The restaurant situation at Natural Bridge is mixed. The good news is Sandstone Grill at Hemlock Lodge is one of the state's best restaurants, one people from Lexington drive an hour on weekends to enjoy. The sad news is that as part of the general undermanagement of Natural Bridge State Park, the restaurant is rarely open. Management says they can't find anyone local willing to work. But other restaurants and businesses in the area have no trouble finding people to work. So that claim is iffy. Moving on, the sad news is that outside of Sandstone Grill there are only two true restaurants in the Slade area. The good news is both are very good, they're only a mile down the road and, according to your taste, you might prefer to eat at them every night anyway. |
 |
| When the Sandstone Arches is open it's an outstanding restaurant. During the week you order off the menu and on weekends there's a buffet. Both are delicious. They're widely known for their Catfish Fried or Grilled, Grilled Chicken and Cobbler. For Breakfast, Pancakes are the star, and the Coffee's good. Sandstone serves a large and tasty Salad and fine Southern Style Sweet Tea. They also have wine and beers. Expect service to be slow, as the restaurant seems chronically understaffed. But get a table near the window and you can enjoy the spacious view, plus watch the antics of Finches and Squirrels at the feeders. |
 |
 |
La Cabana would be an excellent Mexican restaurant in Lexington, Louisville or anywhere else. The fact that it's in Slade is amazing. Service is efficient, the food is good and quantities are generous. The food here is not TexMex or Corporate Mex. It's authentic village Mexican. They're one of only four Kentucky restaurants to offer Molcajetes. A Molcajete is a meat & vegetable stew served in a volcanic stone bowl. The lava bowl stays hot throughout the meal, thus keeping the meal hot. It's way too much for one person. Consider ordering one for two or even three people. The Tilapia is very good but you'll take half of it home for a meal the next day. The vegetables that come with it are excellent, too. La Cabana serves great Fajitas, Enchiladas, Quesadillas and Chimichangas. Their Sweet Tea is good and there's a full bar. Margarita connoisseur friends love the ones here. Sopapillas are excellent. Only nitpics we ever hear are that the Salads are a bit short on lettuce and the Refried Beans are runny. The restaurant is open til 9, but come between 5:00 - 6:30 pm for no wait. This place is extremely popular and from 6:30 on you'll wait as much as an hour for a table. |
| Miguel's is a Pizzeria with its own cult following. As you see when you drive up, there are climbers camped in the field behind, kayakers playing volleyball and basketball, and an overflowing parking lot. All of this for a soft, thin crust, Brooklyn style Pizza with 55 toppings that is very good. The rock climbing fraternity made Miguel's famous and you'll see lots of them here. You order your pizza at the counter, find a table and mount your numbered card on a wire stand. Eventually, a carrier finds you. From 6 pm on, expect to be here a while. It's a leisurely place. There are tables inside, but several acres of them outside under the trees and in a huge barn. Miguel's doesn't serve Calzones or Strombolis but it does serve Pizza Bowls, an invention called the Pizza Sandwich, and Salads. There's a good selection of Beers here. While you wait for your Pizza, you might peruse the Rock Climbing Shop, which has lots of high quality gear being as this is a rock climber's hangout. |
 |
|
