Estelle's Grill

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Estelle’s Grill was founded in 1969 by Estelle and Michelle Bane. The duo remodeled the building into a mismatched bar and grill eatery; “Due to lack of funds original plans for painting a wall VMI colors and a wall W&L colors were never fulfilled. Rather, white walls trimmed in lime green and accented with orange shutters provided the scenery for two pool tables, pinball machines, booths, as well as a long bar complete with stools” (Epperson, n.d.).

Estelle’s was a popular choice among both W&L and VMI students. One cadet notes Estelle’s as “an establishment all cadets can orient themselves by” (Lightner, 1986). Similarly, one Washington and Lee student wrote, “Not just a place to eat dinner, Estelle’s is the only place I know of in Lexington where you can play pool and drink at the same time” (Curran, 1984). Indeed, although Estelle’s Grill has been described as a “Redneck Haven” and “not pretty,” it was recalled fondly as a place where “The beer is cold and inexpensive” (Curran, 1984). An article in The V.M.I. Cadet states, “Everything about Estelle’s is laid back. In the words of a fellow cadet, expounding on the intrinsic value of Estelle’s… ‘how perfectly simple, yet how perfectly appropriate…’ Estelle’s is for a cadet” (Adams, 1984).

Estelle’s oftentimes became a rowdy establishment. A former VMI cadet recalled how “Occasionally a fight would break out over the game of pool but it would quickly end when the owner threaten[ed] the customers involved with the threat of being cut with a butcher knife” (Foresman, Jr. 2016). Nevertheless, this shabby bar served as a place for students and Lexington residents to grab a cheap, yet “hottest, quickest, squarest, tastiest meals in town,” while also indulging in a couple of National Bohemians and a game of pool (Curran, 1984).