2026 Best of Lex: Music & 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. On the following pages, we highlight the bars, music venues, breweries and other favorite nightlife and fun spots that our readers voted to be the best in Lex.

Best Bartender

  1. Whitney Anderson (Goodfellas)
  2. Robin Pawlowski (Old North Bar)
  3. Richard Curnette (Henry Clay’s Public House)

Best Beer Selection (Bar)

  1. Marikka's Bier Stubbe
  2. The Beer Trappe
  3. Mirror Twin
  4. Mr. Brew's Taphouse

Best Bourbon Selection (Bar)

  1. OBC Kitchen
  2. Bourbon on Rye
  3. Goodfellas

Best Cocktail Bar

  1. Trifecta
  2. Harvey's Bar
  3. Paddock Bourbon Club
  4. Goodfellas

Best Dive Bar

  1. Chevy Chase Inn
  2. Green Lantern
  3. Sidebar
  4. The Break Room

Best Hotel Bar

  1. Lost Palm
  2. Lockbox at 21c
  3. Infinity Sky Bar
  4. The Kentucky Castle

Best Irish Bar

  1. McCarthy’s Irish Bar
  2. Shamrock's
  3. O’Neils

Best Karaoke

  1. Night Kitty
  2. Chinoe Pub
  3. Cowboy Cam Karaoke
  4. Ole Hookers

Best Local Band

  1. Tee Dee Young
  2. Honeychild
  3. Magnolia Boulevard

Honorable Mentions:

  • Bedford
  • Autonomous

Best LGBTQIA Spot

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

Best Live Music Venue

  1. The Burl
  2. Manchester
  3. Music Hall
  4. Tee Dee's

Ode to The Donut Dungeon

Smiley Pete Staff Salute

Last October, Lexington’s music scene welcomed a sweet new addition: The Donut Dungeon, a DIY, all-ages, sober live music venue located in the basement of Frank’s Donut Shop on East Third Street. 

While the venue was shuttered by the fire marshal a few months later, it has seen continued support since closing, with a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the cost of upgrades to meet the fire code having nearly met its goal at the time of publication. 

“We wanted to make the space we wished existed when we were 15,” said Sean Bolton, who co-founded the venue with Frank Alguera, the son of the owner of Frank’s Donuts (also named Frank). The two have been friends since they were kids. 

“We're not competing with bars. We're not selling alcohol. We've never had to kick anybody out, ever; there's never been a problem,” Bolton said. “People just plug their amps in and then they play. A lot of times people buy tickets to come in and they'll sit outside and just hang out — it's kind of a social thing.” 

Alguera and Bolton intended Donut Dungeon to be a “third space” for Lexingtonians to meet, hang out, enjoy music and art, and feel safe.

"When we started, people really latched on and we made a lot of friends, and for us, it's more than just a business,” Bolton said. “It's a community thing, and that's why we’ve fought so hard.”

The duo is hoping to reopen the venue this summer, with a tentative plan to kick things off with an event called Fire Code Fest featuring seven consecutive days of live music. 

Follow lexington.donut.dungeon on Instagram for updates.

Best Local Brewery

  1. Country Boy
  2. West Sixth Brewing
  3. Mirror Twin Brewery
  4. Ethereal Brewing

Best Local Musician

  1. Ben Sollee
  2. Ben Lacy
  3. Tee Dee Young

Honorable Mentions:

  • Austin Boggs
  • DeBraun Thomas

Ode to Tee Dee Young

Smiley Pete Staff Salute

To watch Lexington blues musician Tee Dee Young in action, one might suspect he is communicating with some sort of outside force through his transportive guitar playing. While it appears effortless on the surface, his immense talent and unique style are in fact the result of decades of hard work and dedication coupled with his experience playing amongst a variety of settings and players over the years. 

Young may appear to have not aged in decades, but don’t be fooled by his youthful facade — he first cut his chops in the 1960s, when he, his brother and some neighborhood friends started the Young Brothers Band. Performing regularly at local and regional venues, he found himself sharing stages with the likes of The Jackson 5, James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, and Aretha Franklin as a teenager.

Today, Young continues to perform at festivals, club shows and special performances around the region. But he is most at home on Monday nights, when he hosts a weekly blues jam at Tee Dee’s Club, the downtown blues club he opened in the early 1980s. More than 30 years later, he and his band continue to “rehearse” at the Second Street club every Monday night to a packed audience of musicians and anyone else who wants to stop by. The format of the evening usually includes Young playing a couple songs at the beginning of the evening before asking the audience if there are any musicians in the house. Once he gets a sense of who plays what, he said he “puts the whole package together,” inviting musicians up to the stage one or two at a time to join his band or play their own song. The evening culminates with an energetic set from Young and his band. 

It’s a unique, community-driven musical experience that has not only helped Young develop his unique style, but has also provided the community an opportunity to collaborate and to experience live music in a way not found anywhere else in Lexington. Hats off to Mr. Young and the unique corner of the Lexington music scene that he’s worked so hard to create!

Best Overall Bar

  1. Old North Bar
  2. Ona
  3. Henry Clay's
  4. Public House
  5. Bourbon on Rye

Best Romantic Date Spot

  1. The Kentucky Castle
  2. Giuseppe’s
  3. Le Deauville
  4. Carson's Food & Drink

Best Sports Bar Banners

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

Best Trivia Night

  1. Banners
  2. Old North Bar
  3. (TIE) Shamrock Bar & Grille
  4. (TIE) Mirror Twin

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