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  • The Tulip Bistro + Bar

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Reserve at The Tulip Bistro + Bar

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The Tulip Bistro + Bar
The Tulip Bistro + Bar

The Tulip Bistro + Bar Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://thetulipbistroandbar.com
  • Email: jsd@myself.com
  • Phone: (859) 367-6687
  • Hours of Operation: Dinner: Monday - Thursday:4:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 4:00pm - 10:30pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: American, French
  • Executive Chef: Spencer van den Dool
  • Dress Code: Business Casual
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Full Bar, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Private Party Facilities: We offer set menu's for large parties to suit any needs you may have. Contact Shawn Deakins to set an appointment.
  • Private Party Contact: Shawn Deakins (859) 367-6687

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Cooper
  • Parking: Public Lot
  • Parking Details: We offer parking in our lot or on the street.
A word from The Tulip Bistro + Bar
The Tulip Bistro + Bar is a small treasure in the Chevy Chase Neighborhood. Chef Spencer van den Dool has worked in fantastic local restaurants such as Pacific Pearl and Emmett"s before going to Holland and working at a 2 michelin star restaurant called De Kastanjehof, where he fine tuned his… French-American cuisine. The menu offers such things as Mussels, Fish and Chips to Curried Seafood & Short Ribs. There is something for everyone! Our wine list covers most of the world, while our martini list features old and new favorites, such as Tulip Margatini, Blue Goose and The Grand Cosmo.The Tulip will impress you and have you making a reservation for your next visit. Continued
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Food
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Service
Diner Reviews
  • "We went for my mother's birthday, and she absolutely loved it. All of our food was delicious, I recommend the chicken roulade. The service was great, we never went without beverages, and we had a lovely time. My only complaint would be someone who I assumed to be a manager or head bartender peacocking around talking to people he knew about new drinks he was developing and information about the restaurant, but he was loud and interjected many swear words into his speech for emphasis. I realize this isn't a huge deal in regular conversation for most people, but this was a nice dinner out for my mother, and he was standing next to us for most of that conversation. I would still go back, hopefully he won't be there."
    Dined on 3/11/2014
  • "Four of us had an exquisite dinner at the Tulip. The service was very good and the meals were delicious and provided with pleasing presentation. I had the lamb shank and it was the very best I've had in Lexington. Two people in our party requested substitutions, all were accommodated."
    Dined on 3/8/2014
  • "It is so noisy that you cannot hear the person sitting next to you. Rowdy and loud bar scene @6:30 on a Friday night."
    Dined on 3/7/2014
  • "Overall, very satisfied with out dining experience. Food was good, but didn't quite live up to the high prices for most entrees. Only true issue I had was that the Tulip opened at 4pm....our reservations were for 4:30 yet when we arrived and were seated we were informed that they don't serve entrees until 5pm??? It was not a problem since we enjoyed a few pre-diner cocktails while waiting, but I found it strange they accepted reservations during a period of time they didn't serve."
    Dined on 3/8/2014
  • "Great chocolate creme brûlée! A little expensive ."
    Dined on 2/27/2014
  • "Delicious food attractively presented. Located in a safe, residential neighborhood near downtown. Easy parking. Handicap accessible. Outdoor seasonal seating. Worth a drive into town if you are coming from out of town."
    Dined on 2/26/2014
  • "My Valentine and I had a very special romantic dinner for two. As you can see from the review I was quite pleased. Thanks for a wonderful evening."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "Went for Valentine's Day, so it was a limited menu, and even considering the holiday, I felt it was a little overpriced. The main problem was the noise. We were seated in the bar area, which I thought was odd considering there were open tables in the room off to the side of the bar, and we could barely have a conversation over the noise. Overall decent experience."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "Love this place. Chicken wontons and shrimp apps are incredible. Short ribs are amazing. Creme brûlée tops off the night well."
    Dined on 2/13/2014
  • "Excellent dinner and great, warm setting on a snowy night... Noise travels easily, so place gets a bit loud as the evening goes on, though...."
