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I lived in Lexington for three years and came to the conclusion honestly. Name a lousy and boring chain and you'll find it in Lexington and crowded to boot. The biggest laugh is that "Old Chicago" joint by Hamburg which is based in Colorado and couldn't stay open a week up here. Anyone who goes there should be branded on the cheek with a "S", standing for "square".
The non chain joints are usually inferior to the chains and are often victims of pretentious cluelessness, especially the Italian and "quality" joints, and suffer from using too much salt AND too much sugar in their food at the same time. Sugar and salt are found in the spice aisle at the Lexington Krogers. Meanwhile food that should be spicey is bland and lifeless.
And good Chinese you just can't get. There are a couple of decent Chinese joints but on arriving back here the first Chinese we got, from a little storefront joint that stuffs menus in apartment mailboxes and is called "Happy Hong Kong #3" or something like that was WORLD'S better than anything in Lexington.
Of course Lexington has several Chinese buffets where Gomers with size 50 shirts and size 6 hats stuff themselves on mediocre crab legs, piling the extremities so high on their platter that they threaten to spill over onto the floor like some kind of crustacean cornocopia. This is evidently their treat for the week, I'd prefer a Milkbone myself.
Malone's is good but I stopped going there when I was offended eating an $80 meal while other customers wore the ubiquitous UK baseball caps. When leaving I told the manager that if I wanted to eat a steak around louts who wear hats while eating I can get "America's Favorite" T-bone at the Waffle House.
Which brings us full circle.
Hahaha. Typical Chicago snobbery Maybe that is why I come off that way sometimes? In all seriousness, Waffle House is NOT among the best restaurants in Lexington but the town does get its panties in arms over chains. Can you imagine what they would do if Lexington got Cheesecake Factory? I am not at all sure why they aren't there (read the most pathetic and average food ever).
Lexington does have some very fine restaurants, but even many of them are unimaginative. You won't find too many big city type fusion restaurants or TRULY authentic ethnic eats. I think the collective taste palate of Lexington is still maturing. This can be evidenced by some of the top local restaurants. I recently dined at Jonaathan's at Gratz Park, which I consider to be among the top 5 tables in town. I even asked the wonderful chef why his menu wasn't more imaginative and didn't stray from filet, chicken, and crab cakes and he explained to me that those are all that sells in Lexington.
Marikka's (German Food) has a beer stube with more than 100 beers. A wonderful menu and a nice place to hang out and enjoy the local folks in the area.
A must see would be Cheapside downtown Lexington (on the corner at Cheapside). Great local place with a wonderful outdoor bar and space. It would be a great spot if you are already downtown for business.
These are two places that are not your average Applebee's type place. Hope this helps!
I lived in Lexington for many years and currently reside in Frankfort Kentucky. Plan to move to Florida in the next few months.
Lexington is a college town. It is a casual atmosphere around this area and KY sports rule. I am not offended because I tend to be one of those "KY Wildcat" kind of gals. I don't wear a hat while dining however, I have dined with a few guys who wear it proudly.
Malone's is nice place with multiple locations. They have a great outdoor bar area (Beaumont /Hamburg area). I tend to prefer the non-chain places. Hope you have a better experience when you visit again.
You need to be more specific. Lexington has a decent dining scene for a college town, but it is still lacking in many regards. If you seek upscale or a big city caliber restaurants, Jonathan's is one of the few I can see that stacks up:
I think i made it clear enough ...the responses so far have been great..thanks the suggestions
Well here is a few more I have enjoyed: Bombay Grill, Julep Cup (classic southern stuff), alfalfa, and azur. Also, I ate at some brazilian themed place that was good but the name escapes me. Its right on main street though, you cant miss it. Again, its simply not a great eats town if for any reason than the locals get all excited about cheesy lifestlye centers like Hamburg and places like Ted's Montana Grill, but you can find a few decent places.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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I'm not exactly the biggest Lexington fan, but Waffle House?
I'm not too much of a restaurant hopper myself, but I've heard good things about Ramsey's, Joe Bologna's (it's pizza & pasta, not bologna sandwiches FYI), and De Sha's. My personal favorites are Gumbo Ya Ya (Virginia Ave & Broadway) although you should be familiar with cajun food, since some stuff, even if greatly cooked, is just horrible while other stuff is addictive. El Siete Llegaus on Clays Mill Rd is the best low end Mexican restaurant I've ever eaten at. The menu is very average but every meal I've had there is extremely fresh and well cooked. I've ate there 3 years (once a week or more) and have never had a meal that was not way above average.
