15 bars in Lexington, editor-picked for bars open late. Bars serving past 23:00. All bars in Lexington.
The Bluegrass Tavern ★ 4.5
downtown · 115 Cheapside, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Tue-Fri 17:00-02:00; Sat 17:00-02:30; closed Sun-Mon
The Bluegrass Tavern stacks Kentucky's largest bourbon collection on Cheapside, the downtown Lexington bar where flights run deep into allocated bottles.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays; tell the bartender a flavour direction and a budget and they will build a flight from Kentucky's largest bourbon collection.
Ona ★ 4.4
downtown · 108 Church St, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Mon-Sun 17:00-01:00
Ona mixes precise cocktails in an Art Deco room on Church Street, the low-lit downtown Lexington bar for a slow drink rather than a loud night.
Tip: Open nightly from 17:00 to 01:00; the seasonal menu rotates, so ask the bartenders what they are testing this week.
OBC Kitchen ★ 4.4
lansdowne · 3373 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY 40502
Hours: Mon-Thu 15:00-22:00; Fri 15:00-23:00; Sat 10:00-23:00; Sun 10:00-21:00
OBC Kitchen stocks over 150 bourbons and whiskeys behind a Lansdowne storefront, the Lexington bar-restaurant where bacon arrives in a glass with the drinks.
Tip: It sits in the Lansdowne Shoppes beside sister steakhouse Malone's; weekend service opens at 10:00 with brunch dishes.
The Obstinate Sons ★ 4.3
chevy-chase · 829 Chevy Chase Pl, Lexington, KY 40502
Hours: Tue-Sat 16:00-23:00; Sun 16:00-22:00; closed Mon
The Obstinate Sons runs a snug bourbon bar and kitchen on Chevy Chase Place, a neighbourhood Lexington room that takes its whiskey list seriously.
Tip: Closed Mondays; the kitchen holds its own, so arrive hungry rather than treating it as a drinks-only stop, and expect a wait for seats on weekends.
Wiseguy Lounge ★ 4.3
distillery-district · 1228 Manchester St, Lexington, KY 40504
Hours: Sun-Wed 17:00-24:00; Thu-Sat 17:00-02:30
Wiseguy Lounge hides a Prohibition-styled bourbon bar above Goodfellas Pizzeria on Manchester Street, Lexington's speakeasy with hundreds of bottles.
Tip: Enter through the pizzeria and head upstairs; Thursday to Saturday it pours until 02:30 with slices below.
Belle's Cocktail House ★ 4.2
downtown · 156 Market St, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Thu-Sat 16:30-02:00
Belle's Cocktail House pours bourbon cocktails across three levels on Market Street, with the rooftop bar downtown Lexington heads to on warm weekends.
Tip: Open Thursday to Saturday only, 16:30 to 02:00; head straight up to the rooftop level before the queue forms.
Bourbon on Rye ★ 4.2
downtown · 115 W Main St, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Wed-Sat 16:00-02:30
Bourbon on Rye keeps Prohibition-era cocktails and 12 taps going until 02:30 on West Main Street, a late-shift bourbon room in downtown Lexington.
Tip: Wednesday to Saturday only; kitchen plates pub classics late, which is rare downtown after midnight.
Al's Bar ★ 4.2
north-limestone · 601 N Limestone, Lexington, KY 40508
Hours: Tue-Thu 17:00-00:30; Fri-Sat 17:00-01:30; Sun 17:00-00:30; closed Mon
Al's Bar anchors the corner of Sixth and Limestone with burgers, local beer and gigs, the long-running NoLi corner bar wired into Lexington's music scene.
Tip: Closed Mondays; Tuesday open mic is free and the Thursday to Saturday bookings range from hip-hop to bluegrass.
Chevy Chase Inn ★ 4.2
chevy-chase · 833 E Euclid Ave, Lexington, KY 40502
Hours: Mon-Thu 14:00-24:00; Fri-Sat 14:00-02:00; Sun 14:00-24:00
Chevy Chase Inn has poured since 1933, Lexington's oldest bar, a cash-friendly Euclid Avenue dive that opens at 14:00 and never pretends to be more.
Tip: Afternoon drinking is the move; it opens at 14:00 daily and the jukebox and regulars do the entertaining.
The Beer Trappe ★ 4.2
chevy-chase · 811 Euclid Ave, Lexington, KY 40502
Hours: Mon-Thu 16:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-23:00; Sun 13:00-22:00
The Beer Trappe runs taps and a bottle wall on Euclid Avenue, the Chevy Chase beer bar where Lexington's beer nerds drink in or carry out rare releases.
Tip: Anything on the shelves can be opened at the bar for a small corkage; ask what rare Kentucky releases landed.
The Bar Complex ★ 4.2
downtown · 224 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Thu-Sat 20:00-02:30
The Bar Complex runs three bars, a dance floor and drag stages on East Main, the long-standing anchor of LGBTQ+ nightlife in downtown Lexington.
Tip: Thursday to Saturday only, 20:00 to 02:30; check the drag show schedule and arrive before the second set.
The Green Lantern ★ 4.1
north-limestone · 497 W 3rd St, Lexington, KY 40508
Hours: Mon-Sun 16:00-02:30
The Green Lantern books doom metal, bluegrass and punk into a West Third Street dive, one of Lexington's most-loved and longest-running dive rooms.
Tip: Cash helps at the bar; Wednesday karaoke and the happy hour before 19:00 are the reliable nights.
Charlie Brown's ★ 4.1
chevy-chase · 816 Euclid Ave, Lexington, KY 40502
Hours: Sun-Thu 11:00-23:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-01:00
Charlie Brown's furnishes its Euclid Avenue bar like a worn library, all couches, bookshelves and lamplight, a Lexington comfort institution with pub food.
Tip: Grab a couch by the fireplace in winter; the kitchen serves the full menu until late on weekends.
McCarthy's Irish Bar ★ 4.0
downtown · 117 S Upper St, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:00-02:30
McCarthy's Irish Bar pulls Guinness on South Upper Street daily until 02:30, the downtown Lexington local for march-in singalongs and post-game pints.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 02:30 every day; it is the default St Patrick's headquarters, so plan around the March crush.
Henry Clay's Public House ★ 3.9
downtown · 112 N Upper St, Lexington, KY 40507
Hours: Tue-Sat 17:00-24:00; closed Sun-Mon
Henry Clay's Public House pours pints on North Upper Street, blocks from the statesman's old law office, a downtown Lexington blues and covers pub.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; Tuesday blues nights are the local pick over the busier weekend cover bands.