Josie’s Restaurant Lexington Kentucky

Josie’s is a family-owned neighborhood restaurant located in the Chevy Chase area of Lexington, Kentucky. Created by the previous owners of Merrick Inn, Josie’s was designed as a comfortable and inviting café where guests can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, friendly service, and quality food. The restaurant describes its approach as one centered around Southern hospitality, with a horseshoe-shaped counter that makes it easy for guests to interact and enjoy conversation. Josie’s serves breakfast and lunch every day from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, offering a menu that brings together familiar breakfast favorites, homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers in a casual neighborhood setting.

The Story Behind Josie’s

Josie’s has its roots in a family-owned restaurant tradition in Lexington, with the restaurant established by the previous owners of Merrick Inn. The name Josie’s has a personal meaning as well, as the restaurant was named after the owners’ daughter, while some of the menu items were named after her brothers. This family connection is part of the identity of the restaurant, which presents itself as a place where guests can feel comfortable and welcome from the moment they arrive. Located in beautiful Chevy Chase, Josie’s was created with the goal of providing a neighborhood café experience built around friendly service, approachable food, and a sense of Southern hospitality.

A Comfortable Neighborhood Café

Josie’s describes itself as a comfortable and inviting neighborhood café in Chevy Chase, Lexington. The restaurant’s atmosphere is intentionally relaxed, with friendly staff and a horseshoe-shaped counter designed to make conversation with other guests easier. Rather than focusing on a formal dining experience, Josie’s presents itself as a laid-back family restaurant where guests can enjoy breakfast or lunch in a welcoming environment. Its family-owned character and neighborhood location are central to the restaurant’s identity, creating a setting intended to feel familiar and comfortable for both local guests and visitors.

Breakfast at Josie’s

Breakfast is one of the main parts of the Josie’s menu, with the restaurant specifically known for its selection of omelets, hearty breakfast plates, eggs Benedict, pancakes, waffles, and healthier breakfast choices. Among the dishes highlighted by Josie’s are the Josie’s Dad Omelet, which combines bacon, sausage, onions, baby spinach, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, banana peppers, and smoked cheddar cheese, and the Chevy Chase Special, which includes two eggs, a choice of meat, breakfast potatoes or cheese grit casserole, sausage gravy, and a biscuit. These dishes reflect the restaurant’s focus on familiar, substantial breakfast food served as part of its everyday breakfast and lunch service.

Breakfast Favorites

Josie’s breakfast menu includes a variety of familiar choices, from omelets and hearty breakfast plates to eggs Benedict, pancakes, waffles, and other breakfast options. The menu gives guests several ways to enjoy a traditional breakfast at the restaurant while also offering choices for those looking for a lighter meal.

Fresh Food Made From Scratch

Josie’s places an emphasis on preparing much of its food from scratch. According to the restaurant, its kitchen brines its own corned beef, forms its burgers daily, hand-grates cheese, and uses farm-fresh eggs. This approach is reflected throughout the menu, from breakfast dishes and eggs to its burgers, sandwiches, soups, and other lunch selections. The restaurant’s focus is not simply on offering a wide variety of dishes, but also on preparing many of the ingredients and menu items as part of its own kitchen process, helping maintain the homemade character that Josie’s associates with its food.

Lunch at Josie’s

Lunch at Josie’s offers a variety of familiar choices, including homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers. The restaurant’s menu includes a range of sandwiches and burgers alongside dishes such as its famous Grouper Fingers, fresh quiche, and quesadilla of the day, while the salad selection includes options such as Buffalo Chicken Salad, Chevy Chase Salad, and Southwest Caesar Salad. Josie’s also highlights several signature dishes, including the Smokehouse Burger with applewood bacon, smoked cheddar, fried onion rings, and barbecue sauce, as well as Josie’s Famous Reuben made with corned beef brisket, Swiss cheese, Josie’s chow chow, and Thousand Island dressing on marble rye.

Sandwiches and Burgers

Josie’s lunch menu includes a selection of sandwiches and burgers prepared with ingredients highlighted by the restaurant. Among the choices are the Smokehouse Burger and Josie’s Famous Reuben, giving guests options ranging from a classic burger combination to a Reuben made with corned beef brisket, Swiss cheese, Josie’s chow chow, and Thousand Island dressing.

Signature Favorites

Several dishes are specifically featured by Josie’s as some of the restaurant’s most famous selections. The Josie’s Dad Omelet and Chevy Chase Special represent the breakfast side of the menu, while the Smokehouse Burger, Josie’s Famous Reuben, and Country Club showcase some of the restaurant’s lunch offerings. The Country Club combines roasted turkey, country ham, bacon, and tomato between American and Swiss cheese with honey mustard, while the Smokehouse Burger brings together applewood bacon, smoked cheddar, fried onion rings, and barbecue sauce. Together, these menu items illustrate the variety of breakfast and lunch choices available at Josie’s while reflecting the restaurant’s focus on familiar food prepared in its own kitchen.

Southern Hospitality in Lexington

For Josie’s, the dining experience extends beyond the food itself. The restaurant says its goal is for guests to experience a sense of Southern hospitality from the moment they walk through the door, supported by friendly staff and a comfortable environment. Its family-owned identity, neighborhood setting, and relaxed atmosphere all contribute to this approach, while the restaurant’s breakfast and lunch menu provides a range of choices for different tastes. Located at 821 Chevy Chase Place in Lexington, Kentucky, Josie’s welcomes guests every day for breakfast and lunch from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Visit Josie’s in Chevy Chase

Located at 821 Chevy Chase Place in Lexington, Kentucky, Josie’s offers breakfast and lunch every day from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. From its family-owned roots and connection to Merrick Inn to its made-from-scratch approach, breakfast specialties, homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, Josie’s brings together food and hospitality in a casual neighborhood café setting. Whether guests are stopping by for a breakfast omelet, a hearty breakfast plate, a homemade soup, a salad, a sandwich, or one of the restaurant’s signature burgers, Josie’s continues to welcome guests with the same goal of providing a comfortable place to enjoy good food and friendly service.

Frequently Asked Questions