I was actually looking for The Horse & Barrel based on Yelp 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!
This is my first trip to Lexington Kentucky.  So I was excited.  I arrived today and I have to say I was very happy to kiss the Kentucky ground after the wild ride here today on the American Airlines crop duster.  Checked into the Hilton, and the service was awful and the front desk extremely rude.  So far, my excitement about Lexington is waning.....fast.  So I wanted to treat myself to a really nice dinner. I might add that no one at the Hilton recommended this restaurant, which should have told me something.  I walked outside, saw this place and decided to walk across the street to this restaurant.  I walked in and I was given a seat in the Bar area.  I didn't come here to drink....I came to eat so I asked if they could move me...after all, only a few people was in the restaurant.  Reluctantly, the hostess moved me after talking to several other people in the restaurant.  The waiter came over and he was nice enough.  I ordered a 12 oz Ribeye with a baked potato, asparagus and a salad.  My dinner came out and, being a carnivore from Texas and Oklahoma, I noticed  immediately that they were trying to pass off another cut of meat as the Ribeye i ordered.  In fact it was, according to the waiter, their Filet, which had been butterflied.  Now I am a filet guy...and that was not a filet.  All I have to say is everyone who touched that plate either knew or should have known it was not a Ribeye.  Will not be going back,
Review Source: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)!
Review Source:I went to DeSha's for lunch while I was in town on a business trip. Â I loved it! Â I had the prime rib sandwich on a preztel bun with a side of cheese grits. Â The grits were great - thick and cheesy just like I like them. Â The restaurant was gorgeous - inside a beautiful Victorian building in the middle of downtown. Â We had great, prompt service even though we were in a large group. Â I would definitely go back again.
Review Source:Sometimes I want to go and order just the cornbread. It's that good. We dine here at least once a month after a downtown activity. The salmon salads, the burgers, coconut chicken, prime rib and fried chicken get ordered again and again by our group. Â It's an opinionated group, so the fact that we keep returning is good testimony to the food. Our only issue is that we want to sit together (6 to 10 of us) and sometimes that concept seems to challenge the hostesses.
Review Source:A-ok is a good description of Desha's. I was not particularly impressed with the place, but was not much unimpressed either. I ordered a burger and although the burger itself was fairly good, it took a while, even after asking, to get condiments. Apart from that, the waiter was good. I wasn't impressed overall and would just as likely try another neighboring place as I would to go back to Desha's.
Review Source:Went to the bar on a Monday night for dessert and a beer. Bartender acted like she wes doing us a favor by serving us. She clearly would rather not sure have bothered. Shut down the bar 2hrs before sheduled closing with us sitting there. Dessert was not worth ordering and such service frankly means that she should not be employed there.
Review Source:My wife and I ate there last Saturday evening and were very disappointed. As another reviewer noted deSha's had a good reputation in past years. We got there about 6pm so it was just prior to prime time. Our waiter was not cheery at all and did not seem to want to be there. I ordered prime rib. When they brought it I asked for some horse radish and the waiter said "sorry but we are out of any raw horse radisch or sauce. We noticed earlier today". How can you have prime rib as a feature and not have horse  radish on a Saturday night????  How hard would it have been to get some locally??? . He did not seem to think it was a big deal and made no amends. My wife had the fish and chips which were average.
i took 2 bites of my prime rib and pushed it away. The waiter came and looked at me like I insulted him. When you factor in their prices it was extremely disapointing. What a shame as it is in a great part of Lexington. Maybe they had a bad night but I doubt I will go there again.
I'm in town for a conference and this was nearby. I had a pasta dish and it was very good. The onion soup was very delicious, too. My friends also enjoyed their meals. One order wasn't prepared as asked, but the staff was courteous and quickly remedied the mistake. I would recommend this place to others!
Review Source: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?) Â 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 Yelp 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. Â 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. Â That time has come and gone. Â About twenty years ago, when it was new and very popular, deSha's was the big restaraunt to eat at in Lexington. Â There was a long wait, and typically the place was packed solid, especially for dinner. Â 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. Â I took my girlfriend here expecting a romantic meal at a good restaraunt.
It wasn't what I remembered, not even particularly close. Â The food was run-of-the-mill, like what I could get (for substantially cheaper) at any other place in Lexington. Â 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. Â
The service was mediocre, we were there in the mid-afternoon, between the lunch and dinner rushes, and it was almost empty. Â We got the distinct feeling like we were almost in the way by being there when the servers expected to have a break. Â
The decor 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. Â
It's not a bad place, but nothing special at all. Â 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. Â It's a run-of-the-mill restaurant with a small bar. Â
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. Â
..but there's something off about this place. Â I think the individuals who frequent this spot are usually traveling, so it doesn't seem to have regulars. Â 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. Â The fried chicken was juicy and perfect, and the mashed potatoes were amazing. Â 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. Â 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 entree 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.
