Review Bear And Butcher - Lexington

After being snowed in for a few days, Fat Man Reviews found its way to Bear & The Butcher in Lexington, KY. Bear & The Butcher is a casual contemporary joint, they offer dinner daily, lunch Fri-Sun and Brunch Sat-Sun. I started with the Ashland Old Fashioned, which comes with Buffalo Trace, demerara syrup, orange bitters and a cherry. It was all bourbon. I could not taste anything else. We tried the Barbacoa Nachos. The description includes house potato chips, house smoked barbacoa, queso, pickled jalapeños, cilantro, sliced avocado and sour cream. The potato chips are thick cut and have a great crunch, barbacoa tasted great and was very tender, the avocado was fresh, but it would have been better smashed or as a guacamole. The queso was good but there needed to be more. The jalapeños add a bright acidic punch that were wonderful. The sour cream was missing, instead there was what tasted like Cotija cheese, and it made the dish a little salty. I tried the Smoked Salmon Burger with Smoked Gouda Mac N Cheese. The burger was made with house smoked salmon, mixed greens, tomato, cucumber dill sauce on a grilled brioche by DV8 Kitchen(previously reviewed). The salmon had a good flavor, but it was a little dry. The brioche was excellent and brought a slight sweetness to the burger. The dill sauce was great, but it was thin, and the bread soaked it up. If it were thicker then the dryness of the salmon would not have been as apparent. The mac n cheese sauce was creamy, and the noodles were cooked well. It was topped with sweet cornbread crumbles. I didn't care for the sweet taste in the Mac, not a fan. My fiancé tried the Smoked French Dip and Tater Tots. This came with house smoked beef, grilled red onion, Swiss cheese, au jus, on a sourdough hoagie. The hoagie was lightly toasted, the beef had a good smoked taste and was sliced kinda thin. The au jus could have used a little seasoning. The tots were out of a bag, but they were cooked well. Bear & The Butcher offers smoked wings, bar snacks, sandwiches, entrées, tacos and salads. They have a full bar, beers on tap and offer some vegan options. The Fat Man says that Bear & The Butcher is Fat Man Approved.

When they say the sewer in the Bloody Mary is loaded, they weren't kidding. What you can't see in the picture is that there are olives going down to the bottom of the glass. The bottomless mimosas are also good. I have had better brunch at other places, but it wasn't bad just more of a limited breakfast selection. The beignet was quite good. I was hoping for a more New Orleans look (don't know if taste is the same), but fried dough is almost always good especially with chocolate sauce.

What's up everyone!!! It's Muhammad the food critic , Beer & The Butcher overall I had a really nice time. The ambiance was nice upstairs and downstairs TV's are everywhere. I had the Cod fish sandwich and tater tots, My meal was $18.00 but my fish wasn't that spectacular nothing negative but it wasn't a large portion size of fish. That was truly my only problem , other than that Iike my cocktail the slushy alcohol mix 🤪.... So if you're on UK campus check them out....

This is a great place to stop for a meal or a couple drinks. The bar had unique offerings made in house and the food was good. The atmosphere was casual and we felt comfortable wearing hoodies as we stopped during a long road trip. The staff was very friendly and attentive.

After driving 11hrs into Lexington we were invited to this awesome place. Our group came from 4 different states and we all agreed that this was a perfect stop. All 6 of us had amazing entrees and sampled the beer choices. We’d highly recommend.!

Food was good, sat upstairs it was loud and temp fluctuated between extremes

Great food and fantastic service. We had our infant daughter out for a Mother’s Day brunch and our waiter Charles went above and beyond to warm her bottle up and take care of all 3 of us. We’ll definitely be back!

Always love this place. Pretzel and beer cheese is money. Wheat Ale is even better. Sit on the deck!

Went for brunch on a Sunday and it wasn't busy so I actually liked the casual, counter-ordering setup. I can see how it might be frustrating if you had a large group and it was busy, though. The space itself is very impressive and I recommend sitting on the upstairs balcony! Had the chicken and waffles. It was just ok. Hard to mess up waffles, but they were cold. Also tried the blackberry toaster pastry and it was tasty, but dry. Maybe it could be topped with some whipped cream? I was disappointed with the price & portion sizes. I'm used to big brunch plates and I definitely left hungry. I'm not one to leave reviews usually but I think there's a lot of potential here and I'm happy it's in my neighborhood! Hopefully they make some changes in the kitchen.

Went here for the first time last night with a date. The restaurant is cozy and our server was great. I had the 14 oz pork chop and it was fantastic. Juicy and perfectly cooked. The sauteed kale was also delicious. My date had the salmon which she enjoyed though the portion was small for the price. The entrees are about the same price, but the pork chop meal is much larger. Other than that, the experience was great. I'll definitely go back at some point.

I love this place. The food is excellent despite a feather limited menu. I highly recommend their brunch on the weekends.

Nice concept; but not a fan of ordering at a counter like a fast food joint; having to pick up own drinks at the bar. But food was good, served fairly quickly and at modest cost. Exception: a small pour of Cabernet for $14?

Got just one lamb slider, dry and not much flavor Got potato salad as a side- didn't really want a pint for one slider, it was watery & flavorless too. $6.00 for that is not worth it. I can go elsewhere and get 2 or 3 sliders and a side for the same price.

Had Dinner there today, for Burger week. The Berlin Burger was excellent! Nice blend of flavor and great balance. The Belgian Fries w/ Bacon & Sriracha were great - and again an nice balance of tastes, without any one ingredient overpowering the others. Our Server - Genna - was very attentive, and had all our food and drinks promptly after ordering. She made great suggestions, and was spot on her descriptions. I definitely will be back, and will encourage all of my friends to join me!

I didn't get food but all the bartenders were so sweet, they made me a hot tottie (not on the menu) it really helped my kick my sore throat. Love the vibe of this place!

First time here!! Will definitely return!!! Food was great.. server was helpful, attentive and very friendly!! Atmosphere is fun. TV a tad loud but all good!!!

We loved the food and the atmosphere. Everyone was very friendly. However, we ultimately left before we would have because getting up every time we needed a drink or to get silverware was not ideal. We will still go back, but the concept will work a lot better if there are actual servers who check on you during the process.

From the walk in the layout is perfect and very well thought out. Love the service from Jeremy who was very attentive the entire stay. Bartending staff killed it on the cocktails and kitchen murdered the food. Thanks can't wait to come back

Had to order at the counter and then wait over an hour for four tacos. Terrible service, we won't go back. Sorry, but this concept does NOT work.

Inexpensive & delicious food, modern & open atmosphere, friendly & attentive bartenders I recommended the spicy marg & sliders Will be going back w/ best friends.

New menu has lots of great options. 8 of us visited Thursday night. Everyone enjoyed their meal and service was great!

We had excellent service, and delicious food. Very neat atmosphere. Definitely recommend.

Food was great, not the staff. Surly fellow taking orders. No one bothered to check up on us. Had to find someone to get a towel for a spill. Hope they get better, I'll give them another chance later.