Jean Farris Winery & Bistro

Wow!!!! We loved loved loved this place. The drinks, food, service and atmosphere made for an absolute wonderful night. We can’t thank Jean and Justine enough. Hope to go back when we are in town again. Ed & Linda Slagle

Date night was wonderful at the winery. Gentlemen at bar gave us awesome service, great conversation and wonderful atmosphere. The owner treated as if we were regulars. Steller hospitality. Wine flights exceeded expectations. Great bourbon recommendations to try. Definitely recommend for date night or any occasion.

Jean Farris herself delighted us with an expertly delivered private tour of the vineyard and wine making process. Our guests loved the amazing wine her vineyard makes, especially the 2015 Rose! Thanks Jean for a phenomenal experience! We will be back. John Steele Owner/ Operator Steele Dragon Brewery Tours

Amazing!!!! One of the best dining experience I’ve had. Jean and Justin went above and beyond what we expected. Can’t wait to go back.

Great bartender, Elvalina who helped me, a beer drinker, to love Tempest red wine! Best pork chop ever. Clean and well cared for.

Truly a fantastic experience. Jeannie, the owner as well as her team were extremely gracious…. Superb location and tasty food.. Can’t wait to go back again ..

Very nice winery & bistro! All the wine and food were great.👍

We absolutely love Jean Farris! We enjoyed several meals over the last couple months and of course the wine tasting and bourbon are amazing. We did spend our Valentine's Day dinner at their special event/menu and it was beyond wonderful! Perfect Service from Bentley, Rob at the bar is always fantastic, and Jean is a gem! Compliments to the chef, every course was perfecto!

This winery is absolutely amazing! My husband and I stopped here on the way home from our 5th anniversary. It was WELL WORTH the stop. The food and wine were amazing! There was even a large selection of spirits, different cocktails, bourbon, and whiskey! The selection is just amazing. The customer service was superb. This is an absolutely precious family owned business. Highly suggest. 10/10. Fine dining at its best! So much to choose from on the menu. Dessert is great!

I've been coming to Jean Farris Winery for about a year. Honestly, with every time I've come here, it has been absolutely amazing. The wine is incredible, and the food is the best you can get! If you're like me, and you want to enjoy everything that is amazing and wonderful about Kentucky, then you'll have to check out Jean Farris Winery & Bistro. Once you experience it, you'll want to keep going back! They are the true meaning behind Kentucky Proud, I promise you that!

A gem. Local family-owned place. The Queen and I both had French onion soup, which had an unfamiliar recipe, but it was good. The Queen had the portabello dish and I had mahi-mahi (from a local lake ...). Both dishes were great. Strawberry shortcake dessert was excellent. Note; if you try to avoid the minimum gratuity for large parties by having like six people make single reservations and then asking to sit together, the staff will figure it out. Could I also ask, for anyone reading this who then eats here, to leave an extra buck in your tip for the server who got stiffed by the large party? Thanks.

With looking at lukewarm reviews I was going into brunch yesterday for the wine. We ended up being pleasantly surprised. The food we got was absolutely fantastic. The chicken and dumplings was flavorful with a great broth and the burger was well seasoned and juicy. We’ll definitely come back again.

I moved away from Lexington four years ago. My husband and I loved eating dinner here. We brought our extended family to Keeneland for the weekend and thought we had to go back to our favorite spot. We made reservations for 730pm for 7 people. It was an excellent experience. I was surprised their score was so low on here. The service may be a little slow for some but compared to other places I thought it was on par. Service was excellent. We ordered salmon, pork, duck, and filet between all of us. Straightforward food, simple, and excellent. I highly recommend for anyone in the area or visiting Keeneland. I would suggest reservations especially if you want to eat outdoors.

Jennifer, Katie, & Elissa made our girl group feel so welcomed. They offered a generous selection of wine samples before deciding what glass to get & they were very attentive in checking up on us. The food was incredible- I had the salmon & the flavors were outstanding. The sausage included in the charcuterie board was also amazing! We will definitely be back for another girls day!

Just had supper here. My wife had the mahi mahi and I had the filet. Food was amazing, I’ve paid 3x more at other steakhouses and the steak wasn’t this good. Very tender and full of flavor. Our server was awesome, good recommendations on the wines, and very professional. Great for a date night or equally good for a business meeting. Highly recommended!

