Came with a friend to checkout Char tonight and will be back (actually made a reservation for my birthday in July before we left our table)! Such a great little place in Lexington. Our server, Emily, was great, super nice and around whenever we needed her but never felt rushed even after we paid and were just chatting a little longer. Started with a couple cocktails and the Rosemary Focaccia. The cocktails were refreshing and the flavor of the focaccia and whipped ricotta was great, but the focaccia itself was dense so not my favorite. I had the Carbonara and it was amazing, the perfect balance of rich and creamy with lots of guanciali that had been perfectly rendered. I will defiantly get it again, but want to try a couple other items on the menu before I repeat. My friend got the spicy meatballs pomodoro and raved about it. I was stuffed but got the chocolate cake to go. Stole a few bites before I put it in the fridge and it may be the best chocolate cake I have ever had. Highly recommend Char, the inside is tiny so suggest making a reservation. read more

Char on Ashland is a must-visit in Lexington! We tried five items and here's the honest breakdown: The Cinnamon Bun is a 10/10 -- hands down the star of the visit. It's enormous (easily shareable between 6+ people) and absolutely delicious. The Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich was a close second at 9/10, a great classic executed really well. The Banana Bread Latte was an 8/10 -- very good but ask for it less sweet. The Iced Cinnamon Bun Latte and Eggs in Heaven both landed at 6/10. The latte sounds incredible on paper but the cinnamon bun flavor didn't quite come through, and while the Eggs in Heaven dish itself is a good concept, my eggs were unfortunately not cooked to my liking. We really enjoyed sitting outside and enjoying our breakfast! Service was good, a little slow but they were very friendly! Overall a great spot with a lot of potential -- the pastry alone is worth the trip. Will definitely be back to try more of the menu! read more

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My first visit to Char but my wife has been for lunch and dinner and enjoyed her visits. On this trip, we sat on the tent covered patio on a pleasant Saturday evening (reservation recommended). Our res was for an inside two-top we didn't want and they had no issue moving us outside. That was a nice touch as it was a busy night. The staff and our server were all smiles and accommodating, absolutely no complaints. We started with cocktails that were well made and tasty. Had a nice wine with dinner. I order a Signature Dish, the Duck Meatloaf, and Chicken Puttanesca for her. I'll make a different entree selection next time, though. Some spice in there was overdone... fennel? And the texture was off-putting. I like duck and meatloaf, but the mashup didn't work for me. She enjoyed her meal very much. Char is a nice place and we'll go back for sure. read more

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Greatly enjoyed a meal here on a visit to Lexington. No doubt spurred by fatigue from a long day working being counter-balanced by getting to grab dinner and catch up with my son who's in college, I decided the Blanton's old fashioned was the way to start...it was excellent, and the mini-Blanton's cork is exceedingly cool, but as you'd expect, it's not a cheap pour either (though to be clear the price was fair for the bourbon). Looked like some other good options as well. Food was quite good. I did a duck meatloaf (again, clearly just in the mood for adventure), which was nicely flavored but a little on the cool side temperature-wise. My son did a pasta special that was amazing though, and there are some dishes I need to get back to try. Had an affogato for dessert...solid choice. Service was outstanding. It wasn't crowded but was easy to see our server and the rest of the staff knew how to balance attentiveness and letting you enjoy the meal. Very friendly and helpful. Again, it was not crowded so hard to give a good report on the regular vibe, but had a good balance of feeling classy but casual (I'd feel at home in jeans and a polo or a suit). read more

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What a great place Visiting Lexington and we ended up here for dinner First of all our server Shannon is a delight shes funny and helpful Also they have my favorite drink a pickle martini yum Our food was amazing lemon ricotta pizza spicy meatball pomodora wagu beef bolognese and a char burger The only thing is the acoustic It was hard to talk among ourselves Overall we will be back read more

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The coffee and pastries are amazing! I love the outside seating it is so comfortable and a vibe!

