Back up in the ratings they go. Jean Farris really impressed this weekend. I was hesitant about bringing my friends here from out of town because my last two experiences were awful. But one of my friends had been here before and it's her favorite in Lexington. Well...this last time they totally redeemed themselves! Wine, food and service was absolutely fantastic. Jean Farris is back at the top of my list. (Keep this up Jean Farris and the review will be back at 5 stars in no time). read more

Our server, Andrea, was awesome! But, this is the third time in as many years that I have eaten here and the food has never been spectacular. Tonight, two chicken dishes had chicken that you could have choked on and a medium steak was way over done. For the price, the food should be way better, or lower your prices cuz it's not worth it. It's a nice place overall as far as ambiance goes but the food doesn't do it any favors. We were one of only 2-3 tables in the whole restaurant and it took quite a while for our food considering, so it should have been way better. read more

A fun diversion - a short drive out in the country to the vineyard. The restaurant has a nice outdoor area overlooking the vineyard in the summer. It is always worth the drive. Their proprietary wines are wonderful - I like the Viognier and my husband loves the Tempest. I was slightly disappointed on my last trip there. One entree had a Bordelais sauce. I asked for some on the side of my entree. The chef said he didn't have enough - only enough for the entree it goes with (?). Most chefs can whip up a quick Bordelais very, very easily. Especially in this price range. Also, when taking leftovers home, they did not have any containers for sauce. Just little things.... However, as always the food was good. read more

Gave this another try with some friends. There was some improvement but the price is still high.

We've tried hard to like this place b/c live nearby but they've let us down every time. Went last night - met at door by woman who seemed befuddled over our not having reservations. Sat at bar manned by LEAST personable staff. Ended up paying $70 for cheese / meat board and pitcher of much too sweet sangria. They charged $5 for soda water ordered to cut the sickly sweet sangria. read more

Lexington has a lot of really great food, and the Jean Farris bistro is among the best. The amazing views and sublime setting don't hurt. It's our go to place when we want to show off what Lexington has to offer to out of town family and friends. Expensive, but absolutely worth it. read more

This is usually one of my favorite places in Lexington, but last night was not up to par. We were seated in a booth area that was, given the time of 7 o'clock, way too bright. I felt like there was a spotlight shining on me! Our waitress was not very attentive. It took 25 minutes (I am not exaggerating) to get bread, and 30 minutes to get the drinks we ordered! It took another 20 minutes to get our salad, another 25 to get our entrees. My date's Lobster Pappardelle was delicious, but my halibut was overcooked. The potatoes were under-seasoned, the kale average. Needless to say, by the time we were handed the dessert menu, we were not in the mood. Perhaps we caught JF on a bad night, but it was not the food or service we have come to expect. read more

If you want an enjoyable meal in a beautiful setting then this is your restaurant. The food was excellent and the wine was superb. This place is a find in KY and worth the trip from Louisville. The charcuterie of salmon, prosciutto and homemade sausage was a delight. The mussels were perfectly prepared and the lamb rack (medium rare) was superb. I forgot I was in Kentucky and instead thought I was in Europe! read more

To start with, they lost our reservation and then told us they were not accepting walk-ins on this night because of being short on wait-staff. This despite there being only 3 occupied tables ( a nearly empty restaurant). Considering they lost our reservation they finally agreed to seat us. They were out of most every thing on the menu which begged the question as to why they were even open. This was on a Tuesday night (they are closed on Monday). I had been there about a month ago and had a good experience, but after this time doubt I'll be back. Too expensive to have a hit or miss chance of a decent meal. read more

