Top Lexington chef opens new breakfast, lunch restaurant. See inside
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chef Cole Arimes open Black Squirrel in downtown Versailles Feb. 4.
- Breakfast, lunch menu centers on modern Southern comfort using local farms and suppliers.
- Hours include 6–7:30 a.m. grab‑'n‑go; dine‑in 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; online reservations accepted.
One of Lexington’s top fine-dining chefs is branching into a different part of Central Kentucky, with a different menu.
Cole Arimes, who operates Coles 735 Main, Epping’s on Eastside and The V at The Vine in Lexington, is opening a new restaurant in downtown Versailles.
Opening Feb. 4, Black Squirrel has a breakfast and lunch menu of modern Southern comfort food.
“I love good comfort food. I love breakfast,” said Arimes, the executive chef and co-owner. “Eggs was the first thing that I learned how to cook. And there’s nothing better than a good sandwich or burrito or biscuit and gravy. It’s just always had a place in my heart.”
Arimes will open Black Squirrel with Richard Turnbull, his longtime business partner in Coles 735 Main and Epping’s on Eastside. The local restaurant is named for an iconic Woodford County saddlebred stallion from the 1870s with ties to Turnbull’s family.
Black Squirrel part of new downtown Versailles restaurants
Turnbull said the restaurant’s location — the corner of a main downtown road in the former Spark Community Cafe — will help Black Squirrel grow. The new breakfast and lunch restaurant joins other recent dining additions to downtown Versailles including Amsden Station and Silk’s Steakhouse inside The Aldenberg Hotel.
“The city is doing so much to invigorate their downtown,” said Turnbull. “The Chamber of Commerce is very active. The festivals they have, the street fairs, all of those things will help us grow this business.”
What’s on Black Squirrel’s menu?
The menu, which features ingredients from local farms and suppliers, is a collaboration between Arimes and Versailles native and Chef de Cuisine Olivia Jackson, who worked work as sous chef at the popular Manchester Hotel.
Jackson has introduced a grab ‘n go early menu (6 a.m.–7:30 a.m.) for farmworkers and those getting off the night shift, Arimes said. The grab ‘n go takeout menu has four items; breakfast burrito ($14), biscuits and gravy ($12), biscuit sandwich ($9) and fruit bowl ($8).
Arimes expects the breakfast burrito and homemade biscuits and gravy, prepared with local white cheddar cheese, to be popular.
The 11-item breakfast menu is also highlighted by breakfast hot brown ($16; homemade biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, tomatoes and shaved Parmesan), chorizo hash ($19; house-made chorizo, eggs, potato, spinach, mixed sweet peppers, sautéed onions, celery, Kenny’s white cheddar and toast) and smoked salmon avocado toast ($16; sourdough, salmon, lemon whipped Capriole Farm goat cheese, pickled red onion, capers).
Breakfast staples like eggs Benedict ($17), steak and eggs ($25) and build your own omelet ($15) are also on the menu.
“The breakfast will draw some, and lunch will draw more,” said Turnbull.
The lunch offerings are led by Philly cheesesteak ($23; baguette, shaved prime rib, mixed sweet peppers, caramelized onions, pickled giardiniera, provolone, choice of side).
Sandwiches drive the lunch menu with a candied bacon, lettuce and tomato ($15), reuben with house-made pastrami ($18) and a homemade chicken salad club ($16).
There’s also a half-pound smash burger ($17) and fried chicken ($17), topped with a hot honey drizzle.
Each of the six-item lunch offerings comes with a choice of side (homemade cornbread, breakfast potatoes, home fries, pasta salad, mac ‘n cheese, fruit cup two eggs and bacon or sausage).
There’s a rotating soup of the day to go with a selection of salads (Caesar, chopped Asian, cobb and kale; $12-14).
A large kids menu has breakfast and lunch favorites such as pancakes ($7), cheese quesadilla ($7) and smash burger ($8).
Black Squirrel
Where: 175 N Main St, Versailles
Hours: Wed.-Sun. 6 a.m.–7:30 a.m. (takeout only); 8 a.m.–3 p.m. (dine in)
Contact / order online: 859-682-5085; blacksquirrelky.com
Reservations: Accepted online
Parking: Free parking on Main Street and in nearby lots
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
