Al’s Bar

Great local hipster spot. It’s close to the ghetto though so that’s a definite negative. Went for a comedy venture with a good friend last fall. Pitcher of beer is a must for the evening that way you can enjoy the show etc. They have pool tables as well.

Apparently this place was Hipster before Hipster was cool. This is a dive bar down North Limestone. It is one of the few bars in town that still has a stage for live bands.
I stopped in here the other night with some friends and loved it. It had great food and booze. If you are eating here, place your order with the barkeep before grabbing a seat. I knew I wanted a burger, but didn’t know what type. They offer local beef, bison, lamb, black bean and possibly other burger options, but I didn’t know which one I wanted. So I asked the bartender what he would order if he were eating and the GBLT Burger is highly recommend. He said they were out of lamb so I got bison. The G is for fried green tomato. It was so good. I am glad I took his suggestion.
They also carry a few good craft beers on tap. Which was really nice. I did see something on their menu that peeked my interest. It was a Beer Mosa. That is a PBR with a splash of Orange Juice. WOW. All I have to say is that it made the PBR good. I had a few while I was here that night. I may also make these at home on occasion. Cause I’m just that fancy.
The place itself seemed clean, but very well worn. Some of the tables wobble or are outdoor tables. Just go with it.
I will go back to this place at some point, stop by yourself.

Fantastic burgers. Don’t expect a nice ambience, it’s a dive bar and comes with all the dive bar characteristics. That’s not really my thing unless I’m there for a concert or show, so I order food to go all the time. Their bison sausage burger special is by far the best burger I’ve ever had.

Al’s bar is a local joint with some great drink options and very reasonable prices. They regularly have live music of a wide variety. The staff is friendly. The seating is limited, but it’s a cozy bar that causes you to meet new people. You can’t beat the environment, because it is like no other bar in town. The 20 year old TV, shadowy pool table, and small booths make for a fun and unique time. They have great outdoor seating and are convenient for walkers and bikers.

Positives
Good bands
New beer garden
Decent beer
Outside patio in summer
Close to Arcadium
Onion rings are delicious
Limestone donuts across the way
Negatives
After the sun goes down — nope
You might get mugged
It’s in the ghetto
Snarky staff
The food was only good if you were drunk — except onion rings
If your not a mellennial or in your 40s whishing you were 20 you do not need to be here
Nope
Parking sucks
My car swiped by a cracked out crazy person
Nope

My favorite bar.
It is a dive bar so be ready to deal with everything that comes with that such as dark, a little dingy but just enough where it feels casual and not like I’m going to get stabbed. It is very safe.
The food is a great kept secret with really good local food and one of the best burgers in town.
They have
block parties
beer garden in back
Comedians
Improv comedy
Bad movie night
political rallies
Bands
Rap groups
In all of Lexington’s wealth Al’s has become the cultural epicenter of everything. Maybe even beating out the university of Kentucky.

I was here for a concert last night, specifically to see a band called Jamaican Queens. They’re one of my favorite bands so this place gets one star for having them here multiple times and always for a free show. It seems like they have free music here pretty often and it’s a really cool dive atmosphere for it.
They get a second star for having seemingly cheap beer. My tab was only $ 14 for two craft beers and a couple domestics. Seemed like a good price to me.
I’ve gone back and forth between giving them two or three stars. In reality it’s probably a 2.5 star type of place. I love dive bars and I know not to expect a ton from them, but I was unimpressed with how the staff treated customers. One of my friends asked what they had on draft (standing on the side of the bar where you couldn’t see they had a list) and the bartender said «Just look for yourself.» I feel like that was a pretty easy question to answer.

This place had my favorite burger for «Lexington Burger Week». It’s a greasy spoon type place but for lunch it was perfect. If you’re ok with a lot of grease but tasty food then this place has a awesome burger and delicious tater tots.

I went here during Burger Week because a friend said, despite being a bar, this place has good food. We ordered at the bar before sitting down, and my friend told me they bring your food out to you. Since you pay up front, I went ahead and tipped since I was expecting them to bring the food to our table. I could have saved my money; they put our food on the bar and we had to come back inside to get it ourselves.
I ordered a Coke and the $ 5 burger special. The rest of my party got their drinks when they placed their order, but the guy forgot about mine till I prompted him. The $ 5 burger is a small burger, think regular-​size, plain bun, and the Coke was $ 2. It was such a small amount of food plus the undeserved tip that it wasn’t a good value. I would go to Stella’s for a burger downtown because, while their food is a bit pricey, it’s very good and you get a good amount for your money. This burger was just okay. It was described as having kraut on it but all I saw was red onions and kale, Swiss, and thousand island dressing.
The place has a very dingy, dark feel to it. If I wanted a bar downtown, I’d definitely choose West Sixth or Beerworks over Al’s because their interiors are so much cleaner and brighter. I also feel like the bartenders are friendlier. While my friend was placing her order, she ordered a mixed drink that used to be on the menu; the bartender was very short with her in response, saying he didn’t know what she was talking about.

