Henry Clay’s Public House

If you have the time, come in and see Richard. He’s a phenomenal bartender. He gave us great history of the city, great recommendations for dinner and he’s a fabulous conversationalist. We’ll definitely be back to visit him and get more history of Lexington!

Hands down this is my favorite spot in Lexington.
The drinks are strong, the staff is so nice, and the popcorn is free!

great cocktails and live music, late night is more of a college scene, but my husband and I enjoyed our drinks and the live music they had playing that friday night

Went about 5:00pm on a Thursday, and it was a very light crowd. Fantastic Bourbon selection, and the bartender Richard was great. No food, but fresh popcorn was all we needed. Dog friendly bar which was pretty cool. Current construction in front, so a little hard to find, but don’t let that stop you.

Best bar in Lexington. They know how to make a good drink and they know their bourbon. Richard is hands down the best bartender in town. And Lauren is the friendliest! The bar is clean, historical, welcoming and you never know who will be in there; patrons are of all ages and ilks and make for an interesting night out; they represent Lexington from young to old. HCPC has live music featuring some of the best bands around.

I have only been here once and it was during one of their live music nights. The place was packed and extremely loud. It took forever to get to the bar to get a drink and then they were doing construction outside and had a chain link fence shoved up against the sidewalk making it necessary to squish in like sardines. I don’t like people that much. Especially annoying drunks blowing smoke in my face.
The bartender was nice and friendly when I made it up there and let me buy 2 instead of just one. That will hold me over while I get to the door for sure.
I will stop back by when the construction is finished and I have a reason to be in that area. Then I might update the review so don’t hate.

Bartenders and managers are very rude, horrible service and will destroy any good mood you may be in. Too many people have had terrible experience with the awful bartender guys… I recommend you do not go here and tell everyone else not to go. Two of two times I’ve been there horrible experience…

They always have great live music on the weekends! The service is friendly and the drinks are reasonably priced. As another reviewer stated, there is even free popcorn!
This isn’t a college bar. You will see people of all ages hanging out. The décor is a great reflection of the historic building that it is located in. It’s classy, but decorated very simply.

Great old building. Ask about the tunnels underneath! Have a pumpkin ale with a cinnamon and sugar coating on the glass rim! Crazy good!

Great place to come after work for happy hour. It does get very crowded on the weekends (not really a bad thing — unless you just aren’t in the mood for a packed house) They have great live music and are such a prime location — close to everything downtown. Don’t let the construction of 21c fool you, they are definitely still open and still serving free popcorn!

Cheap live music. Popular downtown on the weekends. Also have a good tap selection.

We were the only ones there, early on a Saturday evening. The band hadn’t yet arrived, but the bartender (sorry that I can’t remember his name) explained about the multiple bands and musicians. He also explained a bit of the history of the building. The law firm or the lawyer with the office upstairs, owns the building but not the bar that’s managed and owned by the same people who own Redmond’s and several other local bars. Although this bar hasn’t been there for long, the building has and it has an older, historical feel to it… perfect name. The bartender mentioned that he has worked for the owner at other of their bars, for many years. He was quite awesome. I always ask questions and try to interact with the bartender when it’s possible. If they’re busy and if you don’t acknowledge that you want interaction, or if you go and the bartender is too busy and it’s crowded, you may not get the experience that I did.
Two things that will forever stick out in my memory are the free popcorn and the bourbon. Awe, the bourbon! They have 75 – 80 different bourbons.
I can’t comment on the crowd, because we were the only ones there. Not knowing the music scene either, both means I’ll be back. They better keep up on their game and I’ll update my review.
The only downside is the parking. I’ve not figured that one out yet. Because the street/​metered parking is scarce and usually occupied, parking can be a an issue, but that is common in downtown Lexington. But if you’re coming to enjoy and consume the bourbon, you should be taxiing it anyways, right? My husband and I usually trade off on dates and take turns on who will drink and who will drive, never a combination. Maybe soon will check out one of the pink mustache taxi cars going around a lot lately.

