Barzelona’s Tapas & Latin Cuisine
4371 Old Harrodsburg Rd. Suite 105 • Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat.; closed Sun. www.barzelonalex.com
Small plates with big flavor await guests at Barzelona’s Tapas & Latin Cuisine which opened in December.
Tony Saavedra is owner/operator of the tapas/Latin fusion restaurant which offers tapas ideal for sampling and sharing, including fresh cherry tomato bruschetta, fried mussels, yucca vinaigrette and marinated Spanish olives.
Seafood lovers can also indulge in charbroiled octopus with Romesco sauce, fish tacos or seafood paella, one of four paella dishes served here; larger entrees can be ordered too, including Cuban sandwiches and Cuban tacos.
Bella Café & Grille at Palomar
3901 Fountain Blue Ln. #130 • Open daily for lunch and dinner • www.bellacafeandgrille.com
An elegant casual café with seasonal favorites and other tempting menu items, Bella Café & Grille opened its Palomar Centre location in mid-September 2023. Local restauranteur Kuni Toyoda owns this and its sister restaurant in the original Chevy Chase location.
Along with appetizers like chicken wings and parmesan truffle fries, the café has a variety of fresh, inventive salads, like its steak salad with grilled romaine, gorgonzola herb dressing, roasted tomatoes, gorgonzola dolce and crumbled crostinis; if you’re more in the mood for a quick lunch or a full meal, try the burgers, chicken or fish sandwiches. House specialties include halibut with polenta and sauteed greens, filet mignon or Bolognese.
Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday, with chicken-and-waffles, salmon Benedict, Kentucky Benedict and a selection of brunch cocktails.
Beau’s Café
3191 Beaumont Circle • Open daily 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • beauscafelex.wixsite.com/home
Owned and operated by Lexington natives chef Spencer Sirles and Daniel and Ellidia Dupont, Beau’s Café is a truly local establishment offering breakfast and lunch seven days a week.
“We offer unique variations on traditional breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, carefully crafted and designed by Michelin-experienced Chef Sirles,” said Daniel Dupont, adding that ingredients are sourced from high-quality local purveyors.
Designed by the local firm Guyon Architects, the interior ambiance is described by owners as “California-fresh,” a warm and modern space where diners can enjoy what many call the best pancakes around, a savory hot jam chicken sandwich, scratch made biscuits or a sweet Dutch Baby. Other menu options include a French omelette, breakfast burrito with avocado and chilaquiles verde, or the option to assemble your own a la carte breakfast with biscuit, breakfast potatoes, sausage or bacon, eggs or avocado.
Breakfast options are served all day, and lunch items are available starting at 11 a.m. Craft cocktails and coffee drinks are also available at the cafè, which has quickly become a popular day date spot or place to catch up with friends.
A variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free offerings as well as fresh-pressed juices are also on the menu.
Biscuit Belly
112 Lucille Dr. (Masterson Station) • Serving breakfast and lunch daily • biscuitbelly.com/lexington
A Kentucky-based “craft casual” brunch restaurant focusing on warm hospitality and chef-driven gourmet biscuit breakfast sandwiches, Biscuit Belly opened its second Lexington location in April.
Highlights of the innovative brunch menu include “bonuts,” biscuit donut holes dusted in cinnamon sugar with bourbon cream cheese frosting, and biscuit-based sandwiches such as the “Belly Buster,” which features a buttermilk fried chicken breast, sausage, bacon, brisket, cheddar and mushroom gravy with egg, and a bevy of other fun biscuit sandwiches.
Pancakes, a praline parfait, French toast, avocado toast and omelets are available if you’re in the mood for something non-biscuit but equally satisfying; Biscuit Belly also offers a children’s menu and a beverage menu including tea, coffee, milk, juices, and hot chocolate.
Carson’s at Andover
3450 Todds Rd., Ste. 10 • Hours and more details coming soon • www.carsonsfoodanddrink.com
Expected to open in June at the time of publication, the highly anticipated sister location to Carson’s on Main continues the tradition of using Kentucky Proud products in its creative American culinary offerings in an elegant but casual setting in the former clubhouse of Andover Country Club.
From spicy shrimp, sweet and spicy ribs and a pork belly beer-cheese burger to lighter bites like grilled hearts of romaine and Caprese salads, Carson’s serves up flavorful dishes for all, including vegan and gluten-free options. The new location promises to be a perfect spot for dinner, weekend brunch or weekday lunch, and features a private dining space as well as a large venue called the Hudson available to rent for special events.
