Lyles BBQ - Lexington, KY
As Kentuckians, we know a thing or two about good southern food; fried chicken, cornbread, sweet tea, and so many other staples that I could spend a whole year writing about (and what a year that would be...wow!!). But the down home southern cooking we want to focus on today is none other than a favorite of both mine and Renee's; BBQ. That's right, I love it so much I can't even waste another second typing out the entire word! Luckily for us, Lexington has become a hot bed of delicious BBQ action, so we took advantage of this warm fall day and headed on over to Lyles BBQ to chow down on some of the best food central Kentucky has to offer.
Sara's 2 meat platter with pulled pork, brisket, smoked mac n cheese, and a side salad.
Lyles BBQ started out as a food tent based in Nicholasville, just southwest of Lexington in Jessamine County. Seeing that people were digging what they were cooking, the Lyles family decided to open up a small restaurant attached to a gas station in between Nicholasville and Lexington, where their business began to grow. Their BBQ is so popular now that they finally broke into the Lexington market, opening a brick-and-mortar spot on Clays Mill Rd, which is where Renee and I found ourselves this afternoon enjoying an excellent Sunday lunch.
Renee's smoked chicken platter with pulled chicken, smoked mac n cheese, and cowboy baked beans. Also pictured in the corner: the fabled banana pudding!
The interior of this new joint is awesome; it's barn wood paneling and rustic tin ceiling tiles make for a warm and cozy environment. Once inside, you'll make your way up to the counter where the friendly staff are ready to take your order. They serve brisket, burnt ends, chicken (pulled or on the bone), pulled pork, and pork belly, all of which are available as either a sandwich or a platter with all kinds of savory sides. We wanted to get as much of a taste for everything that Lyles BBQ cooks up, so we decided to split up the meats; Renee had the pulled chicken platter and I picked up the 2 meat platter with flat brisket and pulled pork. I have to say...I've had a lot of meat in my 30 years, and the Lyles family's spin on it has quickly jumped to the top of my list! Oh my goodness, it's easily the most tender and moist pork I've ever eaten. And that brisket is just crispy enough around the edge, while still being tender through the middle. Let's not forget about Renee's chicken though; it's right up there with the pulled pork in the tender and moist category, and it was so full of flavor that I wish I had ordered all three on my platter (that may be my next order!). The sides were also really good - there are so many to choose from - but we both settled on the smoked mac n cheese, which was amazing (remember that I don't care for mac n cheese, so if I love it then it must be good)! Renee tried the cowboy baked beans as her second side, while I veered toward the side salad with house-made vinaigrette dressing, and both were excellent. Each platter comes with hush puppies, granny smith slaw, and pickles, all of which are made in-house and are recipes of "Mama" Lyles, the matriarch of the Lyles BBQ family. I was stuffed after eating all of this delicious food, but Renee made room for a serving of their home-made banana pudding. She must have really liked it, because I didn't even get to ask her how it was before she was scraping the bottom of the bowl!
We loved the attention to detail in everything Lyles BBQ has to offer, even the non-food items!
Lyles BBQ is located in the Stonewall Shopping Center on Clays Mill Rd, so parking here is fairly easy to find, but expect it to fill up quickly during peak hours. Tons of people were piling in as we were finishing our lunch, so don't be surprised if you have to wait for a little bit to get your food...it's well worth it! They're open daily from 11am-9pm, and offer a wide variety of drinks, as well as several different BBQ sauces to choose from. The Lyles are a proud military family as well, having served our country in the Air Force, which makes this place even more special in my opinion. We thank them for their service to our country, as well as their service to our taste buds, and we'll definitely be back soon to enjoy some more of this delicious BBQ!
