Looking for a new restaurant? These Lexington dining spots opened in 2023

Lexington’s dining scene is booming. More than 30 restaurant or bars opened in 2023, or added new locations.

Some were long anticipated while others were surprising new additions to a restaurant landscape that sometimes seems overrun with chicken, coffee shops and Mexican food.

While there also were more than 20 places that closed, overall there were many new choices last year in Central Kentucky for those looking to challenge their taste buds a bit.

Here is a list of some of the restaurants that opened or expanded locations in and around Lexington in 2023.

7 Brew

7 Brew, 4265 Harrodsburg Rd., opened its first Lexington location in May. This coffee kiosk is drive-thru only, with a variety of iced and hot coffee drinks, plus chillers, shakes, teas, smoothies, infused sparkling waters and energy drinks. There also is a kids’ menu and seasonal drinks. A second location opened at the site of the old O’Charley’s building which was torn down at 2895 Richmond Rd.

Archa Thai Nine Kitchen

Archa Thai Nine Kitchen, which has been in a small spot on Old Todds Road since 2016, opened a second location in South Elkhorn Village at 4371 Old Harrodsburg Road #160 on the south side of Lexington in July.

Owners Freda Oppenborn and her husband, Panupan Rungcharoen, serve a similar menu at the new location with some new items that aren’t available at the old one, including Roti Mataba (a fried stuffed flatbread), Som Tum (green papaya salad), Thai ribs, and the vegan Buddha’s Basket with signature fried spring rolls, crispy fried tofu, and sweet yam chips in an edible bowl made out of spring roll pastry.

BarZelona

BarZelona, 4371 Old Harrodsburg Rd. Suite 105 serves Spanish style tapas and paella, as well as other Latin foods such as Cuban style pork street tacos and Cuban sandwiches.

If you’re coming for paella, be prepared to wait a bit: The menu says it takes 45 minutes to prepare.

Beau’s Cafe

Beau’s Cafe opened at 3191 Beaumont Centre Circle Suite 150 in October, serving a menu of breakfast and brunch items, then adding sandwiches and more for lunch. The cafe also has a grab and go section for quick and easy carryout.

The menu includes a Dutch baby (a kind of puffy pancake) with warm blackberries and yogurt whipped cream served on top. Or you can go with the daily specials, which include items such as the Biscuit Bread Pudding made with chai, banana, lime and served with lime whip cream, or the Pork Belly Biscuit.

Bella Cafe & Grille

Bella Cafe & Grille in Chevy Chase opened a second location in August at 3901 Fountain Blue Lane, Suite 130, at the new Fountains at Palomar shopping center near Harrodsburg Road and Man o’War Boulevard. The new place has the same popular menu as the original from legendary restaurateur Kuni Toyoda, who also owns Bella Notte.

Biscuit Belly

Biscuit Belly, a Louisville-based chain that opened a first location on East Main in 2022, opened a second location in December at 112 Lucille Dr. #150 off Leestown Road near Masterson Station. The restaurant serves breakfast through lunch and now offers catering options and sandwiches “for those who are feeling like lunch rather than brunch,” franchisee Madison Shoffner said.

Bubba Grub

Bubba Grub opened at 1001 Elizabeth St. in Nicholasville just before the end of the year. Young entrepreneur Landon Marsh, who started Landon’s Sugar Shack in Bowling Green in 2022, is launched this new fast casual restaurant with a menu of wings, “smash” burgers and fish, “as well as a few other dishes,” including milkshakes, he said. “Keeping everything fresh, never frozen,” Marsh said.

Damiano

Damiano, 503 S. Upper St., opened in September in the former Mellow Mushroom location serving two kinds of pizza (wood-fired and traditional) as well as pasta. Owner Carlo Vaccarezza also has La Folie French restaurant and Frank & Dino’s Italian restaurant.

