Qualifier numero uno: is this the neighborhood restaurant I have waiting so long for? Is this the cozy, nearby, inviting, welcoming, thoughtful, well-run, and well executed establishment I can hop over to on a whim for a light meal, or take my love for a special evening out, recommend without hesitation to foodies and regulars alike, or stop in for a glass of wine or a pint? Qualifier número dos: we read the menu. We oohed and ahhed over the menu. We discussed the menu. We reviewed the menu. We contemplated the menu. We talked the menu over with the waiter. It was a spontaneous event and we were not full on hungry so we ordered the following bits: vegetable tempura (good), grit/polenta and cheese fries (better than good and unusual), goat cheese and beet salad (bravo!), chopped salad (meh). The menu is rather astounding and intriguing, with influences and flavors from Japan to Morocco, and many in between. They have wine on tap (as well as by the bottle), they have beer on tap, and the bar is still cozy as in previous iterations of the space. The patio beckons. The overall decor is French Country, as it was explained by my lovely date. Much to look forward to. read more

3 stars...if you go you must try the panko fried avocado stuffed with crab meat. My husband and I both ordered the steak medium rare, it arrived at the table well done (after it took 40 min to get our food) we just finished our meal as was. We also had the phyllo dough wrapped brie, I wish this appetizer had been served warm read more

I'll keep this short--One of the best restaurants in Lexington. Everything is wonderful!

Went to dinner last night at 8:00. Got seated right away. Took 10 minutes before we were greeted and order a drink. Drink arrived 30 minutes later. Order was taken 45 minutes later - no apps or salads, just a main course. 45 minutes later, dinner was served. Had to flag down server for check. Left at 10:30. Needless to say, the meal was great! We eat at Coles often, but the service has got to get better. I hate hearing excuses like "the kictchen was backed up". No kidding, Keeneland sale, UF game, etc. Should have been no surprise that there was a full house. read more

Best restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky, by 31 lengths. No visit to Lexington is complete without a meal here.

Four of us had a lovely dinner at Coles on a recent weeknight. First I want to complement our server Ricky--he was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and attentive. Each of us had a starter followed by entree (sadly, no room for dessert). At Ricky's recommendation, three of the four in our group picked the night's special entree (a grilled John Dory fish), and we were not disappointed. We also enjoyed the wine Ricky suggested. The homemade breads served when we were seated were terrific. Our party loved the well-dressed iceberg wedge salad; the lobster bisque was flavorable but a bit on the thin side for a bisque. There was some delay between starters and entrees, but the manager came by to tell us that he was aware of the issue and would have our entrees out as soon as they were ready. The extra time may have been due in part to one of our party asking the kitchen to prepare an entree to avoid any cross-contamination with grills or utensils used to prepare shellfish dishes. The chef was happy to accomodate our friend's severe allergy by offering to specially prepare anything on the menu that she desired. With our entrees we enjoyed two sides -- a potato/leek gratin and a creamed spinach. Both were rich, cheesy and delicious. The ambiance at Cole's is upscale but very comfortable, with a cheery fire burning in the fireplace and a pillow-bolstered wall of banquettes. Softly-playing background music did not prevent free-flowing conversation. We will definitely be adding Coles to our regular restaurant roster. We are also excited to visit the new, casual restaurant that Coles is opening soon at the former National Provisions location. read more

Thanks for the wonderful help with celebrating a birthday at your beautiful restaurant ten days ago. Everyone in our party of twelve was very pleased with his food and the service was excellent. I especially love the fried or dirty rice pilaf with almonds and the whole wheat rolls with real butter. The waitress was very helpful with substitutions as well. The tuna and steak are perfect! You all could not have been more accommodating to make it a special evening for all of us. read more

I love Coles 735! I've been here five times and each time I've made myself try something different and I've always been pleased with my selections. The food is always plated attractively and is always piping hot. The service staff is knowledgeable about the menu and they are also on their toes. Our beverages were refilled quickly and the flow of the meal was exceptional on all occasions. (even during race season). Parking leaves a bit to be desired but that is the only drawback that I've experienced. Prices are great for the quality of the food $$$ read more

