Service, ambiance and food were all exceptional. We visited Coles during Lexington's Restaurant week, which was a perfect excuse to try it out. They had several menu options for the week and the value was incredible. We weren't able to get reservations but the gazebo area was first come first serve (we arrived a little after 5 and had no trouble getting seated). read more

Coles 735 Main - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Great food in a lovely part of Lexington, KY. Chef / Owner Cole almost just hit the right notes on all dishes we ordered. The lobster bisque with sherry - lots of flavor, texture & no fear of sherry! Panko fried avocado with Big Eye Tuna - creamy & crunchy texture was great but it overwhelmed the tuna. Maybe if the tuna had been chilled more I would have gotten a better sense of the tuna. Cowboy, bone-in ribeye...GLAD we ordered this dish. We just could not finish it despite all efforts to eat thus lovely, well seasoned & marbled meat. The asparagus was well cooked. The mushrooms side dish were fine. The potato croquet was a bit dense. Waiter was friendly & spot on with his Willett 10 yr Bourbon recommendation. We ordered a Yangara Aussie Cab for $40. Well priced & sandwiched between $140 & $200+ bottle options. No room for dessert but I'm grateful I saved some Bourbon to finish this meal. Beautifully decorated location. Chef very active on the floor & greeting regulars. read more

Food is very good here. Steak or seafood, you will be fine. Appetizers are great too. One of the best restaurants in Lexington

Had a great experience at Cole's. Paige was fantastic behind the bar. The food was phenomenal. Great local spot filled with friendly, chatty locals in a cozy little spot. Can't wait to go back. read more

A group of us went to Cole's for a birthday dinner. Fortunately we had a reservation because were no empty tables on a Wednesday night at 7:00. None of us had been there before, so we had no particular expectations. I liked the menu, and the specials were well explained. I also liked the fact that you could replace any sides that you didn't like with something else. That's always a plus. I tried to order a bottle of cabernet sauvignon, but they were out of my first three choices. The waitress recommended a red zinfandel called Sin Zin that was excellent. One of the soup specials was my all-time favorite: a lobster bisque with creme fraiche. It had good flavor, but not enough lobster to even be noticeable. The bread basket had two choices of biscuits, one with rosemary and the other with cracked pepper. Both were deliciously crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. For our entrees, two of us ordered the filet mignon and the other three got the salmon, which was highly recommended by the waitress. I was disappointed that no one tried the evening's special Mahi Mahi, which sounded wonderful. My filet was perfectly cooked and as tender as I've ever had. The smoked garlic Weisenberger grits were disappointing. They were deep fried and looked like tater tots. This is not what I was expecting, nor did the menu reflect that the grits would be deep fried. The salmon was flaky, tender, and not at all overcooked. The pear chutney made a nice compliment and was remarked upon favorably. The birthday girl got a dessert on the house, which was a nice touch. However, the waitress brought us dessert menus and then disappeared. We finally had to ask for our waitress to be retrieved so we could order dessert. The birthday girl got the flourless chocolate torte, which was good but just a tiny sliver. I ordered the carrot cake, which was very interesting, but in a good way. Don't order this if you're expecting the usual slab of carrot cake with thick cream cheese icing. I wish I had tried the Woodford Reserve creme brulee instead. All in all, we enjoyed the evening. The restaurant is cozy and well decorated. The food is above average with some interesting choices. The menu is small, but they do feature some excellent specials. read more

We had an amazing meal tonight. Just like we always do when we visit Coles. Sorry we forgot to take pictures but we had the mushroom bruschetta (awesome), lobster bisque (creamy and salty), Brussel sprouts salad with house bacon, Salmon, Stone Bass, and creme brûlée. To be honest it was all great and fresh. Amazing service at all times. This is a must try. read more

I expected to be wowed by this place, but I left feeling a little underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong this is a quality establishment with good choices on the menu and great service, but some of the food that we had was just simply mediocre in flavor. I had a scallop dish that was wonderful, but that's where the accolades end for flavor. We ordered a side dish of brussel sprouts which they bought late, but a mistake can be made anywhere, they had a harsh taste & were under cooked. I love brussel sprouts made in many different ways, but these I couldn't eat. The steak my wife had was under cooked for her, but just right for me but just not that flavorful. I liked the atmosphere very much and maybe I should give it a second chance. read more

