Eatery: Tolly-Ho
Address: 606 S. Broadway, Lexington, KY
Website: www.tollyho.com
Type of food: American Food
Our Rating: 10/10
Re-visit: 10/10
Tolly-Ho is a locally owned and operated restaurant in Lexington KY. It is a classic American fast food burger joint. You can find the same food at many other restaurants in the area, but the food at Tolly-Ho’s is never frozen (as it is in most fast-food restaurants) and it is made fresh when you order it. I have been eating here for quite a few years. It was one of my favorite places to eat when I went to the University of Kentucky years ago, and has remained one of my favorites. The restaurant is locally operated and unlike other places that are fast food chains in Lexington, there is only one Tolly Ho. Here I will discuss the food, the pricing, the hours for the food you can find it open (spoiler alert, it’s open 24 hours), and I will also discuss how I have found their food and why I enjoy eating here so much.
Tolly-Ho is a locally owned restaurant located in the University District on Broadway. Let me begin by discussing its hours. Tolly Ho is a 24-hour restaurant that is open almost all year round. That is great for students spending long hours or late hours at school, but it is also great if you just really want something to eat very late at night or early in the morning when even the fast-food chains are closed. Of course, there are certain major holidays when they do close, so that team members can spend time with their family. I can respect that, since this is a family restaurant. Let’s face it, if you make your employees work during holidays that are typically reserved for family time, they will quit to find jobs that don’t require a total commitment to work over family. The end result is you lose your employee base or at the very least end up with a far larger turn over in employees. High employee turnover always affects the quality of the restaurant service. That is not the case with Tolly-Ho where the average employee stays for 3 years.
When it is not holiday time, Tolly-Ho stays open 24 hours 7 days a week. That means even in the wee hours of the morning you can go there to get great food. Because they are open 24 hours, 7 days a week you can literally go there any time to get a meal. Try doing that at a fast-food chain. You can even go out drinking during the week or on weekends, and stop by Tolly-Ho for coffee and/or some comfort food before heading home. Tolly-Ho serves far more than just burgers and fries. You can also get omelets, pancakes or French toast which is great if you happen to drop in at 2 or 3:00 in the morning.
Tolly-Ho’s pricing is just bit more expensive than other fast-food joints in Lexington KY. They don’t offer meals as part of their menu like McDonalds or Burger King. However, even though the food is slightly more expensive than McDonalds or Burger King, the added expense is minimal relative to the quality and portions you get. This is what makes coming back here enjoyable. You can order a burger with fries and a drink for around $10. You can also order breakfast food for around $5 to $8 depending on whether you want a drink with your food or not. Tolly-Ho is among one of the few restaurants I have found in Lexington in this price range where the price, service and quality certainly make it worth visiting again and again.
Let me move on to discuss the food here and what I enjoy ordering when I come here. You can actually order breakfast, lunch or dinner here from a variety of options, or a breakfast and lunch dish at the same time. They have everything from eggs. omelets, pancakes, and hash browns available 24 hours. If you desire a little later meal like lunch or dinner you can order fries, chili cheese fries or hamburgers (named Ho burgers for obvious reasons). There are actually many other dish options in addition to these. What do I recommend while you are here visiting? With so many options and with all the options being served up all day long it’s hard for me to choose. For breakfast, I’ve found the sausage and pepper jack cheese omelet is pretty good. But if you want to go off menu, I recommend the bacon pancake stack. This is three pancakes with bacon inside. While this concoction may not sound great, it actually is pretty damn good. I got the idea for trying this from a song called bacon pancakes and I was hungry (not drunk at the time) so I figured, why not. Probably my favorite item on their menu is their fries. The fries here are epic and come with nacho cheese, chili, bacon, and jalapenos along with ranch for dipping. If you happen to be in the mood for a Ho burger, you can get a single, double or a triple patty burger here. I usually get the single patty burger and some fries or onion rings to eat along with a drink, but you can get much, much more burger if you want it. Another off-menu item I enjoy is the Ho burger but with an egg on top of it. Again, it may not sound appetizing but I felt like trying something different one day and so I figured let’s put an egg on our Ho burger. Now the egg Ho burger It has become my de facto go to when I just want a burger to eat at this place.
In truth, this place is more of a college hangout for students when UK is in session and during the week and weekend the place can get really, really busy when UK is in session. The summer months are generally slower and a good time to eat here when you don’t want to be overrun by college students. Also, it is a popular place for all the drunk people when the bars close because unlike most places and bars they are 24 hours a day. So, if you want the best food in Lexington for a burger joint, I recommend this place for its service, quality of food and price. All their items are made fresh and made to order.
I do recommend this place for first time people who want to try something new, or for people visiting Lexington for the first time. It is a great place to eat at all times of the day. I have come here for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and have never had issues getting a table unless they have a really busy rush, in which case getting a table can be harder, but you can generally still find one. There are plenty of options on the menu and they can cook up food at any hour of the day for you. There is no set hours for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner which I enjoy because many times I want to eat a breakfast at noon or have a burger in the wee hours of the morning. I won’t deny Tally-Ho can be somewhat pricier than run of the mill fast-food places, but they are eminently worth the higher price they charge and convenience they provide. I even had their omelet while I was on Chemo because they are close to the Markey Cancer Center. While I couldn’t walk or drive there due to treatments, my mom being the mom she is, went to get me a sausage and pepper jack omelet while I got my Chemo treatment.
Thank you for reading.
Jason