Well here is a few more I have enjoyed: Bombay Grill, Julep Cup (classic southern stuff), alfalfa, and azur. Also, I ate at some brazilian themed place that was good but the name escapes me. Its right on main street though, you cant miss it. Again, its simply not a great eats town if for any reason than the locals get all excited about cheesy lifestlye centers like Hamburg and places like Ted's Montana Grill, but you can find a few decent places.
STX, your bias is showing again....I would love to see you address the question, without throwing in a back-handed slam against "the locals"... considering you are the forum moderator, I would expect better. (And in an earlier post you wondered about coming off as snobbish sometimes?? Go figure....)
To the OP, despite the moderator's OPINION, there are plenty of excellent, local, non-chain restaurants from which to choose. In addition to a la lucie and the ones STX mentioned above, you might consider Natasha's Bistro, Dudley's, Atomic Cafe, Good Foods Market & Cafe, Furlong's, Merrick Inn, Murray's, Rossi's, Sahara, Giuseppe's....these are just a handful of Lexington's "decent places."
Lexington does have "great eats", and I think it's unrealistic to expect a visitor to Lexington to drive 80 miles to Louisville in order to enjoy a local dining experience. Obviously the Louisvillians on the board aren't so well-versed on Lexington's dining scene, despite some ill-informed musings.
And for the record, this "local" has never been to Ted's Montana Grill.
STX, your bias is showing again....I would love to see you address the question, without throwing in a back-handed slam against "the locals"... considering you are the forum moderator, I would expect better. (And in an earlier post you wondered about coming off as snobbish sometimes?? Go figure....)
To the OP, despite the moderator's OPINION, there are plenty of excellent, local, non-chain restaurants from which to choose. In addition to a la lucie and the ones STX mentioned above, you might consider Natasha's Bistro, Dudley's, Atomic Cafe, Good Foods Market & Cafe, Furlong's, Merrick Inn, Murray's, Rossi's, Sahara, Giuseppe's....these are just a handful of Lexington's "decent places."
Lexington does have "great eats", and I think it's unrealistic to expect a visitor to Lexington to drive 80 miles to Louisville in order to enjoy a local dining experience. Obviously the Louisvillians on the board aren't so well-versed on Lexington's dining scene, despite some ill-informed musings.
And for the record, this "local" has never been to Ted's Montana Grill.
Calm down friend. Your post is very condescending. I am stating my opinion based on experience. The local dining scene in Lexington does not stack up IMO. I thought Furlong's and Atomic Cafe were terrible. Natasha's is only ok, it is really better for entertainment. And the people I know who live in Lexington, many of my former business clients, DID get very excited about chains like Ted's Montana Grill. When they would come to Louisville they got so excited about Cheesecake Factory but I refused to take them there. This is anecdotal evicence, true, but it seems to be pervasive to me anyways.
Calm down friend. Your post is very condescending. I am stating my opinion based on experience. The local dining scene in Lexington does not stack up IMO. I thought Furlong's and Atomic Cafe were terrible. Natasha's is only ok, it is really better for entertainment. And the people I know who live in Lexington, many of my former business clients, DID get very excited about chains like Ted's Montana Grill. When they would come to Louisville they got so excited about Cheesecake Factory but I refused to take them there. This is anecdotal evicence, true, but it seems to be pervasive to me anyways.
Seriously, STX, you calling another poster condescending is unbelievably funny. Look in the mirror much? Your bias has been called out many times, it isn't like this is the first. I'm sure there are plenty of suburban yuppies in east Jefferson and Oldham Co that LOVE the Cheesecake Factory. Do you think all those people are driving from Lexington to eat there and making 2 hour waits on the weekend? Please.
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Maybe that is why I come off that way sometimes? In all seriousness, Waffle House is NOT among the best restaurants in Lexington but the town does get its panties in arms over chains. Can you imagine what they would do if Lexington got Cheesecake Factory? I am not at all sure why they aren't there (read the most pathetic and average food ever). 
Marikka's on Southland Drive in Lexington
