New Lexington restaurants opening in 2026: Downtown changes as south side grows
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Carson’s launches Back Porch spring 2026, adding new menu and downtown capacity.
- Hyatt gets $58.5M renovation starting summer 2026 with reworked bars and market.
- Retail and food growth spreads: Publix, BJ’s, Wawa, pho noodles and more.
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Lexington’s restaurant scene is always changing, with new restaurants opening and old favorites slipping away.
What can we look forward to in 2026? More big changes, of course, especially downtown.
Trends to follow include upgraded convenience store/gas station options all over Central Kentucky, expansions and renovations of some of your favorite places and continued growth on the south side of Lexington.
Here is a guide and list to some of the planned new Lexington restaurants — and some just outside of Lexington — in the coming year.
Carson’s Back Porch
One of the city’s most popular downtown restaurants is expanding out its own back door. Carson’s Food & Drink hopes to open Carson’s Back Porch in May. The new restaurant will be right behind the existing Carson’s on Main Street, where Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken closed in August. Carson’s Back Porch will be at 321 E. Vine St. and have a different menu from the other two Carson’s locations, although some favorites are likely to be make an appearance. Promising an upscale and sophisticated atmosphere, Carson’s Back Porch will have “exposed brick walls, the soft glow of chandeliers, flickering copper lanterns, and plush tufted booths create the feeling of a Charleston porch brought indoors,” according to the owners.
Hyatt Hotel
The downtown Hyatt Hotel next to Rupp Arena and the Central Bank Center is getting a $58.5 million facelift that will include moving at least one bar and revamping all the dining and hospitality spaces inside. The renovation project will begin in the summer of 2026 with scheduled completion in September but the timeline for the lobby and restaurant areas are still in flux. The bar, which is currently to the right of the main entrance, will move toward the South Broadway side of the building. And a new marketplace for snacks will be coming into the lobby. The restaurant space will be reconfigured with a fabric roof.
High Street development
Speaking of the Rupp Arena area, a new multi-use development on the High Street parking across from Rupp, the Hyatt and Central Bank Center is coming with apartments, hotels, retail and ... drum roll, please ... an unspecified grocery store. But that isn’t scheduled to begin until late 2026, so the 53,000-square-foot downtown grocery with pharmacy probably won’t open until 2029 at the earliest. Stay tuned for more details, which could be announced in early 2026.
Hilton Hotel
The Hilton hotel downtown on Broadway and Vine, across from Triangle Park, also will be getting a $20.9 million renovation that will include meeting and hotel rooms. It isn’t clear if the restaurants and BBM (commonly called Bigg Blue Martini) will be revamped as well. The renovations may not start until 2027.
325 Main
Work is coming along on the former Triangle Center on the corner of Main Street and Broadway, which is getting a $30 million makeover. When it reopens in 2026, it will have a new restaurant space on the ground floor, but it may be fall before the tenant is locked in. Developer Katie Kaufman has said she wants an all-day diner with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus as well as elevated late-night takeout of burgers, fries and shakes. Also look for a wine bar with fresh made pasta and a “posh bourbon experience.”
Never Say Die distillery
The partners in Never Say Die Bourbon are looking to add a downtown tourism experience and micro distillery at 249 Short St. in the former Parlay Social/ELIXIR/High Proof Hideaway building in 2026. They have been approved for up to $1 million in tourism incentives for the potential $4 million project.
Old Courthouse restaurant and bar
With the closing of Zim’s Cafe and The Thirsty Fox at the end of the year, the board that manages the Old Courthouse will be looking for a tenant to take over the prime dining spaces inside the historic downtown building.
51st Deli
Renovations have been going on for months at the building at 1344 S Broadway for a new soup and sandwich shop that was to be called Lex Deli. The owners said they hoped to open at the end of 2025 but said they faced some unexpected delays. In mid-December, the restaurant, which has ties to a similar popular deli in Nashville, announced a name change and expansion of its Tennessee brand. In a social media post, 51st Deli, which has four Nashville locations, did not give an opening date for its Lexington location, but said it will be soon. The menu features breakfast all day, deli sandwiches, soup, salad, tacos, coffee and more.
