DV8 Kitchen is one of my favorite places to eat breakfast in Lexington, Kentucky. I have visited several times, eaten at both Lexington locations, and tried enough of the menu to confidently share a detailed DV8 Kitchen Lexington review.
The restaurant’s mission makes me like it even more, but the food is genuinely excellent on its own. The cinnamon rolls are enormous, the biscuits are fluffy, and the pancakes are much more interesting than an ordinary breakfast stack.
DV8 also makes its pastries from scratch, and depending on the location, you may be able to watch the baking process as you walk inside.
This guide covers which location I prefer, what we ordered, parking, wait times, prices, and what makes DV8 different from other breakfast spots in Lexington.
You can also compare it with the other restaurants in my Best Breakfast in Lexington KY: 5 Places I Would Go Again guide.
DV8 Kitchen is a Lexington restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and baked goods at two locations:
Both locations serve the same food and have indoor and outdoor seating.
The Broadway location is a good choice depending on where you are staying or what else you are doing in Lexington. I would happily eat at either one, but after visiting both, I slightly prefer the East End location.
DV8 currently operates both Lexington locations seven days a week, with weekday and weekend hours varying slightly. Check the restaurant’s current hours before visiting, particularly around holidays.
The simplest reason to visit DV8 Kitchen is that the food is really good.
It is one of my favorite breakfast restaurants in Lexington because the menu combines Southern breakfast dishes, creative savory options, and completely unreasonable—in the best possible way—cinnamon rolls.
My husband and I usually share several dishes so we can order something savory and something sweet. DV8 is particularly good for this because there are too many things I want to eat to commit to only one.
It is good food that also does some good. I am fully in favor of both.
DV8 Kitchen was created as a second-chance employment opportunity for people working to redirect their lives during recovery from substance use.
The DV8 Kitchen Vocational Training Foundation is a nonprofit social enterprise with 501(c)(3) status. Its mission is to provide meaningful employment opportunities to people in the early stages of recovery while helping employees learn life skills, continue their education, and work toward their full potential.
The foundation partners with recovery homes whose residents are ready to reenter the workforce. Those homes provide safe housing, accountability, testing, and structured recovery programs, while DV8 provides employment and vocational support.
Employees can also participate in workshops focused on life skills, personal development, community, and creating a positive work environment.
I did not originally visit DV8 because of its mission. I had heard good things about the restaurant and wanted breakfast.
Now, the mission is another reason I feel good about returning.
I have eaten at both DV8 Kitchen locations on Sundays, and the food and service were equally good at each one.
However, I prefer the East End location on East Third Street because it has been slightly less busy during my visits.
Both restaurants have a funky, industrial-chic feeling, with colorful murals and plenty of personality. Your choice will probably come down to which location is more convenient for your Lexington plans.
There is plenty of parking near the East End location beside the park.
From the parking area, you can walk to the right side of the building and enter through the door. However, I recommend walking to the left and continuing around to the front first.
There is a large, colorful mural that makes a fun photo stop before breakfast. It even has small wings positioned for dogs, so your pup can have its own mural moment.
After taking pictures, you can continue to the entrance.
Parking is easy at either location, and I did not have to circle around looking for a space.
DV8 Kitchen uses counter service rather than traditional table service.
You wait in line, place your order at the counter, choose a table, and the staff brings your food to you when it is ready.
During my visits, we waited approximately 10 minutes in line to order and another 15 minutes for our food. That felt reasonable considering the restaurant was busy and everything tasted freshly prepared.
The Broadway location has generally felt busier to me, while the East Third Street restaurant has been a little calmer. Neither experience felt chaotic, and we did not have trouble finding a table.
We have visited DV8 several times, so we have worked our way through quite a few breakfast items.
My husband and I prefer to share multiple dishes. That way, we can have something savory, something sweet, and absolutely no ordering regret when we see another plate go past our table.
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The cinnamon roll is the star.
DV8 makes its pastries from scratch, and these are not light little breakfast pastries. They are serious cinnamon rolls that are rich, filling, and ideal for sharing—although I understand if you do not want to.
During one visit, I ordered the roll of the month made with fresh-cut peaches, brûléed white chocolate chips, and cream cheese frosting.
Was it a light breakfast?
Absolutely not.
Was it delicious?
Yuuuum.
The fresh peaches helped balance some of the sweetness, while the white chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting made it unapologetically rich. The regular menu also includes several cinnamon-roll options, although specialty flavors can change.
The cinnamon roll is still my favorite sweet item at DV8 and one of the main reasons I keep returning.
I did not expect the pancakes to be anything unusual. Pancakes are usually pancakes.
DV8’s pancakes proved me wrong.
They are thicker than standard pancakes, with a slight crispness around the edges. The inside remains soft and substantial rather than thin or overly cakey.