    Dined on 2/8/2014
  • "Very good food . So noisy could barely talk to our guests. There were 4 in a booth . No place to hang our big warm coats . Shared salads & not served separately as they often do. Manager very friendly & welcoming . Food yummy as usual . I would say the noise was the most off putting as diners go out to be with each other."
    Dined on 2/8/2014
  • "Table was ready when we arrived (Friday night at 8pm) and the food was good. Noise level was high but we were still able to care on a conversation with no problem. Would go again."
    Dined on 2/1/2014
  • "Very enjoyable dinner except for the two young ladies who came in late sat at the bar and were very loud. I think they were friends of one of the staff members."
    Dined on 1/27/2014
  • "We had been by Tulip many times but never investigated and have only found it as our daughter is on the way out of UK. Great neighborhood, intimate, fun bar. Food was inventivite without being stuffy, perfectly portioned and priced well. Service was excellent."
    Dined on 1/17/2014
  • "This place is great. I think they have some of the best salmon in town. The mussels are great- the sauce I just love to dip their bread into. I love the neighborhood it is located in. Our server Newton was friendly as can be."
    Dined on 1/10/2014
  • "Visited on a Monday when the place is pretty quiet. The food and servise was good."
    Dined on 1/6/2014
  • "My boyfriend and I enjoyed a wonderful NYE dinner here. Our experience was great! Wonderful food as well as service!! I would recommend the lamb shanks--they were delicious!"
    Dined on 12/31/2013
  • "I can honestly say there is only one small detail that I did not find satisfactory about my first dinning experience at the Tulip, that being, the waiter forgot to give us our complimentary bread when we were seated. I had to ask for it directly as we wanted to dip it in the delicious cream sauce the mussels were served in. Other than that very small and forgivable blunder, I had a great experience and will definitely patronize the Tulip again!"
    Dined on 12/28/2013
  • "Food was great as was the service. However, although we had reservations and there were tables in the dining room, we were seated in the bar- usually great- which was filled with a flock of very noisy, inebriated men.....detracted from the experience!"
    Dined on 12/20/2013
  • "We like eating in that neighborhood and wanted a dining experience for a special gathering. Didn't want a noisy place to wolf down our food. It was leisurely and delicious. Good service and very good food."
    Dined on 12/13/2013
  • "Food was amazing! Being a self proclaimed foodie, everything was fantastic! The proscuteo wrapped shrimp to the braised lamb shank. Excellent wine list as well for those who like a good pairing wine with thier meal. The service was spot on! Great spot for some great rich food!"
    Dined on 12/11/2013
  • "Attended on a Wednesday night after a UK early basketball game. Crowded, but accomodating. Excellent salmon and steak. Salads were good. Will definitely try Tulip again."
    Dined on 11/27/2013
  • "They seated us in the same area as this large table of very loud people who were apparently all raised by wolves since they didn't seem to have an ounce of common courtesy. They all spoke at one time in extremely loud voices. Our dinner began with two hard little loaves of crusty bread--over-baked to the point one of them was blackened on the bottom and the other was just as hard and dry, including the center. My date's entree--filet mignon--was ordered medium but arrived with a blackened outside which had to be flaked off and the center was well done. I had the Chicken Roulade. My "whipped" potatoes were so obviously instant, and they weren't even prepared well. Needless to say, we will not be going back. Definitely not worth the money."
    Dined on 11/23/2013
  • "We have always had a good meal at The Tulip and will continue returning."
    Dined on 11/23/2013
  • "The food was amazing and service was a step above. Our waiter made our night."
    Dined on 11/21/2013
  • "I took my boyfriend to Tulip Bistro & Bar for his birthday since they had a interesting selection of menu options and a high rating on all the sites I'd checked. We had the antipasto appetizer which was fabulous. For entrees we had the steak frites and the red snapper. Just one word: phenomenal. The waiter was appropriately attentive - not too intrusive but just the right amount of checking on us - and also was able to answer our questions about selections. I highly recommend this restaurant."
    Dined on 11/5/2013
  • "Bad news that a pretty good dinner was marred by the distraction of a large TV flashing in the back dining room. When I asked manager about it, he said it was for future plans for the bar expansion and made no move to turn it off. Who wants to see Criminal Minds shots without sound in a nice restaurant? Bleh."
