Sneak peek: New restaurant with breakfast, brunch, cocktails opens in Lexington
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cafe Patachou opens Oct. 21 at The Summit at Fritz Farm, first Kentucky site.
- Menu lists breakfast all day, omelettes, chilaquiles, sandwiches and bowls.
- Bar serves mimosas, seasonal cocktails, local beers; bakery offers pastries and cakes.
Breakfast and brunch all day? From an award-winning chef? With cocktails? Yes, please.
Actually, Cafe Patachou had me at “breakfast all day.”
The new restaurant, which opens Friday, Nov. 21, at The Summit at Fritz Farm, just off Nicholasville Road and Man o’ War Boulevard, has been called one of the top 10 places for breakfast in the country by Bon Appétit magazine. And if the menu is anything to go by, it will be one of top ones in Lexington, too.
The menu includes breakfast and brunch items such as French omelettes ($15 to $17), croissant French toast ($16), chilaquiles ($15) and Ricotta Scrambled Eggs with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, chili oil and shaved Parmesan ($15.)
If your tastes lean more toward lunch, there are soups, including the signature Tomato Artichoke in three sizes ($6/$9/$16) and sandwiches (the Waffled Grilled Cheese comes with a bowl of the Tomato Artichoke, $16), salads and bowls, all with house-made dressings.
The Roasted Turkey Club with avocado, bacon, tomato, lettuce and mayo ($17) is legit, as is the Phat Rabbit, made with avocado, spinach, cucumber, tomato, radish, red onion, carrot, hummus and vegan pesto on house-made multigrain ($15, or for $2 more you can “Make it Dirty” and ditch the hummus for double pesto and bacon).
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and seed oil-free options also are on the menu.
And if you’re looking for cocktails, mimosa and prosecco cocktails are available by the glass ($14) or by the pitcher ($49).
The beverage menu includes seasonal coffee drinks such as the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Latte, cocktails, such as Maple Bourbon Sour made with Town Branch Bourbon, and local beers, including Country Boy and Lexington Brewing. If you’re looking for non-alcoholic “mocktails” that still have that brunch vibe, Cafe Patachou has lavender lemonade.
There are grab-and-go items, as well, including pastries, a coffee bar and a children’s menu, too.
The in-house bakery has seasonal pastries, such as pumpkin bread ($6 for a slice, or $32 for the whole thing), chocolate chip brown butter cookies ($5 for one, or $25 for a half-dozen), fresh baked loaves of bread ($12) and even whole cakes like the Chocolate Ding Dong ($65).
The restaurant from six-time James Beard semi-finalist Martha Hoover is designed to feel comforting and celebratory, “like it’s always been a part of the neighborhood,” according to spokesman Ryu Teramoto.
“Our goal really is to bring Cafe Patachou to the Midwest and Lexington is a perfect fit because of the culture hospitality and local food that exists here already,” Teramoto said. The Kentucky Proud program, which they plan to join, “really speaks to us. As does scratch cooking. Everything that you’ll be dining on is all prepped here, fresh. The way we respect and approach food is the way Lexington and Kentucky respect and approach food.”
It’s obviously a winning combination: There are eight Cafe Patachou locations in Indiana, including the original in downtown Indianapolis that opened in 1989. The Lexington location is the first in Kentucky.
And they are already looking for a second location here in town, he said.
“We call ourselves and ‘all-day cafe,’” he said. The restaurant is open in the morning and into the afternoon but not in the evening.
Favorites include the build-your-own omelette option made with Vital Farms free-range eggs, the Cuban Breakfast with its addictive spinach-jalapeno pesto and the vegan crêpes (”the unsung hero of the menu”), Teramoto said. And the chicken salad is a must-try.
The look inside is “elevated cafe” with sage green walls and seating for 90 indoors on banquettes, as well as six seats at a marble-topped bar. The self-serve coffee bar anchors the dining room, which has art inspired by Lexington’s horsey culture. Dog-friendly patio and sidewalk seating will come in warmer weather when awnings will be added to the building.
The restaurant is designed to be a kind of “student union” for adults, with that central coffee self-serve station for guests. “It’s almost like a social club while you wait,” Teramoto said.
The restaurant is in the former CoreLife Eatery spot; CoreLife closed in April.
One note: Cafe Patachou does not take reservations, it’s walk-in only. So you might have to wait a bit for a seat during busy times (45 minutes is not unknown in Indianapolis, I’m told), but you can get a coffee while you’re waiting and even wander around Fritz Farm a bit until the restaurant texts you that a table is available.
On Friday, the first 50 guests get special reusable coffee tumblers that they can refill for free through the end of the year with Café Patachou drip coffee.
Cafe Patachou
Where: 4040 Finn Way Suite 110 at The Summit at Fritz Farm
Hours: Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Online: cafepatachou.com/location/fritz-farm/
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