We ordered the blueberry pancakes, and I loved them. They were filling, had plenty of flavor, and tasted much more interesting than the average breakfast stack.
The pancakes have now joined the cinnamon roll on my list of items I would happily order again.
The breakfast tacos had so much flavor.
They were one of the biggest surprises from our visits and one of my favorite savory choices on the menu. Every component worked together instead of tasting like eggs and breakfast meat were simply placed inside a tortilla.
I would recommend the tacos to someone who wants a savory breakfast but does not necessarily want the standard eggs-bacon-toast combination.
The biscuits are incredibly fluffy, and the gravy is delicious.
As a Southern girl, I have opinions about biscuits and gravy. DV8’s version passed the test.
The biscuits taste fresh and have the light, soft texture I want, while the gravy adds enough richness and flavor without completely overwhelming them.
This is another dish I would order again, especially when I want a traditional Southern breakfast.
The bacon was perfectly crisp.
That may sound like a small detail, but limp breakfast bacon is disappointing. DV8 got it right.
It worked well alongside the sweeter dishes and gave us something salty to break up bites of pancake and cinnamon roll.
The French toast sticks were airy, fluffy, and good. However, they were not my favorite thing we ordered.
With options like the cinnamon roll, blueberry pancakes, breakfast tacos, and biscuits and gravy available, I would personally pass on the French toast sticks next time and use that stomach space elsewhere.
They were not bad. The competition was simply too strong.
The cinnamon roll is still my overall favorite item at DV8 Kitchen. It is rich, memorable, and the pastry I continue thinking about after breakfast is over.
For a savory option, I would choose either the breakfast tacos or biscuits and gravy. The tacos had the most unexpected flavor, while the biscuits and gravy satisfied my Southern breakfast requirements.
The blueberry pancakes were another surprise favorite. I assumed they would be a standard side dish, but the thicker texture and slightly crisp edges made them stand out.
My ideal order would be one savory dish for the table and either the cinnamon roll or pancakes to share.
Or both. This is a judgment-free breakfast.
The portions at DV8 Kitchen are filling.
My husband and I normally share several dishes because we like trying a combination of sweet and savory items. Sharing also makes it easier to taste more of the menu without committing to an entire cinnamon roll, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast tacos individually.
Even when sharing, we left satisfied.
The cinnamon roll is especially rich and easy to split between two or more people. Someone with a serious sweet tooth could finish one alone, but I would still recommend sharing if you plan to order a full breakfast with it.
I thought the prices were reasonable for the quality and portion sizes.
DV8 is not the least expensive possible breakfast in Lexington, but the food is made with care, the pastries are baked from scratch, and the portions are filling.
Menu offerings and prices can change, so check the latest menu before visiting if you need exact pricing. Based on our experiences, I felt we received good value for the amount and quality of food.
DV8 Kitchen has a funky, colorful atmosphere with murals and an industrial-chic design.
It feels casual and energetic rather than polished or formal. You can arrive in comfortable clothes, order at the counter, and settle in for breakfast without feeling rushed.
This is not a quiet, special-occasion brunch restaurant. Families, couples, groups of friends, and solo diners can all feel comfortable here.
We ate inside during our first visit and outside during another visit. Both were good experiences.
The outdoor seating is especially useful when the weather is pleasant or you are visiting with a dog. Dogs can join you outside, and the mural at the East End location includes a set of wings positioned for pet photos.
Families should also feel comfortable here. The atmosphere is casual, and counter service makes the restaurant relatively easy to navigate with children.
The menu has enough sweet and savory choices for groups with different breakfast preferences.
The service has been consistently good at both Lexington locations.
Even on busy Sunday mornings, the ordering process was straightforward, our food arrived promptly, and we did not have trouble finding a table.
The restaurant’s mission is important, but the experience does not require you to overlook slow service or mediocre food because the business supports a good cause.
The service and food stand on their own.
Plan approximately one hour for breakfast.
That should give you enough time to park, take photos near the mural, wait in line, eat, and avoid feeling rushed.
You could finish in less than an hour if the restaurant is quiet and you are eating quickly. You could also stay longer if you are sitting outside, relaxing, and working through a cinnamon roll.
Restrooms are available inside.
Yes. DV8 Kitchen is absolutely worth visiting for breakfast or brunch in Lexington.
I have already returned several times, and I would gladly go again. The restaurant delivers on the things that matter: flavorful food, filling portions, reasonable prices, a fun atmosphere, and consistently good service.
Its second-chance employment mission makes the experience even more meaningful, but you do not have to visit out of charity. The food is worth the stop by itself.
I slightly prefer the East End location because it has felt less busy and has easy parking near the park. Do not walk directly inside, though. Take the longer route past the mural first, get a few pictures, and then reward that exhausting additional minute of walking with a cinnamon roll.
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