Celebrate Black History Month by supporting these Lexington Black-owned restaurants
February is Black History Month and many people look for ways during this time in particular to support locally-owned Black businesses.
And the Lexington area has many restaurants, bars and food businesses that are Black-owned or operated.
Sign up for our LexGo Eat & Drink newsletters
The latest on food, dining and bourbon delivered right to your inbox for free. See what's happening in the world of bourbon, including buying, tasting tips and more on Tuesday. Stick around for the biggest restaurant news in Central Kentucky on Thursday. Sign up here.
Many are involved in the annual SoulFeast and Black Restaurant Week celebrations which usually take place in June.
SoulFeast also maintains a directory of Black food and beverage businesses, many of which are included in this list and guide. But if we’ve missed someone, please drop me a line at jpatton1@herald-leader.com and we will update.
List, guide: Black-owned dining in Lexington
Alfalfa, alfalfa-catering.com, 859-977-0121. The former Lexington restaurant now owned by Tiffany and Wali Yusef El-Amin is operating as a caterer now and you may find it as a pop up in a Lexington park.
Blue Skillet, 213 East Seventh Street, 859-537-9257. This restaurant specializes in soul food and southern specialties.
Bubba Grub, 1007 Elizabeth St. in Nicholasville, 859-241-1379. Owned by Landon Marsh, Bubba Grub serves everything from gourmet burgers, wings and fried fish.
Cattywampus Station and Sweet Matriarch Bakery, 161 Lexington Green Circle Suite 30, 859-523-7007. Cattywampus Station in Lexington Green serves wildly over-the-top milkshakes that include housemade sauces and pastries, many of which come from owner Tia Chancellor’s Sweet Matriarch Bakery. Cattywampus Station is closed until March 16, according to its website.
Creaux, 310 West Short Street, creauxlex.com, 859-469-8960. Co-owned by Dougie and Ieasha Allen and Stephen Scaldaferri, Creaux is a Creole bar and restaurant serving New Orleans-style drinks as well as other classics and food to go with it: Blue cheese lobster beignets, shrimp and grit cakes, southern style hotlink basket, chicken & sausage gumbo and more.
Daughter’s Southern, food truck/caterer, 859-576-2804. Chef Chris Cain’s food truck sets up at locations including The Garage on Leestown Road and local breweries, with a menu of burgers, sandwiches, brunch items including chicken and waffle skewers and Bluegrass Egg-in-A-Hole. Check out the amazing Buffalo cauliflower.
Fresh Bourbon, 377 Main St Ste. 100, 859-327-2127. Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co., which is one of the few Black-owned Kentucky bourbon labels, was founded in 2017 by Sean and Tia Edwards. They launched their bourbon in 2020, produced in partnership with Hartfield & Co. Distillery in Paris. In September 2022 they opened a tasting room on Main Street that serves their bourbon straight and in cocktails.
Genesis Coffee House, 1403 North Forbes Road Suite 130, 859-309-0876. Tabet Wilson opened a coffee shop in 2020 in the Meadowthorpe area serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner sandwiches, pastries and sweets, soups and, of course, coffee and specialty drinks.
Grimes’s Fast Food,4248 Saron Suite and 325 Roosevelt Blvd, 859-255-0445 for Roosevelt and 859-523-8222 for Saron Drive. This is one of several restaurants in Lexington that really knocks fried chicken out of the park. You can get hot & spicy or regular chicken, fish, barbecue and sides to complete the plate.
Indi’s, 670 North Broadway, 859-233-7985. Indi’s specializes in fried chicken, perfectly spiced. You can get “just chicken” or go for barbecue chicken, ribs and tips, seafood and chicken strips. Sides include fried apples, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, rice, green beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, smoked baked beans, mashed potatoes, mixed greens and more.
Jack’s Sandbar & Grill, inside Malibu Jack’s, 2536 Larkin Rd., 859-309-3211. Jack’s serves cocktails, pizza, wings and the kind of snacks you want if you’ve been playing games or riding a go-kart.
Josanne’s Homestyle Kitchen and Honey J’s Southern Eatery, 3449 Buckhorn Drive, 859-245-0110 for Josanne’s and 1474 Anniston Dr., 859-293-0225 for Honey J’s. Owned by Tamara Hall and Robert Webb, Josanne’s is a Black-owned, veteran-owned and woman-owned restaurant that features soul food and home-style cooking, made from scratch and reasonably priced. Besides classics like pork chops and catfish, you can get fried shrimp and baked potatoes with your choice of toppings. Last year, Hall also opened Honey J’s, which also serves from-scratch Southern-style favorites and sandwiches in a quick-serve format. It’s drive-thru and carry-out only, with no seating.
Mimi’s Southern Style Cooking, 126 East New Circle Rd, 859-523-0490. Visit Mimi’s for a menu of comfort food, sandwiches, salads, chicken dinners and Southern sides from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Moody Mike’s, 859-433-7633. This vegan food truck frequently at Pivot Brewing and Pasta Garage but it’s about to open at 800 N. Limestone inside Broomwagon in March. The cafe will serve coffee and breakfast food, grab-and-go items, salads and seasonal vegetable dishes sourced through nearby Black Soil.
Never Too Much Creamery, 110 W. Sixth St., 859-309-0388, serves amazing ice cream and treats in endless combinations. Owner Jameshia Croley said she plans to reopen in the spring, so stay tuned.
The Salad Bar, 859-474-0446, which started in Greyline Station’s Julietta Market, is now in the Idle Hour Shopping Center at 2051 Richmond Road, serving fresh salads, soups and sandwiches every day except Sunday. The Salad Bar also offers meal prepping for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Stings Lounge, 123 W. Main St., stingslounge.com, 859-806-8064, is an upscale dance and night club on Main Street in an historic building. Owner DeBryant Beatty opened the lounge in February 2020, just before COVID hit, but the downtown late-night hot spot has weathered the pandemic in style.
Tossin Tha Sauce Wings, 543 S. Limestone, 859-368-0098. Tossin Tha Sauce serves wings in a variety of flavors and fries.
Wing KYng, inside Greyline Station at 101 W Loudon Ave unit 110, 859-785-1661. Owner Thomas Williams serves dry rub wings and sauced ones, with potatoes and desserts.
Woke Junk Food Vegan, wokejunkfoodvegan.com, and chef Anetra Polk creates a tasty all-vegan menu that she serves at catered events and have found a home at The 90, the dining hall at the University of Kentucky.