Coles 735 Main - Scallops special - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

A delicious, upscale local spot in town. I tried their special last night, swordfish. By far, the freshest fish I've eaten in Lexington. It was cooked perfectly and had so much flavor. I'd love to try their filet next time. Several people seemed to be eating that in the restaurant. Nice ambience and delicious food! read more

Covid. Let me start with that. We get it but, when I pay $158.00 for a meal for two I expect better Covid or not. I tried being nice and emailed them being very polite, no response. My steak was surprisingly tough. My wife's however was like a chunk of charcoal, burnt beyond burnt. She sent it back, 10 mins or so later it comes out again, not burnt, rare but she ordered medium well, I know, I know.. She was done, we just took it home and cooked it correctly ourselves. Mgr brought it out after being sent back, she says it was ONLY burnt on the outside. What?? FOR $50 USD IT SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN BURNT AT ALL!!! Argumentative, defiant. We used to love Coles, now its Tony's, Carsons and Jeff Ruby's for us. BYE Coles. read more

Love to place. The charcuterie board is my favorite in town. Have had multiple fish specials, all delicious.

The Filet was cooked perfectly. Really enjoyed the grits as well. It was a tasty take on a southern classic. Nice atmosphere in an old home in Lexington. Definitely would go back again! read more

One of my best meals ever!!! Sat at the bar where I had impeccable and friendly service. I only had one item for dinner but I'll be dreaming about it for months. It was a bone in pork chop encrusted with crab and blue cheese. Omg was it good!!!! read more

WOW. That is all that comes to mind after taking my fiancé to Coles for Valentine's Day. This was a pre-set menu type setup given the holiday, so I was not able to try/explore the entire menu. Regardless, the options that were available to us were extensive and satisfied both of our appetites. I got the tuna tare-tare and she got the ricotta ravioli. Next came the warm Brussels sprout and bacon salads. Following that came our main entrees, yellow-fin tuna and roasted duck breast. Dessert ended our meal which included a chocolate dipped strawberry, white chocolate mousse and a flourless chocolate cake slice. Every bit of our meal was fantastic, the flavors and presentation were stellar at every level. Along with the delicious food, the service was impeccable. There was never a time where my water glass was nearly empty and the manager checked in on us multiple time. This is a pricey establishment but you most certainly get what you pay for. There is no doubt that I will be back again to try the normal menu, keep up the good work! read more

This place was awesome. Food: great! Service: excellent!!!! We were newbies to town and newbies to uber, and the staff (unbeknownst to us being uber newbies) paid for our uber home. Who does that??? Ask for Hayden or Brian to serve you. They will take care of your every need. This place is totally worth every penny. read more

This place exceeded my expectations. We had reservations and beat our friends by about 20 minutes. We were seated anyway, which I like. I do not like places that will not seat you until your whole party is present. The hostess saw my friends name on the reservation and it happens to be a unique name. Her family member had the same name and she had never seen anyone else with it before and just wanted to mention it. This led to our experience being a little more intimate with the staff which we all enjoyed. We ordered the scallop appetizer and split the two scallops between the four of us. It was very good but I do not think we will order that again. It is pretty pricey for just two scallops. We then had our salads. We ordered 3 of the 4 types. I had the warm brussels and house bacon salad. This was one of the best salads I have ever had. I was told the other two salads, I know one was the grilled pear salad, were good as well. Our entrees came out next. I ordered the the fish special which was a bluenose something. I cannot for the life of me remember what he said. It was delicious and had a very buttery texture. Our waiter, Ricky, was extremely knowledgeable about the food and wines. We also ordered the Scottish Salmon, the Seafood Chowder, and a Duck special that was not on the menu. All of the meals were out standing but the salmon was a step above them all. Our desserts were pretty good. I had the creme brule which I thought was very good. The flour-less chocolate torte was very good as well. The salted caramel dessert was good but it just had too much salt in it. Now the wine was the only real issue of the night. Ricky was great at explaining all of our wines and what kind of flavor profile to expect. I was amazed at his knowledge of wines. They were out of a few of the wines we selected. He told us they were in the process of changing out a lot of their wines and this would not be a problem the next time we come in. He was very good at suggesting a substitute, I just wished they had the wines we had selected first. The prices are a little high, especially for the wines, but we will definitely be back soon. read more