Shibam Coffee
Shibam Coffee, a Yemeni-style coffeehouse, is aiming to open in February at 535 S. Upper St. in the CenterCourt complex, a block from the University of Kentucky campus. Yemen is the birthplace of coffee, and Lexington’s first Yemeni cafe is part of a recent boom of shops across cities like New York, Los Angeles and Michigan, where the movement started and Shibam Coffee is based. The coffee shops bring Yemen culture with its distinctive beans, extravagant decor, late hours and desserts. Specialty drinks like Adeni Tea and Pistachio Affogato also are on the menu.
The Rail
Not a restaurant but a new venue: The Rail will be a 2,000-seat indoor concert space in The Commons, a new development off of Leestown Road and Turner Commons Way. Developer Daren Turner and his partners, including Railbird founder David Helmers, hope to open the space in October 2026. The venue hopes to host all genres of touring acts — country, rock, hip-hop, metal — as well as comedy, club nights, special events, and private functions.
Graeter’s Ice Cream
The south side of Lexington is booming, and Graeter’s Ice Cream opening a third Lexington location in the Fountains of Palomar shopping center, near Publix. The 2,500-square-foot ice cream shop will be at 3957 Fountainblue Lane, Suite 110, just off Harrodsburg Road in a newly built structure next to the building that houses the popular Bella Cafe restaurant. Expected to open in early 2026, the dessert shop will have a drive-thru and a patio area.
Mirror Twin Brewing Tasting Room
Mirror Twin Brewing is working on their new tasting room at 4379 Old Harrodsburg Road Suite 101, next to Freshie’s Ice Cream & Soda Fountain. According to a November post on social media, they hope to open in mid-January. The new location will have much more than a beer taproom: Cocktails, slushees, Rolling Oven pizza and a chill vibe are all on the way, according to the post. There will be outside seating in warmer weather too.
Nothing But Noodles
New-to-Kentucky fast-casual restaurant Nothing But Noodles is opening in early 2026 just south of the Fountains at Palomar, off Harrodsburg Road in the Ethington Shops next to a Kroger fuel station. The restaurant is known for made-to-order pasta dishes drawing influences from Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean and America. The menu also features items like potstickers, lobster ravioli, margherita pasta, pad Thai noodles and more.
The Works Brick Oven Pizza
Mefford Contracting, a general contractor based out of Versailles, is partnering with Ohio-based Epic Eeats Restaurant Group to build a new The Works Brick Oven Pizza restaurant in Brannon Crossing, just south of Lexington in Nicholasville. The restaurant, located at 792 E Brannon Road, will be part of a new retail building and construction will be done in the summer of 2026. The restaurant plans to open in late summer or early fall. The family pizza restaurant has five locations in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.
FoodChain Neighborhood Grocery
FoodChain, non-profit that provides meals to those in need on the north side of Lexington, plans to open their neighborhood grocery in the Bread Box at 501 W. Sixth St. that also houses West Sixth Brewing and Smithtown Seafood in the spring. The 2,000-square-foot store will have green grocery items, grab-and-go items, ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat options. The new store will have some paper and household goods and pantry staples on hand as well, and possibly something fun, such as smoothie machines.
Chevy Chase Publix
Lexington’s third Publix store is finally under construction on Romany Road. Demolition of the remnants of the former Kroger began in September. And it could take another year or more for the 40,000-square-foot store to finally open ... but it does seem to be really happening, so stay tuned for details. Why is it taking so long for such a small grocery store? Partly because they have to build a two-story underground parking garage first.
