Wallace Station Makes a Fine Kentucky Country Lunch Stop

The approach to Wallace Station is part of the plan. A rural two-lane road runs through the horse-farm country near Lexington, past fields and open Kentucky scenery, before this old-store-style lunch stop comes into view.

The building can be easy to pass at first, which suits its pleasantly unassuming character. Inside is a compact, hometown-style dining room with booths; out back, the operation opens into a much roomier deck and picnic-table area that gives lunch the loose, casual feel of a country picnic.

This is counter-service food, built for a sandwich, a burger, a salad, a slice of pie and a little time outdoors. Order first, then decide between a booth and the fresh air.

Wallace Station works from the familiar American lunch-counter playbook—hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, salads, fried chicken and catfish—but gives it a Kentucky accent. Country ham, pimento cheese and sorghum vinaigrette all find their way onto the menu.

The Santa Anita Club has a following of its own, and the Santa Anita burger is another frequently chosen order. For someone in a sandwich mood, the menu also offers combinations such as country ham with pimento cheese, turkey with Brie, and the Triple Crown Club and Triple Crown sandwich.

The Inside Out Hot Brown brings a more overtly Louisville-style note to the board. It has been associated with Wallace Station’s Guy Fieri connection, a small bit of food-TV lore that adds another reason hungry travelers put the place on a driving itinerary.

A burger order need not be an afterthought here. Choices include a blue cheese burger, while the broader menu gives a mixed group plenty of ways to go: fried chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, chili and chicken salad all make sense on a leisurely midday stop.

The Kentucky Cobb Salad is a useful change of pace from the heavier sandwiches, finished with sorghum vinaigrette. Pimento cheese can turn up alongside a salad as well as inside a sandwich, so that regional staple is not confined to one corner of the menu.

The cooking stays in the hearty comfort-food lane. Fries are cooked to order, and burgers are generally presented as carefully made rather than simply rushed out with the next batch of counter orders.

Before the order is even settled, the bakery case near the counter tends to complicate matters in the nicest way. It puts dessert right in the decision-making path instead of leaving it as an afterthought after lunch.

Apple pie and peanut butter pie are among the sweets that have appeared there, along with cookies and gluten-free cookies. The desserts have a homemade-style appeal that fits the old-store setting—nothing fussy, just the sort of thing that can turn a sandwich stop into a pie stop.

A few take-home goods keep the browsing going after the meal. Local candies, teas and bottled hot sauce make easy additions to the car, especially when the main lunch has already made it clear that dinner may need to be a lighter affair.

On a comfortable day, the rear outdoor area is the place to linger. There are picnic tables, a deck and room for small groups to spread out without turning lunch into a formal occasion.

Wooden cow displays add a bit of playful roadside character to the outdoor space. Children have something to inspect while adults finish their sandwiches, and the setup has enough elbow room for families and dogs to settle in more easily than they could in the small indoor room.

The country setting matters here because it changes the pace of the meal. Rather than eating quickly and getting back into town, it is easy to sit for a while, look across the outdoor area and let the drive through horse farms remain part of the afternoon.

Wallace Station has dine-in, outdoor seating, carryout and catering. Orders are placed at the counter, with booths available inside and the larger seating area outside.

A free gravel lot provides ample parking. Lunch can bring a line, especially on busy dates and on the pleasant days that make the deck especially appealing, so the stop is best treated as an unhurried one rather than a quick in-and-out meal.

Indoor seating is limited compared with the rear deck and picnic area, making the weather a meaningful part of the visit. When conditions cooperate, the outdoor tables turn a deli sandwich and a piece of pie into a very agreeable Kentucky countryside pause.