winchell's

my neighborhood restaurant. this is my neighborhood restaurant where i feel comfortable any days regardless of what i eat. i have my favorite waitress who has watched my kids grew over the last 10 years. food is excellent -- using as much local ingredients as possible -- though nothing is fancy. if you look at waiting staff there, you know that this is one of the best restaurants in lexington. besides our favorite waitress, there are several waiting staff members who have been working there for years!!! my favorite meal is kentucky friedchickendinner. i also highly recommend meatloaf dinner,chickencordon bleu dinner, burger, nachos, shrimps & grits. strawberry shortcake is excellent, too. if you are looking for a fancy, sophisticated dinner, then go somewhere else. but, if you are looking for some no nonsense, hearty meals, then come to winchell's. you will not regret it.


-----15 aug, 2014-----

friedchickendinner. by far, this is the best kentucky friedchickeni have had!

i've been to winchell's twice and i've had very different experiences. the first time i went to winchell's i was slightly underwhelmed. i had a buffalochickensandwich for lunch. it was a decent sandwich but a little pricey. the fries were quite good though. overall, i was a little unsure if i'd be back for lunch. the second time i went to winchell's i had a bacon and cheddar omlette for breakfast. the omlette was amazing, tons of bacon and very cheesey. it also came with amazing sides of biscuits and gray and potatoes. it was fairly priced for the amount of food. i highly recommend you check out winchell's breakfast.

a mixed bag. through some weird twist of fate, i ended up eating here three days in a row after having never eaten here in the past. much of the menu is southern food that will likely shorten your lifespan; if that's the food you like, you'll love this place, i think. here's what i had... day 1: bbq pork quesadilla + potato soup. quesadilla was soggy due to having too much meat on it. potato soup was very odd... pureed... consistency was a little thin for mashed potatoes but far too thick for soup. i don't pull out the "r" word much, but that soup was truly reprehensible... i honestly didn't know it was possible to make potato soup that bad. day 2: bean soup + grilledchickensalad. soup was okay. salad was actually really good with fresh greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, and a real (not processed)chickenbreast. day 3: tomato basil soup + club sandwich. disappointed in the soup again but the club sandwich (turkey and county ham) was quite good (sadly, a sandwich with county ham was pretty much the healthiest sandwich on the menu). my biggest disappointment was that the "homemade" soups were not that good (i'm always looking for good soup!). should i return, i'll probably stick with the salads.

i still think the food is pretty good....... but still priced too high. friedchickenis good. four smallish pieces? $14.99. and the fried cod (6-8 ounce) $13.99?

not a fan of the remodel. with the new floor, sound echos and it is way loud when trying to carry on a conversation.


-----09 jun, 2013-----

616,008 restaurants in the us. of these, about 25% serve breakfast and the vast majority of them have figured out the switch from breakfast to lunch thing... come on guys... this has been a review topic for a year now. hire a consultant or something... fix it!

as always the food was good today but seriously overpriced. most sandwiches are in the $8-10 range with some greasy (cheap) home made chips. friedchicken$14.99?? it's good but not that good and very small pieces.

all in all - good, small servings and over-priced.

what happened??. my wife and i went to winchell's today because we have been there many times over the past couple of years for good food. when we asked our waitress if she knew the specials she said "unfortunately" then spattered off about 60 miles an hour what they were. today, i did in fact order one of the specials (pulled pork and random sauces) and my wife had thechickencordon bleu. both meals were atrocious! no flavor. all around bad. my wife shoved her meal to the side of table with only one bite having been eaten.
after waiting for our waitress to give us a check we were asked if we would like to take any of it home. she said absolutely not. having been a server, i would think that seeing a patron shove food away them and take one bite might signal something is wrong. they were quite busy, but seriously!! i think we will be taking a breather from winchell's.

lack of consistency. thechickenpot pie went from a delicate flakey top crust to leftover morning biscuits. filling was skimpy at best with literally two small shreads of chicken. to top it off it was $10.

