I somehow graduated from UK without ever having tried Winchell's. Plenty of friends recommended it during my stint in LexVegas, but I failed to venture that way. Probably because I didn't turn 21 until the end of my senior year, but I digress. I have since gone twice, both within the past year and a half. I chose Winchell's initially each time because I had my dog with me and the restaurant is dog friendly. There are two picnic tables outside where you can sit with your pooch and enjoy a meal. Automatically get 100 points in my book for that alone! I've only been inside once to use the restroom, but it has a sports dive bar vibe with lots of TVs and a scent of decades worth of spilled beer and bros. As for the food itself, the beer cheese app is delicious. Tastes like true beer cheese should served with crackers, carrots and celery sticks. The first time I went I had the Maker's Mark pork chops with a sweet potato and kale greens. Yum. The pork chop was a bit dry, but the apple raisin chutney it's topped with is delicious. The second time I went I wasn't super hungry and had their white bean soup. I got the bowl and it was MASSIVE. Should have opted for a cup because I couldn't finish it. The soup was a country style, like my grandma makes it with ham hocks and tons of beans. It came with cornbread muffins which made my soul happy. I got the Winchell's Bloody Mary which was made with Budweiser and the right amount of spice. Can't go wrong! read more

we went to Winchell's on a busy day for the them, Sunday morning brunch. I had family in from out of town so I wanted them to go to a place they hadn't. been. Winchell's does a great job of managing the crowds of people coming in at busier times (game days, church crowd, etc) We were able to get in within 15 minutes which didn't seem possible after seeing the line. I like that they use text messaging to let you know when your table is ready in case you want to go in a store down the street. I got the Elvis pancakes that comes with two sides, I chose potatoes and eggs. It's a heavy meal so come hungry! The service was great the food matched which is always a good thing. read more

Winchell's - Elvis Pancakes! - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Visiting from out of state, we wanted to try a local place. This was definitely a hit for us. I had their Ribeye Steak dinner special. It was delicious, and the drinks were good. read more

This visit, my second, was disappointing. Although my meal (grilled salmon w mashed potatoes and green beans) was delicious, the portions seemed undersized. The server only did the minimum, bringing my meal and check but no follow up for refills, how I liked my food, etc. I would return and give them another go, though. read more

In from out of town and made a trip over to visit the restaurant, based on user reviews. Pulled up to find that they had selected to close for rest and relaxation. I recommend that you update your website to reflect your accurate hours. Completely disappointed. read more

I went to Winchell's with a couple friends, catching the end of the NFC title game. We ordered our food before they stopped making entrees (cutoff for entrees is 10 PM, appetizers 11 PM). I got the BBQ sandwich, which was good. I added fries ($0.99 more than the chips that come with it). The total came out to being just under $14.00. The BBQ was fine, perhaps lacking in flavor a little. They definitely plated mine first, as the bun was soggy under the BBQ. The fries were great, seasoned well. Also, I had a half-order of tiramisu, which was spot on. The reason this place gets 4 starts (I'm really rounding up from like 3 stars for food, 5 stars for service) is that the waitress we had (Vanessa) was awesome. She treated us so well! She was talkative and friendly, making suggestions so we enjoyed our food the most. One last thing. The lighting in the place is almost dreadfully bad. I suspect that they use some cheap compact fluorescent bulbs in their fixtures, because the color temperatures of the room were unappealing. Perhaps it would have been more bearable, but it was so bright in there (for a sports bar). read more

This is way more than a sports bar. The fried chicken and catfish was outstanding! Good selection of sides, good service. Food alone makes it worth the trip read more

