Best Cozy Restaurants in Lexington

Went to black & blue on Christmas Eve…and WOW. Neither of us had ever been but the menu looked incredible so we made a res. When we turned the corner past the host desk, our jaws dropped. It’s absolutely stunning in there!! From the bar to the tables, the ambient lighting. I was already sold. We were sat in a more secluded area rather than the large dining room area which was so cozy and good for conversation. Our server(s), Kelvin & Iverson, were so sweet. Kelvin noticed our coats kind of folded next to us and offered to check them for us which was such a nice addition to the upscale vibe of the restaurant. Now the FOOOOD. We started with the tuna tartare which was so much larger of a portion than I personally expected! It had a ton of flavor - loaded with a bit of vinaigrette, pickled ginger, seaweed salad, avocado, and topped with sesame seeds. For dinner, I got the salmon entree which came with maple glazed Brussels sprouts and a celery soubise that was sweet and tangy. The salmon filet was cooked perfectly with a crispy outside and went so great with the sides it came with. My dinner guest got the 10oz filet mignon which is ala carte - we went for the shareable sides of mashed potatoes and brown butter asparagus! The filet came out sizzling on a metal platter that was placed on top of the wood plank that was brought out before hand. He had ordered it medium-rare and it came out GORGEOUS. Perfect. It was SO tender and so tasty even without an additional sauce that they offer. We were in heaven, pairing our meals with a cold Hendricks martini (me) and a glass of Tuscan red blend (him)! We were there celebrating his Christmas Eve Birthday, so they brought us out a complimentary slice of chocolate cake with a candle in it. We split a second glass of that red blend to go with the richness of the chocolate cake as a little night cap which was perfect. Thank you, again, to the staff of black & blue in Burlington for the incredible hospitality from start to finish!

The noise was insanely loud. There was a party of probably 20+ women who were so loud and we were packed in and could barely move. The tea was delicious but we were never offered more hot water or able to order another tea. The food was great, nice variety and perfect bite sized fare. Unfortunately ours was served on a broken tiered plate that looked like it was ready to fall over. I think they should have a limit of people they can serve- perhaps only able to serve a table of 8 max? Or remove a few tables when they have such a large party at the least. It was just too loud and felt crammed in. Will try again with hopes that we can hear each other speak! Certainly not a calming “tea” experience.

Great, fresh food but even more impressive service. They were so kind about helping us to celebrate a birthday. Van came over to discuss a special cocktail order. We were impressed start to finish. Thank you for a special night.

Fresh and delicious nigiri expertly prepared. Each morsel was an event!

Big fan of the Vintage Tea and Cake Company. Their new location in Arlington was lovely and the holiday team menu was lovely. Staff was friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back!