Restaurants
Louisville has steadily gained notice as one of the country’s most vital restaurant scenes. With several thousand restaurants, visitors from around the world are astounded by the variety and quality of fine dining offered in the area by chefs who have taken regional cuisine to a nationally recognized level. There are quiet cafes, coffeehouses, ethnic restaurants, bourbon lounges, casual eateries, and popular national chains, in addition to elegant five-diamond dining rooms and independently owned favorites. If you go hungry in Louisville, it’s your own fault.
1. Bearno’S By The Bridge
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 584-7437
Address: 131 West Main St.
Description: Although you’ll find more than a dozen Bearno’s pizza restaurants around town, this one, right next to the Second Street Bridge in the basement of the old L&N Railroad Building, seems to be a perennial favorite. It’s been around since the 1970s, and readers of Louisville Magazine and the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) frequently vote it the best pizzeria in town. A popular order is the Mama Bearno’s Pizza for $24.99. It’s a huge pie topped with lots of mozzarella cheese and then loaded with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and olives.
2. Blu Italian Grille
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 671-4285
Address: 280 West Jefferson St.
Description: Regional Italian classics with contemporary flair—otherwise known as “authentic Lou-Italian”—are on offer at this sleek and colorfully elegant restaurant in the Louisville Marriott Downtown. Popular lunch choices include items such as grilled panini and tomato and mozzarella salad; for dinner there are appetizers like mussels in sambuca broth and calamari fritti with red pepper aioli, and entrees including osso bucco and lamb chops with truffled cauliflower puree. For dessert you’ll find standards like tiramisu, as well as new twists on old favorites. Think banana ravioli with caramel sauce.
3. The Bristol Downtown
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 582-1995
Address: 614 West Main St.
Description: Situated in the historic downtown business district, this location is convenient to hotels, theaters, museums, and more. Banquet rooms for up to 120 guests make it a popular choice for meetings and family get-togethers. Open Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch, and for dinner from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
4. The Bristol East
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 426-0627
Address: 300 North Hurstbourne Pkwy.
Description: Located in eastern Louisville along an oftentimes congested business corridor, the Bristol East is convenient to shopping malls. In addition to an attractive covered terrace, there is plentiful free parking. Brunch is offered Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday they’re open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday, they serve from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
5. The Bristol Highlands
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 456-1702
Address: 1321 Bardstown Rd.
Description: Established in 1977, this is the original Bristol Bar & Grille. Located in the heart of the Highlands, this restaurant has private banquet rooms and a popular Sunday brunch. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for brunch, and for dinner from 2:30 p.m. to midnight.
6. The Bristol Jeffersonville
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (812) 218-1995
Address: 700 West Riverside Dr.
Description: This, the newest of the Bristol Bar & Grilles, offers some of the best views of the Louisville skyline. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, the restaurant has banquet rooms seating up to 300 guests available through the Sheraton Hotel. Monday through Friday the hours of operation are 6:30 a.m. to midnight, with breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the bar open until 1 a.m. Saturday the restaurant opens a half-hour later, but the rest of the day has the same hours. Sunday hours are from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the bar stays open until midnight.
7. The Bristol Prospect
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: 6051 Timber Ridge Dr. (502) 29
Description: Located in the heart of Prospect, off Brownsboro Road (US 42), this location caters to the East End crowd. The atmosphere is light and airy, and there is a banquet room that seats up to 40 guests. Hours of operation are Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday brunch goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
9. Café Bristol
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 634-2723
Address: 2035 South Third St.
Description: Located in the Speed Art Museum, the Café Bristol serves lunch only, Tuesday through Saturday. It’s a popular destination after a morning in the museum or before an afternoon there.
10. Caviar Japanese Restaurant
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 625-3090
Address: 416 West Muhammad Ali Blvd.
Description: The newest and most upscale Japanese restaurant and sushi bar in downtown Louisville, Caviar is located right around the corner from the Fourth Street Live! entertainment district in the heart of the city. The newly renovated facilities are on the first floor of the former Walnut Street Theater, a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Contemporary and traditional Japanese cuisine is offered in an eye-catching, modern setting, and there is an excellent selection of award-winning wines, beers from around the world, top-shelf spirits, and one of the most extensive sake lists in the region. Open for lunch and dinner six days a week, Caviar is closed on Sunday.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Address: 335 West Broadway
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Address: 325 West Main St.
13. J. Graham’S Cafe
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (502) 583-1234
Address: 335 West Broadway
Description: The place to get the most authentic version of the legendary hot brown sandwich, J. Graham’s features the freshest local produce and offers its guests a bistro-style option for casual dining in the hotel. Open daily for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., the cafe offers a contemporary a la carte menu or full buffet with gourmet soups, salads, and entrees, as well as a tantalizing dessert display. This restaurant is named after J. Graham Brown, the wealthy Louisville businessman who had the swanky hotel built in 1923.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Address: 446 South Fourth St.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Restaurants
Address: 813 East Market St.