A great place to catch a game; there's a TV at every angle you sit! The staff was friendly and by all appearances everything is kept clean. We had three dishes. Shrimp & Grits, Winchell Brother's Sandwich with White Bean Soup and Macaroni & Cheese with a side of Broccoli. The Shrimp & Grits were flavorful without being spicy. One of the best Grits based meals I've ever had! The Winchell Brother's Sandwich was a layer of Corned Beef, layer of sliced tomatoes, a layer of French fries and a layer of creamy cole slaw. It was paired with soup, I chose the White Bean. Fabulous sandwich full of flavor! The soup was seasoned just right (not too salty) and would make a great meal itself. My son's Macaroni & Cheese was nothing special. He actually didn't like it. It had pepper-specs that turned him off. Picky kid but, the broccoli was special. Yes, I said special! My guess is that they seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic and light oil then grilled it. If that's not it...well, I don't care it was delicious! Did you think we'd skip dessert?! Best Banana Pudding I've ever had! The only thing that would make it better than Grandma's, would be using Meringue instead of whipped cream. But it doesn't matter. It's that good. We'll be back! read more

Winchell's - Almost gone...the best Banana Pudding ever! - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Been here many many times. My neighborhood bar and rest. Food always good as are portions. Lively atmosphere and staff is super! Management is great! Game nights are crazy, go EARLY! A must try folks, I just think they need to watch price rises some. But I love them! read more

Winchell's - Good evening meal as always. Great place! - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Best bar food in town. Hands down. They have healthy options, but only if you search them out. Great service. BLT insanely good. Only hot brown I'll eat. read more

A Lexington legend! Great food and something for everyone. Lots of televisions and our game request was accommodated. We will be back! read more

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One of my all time favorite restaurants ever! Great food and great staff. Soccer is shown on the weekends which is great to go along with their awesome breakfast! read more

Winchell's - Forgot to share to piece of greatness from Winchell's earlier. Oyster Po' Boy. Insanely good, highly recommend! - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Great food and always enough to share. Have had many meals here and chosen different items. Don't think you could go wrong with anything!

Nothing but praise due here. We dropped in on on a Friday night. The place was busy but not full and we were seated immediately. Nikki (sp?) appeared immediately and took our order in a very friendly and efficient manner. We ordered chicken livers, which arrived very quickly and were spot on. Well done, crunchy, hot and delicious, with plenty of country gravy to dip in. Our sides of green beans and mac cheese were excellent as well. Wonderful food and service, and for a good price too. Ten stars!!! Definitely on our list for next trip to Keeneland/Lexington! read more

Always love Winchell's. Usually go for brunch, but their buffalo chicken sandwich is one of the best! Never had a bad meal there. Also fun place to sit at the bar and enjoy a sporting event. read more

I've only been to Winchells for breakfast, and while it's not the best place in town, it's good, and you won't have to wait in line for a table. I can't remember a time this place has ever been a first choice breakfast destination for me, it's usually a place I settle on after finding out some other place I want to go has a long wait, and I'm hungry. That's when I turn to Winchells, and it doesn't disappoint. Their blue and white pancakes (that's blueberry and white chocolate chips) are always delicious, as are their hash browns. I've never left hungry and the prices are reasonable. read more

A Lexington classic. Everything on the menu is great but you absolutely 100% need to be checking out the specials board when you first walk in. You're selling yourself short if you do not make a point to check that out first thing. read more

So... This is not my scene. That's what I say every time I walk into Winchell's....and then I get my food...and I'm very happy. If you haven't been, imaine old small town strip mall restaurant... - but w/o the bric-a-brac and with really good food. Or, think Ramsey's with a lot of TV's...and with really good food. The menu is decidedly country, but with much more intense flavors than you'd expect...especially in some of the incredible sauces. I haven't eaten anything on the menu that hasn't been good. The service is friendly and casual. The energy is good - and there always seems to be a crowd, but not a wait. Trivia, etc really make it feel like what it is: a local bar blessed with some fantastic chefs. We're lucky to have a little place like this in town. I'd give Winchell's 5 stars with no hesitation if they were just in a slightly nicer space. I don't mind the location...just would prefer slightly nicer chairs and tables and carpets...etc. Thanks to the whole crew there for never dissapointing. read more

Stopped on our way home to St Louis and the service and food was wonderful! Very clean and compliant with Covid regulations. Well worth stopping if you want great food! read more

Winchell's has great food and a good atmosphere. Service was spot on! Can't wait to return.

