Restaurants in Lexington
From Southern comfort classics to innovative fusion cuisine, Lexington offers plenty of delicious restaurants to satisfy your taste buds. We’ve compiled this list below with some of the restaurants in Lexington that bring exceptional flavors and warm hospitality together.
Goodfellas Grill and Bar
Image: Goodfellas Website
Known for its burgers and chicken wings, Goodfellas Grill and Bar is a favorite hangout of locals and out-of-towners alike. Although the menu is standard for a grill and bar concept, what stands out are their signature jumbo wings which are fried to perfection and tossed with your chosen wing sauce. With 13 wing sauces to choose from, you can’t go wrong with the house-made Peter Paul, the teriyaki sweet chili glaze wing sauce that tickles the palate.
If you have a hankering for something familiar, the Southern Pride’s pimiento cheese and Applewood smoked bacon will take you back to your grandma’s kitchen. But if you want something out of the left field, Not Your Momma’s PB&J is something worth trying.
Goodfellas is a family-friendly space with good food and tons of activities to enjoy including music bingo, live karaoke, and trivia nights.
Old Mill Brewpub
Image: Old Mill Brewpub Facebook
People come for the beer but stay for the food and entertainment. Housed in a century-old renovated cotton mill, Old Mill Brewpub has the rustic vibe going on with its exposed brick walls and hand-hewn woodworks. Its in-house microbrewery keeps handcrafted beer flowing. Due to high demand for craft beer, the pub’s brewmasters are busy churning out new flavors from roasty toasty pale ales to cookies and cream stout.
Old Mill Brewpub is not only creative with its homebrews, the pub is also inventive when it comes to their burgers, sandwiches, and weekly specials. The signature burger is always the safest route to a happy, hearty meal, but the shaved prime rib Philly sandwiches, mango habanero bacon flatbread, and loaded pork fries are worthy choices as well. Resistance is futile when it comes to Old Mill Brewpubs beer and food combo.
Private Property
Image: Private Property Website
This casual dining restaurant is all about Cajun and country cuisine which captures the authentic Southern lifestyle. Private Property has fine dining vibe but with very down-to-earth menu. From comfort foods to exciting Southern fusion, the exquisite choices are something to write home about. With largely Cajun and Creole influences, the seafood jambalaya and shrimp and grits are not to be missed. For the hearty fare, the blackened pork chop, rib, and alligator are all great choices for the hungry foodies—with wine and cocktails aplenty to wash them all down. Undoubtedly, the owners’ love for New Orleans and Lexington shine through in the menu.
Libby's
Image: Libby's Facebook
Libby’s concept started with a pizza and Philly cheese steaks in mind, but the menu has expanded to include what the customers clamor for—lowcountry cooking and everything in between. Since it opened in 2010, Libby’s has added a diverse range of food items in its menu. While the pizza and Philly cheese steaks are easy choices, the Carolina Ruben, Bourbon BBQ Shrimp, Low Country Chicken Wrap, and Shrimp Po Boy are must-tries.
When in season, salmon, scallops, and other seafoods find their way in the menu either partnered with bruschetta or as the main ingredient for soups and salads. Libby’s is that kind of eatery you can go to if you want as many options as your hungry tummy could handle.
Hudson's Smokehouse
Image: Hudson's Smokehouse Website
Award-winning and barbecue are two things that Hudson’s Smokehouse has claims to. Slow-cooked pork barbecue and ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and just melt in your mouth. Once you taste it, it’s easy to see why Hudson’s Smokehouse is voted best barbecue and ribs in the area.
While their vinegar-pepper sauce, rib rub, mac ‘n’ cheese, and collard greens remain the house favorites, both the familiar and the new find their way in the menu. Take your pick from shrimp and grits, fried chicken, hawg dawg, and gourmet salads. Even if you had your barbecue fill, there’s always room for dessert, so get a banana pudding or two.
O'Hara's Public House
Image: O'Hara's Website
O’Hara’s Public House brings the Irish classics to Lexington including food, beer, liquor, music, and hospitality. Traditional Irish favorites like Shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, Guinness stew, and fish and chips. These go well alongside Southern favorites they have in the menu which are comfort food classics like pot roast, mac n’ cheese, and chili. While these dishes will surely find their way into your heart and stomach, it would be a crime not to try the burgers and sandwiches which are hefty and loaded with ingredients. This is the fusion that you didn’t ask for, but you definitely need in your life.
The Root Cellar
Image: The Root Cellar Website
The Root Cellar is a cross between fast-food and casual dining but the food presentation is fancy and the taste is top-notch. For starters, the deviled eggs topped with bacon is the best choice followed closely by fried oysters and southern egg rolls.
The buttermilk fried chicken with yellow grits and white gravy is as authentic as Southern comfort food can get. It’s fried to golden brown perfection so there’s crunch in every bite. For a heartier dish, the 12-ounce grilled chopped steak is a runaway winner. It goes well with marinated mushrooms and caramelized onions. They offer a long list of sides but the sweet potato casserole and roasted Brussel sprouts are clearly superior choices.
For people on special diets, The Root Cellar has vegetarian-friendly options as well as gluten-free dishes so you don’t have to miss out on down home country cooking.
Flight Deck
Image: Flight Deck Website
Flight Deck is an aviation-themed casual dining restaurant that features American and Greek dishes. It has a diner-style ambience with vintage aviation memorabilia, the most prominent of which is a model plane hanging from the ceiling.
Kids and teens can play arcade games while the adults enjoy the juicy burgers, slow-roasted pot roast, country fried chicken, or homemade meatloaf. Other specialty dishes that are not Southern but equally delicious are worth trying—Greek gyro, shish-ka-bob, baked croissant, chicken cordon blue, and lasagna. The dessert menu is loaded with cheesecakes, pies, and decadent cakes. You can’t have them all, but you could start with the Bourbon Pecan Pie or the Key Lime cheesecake, either way, your sweet tooth wins.
Alodia's Cucina Italiana
Image: Alodia's Website
There’s always a place for authentic Italian cooking in Lexington and Alodia’s Cucina Italiana has been blessing our bellies with Italian dishes combined with Southern hospitality. It just can’t get better than that.
The menu has all the familiar Italian dishes and then some. The calamari fritti and the bruschetta are great for starters to build up your appetite for the seafood risotto, duck penne gorgonzola, or baked ziti with Italians sausage. For a heartier meal, you can’t go wrong with the portabella pork ribeye, veal marsala, or pan-seared filet mignon. Seafood options are just as mouth-watering with salmon sapido, shrimp scampi, and blackened mahi. The dishes can be paired with wine or cocktails; just ask the staff for recommendations to get the perfect pairing.
