Locals' Craft Food & Drink
Review guidelines:
1 Fork = I would rather eat dog food.2 Forks = I would eat there if I was starving.
3 Forks = Not bad; someplace I would occasionally consider eating.
4 Forks = A good place to eat; I will put it into my rotation of places I dine frequently.
5 Forks = One of my all time favorites!
One caveat to note – I am allergic to fish and seafood, so if you are looking for those recommendations, you will have to consult someone else.
Because I have a daughter-in-law with Celiac and a really good friend who is Vegetarian, I will try to point out whether those options are present when I review a restaurant.
October 2, 2015 - Lunch
Locals’ Craft Food & Drink
701 National Ave.Lexington, KY 40502
(859) 523-3249
This restaurant is a new addition to the growing hot spot in the Walton Ave/National Ave corridor, an industrial area off Winchester Rd which has undergone revitalization in the last few years. Locals’ is housed in the former dive bar Sportsmen Liquors and has been open for a couple months. The building has been transformed into a modern establishment with a rooftop deck for alfresco dining. The day I visited was cold and rainy, so I sat inside. Due to the growing popularity of this area parking is limited to a small lot and street spaces.
The online menu looked interesting and prompted my visit. I was dismayed to find only a small amount of offerings for lunch. The server explained that the limited menu was deliberate because the kitchen staff could not “get the food out in a reasonable amount of time at lunch.” Hmm…. At any rate the offerings included wings, chili and a soup of the day, several salads, and several small sandwiches. The initial appeal of Locals’ was that the prices were very reasonable. I knew the portions would be small, but that is ok since being newly single presents an issue with portion sizes and leftovers. I ordered the small portion of blue & white (chicken chili) nachos. The problem with using chili on nachos is that if the chili is runny, the chips are going to become instantly soggy. That was the case here and the chips were already stale - as in bubble gum chewy. Cheese, a key component in nachos - and listed in the menu description – was nowhere to be found.
The tables were very close together and without intending to, I was able to overhear the conversation from 2 ladies seated next to me. They were largely unhappy with their food also. On the way out, I said hello and found out this was their 2nd trip. They were pleased with their first visit and decided to return only to find the experience completely different. Their list of issues included:
• wings that were not well cooked
• extra charges for wing sauce
• expecting celery and getting carrots with the wings – only to be told that celery was a “one time thing” – seriously??
• green beans prepared completely different between the 2 visits
The ladies proceeded to tell me they were going to write their own negative review on Yelp.
Lunch with tax and tip was $10.86. I like the idea of a non-chain restaurant serving smaller portions at more reasonable prices – similar to the tapas concept – however, consistency and execution are important no matter what the size of the establishment or the menu offerings. Service was attentive, in fact there seemed to be more help than customers. Despite a score of 2 Forks, I should probably force myself to return for dinner sometime in the future to see if they have the kinks worked out of their operations and menu.
Check out their hours of operation and full menu on their website.
Gluten Free Options – none advertised.
Vegetarian Options – none advertised.
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