The JDI Grille & Tavern-Jefferson Davis Inn

Loved this place! If you go to Town Branch, you can get a 10% off card!
My husband and I stopped for lunch after a bourbon tour. So glad we did! I got the JDI burger which comes with 2 ¹⁄₃ lb patties, onion strings, lettuce, tomato, and JDI sauce (like a Big Mac)… I had to take out 1 of the burgers just so I could take a bite! HUGE! And so good! The chips were a bit burnt, but still tasted good.
My husband had the brisket sandwich and onion rings. He ate every bite! He loved the spicy BBQ sauce they had!
We ordered the chocolate torte cake for dessert… so freakin’ rich! If you try it, definitely get the ice cream with it!
They have a great selection of local beers and bourbons!
If we are ever in Lexington again, I think we will have to return!
The only thing I didn’t like was the service was a little slow. The restaurant wasn’t very busy while we were there, but they did a lot of chatting and looking at their phones instead of getting food or drink refills. Still worth it for the food!

Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles! Chicken and Waffles!
Oh, and the drinks were super cheap, the place was nice and comfortable, the service was friendly and efficient…
…AND…
CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!!!

Meet some friends here for drinks and dinner. Parking was tight but by the time we left the free valet was there to assist. Nice selections on the bourbon and beer front. (With happy hour pricing in the beer! Sweet)
Good selections on the menu. I got the chicken and waffles $ 11.95. Four nice pieces of chicken. tenderloin on the round waffle. Very filling. Everything was cooked perfectly. The staff was very attentive once we ordered. Till then they were a bit standoffish but we had been waiting for folks.
I’d visit here again when I am next in town

Great menu. Solid beer selection. Very cool place. I never order chicken strips in a restaurant, but make an exception here. They are the best. Sides are great as well. Do yourself a favor and order the Kentucky Bourbon Ale beer cheese and tortilla chips as an appetizer. You won’t regret it. The staff is very accommodating every time I’ve been there. Very folksy. One of the best spots downtown.

Pro: brisket sandwich, chicken fingers and fries, and burger was good.
Cons:
The place was so loud we couldn’t hear our group talk. The pulled pork tacos were dry as well. We asked for the tv to be turned down since we were 1 of 2 groups there and they did but then turned up the music.

It’s a restaurant/​bar atmosphere. The staff are friendly and prompt. It’s a clean place with a happy atmosphere.
Their menu has many options to choose from. They smoke a lot of their own meats for their dishes and make their own BBQ sauces. We had a table of 9 on the second floor, (which had an elevator (Nice!)) and we all sampled each other’s appetizers and entrees. For starters we had The beer cheese nachos with pulled pork, which was a nice change from everyday nachos. We also had guacamole with pita points, onion rings and boneless chicken with a habanero mango BBQ sauce. All quite tasty! Entrees were The Rachel, The Ruben, beer battered fish with chips and Chicken n Waffles. The Ruben had a nice flavor, but was sliced a bit too thick for my liking, which made it chewy. The Rachel was smoked in house turkey, very tender, and the best Rachel I’ve ever had! Even the 1000 island was homemade. The fish was good, but too thick of a batter, which made it thick and greasy. The chicken n waffles were good, but again, the batter was too thick and heavy.
I will go back.

Great place and totally accommodating for sports fans. We ate and drank and ate and ate and drank and never felt rushed or anything as we enjoyed our football game. The ribs are amazing and fell off the bone! We loved it all!

Every time I go here, I am never disappointed. The food here is amazing, I’ve tried most of the menu and I’m always surprised at how well each meal is prepared. They never slack on the presentation. They work with you when you have large groups as well even on their busiest days. The prices are affordable and the drinks are great. If you’re in the downtown or campus area this is a definite try!

My friends and I went to JDI to watch UK play Thursday. We called to make a reservation and were happy to find that there wasn’t a wait. Our service was good and we were able to stay the whole game without feeling like we were being rushed out the door.
Everyone enjoyed their food (sweet potato fries are a must) but one of my friends ordered their burger medium and it was pretty rare. All in all good restaurant with a great ambiance.

Good food, reasonably priced. Dinner for two couples. I had the brisket sandwich which was delicious. My wife had the chicken tortilla soup was also really good. Salmon salad was also really good according to my friends wife. He got the ribeye and asked for it medium-​medium rare said it wasn’t that good and was a little over cooked. He likes to complain though so 3 out of 4 is pretty good. The wait time was shorter than told which was a plus. The girls had a couple bottles of wine that were decently priced. Pretty good beer selection. Atmosphere is cool, nice place. Definitely would go back.

