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Making dinner plans? New restaurants & emerging dining trends in Lexington KY

Stories by Lexington Herald-Leader journalists, with AI summarization

These curated articles highlight the evolving dining scene in Lexington, Kentucky, with an emphasis on new restaurant openings and food trends. This includes smokehouse wings, international culinary influences, and local ingredients.

Read more with the stories below.

A jumbo lump crab cake with lemon aioli, arugula and tobiko ($38) from The V, the public restaurant at The Vine, a new downtown Lexington development, photographed Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. By Brian Simms

NO. 1: SEE THE ‘COASTAL VIBES’ AT LEXINGTON’S NEWEST DOWNTOWN FINE-DINING RESTAURANT

A new fine-dining restaurant that hopes “you feel transportedtransformed from Lexington the minute you get off the elevator,” will open with picturesque views nine stories up and one of the city’s top chef’s leading the kitchen. | Published September 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brian Simms

We tried these pricey burgers from around Lexington. How good were they? By Rob Bolson

NO. 2: WE TRIED SOME OF THE PRICIEST BURGERS IN LEXINGTON. THESE WERE OUR TOP 9

Lexington is home to an array of top-notch and mouth-watering burgers. We set out to find out which ones are the best. | Published September 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Rob Bolson

Freshly fried, golden chicken strips are complemented by a summer fruit cup that's made to order at the first Jaggers location on 2350 Norman Lane at Regency Center on August 5, 2025, in Lexington, KY. By Tasha Poullard

NO. 3: NEW BURGER, CHICKEN TENDERS RESTAURANT FROM TEXAS ROADHOUSE OPENS IN LEXINGTON

A new burger chain from the people behind Texas Roadhouse has arrived in Lexington. | Published August 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Janet Patton

Bread and Roses Bakery offers a variety of bread and pastries. The new store is running on limited hours now, but is hoping to expand hours in the future. By Peyton Ashton

NO. 4: NEW ADDITION TO MICHLER’S NURSERY & CAFE HAS ‘FLOURED’ ON HIGH STREET

A popular Lexington cafe has extended its culinary reach with the addition of a neighboring bakery. | Published August 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jake McMahon

Two hand-pulled noodle dishes from Kung Fu Noodle, photographed Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. At left is Dan Dan Hand-Stretched Noodles with ground pork, long string beans, sesame paste and special garlic sauce ($12.95). At right is Lanzhou Beef-Noodle Soup which is served with braised beef slices, sliced white radish, green garlic, cilantro in a dark beef broth ($12.95). Owner Dennis Zhang said the classic Chinese dish is known for its homemade noodles, particularly the texture and the broth. “It's the soul of that dish.” By Brian Simms

NO. 5: ONE OF YELP’S BEST PLACES TO EAT OPENS IN LEXINGTON WITH HAND-PULLED NOODLES

An authentic Chinese restaurant that was named to Yelp’s annual 100 Best Places to Eat list in 2024 has opened in Lexington with a menu highlighted by its hand-pulled noodles. | Published August 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brian Simms

A painting of the former Alfalfa Restaurant by Mike Creech

NO. 6: REMEMBER ALFALFA? NEW BOOK TO EXPLORE HISTORY OF RESTAURANT, CULTURAL CENTER | OPINION

As we celebrate Lexington’s 250th anniversary, an important part of our culinary and cultural history is quietly resurrecting itself with an upcoming book: | Published August 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Marina Ubaldi Ritter and Anne Nash

Two Yemeni drinks from Shibam Coffee, a new to Lexington coffee shop that will open in November near the UK campus. At left is Adeni Tea and at right is a Pistachio Affogato.

NO. 7: A NEW COFFEE SHOP IS BRINGING A NATIONAL TREND TO LEXINGTON. HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

A new kind of coffee shop is bringing a national trend to Lexington. | Published August 27, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brian Simms

The Midnight Madness smash burger ($13.50) with American cheese, egg, bacon and crispy onion tanglers from KSBar & Grille in Lexington, Ky., photographed Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. The sports bar is getting its Kentucky Proud beef delivered from Noche Linda Farms in Paris. By Brian Simms

NO. 8: LEXINGTON SPORTS BAR REOPENS WITH NEW MENU & LOOK IN TIME FOR UK FOOTBALL SEASON

A popular Lexington sports bar that closed during the summer is back just in time for University of Kentucky football season. | Published August 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brian Simms

The Southern burger ($18.75) shown with green beans, from Southern Cookhouse & Bar is made with three beef patties from Critchfield Meats Family Market, photographed Sunday, Sept. 7, in Lexington, Ky. and topped with BBQ sauce, applewood bacon, fried onions, cheese and cole slaw. By Brian Simms

NO. 9: SNEAK PEEK: NEW LEXINGTON RESTAURANT OPENS WITH BURGERS, SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD

A new, neighborhood tavern is ready to open in Lexington with a menu of Southern comfort food, Kentucky Proud burgers and late hours for sports games. | Published September 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brian Simms

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.