Coming Soon to Lexington: New Restaurants and Shops
We track openings from announcement to licensed to open, with a source on every entry. Nothing here is on the page because we heard it somewhere.
How this works
Every business below sits at one of these stages. Announced means somebody has said it is coming, and it is the softest claim here. Licensed means a record exists, usually a state alcohol license, which costs money and paperwork to get. Open means the doors are open. Entries move forward through those stages and we date every move. Closed is the one label that is not a step forward: it means a business opened and has since shut, and its entry stays in the archive below with both dates on it.
Expected dates are quoted from the business, never estimated by us, and they slip often. That is the reason the status matters more than the date.
Nothing is sitting at licensed right now. That stage fills from license records rather than announcements, so it stays empty until one turns up. We would rather show you an empty column than guess at it.
Newly open
Open within the last 120 days, newest first. After that an entry moves down to opened in 2026.
BODYBAR Pilates
OpenBODYBAR Pilates opened early September 2026 on Harrodsburg Road.
Other at 4257 Harrodsburg Road, Suite 120, Ethington Shops
Opened early September 2026
No source publishes an exact opening day. The chain's own release is dated September 8, 2026 and says the studio had already opened, and the Lexington Times reported it on September 9, so this entry records early September rather than a day. The first BODYBAR studio in Kentucky, 2,500 square feet with 14 reformers.
Source: BODYBAR Pilates release (2026-09-08), The Lexington Times (2026-09-09), BODYBAR Pilates Palomar (2026-09-15)· checked September 15, 2026
Rally House
OpenRally House opened early September 2026 on New Circle Road.
Retail at 1555 E. New Circle Road, Suite 118, Woodhill Circle Plaza
Opened early September 2026
No source publishes an exact opening day. Rally House's own announcement is dated September 4, 2026 and says the store had already opened, so this entry records early September rather than a day. It is the chain's third Lexington store.
Source: Rally House newsroom (2026-09-04), The Lexington Times (2026-09-08), Rally House store page (2026-09-15)· checked September 15, 2026
Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux
OpenWalk-On's Sports Bistreaux is open on South Broadway.
Restaurant at 1030 S. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504
Source: LEX18 (2026-09-14)· checked September 14, 2026
Barnes & Noble
OpenBarnes & Noble opened August 26, 2026 on Nicholasville Road.
Retail at 3565 Nicholasville Road, I-933, Fayette Mall
Opened August 26, 2026
A relocation and expansion inside Fayette Mall, not a new store in town. The bookstore moved from 3401 Nicholasville Road into the former Burlap & Birch space and grew by more than half.
Source: Barnes & Noble newsroom (2026-08-19)· checked September 5, 2026
51st Deli
Open51st Deli opened August 18, 2026 on South Broadway.
Restaurant at 1344 S Broadway, in the former Becker Law office
Opened August 18, 2026
First location outside Tennessee for the Nashville chain. Renovations pushed the opening back more than a year.
Source: WKYT (2026-08-18)· checked September 5, 2026
Seven Elms Cafe
OpenSeven Elms Cafe opened August 11, 2026 in the East End.
Restaurant at Seventh Street at Elm Tree Lane
Opened August 11, 2026
A 24 seat lunch counter named for its corner. Runs a prepay board so customers can cover a meal for someone else.
Source: WKYT (2026-08-04)· checked September 5, 2026
Mulberry Street Bar and Kitchen
OpenMulberry Street Bar and Kitchen opened July 11, 2026 on North Limestone.
Bar at 574 N Limestone, in the former Arcadium and Favor space
Opened July 11, 2026
Mediterranean-leaning small plates with a full bar.
Source: WKYT (2026-07-09)· checked September 5, 2026
7 Brew Coffee
Open7 Brew Coffee opened June 22, 2026 on Georgetown Road.
Coffee at Remington Drive, near Citation Boulevard and Georgetown Road
Opened June 22, 2026
The drive-thru chain's third Lexington stand.