Funky Rooster coffee bar by day, Char cocktail bar by night. We stopped here before a UK game so can only comment on the coffee and ambiance in the morning but it seemed to be a super cute/fun place to come at night with plenty of patio seating. Service was super great, we drank our coffees inside for a bit then got refills to go. Service was super lovely, helpful, and we love the fun to-go cups! read more

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A very nice new addition to Chevy Chase. We sat on the lovely patio. Food was very good. I had the Char burger with Havarti and caramelized onions. Service was friendly, if a bit slow, but we weren't in a rush. There's an adjacent lot with 10; spaces or you're relegated to metered parking. I definitely recommend Char. 96 read more

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Charming coffee and bakery that becomes a restaurant in the evenings. I decided to work at the bar area and enjoy the coffee. I got a dirty chai with oat milk ( $7) and zucchini bread ($4.99). The chai was good and had a little spice to it, which I love! The zucchini bread taste somewhat like a chocolate muffin. The barista's and cashier were very nice. They are newly opened and seem like they are still working out some kinks. They had a lot of workers and were tasting some items to sell. read more

This restaurant was very nice and our server was wonderful. I am behind on my reviews, so I actually went about a month and a half ago, but I can still remember how delicious my pasta was. My brother in law got the burger and he said it was one of the best burgers he has ever had. It was kind of small, so I would make a reservation but it was awesome. read more

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Great food, fantastic service, craft cocktails, all on one small and special restaurant. I highly recommend a stop here (or several). read more

Char - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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I've been here 3 times, dinner, lunch, and Sunday brunch and each visit was amazing. The food has always been on-point, the menu is not your run-of-the-mill fare, and the service has always been top notch. My only complaint is the noise level can get high, as it seems to draw larger crowds (baby shower at table next to me at brunch.) I think some acoustic tiles or other noise blocking mechanisms would be great. But don't let that stop you from trying this gem! 1/26 read more

I see lots of potential! My bookclub dined here about a month ago and I had an alright experience. I will say we had to wait a bit to order drinks as well as for them to be served. I had the Italian Chop Salad- it was fine! The interior is really cute though- very cozy vibe. Since they're a new restaurant hopefully they will work out their kinks in time! read more

Char is GREAT! The inside is beautifully decorated and they have a great patio as well. It has a fire pit and is enclosed with plastic for the colder months you're still able to sit outside. We tried their weekend brunch and were blown away. The Eggs in Purgatory were similar to Shakshouka. It was good. The omelette of the day was onions and goat cheese and we added spinach. it was flavorful. We also tried the classic Char Breakfast and they had some of the best bacon. The special hot chocolate marshmallow bomb was out of this WORLD good!! Service was super kind and helpful. She recommended several things and the food came quick. I will definitely be back! read more

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A little overrated in my opinion. The coffee was the best part, little pricey for what you get compared to other brunch spots. Breakfast pizza is def big enough for two & I highly recommend getting some honey on it. Biscuits and gravy were good and omelet was a decent size. Service was great! Will definitely be back to try the dinner menu and possibly some different drinks. The patio is definitely the move! read more

Char - Omelette - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Busy busy place!!! Beautiful outdoor patio. Food was great. Our waiter Christian was overwhelmed w tables but kept his good humor. Bar drinks from Shannon were fabulous. Definitely a gem!! read more

The good.. it's very cute and the Nutella French toast was great! The bad.. we had a reservation and were sat at a table right beside the door and coffee bar. It was so cold when the door opened which was frequently. People were hovering over us while they waited for drinks at the coffee bar. There must've been a miscommunication because after 15 minutes of no one coming by, I had to ask the hostess for menus. We ordered a salted caramel iced coffee and a banana bread iced coffee, they tasted exactly the same. We ordered the breakfast pizza and Nutella French toast. The breakfast pizza was bland. Again, the Nutella French toast was great! read more

Amazing food and ambiance! Loved the gnocchi and hanger steak. Dessert was a beautiful stracietella and I had the sidecar with a perfect amount of blood orange. We were a large party and service was still quick. My only qualm is parking. Find street parking because the lot sucks. read more

I got the banana bread latte and it was sweet and not overpowering highly recommend. All of the workers were so nice and the patio space was a great place to study. The only thing I would change would be the price. Most of the options for coffees are around $7 read more

Awesome food!! It's fresh and unlike any other restaurant in town. The ambiance is fun and different and this is a staple stop to go over and over and have Ana awesome time. read more

Char - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

The food was good. The service was unpracticed. I feel like they are working on this but for example food was served before we got water, or bar drinks. No small plates provided, we had to ask, not a lot of bar knowledge, the water cups were super tiny for us but larger at other tables and were constantly empty. It took a long time to be acknowledged and everything took a long time. I don't mean food prep. I mean you ask for something that seems easy but it takes an unusually long time to get done. Maybe she was really busy but it didn't seem like that. Idk. Pre bussing was good. The server would disappear for long periods and seemed really new( we tried to give her the benefit of the doubt) The past dishes we got were good, carbonara, bolognese, gnocchi, pizza. Etc. the pizza crust was nice and crispy in the middle but at the ends got too unflavored and dry/powdery/floury in a way where I think if they provided a little pesto,parm,red sauce would make that really thoughtful. The tomatoes and burrata should come with a little bread to pick up the leftovers. It was really good. The fig was ok maybe needed to be singed a little more to bring out the flavor or with a little balsamic glaze might be a nice touch,(hit that salty/sweet spot) I love the vibe of the place, I think they could maybe work on growing staff food and bar knowledge. And the coffee was good. It's so cute and the base food is good so I hope they are successful. read more