My favorite Lexington restaurant just got better! Amazing food at every meal, but received the best service I've ever had from Tammy tonight. Go here, ask for Tammy, order anything and prepare for a great night. read more

I dined here recently with my husband and in-laws. The decor is nice with lots of details to catch the eye. Our waiter was attentive and had a dry humor that I am fond of. The service was good, definitely not over attentive, and we were given time and space to talk and visit. Of the food I sampled between the four of us (which was not everything), the two tastiest by far - the Asian-smoked ribs and the Woodford Reserve creme brûlée. The spice on the ribs was fantastic and the meat tender, the creme brûlée was the best I have tasted. The Moroccan butternut squash stew lacked flavor and the key lime pie did not compare to the creme brûlée. Definitely some good eats on this menu. This is a nice place for a long, relaxed dinner. One can eat for under $30 if you choose wisely, but more than likely the cost will be over $30 per person. read more

What a lovely place! We were visiting family in rural Kentucky and were in Lexington for the night before our trip back to Florida. We absolutely loved the touch of eclectic and the charm of Kentucky's history. The food was exquisite and the service was impeccable! On our next trip to Kentucky we will definitely return. Sandra E read more

We had a very enjoyable meal, with great service. Our table ordered 5 appetizers and all were good. The pork belly appetizer was my favorite. My only complaint is that the place is crowded, too many tables and chairs in such a small place. I will be coming back on next trip to Lexington. read more

Great food! Awesome service. Dessert was great. Highly recommend. Patio seating was a hit! Though I'll recommend some citronella candles in the summer to get rid of insects ... Hahah read more

Wonderful! The Moroccan stew was tremendous, my son said his salmon was probably the best piece of fish he's ever had, and my wife (who's fastidious about how her scallops are done) said they were amongst the best ever. Terrific bourbon menu, although some brands are a bit pricier than normal (e.g. Blanton's). Overall, a great experience. read more

Have been twice now and liked it our first time but loved it our second time. Get the scallops. Great craft cocktails and great wine selection. Still trying to figure out the decor/ambiance. read more

EXCELLENT! Had the seafood combo (clams, shrimp, mussels, shrimp over fettucini with crostini and a rich, buttery sauce). Wife had a butternut squash stew - not meaty enough for me but looked great. Fried avocado stuffed with crab was to die for. Ate on the patio. Service staff were very pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu. Only been open 2 weeks so a timy bit of confusion over who gets what table. They ask for reservations but we walked right in, even on a Keeneland night. Good wine list. A tad pricey but you gotta celebrate sometimes! Just really enjoyed it. read more

Very good food. A little on the pricey side but Definitely worth it. Great appetizers and huge portion salads.

My sister&bro-in-law called me to see if I want to join them for dinner here. We had not been to this physical building since it Furlongs. It was a Friday night and since we didn't call ahead for reservations, we had our choice of outside patio or sitting at the bar. Since it was a nice day, we picked outside. It was only 6:30pm so the insides was empty but it filled up by 7-7:30pm. I wasn't inside much but the decor looked very nice but the tables in the middle did look a little tight especially if your back was to one of the "isles". The bar looked fantastic but I think it only had room for 4 or 6? We started with the tuna ceviche. It was very nice, but unlike others I've had. First, the small cubes of tuna were smaller than other ceviches I've had (or made). I'm sure with smaller cubes of fish, the ceviche "cooks" faster. Second, there was no cilantro in it. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I like cilantro in my ceviche. And there was broccolini it. It might have been blanched before adding it. We liked it, we'd get it again, I'd like a little more "zing" either from cilantro or more chili pepper. My sister got the Amish Chicken. Large portion. She seemed happy. I didn't get a chance to taste it. Bro-in-law got the shrimp & grits. Again, we didn't so much sharing so I can't say. Both had nice presentations. We get a side-order of the Lemon Shallot Brussel Sprouts. They were VERY tasty. The lemon flavor reminded me of the lemon sauce you'd have over stuffed grape leaves. I had a tuna special. Seared with some wasabi mashed and sauteed veggies. I had asked for the tuna to be cooked as rare as possible (as I like to say "knock the chill off of it"). It came exactly as I like it. There were about 6 nice size pieces. The mashed could have used more wasabi as I could barely taste it. I do like hot&spicy food so take my comments with a grain of salt. My only complaint about the tuna special was that the server didn't mention the prices during her description. I'm sure they are trained NOT to do that. It does add an air of sophistication by not focusing on the money, but the food. Of course, I didn't ask since. I saw the price range on the printed menu with entrees averaging in the mid-$20. I was a touch shocked to see that my tuna special was $32. That's the same price as their NY Strip (which I also think is overpriced at $32). So at $26/$28, I really loved my entree and would get it again. At $32, maybe not so much. For dessert, bro-in-law and I shared the bourbon (Woodford Reserve) ball chocolate torte. Nice flavor. As for drinks, had two nice Grey Goose Cosmos (@ $9.50 each!) and a nice Woodford Reserve to go along with my dessert. The patio was nice but you are on Main Street after all. Car noise, motorcycle noise, an ambulance or two, etc. you get the idea. The patio had several TVs (local news, ESPN, etc.) but none were overly loud. I don't think they need them. There were fans and heaters so they try to keep that patio open as often as possible (neither were being used for us). The only downside were flies. Lots of flies! I'm not asking for a "no pest strip" as a center piece or even a loud&ugly bug "zapper", but they could use some "MaxForce Fly Bait" off to the side of the patio out of the way. That might help cut down on the flies without being obvious about it. read more