As another reviewer mentioned, the service is absolutely horrible here; which is sad, because I've been twice now and the food is excellent, and it is difficult to find consistently high quality cuisine in Lexington. We went on a Friday night and there appeared to be only a handful of wait staff for the packed restaurant. We had to wait an excruciating amount of time between visits and for food preparation. We arrived at 7:30 and were not done with the meal until 10:30. All the food was at least passable, but we all know the feeling of when good food can be overshadowed by bad service, and this was definitely one of those times. Our waiter was nice enough, but hard to locate, and never bothered to let us know the status of our food. When we went to order our entrees, the waiter let us know they were out of my wife's first choice, so she asked for something else--nope, they were out of that too. A third item? They only had one left, and someone else at our table had planned to order that...awkward. Service was just a mess the entire evening. I don't know that I've ever asked to speak to a manager before, but at the end of this meal we felt we had to. Her response? She suggested that we shouldn't come in April or October because of Keeneland. I was dumbfounded, absolutely astonished at this response. Here's an idea--if you can't keep up with the traffic, don't take in so many diners. She went on to make lame excuses for everything, and even acted angry that we would feel that a pleasant evening out didn't involve a 3 hour sit-and-wait session. She offered no apology and was just generally hostile and rude. I later found out that the lady we were speaking to was Jeanie Farris herself. Pretty much explains the entire evening, doesn't it? When an attitude like that is in charge, it will always infect the entire organization, and so it is here. read more

We travel all over the country and stop at wineries. This winery is not worth stopping for. The customer service is horrible. When I brought my concerns to the owner, the reaction was unprofessional and lacked respect for its customers. My husband and I walked in with the intention of buying a bottle. We asked if they did wine tastings. We were told 'no', the only way to taste wine we were interested in was to buy wine by the glass. However, soon after buying two glasses of wine a group of four walks in, they got a free tasting and the most amazing customer service. They were a significantly older group very well dressed. We had been driving for hours and were in comfortable clothes. The host asked us if we were looking to drink up. I feel we were not treated well based on our age. I was very upset and reached out to the winery. I didn't expect anything more than understanding. Instead I was told I don't know anything about wine and I should do my homework. I've been to wineries all over the country and world and never been treatd so inappropriately. We know how we were treated, we know the group got a free wine tasting and treated well. After buying two glasses of wine and a bottle we spent about $55. The wine is nothing special. We bought it to remember our trip but after thinking about it, it reminds us of what a business should not be like. We've gotten rid of it, I don't recommend this place to anyone. There's better wine and wineries. read more

Worst customer service ever! Had reservations with a credit card hold for 20 people and after everyone arrived we were told they couldn't accommodate us due to another reservation of 40, but besides that the restaurant was empty! read more

First off I must say that the food was delicious. However sitting down for dinner at 7:30 and not getting out till 10:15 is way too long to have to wait for food. We had to wait 45 minutes just get our order taken, then when it was taken 3 of the items were already gone. They explained this as the rush from keenland but you would think if you knew there was going to be rush you would prepare for it. After waiting longer for food in a restaurant than ever before in my life I expected to be offered some sort of compensation but no I had to ask for the manager and only after I suggested a compensation was one offered and rudely at that since our party was blamed for moving our reservation and that was why we had the long waits. Well if you don't have room to move the reservation don't move it. Needless to say I would not recommend this place to my friends with the chance they run into the same time issue that we did. read more

After what we felt was an inedible meal and even worse customer service, my husband and I commented on our personal Facebook pages about our experience. The JF FB page was a "friend" of my husband's, saw our posts, and proceeded to INSTANT MESSAGE disparaging statements directly to us and our Facebook friends. They also threatened us to never return...No worries there... read more

Had an overall bad experience my 1st and last time here. The service was slow, prices high, small portions, and average food. My wife got scallops for $27. She got 3 medium sized scallops. Yes, you read that correct. 3!!! Her sides were peaches,butter beans, corn puree, fregola and gunudi. Don't recall even seeing peaches on her plate. The best joke was the butter beans. She got 5 beans, mixed in with dried out corn and the fregola. The gunudi was 3 small balls (about the size of the end of my thumb) of a cheese flour mixture. Most appetizers would be more food that she received. I had the rack of lamb. 4 ribs. It was tender and the flavor ok, but nothing special. I have only had rack of lamb at 2 other restaurants but both were much better than this and a larger portion for less $$. The ratatouille was pretty bland. The swiss chard was good, all 2 tablespoonfuls of it. I tried my friend's ceviche which I usually like. It was supposed to be in white wine, but tasted more like vinegar with citrus on top of that. It about knocked me out of my chair it was so tart. Also, if you have a group of people as we did, you might get to set about 3 steps from the front door and hostess station. Also if you do have a group, make sure everybody shows up. We were told at the end of the meal that they usually charge $25 per person for no-shows but they were going to excuse us of that charge. You might not be so lucky read more

