Desha’s Restaurant & Bar

We dined here a little over 2 weeks ago when we visited my son who goes to UK. It is in a very nice location on the corner of Broadway and Main street with nice window seating. The ambiance is very Southern. The service was great. We walked-​in around 8 pm on a Friday evening thus the crowd had thinned out. Our server was very nice and helpful, and we got our food at a reasonable time. We were a party of four. We ordered Smoked Gouda & Chicken Rigatoni, Hot Brown, Crab cake and Rib Eyes. We had the New York Style cheese cake and the Deep dish cookie with Vanilla ice cream for dessert. The food was enjoyable but nothing really to write home about. It was okay but for the price you pay I would expect a more «wow» experience. We walked out of there satisfied but still had this «it was just an okay experience.»

Came here for dinner before a night at the opera. Service was good. Food was okay. Dessert was awesome. Would recommend but probably different stuff than what I got. Butttt I would have to see the menu to remember…

Having been here several years ago on our last visit to Lexington, we were expecting good food and service. We went to the bar for a drink and an appetizer. It took forever to get service and once our appetizer came the bartender never came over to see if we needed anything or another drink. Very disappointing.

It’s awesome even though menu has shrunk. Steak still awesome.

The last and final time that I visited here all I had was a dessert and the famous corn bread. My dessert cost almost just as much as an entrée. After reading yesterday’s article on
I know why they nickeled me into something that is normally complimentary. I never mind paying for extras but I don’t like hidden or sporadic fees… bad business in my opinion.

I was actually looking for The Horse & Barrel based on Unilocal reviews & ended up going here by accident, but it worked out for the best since what I really wanted was to sit down in a quieter place and eat and drink. The waiter was really knowledgeable and helpful, taking time to explain and recommend several bourbons for my sampler flight, as well as giving a bit of background on the «hot brown,» which I also decided to try.
The hot brown wasn’t particularly interesting, food-​wise, but tasted good and hit the spot. I also ate an entire loaf o cornbread, because that’s what they give you and I couldn’t seem to stop. I discovered that I like Blantons, which is useful information as well!

Group outing. They have a nice party room. The food buffet was good, servers worked very hard. Nice.

I can’t imagine anyone giving this place anything less than four stars! We had an absolutely wonderful lunch here today. The atmosphere was quaint — exactly what I expected at a traditional sit down Kentucky restaurant. The service was polite, prompt and accommodating. The food we had for lunch was amazing. Although we both ordered a simple chicken pot pie, it was uniquely served open (which translates to an artfully presented dish that you knew certainly didn’t come from a defrosted Costco box)! The dish was very tasty… in fact, we didn’t leave a speck behind. If you go for lunch — the chicken pot pie would be a good choice. The other thing you definitely shouldn’t miss here (no matter what you order as your main) is the corn bread. It’s likely the best corn bread in all of Kentucky (and that’s saying something since I’ve tried quite a few)!

I went to DeSha’s for lunch while I was in town on a business trip. I loved it! I had the prime rib sandwich on a preztel bun with a side of cheese grits. The grits were great — thick and cheesy just like I like them. The restaurant was gorgeous — inside a beautiful Victorian building in the middle of downtown. We had great, prompt service even though we were in a large group. I would definitely go back again.

Excellent food. Eaten here twice now. Had the pulled pork sandwich this visit. Friendly, helpful staff. Fast service. Reasonable pricing.

Don’t order the fish & chips for almost $ 15 is pathetic. Tere are many more places in Lexington avoid this one. And slow service
I won’t be back!

NOTE: I didn’t eat here, I ordered from next door so take it as you will.
We were driving cross-​country and stayed at the Hyatt and ordered their fried chicken from The Horse & Barrel next door. I’m from California, I don’t know a THING about fried chicken but I really enjoyed it.
It came with mashed potatoes (very creamy, very delicious), sauteed zucchini portioned well, and 2 big boneless breasts deep-​friend to a extremely satisfying crunch.
So again, I’m not a regular here, I’m not a local here, I’m not from the south so your grandma’s fried chicken may be better but it’s a whole different level than KFC and you’d be hard-​pressed to find a better fried chicken in New York.

Bluegrass, crisp fences.
Blue sky, magnificent horses.
Many great bourbons.
I don’t travel much for business these days, but when I do Lexington, KY is a frequent destination.
For its size (~290K people), Lexington boasts a large number of restaurants, many good and a few great. DeSha’s is good.
I was with several co-​workers in town for a training class. Being walking distance from the hotel was an immediate plus. The menu features locally-​sourced produce, another plus. While a variety of entrees were ordered, the tenderloin, which was served with a cabernet/​mushroom sauce, garlicky mashed potatoes, and green beans, was clearly the most popular choice.
My steak was cooked perfectly medium-​rare. But it arrived covered in the sauce. Fortunately, the sauce proved good. I’m picky about sauces. I want a sauce to seduce me, before I make a commitment. Especially for one as robust as the Cabernet Bordelaise. A better option (and presentation) might be to place the steak in a pool of sauce, so you can determine exactly how much you like per bite. (Am I sounding a little too much «Harry Met Sally“ish?) There were three whole mushrooms in the sauce. Because they were whole and only three, it stood out as, well, a skimpy serving. Perhaps slice them?
The potatoes were very garlicky, which I like but which might be too strong for others. I also liked that the waiter didn’t bat an eye when I asked to substitute asparagus for the green beans and bacon.
I would give deSha’s 3.5 stars, if Unilocal would let me. The reason I’ll round down instead of up is due to the service.
Yes, there were several of us. But it was a Weds night, and the restaurant was not crowded. We were seated upstairs, which allowed us to converse easily. But maybe it was a bit too out of the action because we hardly saw our waiter. Neither our water nor wine glasses got refilled. We felt… neglected. He could have easily got us to order another bottle of wine if he had just done a little subtle refilling.
When in Lex, I will definitely go back. They have a nice menu and good food. And the camaraderie of my co-​workers makes up for any deficit in service.

