Home Food Where to eat in Lexington, Kentucky: The Distillery District

Where to eat in Lexington, Kentucky: The Distillery District

WHERE TO EAT IN LEXINGTON, Kentucky

Visitors to Lexington’s beautiful bluegrass region always ask us for our definitive dining guide. This is Ace’s highly selective ten-part dining series (downtown, Chevy Chase, campuspopular breakfasts and brunch spotscoffeeinternational markets, beer guide, patios, etc)  is based on the 20+ years Ace writers and readers have been eating out in Lexington, Kentucky.

This segment  focuses on an area just west of downtown, dubbed by the locals as Lexington’s Distillery District. Now open are:

Crank & Boom 1210 Manchester Street 859.288.2176. Handmade ice cream inspired by the Lexington community. Their signature flavors include Bourbon & Honey, Kentucky Blackberry & Buttermilk, Coffee Stout, and Dark Chocolate Truffle. (But they’re always cranking out new flavors so they’ll probably have a few specials every time you go in).

Middlefork Chef Mark Jensen’s new restaurant has quite a unique space inspired by the pepper distillery district. Their menu is dynamic and seasonal and features locally sourced vegetables and meats. There is a great outdoor Patio area that Middlefork shares with Ethereal brewing, the craft brewery next door.

Ethereal Brewing 1224 Manchester St. 859.309.1254. Hand crafted micro brews with a focus on Belgian farmhouse and American craft beers. Huge patio area for outdoor seating with an industrial vibe that goes along with the rest of the pepper distillery district.

Breakroom 1178 Manchester St. 859.425.6504 Bar in the pepper distillery district. Small interior but plenty of space outside on the deck that overlooks a stream. Great place to go to enjoy a brew and good weather. There is always a food truck around at night to get a bite to eat.