We went there for our Anniversary and Mother's Day weekend trip and were seated quickly as we had reservations for 6:30. We were greeted quickly by our waitress and placed our drink orders. The drinks were fine but pricey. Seeing the menu I decided to order the flank steak($23)..I knew the cut was not the best but I have had success on my grill so I figured a good chef could as well. Apparently not, as the meat was small, fatty and with so much gristle that I could not eat it .It was a very cheap cut of meat .They need to look at a different supplier. I got a replacement steak ( short ribs special) in about 3 minutes and it was not much better but edible .I think it had been sitting under the warmer to come that quickly So... long story short. We were looking for a lovely night out to celebrate the 2 coinciding events but ended up being disappointed. Not in the service( she was great) but in the quality of food for the price they charge. read more

They were extremely rude and not worth your time!We called in for a tasting for a bachelorette party and once we got here the whole restaurant area was open and no one was there and they wouldn't seat us. We spoke with the manager who was unprofessional and rude and stated that we were unable to seated because it was reserved for people for dinner set to arrive in two hours! I wouldn't give them your time or business! read more

OK, so know we are officially frustrated! JF cannot seem to decide when they are open and when they are closed. Went there on Wednesday to celebrate my birthday to find them closed! This is at least the 3rd time we've found them closed, but previously it was for lunch or brunch. This time on a Wednesday night?! So, this is not about the food or the service, just the continued inconsistency on their hours. Based on that alone, we may just forgo this place altogether, and I hate that because we have had some good experiences in the past (and some not that great). read more

Greatness in a comfy and romantic environment. Rustic eats in a countryside setting. Incredible staff and owner!

The food is phenomenal, as well as the service. They are very knowledgeable about the wines and food, and there is a good variety to choose from. I have been here twice and each time has been exceptional. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a special meal. read more

Well... Jean Farris was one of my favorites and never disappointed. But...this time everything was under my expectation. Clam chowder was too salty, Lobster Salad was warm and tasted strange. The main dish was Scallop...sign...I don't think I will go back at least a year or so and wait for them having a new chef...oh and the bread was nothing like to be served at a good restaurant. read more

Unimpressed with entree - scallops were overcooked and bland. For the price I expect better. Boyfriend got the chicken, consensus was it tasted like chicken. But the charcuterie and house wine are pretty good. Probably just stick with appetizers and you'll be okay. read more

Wow. I coordinated a party of 14 to enjoy Mother's Day Dinner together. After specifically asking and telling my server about my food allergy, neglectfully, my plate came out full of onions, the allergy itself. Since I didn't recognize them and assumed it was safe, I ate. Once I realized it contained onion, I brought to the attention of my server. She came back with a full bill. I asked them to come my meal as a courtesy to a party paying over $800 for the "experience." My server came back with a 50 percent settlement offer per the owners suggestion. I took the bill to the server, who was standing with the owner. I requested 100 percent of my meal to be comp'ed, Jean Farris herself started asking me if I wasn't able to eat my salad and dessert because of onions. I explained I didn't come for salad and dessert, I came for the experience. FINALLY, Jean agreed to comp my meal. Meanwhile, my 70 year old mom was choking on crystallized sugar that formed in our last bottle of wine. I simply brought this to their attention, not looking for a comp or anything, and Jean herself started to reply with a "that's normal" response while gripping her hands and shifting her neck back and forth. One of her staff associates stepped in to relieve the tension, and said this wasn't personal, this is from her last two days of similar unhappy experiences, and she apologized for our dealings with the owner. There is so much more detail to the chaos that ensued tonight but irrelevant. I'm just beyond amazed at the owners arrogance and justification of comping 50 percent of a meal and her explanation of "tarragon" in the wine that caused my mother to thoroughly choke. Never an apology, only excuses. Not to mention the time it takes to write these reviews, Reviews are REAL and can sabotage a reputation. ANYWAY, hopefully they learn to recognize the value in their customers and realize attitudes can destroy a customers desire to return. Hats off to the staff that stepped in to diffuse her arrogance. read more