Popular with the hospital night shift crews for breakfast and margaritas. Servings are sized to fill you up and get you going. read more

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Good sports bar, decent breakfast spot. (The review is for the breakfast/brunch piece.) The atmosphere definitely screams "sports bar" with at least a dozen TVs tuned to different sports channels--perfect for March Madness, but there's only so much SportsCenter and highlights I can watch at 9am when having breakfast. (Perhaps they could turn some of them off earlier in the day?) The breakfast menu was fairly short, but then there was a nearly equal number of "specials". While I didn't have a problem with that, having that many options warrants a printed "special menu" to accompany the regular one--it's too hard to take notes as the waitstaff walk you through it! The food was good or above-average for the most part. One of the people in my party really appreciated the fact that the breakfast sandwich is served on an "everything" bagel rather than the usual "plain" variety. I agree it looked pretty good. The Almond Joy Pancakes were excellent--a great combination of fluffy pancakes, chocolate, almonds, and coconut (except that the coconut flavor was completely lost). I thought that both of my sides--country ham and a scrambled egg--were a bit overdone. This may have been a fluke, though, since I have heard good things about the country ham. I was also surprised at how good the coffee was, especially since Winchell's makes no effort to advertise good coffee. Considering that Winchell's is primarily a sports bar, it serves up a pretty good breakfast, though it seems like it is far better at its main function. read more

Winchells is a Lexington classic! From brunch to gameday appetizers to oversize sandwiches and country classics, you can't go wrong with anything you order off the menu here. This is a great local spot and you will always see a friendly face if you are from Lexington, like I am. My favorites on the menu include the beer cheese and banana peppers, and any of their sandwiches! While I know there are a lot of great spots in the city for breakfast options, I have to say that Winchell's has been and always will be my favorite! As an omelet lover, the sausage pepper jack is my go to every time! I am not usually a grits lover, but I could eat bowl after bowl of their jalapeño cheese grits! Pancakes aren't really my thing, but everyone I know raves about their Elvis pancakes and blue and white pancakes, so if that's your thing, dig in. Bottom line is, a trip to Lexington isn't complete for me without a trip to Winchell's. read more

Family friendly environment. Have had dinner on multiple occasions and brought my three boys (ages 5,3 and 17 months). I have gotten the chicken sandwich and Reuben both were delicious also have had a couple of the nightly specials. Love the beer cheese app and also the fried green tomatoes aren't bad either. They are also a great place for breakfast. Have never left disappointed and they can accommodate large groups. read more

Very decent Bloody Mary. Just be sure to order "Winchell's Bloody Mary" and not just a Bloody Mary or you'll end up with vodka and tomato juice. Bleh Also the Shrimp & Grits are delicious! Very tasty fried mushrooms, catfish, and the chicken livers are on pint... Can't go wrong really :) Sorry, meant to take pics but we dove right in! read more

All my time in Lexington till this past few months I had not given Winchell's a fair shot. All this changed when I hit up the farmers market they host in front parking lot. ( Farmers Market Summer time only ) That day I had breakfast and then hit up the market. Breakfast was more then one single person should eat thats for sure. Since I have been back for breakfast and market many times. I have also had dinner a couple times and more then happy to come back for that. One time I tried the Funny Farm, Only thing about it that was funny was that it did not give me a heart attack!! Was Great, but if your on the edge of a attack, stay away! If your healthy and need a step back? Try the Funny Farm!! Its wow good read more

Hangover brunch! Came the morning after a bachelorette party and it hit the spot! Good place to chill and grab a beer, too. Not a great location, but worth going in! read more

