs for its wings: Nashville hot, cajun and parmesan garlic.

Kentucky Proud catfish platter from KSBar & Grille. As part of menu improvements, the restaurant says it changed the breading on the catfish. Brian Simms bsimms@herald-leader.com

Kentucky Proud ingredients are used in chicken and catfish dishes, Harpole said, as are the four smashburgers. Two 3-ounce patties are the base for the burgers, highlighted by the Midnight Madness smash burger ($13.50) with cheese, egg, bacon and crispy onion tanglers.

KSBar & Grille

Where: 1030 S Broadway

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thur.; 11 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat.

Online orders: ksbarandgrille.com

This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 7:35 AM.

Brian Simms

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-9041

Brian Simms has been with the Herald-Leader for 20-plus years, most recently reporting and editing coverage of restaurants, bars, food and bourbon. He is also a photographer and manages the newspapers photo archive that dates back to the late 1930s. Support my work with a digital subscription