Welcome to the Louisville Eater 18, our answer to any question that begins, "Can you recommend a restaurant?" This elite group covers the entire area, spans myriad cuisines and should satisfy all of your restaurant needs. Every couple of months, we'll be adding restaurants that were omitted or have stepped up their game.

These are the places that you think of when you think of Louisville. Not necessarily the newest and hottest spots on the block (for that, there's the Eater Louisville Heatmap), but the classics. To be included here, all restaurants must be over two years old—that's a change from previous Eater 18s where restaurants just had to have passed the one-year mark. So a couple restaurants got cut, but they'll likely be back once they've graduated from the Heatmap, which is just for restaurants younger than two years old.

Added: Garage Bar, The Oakroom
Removed: Decca, Rye on Market

Again, their removal wasn't a knock on these restaurants at all—in fact, both the removed restaurants are on the latest Eater Heatmap.

For those of you readying the pitchforks because your favorite restaurant isn't included, wouldn't it just be more productive to leave your thoughts 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 and The Oakroom, removed Decca and Rye on Market