Source: WKYT (2026-06-25)· checked September 5, 2026
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
OpenFirebirds Wood Fired Grill opened mid-June 2026 in Hamburg.
Restaurant at 2400 Polo Club Blvd
Opened mid-June 2026
The chain's first Kentucky location. No exact opening day was published, so the label says mid-June rather than inventing a date.
Source: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (2026-09-04)· checked September 5, 2026
Graeter's Ice Cream
OpenGraeter's Ice Cream opened June 11, 2026 on Harrodsburg Road.
Restaurant at 3957 Fountainblue Lane, Fountains at Palomar
Opened June 11, 2026
The first new Graeter's in Lexington in a decade, and the only one of the three with a drive-thru.
Source: WKYT (2026-06-11)· checked September 5, 2026
Nothing But Noodles
OpenNothing But Noodles opened June 2026 on Harrodsburg Road.
Restaurant at 4257 Harrodsburg Road, Ethington Shops
Opened June 2026
The chain's first Kentucky location. No exact opening day was published; the date recorded is the day it was reported open.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (2026-06-04)· checked September 5, 2026
Shibam Coffee
OpenShibam Coffee opened June 2026 downtown.
Coffee at 535 S Upper Street
Opened June 2026
Yemeni coffee and tea drinks. No exact opening day was published.
Source: Smiley Pete, Craveworthy (2026-06-25)· checked September 5, 2026
Coming soon, by area of town
Leestown Road
Country Boy Brewing
AnnouncedCountry Boy Brewing is coming to Leestown Road; the expected opening is September 2026.
Bar at The Commons, 1409 N Forbes Road
Expected September 2026
A 150 seat taproom with 24 taps and a full barbecue menu. The timing is the brewery's own, announced on its Facebook page in July.
Source: WKYT, on the brewery's own announcement (2026-07-06)· checked September 5, 2026
OBC Kitchen
AnnouncedOBC Kitchen is coming to Leestown Road. No opening date has been announced yet.
Restaurant at The Commons, 1409 N Forbes Road
Expected no date announced
A relocation from the Lansdowne Shopping Center, announced June 12, 2026. No opening date has been published.
Source: The Commons (2026-06-12)· checked September 5, 2026
The Rail
AnnouncedThe Rail is coming to Leestown Road. No opening date has been announced yet.
Other at The Commons, 1409 N Forbes Road
Expected no date announced
A 30,000 square foot performance venue with a stated capacity of 1,750. No opening date has been published. The source date is the day we read the developer's page, not an announcement date.
Source: The Commons (2026-09-04)· checked September 5, 2026
Downtown
Joe Brett's Ice Cream
AnnouncedJoe Brett's Ice Cream is coming to downtown. No opening date has been announced yet.
Restaurant at 113 N Broadway, Victorian Square
Expected no date announced
Going into the former Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen space, with boozy and non-alcoholic flavors. No opening date has been published.
Source: Smiley Pete, Craveworthy (2026-06-25)· checked September 5, 2026
Magee's Bakery
AnnouncedMagee's Bakery is coming to downtown; the expected opening is fall 2026.
Restaurant at 726 E Main Street
Expected fall 2026
Reopening under new ownership after 67 years in business and a 2023 closing. Shorter hours and a rotating menu are planned.
Source: WKYT (2026-06-10)· checked September 5, 2026
Nicholasville Road
Carter's
AnnouncedCarter's is coming to Nicholasville Road. No opening date has been announced yet.
Retail at Fayette Mall, the former Victoria's Secret PINK space near H&M
Expected no date announced
Listed by the mall's owner as coming soon, with no date given.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (2026-07-29)· checked September 5, 2026
Perfumania
AnnouncedPerfumania is coming to Nicholasville Road. No opening date has been announced yet.
Retail at Fayette Mall, across from JCPenney near Coach
Expected no date announced
Listed by the mall's owner as coming soon, with no date given.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (2026-07-29)· checked September 5, 2026
Richmond Road
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii
AnnouncedBad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is coming to Richmond Road; the expected opening is end of 2026 or early 2027.
