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The 18 Essential Louisville Restaurants, January 2014

by Steve Hacker
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by Steve Hacker
2 comments / new

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Welcome to the Louisville Eater 18, our best answers to the question "Can you recommend a Louisville restaurant?" This group covers the entire metro area, spans myriad cuisines and should satisfy just about any restaurant need. Every few months, we may shift things around a bit, in our bid to find restaurants stepping toward iconic status.

These are the places that provide a sense of the Louisville restaurant culture. They may not be the newest nor the hottest spots (that's what the Eater Louisville Heatmap is for). Eater 18 restaurants must be over two years old, and bring a unique sensibility to the local scene. Any disagreements or additions? Feel free to leave them in the comments.


Eater Louisville 18 history

· Jan. 8, 2013: Initial Eater Louisville 18
· April 9, 2013: Added Corbett's: An American Place and Holy Grale, removed Dragon King's Daughter and El Mundo
· July 9, 2013: No changes
· Oct. 8, 2013: Added Garage Bar, The Oakroom; removed Decca and Rye on Market
· January 7, 2014: Added Decca, Lilly's, Rye on Market, The Silver Dollar, Blue Dog Bakery & Café; removed Holy Grale, Bistro Le Relais, Garage Bar, The Blind Pig, Wagner's Pharmacy

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610 Magnolia

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Edward Lee's "contemporary approach to the Southern table" is an unassuming, often innovative institution in a quiet corner of historic Old Louisville.
610 W Magnolia Ave, Louisville, KY 40208
(502) 636-0783
(502) 636-0783

Proof on Main

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Executive Chef Levon Wallace creates dishes that can stand out amid the incredible art of this design-forward boutique hotel, whether it's breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or room service.
702 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 217-6360
(502) 217-6360

The Oakroom

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Opened in 1907, The Oakroom has been a AAA Five Diamond Restaurant since 1998. Seasonal menus "celebrate [The Oakroom's] unparalleled tradition of excellence," and dining here can give one a Gilded Age feeling.
500 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 585-3200
(502) 585-3200

Hillbilly Tea

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This downtown cafe focusing on "organic teas, mountain-inspired tea cuisine and tea hooch" is an inside joke, an inspired idea and a really good restaurant combined. And it "done gone global" with a second restaurant in Shanghai.
120 South 1st Street, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 587-7350
(502) 587-7350

Harvest

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Harvest and chef Coby Lee Ming have a mission "to serve outstanding, regionally inspired, seasonal 'farm-to-table' cuisine." And they do—creating wonderful stuff with 80% of ingredients sourced from within a 100-mile radius.
624 E Market St., Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 384-9090
(502) 384-9090

Mayan Café

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Bruce Ucán's restaurant has been an East Market standout since "NuLu" was only a fantasy, and shows how good blending Mayan ideas with Kentucky ingredients can be.
813 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 566-0651
(502) 566-0651

Decca

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Decca says it's "excited to feature local artists and musicians alongside inspired food and drinks in a warm atmosphere," and diners have been consistently excited by the food Annie Pettry and her team deliver.
812 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 749-8128
(502) 749-8128

Wiltshire on Market

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Chef Jonathan Exum emphasizes fresh, local ingredients in a menu that changes weekly in an "intimate restaurant environment."
636 E. Market, Louisville, KY
(502) 589-5224
(502) 589-5224

Rye On Market

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Ever since Michael Trager-Kusman went to New York, worked his way up to line cook at The Breslin and attracted Tyler Morris to Louisville, Rye has been an electric addition to the city's restaurant scene.
900 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 749-6200
(502) 749-6200

Hammerheads

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Burgers, BBQ, tacos and fries may not sound like much, but this Swan Street shack is anything but a dive and dazzlingly popular.
921 Swan St, Louisville, KY 40204

Eiderdown

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"European-inspired Southern Food" is what Eiderdown says it has in mind for its patrons, although they admit "another inspiration is beer." Whatever they call it, this comfortable, eclectic blend of beer and bohemian gourmet seems very, very Louisville.
983 Goss Ave., Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 290-2390
(502) 290-2390

Jack Fry's

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Beginning as the home of a bookie and bootlegger, this clubby "New American" restaurant is full of photos, memorabilia and fine food.
1007 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 452-9244
(502) 452-9244

Lilly's

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Kathy Cary can safely be called Louisville's farm-to-table pioneer. Setting the locavore bar for the city, she continues to deliver comfortable yet compelling cuisine.
1147 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 451-0447
(502) 451-0447

The Silver Dollar

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Honoring the "'Bakersfield Sound,' ... great juke joints and the spirited people who inhabited them" has earned The Silver Dollar much praise, both for whiskey and for food.
1761 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 259-9540
(502) 259-9540

Seviche: A Latin Restaurant

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Anthony Lamas's "Nuevo Latino" cuisine of course includes the somewhat eponymous ceviche, along with an array of Latin American-inspired dishes that consistently rank him among the top chefs in the city.
1538 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40205
(502) 473-8560
(502) 473-8560

Basa

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Led by chef/owner Michael Ton, Basa brings elegant, modernized Vietnamese flavors to fine dining in Louisville.
2244 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 896-1016
(502) 896-1016

