OUT OF DOWNTOWN:
The Back Door–1250 Bardstown Road–Louisville, KY 40204 (in the back of Mid City Mall). John Dant owns the place, and it is a favorite hangout for locals. Six pool tables, darts and Golden Tee golf all contribute to make this a great place to hang out with friends. They boast a really nice bourbon selection, and Chris, Dave, Hunter, Flash, Queenie, Carrie, Mary, Steve and the whole staff will give you suggestions on drinks and bourbons. They have Old Grand Dad and just about everything there, as well as some of the best pub grub in town. Helpful hint: Don’t order a double, you’re getting one anyway. Prices are low there. They are only closed one night a year: New Years Eve. Can you believe it? I asked John why, and he said it was because he got tired of babysitting amateurs. There should be a sign on the front door saying “Welcome to the Back Door, open 364 days a year, closed New Year’s Eve. PROFESSIONALS ONLY.”
Boiler Room–1205 E. Washington St.–Louisville, KY 40206–Facebook page under The Boiler Room–at The Pointe. This is a speakeasy in the butchertown area of town in The Point, with a theater in the basement. This speakeasy is located in the old boiler room of this cool old building. It’s my buddy Jared Shubert’s project, and he’s at Tales of the Cocktail every year in New Orleans, so if you like cocktail and spirits, you should be there every year, too. (www.Talesofthecocktail.com).
Cahoots–1047 Bardstown Road–Louisville, KY 40204 (Baxter turns into Bardstown Road). This is a dive bar, make no mistake, but with a very chill atmosphere. If you like dive bars and heavy metal music, you’ll love this place. It’s owned by Marsha, and they have a great bourbon selection. They even carry Old Grand Dad 114, which I highly recommend.f Drinks are cheap with liberal pours there.
Diamonds (No 2)–630 Barrett Ave.-Louisville, KY 40204 between Broadway and Baxter Ave. Facebook page under Diamond Pub and Billiards. Eighteen Diamond Pool tables; that’s 18, folks. If you’re serious about playing pool, this is the place for you, and it’s a great place to watch sports. Live music just like the Diamonds No. 1 in St. Matthews, and yes, my singing partner Robbie and I just might be singing there sometime, and Hickory plays there, too, so keep an eye out. Jared runs the joint, and Griff usually has his UK shirt on somewhere around the place.
Me and Robbie Bartlett–Come see us at Diamonds!
Highlands Tap Room–1279 Bardstown Road–Louisville, KY 40204 (across from Mid City Mall and Skyline Chili). Tommy owns the place, and Kevin, Sheila and Will are my buddies there who bartend. The Tap Room is known for the most fun karaoke in town. They have a decent bourbon selection as well and a great outdoor area for conversation and watching folks on Bardstown Road…good people watching.
Left Field Lounge–2282 Bardstown Road–Louisville, KY 40204-facebook page under Left Field Lounge. Awesome little hole-in-the- wall bar where I watch the UK ball games. Bartenders Bill, Lee, Andrew, Drew, and Chelsea are always attentive and colorful, to say the least, as are us regulars there. Eddie from Shenanigan’s owns the joint, and so you know they got Old Grand Dad and some awesome bourbons, since I go in there.
Molly Malone’s Irish Pub–933 Baxter Avenue–Louisville, KY 40204. This is an authentic Irish bar with authentic Irish folk working there. Donnell owns the place, and they’ve done so well they’ve opened a second Louisville location in St. Matthews, and another in Covington, Kentucky. They have a trivia night early in the week and great live music on the weekends.
Nachbar–969 Charles Street–Louisville, KY 40204 (at Krieger St.). They have an absolutely brilliant beer selection and a nice bourbon list. Retro is big there, so Old Fitzgerald, Old Forester and Old Grand Dad are popular. Chill hipster scene. One of my favorite places to take visitors just to have a nice beer and a shot, and to hang out with friends. It’s where all the cool kids hang out.
O’Shea’s–956 Baxter Avenue–Louisville, KY 40204. Another great Irish pub. Tommy O’Shea owns this place, as well as Flanagan’s down one block and Patrick O’Shea’s downtown at Second and Main. If the weather is nice, they have one of the best outside areas in the whole state!
Outlook Inn–916 Baxter Avenue–Louisville, KY 40204 (at Christy)–Look for the Falls City Beer sign outside (my dad and grandfather’s brewery). There are a couple pool tables in the back, but this is just a great little corner bar. They also have Falls City Beer on tap there, so have an old one (old Grand Dad) and a cold one (Falls City).