Teriyaki Madness
Teriyaki Madness, known for its Seattle-style teriyaki and Asian fusion food, opened its first Lexington location at 1925 Justice Dr. in Hamburg in June 2025 and a second is coming soon to 3165 Beaumont Centre Circle. Eventually, the Las Vegas-based chain hopes to open five locations in Lexington and 30 in the state of Kentucky. The menu includes big bowls of grilled meats, tofu and salmon, fresh veggies, served with fried or steamed rice or yaka soba noodles. Everything is customizable, made to order and most of it (including sauces) is gluten-free. Dishes also can be made without meat for vegetarians and vegans.
Pho House
If you’re a fan of the Vietnamese noodle soup, Pho House, has signed a lease for 1895 Vendor Way in Hamburg, according to the shopping center. Stay tuned for more details on the 2,000 square foot local restaurant, located next door to a Verizon store and near Joella’s Hot Chicken.
New-to-Lexington restaurant
When Biscuit Belly closed in October on Leestown Road, it created an opening for something new in the Great Acres development. Dennis Anderson said that he isn’t quite ready to announce who is coming but that he is in discussions with a new-to-Lexington restaurant. Stay tuned for this one too.
Black Squirrel
Lexington chef Cole Arimes plans to open Black Squirrel in January in Versailles. The new restaurant will be at 175 N. Main St., in the former downtown location of Spark Community Cafe, which closed earlier this year. Black Squirrel will serve Kentucky-inspired breakfast and lunch favorites such as eggs Benedict, smoked salmon avocado toast and a build-your-own omelet option. For lunch, there will be sandwiches and salads.
Taste of Ukraine
A Ukrainian refugee couple planned to open a Taste of Ukraine at the end of 2025, but they had unexpected delays during renovations in the former Downtown Dogs Spa at 106 E Maple Street in downtown Nicholasville. The owners say they plan to open at the beginning of the new year, serving authentic Ukrainian meals to Kentucky diners. Signature dishes include borscht, bright red beetroot soup, and varenyky, traditional Ukrainian dumplings with either sweet or savory fillings.
Jaggers
Jaggers, the burger chain from the people behind Texas Roadhouse, opened their first Lexington restaurant on Nicholasville Road in August and is working on a second one on Richmond Road. They took the spot where The Saucy Crab closed in January 2024 and tore it down. They are building a new restaurant from scratch and have not shared a potential opening date yet.
Wawa
Wawa, the Pennsylvania-based convenience store and gas station, is planning to open their first Lexington store at 4075 Old Richmond Road. Now they’re planning another on Newtown Pike in a new development with a hotel. The chain has big plans and is cropping up all over Central Kentucky already, with one open in Nicholasville, a second on the way and one about to open in Georgetown.
Delish Pizza
A new-to-Lexington chain, Delish Pizza, is opening in Zandale Shopping Center at 2220 Nicholasville Rd. The owners, who have one Delish Pizza in Nicholasville already, say it is known for its made-from-scratch dough and sauces, including their signature garlic sauce.
Panera Bread
A new Panera Bread is coming to 1425 Newtown Center Way in front of the new Kroger Marketplace. The restaurant, known for soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods, is expected to open next to Starbucks in 2026.
Wingstop
Wingstop is adding a new location at 1988 Stockton Way in the Citation Point shopping center next to Publix on Citation Boulevard. If you can’t wait, there are already three Wingstop restaurants in Lexington (Woodland Avenue, Richmond Road and Tates Creek Centre) and one in Nicholasville.
BJ’s Wholesale Club
BJ’s Wholesale Club will open in the summer in a new shopping center called the Paddocks of Frankfort along I-64 and U.S. 127. It will be the first Central Kentucky location of the Massachusetts-based membership-only retail warehouse chain that has groceries and a little bit of everything else. But it probably won’t be the last. The company opened the first location in Louisville last January and seems to have plans to march across Kentucky. By 2030, when the shopping center is finished, it will have more new stores and restaurants.
This story was originally published December 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
