Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Lexington by diners

When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you’ll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.

Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It’s impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that’s best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.

What’s unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.

The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in Lexington using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp’s ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.

Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.

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#17. Joella’s Hot Chicken – Hamburg

– Rating: 3.1/5 (65 reviews)
– Address: 2305 Sir Barton Way Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, chicken shop, chicken wings
– Read more on Yelp

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#16. Local Taco

– Rating: 3.1/5 (34 reviews)
– Address: 1916 Pavilion Way Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: tex-mex, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#15. Fiddletree Kitchen & Bar

– Rating: 3.6/5 (35 reviews)
– Address: 444 Parkway Drive Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: new american, southern, cocktail bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#14. 33 Staves

– Rating: 3.8/5 (43 reviews)
– Address: 4174 Rowan Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, bars, new american
– Read more on Yelp

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#13. Ramsey’s Diner – Lexington

– Rating: 3.9/5 (141 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 4391 Old Harrodsburg Road Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, comfort food, diners
– Read more on Yelp

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#12. Joella’s Hot Chicken – Lexington

– Rating: 4.0/5 (481 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 101 Cochran Road Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: chicken wings, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#11. Lockbox

– Rating: 4.0/5 (185 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 167 West Main St. Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#10. The Local Taco – Lexington

– Rating: 4.1/5 (457 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 315 South Limestone Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, tex-mex
– Read more on Yelp

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#9. J Render’s Southern Table & Bar

– Rating: 4.1/5 (247 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 3191 Beaumont Centre Cir Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#8. Grimes’s

– Rating: 4.1/5 (98 reviews)
– Address: 4248 Saron Drive Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, fast food, chicken shop
– Read more on Yelp

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#7. Stella’s Kentucky Deli

– Rating: 4.1/5 (408 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 143 Jefferson St. Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: delis, breakfast & brunch, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#6. Ramsey’s Diner – Andover

– Rating: 4.1/5 (318 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 3090 Helmsdale Place Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: diners, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#5. Josanne’s Homestyle Kitchen

– Rating: 4.2/5 (73 reviews)
– Address: 3449 Buckhorn Drive Ste 100 Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, soul food
– Read more on Yelp

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#4. Distilled On Jefferson

– Rating: 4.2/5 (129 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 157 Jefferson St. Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#3. Tack House Pub

– Rating: 4.3/5 (109 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 4401 Harrodsburg Road Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, american
– Read more on Yelp

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#2. Mi Mi’s Southern Style Cooking

– Rating: 4.4/5 (152 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 126 East New Circle Road Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: soul food, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#1. Salt & Vinegar at Public House

– Rating: 4.5/5 (24 reviews)
– Address: 102 West Vine St. Lexington, Kentucky
– Categories: german, southern, american
– Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.