Had lunch here with my husband and three children on a recent trip to Lexington. Â We had been out on a walking tour, and were hot, tired, and hungry. Â I'd been to DeSha's before, but not for years. Â Great location, but at this trip, the kitchen and servers were not pulling their weight. Â
We were seated next to two parties of downtown Lex business types. Â It was as if the hostess said to herself, "Let's see if we can drive this mom nuts trying to keep her children under control, and irritate all the locals as well." Â Service was excruciatingly slow. Â It took forever for the waiter to come get drink orders, then again to deliver the drinks. Â
DeShas has a children's menu, with the usual suspects. Â My 4-yo ordered the corn dog nuggets, which came with steak fries. Â All frozen packaged products, delivered so hot that she burned her tongue. Â No warning. Â I had the Hawaiian Chicken Salad, which should have been refreshing, but turned out to be extremely bland. Â No tang whatsoever. Â The accompaning fruit salad looked like someone had gone through it and picked out the good stuff, leaving grapes and honeydew. Â It was served with date-nut bread and cream cheese sandwiches, which were not bad, and not good either. Â My husband ordered the Shepherd's Pie, which he pronounced OK, but nothing special. Â The 10 yo niece and 9 yo son both had the club sandwich, which was served on thick-sliced bread, with a side of potato chips. Â The chips may have been in-house? Â
All in all, just OK. Â The waiter didn't ignore us, but he wasn't exactly attentive either. Â As we left the building, I wished that I had had my phone with me, so that I could have Yelped something better.
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. Â Â
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.
I'd heard so many people raving about Desha's of Lexington that I thought that if I didn't go there while in Lexington, something horrible would happen to me in the after life.
OK, let's be clear: it wasn't horrible, but I don't exactly think this is a place I'll want to be proposed to or anything. Â For what you get, the food is slightly on the pricey side. Â Specifically, I want to take to task the stuffed mushrooms in cheese sauce and green tomato appetizers . I've had better, more succulent stuffed mushrooms at Carino's. Â The fried green tomato appetizer also left a lot of room for improvement; there was very little taste.
It was a week night, so the chef might have been off--but then again--if it's a week night, isn't that more time to serve the fewer customers wonderfully? Â
I can't imagine why I would come here with a large group rather than a much more "competitively" priced Bar & Grill like Charley's.
I still give it three stars for interesting menu items that I did not try after having the appetizers that left me ready to pack and leave.
Desha's is a great place if you've got a large group...I had NYE dinner here with my entire family (17 people!) as we were all in from Chicago to celebrate my aunt's birthday.
The staff was accomidating, the food amazing and the service stellar.
The location is fantastic, and I only wish the weather had been warmer as it would have been nice to check out the surrounding bars after dinner.
The servers were nice, that's about it. This place reminded me of Chile's, or similar chains. Nothing special about this place. Some of the reviews I read before going here makes me wonder if others really know the difference. It's too expensive for fast food quality. That's the bad news, jokes on anyone paying to eat. This was a complete waste of time, even the drinks I had waiting was way too expensive. Go find something good to eat for the money you will waste eating an drinking at Desha's.
Review Source:We stopped here for dinner on a Monday night. Â The other places in the area seemed pretty empty, while DeSha's was at about 70% capacity. Â The food was decent, nothing truly memorable, though a bit more expensive than I would have expected for the area. Â I had a scallop special served over cheese grits. Â The dish was pretty good, though the sauce on top of the scallops didn't really go -- it seemed a bit off to me. Â An OK place, though probably wouldn't come back here given other options in the area.
Review Source:DeSha's is a great Lexington restaurant. The Broadway Burger, a great combination of a bbq sauce, bacon and ground chuck, and the Prime Rib are easily the best options on the menu for people that eat red meat. Food is great and fairly priced for a fancy downtown location. Not many options for vegetarians though.
Review Source:The staff was friendly and attentive, the beer tasty (Guiness, of course), but the food was middle of the road, for what was recommended as "really good". No complaints, but nothing to write home about. It was regrettable that a friend's pork tenderloin was overcooked, but the manager did come out and apologize, and offer to immediately prepare another dish. 5 minutes later Crab Cakes were expedited to the table. They were reported to be "ok", by my fellow gastronome. I had an appetizer sampler, containing, among other things, Stuffed Banana Peppers. These were interesting. Like jalapeno poppers, but with banana peppers. Intrigued I was, but they turned out to be chewier than I'd have liked. The rest of the items, potato skins and coconut chicken strips, were good, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The "Hot Brown" looked good, and I regret not returning again to try it. Maybe another time...
And to whomever stole my jacket - I hope you choke.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,607 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,970 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,306 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,904 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,983 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
