Looking for new restaurants in Lexington? Find 70 of them here

Lexington has seen a major influx of new restaurants this year. Some have come and gone so quickly that new ones are already open in their locations.

Restaurant owners describe the economic situation in dire terms: Carnage, with more closings predicted over the winter.

While The Summit at Fritz Farm has shifted the foodie gravitational pull toward the south side, there have been new restaurants popping up all over town.

The numbers are already ahead of all the openings last year, but not the highest in the last five years. Through October, the city has issued 90 certificates of occupancy (including places that changed hands and those that remodeled and reopened). For comparison, the city issued 82 in 2012, 100 in 2013, 84 in 2014, 75 in 2015, and 85 last year.

As Brian McCarty, partner in Bluegrass Hospitality Group put it: “It’s just been amazing to me how we’ve had so many new restaurants open over the last five years and everybody just continues to blow and go. I can name five that will open for every one that closes.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Looking for new restaurants in Lexington? Find 70 of them here."