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I really can't say much about this restaurant except it's great. There's not much to dislike. The food and drinks are awesome. We always enjoy the evenings we make it there. I just wish I could make it there more often. O read more

We were visiting Lexington for the first time and found Coles after looking at online reviews. Everything was absolutely fantastic!! The wine list was creative and our server was very knowledgeable and helpful in selecting our wine. We enjoyed the cheese plate, grilled Caesar salad, rhubarb chicken and the "best ever" pork chop! My husband couldn't believe how tender & flavorful it was. Service & food was truly outstanding! read more

Food was wonderful. Love the seasonal veggies. Crème Brûlée was so good! Our server was great help with the wine and specials.

Back again this year for restaurant week! Did not disappoint. Started with the Brussels and bacon salad- which was fantastic. Followed by flank steak with chimichurri and potatoes. Finished it up with a dessert plate that had a sampling of all their sweets! It was heavenly. Great first night of restaurant week! read more

After continuously reading all positive reviews on Yelp about Coles, I finally decided to go. I now will agree, that it's one of the best in Lexington. Unfortunately the first time that I attempted to go, I found out that they are closed on Sundays. The next time that we decided to go, as a last minute spontaneous dinner. We pulled in the lot on a Tuesday around 7pm and noticed that parking was scarce, so that was a good sign. Then we noticed the sign that indicated that there is additional parking available in the school board parking lot, which is next door, on East Main too. We checked in at the hostess stand and were informed that the only seating availability was on the patio. Note to self: make reservations or at least call to try to make reservations, the next time that I decide to go. The patio is covered and now one of my favorite patios. It was a bit chilly because of the rain, so the waitress turned on the overhead heater and brought me a blanket. OK, the blanket was a bit strange, but it was a nice gesture... and I used it. I will admit that none of the entrees on the menu appealed to me. I'm not a steak eater and I some of the items, I wasn't brave enough to risk and end up and not liking. The waitress was excellent! She explained the featured special items, what they were garnished with and what she recommended. First we were given a basket of scrumptious rolls and butter. Then I discovered the bar menu... perfect! We ordered four items from the bar menu to share. They brought the the duck fat fries and the roasted beet and goat cheese salad. The portion of fries were huge, especially considering that the price was only $5. The goat cheese salad was greens topped with a warm portion of goat cheese. It was the first time that I'd had warm goat cheese and it was excellent. Then the (3) pork tacos and the fried avocado arrived... we were already full. Leftovers are always a good thing, right? The avocado made a good breakfast and the tacos a good leftover lunch. Four meals for a bit over $50 after the 20% tip, not too bad, or what I was expecting to pay. read more

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Have you ever had a steak and think "omg. I will never order another steak in all the world except for here"? Neither have I.... until now. If I'm in Lexington, KY and I want a steak, this is my go-to place. Oh, and then there's the staff. The kitchen is clean and efficient and you will be hard pressed to find a more attentive wait staff. LOVE read more

The place really threw me for a loop. I was expecting less from the food and service. The food was really good and our server was very personable and professional. Which we see few of in Lexington. Menu selections were nicely varied. Beer selection good. Now what I didn't like: The place looks like a tea room. Very feminine. So much so that it was odd. Periwinkle everywhere. I even suggested that my 70 year old mother take her ladies lunch outing there. read more

Leaving a review based on the service I received. I was in town to meet with my attorney and came here based off reviews and I believed the restaurant was open. The "hostess" was far from friendly. I was actually expecting much more out of service. Regardless of hours. I won't even return when I come back to Lexington. read more

Loves everything about It! My Coworkers and I went on a business dinner and we all loved it! Appetizers, steaks and overall food were great! Well cooked, innovative and very flavorful. Lots of ideas in the menu (from the steak to the tajines.. !). Recommend trying some appetizers! Service and staff was great. Good job!! read more