This was one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The food was incredible, nice blend of flavor and well cooked. The wine tasting was very nice as well, I personally enjoyed that each wine had a story behind it, along with information and direction on how to properly do wine tasting. This place is definitely worth your while. You won't be let down trust.

My wife and I celebrated her birthday there last Wednesday. It is a family owned and run restaurant.We had fried green tomatoes with bourbon pimento cheese topping as an appetizer. It was great. Our main course was the pork loin with cheese grits Brussels sprouts. I don’t like Brussels sprouts but this was very good. The pork was perfect. Often pork can be dry but this was juicy and very tasty. For desert we had the mixed berry cobbler and ice cream. Just like everything else it was outstanding. Our waitress was the bartender as well. She was Jean Farris the owner. She lives next door. During the week they are not usually crowded but the weekends are a different story. Overall I highly recommend the restaurant, what more can you ask for, great food and great service.

Wonderful place to go! Service was outstanding. We brought a very large group and they did an amazing job handling us all at the bar as well as for dinner which was delicious! Family owned and they all where so nice and attentive to our group. You need to support this small business! You will not be disappointed. I even bought a few bottles of their wine to take home! Bourbon Barrell Sweet Red, MMM....enjoyed that too!

Jean and her team makes you feel right at home, whether you’re from out of state or right here in the bluegrass. The food is exceptional with an incredible mix of culinary flavors that will leave you counting the days until you come back for more. My husband and I have celebrated many special moments here together, and just concluded our one year wedding anniversary in this divine culinary winery we call our home away from home. We love every moment we spend here and can’t wait to celebrate many more years of memories here together!

We loved this place. It's a beautiful drive through the countryside just outside of the rush of Lexington. We reserved a table near closing time since we were coming right from UK's graduation ceremonies. The staff was welcoming, and accommodating. Even though we came in late, we never felt rushed. Our meals were delicious as were the bourbon flights. We would come back!

Never having dined here before, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary here recently. It was a wonderfully memorable experience. The staff were fantastic, sharing interesting historical info about the vineyard, winery and restaurant. The wines we chose--a sweet ted and a rose'--were very palate-pleasing...and the meal was absolutely delicious! We can't wait to go again!

Absolutely an amazing dining experience. The wait staff was phenomenal. Mindy and Bentley had the most vibrant personalities I’ve seen in the service industry in a LONG time. The food was absolutely delicious. I dabbled in everyone’s plate at my table. The lava cake? Decadent. Go here.

The experience, on the whole, was amazing. The food was decadent, the wine selections were top notch, 10/10. I will forewarn however, all of the day's dishes are made or rather the ingredients are prepped, at the start of business. So when I arrived at 7pm, they had already extinguished all of their duck for the day, and lamb. (Not that I'd personally order those, but my colleagues were sorely disappointed.) If you have an evening reservation planned, call ahead a few hours out and let the chef know you'd like to specifically order "x" dish ahead of time in case they'd run out.

Food Fun Adventure Saturday took Fat Man Reviews to Jean Farris Winery & Bistro. Jean Farris is a small winery that offers farm to table food. We started with two flights of wine to sample the different types of wines made on site. We tried the classic reds and the Sweet wine tastings. I especially liked the Red Head. It is a sweet wine aged in bourbon barrels. It reminds me of a port. I tried their Old Fashioned, made with Fosters bourbon. Personally, I would have liked a touch more sweetness and a little less bitters, but it was a good drink. We decided on the Butcher's Board to start out. It had local cheddar, pepper jack and honey chèvre goat cheese, candied pecans, roadhouse almonds, homemade pickles, date and currant chutney, stone ground mustard, a smoked pork and an apple and pear chicken sausage and homemade crackers. This was excellent, and we would go back just for this again. The honey cheese was sweet and refreshing, the sausage was tender with a good snap from the casing. One knock was one of the crackers was mealy in texture. I also tried the drink Between the Sheets, made with Fosters bourbon. It tasted sweet and tangy, a bit like lemonade with bourbon. A very enjoyable drink. For my entrée I had the Duck Breast, whipped potatoes, blanched green beans and a sweet and spicy chutney. The duck was cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, but it was heavy-handed with the salt. The potatoes were great with melted Asiago cheese on top, but could have used a touch of pepper. The green beans were cooked and seasoned well. The chutney was delicious, but I needed more to help cut through the saltiness of the duck breast. My fiancé tried the Lamb. It was cooked to a great medium rare, but was a little salty as well. The mushroom risotto was a bit over done and slightly dry, but it was seasoned well and had a good mushroom flavor. This was also served with beans. Jean Farris Winery & Bistro offers several dishes, wine pairings, cheeses as well as vegan or vegetarian options. The service was fantastic with several recommendations and good knowledge of the menu. The Fat Man says Jean Farris Winery & Bistro is Fat Man Approved.