My wife and I walked past this place the other night and decided to come check it out since it looked so nice (outside and inside).
Tonight we stopped in and we immediately greeted by a girl at the door who brought us to our table. After sitting down, we immediately had our waiter come to us and ask for our drink order. My wife got the Fat Tire which came with free glass and I had the cougar bait (giggity).
We the ordered boneless wings (bourbon flavor) my wife got the JDI salad and I had the «famous» chicken and waffles.
Food and drinks came quite promptly and was overall pretty good. Wings were delicious and my wife had no complaints. My chicken and waffle, was a Belgium waffle with a little over fried chicken. 4 pieces to be exact and the whole thing was doused in syrup. I would have preferred a little less syrup, but it was not bad.
Overall service was a 5, the food was a four. The chicken and waffles was not a game changer in my opinion and I felt a little gluttony for eating so much fried chicken on a waffle. Worth a try for dinner or lunch and that’s it.

I went to Jefferson Davis Inn this past weekend for the first time with three other people. None of us had been there before, but we all left full and talking about how our meals were pretty tasty. I say that warrants a pretty good rating.
The table started with the beer cheese and toasted pita points (there’s also an option for tortilla chips if you’re not a pita person). It was delicious! I love beer cheese, and let me tell you, this was some great beer cheese. I’ve had beer cheese served many different ways, and this is a melted, creamier, more queso-​like serving. I’m definitely a fan of that. We all enjoyed it very much.
I ordered the Chicken and Waffles and it was also absolutely delicious! It was a fluffy, perfectly cooked, Belgian waffle topped with four beer-​battered chicken tenders, bacon, and maple syrup. The chicken was wonderful. There’s an option to order the chicken tenders as an entrée on the menu, and I’d bet that’s also a good idea, because this chicken was bomb.
B ordered the Downtown New York Strip (12 oz.) which was served with mashed potatoes and your choice of a side. He ordered the seared asparagus. All items in his meal were delicious. His steak was just a bit overcooked (ordered medium), but not to the point that it needed to be sent back. However, another person we were dining with ordered the exact same meal, and his steak was well-​done. Completely cooked through. He decided to keep his meal and finish it regardless, but it’s never pleasant to have a steak cooked incorrectly.
The final person in our group ordered the Pulled Pork Dinner, which consisted of in-​house smoked pulled pork served with hot or sweet barbeque sauce and Texas toast, with your choice of a side. She ordered the side winder fries. Her meal was good, the pulled pork was nice and tender and the sweet bbq she chose was tasty, but it was cold. We couldn’t tell if the meat itself was actually cold, or if the sauce had cooled it completely down, but either way it would be nice if they made sure everything was hot as it comes out to the table.
She also ordered the Dizzy Punch cocktail, which was Disaronno Amaretto, Captain Morgan White Rum, pineapple juice and orange juice. It was pretty tasty, but I was too busy enjoying my bourbon on the rocks (they have a pretty decent bourbon menu) to think about cocktails.
Overall I think Jefferson Davis Inn is really tasty. I enjoyed the beer cheese and the chicken and waffles a lot and would definitely go back for dinner based on those items.

On this specific occasion, I met up with 5 of my buddies at JDI for a UK event. They had gotten their food when I arrived.
I didn’t eat but they had 2 jalapeño burgers, pulled pork sandwich, chicken and waffles and a side of fries. I’d say the food was okay… The portions were small and tasted pretty average at best. Food gets three stars.
Drinks were okay. We only had beer from the bar. They have a decent selection and it was cold. Drinks gets three stars.
Service was awful. Beyond terrible. Refills didn’t get more ice. The beers we did get took forever. Ketchup bottles were empty. No lemons with water or teas. No suggestions. And to top it off, our server asked us if we were going to the game and then replied with, ‘well I’m going too’ as if to imply we needed to cash out with him. That irks me. I’m in the hospitality industry and service is my specialty. Service gets minus 4 stars.
This brings our total to two stars. Could be a great restaurant but I’ve continuously had this problem of horrendous service at JDI. Bartenders go missing, servers are standing around, chatting.

So we have been here on many occasions but this time I was disappointed with legitimate cause. You see as a handicapped woman with 1 leg I DO use my placard and use the handicapped spots (typically the closest parking spot to the entrance) but they were under construction inside and the workman had their van parked in the one handicapped parking spot! Seriously?! Has the owner (who approved of them parking in that spot (as told to me by the manager!) not heard of the ADA?! The Americans with Disabilities Act!!! I should have not bothered saying anything to anyone there and just called and had them towed. We had to park in the back of the lot. But I did say something to the host who in turn said something to the manager (who I honestly thought was 18 yrs old when he came to the table) who came to the table to apologize fort inconvenience but that the GM told the workers it was okay to park in that spot! No I’m sorry Mr. GM, it’s not okay to have someone that doesn’t have a plate or a placard to park in that spot– it’s illegal! But then they apologized so that’s led it okay right? What about the elevator to the second floor that couldn’t be accessed by someone with disability because the workers had tiled that area in during business hours. That’s okay, you apologized that I had to hobble up 24 steps.
On the up side our server and food were good.

