City: Louisville, KY

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (502) 636-1311

Address: 422 West Oak St.

Description: Located in a 19th-century Old Louisville brick house that was converted into a neighborhood watering hole, the Rudyard Kipling is an eclectic, eccentric place that opens during the week for special productions and concerts. On Friday and Saturday the doors open at 6:30 p.m. for whole-grain pizzas and other snacks, such as their famous Rudyardburger and Boonesborough snappy cheese. Apart from the burgoo, the soup beans and corn bread (a specialty from the eastern part of the state) are popular as well. In addition to a selection of wine and imported beers, the Rud—as the locals call it—also has good Bloody Marys and sangria. The biggest draw, however, remains the regular poetry readings and avant garde theater performances that have made the Rudyard Kipling a mainstay among the city’s bohemian set.