The revived James E. Pepper campus on Manchester Street: breweries, cider, whiskey, pizza and ice cream in old rickhouses.
Granddam is the dining hall of Lexington's Manchester Hotel, where Top Chef alum Paula Endara cooks Ecuadorian-inflected American food from breakfast to late.
Tip: Free parking sits directly across Manchester Street until 18:00; brunch runs Friday to Sunday 09:00-14:00.
Granddam is the dining hall of Lexington's Manchester Hotel, where Top Chef alum Paula Endara cooks Ecuadorian-inflected American food from breakfast to late.
Tip: Free parking sits directly across Manchester Street until 18:00; brunch runs Friday to Sunday 09:00-14:00.
Goodfellas Pizzeria slings New York slices in Lexington's Distillery District until 02:30 on weekends, with the Wiseguy Lounge bourbon speakeasy upstairs.
Tip: Head upstairs to the Wiseguy Lounge while you wait for a slice; Thursday to Saturday it runs to 02:30.
Brevede Coffee Co. brews inside an original James E. Pepper rick house in the Distillery District, with an in-house bakery and a second shop on High Street.
Signature drink: Espresso with an in-house bake
Tip: The rick-house room is the atmospheric one; the East High Street shop is quicker for a weekday takeaway.
Brevede Coffee Co. brews inside an original James E. Pepper rick house in the Distillery District, with an in-house bakery and a second shop on High Street.
Signature drink: Espresso with an in-house bake
Tip: The rick-house room is the atmospheric one; the East High Street shop is quicker for a weekday takeaway.
Dark Arts Whiskey House finishes barrels in Lexington's Distillery District and pours cask tastings on Manchester Street, a Kentucky Bourbon Trail stop.
Signature drink: Barrel tastings drawn straight from the cask
Tip: Book the barrel tasting; pulling your pour straight from an ageing cask beats the standard flight.
Wiseguy Lounge hides a Prohibition-styled bourbon bar above Goodfellas Pizzeria on Manchester Street, Lexington's speakeasy with hundreds of bottles.
Signature drink: Bourbon old fashioned above the pizza ovens
Tip: Enter through the pizzeria and head upstairs; Thursday to Saturday it pours until 02:30 with slices below.
Ethereal Brewing ferments farmhouse and Belgian styles in a James E. Pepper warehouse, the Distillery District taproom Lexington fills on gig nights.
Tip: Saisons and Belgian styles outshine the hop bombs here; pair a pint with a slice from Goodfellas next door.
Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. ages Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale and distils Town Branch on Cross Street, a twin brewery-distillery tour stop.
Tip: Book the tour online; the four tasting tokens work across both the brewery and the Town Branch distillery.
Wise Bird Cider Co. presses Kentucky apples in the Distillery District, a family-run Lexington cidery whose Little Fork kitchen leans gluten-free.
Tip: Closed Mondays; the Little Fork menu makes this the Distillery District stop for gluten-free eating.
Granddam is the dining hall of Lexington's Manchester Hotel, where Top Chef alum Paula Endara cooks Ecuadorian-inflected American food from breakfast to late.
Tip: Free parking sits directly across Manchester Street until 18:00; brunch runs Friday to Sunday 09:00-14:00.
Goodfellas Pizzeria slings New York slices in Lexington's Distillery District until 02:30 on weekends, with the Wiseguy Lounge bourbon speakeasy upstairs.
Tip: Head upstairs to the Wiseguy Lounge while you wait for a slice; Thursday to Saturday it runs to 02:30.
Wiseguy Lounge hides a Prohibition-styled bourbon bar above Goodfellas Pizzeria on Manchester Street, Lexington's speakeasy with hundreds of bottles.
Signature drink: Bourbon old fashioned above the pizza ovens
Tip: Enter through the pizzeria and head upstairs; Thursday to Saturday it pours until 02:30 with slices below.
The Burl books Americana, bluegrass and psych into a converted train depot by the Distillery District, with a retro arcade bar in the next building.
Tip: Buy show tickets ahead and arrive early enough for a round in The Burl Arcade next door at 369 Thompson Road.
Manchester Music Hall stages touring acts in an exposed-brick distillery warehouse, the Distillery District's big room for Lexington concert nights.
Tip: Doors typically open an hour before the show; eat first along Manchester Street since the hall runs bars only.
Wiseguy Lounge pours hundreds of bourbons in a Prohibition-styled room above Goodfellas Pizzeria, Lexington's speakeasy hiding over the pizza ovens.
Tip: Enter through the pizzeria and take the stairs; a slice downstairs at 01:00 is the correct way to end it.