Blue Dog Bakery & Cafe

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Baker Bob Hancock seemingly supplies half the city with his marvelous breads, while simultaneously raising his own heritage hogs, making his own charcuterie and overseeing one of the best breakfast and lunch spots in the city.
2868 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 899-9800
(502) 899-9800

Corbett's: An American Place

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Located in a restored 19th century mansion, the New American cuisine flagship restaurant of longtime local celebrity chef Dean Corbett, was awarded "the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for 2012."
5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40241
(502) 327-5058
(502) 327-5058

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610 Magnolia

610 W Magnolia Ave, Louisville, KY 40208
Edward Lee's "contemporary approach to the Southern table" is an unassuming, often innovative institution in a quiet corner of historic Old Louisville.
610 W Magnolia Ave, Louisville, KY 40208
(502) 636-0783
(502) 636-0783

Proof on Main

702 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202
Executive Chef Levon Wallace creates dishes that can stand out amid the incredible art of this design-forward boutique hotel, whether it's breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or room service.
702 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 217-6360
(502) 217-6360

The Oakroom

500 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202
Opened in 1907, The Oakroom has been a AAA Five Diamond Restaurant since 1998. Seasonal menus "celebrate [The Oakroom's] unparalleled tradition of excellence," and dining here can give one a Gilded Age feeling.
500 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 585-3200
(502) 585-3200

Hillbilly Tea

120 South 1st Street, Louisville, KY 40202
This downtown cafe focusing on "organic teas, mountain-inspired tea cuisine and tea hooch" is an inside joke, an inspired idea and a really good restaurant combined. And it "done gone global" with a second restaurant in Shanghai.
120 South 1st Street, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 587-7350
(502) 587-7350

Harvest

624 E Market St., Louisville, KY 40202
Harvest and chef Coby Lee Ming have a mission "to serve outstanding, regionally inspired, seasonal 'farm-to-table' cuisine." And they do—creating wonderful stuff with 80% of ingredients sourced from within a 100-mile radius.
624 E Market St., Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 384-9090
(502) 384-9090

Mayan Café

813 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40206
Bruce Ucán's restaurant has been an East Market standout since "NuLu" was only a fantasy, and shows how good blending Mayan ideas with Kentucky ingredients can be.
813 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 566-0651
(502) 566-0651

Decca

812 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
Decca says it's "excited to feature local artists and musicians alongside inspired food and drinks in a warm atmosphere," and diners have been consistently excited by the food Annie Pettry and her team deliver.
812 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 749-8128
(502) 749-8128

Wiltshire on Market

636 E. Market, Louisville, KY
Chef Jonathan Exum emphasizes fresh, local ingredients in a menu that changes weekly in an "intimate restaurant environment."
636 E. Market, Louisville, KY
(502) 589-5224
(502) 589-5224

Rye On Market

900 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
Ever since Michael Trager-Kusman went to New York, worked his way up to line cook at The Breslin and attracted Tyler Morris to Louisville, Rye has been an electric addition to the city's restaurant scene.
900 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 749-6200
(502) 749-6200

Hammerheads

921 Swan St, Louisville, KY 40204
Burgers, BBQ, tacos and fries may not sound like much, but this Swan Street shack is anything but a dive and dazzlingly popular.
921 Swan St, Louisville, KY 40204

Eiderdown

983 Goss Ave., Louisville, KY 40217
"European-inspired Southern Food" is what Eiderdown says it has in mind for its patrons, although they admit "another inspiration is beer." Whatever they call it, this comfortable, eclectic blend of beer and bohemian gourmet seems very, very Louisville.
983 Goss Ave., Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 290-2390
(502) 290-2390

Jack Fry's

1007 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204
Beginning as the home of a bookie and bootlegger, this clubby "New American" restaurant is full of photos, memorabilia and fine food.
1007 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 452-9244
(502) 452-9244

Lilly's

1147 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204
Kathy Cary can safely be called Louisville's farm-to-table pioneer. Setting the locavore bar for the city, she continues to deliver comfortable yet compelling cuisine.
1147 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 451-0447
(502) 451-0447

The Silver Dollar

1761 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
Honoring the "'Bakersfield Sound,' ... great juke joints and the spirited people who inhabited them" has earned The Silver Dollar much praise, both for whiskey and for food.
1761 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 259-9540
(502) 259-9540

Seviche: A Latin Restaurant

1538 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40205
Anthony Lamas's "Nuevo Latino" cuisine of course includes the somewhat eponymous ceviche, along with an array of Latin American-inspired dishes that consistently rank him among the top chefs in the city.
1538 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40205
(502) 473-8560
(502) 473-8560

Basa

2244 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206
Led by chef/owner Michael Ton, Basa brings elegant, modernized Vietnamese flavors to fine dining in Louisville.
2244 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 896-1016
(502) 896-1016

Blue Dog Bakery & Cafe

2868 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
Baker Bob Hancock seemingly supplies half the city with his marvelous breads, while simultaneously raising his own heritage hogs, making his own charcuterie and overseeing one of the best breakfast and lunch spots in the city.
2868 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 899-9800
(502) 899-9800

Corbett's: An American Place

5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40241
Located in a restored 19th century mansion, the New American cuisine flagship restaurant of longtime local celebrity chef Dean Corbett, was awarded "the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for 2012."
5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40241
(502) 327-5058
(502) 327-5058