    Dined on 11/3/2013
  • "We usually dine at the Tulip when we want a great oyster fix/ many options on the menu................Great other menu options and specials."
    Dined on 10/13/2013
  • "Service was very attentive. Short ribs were ordered by three in our party and all agreed they were the best in town. Swordfish was cooked perfectly and presented beautifully. Must try the she crab soup."
    Dined on 10/13/2013
  • "Very gourmet menu! Half the fun of travelling is trying local restaurants. This fit the bill as something unique and local. We were surprised at the seafood selection and its quality. The appetizers looked so good, we ordered 7 instead of an entree.. The fresh oysters from Washington state were better than what we are used to down in Pensacola. The grilled were delicious as was the soup and crab dip. We did not have a disappointing dish! We had room for dessert: raspberry sorbet and nutella cookies were both incredible! Fun, fun, fun!"
    Dined on 10/12/2013
  • "Everything was late, drinks forgotten, and our server was overwhelmed. It could be that management needs to add staff. We won't be back anytime soon."
    Dined on 9/22/2013
  • "Wonderful selection of wines and food. The seafood trio was the special and it was great. Blackened salmon, grouper bites and shrimp. Salad was fresh and crisp!"
    Dined on 9/14/2013
  • "The crab dip is a must. Reasonably priced wines. Soup special was Shrimp/corn bisque -amazing. Short Rib entree was rich and delicious ( potatoes served with are only OK) Service is always good( ask for Newton) Mgr. always stops by to check on food and is extremely nice. Chicken fingers for kids are homemade!!"
    Dined on 8/16/2013
  • "Always enjoy the atmosphere here. Food is good and they are gluten free friendly. They also make a great Dark and Stormy witch is hard to find outside of Bermuda! Give it a try you won't be disappointed."
    Dined on 8/11/2013
  • "Visiting Lexington. This was an exceptional find for dinner."
    Dined on 7/28/2013
  • "We came this past weekend just for a low key evening on date night. We were able to sit on patio and it was outstanding. We both just got sandwiches. I ended up with the burger and my wife order the veggie sandwich. Both were top notch. We also started with the muscles and they were the best we've had anywhere. The beer and wine selections were very nice as well."
    Dined on 7/28/2013
  • "My husband and I both order the Filet which was priced at $30. However, we wouldn't consider it a $30 steak. For that price I was expecting a lot more. I think $20 - $24 would have been more appropriate for the entree. Our dessert was also a very small portion for $8 - we ordered the nutella cookies. The specials also seemed overpriced. There was a goat cheese side salad that sounded good, but it was priced at $11 which is why I didn't order it."
    Dined on 7/28/2013
  • "A great place for a fun night out with friends or a romantic dinner for two. A good wine and martini list. I recommend the wonton appetizer. At our most recent outing, one of their nightly appetizer specials was a spinach salad with an encrusted goat cheese. I selected a balsamic dressing instead of the Chet's selection and the salad was wonderful. I chose a grouper and pasta special, with mussels. Overall, the dish was great, but the mussels were too salty. Two got the short ribs and both loved their meal. The short ribs are always a good choice. Our server was nice, but we did wish that he had been more attentive. We had a very enjoyable evening overall, and will definitely return."
    Dined on 7/20/2013
  • "What a great meal and great service. This was our first time there and it won't be our last. The She Crab soup is excellent. I had salmon, my wife a chicken dish and my daughter a vegetarian sandwich and ALL were superb. The service was fast, knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this venue."
    Dined on 6/30/2013
  • "My wife and I went for an early evening dinner based upon a recommendation of a friend. We found the atmosphere to be quiet and somewhat casually elegant without pretentiousness. We experienced friendly and helpful service as well. However, the most amazing aspect of the dinner was the perfectly prepared, and well-presented food! The menu was balanced between simplicity and interesting combinations of ingredients/flavors. It was obvious that a chef (not just a cook) prepared our delightful meals. The meat was cooked to precise specifications and my palate was singing hallelujahs!"
    Dined on 6/27/2013
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • Kentucky Winners
  • American
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Lexington Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Food
  • Best Service
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Good for Groups
  • Neighborhood Gem
  • Most Booked
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