Chez Lyndon at The Lyndon House Bed & Breakfast
507 N. Broadway • Breakfast Fri.-Sun.; dinner Thurs.-Sat. • www.lyndonhouse.com
Responding to requests from guests at the historic downtown bed & breakfast Lyndon House, innkeeper Anton Giovanetto answered with this spring’s debut of the in-house restaurant Chez Lyndon. The restaurant is open to guests as well as to other diners by reservation. A full-service bar, The Lyndon Pub, is also open to the public.
The dinner menu is typically a three-course prix fixe meal with optional wine pairing; meals are served on vintage china in an intimate and peaceful setting, making for a perfect romantic and un-rushed date night. Woodruff also creates a special menu for holiday breakfasts and brunches, using local purveyors when possible.
The menu varies seasonally, but some favorites have included Italian sausage biscuit and gravy or bourbon cream French toast with berries for breakfast, and for dinner, shrimp and scallops in lemon beurre blanc sauce or lemon pepper chicken breast with roasted Brussels sprouts and steamed rice.
Cibon
211 Rosemont Garden • Thurs.-Fri. 3-8 p.m.; Sat. 12-8 p.m.; Sun. and Wed. hours coming soon • www.cibonlexington.com
Among the newest of the newcomers this summer is Cibon (pronounced CEE-bon), an upscale yet accessible wine, fine foods and bourbon bar opened in early June by husband-and-wife duo Megan Winfield and Brady Barlow.
With a clean and modern design, the intimate venue features a wine bar with seating for around 40 people as well as a retail shop offering over 90 wines by the bottle, 60 cheeses, 20 meats and shelves full of additional fine foods, party and picnic supplies.
Damiano
503 S. Upper St. • Open daily for lunch and dinner; late night hours Thurs.-Sat. • damianolex.com
Hand-crafted pizza, calzones and sandwiches are all served up at Damiano, a casual Italian restaurant in the former location of Mellow Mushroom that also offers gluten-free pizza dough and penne pasta.
The pizza menu includes classic, Margherita, a diablo with spicy salami, calabrese, pepperoni and more; pastas, appetizers, salads and desserts that include cheesecake and cannoli are also available.
Desperados Cantina
1224 Manchester St. #110 • Open daily for lunch and dinner; late night hours Fri.-Sat. • www.desperadoscantina.com
In the heart of Lexington’s Distillery District, a new creative cantina offers scratch-made tacos, high-end tequila, mezcal and more.
A sister concept to Goodfella’s, a neighboring pizzeria by the same owners, Desperados also offers a slew of salsas and starters like avocado fries ceviche and puffed wheat pinwheels called “duros de harina” and served with jalapeno ranch.
Taco lovers can go the tried-and-true “norm” route — tasty birria, chicken, pork, ground beef or carne asada — or venture off the beaten bath with “disrupted taco” options, such as pork belly, black-and-blue steak, and for the truly adventurous, huitlacoche, a sporous fungus that grows on corn before its ears fully develop.
The weekend brunch menu includes churro waffles, tostado avocado, torta de chilaquiles, breakfast nachos and more.
Feed + Supply
8675 Tates Creek Rd. • Open for lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. • www.feedandsupply.shop
A historic building that has been a gas station, mechanics garage and feed store over the past 100 years has been renovated into an intimate venue that serves as a deli/cafè, private event space and retail market.
With a mission focused on natural eating, cooking and growing practices — and managine partner Varuschca Settles’ penchant for entertaining — Feed + Supply is a truly unique business that centers on creating memories over gourmet food and gathering.
“Our signature menu is simple — it’s familiar regional food,” Settles said. “We decided not to reinvent the wheel, just use the best ingredients available.”
The rotating cafè menu reflects what’s in season and available from the business’s network of growers, with recent offerings having included burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, BLTs and pizzas, as well as breakfast favorites like biscuits and gravy. For those who want to eat a standout meal at home with minimal prep work, market shelves are stocked with prepared “bake-at home” item, such as lasagna, shepherd’s pie and a variety of sides (vegetarian entrees and sides available as well).