Desperados Cantina

Desperados Cantina, 1224 Manchester St. Suite 110, opened in the Distillery District on Dec. 15. This taco and tequila concept from the owners of Goodfellas Pizzeria serves lunch and dinner, and will add brunch in the new year. Look for the salsa bar, which will have more than 20 housemade salsas plus hot sauces you can try with the tortilla chips, which are also made by hand at Desperados.

District 7 Social

District 7 Social, 1170 Manchester St. Suite 160, opened in the ground floor of the rickhouse building at the Pepper campus on Manchester, then opened Sweet Iron serving waffles and other sweet and savory treats.

Co-owned by Rebecca and Eric Burnworth, District 7 is a fun-house for grownups, with a beer vending wall, duck pin bowling and a menu of German-isch favorites including doner kebab. Now, Sweet Iron adds a finishing touch with sweet and savory waffles, and lots of fun extras like a cotton candy of the day.

Donut World

Donut World, 1395 W. Main St., opened in the Meadowthorpe neighborhood in April. Owner Brandon Khum serves a variety of doughnuts, bagels, cookies and more, all baked fresh daily. Besides baked goods, Donut World has croissant breakfast sandwiches and smoothies.

Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros, 234 E. New Circle Rd., opened its first Lexington location in September, serving all manner of coffee drinks as well as Rebel energy drinks, smoothies, sodas, chai, teas and cocoa. You can also get a Dutch Freeze blended flavored ice coffee, or Dutch Frost, their version of classic shakes. It’s all drive-thru but the upbeat “broistas” make it fun.

El Charro Tacos and Tequila Bar

Family-owned Mexican restaurant El Charro expanded in September, adding a new location near the University of Kentucky campus at 561 S. Broadway. While the first two El Charro restaurants are full service, the taco and tequila bar is fast casual with a slimmed down menu, said owner Flor Gonzalez. The bar side of the restaurant is a tequila bar with a wide array of fresh margaritas including pineapple, watermelon, blackberry, blueberry and cucumber jalapeno.

Georgie’s Social House

Georgie’s Social House, 161 N. Limestone, is a former longtime deli that came back to life in May as a downtown watering hole across from Lexington’s courthouses with mini garage door-style windows and sidewalk seating.

It offers craft cocktails that allude to famous Georges including Clooney, Lucas and Michael. Georgie’s also has charcuterie boards and a few other “noshes.”

Golden Flame Hot Wings

A new-to-Kentucky restaurant opened in the Fayette Mall area and bringing a Western menu specialty. Golden Flame Hot Wings, based in Colorado, had its grand opening Dec. 30 at 141 Rojay Dr. Golden Flame Hot Wings sells boneless or bone-in chicken wings with 19 specialty sauces, such as spicy lemon pepper, Chokh Di (a hot Thai chili), Volcanic (habanero buffalo), Colorado Fancy (smoked habanero), Mile Hi (Cajun style dry rub) and many more. And a unique item: Rocky Mountain oysters.

The Granddam and Lost Palm

The Manchester, 941 Manchester St., boutique hotel near the corner of Manchester Street and Oliver Lewis Way, opened in June with a swanky 140-seat restaurant called The Granddam, which serves “elevated Appalachian specialties” such as braised wild boar, rabbit ravioli, tomato pie and a hoppin’ John empanada.

Then on top of the hotel is Lost Palm indoor-outdoor rooftop bar with a lost Florida vibe — think upscale tiki, with a menu to match (the Seafood Tower with everything from smoked trout dip to ceviche is $175.) And the view includes cool murals on top of building next door.

Grounded All Day Cafe

Grounded All Day Cafe, 106 Burke Rd., opened off West Main in late fall, with a menu of bagels and bialys flown in daily from New York. They also serve soups, sandwiches and salads as well as Sav’s Gourmet Ice Cream and coffee drinks with house-made syrups.