Pros: +Good food with artisanal touches. I recommend the pork with mashed sweet potatoes and blue cheese brussel sprouts. +In a quaint vineyard with outdoor seating available. +The outdoor area has a fire pit. +Can make weekend reservations last minute, since it’s not as booked up as its downtown Lexington counterparts. Reservations are required here but it’s easy to make online. + good wine! Cons: - The host told us we could not switch seats because the outside area was booked up. It looked pretty available all night. - Very cold inside. Bring a jacket even if it’s warm outside. But they were accommodating with the AC when we told them it was too cold. Neutral: •The service is slow. However, some foods take a while to cook so it is understandable. • I read that for parties over 6, they will not split the check. So do be aware of that.

The wine was pretty good, tho a little over priced for some of the bottles. The beat salad was surprisingly different and very delicious. The duck (a good portion too) was excellent, as were the lobster rolls. Dessert was good, but not great, we had the blueberry cobbler and a creme brulé (custard was more like pudding, and the sugar crust was a little thicker than should be). Service was good. Will go back next time we are in Lexington!

My wife and I went for our anniversary, it is a great place for a date night!!! Remember it's a reservation only! We had drinks which where fantastic and started with truffle fries and Caesar salad for appetizers. Both of which was so delicious. I had the lamb and she had the mahi mahi, The food was presented and plated beautifully and tasted great!!! The reason for 4 stars and not 5 is the rolled silverware, lol. I know not a legit reason but rolled silverware just makes me think of fast casual restaurants, which this is not. Again an all around great place and food!!! Can't wait to go back soon!!

I ordered the valentines day experience package (264$ with wine and gratuity) I would have been happy with the experience at half that price. Service: I stood with my girlfriend awkwardly at the reception for about 10 mins before the bartender seated us (receptionist nowhere in sight) Once seated, the server was wonderful, food came out on time despite the couple's next to us on either side complaining about 2 hour wait times for there individual experiences. At one point the staff was yelling at each other. I had hoped the wine would be poured at the table. The Food: the oysters Rockefeller were exquisite, i wish I had twice as many to eat! The golden beat and goat cheese bruschetta was a delicious and surprising combination of flavors, while it was yummy for the first few bites, the beat taste was overwhelming after you've been through half of the dish (I am certain they forgot an ingredient for our plate, Didn't come with pistachio like it was supposed to, and I feel like that was the missing element to tie things together. The strawberry salad was refreshing and simple. The wellington... the beef wellington gave me a mixed reaction. I had never had a wellington before and found the flavor to be some of the best I have ever tasted in my life, however it came out cold, the crust was not flaky but soggy with the juices (delicious delicious juices), my GF's portion was falling apart when it came out to her. Had it been proper temperature and came fresh I am sure this would have been the best dish I had ever eaten. The dessert was a complete letdown. The cobbler was good but definitely not fine dining good, I would have been happy with this cobbler paired with a 20$ meal, not a 200$ meal. The lava cake was a crime, it tasted EXACTLY like those TV dinner brownies (same texture to, very spongy) you would get in the early 2000's, such a thing does not belong on a menu outside of a denny's, A lava cake should have a crumbly or moist dense shell and a liquid lava chocolate center, the chocolate inside felt like it belonged inside of a donate, more whipped consistency then flowing. My GF said she enjoyed the wine, I am not a drinker so I cannot speak to it myself. They ran out of the Red pepper bisque and the chocolate mousse, to my GF's dismay. The Atmosphere: The seating and tables were very close, cramped even. I felt like I was eating at an Ihop with the table configuration with a shared booth, it was like I was siting in a hallway with how close and constant the traffic was behind me, I would have been much happier had I been seated at one of the open floor tables. The silverware was one fork and one butter knife for all 4 courses. I ate my beef wellington with a butterknife, I am not certain if that is how its supposed to be, but it felt wrong. The wine glasses were appropriate and attractive. All in all, this will go down in our memories as a pleasant valentines day experience, however I would not spend nearly as much for a package like this again at Jean Farris's Winery & Bistro. A comparable (and in my GF's opinion slightly better) experience can be had with 100$ less at another fine dining establishments. I would return and recommend this restaurant for date nights to friends simply because the flavors available, however I wouldn't come for there advertised special occasions. Summary: An experience well worth 100-140 $ priced at 260$.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and appetizers. The bistro part of the experience was overall positive. Unfortunately, the wine made onsite was less than appealing. Other reviewers have covered this, so read other reviews for details. I would still return and enjoy all the other pleasing aspects to the bistro experience!