I have been to Cole's on several occasions, over the past year, with my wife and friends to sample their products. It has been nothing shy of superb, on every occasion. The meals are expertly prepared. The staff is highly attentive. Everyone in my group is highly satisfied with our experiences at Cole's. Coming from a bunch of foodies, who both live to cook as well as dine out, it doesn't come any better. Thank you. read more

Great intimate environment and delicious food! My fiancé took me here for my birthday and I was not disappointed. My only complaint is that they served their warm bread with hummus instead of butter. I would have preferred butter. We had brie as our starter and it was perfect. The lobster bisque was the best soup that I have ever had in my life. I am not a big red meat eater, but I loved the beef shoulder that I had here. We will definitely be returning for future special occasions. read more

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I guess I don't play fair. At a certain price point I expect more. The food was good but it did not blow me away. The Asian baby back ribs was not even close to a Asian flavor. Just because it is served with Kimchi does not make it Asian. Not that they were bad. In fact I eat at a great hole in wall place in Louisville that has the same smoke sweet flavor. Look up boot leg barbecue. Cats out of the bag! read more

Coles 735 Main - Beef shoulder - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Food is amazing and the service is world class. I highly recommend and try to get there as often as possible.

My boyfriend and I ate there for date night. Best decision we ever made. Had these reservations for two months. We chose family style since it was just us and enjoyed every bit of it. We will definitely be back! read more

My boyfriend and I came for our anniversary not knowing to expect. When we walked in, the atmosphere was pretty different from what were used to. When we ordered, the waiter recommended we actually go with a different side that was his favorite- white cheddar potato gratin. It ended up being absolutely delicious! We appreciated his honesty. The steak was perfectly cooked and the Weisenberger grit cubes melted in your mouth. Will be returning as soon as we're back in town! read more

Unfortunately this review does not include pics. I was enjoying the meal so much I couldn't be bothered. Besides, plenty of pics on Yelp. I have to say, this has been the most impressive dining experience we have had in Lexington. All the staff you meet at Coles hold themselves to high standards. They are very polite, hospitable and professional. I believe the man who seated us was the restaurants' wine sommelier and he made sure to explain the different menus (this was Restaurant Week) as well as the different drink menus that were available. Him as well as our waitress spoke with confidence and expertise. It was noticeable and unlike any other place we've been to. I'll list below what items we ordered but this part is also note-worthy. This was our first time visiting and also Restaurant Week. A special charcuterie board was available for appetizer, so we took it in addition to our Restaurant Week first course. The magic happens here. They didn't serve the charcuterie and a few mins later bring the first course to pile up the table. Our waitress kept an eye on our dining pace and made sure to only serve one course at a time. Seriously, how many times do you go to a restaurant and order 2 or 3 items and the staff just keeps piling up the table so you have to rearrange plates. That doesn't happen here. Each course came with a few mins between. But never one on top of another. This is so appreciated and any restaurant in this price range should pay attention. On to the food. It's amazing. Special charcuterie included a duck ham and a smoked sausage that was pretty tasty. Brussels salad and lobster bisque, very good flavor from both. Swordfish and beef shoulder were cooked perfectly. And when I say a perfectly cooked fish, I mean it was cooked to about med-rare. Not a dry tough hockey puck. I loved the seasoning and smoke on the beef, yummmm. Dessert plate was great as well. I loved the espresso cheesecake and butterscotch cookies. The cookies were still warm...mmmmm. Judging from this experience and the other menu items, I cannot wait to come back!!! read more

A cozy well stocked bar with a fire place, expert staff and great food. I will definitely call on this establishment again. Though I suggest making an early reservation as parking may be limited. read more

Literally the best food I've ever eaten the service and atmosphere is always great as well.

