About

Limewater Bistro + Bar opened in late August of 2022. We provide casual-elegant dining in Frankfort, Kentucky. We are located in the historic Glen Willis house that sits on the Kentucky River. The brick home was built in 1815 and now features interiors from the award-winning design firm, Kathleen Hay Designs. The restaurant is operated by chef-owner Axl Wheeler + general manager-owner Isabelle Hay. We are on the bourbon trail, right around the bend from Buffalo Trace Distillery, and a few minutes drive from the capitol building. Our aim is to provide the capital city with a lovely destination for food + drink with fresh, scratch-made ingredients. Our co-owner’s father thought of the name Limewater when the project was just beginning. It is an ode to the Kentucky River as well as the limestone-rich soil that makes the Bluegrass Region so green.

The Interior Design

Limewater's interiors are designed by the internationally award-winning firm Kathleen Hay Designs with the skills of finish carpenter Robert Hay. Kathleen has completed projects all over the east coast; from Nantucket Island to Vermont to Charleston to Miami. For more information on the firm's background and past projects check out their website: www.kathleenhaydesigns.com

Our Logo

Our logo honors the Glen Willis House as well as the natural flora of Kentucky. We commissioned artist Madeleine Hay to create a design that includes a quatrefoil (a four-leaf shaped clover window that Glen Willis features at its top) and native flowers of the region. Madeleine chose several native flowers to wrap around the quatrefoil. From the top left (clockwise) the flowers are Goldenrod, Wild Columbine, Solomon’s Seal, Purple Cone Flower, Swamp Milkweed, and Blue Sage.