New American$$fritz-farmMon-Sun 11:00-21:00
Honeywood is Ouita Michel's Kentucky bistro at The Summit at Fritz Farm, feeding Lexington sweet potato beignets and farm-driven plates seven days a week.
Signature: Sweet potato beignets
Tip: Open all day 11:00-21:00, so it covers the awkward late-lunch hour most Lexington kitchens skip.
Italian$$$downtownLunch Wed-Sun 11:00-15:30; dinner Tue-Sun from 16:00
ItalX rolls scratch-made pastas in Lexington's City Center, chef Jonathan Lundy's Italian room with reimagined small plates and a sommelier-built wine list.
Tip: Lunch runs Wednesday to Sunday, a rarity downtown; dinner from 16:00 suits pre-show Rupp Arena tables.
Contemporary American$$$downtownIn-room breakfast Wed-Sun 07:00-11:00; lobby lounge Sun-Thu 16:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 16:00-23:00
Lockbox occupies the vault floor of the 21c Museum Hotel's 1914 bank building in Lexington, with Stephen Holden cooking a contemporary Southern-leaning menu.
Tip: Renovation-mode service: in-room breakfast for hotel guests Wed-Sun and evening drinks in the lobby lounge. Call before a special trip.
American$$$lansdowneMon-Thu 15:00-22:00; Fri 15:00-23:00; Sat 10:00-23:00; Sun 10:00-21:00
OBC Kitchen stocks over 150 bourbons and whiskeys behind a Lansdowne storefront, the Lexington bar-restaurant where bacon arrives in a glass with the drinks.
Signature: Bacon in a glass
Tip: It sits in the Lansdowne Shoppes beside sister steakhouse Malone's; weekend service opens at 10:00 with brunch dishes.
Steakhouse$$$lansdowneMon-Sun 11:00-22:00
Malone's cuts USDA Prime steaks at its original Lansdowne room, the Lexington-born steakhouse that grew into the Bluegrass Hospitality Group's flagship.
Tip: Lexington Legend cut portions run big; the Hamburg and Palomar rooms take pressure off weekend waits.
Southern$$$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.