For a new restaurant a bit off the beaten path, being selected as LINK nky readers’ choice for best new restaurant, best cocktail — and best first date destination, tells us there’s something special going on in Villa Hills.
“The fact that we got nominated for this blew me away,” said Sanctuary Social owner Andy Hagelman. “It was pretty overwhelming being nominated after we were only open for eight weeks.”
Hagelman admits, too, that Sanctuary Social is not in what people would call a “culinary hotspot.” In fact, he said, it’s the only full restaurant in town. It’s a tricky place to find as well. A look at it on a Google satellite map shows a handful of houses and piles of dirt from construction. It makes people question if there is really a restaurant there, he said.
“We kind of underwhelm with the drive here, but once you make it and walk in, you’re like, ‘Holy cow, this place is amazing!’” he said.
Indeed, the interior has a cozy intimate vibe with three zones — a lounge area with a large couch and comfy seating, an expansive bar and a dining area with outdoor patio. Hagelman said he suspects the relaxed, intimate seating areas contributed to the restaurant’s best first date win.
“We have these patio lights that run through almost the whole restaurant. So it’s a whimsical, patio feel,” Hagelman said. “Our back patio is really nice. Instead of having to look at a bunch of buildings or an alley or cars, we have this really big central field that the community uses. You can see all the houses…Everyone who sits back there, absolutely loves it.”
Switching careers and starting over
While Hagelman had worked as a server and bartender/manager in restaurants and prides himself on his prowess when it comes to smoking meat, it was his and his wife’s experiences as restaurant customers that contributed and guided his choice to open a restaurant in their neighborhood.
After working in restaurants for awhile, he said, he was ready to give up that life, coming home at three or four o’clock in the morning, all the hustle and bustle. He still loved going out to eat and cooking for himself and friends. He continued to spend some of his time perfecting the art of roasting meat on his wood and charcoal roaster.
Still, he was ready to change careers and decided to go to pharmacy school. He worked as a pharmacist for 16 years, thinking he’d left the restaurant world behind. Yet, as things changed in how pharmacies operated, he said he didn’t feel he was able to give back to the community as much as he did when he started. He began to consider some alternatives.
“I was sitting with my wife. We had probably a bottle of wine, and I said ‘could you imagine if I did some catering for weddings or graduation parties?…Would you be okay with that?’”
To his surprise, his wife was not only okay with his idea, but she encouraged him to open a restaurant. He said he’d gotten very good at smoking brisket, pulled pork, things like that. His wife had been a food and beverage director for the Radisson at one point and could help with his business plan.
“So, we’re like, all right, let’s put together a restaurant. We had this retail spot that was open in our neighborhood, and so we decided to put it in there,” he said.
They started planning out their idea in October of 2023. Construction started in April of 2024, and by December 2024 Hagelman opened the restaurant within the Sanctuary subdivision.
Guided by his own restaurant experiences
Hagelman said he drew a lot on his experiences as a restaurant customer.
“We eat out a lot, and we’d always find the things we liked and didn’t like about restaurants. One of the things that drove us crazy, and it happens everywhere you go, is you order an old fashioned from someone, and they make it for you. And that’s pretty good. But then you have the other bartender make an old fashioned for you, and it tastes completely different,” he said.
“There’s no consistency unless you’re getting a beer poured for you. So, what we decided to…use the original recipes that made the cocktails famous. Our old fashioned recipe is 200-plus years old, the Manhattan recipe is the original…Our espresso martini is a 48-year-old recipe. We use the exact recipe that made all these drinks famous, and we make them consistently.”
At Sanctuary Social, he said, his goal is to provide consistent quality, something his customers and his staff appreciate.
“We measure every single ingredient. Every bartender makes it the exact same way. No matter what time of day you go, no matter what day it is, everything’s going to taste the exact same way it did when you were here last time…People who get our old fashions are blown away with how good they are,” he said.
On the menu
Sanctuary Social is best known for the smoked meat dishes.
“Probably the smoked brisket is our number one seller, what we’re famous for. We have wagyu smoked brisket, and we smoke it on a wood charcoal smoker like you would in your backyard. We don’t have one of those big commercial propane or pellet grills or electric smokers…We smoke all of our pulled pork, chicken thighs, chicken wings… in a wood charcoal smoker. We smoke them overnight, every night,” Hagelman said.
He noted the restaurant emphasizes quality over quantity. This is not a place where customers will leave stuffed.
“It’s a very unique feeling for people to come and leave satisfied. They have enough room for dessert or another cocktail, and they’re thrilled with the experience, start to finish. It’s not an experience of gluttony, eat as much as you can. We’re not about quantity. We’re about quality.”
When asked what people should know about his restaurant, Hagelman invited people to venture off the beaten path and give it a try.
“Trust your GPS! Just know that we make almost everything in house. We take a lot of time to make the food, we specialize in smaller portions…and we want you to leave feeling satisfied eating quality food and enjoying quality cocktails,” he said.
Sanctuary Social is located within the Sanctuary subdivision at 1090 Walburg Avenue in Villa Hills. For hours, menus and more, check out the Sanctuary Social website at sanctuary-social.com.