Private parties and chef’s table menus provide more of a chance for the Feed + Supply kitchen to get creative and experiment. A private party room is available to rent for small events, offering guests access to a private dining room with seating up to 20, an intimate conversation nook, outdoor garden space and private restroom during their event. The business also hosts its own ticketed “crowded table” dinner parties on occasion, where Settles says “20 guest show up as strangers, and leave as friends.”
With those types of events having gained popularity, the team behind Feed + Supply was in the process of making adjustments to their business model and cafè hours at the time of publication; follow them on social media or visit them online for public hours, private event details and other details.
Grounded All Day Café
106 Burke Rd. • Summer hours: breakfast and lunch Wed. and Sun; breakfast, lunch and dinner Thurs.-Sat. • www.groundedalldaycafe.com
It’s fitting that the owners of this family-friendly gathering spot in the historic Meadowthorpe neighborhood met at a coffee shop (the Chevy Chase Starbucks) in 2009.
Heather and Rock Daniels have always enjoyed discovering unique cafés and coffee houses on their travels. They opened Grounded All Day Café in October 2023, conveniently located near their home and designed to be an all-day space for patrons to work, relax or enjoy social time.
“The minute you step inside, you start to feel a little more grounded,” Heather said. With lush plants, a preserved moss wall, sun-washed colors and touches of wood, rattan and textured boho pillows, the décor is at once modern and nostalgic.
The space features a kid-friendly play area, meeting room, community table and an outdoor oasis with games, picnic tables, stage and greenhouse; on the menu are authentic hand-rolled New York bagels, artisanal housemade spreads, bagel sandwiches and fresh salads and more.
Little Fork at Wise Bird Cider
1170 Manchester St. #140 • Open for dinner Tues.-Thurs.; lunch and dinner Fri.-Sun. • www.wisebirdcider.com/littlefork
Located on the patio of the Distillery District Wise Bird Cider, the farm-to-table dining experience known as Little Fork initially opened in 2022 and re-opened its doors in March after a temporary hiatus. Billed as “food truck gourmet,” the eatery serves up comfort staples and experimental seasonal favorites, with an emphasis on gluten-free and vegan options, food-and-cider pairings, and a tasty menu for kids.
The culinary pro behind the menu is Nick Fisherkeller, whose restaurant credits include LockBox at 21c, Portofino and Julep Cup. Current menu items include smash burgers and raclette fries, charcuterie boards, Chistorra sausage skewers and fried tofu.
“The ambiance is open and airy, industrial concrete and steel, with lots of natural light alongside the Town Branch creek,” co-owner and cider maker Tim Wright said. Available beverages include house-made ciders and cider cocktails, as well as standard cocktails and local draft beer.
Mazunte Bodega
903 Manchester St. Ste. 150 • Serving lunch and dinner daily • www.mazuntebodega.com
The Cincinnati-based restaurant group Mazunte opened its first Kentucky location, Mazunte Bodega, earlier this spring in Lexington’s Distillery District: a 4,200 square-foot space containing a bar, market and café offering the “greatest hits” from its existing restaurants’ menus in the Cincinnati area.
A variety of tacos take center stage at Mazunte Bodega, but other entrees include enchiladas, tostadas, empanadas, soups, and more. Mazunte Bodega also offers grab-and-go products including salsas, drinks and merchandise up front, as well as some breakfast items and coffee-based beverages. The business features a full bar and indoor and outdoor seating.
A 13,000 square-foot event space, La Brasa Events Venue, is also part of the complex. The space is available for weddings, parties and other events, with in-house catering available.
Moody Mike’s
802 N. Limestone • Hours vary • www.facebook.com/moodymikesveganfood
For the past several years, the vegan eatery Moody Mike’s has operated as both a mobile food truck and part of the shared commercial kitchen space Lexington Incubator Kitchen. This summer, the business is making its way toward opening its first full brick-and-mortar location inside the North Limestone coffee and bike shop Broomwagon.
At the time of publication, the husband-and-wife team behind Moody Mike’s was still operating out of its food truck outside that location, but working hard to get the interior kitchen ready to operate.
Focusing on “delicious vegan food for every mood,” Moody Mike’s focuses on an affordable, fully plant-based menu that holds appeal for plant-eaters and carnivorous folk alike. The menu centers on vegan takes on familiar meat-based dishes, like “chicken” sandwiches, “burgers” and “wings,” as well as a beer-battered “burger,” “cheeseburger” egg rolls and “pizza” egg rolls.