Dined on June 11. Almost drove away because place looked closed and no cars anywhere. But door was open and walked in. Lady approached and asked if she could help us. “We’re here for dinner.” Were seated on a patio. Nobody anywhere. Ordered. Food did arrive, as did another couple. Exquisite dinners. Everything served was outstanding. But the atmosphere was abysmal.

My partner and I came into town for valentines day and to see a concert. We were looking for a cool fun place to have our valentines dinner. And we were excited about this place. The positives are that your staff was incredibly friendly and the atmosphere was nice, and our wine and cocktails were delicious. However our meal was absolutely the worst meal I've had. My lamb was cut so small there was hardly any meat on it, and what little meat was on it was cooked 3 different ways none of them correct. My risotto was Covered in grease and the cheese in it was just melted on top like it was done in a microwave. My green beans were cold, no seasoning, and undercooked. But worst of all my partners beef wellington was had So much pastry on it, that the pastry was undercooked and meat Was overcooked, and once again dripping in grease. The moment he cut in the grease poured out like an oil spill on his plate. The mushrooms were basically rubber. His potatoes were good, but that was it. Our waitress, who was super nice, asked us how our meal was, and we told her the truth. And instead of getting a manager or the chef to come talk to us, she just simply said thank you for telling us, we will make sure the rest of them cooked tonight are fine better. Like, what?? No apology, no offering to comp anything. Nothing. Basically. Oh sucks for you, sorry. My cheese cake was good, but again my partners creme brulee had the sugar barely bruleed and the custard was curdled. We paid $220 not worth it. And was a really disappointing valentines dinner.

My family came here for my birthday dinner on a Friday night. The appetizers we ordered were great and came out right away - honey chèvre and bourbon pimento cheese. We ordered two bottles of wine - Marito Red and Dolce Blush. The Marito was pretty vinegar-y and we couldn’t finish it. The Dolce Blush was better - it was very sweet and fruity like a Sangria. Even though the restaurant was not very busy for a Friday, our entrees took a really long time to arrive. Then one entree came out, then 10 minutes later several more and then the remaining entrees longer after that. Not all of the dishes were even warm. Dinner overall had potential but was just poorly executed. I cannot recommend this restaurant until they work on their organization. Very disappointing.

This was pretty underwhelming. I noticed when I arrived that this had received a number of Readers Choice Awards, but following my visit, I couldn't understand why. While the wait staff was fine, not overly attentive but not flippant in their duties. We ordered a bottle of the Hellhound Red as memories of it were good, but the vintage (year?) We received was mediocre at best. We initially ordered a Butchers Board, which was very promising, and left me excited for the main course. However, the excitement soon mellowed into a bit of melancholia, not so much for me, but for my party. I got the KY Pan-fried Chicken which was actually delectable, but others I was with had ordered the flank steak, and they were... disappointed. They were never asked how they would like it cooked, and when the cuts came from the kitchen, they were well done to the point of being hard and chewy. The scallops were also pretty good, but the dish in which they came was rather bland overall.

50$ fee per person to hold the reservation at this place is insane. The wine tasted like vinegar or looked like river water and was horiffic to taste- absolutely undrinkable. The waitress was kind and did the best she could with the cards she is dealt with at this establishment. Food was pretty good, considering there were crock pots in the kitchen. The manager was rude and condescending when our large group needed assistance with fixing the bill after we asked for the wine flights removed as we'd requested that they be sent back from being horrible. She was also wearing insanely short jean shorts, which was highly unprofessional. Don't visit this restaurant unless you want to be overcharged, disrespected, and walk away needing a decent drink (which we found at a Mexican Restaurant in Richmond).

