Willie’s Locally Known, a popular mainstay on Lexington’s live music scene, has pulled up its stakes on Broadway and is moving its barbecue restaurant and music venue to Southland Drive.
“We were really proud to be a part of all the great things that were going on on the north side of town, but we quite simply outgrew our building there,” said owner/operator
Wilson Sebastian. “ Overall, we are just super-stoked about being part of the Southland Drive community. [The new location] has a really good neighborhood around it, and there are lots of positive things happening there.”
Sebastian said the mix of both established businesses and new blood on Southland, and the presence of multiple music shops along the corridor, has created an energetic vibe that will make Willie’s a great fit. The location should attract more University of Kentucky patrons also, but primarily Sebastian aims to draw a strong response from the Southland location's solid residential community, he said.
The new location will add considerably to the elbow room at Willie’s, expanding its capacity from 65 seats to 167, with 65 parking spaces available, Sebastian said.
The Mint Julep Group, which owns Cheddar’s and Coba Cocina in Lexington, has partnered with Sebastian on the project, and extensive renovations on the new location, at the former site of the Show-Me restaurant, are scheduled to begin in the next few weeks. Barring any construction delays, the new site is expected to open by mid-January, Sebastian said.
The restaurant has also brought on board a new chef, Tanner Stiff, who formerly owned his own barbecue and catering business and previously has also worked with local chef Jonathan Lundy.
"He’s a super talented chef, and we’re really excited about what he’s going to bring to the table for us,” Sebastian said.
The menu at the new location will include all 18 of the items that were available on Broadway, Sebastian said, along with more than a dozen new ones.
“It’s going to be expanded, but everyone will be able to get the good old Willie’s classics,” Sebastian said. “We’re going to do some of the things we have always wanted to do, but the old location didn’t have enough real estate in the kitchen to pull it off.”
The new kitchen will be roughly the same size as the entire former location on Broadway, Sebastian added.
Planned new menu options include more salads and lighter fare and kid-friendly entree choices, along with innovative entrees such as Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky burgoo. The new location will also feature a full oyster bar. Sebastian plans to expand the beer offerings to 24 taps, and he is currently exploring the options for a possible craft soda fountain as well, he said.
And while the traditional restaurant table service will still be available for dinner, Sebastian said they are also designing the new space to serve customers looking for a quicker dining option, with an easy-access ordering counter near the door and a station for convenient carryout and catering pick-ups.
The dining room will include ample TV screens for broadcasting UK games and other sporting events, Sebastian added, and of course, the venue will continue to feature live music, seven nights a week.
“That’s what Willie’s is all about,” Sebastian said.
Sebastian said Willie’s will continue to feature the same kind of local and national Bluegrass talent that its customers experienced at its site on Broadway. The increased square footage will also make it possible for the live music venue to book larger acts than was previously possible, Sebastian said.