Had the Strip steak. Was excellent! Husband had the pork chop, also very delicious. Service was great!! Will definitely be back!

Hands down the best restaurant in town. Service is top notch and food is consistently great regardless of what you order. The avocado appetizer is a must and I can't go without getting the Brussels sprout salad. So delicious! read more

Great food, inconsistent service and consistency of quality when fully slammed with business. The Short Ribs are the best ever.......but I have gotten 3 different quantities when I have ordered them 1 to 4 ribs. Service during peak weekend dinner times can retake 2+ hours. Inexperienced wait staff, slow bar, and lack of monitoring what leaves the kitchen is problematic and risks damaging what otherwise could be the best restaurant in Lexington. Creative dishes and good quality should be the rule. The Chef-Owner should either put up the money to ensure adequate and experienced wait staff and better and faster bar service or be prepared for failure. Lexington's dinner crowds have a short time limit for tolerating inconsistent and slow service. read more

First time here with friends! Very welcoming, extensive bourbon list - try a shot of Pappy's!! Its fabulous! Wonderful splurge! Service & food was excellent! Had the ratatouille, best ever!! read more

There are 2 parts to my review: 1.) Food: Excellent. I would recommend it heavily based just on the food. Fried avocado was inventive and amazing. 2.) Service/Employees: When walking into the restaurant we were stared at by 4 hostess and not greeted whatsoever. It felt as if we were going in front of a firing squad and they wanted nothing to do with us. We had a reservation but the table that they put us at was right in front of the entrance door so we got all the noise from people coming in and out as well as the army of hostess that were behind us. When the waitress came to the table she offered drinks and appetizers, but never told us there were specials or what they were. We heard about the specials from another table and were disappointed that we were not able to order any of the food that was listed. While waiting for the food we noticed that there was a lot of staff just standing around. It appeared that one guys job was just to refill water. When the staff wasn't waiting on somebody they literally where just standing next to our table making us feel uncomfortable. As if we were under scrutiny for how we were eating. We also noticed that it seemed because we were young, that we didn't get as good of service as the older crowd. I found myself telling my wife that I wished we had the waiter next to us because he was describing the food, and the drink menu. Making recommendations and all around doing his job correctly. But not once did anyone ask us if everything was okay or check to make sure that we were okay. Besides the water guy who hovered over us with his pitcher waiting for us to take a sip so that he could top off the glass. All in all if you like good food I would recommend it . If you are young and don't want to be ignored and stared at do go! read more

Without a doubt in my top 5 restaurants in town. Service is always wonderful with a very informed and informative staff

This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants, the food is always fantastic, and the service is awesome! I highly recommend it for a date night or a special occasion! read more

