Barbecue$$warehouse-blockMon-Thu 11:00-15:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-20:00; closed Sun
Blue Door Smokehouse slices Texas-style brisket to order in Lexington's Warehouse Block, selling until the day's smoked meat runs out by mid-afternoon.
Signature: Brisket, Pulled pork
Tip: Go before 13:00; when the brisket sells out they close, whatever the posted hours say.
Italian$$downtownTue-Thu 11:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-21:00; closed Mon
Joe Bologna's has baked pizza and garlic-butter breadsticks inside a stained-glass former synagogue since 1973, a Lexington institution near the UK campus.
Signature: Garlic breadsticks, Pan pizza
Tip: The garlic breadsticks are non-negotiable; go before 18:00 on UK game days or expect a long wait.
Greek$$chevy-chaseMon-Sun 10:30-21:00
Athenian Grill plates gyros, spanakopita and baklava on South Ashland Avenue in Chevy Chase, the sit-down home of Lexington's favourite Greek kitchen.
Signature: Gyro, Spanakopita
Tip: Open 10:30-21:00 daily; the gyro bowls travel well if the small dining room is full at lunch.
Latin American$$downtownWed-Sat 11:30-22:00; Sun 11:30-21:00; Mon 17:00-21:00; closed Tue
Corto Lima presses its own corn tortillas downtown at Short and Upper, Jonathan Lundy's Latin American kitchen and Lexington's standing margarita champion.
Signature: House-made corn tortillas, Margaritas
Tip: No reservations; seating is first come, first served. Closed Tuesdays, and Monday is dinner only from 17:00.
Southern$$jefferson-streetMon-Sun 09:00-15:00
Stella's Kentucky Deli ladles farm-sourced burgoo and builds sandwiches in a Jefferson Street cottage, the daytime stop on Lexington's restaurant row.
Signature: Kentucky burgoo
Tip: Daytime only, 09:00-15:00. The weekend brunch menu is small; arrive before 10:30 to dodge the queue.
Steakhouse$$Mon-Sat 11:00-21:00; closed Sun
Columbia Steak House has fed Lexington since 1948, still broiling the garlic-butter Nighthawk Special with a Diego salad and frying its famous lamb fries.
Signature: Nighthawk Special, Lamb fries, Diego salad
Tip: Order the Nighthawk Special with fried banana peppers; the Richmond Road room keeps the old-school feel.