2025 Best of Lex: Bars & Nightlife

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Whether you’re looking for a quiet and romantic spot to go on your next date night or a karaoke joint to belt out your favorite tunes with your rowdiest friends, Lexington’s nightlife options have you covered. Below, we've highlighted the bars, music venues, breweries and other favorite nightlife and fun spots that our readers voted to be the best in Lex.

Best LGBTQIA Spot 

  1. The Bar Complex 
  2. Lussi Brown Coffee Bar
  3. Crossings 
  4. Ole Hookers 

Best Wine Bar 

  1. Darling Wine Bar 
  2. Talon Winery & Vineyards
  3. Equus Run 

Best Trivia Night

  1. Banners 
  2. Shamrock Bar & Grill 
  3. Mirror Twin 
  4. Old North

Best Irish Bar 

  1. McCarthy’s Irish Bar 
  2. Shamrock Bar & Grill 
  3. Molly Brooke’s 

Best Overall Bar 

  1. Old North Bar 
  2. Ona 
  3. Bourbon On Rye

Best Sports Bar 

  1. Banners 
  2. Shamrock Bar & Grill 
  3. Winchell's 
  4. KSBar & Grille

Best Hotel Bar 

  1. Lost Palm 
  2. Lockbox at 21c
  3. Infinity SkyBar

Honorable Mentions: 

  • The Kentucky Castle 
  • Barrel 53 

Ode to Comedy at Barrel53

By Melody Colette, voted as a "Best Blogger/Influencer"

Lexington's stand-up comedy scene is growing with the rabid tenacity of a mile-a-minute vine. New open mics are popping up left and right, but one venue in particular is rising to the top as the best place to hear Lexington's most clever storytellers. 

Comedian Ian Sethi hosts the 8PM weekly show at Barrel 53, the lounge inside of Hotel Lex. The seats (and sign-up list) both fill up quickly, and you can hear the crowd from the parking lot. Conveniently located off I-75, the shows draw dozens of local and touring comics, and even national acts.

In addition to providing an inclusive and supportive comedy scene community, Barrel 53 offers a food and drink menu with enough options to give someone with ADHD a stroke, including bourbon-glazed wings, prime rib, and my personal new obsession, hand-tossed pizzas, which have no business being that good. 

These Wednesday nights are more than just cackling alongside friends and life-altering pizza. They are massive steps towards designating Lexington as a leading destination for stand-up comedy. 

Best Bourbon Selection (Bar) 

  1. Bourbon on Rye 
  2. Jake’s Cigar Bar 
  3. Paddock Bourbon Club 

Best Beer Selection (Bar)

  1. Marikka's Bier Stubbe 
  2. The Beer Trappe 
  3. Mr. Brew's Taphouse 
  4. Shamrock Bar & Grill 

Best Cocktail Bar 

  1. Ona 
  2. Constitution 
  3. Trifecta  
  4. OBC Kitchen 

Best Karaoke 

  1. Chinoe Pub 
  2. Neon Moon Bar & Lounge 
  3. Night Kitty Karaoke Bar

Best Bartender 

  1. Kyle at Banners 
  2. Mike Sullivan at The Green Lantern 
  3. Brian Himes at Old North Bar

Honorable Mentions:  

  • KC at Lussi Brown Coffee Bar 
  • Mercedes at Nic & Norman's

Best Romantic Date Spot 

  1. Kentucky Native Cafè 
  2. The Kentucky Castle 
  3. The Kentucky Theatre

Best Dive Bar

  1. Chevy Chase Inn 
  2. Neon Moon Bar & Lounge 
  3. The Green Lantern 
  4. Al's Bar

Best Live Music Venue 

  1. The Burl 
  2. Manchester Music Hall 
  3. Proud Mary BBQ 

Honorable Mentions: 

  • Al’s Bar 
  • The Green Lantern

Ode to The Burl

Smiley Pete Staff Salute

In the nine years since it opened its doors, The Burl has become one of the most revered live music venues, not only in Lexington but in the surrounding region.

Nestled in the heart of Lexington’s historic Distillery District, The Burl has hosted a menagerie of artists from various genres, including The Struts and The Supersuckers, Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, Grace Potter and Sixpence None the Richer. The intimate room, with its reclaimed wooden walls and iconic stained-glass window gracing the backdrop of the stage, has become an almost church-like comfort zone for local music fans who show up more than 300 nights a year.

The building at 375 Thompson Road has been standing since 1926, when it served as a dock and hub for Texaco Oil. The Burl set up shop there in July 2016, and while it certainly hit the ground running, it has continued to evolve to new heights with no sign of slowing down anytime soon. During warm-weather months, an outdoor loading dock is transformed into a stage allowing the venue to host outdoor shows to an even larger capacity audience. Owners have opened Burl Arcade, featuring dozens of retro arcade games, and Burl Brew, a brewery with ample seating, pool tables and large-screen televisions, in surrounding buildings in recent years, transforming an already booming business into an entire campus of entertainment.

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