Everybody was welcoming and wonderful. We had the hamburger the grilled ham and cheese and the classic club all of which were loaded with meat. Very tasty. Definitely go again. I have the basket of onion rings and some chips. Highly recommend it was a surprise only through this app that I found it, it was close to my daughter's apartment which she was moving into, please try them out. They've been there since 1954. There's a good reason for that excellent experience. read more

My husband and I were looking for good food and few beers after a day at the Kentucky Horse Park. We wanted somewhere that wasn't anything fancy, but had good food. The Thoroughbred is 0 minutes from our hotel in a strip mall. We both got cheeseburgers and beer. The staff was ver hospitable and although I thought the burgers were a bit salty, it was just what we needed. We even got to meet the owner who regaled us with stories bout how he got into the business but never got bit by the horse bug. It's a bit loud, but a solid dive bar to go to at the end of the day. read more

The food is like home-cooked and with several choices of vegetables. Their Ocean perch is very good. Happy Hour gets a little loud, and everyone is friendly. It's a very casual place to eat when you don't want to spend a lot of money, still get decent food and don't have to dress up. read more

Saturday night we had a 70th surprise birthday party for my mother. Mark (the owner),Jessica, Mike and the crew at Thoroughbreds were unbelievable. Everyone could not stop talking about how great the party was and how great the food tasted. Jessica took control and made sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible. If there was an issue that needed to be solved or if I needed something she was always there to handle it. Mike provided incredible service behind the bar serving up great cocktails and making sure nobody left thirsty. Mark Smith the owner served up brisket sliders, potato skins, a beer cheese platter, and what party goers described to be one of the best mini hot browns they had ever put in their mouths. Words can't describe how grateful I am to call Mark and the crew down at thoroughbreds my friends. They truly are amazing people. If you have not experienced the hometown cozy atmosphere of Thoroughbreds I strongly recommend you stop by and say hi to everyone and enjoy a great meal or cocktail. Verified Customer Chad Faris read more

Stopped in this place for lunch while on the road. Good crowd for lunch time but felt squeezed in at our little high table. Fried mushrooms were good, but burger was just ok. I wanted to order the Cod with Crack Sauce and the wife wanted the Kentucky Hot Brown dish. We were told both items are dinner only items. Wish I could have found that information out before getting off of I-75 and driving way out of our way. Should have hit Culvers. If you're traveling thru Lexington, you can do much better. Too dark in the place for photos. read more

Definitely go to this restaurant! It's definitely a place where locals go, and the food is amazing. We had a great time talking to the owner while we ate. 10/10 recommend. read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - hand breaded mushrooms - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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The burgers were delicious, thick and juicy. The service was amazing. The wait staff was friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was cozy and definitely a dive bar experience. read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - Hand-patted burger with fries. - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Small place. Found upon returning from a flight into Lexington. Old school feel. Very friendly with really good food!

Lovely little dive bar with pretty good food. Highly recommend the meatloaf. BF's grouper was good, but just good. Greens were just OK, and I wasn't that impressed with the mashed potatoes and gravy. But the meatloaf-the meatloaf-it was good. As others say, get there early because seating is limited. read more

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The place to dine after a day spent at the track. Not to mention the best chicken livers I've ever had! read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - Such a fun atmosphere after a day spent at the track, not to mention THE best chicken livers I've ever had! - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Wouldn't have ventured out of the car inside this establishment had I not read some of the reviews. It looks pretty much the textbook definition of hole-in-the-wall-dive. Thanks for fellow yelpers though we did go in! It's a hidden gem. The prices are very reasonable - both the drinks and food. The food is mostly comfort food, although they do have specials which are a little more creative. We ordered the fried pork tenderloin and a cheeseburger, we split the fried mushrooms. The food was very good. The service was A+ and very hospitable. Actually probably the most attentive service in a restaurant of this price range that I've ever had. Our bill total was less than thirty dollars which included drinks from the bar. read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I went into your restaurant tonight and honestly got harassed by some 75 year old lady. As a 23 year old with good vibes this turned me away and made me associate your restaurant with this type of behavior. I know you cannot fully control the audacity that some of your customers have but it will always make me think of the time I attempted to try a new place. I would maybe try and consider appealing to a crowd that will not be rolling over in their graves soon. This way your restaurant will be able to survive for a very long time! I cannot wait to post a follow up and attempt to try your restaurant again as it has great reviews. Let it be known that this is not a dager inserted directly into the restaurant but more so to its customer appeal. I thought we were past the 1920' and in an era where women rule!!! This women insulted me for wearing a crop top and made the comment that "people like her should not be allowed to wear something like that" Well although I let it get to me at first, I now write to all my fellow women of this era that we will not let people beneath us treat us like this ever again!!!! Eat your food and enjoy it!!!! read more