Typical Lexington. Average and forgettable. Buttery, generally heavy food with some unique wines and cocktails. Atmosphere is strange, I'm sure some will find it delightful (if you're a fan of Merrick or Dudleys). It did not help that they sat my fiancé and I in the strangest possible place... Right around the corner from the host stand where we were privy to every conversation of each guest upon their entrance. We ordered the best possible things you could order on the menu (steak, salads, weekly special), and we're not impressed - even after the server told us it would be the best steak in town. My hunch is that the 40 and over crowd in Lexington raves about this place because it fits and caters to the expectations of middle-aged and older people in Lexington who have grown complacent with the food scene here. I was told by multiple people I deeply respect to go to this place, but I couldn't find it compelling enough to return a second time, meanwhile I keep returning to my favorite restaurants here in town on a weekly basis. read more

Our first visit, on restaurant week, loved it! Nice Prixe fixe menu with creative selections. Enjoyed a nice Pinot grigio and Chardonnay suggested by waitress. Sword fish and beef shoulder were good and desert plate to die for. I flagged down a passing waiter to ask about a great looking cocktail he was serving, Basil Jane! And the wedge looked great as well, another reason to return! read more

I went to this place after being recommended to it several times through friends and acquaintances. Allow me to be wordy here, because I had a very mixed experience. First of all, I arrived and sat at my party of 6 in timely fashion, and the lady took our drink orders. The room was very loud (as it's not much larger than our dining room at home) and was packed which I would think is typical for a successful restaurant on a Friday evening. The decor is confusing. It's like 5 different people decided to decordate small portions of the restaurant, and came out with hideous results. There's art deco crown molding, homey-style fireplace, elizabethan murals, industrial lights and shabby-chic pillows and throws, and cheesy home depot style bathroom signs. While I'm not an interior decorator, I definitely do know how I feel about a room's decor. This just isn't well done. But who cares, at the end of it all right? We six shared fried avocado and mussels appetizers, both of which were outstanding. Then they took our order (after we ate our appetizers). It was extremely difficult for my wife to figure out how to order a vegetarian meal, since they don't feature one on the menu. She finally did, but didn't really know what she ordered. I got the Duck. The service was confusing. They didn't seem to know exactly when to take our orders, and were thrown for a loop that there were actually six of us there, rather than just two. Whoa! Finally after a lengthy ordering process, we felt as though we had probably ordered what we wanted, though it was tough to tell because our waitress (who was very nice) could barely hear anyone because of the roaring cacophony of noise in the dining room. Maybe they should have put in some sound panels or something? After literally one hour and fifteen minutes (and two more drinks - what else were we supposed to do?) our group's first entree came out. Ten minutes later, our last entree came out, which was subsequently prepared wrong and included an item that was specifically asked to be left off of the plate. They took it back and fixed it, but by the time she got her meal back, we were nearly done. My duck was tasty, but the sweet potato hash was cold and bland, and the asparagus was also cold and obnoxiously over-sweet with no redeeming flavor whatsoever. My wife was given a sad array of sweet potato hash and droopy over-cooked brussel sprouts as her 'vegetarian' dish. Four of the six of our party had food that was served cold, and we waited longer than I've ever waited at a restaurant in lexington from order time until time the food was delivered. We were all disgruntled and had already given Coles nearly three hours of our time (luckily we all like each other and were pretty lubed up on alcohol because of the wait) so we passed on desert, but left with a somewhat bad taste in our mouth - and not because of the food. All-in-all, I would say with the proliferation of new locally-owned restaurants in Lexington, this will be my first and only visit to this place. I appreciate that there are 'off' nights for restaurants, as there are in any profession, but this just was not a good enough meal - in fact, not really all that good at all - to make the things that this place doesn't do well be overshadowed by the good. Try it out and maybe you'll like it. There are six of us who really didn't care much for this place at all. read more

Walked in with no reservation and they only taking patio seating, but were able to get seated immediately! Bone-in filet special was exquisite. This is a really hard cut to cook correctly, and they nailed it. Of course they had an impressive list of bourbons, but the wine list was very good as well. Tiny place, but definitely worth a visit! read more

Wow! What an outstanding meal during our visit to Lexington. Loved the outdoor patio too. We enjoyed the lobster bisque, grilled Caesar, Kobe burger, Chicken cordon blue and the scallop special. Everything was so tasty. We had the warm butter pecan cookies with bourbon ice cream for dessert. Delish! We will be back. read more

Coles 735 was outstanding! The ambiance is wonderful, the food was outstanding and our server was friendly and prompt. I would HIGHLY recommend that everyone visit Coles. read more

Love Coles again! I love that they have such a different wine list than any restaurant in town. They really go out of their way to make it different! I always find a new lovely wine when I go there and it's always something new and different! Prices are reasonable and food is superb. read more