Lanky's on Laurens is one of the newer restaurants to join downtown Aiken, bringing a polished, bar-forward atmosphere and elevated takes on Southern comfort food to the Laurens Street entrance of The Alley.
We stopped in with the kids between meals rather than for a full lunch or dinner, which gave us a chance to share a handful of dishes and get a feel for the restaurant without ordering across the entire menu.
Our first impression was that Lanky's feels designed more for a night out, cocktails with friends, or a casual date than for traditional family dining—but our kids genuinely enjoyed it, and the restaurant worked perfectly well for us as a family.
Lanky's on Laurens sits at 140 Laurens Street SW, right at the Laurens Street entrance to The Alley in downtown Aiken, in the space previously occupied by Electric Eats.
The restaurant is owned by Angie Roberts and her husband, Greg Pierce, who also operate the two Feed Sack locations and previously owned Langley Tavern. That local restaurant experience shows in the concept: Lanky's feels like a deliberately designed restaurant rather than simply a new name in an existing space.
The name itself is personal. It's a tribute to Roberts' late father, who picked up the nickname "Lanky" in high school because he was tall and thin.
The inside has a polished, trendy feel. Exposed brick and black steel ceiling beams are paired with a wooded landscape mural behind the bar and a long green paneled bar lined with brown tufted leather stools. Outdoor seating is also available if you'd rather sit outside.
One of our favorite little details was waiting at the hostess stand: a pair of bronze fox statues. The kids noticed them almost immediately.
Overall, the restaurant reads more like a place built for a night out with friends than a casual family diner. That isn't a criticism; it's simply the character of the room. We had the kids with us and never felt out of place.
Based on what we ordered, this isn't your typical bar-and-grill menu. The restaurant itself describes the concept as elevated takes on familiar favorites , and that description fits our experience.
The menu leans toward polished Southern comfort food: familiar dishes built around good ingredients and thoughtful presentation rather than simply serving the most basic version of a wedge salad, grilled cheese, or appetizer sampler.
The Alley runs between Laurens Street and Newberry Street in downtown Aiken. You can approach it from either side and walk in.
Parking on the Newberry Street side gives you a nice little walk through The Alley before reaching Lanky's. Coming from the Laurens Street side puts you much closer to the restaurant because Lanky's sits right near that entrance.
If you happen to visit on an event night, The Alley is also used for downtown gatherings and live music events such as Amp the Alley, so the area can feel much livelier than it does during a quiet weekday afternoon.
This wasn't a full sit-down meal for us. We stopped in more for a snack between meals, so we didn't order a huge amount of food, but everyone tried a bite of everything on the table.
The kids shared the cheese and dip trio, served in a cast iron sampler on a wood board with little spreader knives.
The trio included baked brie with fig jam pressed into the melted top, pimento cheese, and spinach artichoke dip. Instead of crackers, the dips came with chips for scooping.
I had the wedge salad. It's a full wedge of iceberg with blue cheese crumbles and dressing, chopped tomato, sliced black olives, cucumber rounds, and a pile of red onion relish on the side.
The bacon was thick cut rather than crispy. The flavor was good, but I would have preferred it with a little more time to crisp up, or with some of the fattier pieces trimmed before it reached the plate.
Kevin had the brisket grilled cheese: melted white cheese and greens layered with brisket on thick, well-charred grilled bread, then cut in half.
The flavor was good, but for a restaurant with this polished of a presentation, I would have liked to see the brisket trimmed a little more carefully before going into the sandwich. There were more fatty pieces than I expected from a restaurant aiming for this level of upscale presentation.
The sandwich came with pimento cheese grits topped with a generous crumble of feta. It was an unexpected pairing, but a good one, and the grits helped balance the richness of the sandwich.
Yes, we'd go back.
Our kids genuinely enjoyed the stop, even though the overall feel of the restaurant leans more adult and trendy than kid-focused. That actually makes Lanky's fairly versatile: it can work for families during the day while still feeling polished enough for drinks, date night, or dinner with friends later on.
We also only sampled a small portion of the menu this time, so there's plenty left for us to try on a return visit.
One advantage of eating at Lanky's is that you're already in the middle of one of Aiken's most walkable areas. It's easy to combine the restaurant with shopping, a walk through The Alley, or another food stop along Laurens Street.
If you're coming from out of town, Lanky's is an easy restaurant to build into a day exploring downtown Aiken.
Lanky's works especially well as part of a day spent walking, eating, and exploring around Laurens Street and The Alley.
It worked well for our family and our kids had a good time. The atmosphere itself feels more geared toward an adult, trendy crowd than a traditional family restaurant, but we never felt uncomfortable having the kids with us.
We walked in during the day without a wait. If you're planning to visit on a busy weekend evening or for a special occasion, you can call the restaurant at (803) 226-0282 to ask about current seating or reservation options.
Lanky's is located at 140 Laurens Street SW at the Laurens Street entrance to The Alley in downtown Aiken. That makes it an easy stop if you're already downtown for shopping, events, or simply walking around.
The menu focuses on elevated versions of familiar favorites, with Southern influences, salads, sandwiches, appetizers, bowls, entrées, and a strong cocktail component.
Reviewed by Family Critic, where we share thoughtful, experience-based restaurant and family dining reviews.
— Ashley
FamilyCritic.com