Food quality has gone downhill. Lost flavor & raised prices. Decided we won't be back after our last meal there & it was one of our usual staples - reliably good food. Sad that that's not the case anymore. Not sure if they've switched chefs or just trying to squeeze out more profits. read more

My wife and I visited Lexington today and she wanted to eat somewhere we haven't before. I told her to Google a good hot brown in Lexington. She found Winchell's so we decided to give it a try. I must say my hot brown was one of the very best I've had anywhere, and I've tried lots of hot browns. Her pork chop sandwich with ham, cheese, was excellent as well. We were going to split a bread pudding but couldn't eat any more. We'll definitely be back. Great food, fun atmosphere. read more

Last evening we were seated and served immediately which is not the norm for Winchells because they are usually busy on Friday evenings. I had the house smoked pork butt and honestly it was the best smoked BBQ pork I've had in a long time. Absolutely delicious especially with the 4 house made sauces. My favorite sauce was the black sauce (vinegar/wine spice based I think). The white bean soup and baked potato sides were very good and washed it down with West 6th's Smithtown Brown Ale. Overall, an exceptional dining experience. read more

So good every time. Southern. Old fashioned. Great service. Great prices. Couldn't ask for more. Servers remember us when we come and the service is consistent. read more

Good local spot with good food and big portions. Menu is full of Kentucky favorites. Perfect spot for sports enthusiast. There are TVs everywhere showing various sports events. read more

Winchell's - Kentucky Hot Kentucky Hot Brown. ReeEeal good - American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Not bad. Came here for lunch. I had the grill cheese and soup. I would come back for a quick bite.

Love Winchell's! My favorite is their salmon caesar salad.. delicious! Wings are great, too. I have never had bad service or bad food here. You really can't go wrong. read more

If you like southern comfort food this is the place. You can get the same foods at Ramsey's Diner, Lexington Diner and Critchfield's hot bar for less money. Nothing special here, just OK. You can cook better at home for much less than all of these restaurants. read more

Can to Lexington to watch my son football game and stayed another day because the weather is beautiful. Stopped off at this sports bar and fell in love. The food was good, the hostess was good.... Everything was good. I will be back read more

Only 1 criticism here. But first, my family and l have been patrons of Winchell's for years. The food, while a bit pricey for a sports bar in Lexington, Kentucky, is reliably very good and the servings are generous. The servers are always great, and many have worked there forever. l have had special requests, e.g. a hot brown for breakfast, and they have rarely ever been unable to accommodate. It is a great hometown business. My only complaint is the extremely loud and very bright atmosphere yesterday in an extra room that's apparently been opened to accommodate more patrons. The blinds really did need to be opened because it's so dark in that space, but that highlighted how much stuff (fork, crayon box, hunk of macaroni and cheese) along with all the usual crumbs, etc., were on the floor. When we were showed to our table, there were 2 tables pulled together, crookedly, with 8 or 9 tables strewn haphazardly all around. We as a family group moved several chairs to the side to accommodate our group of 5. Conversation was challenging because of the noise. I know nothing about acoustics, but maybe something can be done to absorb sound? It sounded like like we were in a really loud bar. Our server was perfect. I tipped her $25 on an $87 tab, and she deserved every penny. We will certainly go back, many times, but not in that room, haha! read more

I went here on recommendations from friends and I could not have been more pleased. The generous portions of amazing tasting food blew me away, and the excellent service pushed it over the edge. Top that with ICE COLD draft beer and value for your money! Bar none, the best restaurant experience I've had in Lexington for years! read more

Much higher quality menu than any other Sports Bar in Kentucky. Don't judge this book by its cover, it's a great hybrid between a sports bar and mid-level traditional American resraurant, with lots of interesting dishes that really show off the creative chops of the people who run this place. A gem of Lexington in my opinion! read more

Food is seriously overpriced for the quality. I had the fish sandwich which was impossible to eat given the size of the rock hard bun. The fish itself was mediocre. Save your money and go somewhere else. read more