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AMAZING! I don't know where this restaurant came from but it is a must try! Everything we ate was absolutely delicious. I enjoy a wedge salad on occasion and this one was perfectly crispy lettuce with the right amount of dressing, bacon and lettuce. The focaccia was one of the best I've had probably because that homemade ricotta might as well have been made out of crack. It wasn't the presentation I expected but the bite sized pieces were all the perfect bites. We had a slice of cheesecake for dessert and I tried bourbon ice cream which they make in house I think and it was great. Reminded me of rum and raisin ice cream in Jamaica. Now for the best part - the duck confit pizza (comes with figs) was one of the best pizzas I've ever had. I've had pizza from all over the world including Tuscany (and other parts of Italy) and this one is still in my top 5 ever. The char was really nice, the figs complimented the duck well and the duck didn't overpower. This one will immediately be in my top places around the world and I'll try to visit every time I'm in Lexington. If you're looking for a unique DELICIOUS experience you need to try this place. My server was a young lady and truly delightful. She was attentive but not annoying and made the experience even more pleasant (I think it was her last day of training). The ambiance is a kind of fine dining but still kind of casual (welcoming to all). But it would be a nice date night spot while also being really nice to go by yourself, sit at the bar and just enjoy a tasty meal. read more

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Wow just wow a hidden gem in Chevy Chase area. Excellent service, drinks, appetizer and meal. Great ambience and great birthday company with my great niece Emma! Definitely a place to go multiple times. Had dessert to top it all off! read more

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It was our first time trying it and it was for our anniversary dinner. Food was great service was great and the staff were wonderful. Also price was very reasonable. Thanks Char for making our evening special. read more

Char - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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I've been to Char a couple times, both just for coffee so I don't know anything about the food. Their coffee is fantastic but far too expensive. Every time I'm in there, the employees give off a vibe that I'm inconveniencing them. Because they do reservations and the place is so small it's hard to find somewhere to sit. It's not going to be a regular stop for me. If you're going for coffee there's better places down the block. read more

We sat outside and the fire pits and blankets were nice but it was still kinda chilly. Let me start with the food. We loved everything we got! The special was a gnocchi with short rib and it was perfect. The lamb ribs and sweet potatoes also delicious. The feta dip with pita pieces was good and the focaccia was great. We will go again just for the food. The service was extremely slow and inattentive. It took a long time to get drinks each time we ordered them and it didn't seem too crowded so it wasn't like they were extremely busy. The maple Manhattan was delicious, it was more like an old fashioned and Manhattan together. I loved it. The Mexican hot chocolate was yummy. The fall old fashioned also good. Others were not as happy with their drinks. The spritz was not bubbly at all, like the soda water was flat or something. But like I said the food will bring me back for sure. read more

Emma C. was so attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. She was very eager to answer any questions we had. The service was speedy for how busy the patio was, and we were seated quickly (without a reservation). read more

We went for brunch this weekend. First time here and we both got the specials. I got the omelet with goat cheese and red onion. Husband had the bread pudding French toast. We also had coffees (regular drip for me and an iced latte for him). And I also tried the key lime gimlet. It's made with Castle & Key gin which is a favorite of mine. Ambience was very nice and the food was delicious. I asked for a side of bacon. I am very particular about my bacon and it came out cooked perfectly, crispy but not burnt. Service was fantastic and pleasant. The only criticism I had is that the red onion in my omelet was bitter. But no one's fault, sometimes onions are very astringent. Everything else was delicious and well made. Oh and we got the house made cinnamon roll for the table. This was delicious. So buttery and gooey with cinnamon. We will be back, maybe for dinner to try their dinner menu! read more