Our party had a poor experience on Easter Sunday. The waitress was friendly but that’s about it. She warned us up front that the kitchen was slow so we tried to order something simple, Two French onion soups, two salads and two burgers. The waitress had to come back to tell us that the soup was not available and shouldn’t have been on the menu in the first place. The salads arrived but the burgers never did. Two hours after we first arrived we left and went somewhere else to eat. Oh and we had an starter with a very raw sausage I felt sorry for the wait staff being left out to dry like that, especially when it was reservations only so you would know exactly how many guests you would serve. Regarding the wines, nothing specially really although they do have a good bourbon selection. If you are looking for local wine, try a flight at Lovers Leap or a bottle of Elk Creek Red Blend.

I'm not sure where I should start so I guess the beginning is appropriate. We showed up a few minutes before our reservation time and were immediately seated. I should state that it was New Years Eve and our reservation was at 7:30. The parking lot was pretty full but there were plenty of open seats. We sat for about 15 minutes before anyone came over and they only came over after I went to the front and asked who our server was. The table next to us said they had to do the same thing and we got a good laugh out of it. We both ordered wine and it was amazing. Ordered a cheese plate and it was also amazing. That's where everything started to go bad. We ordered the fried green tomatoes (they were cold in the middle) and the salmon croquettes which were mediocre at best. Had to flag down a random server to order a tea and our main course. We both ordered the Filet and she ordered well done (I know I know) and I ordered Medium. Hers came out Medium and mine came out rare. Sent them back. Server came back with them cooked correctly and told us the Chef even said they weren't right. All in all, this place has the potential to be a great spot, and like I said the wine was amazing but the service was horrendous. Also, they automatically add a 20% service charge so it ended up being an almost $200 night that could have been spent somewhere better.

Jean Farris has been one of our favorite restaurants in Lexington for years. We have celebrated many birthdays and anniversaries there, as well as taken out of town visitors so they could experience a little of our beautiful countryside. Alas, no more. I know that finding help is tough right now, but they should at least be trained when my husband asked for a wine suggestion, our server could only tell us that she drinks vodka and Red Bull. This is a winery. Shouldn’t she have been given at least a little direction when she was hired? She seemed eager to provide service but embarrassed by not being able to provide answers. So, again, not her fault! We ordered the Southern Shrimp Cocktail Board that was billed as pickled shrimp with cocktail sauce. What came was a standard Shrimp Cocktail dish on a board; not quite as advertised. And then we tried the shrimp. They were inedible. They were so overcooked as to be as tough as the proverbial shoe leather and no trace of having been pick. We explained that to the server and she immediately took them back and took them off the bill. A few minutes later, someone did come out and said she was sorry we didn’t like them but that they were pickled. Then I explained that I know what pickled shrimp are and these weren’t them. I can’t believe that any chef would send out something like that. He/she either hasn’t tasted them or is not a very good chef. We cut our losses and went to a sports bar nearby.

The wine was horrible. Two flights - all eight red wines tasted like vinegar. They were offering discounted bottles and I am 100% sure that they had an issue sealing bottles last harvest. Despite the fact that we hardly drank anything, no one asked us if we disliked the wine. All three employees just kind of ignored the fact that we were openly discussing how bad it was. The Butcher’s Board was good. The place was not super clean and looked kind of like it was going out of business.

While it was a nice view, the service and food were both horrible. I get there can be a bad cut of meat however it was the worse prime rib I ever had. We also took the time to order dessert but the ice cream that came with the cobbler was completely melted before the staff ever brought is silverware. The owner was rude and screaming at customer because they didn't want to pay the automatically add gratuity. Don't expect to ever visit such a horrible place again.

1) ordered the wine flights. Several of the wines were nothing more than vinegar. One looked like brown water and was clearly sediment from the bottom of the barrel. Another had cork clearly floating at the top. We informed the waitress and she returned to tell us the bartender said the wine was as it should be. Not a good sign. 4 of our party were in agreement about the bad wine. 2) the wine flights were taken away and we ordered cocktails. They were very sweet. One that was listed as a bourbon cocktail came with brandy instead, and when we told the bartender it was too sweet he brought a cup of sugary lemonade to cut into sweetness. 3) our bill arrived and we were charged for all of the wine flights. We had to complain. They took them off and put a 20% tip in its place. 4) to place a reservation at this restaurant we had to put down a $300 deposit, 50 per person. This is just a bit excessive, especially for a restaurant of this quality, and especially considering that the restaurant was maybe 25 percent full for the duration of our visit. Summary: bad wine, bad cocktails, exorbitant deposit requirement for reservations. The waitress did her best but not much she could do with the cards she was handed.