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Meet Louisville's Extreme Meat

by Steve Hacker
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by Steve Hacker

Louisville, like many of its surrounding cities (we're looking at you, Indianapolis), loves its meat. But some places around town take that to the extreme. As one of the final installments of Eater's The Five Days of Meat, we present a map with some of Louisville's wild, weird or way-too-much meat dishes.


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El Molcajete

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Their signature dish “Molcajeteada” may look like a face hugger from Alien, but that just has steak and chicken breast along with its tentacle-looking cactus strips. The real extreme meat, like many other Mexican taquerias around town is brain—brain tacos. [Photo: Yelp]
2932 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40208
(502) 638-0300
(502) 638-0300

Shirley Mae's Cafe

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Perhaps some pale at the thought of eating pig intestines, but former CJ food critic Marty Rosen wrote that Shirley Mae’s tender, white chitterlings are as “soft as warm butter.” While they’re served year-round, Shirley Mae's chitterlings are in such high demand the restaurant insists they're served on a “first come, first served” basis. [Photo: Facebook]
802 S Clay St, Louisville, KY 40203
(502) 589-5295
(502) 589-5295

Wick's Pizza Parlor & Pub

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How much meat can be put on a pizza? Find out with the Mighty Meaty Wick: a pile of Italian sausage, beef, ham, bacon, and pepperoni barely supported by a pizza crust.
975 Baxter Ave, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 456-1559
(502) 456-1559

Palermo Viejo

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Some might prefer their South American meats on swords, but this "authentic Argentine" restaurant offers the "Parrillada Completa" for four or more people. House-made chorizo, short ribs, flank steak, sweetbreads, chicken breast and pork tenderloin served with chimichurri sauce, papas a la provenzal (french fries with garlic and parsley) and, possibly just to look pretty, some salads. [Photo: Facebook]
1359 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 456-6461
(502) 456-6461

Game

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Among the many exotic meats (venison, elk, antelope, boar) available, the Kangaroo burger stands out as possibly the cutest thing ground up for burgers. Top your hopper with "extras" such as foie gras, pork belly or soft shell crab.
2295 Lexington Rd, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 618-1712
(502) 618-1712

Pat's Steakhouse

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Louisville's oldest steakhouse offers a hefty "Specialty of the House" aged 32 oz. Porterhouse T-bone. That's 2 full pounds of meat, or for those on the metric system, almost a full kilogram of cow flesh.
2437 Brownsboro Rd, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 893-2062
(502) 893-2062

KFC

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Not satisfied with selling the world on deep-fried chicken, KFC went and invented the DoubleDown, a "sandwich" consisting of bacon, cheese and "Colonel’s sauce" between two fried chicken filets. Because as KFC says, "bread is dead." [Photo: Facebook]
1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, KY 40213

Jade Palace

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Two types of tripe, chicken feet and beef tendon. All delicious, all somewhat "extreme," and available as dim sum every day of the week.
1109 Herr Ln, Louisville, KY
(502) 425-9878
(502) 425-9878

Chubby Ray's

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Anyone who can eat Chubby Ray's 5 lb. “Fat Teddy” burger gets it for free. It is unknown what else people get after ingesting five pounds of burger. [Photo: Facebook]
3910 Ruckriegel Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40299
(502) 267-1188
(502) 267-1188

Jasmine Chinese Cuisine

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Jasmine calls it "Szechuan Unique Cooking." Others might call Hot & Spicy Intestines, Pepper Dry Hot Pot Intestines, Pepper ToFu with Intestines or Pepper Intestines Szechuan Style "extreme." [Photo: Jasmine official site]
13823 English Villa Dr, Louisville, KY 40245
(502) 244-8896
(502) 244-8896
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El Molcajete

2932 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40208
Their signature dish “Molcajeteada” may look like a face hugger from Alien, but that just has steak and chicken breast along with its tentacle-looking cactus strips. The real extreme meat, like many other Mexican taquerias around town is brain—brain tacos. [Photo: Yelp]
2932 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40208
(502) 638-0300
(502) 638-0300

Shirley Mae's Cafe

802 S Clay St, Louisville, KY 40203
Perhaps some pale at the thought of eating pig intestines, but former CJ food critic Marty Rosen wrote that Shirley Mae’s tender, white chitterlings are as “soft as warm butter.” While they’re served year-round, Shirley Mae's chitterlings are in such high demand the restaurant insists they're served on a “first come, first served” basis. [Photo: Facebook]
802 S Clay St, Louisville, KY 40203
(502) 589-5295
(502) 589-5295

Wick's Pizza Parlor & Pub

975 Baxter Ave, Louisville, KY 40204
How much meat can be put on a pizza? Find out with the Mighty Meaty Wick: a pile of Italian sausage, beef, ham, bacon, and pepperoni barely supported by a pizza crust.
975 Baxter Ave, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 456-1559
(502) 456-1559

Palermo Viejo

1359 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40204
Some might prefer their South American meats on swords, but this "authentic Argentine" restaurant offers the "Parrillada Completa" for four or more people. House-made chorizo, short ribs, flank steak, sweetbreads, chicken breast and pork tenderloin served with chimichurri sauce, papas a la provenzal (french fries with garlic and parsley) and, possibly just to look pretty, some salads. [Photo: Facebook]
1359 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 456-6461
(502) 456-6461

Game

2295 Lexington Rd, Louisville, KY 40206
Among the many exotic meats (venison, elk, antelope, boar) available, the Kangaroo burger stands out as possibly the cutest thing ground up for burgers. Top your hopper with "extras" such as foie gras, pork belly or soft shell crab.
2295 Lexington Rd, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 618-1712
(502) 618-1712

Pat's Steakhouse

2437 Brownsboro Rd, Louisville, KY 40206
Louisville's oldest steakhouse offers a hefty "Specialty of the House" aged 32 oz. Porterhouse T-bone. That's 2 full pounds of meat, or for those on the metric system, almost a full kilogram of cow flesh.
2437 Brownsboro Rd, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 893-2062
(502) 893-2062

KFC

1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, KY 40213
Not satisfied with selling the world on deep-fried chicken, KFC went and invented the DoubleDown, a "sandwich" consisting of bacon, cheese and "Colonel’s sauce" between two fried chicken filets. Because as KFC says, "bread is dead." [Photo: Facebook]
1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, KY 40213

Jade Palace

1109 Herr Ln, Louisville, KY
Two types of tripe, chicken feet and beef tendon. All delicious, all somewhat "extreme," and available as dim sum every day of the week.
1109 Herr Ln, Louisville, KY
(502) 425-9878
(502) 425-9878

Chubby Ray's

3910 Ruckriegel Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40299
Anyone who can eat Chubby Ray's 5 lb. “Fat Teddy” burger gets it for free. It is unknown what else people get after ingesting five pounds of burger. [Photo: Facebook]
3910 Ruckriegel Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40299
(502) 267-1188
(502) 267-1188

Jasmine Chinese Cuisine

13823 English Villa Dr, Louisville, KY 40245
Jasmine calls it "Szechuan Unique Cooking." Others might call Hot & Spicy Intestines, Pepper Dry Hot Pot Intestines, Pepper ToFu with Intestines or Pepper Intestines Szechuan Style "extreme." [Photo: Jasmine official site]
13823 English Villa Dr, Louisville, KY 40245
(502) 244-8896
(502) 244-8896