Lexington Restaurant Week begins Thursday, July 23, giving local chefs a chance to showcase unique dishes full of flavor. Customers will also get to connect with a historical neighborhood turned culinary destination.
Cole Arimes, the owner and executive chef of Epping's on Eastside, told LEX News he's honored to play a part in the transformation of the Warehouse Block. Before the restaurant became a hot spot for dinner and brunch, the building was home to Epping Bottling Works.
Now, it sits on one of Lexington's coolest blocks.
"This neighborhood was my stomping ground, back when it was a lumber company here," Arimes said.
In 2019, he opened Epping's at the corner of Walton and National. The restaurant survived extension renovations, and then the pandemic, thanks to dishes like chicken satay and beef tataki bringing in hungry diners.
"It's a little bit of food from around the world," he said. "I mean, I give the chefs the ability to really kind of do what they're passionate about at the time."
Arimes runs other restaurants, too, including Cole's 735 Main and The V at the Vine. As he's built his culinary resume, so has the Warehouse Block.
During Lexington Restaurant Week, he hopes locals will book a reservation and end up exploring other small businesses in the neighborhood.
"Local restaurants are important," Arimes said. "I think we're the cornerstone of neighborhoods. I think all the restaurants in the Warehouse Block are the main draw to get people here."
Lexington Restaurant Week runs until August 2. Organizers said despite higher operating costs this year, restaurants are keeping the same Prix Fixe price points. For a full list of participating restaurants, click here.
