Southern$$$lansdowneMon-Thu 16:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-15:00, 16:00-22:00; Sun 10:00-15:00, 16:00-21:00
The Merrick Inn serves Southern dinners and weekend brunch from a former horse-farm manor off Tates Creek Road, a Lexington occasion room of long standing.
Tip: Brunch runs Friday to Sunday 10:00-15:00; the walled patio is the seat to request from May to September.
Contemporary AmericanChef Paula Endara$$$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.
Seafood$$$$downtownWed-Sun 16:30-22:00
The V at The Vine serves seafood-led fine dining from the 9th floor at 106 West Vine, a 2025 arrival with some of the best evening views in Lexington.
Tip: Book ahead for a window table at sunset; the coastal menu and wine pairings suit a slow two-hour dinner.
Southern$$$jefferson-streetMon-Thu 17:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00
Distilled on Jefferson pairs farm-to-table Southern cooking with a deep bourbon bar on Lexington's Jefferson Street restaurant row, in business since 2014.
Tip: Dinner only. The bourbon list rewards asking the bar for a Kentucky-only pour before you order food.
AmericanChef Tim Perkins$$$beaumontMon-Thu 16:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-22:00; Sun 10:30-21:00
Azur Restaurant & Patio reworks American classics near Keeneland in Beaumont, a Lexington fixture since 2005 known for Tim Perkins' bourbon fried chicken.
Signature: Bourbon fried chicken, Woven shrimp
Tip: Sunday brunch runs 10:30-14:00. Ask for the patio in racing season; it books out on Keeneland weekends.
Contemporary American$$$downtownLunch Wed-Fri 11:00-14:00; dinner Sun-Thu 17:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00
Millstone cooks contemporary American food with Kentucky leanings in an 1880s Dudley Square schoolhouse, one of Lexington's most-watched newer dining rooms.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Chicken and gnocchi
Tip: Lunch runs Wednesday to Friday only. The shrimp and grits use Weisenberger white cheddar grits from Midway.