Disappointing first experience with an equally disappointing follow up visit. On our first visit, we had reservations for inside made well in advance. They sat us at a two-top by the coffee bar, on the path to the only door to the outside patio. It was a rainy evening so we didn't think much about it since no one would be going outside. We were wrong. I guess since the rain started to lighten up a little, it required two staff people to go outside multiple times each. Every time, letting the door slam behind them and rattling the wall at our table. Our first sever (one of three) walked out after taking our drink order. We ordered a pizza and a salad to share plus two glasses of wine. The pizza was pretty bland, thought the crust was interesting. Server seemed perplexed by a request for red pepper flakes which eventually arrived but not in a ramekin or in a shaker. Our second server also disappeared so we didn't order a second round of drinks. Just took the check from the third server. We made a second attempt in the hope we caught folks on an off night. it happens. Sadly, even worse. We left after seeing the hostess (an older woman whose name I didn't catch, be pretty rude to a couple of people there before us. They left and we decided to follow. Live in walking distance and had high hopes based on the reviews. Sad to not be able to add this place into the rotation. read more

Went for coffee and a spot to meet in the morning-the restaurant is absolutely lovely. Tried an iced beehive latte- delicious. Definitely be back. read more

This restaurant had the worst service I have ever experienced. We chose it for lunch yesterday afternoon. The A/C was not working inside so we chose an outside seat. We waited around ten minutes for a server to greet us (it happens, no big deal). We gave our orders for drinks (two diet cokes and a cherry coke) and lunch order together. We waited another 45 minutes for just the drinks. Our food was another half an hour. Two people ordered the Caprese sandwich, which had mushy tomatoes and hardly any mozzarella. The other person had a burger and asked twice for ketchup and mustard, which never arrived. While we were eating, a person (not the server) came out and asked if the manager had been out to speak with us. We said no and they said someone would be out. Manager never showed either. We even had to wait a ridiculously long time just to pay! No apologies, no remorse whatsoever. Terrible food, terrible service. Will never go back. read more

Wonderful ambiance, everyone is super friendly and the coffee and food were both wonderful. Definitely one of my favorite places in Lexington read more

So if you are looking for a lunch place to go in downtown Lexington. Look no further. Food was excellent. Fresh and full of flavor. Service was top notch! As for the ambiance...very groovy place to either hang out, enjoy a meal or both. You won't regret stopping here. read more

Breakfast pizza was excellent! Better than I expected. Small place with a cozy atmosphere.

This place is AMAZING! Atmosphere, decor, food, service...all perfect! I took my family of four...two college kids home for the holidays...different cocktails, meals, desserts...all served beautifully and deliciously yummy! It's a must for any age. But the best part was the kind, charming ambiance...really special! read more

Char - Best dessert! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Food and coffee were both very good. Service was iffy and seems disorganized. I waited at the counter 15 minutes to order and wait for coffee for 3 with pastries was 20 minutes. read more

Ambiance, cheerful service, delicious from scratch food with a focus on quality ingredients. Inviting and approachable menu. The coffee is next level good. read more

First, I want to say how much I appreciate locally owned and operated places like this. The owner being onsite and genuinely engaging with guests sets such a welcoming tone. She interacts with customers in a thoughtful, caring way that makes everyone feel seen and appreciated. My wife and I ordered the Eggs in Heaven and Eggs in Purgatory, and they were truly exceptional. Easily the best egg dishes we've ever had. Full stop. I understand Char began as a small coffee shop and has grown into a more elevated restaurant, and it really shows how much heart and intention have gone into creating something special here. I hope the owners read this, because what follows is shared only in a constructive spirit. The coffee fell short of the otherwise wonderful experience. My initial cup was lukewarm and not very enjoyable. My wife is first-generation Italian, and espresso is part of our daily routine. We noticed that Char has beautiful, high-end burr grinders and a serious commercial espresso machine, so we each ordered double espressos. Unfortunately, they lacked crema and were undrinkable. This feels like a training opportunity rather than an equipment issue, and I truly wish there were a way to share this feedback privately, as I know how challenging staff training can be in a growing business. Please don't take this as anything but supportive feedback. We will absolutely be back and will continue to support this place wholeheartedly. There is so much here that is special, and spots like this are important to the community. I genuinely want to see Char thrive. read more

Been to Char a few times now, and haven't had a bad experience. The food is fantastic, the coffee is fantastic, the decor is fantastic (I really don't have any complaints). I also enjoyed the front patio - it's a nice feature that Lexington needs more of! read more

We've been for dinner and brunch. Such a cute spot and we will continue to go back! Probably as much indoor seating as outdoor. The servers are always wonderful and have great suggestions. The lamb short rib is chefs kiss! And the cinnamon roll latte. AND the pancake at brunch. Definitely check it out! read more

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