Shenanigan’s Pub–1611 Norris Place (at Deerwood Ave.). Good food, drink and 16 flat screens to watch all the sports and live music most weekends. Eddie owns the joint, and Rick keeps it rollin’.
ST. MATTHEWS AREA–LOTS OF LOCALLY OWNED PUBS AND EATERIES, ONLY 5 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN
Diamond Pub and Billiards–3814 Frankfort Avenue-Louisville, KY 40207-(Facebook page is Diamond Pub and Billards). Great pool hall and music hall with about a dozen Diamond Pool tables (thus the name), including two regulation big boy tables. They have a great bourbon selection and live music almost every night. Lloyd bartends there during the day shift, and at night Kevin sings — ask him to sing “Sara Smile”, he crushes it! DZ will probably be bartending on the patio bar, Wes out front, with MC and Blake weaving in and out keeping things straight, and Jason walking the floor as the enforcer. Melissa will probably be drinking some Pucker Vodka listening to the music too along with the owner, Griff, and Jared will be busy running the joint. Griff loves Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve, so take his lead, buy him and you one, and enjoy yourselves there.
Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot–3204 Frankfort Avenue–Louisville, KY 40206 (directly next door and shares a parking lot with Patrick’s). It just serves beer (thus the Beer Depot) and has some of the best BBQ in town. Known for “Beer-halla” miniature golf out back, since the “Valhalla” golf course is here in Louisville, too. Relive your own Ryder Cup at FABD, as the locals call it.
Gerstle’s Pub–3801 Frankfort Avenue–Louisville, KY 40207. With great live music and a great bar, this is one of the most recognized neighborhood bars in Louisville. My cousin’s band, Dallas Alice, performs there from time to time, as do other great acts. It’s the home of the Minnesota Vikings, so if you’re a fan of the Vik’s, get your ass to Gerstle’s to watch the game. You can go down and taunt the Packers fans at Dutch’s at half-time. The Pranksters perform there, and they are one of the best bands on the entire planet, no joke. They are easily the best band playing on a Sunday night anywhere in the United States. They play every Wednesday and Sunday, but I really love Sundays. They also have Falls City Beer on tap there. The Pranksters play originals and cool covers. They’ve been together for like 100 years, so they nail everything they perform. They cover “The Walrus.” I mean come on, if the Beatles were all here alive today, they couldn’t play “The Walrus.”
Joe’s Older Than Dirt–8131 New La Grange Road–Louisville, KY 40222. Joe’s is owned by Gary and Janet Gish, and it’s a neighborhood bar that transforms into a larger neighborhood gathering place later at night. It has good food and a great bourbon selection. Check out the case at the entrance and you’ll find some really cool Prohibition bourbons on display. This is also an Indianapolis Colts Bar, so stop by to watch a game if you’re around during the season. You see, in Louisville we have no pro teams, so fans of different teams go to bars that are headquarters for their favorite NFL teams. It’s a pretty cool dynamic and very Louisville! Join in on the fun.
Molly Malone’s–3900 Shelbyville Road–Louisville, KY 40207. This is Molly’s St. Matthews location. If you follow soccer or rugby, this is going to be your spot. Molly’s has a great beer selection and nice bourbons to choose from, too. Brendan runs this place, not from across the street but from across the pond in Ireland, and he’s a great guy. The whole staff is terrific, and Molly’s is always poppin’ with fun people. The food is pretty damn good, too.
Patrick’s–3202 Frankfort Avenue–Louisville, KY 40206. This is a little neighborhood pub just down the street from Gerstle’s. It has pool tables and a nice little patio out back, and has
one of the coolest beer coolers I’ve ever seen. It’s an antique in the shape of a beer bottle, but it still keeps the beer nice and frosty cold.
R Place Pub–9603 Whipps Mill Road–Louisville, KY 40242. Known for its outdoor sand volleyball leagues, this bar is owned by Cres and Scott and is a great neighborhood hang-out. Jim Beam’s R&D folk have a volleyball team every year playing on Thursday nights, and the Pittsburgh Steelers fans pack in here for football season.
PLACES TO EAT
Here are some suggestions of places to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Louisville is home to some of the best locally owned restaurants in the country. Per capita we have more restaurants and eat out more often than most cities in the nation.