Coffee at Idle Hour shopping center, Richmond Road
Expected end of 2026 or early 2027
Shares the redeveloped Coba Cocina site with Smalls Sliders. Would be the chain's first Lexington location with a drive-thru.
Source: WKYT (2026-07-23)· checked September 5, 2026
Smalls Sliders
AnnouncedSmalls Sliders is coming to Richmond Road; the expected opening is end of 2026 or early 2027.
Restaurant at Idle Hour shopping center, Richmond Road, on the former Coba Cocina site
Expected end of 2026 or early 2027
The first Smalls Sliders in Kentucky. The Coba Cocina site is being split into two buildings, each with a drive-thru.
Source: WKYT (2026-07-23)· checked September 5, 2026
Fritz Farm
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
AnnouncedJeni's Splendid Ice Creams is coming to Fritz Farm. No opening date has been announced yet.
Restaurant at 111 Summit at Fritz Farm, Suite 110
Expected no date announced
The first Jeni's scoop shop in Kentucky, going into the former Buzzed Bull Creamery space. The company's own page says grand opening details are still to come. The source date is the day we read that page.
Source: Jeni's (2026-09-04)· checked September 5, 2026
Southland
Lexington Baking Collective
AnnouncedLexington Baking Collective is coming to Southland; the expected opening is later in summer 2026.
Coffee at 468 Southland Drive
Expected later in summer 2026
A cafe out front and a shared commercial bakery kitchen in back, run by the owners of Dahlhus Fudge, Futile Bakery and Hound & Horse Bakery. The expected timing is quoted from their own site, which still said summer when we last read it.
Source: Lexington Baking Collective (2026-09-04), WKYT (2026-07-20)· checked September 5, 2026
Citywide
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill
AnnouncedHawaiian Bros Island Grill is coming to Lexington. No opening date has been announced yet.
Restaurant at Four Lexington locations, sites not announced
Expected no date announced
A development agreement, not a lease. Ohana Restaurant Group committed to four Lexington restaurants and one in Bowling Green. No Lexington address has been named, so this entry stays siteless until one is.
Source: Franchising.com, on the franchisee's announcement (2026-01-14)· checked September 5, 2026
Opened in 2026
The year's record, newest first. Most of these opened more than 120 days ago and have moved out of the newly open list above and off the homepage. Anything that has since closed is here too, whatever its age, with the date it closed. They stay here, and their history stays in the newsletter.
Carson's Back Porch
OpenCarson's Back Porch opened May 4, 2026 downtown.
Restaurant at 321 E Vine Street
Opened May 4, 2026
Sources disagree on the opening date and we record the earlier one. Doors opened May 4; OpenTable reservations did not start until May 18, which is where the later date in circulation comes from.
Source: WKYT (2026-04-17)· checked September 5, 2026
Old School Coffee
OpenOld School Coffee opened May 1, 2026 in Tates Creek.
Coffee at 3373 Tates Creek Road, Lansdowne Shoppes
Opened May 1, 2026
The local roaster's third full cafe, alongside Dudley Square, Hamburg and the Fayette Mall kiosk.
Source: Old School Coffee (2026-09-04)· checked September 5, 2026
Mirror Twin Brewing
OpenMirror Twin Brewing opened in spring 2026 on Harrodsburg Road.
Bar at 4379 Old Harrodsburg Road, South Elkhorn Village
Opened spring 2026
The weakest date on this page and flagged as such. The brewery's first taproom outside the Warehouse Block, in the former SEC Bar space, reported in April as having soft opened a few weeks earlier. No exact date was published, and the brewery's own site does not currently list this location. Treat the season, not a day, as the claim.
Source: TOPS in Lex, Biz Buzz (2026-04-01)· checked September 5, 2026
Know something coming? Tell us
A sign in a window, a permit taped to a door, a social post you saw once and cannot find again. Send it and we will go check.
