Celebrity chef Edward Lee presents a modern menu with Southern flare at 610 Magnolia, where every dish focuses on locally sourced produce. The team at the Old Louisville gem is constantly experimenting with fresh and unique flavor combinations, changing offerings weekly since the restaurant’s opening in 2003. Recent highlights have included a seared carrot starter; butternut squash soup; beetroot gnocchi; and a drunken banana cake perfect for bourbon aficionados, made with butterscotch, chocolate Pappy Van Winkle bourbon-infused maple syrup, corn, and brown-butter ice cream.

Tucked away in Old Louisville, on the bottom floor of the historic Mayflower building, Buck’s Restaurant is a gem and has been a go-to special occasion restaurant (complete with live singer/pianist) for locals since opening in 1992. As part of the Urban Bourbon Trail, the bar also offers more than 50 bourbon selections, as well as Kentucky-themed, bourbon-based cocktails. Manager Karen Shane especially recommends the New York strip served with crab legs and shrimp, followed by a mocha dacquoise — the eatery’s signature dessert — which consists of three layers of toasted almond meringue with mocha buttercream, rum Chantilly, powdered sugar, and chocolate drizzle.

Set inside the 21C Museum Hotel, Proof on Main matches an intriguing menu with equally interesting decor. Contemporary wall hangings, paintings, and sculptures overflow from exhibits put on by the hotel. Try to stop gawking long enough to try the charred octopus with bagna cauda, lime, and toast, which has been a staple since day one. And finish off any meal with the Kentucky Stack Cake, a rich dessert crafted with lemon buttercream, almond, and buttermilk whip. The most popular picks from the drinks menu are the bourbon-based cocktails, like the No Spectators, which includes Old Forester 86 bourbon,  sfumato, grapefruit rosemary cordial, lemon juice, and a spritz of a peaty scotch.

Safier is well known amongst the downtown weekday lunch crowd, but the casual, walk-in Mediterranean eatery is open weekends too. Owner and head chef Youness El Mesyah serves scratch-made Lebanese dishes and daily Indian specials, including a plethora of vegetable-based options and halal selections. Go for the popular vegetarian platter, which comes with four choices of grape leaves, hummus, falafel, mutabbal, rice, tabbouleh, mujadara, or spinach pie.

A Louisville landmark, downtown’s historic Brown Hotel is home to the world-famous hot brown, invented here in 1926. The famed dish consists of roasted turkey breast, toast points, Mornay sauce, and pecorino Romano cheese baked golden brown, all finished with bacon and tomatoes.  Chef Dustin Willett oversees the hot browns and the rest of the menu, including indulgent slices of the hotel’s decadent Derby Pie, which pairs perfectly with a handcrafted cocktail or bourbon flight for dessert.

One of the original locations on Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail, Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar first opened its doors in the Galt House Hotel in 1972. It boasts a collection of 100 different bourbons, as well as craft cocktails and small bites. If straight pours aren’t your thing, try the Kentucky Apple Shine, made with Buffalo Trace bourbon and spiced apple cider; or a Winter Old Fashioned with bourbon, sugar, barrel-aged bitters, and winter spices, all best enjoyed while munching on fried green tomatoes, Southern fried chicken, or truffle fries. 

Designed to showcase the bounty of the Ohio River Valley, Everyday Kitchen takes a fresh, inventive approach to regional cuisine. Senior executive chef Mike Wajda’s menu focuses on local flavors and creative cocktails, offering an upscale version of Southern comfort food in a space with a cozy, everyday feel. Be sure to start dinner off with the hummus brulee, a combination of charred onion jam and spiced sunflower seeds, served with lavash; and the bourbon and marrow luge, which comes with garam masala butter and sourdough from local bakery the Grainwright.

[Note: Everyday Kitchen closed at the end of 2022.]

Susan Hershberg’s Wiltshire restaurants have been around for more than 30 years, with each location featuring an independent chef who creates their own menu. Wiltshire On Market’s offerings change every other week, with modern takes on farm-to-table food. Options might include a Caesar salad with smoked trout, sunflower, radicchio, sourdough crunch, and white anchovy dressing; or sticky apricot tofu with mushrooms, an apricot glaze, black garlic, and fried rice. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are usually also available. 

The pizzas and pasta dishes by executive chef Andrew McCabe are popular picks, but this Italian restaurant is also a great stop for late-night bites and drinks. Formerly located on the ground floor of the 800 Tower City Club Apartments, Bar Vetti relocated to the AC Hotel by Marriott in NuLu, becoming one of few places in the neighborhood that’s open till midnight and the only eatery serving coffee in the wee hours. End a night out with a cocktail or espresso, or try one of four desserts with a recommended amaro pairing. The chocolate budino — made with orange caramel, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pecans, and whipped cream — is not to be missed.

At Mayan Café, chef Bruce Ucán serves dishes rooted in traditional Mayan cuisine utilizing local ingredients. Ucán, who identifies as Mayan Indian, hails from the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. He can often be found shopping for ingredients himself at local farmers markets. While everything on the menu is good, a visit wouldn’t be complete without an order of the tok-sel lima beans, topped with a blend of roasted, ground pumpkin seeds, lime, salt, and sesame oil.