BREAKFAST PLACES:
Ghyslain On Market–721 East Market-Louisville, KY 40204 (BehindCreation Gardens) 502.690.8645 (www.ghyslain.com/restaurants/ghyslain-market). Full service bistro with homemade gelato and an assortment of Ghyslain’s gourmet chocolates. Monday-Sunday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Lynn’s Paradise Café-984 Barret Avenue-Louisville, KY 40204 (lynnsparadisecafe.com). Featured in the New York Times and on the “Today” show, Lynn’s is really something to see and experience. Bon Appetit voted Lynn’s one of the top 100 best neighborhood restaurants in the United States. Its kitschy décor is fun and the food is great.
North End Café-1722 Frankfort Avenue-Louisville, KY 40206 (northendcafe.com). Located just a couple miles from downtown is a great neighborhood place with great food all day, but I really enjoy breakfast here. They also have a great bourbon selection. Don’t be bashful about ordering a Bloody Mary and substituting bourbon for the vodka. It’s one of my favorite cocktails. And they just opened a new location in the Highlands, 216 Bardstown Road.
Toast on Market-620 East Market-Louisville, KY 40202 (toastonmarket.com). Toast has great breakfast and is always popular any day of the week. Toast is just what a breakfast place should be. You may have to wait a little bit to get a table, but once you get one, it’s not a drawn-out thing. It’s where Goldilocks would enjoy breakfast; it’s just right.
Wagner’s Pharmacy–3113 South 4th Street (4th Street and Central)-Louisville, KY 40214. Since 1922, Churchill Downs is Wagner’s and Wagner’s is Churchill Downs, and yes, it’s inside a pharmacy. It’s the city’s most famous breakfast joint, especially during Derby Week. Racing history drips from the walls and the ceiling. D. Wayne Lucas, Nick Zito, and other horse trainers and celebrities all pack in to this hole-in-the-wall joint across from the track to sop up gravy with biscuits and have some of the best sausage, eggs, and bacon, southern style.
LUNCH/DINNER PLACES:
610 Magnolia–610 Magnolia Avenue-Louisville, KY 40208–502.636.0783. (www.610magnolia.com). Chef/owner Edward Lee gives a contemporary approach to Southern cooking and it’s farm to table. Six course prix-fixe, seasonal menu changes weekly. Don’t just come in jeans—it is “smart casual,” so be creative.
August Moon–2269 Lexington Road Louisville–KY 40206 (augustmoonbistro.com). A fusion of Chinese and Malaysian cuisine, renowned chef Peng S. Looi has been invited as a guest chef at the James Beard Foundation on numerous occasions. You can get an awesome dinner here, too, as you can imagine, with a very cool atmosphere. They have an awesome homemade chili pepper oil that is hot and spicy and just wonderful drizzled on anything.
Avalon–1314 Bardstown Road–Louisville, KY 40204–502.454-5336 (avalonfresh.com). Also in the Highlands on Bardstown Road, Avalon has a great atmosphere and an especially delightful outdoor dining area to enjoy the Kentucky springs and falls. And when it gets hot and humid, they have misters that take care of that, too.
Bambi Bar–2701 Bardstown Road–Louisville, KY 40205–This bar is famous for the Bambi Beer Walk and the Bambi Burger. It has one of the best dang burgers in town. The #1 has fries, the #2 has cheese, and the #3 comes with onion rings. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. It’s a dive bar, folks, so don’t wear a tie or a dress, just put on your jeans and go on in.
Bearno’s by the Bridge–131 W. Main Street (at the Second Street Bridge)–Louisville, KY 40206–502.584.7437. Bearno’s serves pizza and Italian food, and sometimes acoustic acts there, too. It’s a nice little bar to hang out or watch a ballgame.
Bistro 301–301 W. Market (Third and Market)–Louisville, KY 40206–502.584.8337–A great place with good food, Bistro is close to the Marriott and other downtown hotels and right across from the downtown convention center. Matt’s the owner, and he’s a good guy who likes his bourbon. I did his first bourbon dinner there, and it was a really fun, delicious experience. Look for more in the future.
Bistro Le Relais–2817 Taylorsville Road–Louisville, KY 40205–502.451.9020 (lerelaisrestaurant.com). Located in historicBowman Field, Louisville’s original airport, the Bistro is fine dining with exquisite French cuisine. Anthony Dike is the owner. The bistro has first-class service and an intimate, 1940s art-deco interior reminiscent of the café from the movie Casablanca.