Likely the best place in Kexington to eat. The food is just plain wonderful, service is great (friendly, punctual, knowledgeable), and the rooms (both indoor and patio) are pleasant. Prices are reasonable for the quality. This place would be at home in Napa or any wine-producing area. Oh, and the wines themselves are very good. read more

My wife and I went last night for the first time and we enjoyed ourselves. You can sit out in a sunroom that has a nice view of the vineyard, but we chose to sit inside at a booth due to the privacy and comfort compared to the sunroom. We started off with a flight of their whites and reds so that we could experience their various wines and we choose 3 cheeses as well. The whites we were not overly impressed with (the Riesling was my wife's favorite and mine was the Chardonnay) especially with the Viognier which sorry to say was reminiscent of sea water. The reds we enjoyed more with both cabernets being the highlights, the Merlot was confusing to us because both of us felt that the prominent and over powering note was brown sugar and the tasting description did not at all match (the other wines were more accurate). The cheeses were good with some being nice to have one their own (Red Hawk and Midnight Moon), though some like the Grayson must be balanced out with the crackers and chutney because of having very salty characteristics. My wife ordered the duck which was cooked perfectly and the Goat Cheese mashed potatoes that come with them were phenomenal. My Chicken Florentine was great with the Kentucky Mushrooms actually being the highlight. We ended the meal with a Bananas Foster Crème Brule which was a very nice ending to the meal. I recommend coming here and taking your time and treating it as an event rather than simply eating out. Get several courses so you can enjoy everything and do not rush. read more

Took my favorite girl here for the second time for Valentine's Day. We got the filet mignon with scallop potatoes and it was delicious! Our server was prompt but not obtrusive. We sampled some wine and it was spot on. If you were in the area call A reservation and they will treat you like royalty. Setting is so quaint like a rebuilt barn but you will not be disappointed. read more

Finally made it to celebrate my birthday and what an evening we had. The wine (Tempest and Merito) was excellent and our waiter superb! His recommendations were perfect for our group and they truly helped us all try something varied and different. For starters we tried four cheeses and three meats and the house sausage is scrumptious! The barely buzzed, coffee etched cheese and the truffle tremor was just fabulous lending themselves to small tastes by all! The only thing that embarrassed us was to keep asking our waiter for crisp bread pieces. You need the bread to savor the cheeses and meats and having to request it--was a little weird. We thought he should have been on his game as the place was not too crowded when we arrived. You must try to the duck as it was excellent and cooked to perfection. The crunchy confit was out of this world! Not a thing was left on the plate! My dish was the monk fish and it too, was delicious! I was left a little confused by the spinach layered on the potato cake as it seemed plain, but otherwise the fish was light and excellent and a large serving. We ate the chicken florentine and the scallops and they were excellent too! To top off the celebration we each tasted the bread budding with the candied orange and it is a wonderfully refreshing take on an old tradition! We are so lucky to have such an incredible place in the heart of Lexington just a short drive from any place in town! read more

My favorite place to celebrate. We always do a wine tasting and a cheese plate. I will race on and on about how Jean Farris has the best cheese. You can get 3 for $20. Their happy hour is pretty great, it includes bloody Mary's, wine, and draft beer. They have a great outdoor space for all seasons! read more

This review is just for the wine tasting since it is a primarily a winery (right?). You can only do wine tastings at the bar in the restaurant, which was a little odd but we'd heard this was the best wine in KY so we wanted to check it out. Unfortunately, it felt like we were sitting at a bar and not tasting wine at a winery. The bartender didn't really engage with us about the wine or provide suggestions or even hang around for us to ask questions. The wine was all very good, although I think some was overpriced for what it was. I just wish the wine tasting experience had been better since the wines were good. read more

Lamb is great and the wine is very good for being Kentucky wine. The outdoor patio is awesome!