A friend and I went here for Thursday night live a couple weeks ago. They had a great drink selection and the staff were very knowledgeable when it came to the mix drinks. Also free popcorn.

This place is awesome! I usually choose to visit this bar over others because they make the best white Russians, it’s clean, staff is friendly, they have live music (excellent live music), and the crowd is of mixed ages. I never feel as if I’ve stumbled into a frat party, nor do I feel too young. People dress in everything from jeans to suits, so it’s very welcoming to everyone. Oh, and they have free popcorn!

There isn’t a lot of diversity to this place, almost entirely preppy, which I guess can be implied by the name, not an entirely bad thing if you are in the mood. I can always appreciate a guy in a suit, even if it is hemmed a half inch to short, and he is a little too sloppy. like all day sloppy sloppy. Know what I mean?
Pretty loud in here, aside from the live music, which is awesome btw! Not a lot of places in Lexington have it in the area. And it is an interesting layout– a pretty long bar, so you can choose to be in the midst of things (the music and people) or be in a completely different area (the front/​middle) and have your own thing going on.
I would try this place a little earlier in the evening, maybe for a drink or tasting before dinner, as it gets very crowded later at night, but seating at the bar would be nice for a tasting.
There was a line– one in one out, when I came through. pretty wack to be honest.

Looking to kill some time between Bourbon tasting and dinner we stumbled upon this little gem. We were the only people in sight, but enjoyed chatting with the friendly and knowledgeable bartender. As I guess I would expect, the man knew his bourbon. And as a bonus, the popcorn you get at the bar was really really good. I wish I lived closer as this could be my Cheers.

Historic location and reasonably priced alcohol. If the bartender isn’t busy (early in the evening), ask him to tell you about the building. The wood floor is original, wide planks and so is the fireplace — very cool! This bar is like stepping back in time a 150 years or so. TIP: if you start here early in the evening, you can bar-​hop around the area and return to this pub when the bands start playing around 10 p.m.

I have been playing music here since the place opened, so I have an appreciation for this place on a level that others may not. First of all, this place fills a niche that was badly needed in Lexington in that it provides a very laid back, music-​driven approach to the bar scene, without trying too hard. For the general public, the lack of a cover charge means this is one of the most accessible, non-​pretentious places downtown. As a result, there will never be the same crowd here twice. If you’re looking for a place where everyone looks just like you, turn around and walk out the door. There is no rhyme or reason to who will be here on any given night. That’s one of my favorite things about this place is that you may find yourself hanging out with people that aren’t just like you. Refreshing.
The beer selection is good, and I hear the cocktails are as well, though I don’t drink liquor. The popcorn is extremely salty but you just can’t resist it, and everyone behind the bar is going to get you what you want, but be prepared to wait a couple minutes on busy nights… they’re doing all they can.
As a musician, the room is one of the best sounding in Lexington, and the PA system is excellent. There’s always a good band playing, and though most of them tend to slant towards the classic rock era, there is usually something for everyone. Try this place out and see for yourself. If you’re looking for good drinks and good music without a lot of diversions, then you’re in luck. This is going to be your place.

like live music this place is on my list. Even more so when the Sons of the Frigidaires play. But not liking it seams to be a Lex– post college group, the new Rose Buds. Not crazy about that

This is one of my favorite new bars (opened Summer 2012) in Lexington. The Public House (ie «pub») typically has a more mature crowd than the college hot-​spots of McCarthy’s and Tin Roof. Catering to this, the drink selection is better and the music is quieter. Looks small from the streetfront, but sufficiently big inside. Strategic seating and bar placement makes the interior easy to navigate, and the high ceilings keep it from getting stuffy. Frequent live music acts keep the atmosphere varied and lively. Bar staff is friendly, with a sufficient yet not overbearing amount of quirkiness.