At the Copper & Kings distillery in Butchertown, visitors can take a tour of the facility and learn how the company uses copper pot stills to forge American brandies that are influenced by American whiskey and music. Then they can head upstairs to the rooftop bar and restaurant, where Josh Lehman leads the kitchen and has created a menu inspired by Kentucky’s seasonal fare. Dinner offerings include country-fried mushrooms, salmon tartine, sesame scallion pancakes, and an umami burger with charred scallion aioli. Sunday brunch is particularly lovely on the roof.

Part of Olé Restaurant Group, which is owned by cousins Fernando and Yaniel Martinez, Taco Luchador offers a fun and festive vibe with lots of tacos and tortas across its four locations. Try the baja fish tacos, made with Mexican beer-battered cod, chipotle aioli, pickled cabbage, and cilantro; or the veggie tacos, stuffed with corn and roasted poblanos, black beans, sweet plantains, guacamole, crema, queso fresco, and cilantro. Wash it all down with a sangria or margarita pitcher.

Any Louisville restaurant list would be incomplete without a mention of Jack Fry’s. Established in 1933 by Jack Fry and his wife Flossie, the bistro offers Southern-style cuisine with French influences. The eatery was a hangout for local sportsmen whose historic photos still hang on the restaurant walls. Beloved dishes include the ricotta gnocchi tossed in Calvados cream sauce with roasted mushrooms and broccolini; spicy fried oysters served over Weisenberger grits with country ham; and the prosciutto-wrapped chicken saltimbocca served over creamy polenta and roasted brussels sprouts, and finished with lemon-caper berry thyme jus.

Specializing in Asian-inspired comfort foods, Chik’n & Mi is owned by husband-and-wife team Jason and Aenith McCollum. The couple serves dishes like wood ear mushroom egg rolls, kimchi mac and cheese, tofu lettuce wraps, and chicken noodle soup ramen, but the real must-try dish is the fried chicken sandwich: a fried thigh on a brioche bun with kimchi slaw, black garlic aioli, and pickled cucumbers. The bar also boasts an extensive selection of sake, craft beer, and cocktails featuring local ingredients and house infusions.

Phantom’s humble digs in the Clifton neighborhood belie the dishes being served inside. The casual, walk-in-only eatery is run by St. Louis native Nick Bean, who spent time working in Louisville and in New York working under chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Tom Colicchio. Bean returned to Louisville amid the pandemic, opening his restaurant to serve Louisvillians his version of Southern comfort food with modern infusions. Menu highlights include smoked Gouda carbonara and fried cheesecake served in an edible sugar glass bowl.

When Norwegian Liz Huot and her husband Jesse toured his native North Dakota, they noticed a lot of Scandinavian restaurants, but their home in Louisville lacked anything similar. So they opened two businesses side by side: Øskar’s Slider Bar and Smør Nordic Bakeri. The sliders at Øskar’s are an easy introduction to Scandinavian flavors for unfamiliar locals, served a la carte so guests can try multiple varieties; options include the banana pork and lefse sandwich (pork braised with bananas and miso, house Norwegian potato flatbread, pickled red cabbage) and the venison sausage slider (spiced venison and pork sausage patty, Swedish mustard, onions caramelized with tart cherries). For dessert, pop over to Smør for skolebrød (cardamom dough filled with vanilla bean pastry cream, glazed, and topped with coconut) or a Smørk (brown-butter chocolate chip cookie loaded with Swedish mørk syrup and house-made toffee).

Owned by Kevin Grangier of Belle Noble Restaurant Group, Le Moo is known for its eclectic steak menu, which boasts prime cuts of rib-eye, filets, and 10-ounce grade A5 wagyu from Miyazaki, Japan. The interior space offers an intimate, moody vibe, with exposed brick walls, low lighting, and private dining areas separated by curtains. With outside seating also available, the restaurant can accommodate more than 200 guests, making it an ideal venue for wedding receptions and other large parties. On the weekends, Le Moo serves a decadent brunch buffet (including steak) with a drag show to match.

After immigrating from Cuba to the U.S. in 2000, Marcos Lorenzo founded Havana Rumba, which has since become the go-to for Cuban cuisine in Louisville. At both locations you’ll find classic offerings like steamed rice, black bean soup, and sweet plantains, but be sure to try the lechon asado, fricase de pollo, or the Cuban sandwich. End the meal with the signature dessert, Havana Bananas — dark rum flambe bananas served over vanilla ice cream — and a Cuban coffee.

It’s worth the drive to visit the Jim Beam distillery (technically the James B. Beam Distilling Co.) in nearby Clermont, Kentucky, if only for a meal at the Kitchen Table, the on-site restaurant that offers a seasonal, locally sourced menu. Chef Brian Landry has crafted a creative menu of venison poppers, pulled pork empanadas, fried catfish, and a hot brown pizza. Of course, every dish pairs great with all the available bourbons.

Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown of 21C Museum Hotels bought up Hermitage Farm, about 20 minutes outside of town, to prevent the land from being developed. The couple have kept all 683 acres open as a place to celebrate champion thoroughbreds, distinctive bourbon, and with Barn8 — the on-site restaurant set inside a gorgeously restored barn — fresh, farm-to-table Kentucky cuisine.  The seasonal menu is filled with dishes crafted from produce grown right on the farm and sourced from friends nearby. The eatery also highlights all things Kentucky on the drinks side, including a fully stocked bourbon bar and Southern-themed cocktails such as the vodka-based Bless Your Heart and the Hissy Fit made with tequila, lime, acacia honey syrup, grapefruit liqueur, pink Himalayan sea salt, and cinnamon bitters.