Pure Eats, Lexington VA
March 2025
On my last trip to Lexington, I stopped in at Pure Eats for a burger, but wasn’t in the mood for one of their donuts. On this trip, I stopped in specifically to try both the donut and something else on the menu: their crispy chicken sandwich.
Virginia is in the south, and the south takes its fried chicken seriously. While a crispy chicken sandwich isn’t quite the same thing as a fried chicken leg, I have certain expectations: lightly crispy breading that wraps the chicken instead of overwhelming it, just enough spices to maximize the chicken’s flavor, and juicy chicken.
And that’s exactly what I got, served alongside perfectly fried tater tots.
For the donut, I chose a cinnamon sugar donut, and it was simply divine. It was a cake donut—I like all kinds, so I was pleasantly surprised—but it was light and airy and full if cinnamon sugar flavor.
I came on a Wednesday afternoon on a pleasant but otherwise unremarkable day in mid-March, so I didn’t expect a huge lunch rush, and sure enough the restaurant was maybe a third full. A perfect experience. The menu’s small but everything on it is exactly how I’d want it.