Honey J’s Southern Eatery

Honey J’s Southern Eatery, 1474 Anniston Dr. Ste. A1, opened in December. It has a menu of Southern favorites, including Honey Hot Chicken and fried catfish, with sides including baked beans, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese and cornbread. Delivery available through DoorDash.

Hyderabad House

Hyderabad House, 2220 Nicholasville Rd. Suite 160, has a menu that includes biryanis, which are fragrant rice dishes cooked with meat or vegetables and spices, and Chicken 65, a deep-fried version that is then sauteed in hot red sauce.

All the meat is halal, according to Swapna Vangoor, who owns the restaurant as well as the Hyderabad House in Louisville with her husband Ram. Much of the menu is focused on spicier South Indian cuisine, Vangoor said.

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint, 155 N. Limestone, opened downtown in March. It’s in the former Oscar Diggs space, which used to be Merit Furniture. But the place got a cool new square bar inside to go with a menu of American Wagyu beef specialty burgers such as the Dr. Gonzo with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized Guinness onions, applewood smoked bacon and Swiss cheese.

There is only one non-burger on the menu, the Frankie Brady, which is a “grilled cheese” made with housemade mac ‘n’ cheese and barbecue potato chips.

There’s lots of beer, though: More than 100 local, domestic and foreign varieties. If you check off 100 on their list you can join the Notch Club, which comes with its own shirt and perks.

Main Event

Main Event Entertainment, 240 Canary Rd., is the kind of place where grown-ups can play just like kids. The entertainment venue opened in March with a floor of arcade games with a zipline overhead.

There’s also a bowling alley, laser tag and a restaurant inside where you can get burgers, pizza, appetizers and cocktails. You can schedule a party here complete with food and yes, you can earn game tickets to use toward a huge room of prizes.

Maple Street Biscuits

Maple Street Biscuits, 2270 Nicholasville Rd., opened in March. The breakfast chain, owned by Cracker Barrel since 2019, has a menu of “comfort food with a modern twist,” such as gourmet biscuit sandwiches like the Squawking Goat, with battered chicken strips, toasted goat cheese and scratch-made pepper jelly.

There also are four versions of biscuits and gravy as well as waffles, “frittaffles” (baked omelets) and grits, as well as inventive sides such as a three-layer hashbrown “cake” with potato hashbrowns, cheddar cheese, a fried egg and gravy. Maple Street also has coffee drinks, Mason Jar Mimosas and other drinks.

Mexico Mi Amor

Mexico Mi Amor, 780 N. Limestone, opened in May on North Limestone in the former location of Lucie’s Red Light Kitchen and Lounge. Restaurant owner Roxana Hernandez has a light and airy family-style place with garage doors that open into the bar and seating on a covered patio.

The Mexican food menu includes lots of favorites as well as authentic items such as Chilaquiles Verdes and Birria and daily specials. During happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m. you can get two-for-one margaritas as well.

Myriad Meadery

Myriad Meadery, 732 National Ave., opened in February on National Avenue, across from Mirror Twin Brewing. If you’re new to mead, try a flight, which will give you taste of the variety of flavors this ancient alcoholic drink can bring to the palate.

Myriad also has a full cocktail bar and teams up with food trucks. Or you can order pizza from Rolling Oven over at Mirror Twin.

Okome Asian Grill

Okome Asian Grill opened at 341 S. Limestone in October with a menu of build-your-own bowl options with different types of rice, noodles or lettuce, with choice of proteins, vegetables, toppings and sauces. Sauce options include Garlic Yum, Ginger Yum, Sriracha Yum, Teriyaki, Spicy Sesame and Spicy Teriyaki. And everything is gluten-free.

Old North Kitchen

Old North Bar and Kitchen, 101 W. Loudon Ave. Suite 116 in Greyline Station, expanded in June to serve lunch. Owner Wes Hogan described the menu as “good classic pub fare,” Hogan said, including burgers, chicken sandwiches, brats and vegetarian fare including black bean burgers, salads and soups.