Tips are not published. What you send goes to a queue for us to verify against a source we can cite. If it checks out, an entry appears with that source on it. If it does not, it stays in the queue. Either way nothing you type here goes on the page as you typed it.
Related
- Lexington restaurant rankings for the places that are already open and how they are doing.
- Restaurant health inspection scores from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
- Lexington events calendar, including grand openings once they are announced.
- Bourbon events and experiences for tastings, dinners and barrel picks around Lexington.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know a business is coming to Lexington?
From something published, never from word of mouth. The best source is the business itself: its own website, its own social announcement, a franchise development agreement, or a landlord or developer listing it as a tenant. A news story can establish that an announcement happened, and we cite it when it does. Every entry on this page links at least one source, and if we could not find one, the entry is not here. Tips from readers are leads we go verify, not entries.
What do announced, licensed, and open mean?
They are the three stages a business passes through, and they carry different weight. Announced means someone has said it is coming, which is the weakest claim on the page: plans change and leases fall through. Licensed means a record exists, most often an alcohol license through the state, which is a real commitment of money and paperwork. Open means the doors are open and we have a date. An entry moves forward through those stages and we log the date of every move. There is a fourth label, closed, for a business that opened and has since shut: it keeps its opening date, gains the date it closed, and stays in the archive lower down the page rather than being deleted.
How do I submit a tip about a business opening?
Use the tip form on this page. Tell us the business name, roughly where it is going, and anything you saw, whether that is a sign in a window, a permit posted on a door, or a social post. A link helps most of all. Tips go to a moderation queue and are never published automatically. We check each one against a source we can cite, and only then does an entry appear. If we cannot verify it, it stays in the queue.
Why is a business I know about missing from this page?
Usually because we have not found a source we can cite. A sign in a window is real, but on its own it does not tell us the name, the timing, or whether the plan is still live, so it does not become an entry until something published backs it. The page is also swept weekly rather than continuously, so an announcement from the last few days may not be up yet. Send it in either way.
How current is this page?
It is swept once a week, and every entry carries the date someone last opened its sources and confirmed they still say what the entry says. That is not the same as the date we last edited the wording. Expected opening dates are quoted from the business, not estimated by us, and they slip often, which is exactly why the status matters more than the date. An entry that has gone quiet keeps its old timing rather than getting a fresh guess.
Do businesses pay to be listed here?
No. Nothing on this page is paid, sponsored, or submitted for a fee, and no business can buy a place in it or a position within it. Source links are marked nofollow, which means they pass no search ranking benefit, so a listing here is not worth anything to a business except that people find out it is coming.
About this page
This directory launched on September 4, 2026 with 24 entries, each one checked against a source that day. It is swept once a week, and every row carries the date someone last opened that entry's sources and confirmed they still say what we say, which is not the same as the last time we edited the wording. You can see for yourself how fresh any given entry is rather than trusting a "last updated" stamp at the top of a page.
Where a business publishes its own timing we quote it exactly, including vague wording like "later this summer." We do not sharpen a season into a month or a month into a day. Where no exact opening date was ever published, the entry says so rather than showing a date we picked.
Some entries carry a note about what we could not confirm. Carson's Back Porch has two dates in circulation and we record the earlier one, because that is when the doors opened; the later date is when online reservations started. Mirror Twin's Old Harrodsburg Road taproom is the softest date here, reported as a soft opening some weeks before it was written up, with no exact day published anywhere and no listing on the brewery's own site. It says spring rather than a day.
Source links open in a new tab and are marked nofollow. We link them so you can check our work, not to send them traffic, and a listing here is worth nothing to a business beyond people learning it is coming. Nothing on this page is paid or sponsored.
An entry that gets cancelled comes off the lists rather than being quietly deleted, and we keep the record of it internally. Plans falling through is part of the story this page is trying to tell honestly.
A business that opens and later closes is not deleted either. Its entry stays in the archive above with the date it closed printed next to the date it opened, because a directory that quietly drops the ones that did not last would be describing a Lexington that is only ever gaining restaurants.