Belle's Cocktail House — Restaurant in Lexington

Written from a verifiable experience by a friend: I’ve been meaning to type this out but was going to just let it go and let things take care of itself. But, after thinking for awhile, I realized I could not. Last Thursday, I was on my way to your bar with a few of my friends; we had all just recently turned 21 within the last few months. My two friends, who are white females, went up to this bar’s bouncer, Jessie. He did not ask them for their ID and he told them they could just enter. Then, it’s my turn. He asked me for my ID, which I had no problem giving due to the the fact that I turned 21 in December. He then asked me for a second form, but I had no second form due to the fact that I took cash out for the night because we had been at wild cat earlier and on Thursday they do $1 dollar beers. He refused to let me in and pocketed my ID. My friends came out of the bar and told him that he was not being fair because he didn't even ask them for thier IDs. I also had a flight the following week, so getting my ID back was extremely serious. There were also two other men outside that were extremely rude and harassing us that also worked there. Jessie said he could let in whoever he pleased and if he didn't want me in there he didn't have to let me in. We asked him to call the cops so I could prove my ID is truly mine and real, and he said he didn't need to do that. He told my friends he had let them in due to the fact that he recognized them. But this is a lie as it was our first time there for all of us coming to this establishment. I was the only African American in sight, and I felt very threatened by your workers and their remarks. One said "we've let people like you in before,” insinuating this was a race issue and that I was denied based on the color of my skin. Another even said, “I've been waiting for you to pull the stupid race card"... I was treated like a second-class citizen and not a human being, but the scum of the earth. I was so frustrated due to the fact that I never truly thought I'd be racially profiled, I was in tears. Your bouncer was laughing so hard, my friend asked what he was laughing at and he said “the dumb girl crying over there.” During this all, he allowed 2 more white females go into the bar without even asking them for any information. I've never been so utterly disgusted and upset in my entire life. I didn’t cause any issues, I just wanted to enjoy my night. I will never be returning to this establishment again. I hope you teach all your workers a lesson on racially profiling people. It is 2018 and racism should already be a thing of the past, but clearly you guys are devolving and...

The interior design is undeniably pretty: all sleek lines, moody lighting, and Instagram-friendly vibes. The rooftop promises a classy night out, but in practice, it felt more like a college pregame in heels and button-downs. We walked in just in time to witness someone’s completely sloshed friend being helped—read: hoisted—down the stairs by their party, and while the staff seemed nice enough, they were far more invested in watching the scene than in helping us get a drink.

Upstairs, the rooftop DJ was spinning loud club beats to a nearly empty space, save for a few scattered patrons and what felt like an overstaffed security team.

That said, shoutout to the bartenders—true professionals in the middle of what felt like a night out for a campus Greek formal. They clearly knew their craft and carried themselves with the kind of calm and skill that only comes from real service industry experience.

I might give it another shot on a...

Place will give your card to somebody else!!! Usually super loud and what not. I have went to this bar 2 times out of the last 3 weeks. Never again. They have screwed over 2 people I know. They left their tabs open at the bar and went to close them out before we left. Both times the bartender gave the cards to someone else!!!! How do you do that? Super unprofessional. They pretty much argued that they closed it when they didn't. My friend ended up getting over 500 dollars worth of stuff charged to his card because they gave the card to someone else (the person went to Walmart and bought a bunch of crap that same night). He was so pissed and they didn't help at all. My other friend just had a bartender give it to someone else last night so I'm sure something similar will happen. They weren't helpful. Just so crappy. Won't...