In the fall, Old North Kitchen added breakfast items in the morning and brunch on weekends.

Osha Thai Kitchen & Bar

In June, Nick Lagagsorn, the owner of Buddha Lounge on Mill Street, opened Osha Thai Kitchen & Bar, 107 W. Short St. The sister restaurant has a menu of Thai favorites including pad Thai and pad ka pow as well as pan-Asian cuisine.

In warmer weather, the garage doors are open for sidewalk seating and the rooftop patio is lovely at night. Takeout also available.

Ramsey’s Diner

Ramsey’s Diner, 112 Lucille Dr., opened new location off Leestown Road in August. Owner Rob Ramsey said this fourth location pulled together “everything that we learned over the years. Thirty years of things we wished we had.”

The new restaurant is double the size of the location that closed in June on Tates Creek, at close to 5,500 square feet, Ramsey said. Including the patio, it can seat about 140, with additional bar seating.

The menu of meat-and threes, locally grown vegetable sides, burgers and sandwiches and breakfast anytime stayed the same. Missy’s Pies and grab-and-go items available as well as preserves and farm goods from the market are available too.

Rise n’ Brine

Rise n’ Brine, 331 Romany Rd., opened in mid- December, from team behind East End Tap & Table — Matt and Betsy Borland and former University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach Matthew and Jenna Mitchell.

“Rise is for the biscuits that we will make from scratch daily and the Brine is for the chicken that we will brine in a house made pickle juice and buttermilk which will make for a extra tender piece of chicken,” according to Matt Borland. The menu will have several versions of chicken biscuits; gravy flights with three different gravies; biscuit sandwiches with sausage, bacon, meat alternatives including fried tofu; sweet offerings such as a French toast biscuit sandwich with maple butter glaze; fried chicken breakfast burrito; spicy hash browns and more.

Slim Chickens

Slim Chickens, 525 Waller Ave., the Arkansas-based chain, opened its first Lexington location in June, with a second on the way on Richmond Road. It’s a fast-casual “better chicken” concept, with dine-in and drive-thru service and a menu featuring sandwiches, chicken tenders and wings.

Plus sides of fried pickles, mushrooms and okra. And a lineup of desserts in jars such as layered cheesecakes, as well as fried pies and cookies. And there are 17 dipping sauces so you can go nuts.

Taco John’s

Taco John’s, 525 E. Brannon Rd. in Nicholasville, opened in late June in Lexington. Sort of. The Tex-Mex chain is actually in Brannon Crossing, but four more locations are coming over the next few years. Which is good because the drive-thru in Nicholasville is always jammed.

What’s the big deal? Fans rave about the Potato Oles, a kind of spicy Tater Tot, as well as burritos, street tacos, nachos, breakfast burritos and more.

Tuk Tuk Snack Shop

In September, James Beard Award finalist chef Sam Fore opened her first restaurant, Tuk Tuk Snack Shop at 124 Malabu Dr. Suite 110.

The tiny but mighty cafe serves a menu of sandwiches, rice bowls and snacks, all with her spicy touch, such as the Curry Chili Ribs or The Baron, a “fritterdog” (hot dog dipped in lentil batter) coated in puffed lentils.

Vallozzi’s

Vallozzi’s, 108 Court St. in Versailles, opened in September. The Italian restaurant next to a bourbon bar has an upscale side that caters to equine business wheeler and dealers and a more casual side that keeps things family friendly.

The menu is traditional Italian pasta and pizza plus high-end steaks and fresh fish. “Vallozzi’s is a family tradition of Italian food and Italian restaurants. My grandmother started it in the 1950s,” co-owner Julian Vallozzi said.

The owners of the popular Amsden Bourbon Bar, which opened next door in 2017, partnered with the Vallozzi family of Pennsylvania to bring the new restaurant to the historic Versailles building that used to be the police station and jail.