I worked right across from deSha’s and so was able to visit often and hear from a lot of people who visited the restaurant. All agree:
The bar itself is a nice piece of wood, and the bartender I usually saw will tell you it’s nice little history. I’m not going to pretend I know much about beers… I just hear that they have a nice selection, and I enjoyed what the bartender picked out for me each time. The best seat in the house is at the bar, because the rest of the tables are crowded into awkward little corners or into the unimpressive second floor. People seem to like to come in groups of 8 – 10, and this restaurant space is just not built for it. So sit at the bar and avoid all that mess.
The food lacks definition — is this a Kentucky place… a modern
American place… what? I was never able to describe it for anyone that asked — and I was working across the street in a capacity in which people typically asked for eating recommendations. And ultimately, the food tastes like barely warmed over casual restaurant fare from a bag or box or whatever.
Not impressive. Catch it at open on a Tuesday or Wednesday though, and you might enjoy a nice quiet seat at the bar with a good beer and a decent fried fish sandwich.

I ate there with a group of 8 business associates on Friday night. This is a restaurant that my co-​workers usually rave about and look forward to going to while we are in town.
It was my first time eating at DeSha’s. The best thing I can say about DeSha’s is that they make a strong drink. The rib eye steak was thin, gray and way overcooked. I had the lemon icebox pie and it clearly came out of a commercial bakery and from the taste of it had spent too much time in the cardboard box.
My advice to you if you are reading my review is to find somewhere else to eat.

Once, decades ago, this was one of the best places in Lexington. That time has come and gone. About twenty years ago, when it was new and very popular, deSha’s was the big restaraunt to eat at in Lexington. There was a long wait, and typically the place was packed solid, especially for dinner. I remembered going there with my parents as something special.
So, when I was living on my own in Lexington and had someone special I wanted to take out for a special meal, this was tops on my list. I took my girlfriend here expecting a romantic meal at a good restaraunt.
It wasn’t what I remembered, not even particularly close. The food was run-​of-​the-​mill, like what I could get (for substantially cheaper) at any other place in Lexington. The french onion soup I remembered so fondly from childhood tasted like it was fresh out of a Campbell’s can, with a piece of whitebread and slice of provelone cheese laid on it.
The service was mediocre, we were there in the mid-​afternoon, between the lunch and dinner rushes, and it was almost empty. We got the distinct feeling like we were almost in the way by being there when the servers expected to have a break.
The décor is nice, and the atmosphere is classy and upscaled, but you do pay a quite proportional price for dining in a nice-​looking place located at the very downtown heart of the city.
It’s not a bad place, but nothing special at all. If you’re in Victorian Square, Festival Market or the Civic Center and are looking for a «nice» place to eat and feel semi-​formal, this will suit you.

Desha’s is located in Lexington’s historic Victorian Square. It’s a run-​of-​the-​mill restaurant with a small bar.
The food is pretty decent.
The drinks are ehh.
Patron was pricey — $ 12 for a 3 count.
My meal, the shepherd’s pie, was filling and under 10 bucks.
The bartender, Cameo, was attentive.
.but there’s something off about this place. I think the individuals who frequent this spot are usually traveling, so it doesn’t seem to have regulars. This makes for a rather dry atmosphere.
Come for the food, pass on the drinks.

Being from California, we just don’t get Southern food this good. The fried chicken was juicy and perfect, and the mashed potatoes were amazing. We ate at the bar and the bartender was really fun and helped us get the lay of the land on our quick tour of the South. They served the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel ale by the half glass which was kind of weird, every other bar on our trip served it by the pint.
Overall we’re glad we stumbled into the place, and I can say it was the best food we had all week.

Came here while on a business trip. It was two blocks from my hotel, and I was out walking when a thunderstorm started.
The «best of Lexington» guide in the hotel, which I’d been carrying around as my map, mentioned DeSha’s has good cuts of meat, so I ordered fillet mignon.
The cornbread and honey butter that came before the entrée were very good. A generous portion for only one person. The dinner salad was fine. However, the steak was extremely chewy. Parts of it tasted a bit less cooked than medium rare. The crab cake that came with the steak for an extra $ 4 was so fishy and smelly I took one bite and left the rest untouched.
The redeeming factor here was the service. The waiter was probably the friendliest waiter I’ve ever had but didn’t make me feel awkward with his friendliness. He stopped by every few minutes to tell me my food was on its way. When I got the check, I noticed he hadn’t charged me for my salad. I told him, and he shrugged, smiled, and said I’d waited forever for my food. His definition of forever? Perhaps about 20 minutes. Not long at all.

Wait staff are very friendly and accommodating. I like the distressed look of the bar and all the intricate engravings.
I ate at the bar, entertained by the busy street outside. The special mushroom soup was creamy and very tasty. Scallop and grits was a tempting dish for me to try because of it’s uniqueness. The pan seared scallops where large and the sauce slightly spicy. I enjoyed the mixture of flavors with grits. I’d recommend this dish but again the price seemed a little high at $ 21.
The prices are ahigh but the food is good. My favorite aspect of Desha’s is the charm of the rustic bar and the friendly staff. I think this would be a great place to meet friends for a beer and a bite to eat. Just remember to bring a little extra cash since the prices are higher than expected.