Blue Door Smokehouse is a barbecue restaurant in Warehouse Block, Lexington.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Brisket, Pulled pork
Tip: Go before 13:00; when the brisket sells out they close, whatever the posted hours say.
Address: 819 National Ave, Lexington, KY 40502
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.
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.
Dudley's on Short cooks seasonal contemporary American food on West Short Street, the downtown room Lexington books for anniversaries and Keeneland nights.
Tip: Reserve by phone for parties over six; OpenTable covers smaller tables. The bar seats walk-ins.
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.
Coles 735 Main serves Cole Arimes' locally sourced New American cooking in a circa-1938 room on East Main, with meats cured in-house for Lexington regulars.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The bar and gazebo open at 16:00, an hour before the dining room seats.
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.
