Frank & Dino's is an italian restaurant in Downtown, Lexington.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Lunch and dinner run daily with a mid-afternoon break; the bar pours a proper Rat Pack-era martini.
Address: 271 W Short St, Lexington, KY 40507
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.
Big Kahuna grills Hawaiian barbecue plates and stacked burgers on Liberty Road, the Lexington original that later added a second Clays Mill Road shop.
Tip: Closed Mondays at both shops; the Liberty Road original keeps the shorter queue at weekday lunch.
Ramsey's Diner has plated Lexington's meat-and-three since 1989, with an excellent Kentucky Hot Brown and pies from its Missy's Pies sister bakery.
Signature: Kentucky Hot Brown, Meat and three
Tip: The Zandale Drive room is the classic location. Save room for a slice of Missy's chess pie.
Winchell's covers Southland Drive breakfasts, beer cheese and UK game days in one room, the Lexington neighbourhood standby that opens at 08:00 every day.
Signature: Beer cheese, Country breakfast
Tip: Breakfast runs until 11:00 weekdays and past noon on weekends; expect a wait after Saturday UK kickoffs.
Bourbon n' Toulouse ladles etouffee, jambalaya and gumbo over rice on Euclid Avenue, Lexington's counter-service Cajun habit and a family business since 2004.
Signature: Crawfish etouffee, Gumbo
Tip: Order at the counter and grab a porch table; vegan and gluten-free pots are always on the board.
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.
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.
