Another downtown Lexington restaurant is closing. It won’t be out of pizza for long
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dingbats Pizza closed after a year and a half; chef wanted a new direction.
- Rise Up Pizza will take over 471 Jefferson St., serving Detroit‑style slices.
- Chef Matty Evans hopes to open by March 17; no alcohol planned for now.
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A pizza restaurant that sold pizza by the half-pound slice has closed after a year and a half in business.
Dingbats Pizza, which opened at 471 Jefferson St. in October 2024, has closed, according to owner Brady Barlow, who operated the business with chef Andrew St. Clair. Dingbats served Roman-style pizza with a thick, doughy focaccia-like crust and served it by the rectangular pie or by the pound. One slice weighed about a half-pound.
“We had a great year and a half, and Andrew just wanted to go in a different direction,” Barlow said.
It’s the second restaurant on Jefferson Street to close recently: The Goose, which served pizza as well as burgers and other items, closed at the end of February.
But the location won’t be unoccupied: Another former pizza restaurant will be making a return.
What is moving into Dingbats spot on Jefferson Street?
Rise Up Pizza, from chef Matty Evans, will be joining the dining corridor near the Transylvania University campus that includes West Sixth Brewing and Smithtown Seafood at one end down to Sorella Gelateria at the other, with County Club, Distilled on Jefferson, The Apiary, Blue Heron Steakhouse, Stella’s Kentucky Deli and Villainous in between.
Rise Up Pizza has operated most recently out of a food truck; before that, it was in The Jockey Bar downtown on Cheapside and Short, and before that it was in Greyline Station on Loudon Avenue.
Evans plans to serve the Detroit-style pizza that he brought to The Jockey, which is also rectangular, with a thick crust.
Evans said he is hoping to open later this month, ideally by St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.
Rise Up will offer a variety of slices daily, as well as specialty pizzas and whole pies a la carte.
There are no plans to serve alcohol for now, but Evans said as the weather warms up he may revisit that decision.
Barlow said he and St. Clair wish Evans well.
“We weren’t going to just shut it down, because that space is perfect for a pizza place. (We) reached out to Matty, we like his pizza and he’s a good guy, (we) think he’ll do a good job, so we handed baton to him,” Barlow said. “I strongly encourage people to go support him.
“One of the big reasons we opened a restaurant there was to utilize an old building that was sitting there stagnant for a decade. It’s good for the neighborhood to have food options and good food options.”
Rise Up Pizza
Where: 471 Jefferson St.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. to begin, with more hours and days coming soon.
Online: riseuppizza.com
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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