This past year has been a great year for restaurants and chains in Lexington. Many completely new restaurants by popular chefs have opened, including The V at the Vine, co-owned by Cole Armies, and others. Family restaurants, like The Gourmet, also opened this year, adding dining options available to the community and providing different types of food. Chains from out of state, like Cafe Patachou, Ford’s Garage, Jaggers, and more also have opened in Lexington, and have so far been successful.
Cole Armies, owner of Coles and Epping’s, partnered with Jeremy Delk to open The V. The V at The Vine is a new restaurant in downtown Lexington that officially opened on September 12, 2025. They mainly are known for their seafood, but also offer certain steaks, and a variety of drinks. The V has outdoor seating, including a patio or rooftop area where you can look over downtown. Inside, it’s very modern and sleek, with large windows to be able to see outside. The V has already become very popular, often meaning that you need a reservation to be able to ensure you can be seated, especially since it’s considered a nicer place for special occasions.
Ember Steakhouse is an American steakhouse opened in downtown Lexington in May 2025 at 101 W. Main St. They serve dry-aged or prime steaks, seafood, pastas, all made by the chefs in house. While not completely formal, it’s not necessarily causal. The dress code is considered to be jeans, button-downs, dresses, etc.
Millstone, which is sometimes referred to as Millstone Social, is located in the historic Dudley Square schoolhouse on South Mill Street. Since its opening in November 2025, it has become a downtown favorite, featuring dishes like chicken and gnocchi, yeast rolls with smoked maple butter, and Wagyu burgers. Closed on Mondays, they are primarily a dinner destination, though they offer a lunch menu with sandwiches and salads. Millstone is a more expensive addition, with main entrees ranging anywhere from $34 to $62. They also offer outdoor seating on their outdoor patio.
Le Gourmet, also known as Le Gourmet Haitian Family Restaurant, is located on South Broadway. The family-owned restaurant specializes in Afro-Caribbean and Haitian cuisine. The menu features flavorful, traditional dishes like griot (fried pork), legume, and is often served with signature sides like rice with djon djon. They also have many traditional, but non-alcoholic, Haitian drinks, including Ji Grenadya, a passionfruit juice based drink, Ji Betra, a beet juice based drink, Ji Karot, a carrot juice based drink, and Kremas, a drink that is thick, creamy, and infused with coconut and spices. Le Gourmet celebrated its official grand opening in January 2026.
The Floating Lotus Kitchen, which opened on Old Harrodsburg Rd, in August 2025, is a lunch spot specializing in Mediterranean bowls and wraps. The menu features a variety of sandwiches, grain bowls, and soups, with favorites like the Turkey Gouda Jamwich and Coconut Carrot Soup. The Floating Lotus Kitchen includes fresh produce, making it a healthy and reliable dining experience.
One of the most recent new restaurants is Southern Cookhouse & Bar, which opened at 844 Hays Boulevard on January 23, 2026. The restaurant focuses on southern comfort food, featuring a menu that includes brisket, pimento cheese, “church eggs”, or deviled eggs, and various pizzas and pastas.
Cafe Patachou at the Summit at Fritz Farm is a favorite local spot for breakfast and lunch. The menu features items like their French-style omelets and their popular cinnamon toast, alongside fresh salads and soups. It’s the perfect place for a weekend brunch with friends or family. It officially opened on Friday, November 21, 2025. The chain is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, and slowly spread across Indiana, before coming to Kentucky.
Ford’s Garage is a fun, themed restaurant located at the Fayette Mall. Designed to look like a 1920s service station, it’s full of vintage Ford cars, with sinks made from tires and cars hanging over the bar. They serve traditional American food, including burgers, “comfort foods”, including different types of mac and cheese, steaks, ribs, and more. Its Lexington location opened on November 4, 2025, taking over 140 Rojay Drive, which was formerly Ted’s Montana Grill. They also have other locations across the country. They are an official licensee of the Ford Motor Company, meaning that they’ve been able to expand quickly across several states. They started out in Florida, before spreading to several other states, like Indiana, Michigan, and more.
Jaggers officially debuted in Lexington on August 12, 2025, making it the fourth Kentucky location for the chain. Owned by the Texas Roadhouse family, the menu centers on fresh, double-patty burgers, like the Crazy Good Cheeseburger, along with chicken tenders, large specialty salads, and shakes. The very first Jaggers was built in Noblesville, Indiana, and opened on December 9, 2014. According to their website, the concept was created by Kent Taylor, the late founder of Texas Roadhouse, and he chose to create in Indiana instead of his company’s headquarters in Louisville in case it didn’t succeed so he wouldn’t have to hear or be teased about it from his friends.
Athenian Grill, a popular restaurant in Lexington, opened another restaurant at 3801 Mall Road, or near the Fayette Mall. The newer restaurant is much more spacious with a modern, “Aegean-inspired” design, offers more comfortable sit-down dining, and has a patio area. They already have a Chevy Chase spot and a downtown Park Plaza location, which have earned multiple “Best of Lex” awards. Their menu includes authentic Greek staples like carved gyros, lamb chops, and spanakopita, “build-your-own” bowls, and more.
Chicken Salad Chick arrived in Lexington on October 21, 2025, opening its first official Lexington location in the Hamburg area at 1956 Bryant Road. The menu specializes in over a dozen varieties of house-made chicken salad, along with pimento cheese, gourmet soups, and sides like grape salad. This location is the first “real” one in Lexington, however, there is a location at Brannon Crossing Location that was built in 2018. Located at 254 East Brannon Road, this was the first Chicken Salad Chick in the entire state. Since Brannon Crossing sits right on the Fayette and Jessamine County line, it technically has a Nicholasville address.
Overall, 2025 and 2026 have been great years for restaurants and chains. We can only hope that 2026 continues to give us excellent food in Lexington. Hopefully, these new businesses will remain successful, allowing them to stay open and continue to deliver delicious food.