I cannot believe I've never been here. This is one of Lexington's oldest restaurants and I see why! Everyone was super friendly the owner came out and spoke to us. The chef came up and asked how our meal was. This is the type of ownership it takes to make it. My burger was absolutely delicious. I have a feeling we will be back very soon! Bravo read more

From the outside, you'd think this was a dive bar in a run down strip mall. I was visiting the great antique mall down the way and they suggested this place. I would have just driven by based on the exterior. Inside also screams dive bar until you see the menu. The daily specials & veggie options are on a chalkboard and bring you right back to grandma's house. Fried potatoes, peas & corn, meatloaf, bbq pork butt. Service was very no nonsense, "what ya want to eat?" but it went with the vibe. Food was good and the cornbread cakes were the star...crispy, crunchy. I'd come back just for them! read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - Cornbread cakes - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Thoroughbred is closed. Came on October 10th and red sign on door saying closed. restaurant is closed

This spot was one those good hole in the wall type places recommended by locals. We had ribeye, pork cutlets and a hot brown. All were reasonably priced and portions good. read more

Food is great, service is likewise. It gets loud at busy times, but that is to be expected in a place like this.

Food was unique and delicious! Fun atmosphere. Hope in the wall place. Great find! Will definitely return here when back in Lexington! read more

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Everything went well. Very friendly & comfortable place. Been going there a long time & highly advise it.

Traveling from out of town, a local suggested this small restaurant in a strip mall setting. I likely never would've stopped at the restaurant simply because I wouldn't have seen it, but it was a great little place. I had the special, and everything was quite tasty. The pork was Slightly drier than I like, but the taste was fantastic nonetheless. If you're looking for a great local place, I would highly suggest stopping by. read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - BBQ Pork, onion rings, corn bread and Cole Slaw (special) - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Small family owned place and got lunch special of open faced beef. Definitely enjoyed it and plan a return when in Lexington. Always trying new places instead of big chains when traveling and this did not disappoint. read more

Very crowded establishment, but the food was great! Owner comes out and greats people as well!

During the COVID I have been a little more focused on locally owned places. I rolled in here with the hubby for a rare weekday lunch. Roast Beef was on the special board so I decided to jump in. This has the made a grandma's flavor, and clearly homemade mashed potatoes. The creamed spinach was made with cheddar cheese, which I thought was odd, but tasty. The hubby had a great looking hamburger. I stole a fry that was hot and yummy. Service was friendly but slow, I was off work so it was no big deal but I doubt you could get in and out of here in a lunch hour. read more

Passing through town after the derby and stopped for dinner. Best ribs I've had, along with the sides. The regular menu looks good but the specials are tremendous. Great staff and atmosphere if you're looking for a hidden gem. read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - a menu on a blackboard - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Food excellent! Service great! Parking great! Highly recommend! Everyone loved their dinner!!! Grilled grouper was sooo good!! See pic! Atmosphere is very casual, looks like a small town bar in a strip mall. Definitely would not have tried this place, however, the hotel manager recommended it and it was great food. read more

Thoroughly fun place. A must go for Lexington! True to previous reviews, it pays to get there early, ignore the menu, and get what's on the board. We had meatloaf and fried grouper. Meatloaf was excellent. Grouper was good. The sides were so so (corn, mashed potatoes, greens, and coleslaw)..probably the best thing was the corn fritters, which we didn't even order, she just brought them! Turns out it's a good thing to ask the server what they recommend. I asked this about dessert, and she turned us on to a great blackberry cobbler. The prices were very reasonable. The main reason to come to the thoroughbred is for the ambience. There are two horse channels going on TV, and it's got a fabulous divey feel to it. read more

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Really good. We had the Ribeye special. Food was excellent and we enjoyed a nice, casual eating environment outside. I would recommend and will go here again. read more

My family gathered in Lexington, Kentucky visit bourbon distilleries in the area and take in some races at the keeneland horse racing track. We, as a group of eight came to this restaurant for dinner. We had such a great time we came back a second night. All the food was great and the service was amazing. They treated us like family and the owner visited with us both nights we were there. When we are back in Lexington, Kentucky again we will be back. We highly recommend the Thoroughbred and encourage everyone to go there, you won't regret it. read more

Had the cheeseburger, to go. Hand patted patty, everything was fresh. A better quality cheese would better serve such a nice burger, or maybe a thicker slice, but overall worth getting! read more

Food was good, carrot cake was special. The staff was welcoming and service was fast.