It had been awhile since we were last here, maybe 2+ years ago. In the mood for a quick and casual meal in our ‘hood, we headed to Al’s. A couple changes since our last visit that hit us immediately: 1) you can no longer order from the booths, but rather must place drink AND food orders at the bar 2) they literally hold your credit card behind the bar as you run a tab 3) they used to have a nice selection of «side» items that were delish, and 4) what happened to that awesome waiter/​bartender who called himself «Catfish»? The bartender tonight seemed a bit overwhelmed, although we couldn’t understand why for sure… not exactly a busy night.
Nevertheless, we «recovered», sat at the bar and ordered a couple beers. Struck up a conversation with a regular. He was enjoyable and reminded us what we love about this place: You will undoubtedly always meet interesting people here.
The other reason: The food is good, despite the scaled-​down menu versus previous visits. We shared the GBLT and the Lamb burger, both were good. As well as the beer cheese with crackers/​veggies. The onion rings are possibly the best in town.
No breakdown on the tab. For all we know, we may have treated others tonight as well.
Enjoyed our visit overall, just not quite the Al’s we used to know and frequent.

My goto bar for cheap beer, interesting people, and live music (be aware the music always starts hours late). They have decent tap selection and always an abundance of cheap canned beer. Out back is the beer garden that is a separate space for more electric beer drinking. The food is really fantastic and it’s the sortof place if you’re there on a slow night or a crowded night you’ll probably walk out with new friends :)

We bought a house in this up and coming neighborhood a little over a year ago. Much like the neighborhood, as long as you don’t go into Al’s confused about what it is, you won’t be disappointed by what it isn’t. Simple, well crafted bar food with an extra kick of freshness and imagination in a super friendly hole in the wall type of place. Couldn’t have been more pleased on a weeknight when we wanted a quick walk for an easy bite!

All I can speak for is the hospitality, the buffalo chicken wrap and the great microbrew selection. Great dive! Also got to watch my great friend play on stage tonight #iloveJoshDoss

Al’s is probably Lexington’s most quintessential bar. Local food and local music have paved the road of inevitable success.

Stopped in based on Unilocal recommendations. Definitely a great dive bar. All locals, except the 2 of us. Surprised the bar tender with a request for a martini. She knew the ingredients but suffered from a lack of experience. Could have been much colder, but the taste was there.
Had a bison burger and the Kentucky gyro. Food was great, freshly made and delivered hot.
Great place for a drink and a quick bite.

Neighborhood is dicey… but this place has swag for days! Great craft beer, fantastic bourbon selection, friendly staff. Would have given them 5 stars but the live music that came on later in the evening was just troublesome… Now I am sure me being a 46 male I was not their target audience, and that is a good thing cause that stuff made my ear bleed.
If you want a cool place to sit and chat, get there early and enjoy, if you wanna have the «ear bleeds» come in late… lol

This bar is my home away from home. Sometimes divey, sometimes overindulgent, but always friendly, welcoming and exactly what I need. The burgers are cheap and delicious. The fried catfish is what I miss the most now that I love out of state.
Tl;dr great food, amazing service, best live performances in the area. If you’re down with the dive, go now.

We visited last week while traveling. We weren’t as impressed as most of the reviews made us think we would be. Nice covered patio out back. We went for dinner and drinks. Hummus was decent. Fried tomatoes were ok. Burger was good quality but under cooked. My SO had the gyro and it was far from a gyro, just over cooked lamb in a stale pita pocket. Also no redbull for my jagerbomb… some kind of on tap energy drink which did not taste well.
In any case, I hope this bar survives as it is in an area that could benefit from some businesses that succeed.

After visiting several other bars while visiting Lexington last week, I’m more convinced than ever that Al’s is the place for me.
It’s divey and ugly, it’s got great booths, great bourbon at completely reasonable prices (and they even have a price list at the table, so you don’t have to wonder just how big your tab is going to be), amazing sweet potato fries and I’ve never heard a crappy band play here.
Drop by, park your butt in a booth for the evening, get drinking and order some food. You’ll love it. If you don’t, the problem isn’t Al’s!

Great place to go for live music. Great food too. Excellent burgers including local beef, lamb, local bison, black bean (best in town), portabello, and falafel. The sweet potato fries are everyone’s favorite.
A great neighborhood bar.