The atmosphere was lovely and the service was top-notch, but I was a little disappointed with the food, especially with pricing taken into consideration. Full disclosure: I was limited to meatless options so this may not apply to everything on their menu. For vegetarians considering eating here, you're pretty much eating soup or salad, and they're not exactly delicious, even by soup/salad standards. read more

The shrimp appetizer had unique flavors and a kick of heat which I loved! The main dish I ordered was a chicken one and the greens it came with, ruined the dish for me. It was very bitter and I did tell the server about this. It was not palatable so that kind of ruined this dish for me. However, the ambiance and the bread they serve was really nice. Overall, a decent place for American food but not my go-to. read more

Decent restaurant but very pricey catering to a certain clientle. I have been 3 times and the food was okay but not very filling.

This was one of the best places I've eaten. The pork belly app was so tender and the chutney on the Brie was really good. The steak was tender with just the right amount of char. The service was very attentive without interruptions. read more

Wish Onezim's were still there instead. A little too expensive for a weekday evening. They are not opened for brunch Saturday and are closed completely on Sunday. What restaurant is closed on a Sunday? Taking up a nice spot but utilizing limited hours. The blue paint they picked for the outside is horrid, but I like the little statues on top. The food was pretty good. read more

Wonderful atmosphere and delicious food. We sat outside and were waited on by the best waiter ever, Austin.

This restaurant was acceptable, but largely underwhelmed me compare to the expectations brought about by reviews on this site.The atmosphere was excellent and gave a warm aesthetic. It was easy to find and had ample parking. I was very impressed until I got my meal. I must say the best part of my meal was the bread that was brought out before the entrée. I got the seafood chowder, which was more of a gravy on top of one single shrimp and scallop. There was also an errant octopus leg which was the hardest, most difficult thing to chew that I have ever had the misfortune of placing into my mouth. The scallop was cooked quite well, but could not make up for the remainder of the dish. While the meal was passable, for the price point it was quite underwhelming. There are many other similar restaurants in Lexington which supply larger portions, superior product, and lower prices. read more

I ordered duck?? & shrimp but it was chicken!!! And shrimp was over cocked... one star for appetizer scallop cocked perfect.

I had a party of 11 for a surprise birthday party and Stephanie, the General Manager, assisted me in coordinating everyone in advance to make for a great night. Lexington has some pretty nice restaurants however Cole's makes the difference between good and great. The entire staff is always on point to provide the highest level of service in a relaxed atmosphere and the food cannot be matched. No matter what the occasion, I can always count on Cole's delivering a memorable experience. read more

Close to home and a great place for a meal. Service is good and food is always very tasty. We try to go once per month since we can almost walk to it. read more

Love the tuna & every salad I've tried so far. My husband raves about the NY strip, says it's the best in town!

Excellent experience. Service was perfect. Wife had the Fluke/Lobster Tail special and I went with the pork chop. Both were great. Appetizer was duck fat French fries, they were everything you hope the are. Crime brûlée was second to none. Maybe the best I've ever had. Can't wait to go back. read more

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I hate giving bad reviews but I can't help feeling very disappointed with the meal I had here. I spent almost $75 on food and a cocktail. The menu is very limited with nothing spectacular that jumped out at me. I felt like everything was something I could easily cook at home and if I'm spending to eat out, I want something exotic or mouth-watering. I had heard such good things about the restaurant so I wanted to love my food and I just didn't. I ordered the chicken pesto pasta and tried my friends' dishes as well. It was meh. Within about an hour of getting home from dinner, I became violently ill for the next 12 hours. I contemplated calling to let them know of my food illness, but figured it wouldn't do any good. Nobody else I ate with got sick, so maybe it was just a fluke, but it was $75 right down the drain, literally. Had to call into work the next day from staying up all night puking and so it cost me much more than I ever expected. Two stars are given for service, as our waiter was knowledgeable, attentive and polite. read more

Amazing and very unique menu! Consistently good every time, never had a bad anything at Cole's and eaten there at least 20 times. Great service too! read more

Food was amazing!!! Had the ny strip, beef shoulder, avocado and muscles. All of it was awesome! Recommend 100% make a reservation.