Plant based “chicken” and dumplings, roast “beef” sandwiches and “Reubens” are offered on occasion, and soon Kentucky-based Sunergos Coffee will be offered along with breakfast items.
Nawabi Hyderabad House
2220 Nicholasville Rd. Ste 160 • Open for lunch and dinner. Tues.-Sun.; closed Mon. • www.hhlexington.com
A recent addition to the Zandale Shopping Center is an Indian restaurant franchise with locations all over the world that showcase cuisine from Hyderabad, the fourth-most populous city in India and an area known for its cuisine
In addition to a variety of biryani, a spiced rice dish cooked with meat (including mutton, fish, chicken) or vegetables, the restaurant offers appetizers, curries, tandoori dishes, dosas and desserts. Familiar favorites like tikka masala, kebabs, butter chicken, masala dosa and a dessert called gulab jamun also grace the menu, along with street food like samosas and chaat.
The Obstinate Sons
829 Chevy Chase Place • Open for dinner Tues.-Sun.; closed Mon.
With more than 50 years combined experience, Cannon Applegate and Dexter Murray had mastered the ins and outs of the hospitality business and took the leap toward restaurant ownership in February 2024 when they launched The Obstinate Sons.
“We have transformed the former Dana Kelly Rug Store into a warm and inviting bourbon bar with a full-service kitchen, blending traditional Kentucky charm with modern touches,” Murray said. The menu features southern comfort fusion cuisine, including prime pork chops, sole piccata, deviled eggs and roasted oysters. House specialty cocktails include the banana foster’s old fashioned, melon margarita, and Charleston karma; an extensive list of vintage and current release bourbon is also available.
Osha Thai Kitchen & Bar
107 W. Short St. • Open for lunch and dinner Mon.-Fri.; dinner on Sat.
Located in the location that formerly housed Roulay, Osha Thai Kitchen & Bar — a sister restaurant to the Japanese/sushi restaurant Buddha Lounge — opened within the past year. The space is designed to incorporate the outdoors during warm-weather months, with retractable garage doors downstairs and a second-story patio for outdoor dining.
The menu focuses on traditional Thai entrees such as pad Thai, drunken noodles and Thai fried rice with a variety of Japanese and Korean dishes as well.
Rise N’ Brine Chicken Biscuits
331 Romany Rd. • 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily • www.risenbrinebiscuits.com
Located in the former Hart’s Dry Cleaning building on Romany Road, this chicken-and-biscuits joint from the same owner of East End Tap opened late last year. Rise ’N Brine offers breakfast sandwiches including several different fried chicken and biscuit variations, and a full coffee/espresso bar featuring Nate’s Coffee.
Shun Lee Chinese Cuisine
111 Woodland Ave. • Open for lunch and dinner Tues.-Sun.; closed Mon. • www.shunleelex.com
Located in the bottom floor of the high-end condominium complex The Woodlands, Shun Lee brings a fresh take on fine dining Chinese food to the Bluegrass with a host of tasty lunch and dinner plates.
Tuk Tuk Snack Shop
124 Malabu Dr., Ste. 110 • Open for dinner Tues.-Sat. • www.tuktuksnackshop.com
With James Beard-nominated chef Sam Fore at the helm, the food at Tuk Tuk Snack Shop is inspired by the intersection between Sri Lanka and the American South, “with a few random favorites that just happen to be really, really good,” according to events admin Nina Lobo. After initially opening in September 2023 with a focus on quick “grab and go” type dishes, the restaurant recently relaunched a new menu with a higher-end, dinner-only concept, reflecting items that have been popular at various events the business has taken part in around the country.
Among the new menu offerings are crab curry pasta, made with house-made black pepper fettuccine and curry, and a steak salad with Berry Farm flank steak, pomegranate molasses, goat cheese and cashews. Other favorite menu items include Fore’s spin on deviled eggs; curry fries smothered in gravy and sambal; curry chili ribs; the ever-popular Webster fried chicken sandwich; and scratch-made curries and sauces. Some items, such as the mango fluff — a mousse recipe served with a cardamom ginger whip and caramelized grilled pineapples that was published in Food and Wine magazine a few years back — are truly unique items not found anywhere else in town.
Located in an 1,800 square foot former coffee shop, the restaurant’s interior features bright colors, a living wall and open kitchen; patio seating is also available. The business also boasts a program called the Snackeasy, which hosts celebrated and notable guest chefs from around the country as well as special themed dinners crafted by Fore.