Barrel 53

Whenever I'm in or around Lexington this will forever be my go to! Locally owned & The people here are absolutely amazing and so welcoming. Barrel 53 is the restaurant & bar located inside the hotel and the food NEVER disappoints, The Barrel Burger is BOMB & their fries are even good later when they are cold. The younger bartender is seriously the best and has the sweetest soul!! I placed first in one of their karaoke competitions so they comped my room (bathroom was extra fancy btw) and seriously made me and my family feel like we didn't want to leave lol!! Thanks Hotel Lex & Barrel 53 for making us feel like family, we will always recommend yall to anyone planning a trip or heading through & will have forever memories from my family

The food is pretty mediocre. It's not bad but it is also not great. Now the service is another story. The service is spectacular. Everyone is so nice and very welcoming. I will be back just because of the service. The ambiance of the place is very welcoming and warm. We was treated like family that they have known their whole lives. I will definitely be back. We went on a Tuesday for open mic night and the music was good as well. We didn't know any of the music but it was still nice:

I come here a lot because I do the open mics and gigs there. The food is always amazing! The salmon is so good. The main bartender and server is so friendly and fun. It's a nice place and a nice hotel. Definitely worth a visit. The live music is also good!

The food and service were fantastic- we had the grilled salmon and burger at the bar. it was cooked to perfection. Nice fluffy crisp fries. Bartender was great.

We came by on a Saturday night because the management booked a local alternative bluegrass band called 3 men & a banjo. Good! Get em here again! I liked the food options and the prices were good too. Cheers!

My husband & I tried Barrel 53 for the first time today. We ate early so our service was great. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. I got the grill chicken tenders, seasoned vegetables and sweet potato which was really good. My husband got the side salad which was chopped and delicious with in-house made ranch dressing. His main course was the burger platter which was excellent. His burger was perfectly grilled and the French fries were crispy, well seasoned, & delicious. We are excited to have such a nice restaurant on our side of town that is both delicious and affordable. Give it a try the next time you get off on Richmond Road, it's located in the newly renovated Hotel Lex.

Barrel 53 is the restaurant and bar inside the yet-to-open Hotel Lex at Exit 104 of I-75 in Lexington KY. Just a few miles down the road from my house. So, when I saw they were locally owned, open, and featured a bourbon bar, I added it to my Must Try list. The opportunity arose when a musician friend told me he was playing there on July 1. So, off I went to join his wife, a couple other friends and a couple dozen other patrons for a Saturday night of food, drinks, live music and friends. The whole evening was a winner!The space is decorated as one would expect a bourbon-themed place to be, with dark woods, barrels, large bar. It is very spacious with booths, tables, high tops, and a small private room. The staff were friendly, attentive, and proud of what they were doing there. The food was fantastic!! Great presentation, lots of options and everything prepared perfectly! My friends and I enjoyed all our dishes from chicken to hot brown to grilled cheese to apps. And the Brussel Sprouts were killer. Then we shared an apple crisp dessert that was more than enough for all of us to sample. The bourbon list is good and growing with reasonable prices. Their cocktail list takes imaginative twists on classics. (But don't let them use bottled lime juice concentrate! If they do, ask them to remake it and they will. Hopefully, I made my point when I suggested they reserve that for the cleaning closet, not the cocktail well.). They had really good beer specials, too! $2.00-4.00 for good stuff!Whether you live in Lexington, come for a visit, or are just passing thru on the interstate, this place should be in your restaurant rotation.

We were traveling through and stopped for lunch. Our server was very kind and helpful. The food was delicious. We enjoyed the large, spacious booth. We'd stop again if in the area!

After reading some reviews, we were a little hesitant to stop in, but we did, and I'm glad! Food was great and the service was too! My husband ordered a black and blue drink and they said the blue moon was out, so he ordered a black and orange and it was so good! We will definitely be back soon

Only one side offered on dinner entree. Portions were very small I think you get more in a frozen tv dinner :(Salmon was delicious. Mashed potatoes were also good. However not enough to fill up a hungry person. Also had to go back and get silverware didn't come with my take out meal. $30 for a tiny meal is a bit much.