Food is okay, service is terrible. Let's review the food first and then we'll discuss the service. FOOD: BBQ shrimp was a special app for the night and was surprisingly well done. I was super pleased with the flavors. It was a bit on the saltier side, but texture and shrimp were cooked well. Really liked the bread and the burnt parts of it to add extra flavor. Filet mignon left a lot to be wanted. It didn't have a lot of flavor and really just boring. For the money I spent on this steak, I expected a lot more. The highlight of this dish were the potatoes. Coffee and Creme Brulee...never showed up. SERVICE: Out of 5 stars, service is a 1. It takes a lot to build customer trust in a place, but 1 moment to ruin it all, and that's exactly what happened here. First, if you, as a waiter, know you have 9 people with food, you need to make sure everyone gets their food in a timely manner. My friends waited an extra 5 minutes from the initial dish, and by the time everyone's food came out, the first meals were already cold. Even Applebees has higher standards. Waiter did a good job refilling drinks and alcohol, but when it came down for dessert, wasn't around much. He got everyone their desserts and when I thought he went to get mine, never showed up. I thought he would at some point, because the entire waiter experience was super slow. Finally, the dude comes back with our checks and I've been charged for coffee and creme brulee. I tell the guy I didn't receive my dessert and not even an apology, just a, "Oh, I thought they brought it out." And said in a, "I don't care," tone. The guy was lucky a 20% gratuity was tacked on the bill, because he wouldn't have received anything from me. Overall, spend your money elsewhere. read more

Best place to eat in Lexington! Food is always good. Service is great! Never have had one complaint about this place. Apps are fun and delicious. Wine is great. Try the tempest! read more

I have been here many many times with large groups of friends. Every time we are treated horribly! The staff is so snotty and rude. The owner is also very rude and snobby so I think it must trickle down from the top. We didn't have reservations to they tried to put us all at the bar- to celebrate two birthday's. Then, we said of course that would to work and they somehow miraculously found a private room for us. It took us 20 minutes to get served bottles of wine and our cheese platters. With the prices being on the higher end I would expect great service but this has never been the case. I will never go back. I'd rather go to Grimes Mill and take my own cheese tray any day of the week than support such snobby, rude people. read more

My wife and I have been to several dozen wineries and Jean Farris was our 2nd to the least favorite. We were greeted as we walked in and we said we were interested in tasting and getting something to eat. We were informed that no food (except sausage and cheese samples) were served until dinner at 5:00 and it was currently mid-afternoon. Despite the fact there were many seats available in the restaurant (all of them), we were asked if we would like to sit outside or wait until there were available seats in the bar since it was currently full. The temperature was in 50's and the wind was blowing around 30-40 mph, so we chose to wait. Another person soon walked up and told the person that greeted us that it was OK to open the dining room to us and the group that came in just after us. Upon seeing the menu, we were surprised by the prices. The wine taking were in various flights of which you did not get to choose which wines you wanted. We choose the red wine flight which consisted of 4 tastes for $15. This was double the price for less wine than any of the other 5 wineries that we visited in the area. Three of the four wines were good, but not outstanding or memorable. One wine was downright nasty. As we finished, our waiter/host asked if we did not like the one wine that was still sitting there full and we told him that we did not. He stated that most people do not like it and went on to say that it hasn't even been bottled yet, still sitting in the tank, and they still had a lot of work to do on it. Despite this, they still included it in the flight and 1/4th of our $15 without offering a substitute. read more