American$$$downtownMon-Thu 11:30-22:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-23:00; Sun 10:00-22:00
Carson's Food & Drink runs steaks, seafood and cocktails on East Main Street in Lexington, an old Kentucky supper-club room that stays loud into the evening.
Signature: Seared ahi tuna salad, Banana bread pudding
Tip: Brunch runs Friday to Sunday 10:00-14:00; the banana bread pudding closes most tables here.
American$$$warehouse-blockTue-Thu 16:00-21:00; Fri 16:00-22:00; Sat 10:00-14:00, 16:00-22:00; Sun 10:00-14:00, 16:00-21:00; closed Mon
Epping's on Eastside fills the old Epping Bottling Works in Lexington's Warehouse Block with house-cured meats, crab cakes and Cole Arimes' seasonal cooking.
Signature: Jumbo lump crab cake, Pork belly
Tip: Weekend brunch runs 10:00-14:00, and the kid-friendly Poppy & Olive room takes the pressure off family tables.
Southern$$$lansdowneMon-Thu 16:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-15:00, 16:00-22:00; Sun 10:00-15:00, 16:00-21:00
The Merrick Inn serves Southern dinners and weekend brunch from a former horse-farm manor off Tates Creek Road, a Lexington occasion room of long standing.
Tip: Brunch runs Friday to Sunday 10:00-15:00; the walled patio is the seat to request from May to September.
Contemporary American$$$distillery-districtBreakfast daily 07:00-11:00; lunch Mon-Thu 11:00-14:00; dinner Mon-Sat 17:00-22:00, Sun 17:00-21:00
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.
American$$$beaumontMon-Thu 16:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-22:00; Sun 10:30-21:00
Azur Restaurant & Patio reworks American classics near Keeneland in Beaumont, a Lexington fixture since 2005 known for Tim Perkins' bourbon fried chicken.
Signature: Bourbon fried chicken, Woven shrimp
Tip: Sunday brunch runs 10:30-14:00. Ask for the patio in racing season; it books out on Keeneland weekends.
Breakfast$$north-limestoneTue-Sun 08:00-14:00; closed Mon
Doodles Breakfast & Lunch fries beignets and dirty shrimp and grits in a converted North Limestone petrol station, Lexington's morning-queue daytime cafe.
Signature: Dirty Shrimp & Grits, Pigs & Puffs
Tip: Closed Mondays and the kitchen stops at 14:00 sharp; the Pigs & Puffs bacon beignets sell out on weekends.