Blind Pig–1076 E. Washington Street, Louisville, KY 40206. A mile from downtown, this is a great place for lunch or dinner. The Blind Pig is in Butchertown (where all the meat processing plants and stock yards used to be), and the atmosphere, menu and cocktails are great. All the barstools are made from bourbon barrel staves and built by hand by one of the bartenders there. The Bacon Butty and the Ivory Bacon Sandwich are my favorites. What can I say, I like bacon, plus it’s the Blind Pig–hello? Mike and Joseph own the joint, and when they’re not at the Blind Pig (which is most of the time now), you might find them singing down the street with me.
Shhhhhhh–Speakeasy alert. I don’t want to come right out and tell ya, but when you’re done eating at the Blind Pig, go in the back, up the stairs where you see the red light…open the door, go in, and enjoy the speakeasy atmosphere of Meat. They brew their own beers along with the brewer at Cumberland Brews, with two selections on tap: Light Meat or Dark Meat. Old Grand Dad Bonded is in their Old Fashioned, and they make some great cocktails.
Coach Lamp–751 Vine Street–Louisville, KY 40206–502.583.9165. (www.coachlamprestaurant.com). This is a very cool upscale neighborhood bar room—best way I can describe it. Chef Richard Lowe won the Cast Iron Chef at the 2011 Kentucky State Fair. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
DiOrio’s–310 Wallace Avenue, Louisville, KY 40207. Italian place…great pizza and sandwiches. The DiOrio brothers opened this place with awesome food, moderate prices and a nice cozy bar. They have a nice bourbon selection, too. Get my favorite sandwich there, the sausage pita…it’s amazing.
Drakes–3939 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40207–502.614.7327 (www.drakeslouisville.com). Neighborhood hangout on steroids. Lots of craft, and local/regional draft beers, and good bourbon/rye selection, too. Comfort food galore, and sushi too.
Eddie Merlot’s–Fourth and Muhammad Ali–55 S. 4th Street–502.584.3266 (www.eddiemerlots.com) .This is a great regional steakhouse chain that has exceptional prime aged steaks and an extensive selection of fine wines, along with a great bar and selection of bourbons. I love eating in the bar because of the huge wrap-around windows, but then again, I’m a bar guy.
Eiderdown–983 Goss Avenue (at Goss and Krieger), Louisville, KY 40217–502.290.2390 (www.eiderdowngermantown.com). Owned by the folks who also own Nachbar one block up, Eiderdown is in the Schnitzelburg neighborhood, and German beers are big here, of course. The food is awesome, and if you want a bourbon, they don’t have it here, but they do at Nachbar, so walk on down after and have an Old Grand Dad or an Old Fitz.
Garage–700 E. Market Street, Louisville, KY–502.749.7100 (www.garageonmarket.com). Located in an old service station, you’ll see a 1970 Camaro wrecked into an old Trans Am out front. This bar and eatery features wood-fired pizzas with a Southern perspective. It is owned by the same folks at 21c and Proof, so you know they did it up right.
Gary’s on Spring–204 S. Spring St. Louisville, KY 40206–502.584.5533 (www.garysonspring.com). Contemporary American cuisine wi
th casual fine dining and a damn nice appetizer menu and upstairs bar/lounge that I personally love with a nice selection of bourbons.
Hammer Heads–921 Swan St., Louisville, KY 40206 (Germantown,Swan Street near Breckinridge) (www.louisvillehammerheads.com). No reservations and limited seating, but worth the wait if you have one. Chefs and owners Chase Mucerino and Adam Burress prepare awesome food in an old dive bar that has reopened in Germantown. Cozy, fun atmosphere and great food. No bourbon here yet, but a great beer selection.
Harvest–624 E. Market Street, Louisville, KY–502.384.9090 (www.harvestlouisville.com). Decent bourbon selection, but the food is excellent and FRESH. They only use food harvested within a 100-mile radius of the restaurant, and they have a map and pictures up around the place of all the farmers they partner with. The menu changes often because of what is available, obviously. Pretty cool concept, and yes the food is excellent.
Haymarket Whiskey Bar–331 Market Street-Louisville, KY 40202-502.442.0523.A cool little live music joint that sells craft beer and great bourbons and whiskey. Beer garden, concert venue, bar. Matthew Landan owns the place and is very passionate about his craft beers; he’s even gonna start making some there. He likes his old bourbons, too, so get an Old Grand Dad or J.T.S. Brown there anytime.
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