Lexington restaurant memories: long gone favorite places to eat.
- Thread starter HymanKaplan
- Start date
We still have three G.D. Ritzy’s in Evansville. I go to the one closest to me 4-5 times a year. Love their fries, chili, and burgers.
Steak and Ale was a great restaurant. They had a steak called the Kensington Club which was just about the best steak I have ever had.
The original New Orleans House was in South Park. Where Best Buy is now. They had Movie Theaters there at the time also. I remember thinking how rich people must be to be able to afford a $29 buffet.
Interesting… I didn’t recall it being anywhere else but Griffin Gate.
I remember the theater being at South Park. Used to get dropped off there and left at the movies for hours as a kid. Different times back then.
Started at UK in the late 90’s and Kathy, who worked at K-Lair, was the best. Just a good woman. Why yes, Kathy, of course I want an extra hash brown.
While I am not from Lexington and don’t have the historical knowledge this board does, I absolutely crushed some Mr. Goodcents right off campus during my time in Lexington. Seemed magical during my time there.
Ooof! Yeah, I have memories of K-Lair… but I hardly would say it was a favorite place to eat. 😂
Yeah I remember my folks dropping me off at Fayette Mall on Fridays and Saturdays because the Movie Theaters and Aladdin's Castle was open until Midnight. Circa 1984 or so. I couldn't imagine doing that with kids now.
Sitting here with my dad now. He didn't remember New Orleans House being in South Park either. Dad was a Counselor and Assistant Principal at Southern Junior for years and we lived near Shillito Park so if he didn't remember it I'm thinking maybe I'm crazy 😅.
Google search found this on kentucky.com. some other interesting info about other defunct restaurants.
The New Orleans House was open for a decade in the rear of South Park shopping center on Nicholasville Road before it moved to Griffin Gate Plaza in 1989. The bountiful seafood buffet restaurant was replaced in 1999 by Happy Dragon Chinese.
Read more at: https://www.kentucky.com/lexgoeat/restaurants/article44505375.html#storylink=cpy
All the "hoods" seem to hang out at the pay phones at Fayette Mall.
Yeah I was there in my Blue Jean Jacket and Beeper just waiting for the action to happen 😅
Nagasaki Inn
Atomic Cafe
Porta Fino
Furlongs
Atomic Cafe
Porta Fino
Furlongs
I'll be honest there were only 2 places that creeped me out at FM:
1. The restroom hallway
2. Deep in the back of Spencer Gifts
Furlongs was a great local business.
Atomic Cafe Patio was a hell of a lot of fun in the 90's. If I remember correctly people seemed to have a lot of opinions about the owner of that place.
Man you're giving me PTSD haha.
Those posters in the back of Spencer's really attracted a certain type.. and the entire place smelt like Fart Spray.
I mean you can feel it getting weirder and weirder the further back you go. Those purple "hairy" looking lights that looked like porcupines and that ominous black lighting over the poster flip-racks
Attended UK during the same time period. Probably El Toritos in an outparcel at Fayette Mall. Part of the college age Mon-Thr summer rotation of hot spots at that time.
Clown, wouldn’t be surprised if you and I crossed paths back in the day. Similar age and in general heathenry.
Worked at the Cork and Clever. Still the best prime rib I’ve ever had.
Got off one Tuesday night, headed across the street to the Brass Ass, Aerosmith had hit rock bottom and played that night in front of about 350 at UK’s student center. They showed up at the BA and kept blowing amps trying to play. Folks were booing them, muttering "washed up" etc...they got the last laugh.
These places are bringing back some memories. Always liked High on Rose, sneaky good spot.
Spent a lot of time at K Lair, my dorm room in Haggin overlooked it. Had their biscuits and gravy all the time!!
Had K-Lair once. Was not impressed. I was more of a student center kinda guy. Calzones and LJS.
K-Lair had a one of a kind coolness. Every school has a student center. Every school has dining halls. Grilled cheese and chili was a fall favorite of mine.
Too bad they didn't keep the new K-Lair. It looked nice inside when it opened.
Too bad they didn't keep the new K-Lair. It looked nice inside when it opened.
Nah Buff closed it down back in the early to mid 2000’s. Was always a fun lunch spot, you could see all the old guys betting horses get pissed off when a trainer would throw a race.
I used to do a man o war pub crawl or atleast try to stay close to it and start on versailles and make way to hamburg. Sometimes we wouldn't make it further than the grapevine.
Anyway it's been well over a decase but spuds had a 5 dollar steal dinner meal
His dad wasn’t Cecil Gibson by chance?
Buffalo & Dad’s
Hattie’s
Meadowthorpe Cafe
Lygnah’s
Ramsey’s (High St)
The Melodian
There was a little Greek place behind Wildcat Liquor that had the best Gyro & homemade baklava
BW3’s
Charlie Browns (may still be there)
Charlie Browns is still there
Last time I was there a friend of mine put $5 in a book and put it back on the shelf. He claimed it was a tradition and that broke college students would always look for money in the books on the wall.
Been there, 1000 times but had never heard that story.
Good. Loved that place. Great pizza in little squares and they delivered at seemingly any midnight hour.
That Taco Bell across the street I know is gone. I think the McDonalds is as well
- Tumbleweed in Stonewall shops had the best chips and salsa.
- Behind the water slide on Wilhite was the Mr Gattis that had the first big screen I had ever seen.
- Speaking of Wilhite, they also had Bombay Bicycle Club which turned into the first iteration of A1A. Best Monday Night Football deal ever when you could get 50 wings and a pitcher of beer for $15. And the wings were incredible.
- The Brewery above Sundance was the later version of the Brass A, always a good time there.
- Sir Pizza on Southland had the phones and also a couple of the first video games.
- Best place ever to grow up back in the day was Southland Pool.
Some of my favorites from back in the day:
Cheapside Bar and Grill
Nick Ryan's Saloon
The Village Idiot
Enoteca
Josie's on Harrodsburg Road
The Dish
Baker's 360
Cheapside Bar and Grill
Nick Ryan's Saloon
The Village Idiot
Enoteca
Josie's on Harrodsburg Road
The Dish
Baker's 360
Always liked to sit in the bus at Darryls
Spot on right here, always bumping into friends. At that time Lex felt more like a big town than a large congested urban sprawl of strip malls city. Had forgot all about that Monday night football special at A1A, I thought those were the best wings in town.