Love this place. Best hot brown and vegetable plates. Eat here every time I'm in Lexington.

When we drove up I wasn't sure I wanted to go in, but the yelp reviews all looked great so we did. Really glad we came in it's a cute little dive bar with great food and excellent atmosphere. read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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This place was great! I really enjoyed this "hole in the wall" restaurant. It's very small and gets crowded quick. Once you find your desired seat, you are able to look at the desktop menu or you can look at the chalkboard for the meal specials. Don't go in too late or the best one may be erased because they ran out! This board changes every meal from what I've been told so it's possible that you could find a meal you love and not see it the next time you visit. I got the fried ocean perch meal off the board for $6.95 and two sides of mashed potatoes no gravy (two sides are included with the specials). I was surprised to see that the meal was quite large with 5 pieces of fish and two large servings of potatoes. I wasn't to terribly impressed with their mashed potatoes and found them to be lacking. Even after adding salt and pepper, they just weren't that great. Moving on to my ocean perch! I had never had ocean perch before and was a tad skeptical. But they fried it up and it was great! And they hooked me up with 5 nice sized strips. Definitely the highlight of my meal. I am very interested in returning and checking out more of the options. read more

Good food for a great price. Service was fast and helpful. Even had a slice of pie after dinner and it was good too. definitely hole in the wall vibes but a family can eat for $50. read more

Great neighborhood bar and awesome home cooked meals, sandwiches. It will be my go to lunch destination. Plenty of parking and very nice wait staff. Highly recommended. read more

Not a place you would immediately guess knocks out some dynamite dishes, but trust me, they do. This is for sure a "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover" place. Unless of course, you like dive bars with sassy bartenders (and I do - I really do!). With its extremely approachable location in a very run-of-the-mill strip mall, Thoroughbred is a gem you may pass without noticing if you aren't a local. Do yourself a favor and stop in. This isn't the kind of place you'll find a gin fizz or coffee martini (and good!), but it's great for an ice-cold beer and your standard dive calls. They do have wine, if inclined. The food elevates Thoroughbred into something more than just a dive. Nightly specials are really the highlight, and everything on that menu is amazing! You could reduce it to a meat and three type of menu for most dishes, but the selection is pretty deep and they give nods to seasonal staples throughout the year. Highly recommend! read more

Thoroughbred Restaurant - Pork Chop (1) w/green beans and mashed potatoes - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Super hole in the wall restaurant. I walked in and immediately felt out of place. Every customer's head turned to me when I entered. I sat myself and was surprised by the warm welcome of the waitress. They had great service and were super gracious. I ordered the ribeye which turned out to be more fat and gristle than meat. I also ordered the hot brown which was slightly above par. I walked away content given the price point. read more

I went in to have the tuna salad sandwich, but they ended up no longer serving it. So I was a little disappointed. This is a basic cheeseburger and fries kind of place! The burger was huge... more than I could handle, but if that's your cup o tea then you've struck gold. I like the divey vibe of it and I would come back for a happy hour beer and chips for sure... maybe not the spot for a healthy lunch lol. read more

The Saturday night menu was amazing! We were a party of 8 and everyone enjoyed their meal. The ribs, the cod, the Alfredo all excellent. The place has charm but it is a quintessential dive bar . we LOVED every minute of our experience. read more

If you're looking for a dive with good food then this just may be the place. It looks more like of a bar than a food place especially on the outside but it's really more about the food and you can get a drink as well if you like. They have daily and nightly specials that come with sides on a board inside located toward the back of the place. The owner was very active with helping staff and patrons alike while I was there. I had the cheeseburger and I must say it's probably the best value for a burger at regular menu price anywhere in town. I wish it had a little seasoning or something on it but overall it was excellent. They have crinkle cut fries which are always good but sides are sold separately unless you get the special. Come check them out they are a diamond hidden in the rough. read more

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