11 bars in Lexington, editor-picked for bars open past midnight. Bars going past midnight on friday or saturday. All bars in Lexington.

The Bluegrass Tavern ★ 4.5

$$Cocktail barDowntownTue-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.

TipClosed 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

$$Cocktail barDowntownMon-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.

TipOpen nightly from 17:00 to 01:00; the seasonal menu rotates, so ask the bartenders what they are testing this week.

Wiseguy Lounge ★ 4.3

$$Cocktail barDistillery DistrictSun-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.

TipEnter through the pizzeria and head upstairs; Thursday to Saturday it pours until 02:30 with slices below.

Belle's Cocktail House ★ 4.2

$$Cocktail barDowntownThu-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.

TipOpen 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

$$Cocktail barDowntownWed-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.

TipWednesday to Saturday only; kitchen plates pub classics late, which is rare downtown after midnight.

Al's Bar ★ 4.2

$AmericanNorth LimestoneTue-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.

TipClosed Mondays; Tuesday open mic is free and the Thursday to Saturday bookings range from hip-hop to bluegrass.

Chevy Chase Inn ★ 4.2

$AmericanChevy ChaseMon-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.

TipAfternoon drinking is the move; it opens at 14:00 daily and the jukebox and regulars do the entertaining.

The Bar Complex ★ 4.2

$$Cocktail barDowntownThu-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.

TipThursday to Saturday only, 20:00 to 02:30; check the drag show schedule and arrive before the second set.

The Green Lantern ★ 4.1

$Cocktail barNorth LimestoneMon-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.

TipCash helps at the bar; Wednesday karaoke and the happy hour before 19:00 are the reliable nights.

Charlie Brown's ★ 4.1

$$AmericanChevy ChaseSun-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.

TipGrab a couch by the fireplace in winter; the kitchen serves the full menu until late on weekends.

McCarthy's Irish Bar ★ 4.0

$AmericanDowntownMon-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.

TipOpen 11:00 to 02:30 every day; it is the default St Patrick's headquarters, so plan around the March crush.

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