pot pie???. usually i am not disappointed when i stop by winchell's for a lunch to go order other than the kitchen being too slow for most lunch service, but it
is ususally worth the wait. not today. a $10 pot pie was nothing more thanchickena la king with too much white pepper in a styrofoam cup and two bisuits in another cup. their lunch prices are more in line with a dinner menu. lunch specials ranged from 9.99 to $14.99 - too high for working folks on their lunch hour. we're in a recession folks!

my all time favorite place. this place is delicious! i've lived in lex for a few years now, and have yet to find a place i'd rather go for american food. they make everything from scratch, even their sauces and condiments. the buffalo sauce is delicious, but i'd only recommend the hot if you can handle really really spicy foods. thechickenlivers are to die for. the breakfast is the best in town, and the atmosphere is really laid back. do yourself a favor and try it!

my hubby and i stopped in tonight and were seated quickly. friendly staff, and pretty big menu selection. i ordered thechickenwith mac and cheese, good- but nothing to brag about. the hubs ordered shrimp and grits and was pleasantly surprised. the prices seem a little high for what you get. the place could use some updating and the bathrooms were scarey. we would eat there again, but doubt we will hurry back.

soooo good. i started with a delish woodford reserve cocktail at this laid back sports bar. delicious kentucky friedchickenand awesome bourbon soaked warm bread pudding.

this place has some of the best friedchickenin town. it's also a great place to watch the game in a real pub/bar type setting that's also kid friendly. great home cooking and fantastic service. this one has kept me going back for years.

the best of "home cooking". we tried thechickenfried steak, fried oysters, and a philly cheese steak.
everything was very good. i would recommend winchell's to anyone for some home style southern cooking.

simply the best breakfast in town!. winchell's is one of my favorite places to eat in town! it easily has the best breakfast in lexington (seriously, try the trout and eggs!) but you can't go wrong whatever time you go there. their lunch plates are fantastic with a wonderful selection of fresh vegetables. (the kale greens are my favorite!) sandwiches are large and their friedchickenis just like grandmas! try one of their daily specials if you are feeling a little adventurous, but stick to the permanent menu items and you can't go wrong!

the atmosphere is kind of bland. it's a sports bar with lots of sports movie posters and a few jerseys on the wall. however, tons of tvs pepper the multiple rooms.

winchell's is also the best place/bar in town to watch a soccer match. during the world cup this summer the place was to capacity when the us played. and you can't go wrong with watching an early premier league game while have a top notch breakfast!

favorite restaurant. winchell's is probably my favorite place to eat in lexington. lots of places have good food, but i don't think anyone is quite as consistent as winchell's. my dinner there invariably begins with a salad because i love their smoked tomato ranch dressing, and i appreciate that they slice the grape tomatos. it's the little things!

winchell's normally has a variety of special entrees and sides to choose from each day; the medallions and the prime rib show up a lot and are my favorites. i suggest always ordering the fresh veggie of the day, which changes throughout the year--in particular, get the corn on the cob and the tomatoes when they are available. their mashed potatoes are also delicious. from the menu, i love their friedchickenthemost. they may have the best in town.

for dessert i love the bread pudding, though the bourbon sauce is intense so i skip it.

a few downsides to mention. seemingly at random, you will be given bread with your meal. it's very good, so it's annoying it isn't provided every time. i think the fish tacos are terrible; bland dry fish with some scattered lettuce and a corn tortilla way too small to hold it. other people love them, though. i also found their hamburger to be small and overcooked. the biggest disappointment is the use of "whipped topping" with dessert. when it's being served fresh, there's just no excuse for not using real whipped cream.

grew on me.. disliked this place the first time i ate here so much that i refused to go back for 2 years. eventually went back and now i love it!? strange. you gotta like home country cooking to appreciate it, but does what it does well.chickenlivers andchickenfried steak are really good...as is the cornbread.