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Zim's Cafe, Lexington, KY

Zim's Cafe

4.7
4.7
499 Reviews
$30 and under
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 3 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Charming
  • Great for brunch
Ouita Michel’s newest restaurant - located in downtown Lexington, Ky. is a cornerstone of the Historic Courthouse Square. Zim’s Cafe features delicious sandwiches, Kentucky classics, fresh salads & innovative bites. Order a cocktail, bourbon, or local beer from The Thirsty Fox, the bar component across the atrium with a cozy atmosphere!
Private dining

Private dining

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Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Café, Southern
  • Hours of operation
    Sun 9:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    There are paid lots on Short Street as well as paid parking garages on Main and Short. Street parking is free after 5:00 on weekdays and all day on weekends and federal holidays.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Tyler McNabb
  • Delivery & takeout

What 499 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Lexington

    Great for brunch

  • Lexington

    Neighborhood gem

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Zim's Café offers a unique dining experience inside an old courthouse, praised for its "outstanding food and service" and a "great atmosphere." The shrimp and grits are particularly noteworthy, described as "one of the top 5 meals." Guests enjoy its "great location" and "friendly staff," despite occasional service hiccups.
499 Reviews
  1. Paul

    Charleston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and drink selections! Wait staff seemed overwhelmed on a Sunday evening. Artichoke fritters were great-staff tried twice to give us other table's order of them-we might have accepted after the third time! Our server noticed our food was delivered after later arriving tables and comped us a drink-very nice gesture-we'll certainly come back.
    Zim's CafeResponded 2 days ago
    Hi Paul, Thank you for your great review! We are glad you came in and enjoyed yourselves. Hope to see you soon! Julianna co-General Manager & Beverage Director

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  2. OpenTable Diner

    E. Tennessee

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The waitress was amazing and made great recommendations from the menu. Bar had an amazing bourbon selection including allocated pours. Artichoke fritters were delicious. White mocha was 🔥🔥🔥, no cap. Eggs Bene was a great flavor combo, but overcooked yolk. 🥲 That runny yolk on that bad boy woulda been the chef's kiss. Definitely recommend Zim's!
    Zim's CafeResponded 2 days ago
    Thank you for your 5 star review! We appreciate you coming in and hope to see you again! Julianna co-General Manager & Beverage Director

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  3. Gina

    VIP

    Cincinnati

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Zim’s has a bright interior and great food! The service is outstanding!

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Louisville

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and service in a historic setting. Recommended.

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  5. Leslie

    Louisville

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Everything was good. All the dishes we ordered were very tasty. It was a good value nice wait staff. Recommend

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  6. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Being in the old court house is already a unique experience but the food itself is really what makes Zim’s a great place to dine. The shrimp and grits with the greens had flavors that worked so well together and has a nice little kick too. Atmosphere and the people were great as well!

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  7. Erin

    Philadelphia

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Great ambiance. Our drinks were great and staff was very kind.

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  8. Cedrick

    Louisville

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Nice spot to explore after a delicious meals and good drink

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  9. Darrell

    Indiana

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Very unique vibe for this place. It’s inside of the old court house but they’ve made the initial entrance inside feel upscale, there’s a bar next to the restaurant that shares the same food and staff just two different vibes. As for Zim’s the food is good and the prices are very reasonable. Waitress we had was great and everyone that worked there was very nice.

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  10. Jeff

    Cincinnati

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 14, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Very poor quality food. Sides were cold and steaks were at least 60% fat. Overcooked steak (well done received, medium rare ordered) returned for refire was replaced with a rare steak by an immature passive-aggressive cook trying to pass themselves off as a chef. Unfortunately, it being a holiday, there was zero chance of getting in somewhere else. We settled for the Rally's drive through. Compared to the pretenders at Zim's, I give Rally's a five star. Maybe you should boot Zim's from your reservation system and replace them with Rally's. Unfortunately, I suspect the real loser of the night was the waitress whose depends upon incompetent folks over which she has no control for her livelihood. For what it is worth, we took care to see she received a tip based upon her efforts which were outstanding. Ouita Michel should be embarrassed with the product presented at her restaurant; and, should be very happy I am not a James Beard award adjudicator or know one I can attempt to influence.

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FAQs

Zim's Cafe offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (859) 785-3690.

Zim's Cafe is rated 4.7 stars by 499 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 3 times today
Google Map for Zim's Cafe

215 W Main St, Lexington, KY 40507

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Café, Southern
  • Hours of operation
    Sun 9:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    There are paid lots on Short Street as well as paid parking garages on Main and Short. Street parking is free after 5:00 on weekdays and all day on weekends and federal holidays.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Tyler McNabb
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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