New takeout-only chicken restaurant will cater to hungry late-night Lexington
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Birdies Chicken was opened by Ebbitt brothers behind Bluegrass Tavern on Mill Street.
- In May Birdies will switch hours to 6:30 to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
- Menu features fried chicken sandwiches, tenders, fries with Hot Honey and Buffalo flavors.
There’s a new chicken place in town, and it’s aiming at a hungry crowd: the late-night Lexington bar crowd.
Sean and Kevin Ebbitt, who co-own Bluegrass Tavern, opened Birdies Chicken right behind their well-known downtown bourbon bar. One side — the bourbon bar — faces Cheapside, while the other faces Mill.
Birdies been open for lunch, but in May, the hours will flip, and the restaurant will be open in the evening through late night to serve a niche that Sean Ebbitt noticed.
Lines would form on Friday and Saturday in particular at the few restaurants open for casual, grab-a-bite foods including Goodfellas Pizzeria, Jersey Mike’s and Ruby’s Market on Short Street.
“With the bar, I see the capacity is there for additional spots late night,” Ebbitt said.
In July, once the restaurant is established, he said they hope to add the lunch hours back into the mix.
“I want to make the lunch side work, but seeing downtown at nighttime on weekend, versus weekday, foot traffic is 50 times more, it feels like,” Ebbitt said. “There’s a lot of very hungry people downtown at night.”
Birdies offers a simple menu: fresh classic fried chicken sandwiches and tenders, in plain, Bluegrass Hot Honey and Buffalo Chicken flavors. For sides, there’s fries, with other items coming soon.
The concept seems to be working, Ebbitt said. So far, despite having limited signage and only word-of-mouth, they’ve been drawing good traffic, he said.
“We’ve had great reviews so far. ... People have really enjoyed the product,” Ebbitt said. “We want to make Mill Street the late-night food spot of Lexington.”
Birdies Chicken
Where: 11 N. Mill St.
Hours: Through April, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m Monday through Friday In May switching to 6:30 to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Online: birdieschicken.com
