Sneak Peek: New Lexington restaurant opens with burgers, Southern comfort food
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Southern Cookhouse & Bar opens Sept. 18 with burgers, comfort food and TVs.
- The menu features local beef, homemade dishes and popular sandwich holdovers.
- Partners Thayer and Henderson target sports fans with late hours and full bar.
A new, neighborhood tavern is ready to open in Lexington with a menu of Southern comfort food, Kentucky Proud burgers and late hours for sports games.
Southern Cookhouse & Bar will have its grand opening Sept. 18 in the clubhouse of the BLVD Apartments on Hays Boulevard. The new restaurant and bar, 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.
Partners Troy Thayer and Bryan Henderson, each of whom has more than 30 years of restaurant experience, are opening the local dining spot. Henderson had to close The Southern Deli & Tavern downtown in 2023 because of COVID, but this new restaurant is bringing back a lot of the Deli’s popular burgers and sandwiches named for Southern cities.
What’s on the menu at Southern Cookhouse?
Henderson said a lot of the menu is homemade, and the beef for the burgers comes locally from Critchfield Meats Family Market.
“We have a pretty big prep list. So we are doing (homemade) where it makes sense, getting local product where it makes sense as well,” said Henderson. “We got some unique spins on some American food.”
Henderson said one of the highlights is bourbon-glazed filet tips over creamy cheddar grits and served with green beans ($22.50). Four other entrées round out the dinner menu (grilled white fish, roasted chicken, Cajun pasta and chicken pot pie), but the hamburgers steal the show.
Seven burgers are on the menu, each made with Kentucky Proud beef. Leading the way is The Southern, made with three beef patties, BBQ sauce, smoked cheddar cheese, applewood bacon, fried onions, pimento cheese and coleslaw.
“It’s almost three-quarters of a pound,” said Henderson. “You better bring your appetite when you come for that one.”
There are six sandwiches on the menu. Many are holdovers from the Southern Deli, including the San Clemente (carne asada, tomato salsa, salsa verde, avocado, jalapeño cilantro, onion and cojita cheese on a French roll; $14.95) and the Decatur (grilled chicken, coleslaw and pickle with Alabama white BBQ sauce on two slider rolls; $10.75).
Burgers and sandwiches come with a choice of a side dish: french fries, sweet potato fries, potato salad, fried onion bites, green beans, cheesy grits or a side salad.
There’s also a selection of appetizers, including chicken wings, deviled eggs and more. Four salads are on the menu, highlighted by the blacked shrimp and cornbread ($15.95).
Four pizzas round out the menu, led by the Boone ($18.95), which is made with housemade beer cheese and topped with brisket and applewood bacon.
Is Southern Cookhouse a sports bar?
Henderson said they renovated and opened the family restaurant and bar with both food and sports in mind. Food orders are taken at a front counter, and they added a partial wall to keep the bar separate from the dining area.
“We wanted to have a place where everybody could watch the games,” said Henderson. “A lot of times, late games don’t end until 11:30, midnight. We don’t want to be that late-night bar, but we also wanted to have it to where if you wanted to come and watch your favorite team, we’d be open.”
Televisions surround the bar area, including four 85-inch TVs on the wall above the bar, which has eight beers on tap, six from local breweries.
“We wanted a place that we like to hang out at,” said Henderson. “We were blessed enough to open a restaurant in our own neighborhood, which is kind of unique, and so it’s really just a very welcoming neighborhood new tavern.”
Southern Cookhouse & Bar
Where: 844 Hays Blvd., in the clubhouse of the BLVD Apartments
Opening: Sept. 18
Hours: 3 p.m.-midnight Tue.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-midnight Sat.-Sun.
Online: southerncookhousebar.com
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