Went here during burger week. To start off, I had a poor kid that looked as if he had worked there 5 minutes try and get my beer and a tea at the bar because the bartender left a whole side of it to their own devices while she chatted on the other. My group waited a long time to be seated, but we had a table of 8, so I understand a long wait. There was much more waiting afterward, as it took at least an hour and a half for our food to come out after being ordered. Our server literally hid from us for large periods of time so we couldn’t ask him about it. The burgers arrived but were tiny and only half were made the way they were supposed to be. For instance, mine had onions over the top while my wife’s had none. The fries, though, were good and covered in pepper, which I liked.
I’d say it had a lot to do with the rush of burger week and having a large group, but it was a trainwreck of a meal and I couldn’t possibly imagine a situation where I’d want to go back.

I’m updating my previous review after another visit. I was served beer in a chipped glass here last week. I think that is unacceptable. And not just a little ding but a slice down the glass about an inch long. Just unacceptable. I was with a big group so I didn’t complain about it but I should have.
A little overpriced for what it is. Standard American pub food. The atmosphere is nice though and it’s a good place for special events as they have party rooms on the upper floors. I’ve been to several social gatherings here and it was a good place for that.

JDI is surrounded by beautiful wood work and a great lay out. I stopped in for lunch and a drink from a recommendation about them having the best beer cheese nachos (Jason P). We orded some local brews (Cougar bait in case you were wondering) and starters to share. Beer cheese nachos and sliders with sweet potato fries was what caught our eye. For slider options, we picked a pulled pork, a burger, chicken tender, and a brisket.
The meats were excellent and seemed to be smoked out back. The chicken tender slider was by far our favorite. The sweet potato fries were great dipped in the bbq sauce that came with the sliders.
The beer cheese nachos were ok. The best part of them was the smoked brisket. It was extremely tender and smoked just right. I don’t feel as though it was the best nachos in town, but still pretty good.
The server was great and on the ball.
I will pop back in at some point. Very nice. Not the best parking options when busy in that location though.

JDI was our second stop of the night after we tried another place close by but the food truck was sold out and I was wanting something to eat.
This is a unique place and I believe has three stories but we decided to sit at the bar. It looked pretty crowded at least on the main floor where we were. The wood work is gorgeous. With the UK football game
There were a lot of fans there and they had several TVs available
To watch other college games. We did get there around 9:30 or later.
After looking the menu over I saw a drink menu book and happened to see their happy hour listed. It said M-​Sat 3 – 7 and 10-​close and all day Sunday written in. I thought happy hour on Sat? Great but I asked the bartender just in case to make sure it was right and it was. ½ price apps and cheaper well drinks and domestic bottles.
I ordered the brisket quesadilla app. There was so much meat in those that I was happily surprised! Only thing I would have liked was maybe some sauce on it, but one of the bartenders heard me and offered to bring me some bbn sauce. Great service there. They we’re accomadating to my questions prior as well since I was thinking about the boneless wings and wanted to taste the sauces. They did being out a couple but wasn’t crazy about them so decided on something else.
I know some of the reviews complain about service but ours was great, however we were at the bar sitting. I also have to say it was loud in there but it a sports bar atmosphere downstairs at least and they had music playing, AWESOME, music I might add. Great variety of music that made me want to go out dancing! Maybe another night when we are child free!
Perhaps management has changed? The prices on the menu were more reasonable
Than I expected. Definitely will be back.

The happy hour specials are excellent and include my favorite item, the Beer Cheese Nachos for $ 5.00
3 – 6 & 10-​close Monday-​Thursday
3 – 6 Friday-​Sunday
Today they lost two stars from me because they decided to change their Happy hour to exclude «all day Sunday» despite it still saying «all day Sunday» on the menu. Our waiter was very gracious about it and went over and spoke with the manager about it but I watched his reaction to him and I am offended to have ever spent a penny there. Horrible management, costing us more than $ 25 for their false advertisement.

«The restaurant that won’t let you leave» was the most accurate quote I heard when I ate at the JDI. The drink selections and prices are great, and the food was excellent. However the service is quite spotty, and we waited 20 minutes between finishing our meal and even seeing the waiter again to ask for a check. This is typical for JDI. I was additionally seated at a table by the door that was jammed in a corner and had a podium preventing my chair from having enough space, despite a nearly half empty restaurant that had much better seating options. That said, all the meals ordered were delicious. The chicken tenders, in particular, are exceptional, and possibly the best in town. Moreover, they have a great local beer selection and an extensive and moderately priced bourbon list.