J. Alexander's Restaurant — Restaurant in Lexington

I’ve generally had good experiences at J. Alexander’s, but tonight’s visit was so disappointing that I’m unsure if I’ll return. I brought my family here based on my own recommendation after they drove over four hours to spend the holidays with me. Unfortunately, the evening didn’t meet expectations.

We waited about 40 minutes for a table, which wasn’t an issue since we didn’t have a reservation. However, after being seated, we waited another 15 minutes before our waitress arrived to take our drink orders. I ordered a 1792 12-Year bourbon neat, while the rest of my family ordered soft drinks. It took another 10 minutes to receive our beverages, and I was served my bourbon with an ice ball—completely different from what I ordered. Since the ice diluted the flavor profile of such a premium bourbon, I politely asked for it to be remade. The waitress apologized and acknowledged the mistake but returned 20 minutes later to inform me that I had received the last pour of the 1792 12-Year and that no replacement was available. Frustrated but understanding, I moved on and asked to place our food orders.

By this point, we had been seated for 30 minutes without placing our order. After ordering, it took another 20 minutes for the food to arrive, and even then, we were not given silverware. I had to request it separately. As we ate, we noticed we were also missing a side dish and napkins. Our server was nowhere to be found, so I approached the front-of-house staff to address these issues. Napkins were brought out after another 5-minute wait, but the missing dish wasn’t prepared because the order hadn’t been entered correctly. We waited an additional 15 minutes for it to be remade, long after everyone else had finished eating.

Throughout the evening, refills were inconsistent, with drinks sitting empty for 20 minutes at a time. To top it off, when we finished our meal, we waited so long for the check that I had to return to the front-of-house staff to request it. To my surprise, our waitress was chatting and laughing with other staff members instead of attending to her tables.

For a restaurant of J. Alexander’s caliber, this level of service was unacceptable, especially when spending nearly $200 on dinner. My family left feeling disappointed, and I’ve heard nothing but complaints from them since. I hope J. Alexander’s takes this feedback seriously and improves their service for future guests.

Update 1/5/25:

CJ the general manager at J. Alexander's reached out and provided me with a free dinner for two at the restaurant to amend the horrible service we had. This do-over was phenomenal and our service/food was immaculate. I truly appreciate an establishment that admits when they mess up and corrects it afterwards. Though it should have never of happened originally, it's nice to see an establishment that...

Our experience was all over the place, but on the whole, quite poor. We had a lovely time chatting with Richard in the waiting area while literally every other party abandoned their 'reservation' to go sit at the bar, then every remaining party was seated before us. Did they all have reservations? I'd be curious to know. I didn't really observe Richard aiding in any expedition, only making pleasant small talk with us and others, sort of in an effort to 'pacify' and smooth over the inexplicable waiting.

Once we were finally seated, 15 minutes past our reservation time, we noticed the restaurant was only 2/3 full, with empty tables all around. Perhaps a service shortage was to blame for all the delays? Jonny was our server and he started out strong, but ended up leaving us for over 30 minutes after our food was delivered, during which time we had no drinks and my husband didn't have a key component of his dish, which sat and got cold while we waited. It should be noted that my Thai Kai Chicken Salad was as-expected, plentiful and tasty, as described. Jonny recommended that my husband order Alex's Salad and add salmon on top with a side of cilantro vinaigrette - the latter being the ingredient left out that kept him waiting 30 minutes. The salad component was especially underwhelming (think anemic house salad from a bag) but add to it cold, flavorless salmon. Yuck. The saving grace of our entire meal was the starter, Deviled Eggs. They were perfect!

My husband also didn't feel comfortable ordering a bourbon or two as he normally would, as there was a $2 upcharge for NEAT or on the rocks. What on earth? If that's the case just add $2 to the base price of all pours! Or if there's a reason that makes sense, state it plainly alongside the charge. Otherwise, maybe re-evaluate whether or not you should charge ambiguous, off-putting fees.

This was my second or third visit, and my husband's first, and it goes without saying that we won't be back or recommend J. Alexander's to anyone. There is far too much good food in and around Lexington to waste your time or money here. That, and upon deeper inspection of the menu and the decor/ambiance, this restaurant really struggles with identity. What is it? Certainly not a steakhouse. Pork Tenderloin with Bang Bang Sauce? Mexico City Spinach Con Queso? Carolina Crab Cakes? It's a world tour that...

So... I would give J Alexander's a 5 star rating, but... first of all, we had called ahead about an hour before going to check about gluten free options (EXTREMELY important for a celiac patient like me: celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disease--NOT merely a digestive disorder, contrary to popular belief), and no one bothered to mention that the dining room was booked till 9... so, we had to sit outside in less than 55°, with a cold wind. Also, when we called, we were told, unequivocally, that the fries are gluten free and fried in a separate fryer where gluten-containing products were definitely not cooked. When I ordered, I got the burger (hold the cheese and the bun) with fries--& was told, point blank and again, that the fries were gluten free and quarantined. Our appetizers were already there, and I had just a few fries from my friends' plate while we waited... only to have the waitress pop back out and tell me that the fries WEREN'T gluten free: they are fried in the same fryer as the croutons.

So, now, here I am--a pregnant woman during a high risk pregnancy who has an autoimmune disease--will have no immune system for up to 6 weeks during a global pandemic. I am already in pain--though, fortunately, I consumed such a small amount, I will hopefully not be spending 9-12 hours vomiting tomorrow... but, I won't know for sure until I wake up tomorrow and move around a bit. I will have increased anxiety, depression, and possibly even bipolar symptoms and paranoia. Because the server and the lady we spoke to on the phone each assured me/us that the fries were safe. Put simply: you can't tell people that food items are safe for them BEFORE double checking. It's not safe to tell people what you think they want to hear: what they want to hear is "yes, this is safe for you", "no, this isn't safe", or "let me go check with the chef". In fact, that last answer is the best answer. Telling me it was safe when they didn't know opened J Alexander's up to legal liability issues should my reaction be extreme. And-if my baby is hurt, in any way-I will hold J Alexander's legally and financially responsible. It is a stupid move not to train employees to be brutally honest in regards to ingredients in a world where celiac disease, food allergies and food intolerances are...