Historic Louisville Restaurants

Only historic to most Hoosiers and like minded lovers of Pizza King..."An Indiana tradition since 1953"
Also, I think Tommy Lancaster's, Arni's and the Little Chef have all been aroung long enough to qualify as "historic"

Cleanup in Aisle Four now complete.

I was wondering what the deal was. Read this last night and was quite confused. Bob speaking in third person and all .

I read this forum too religiously, heaven help me.

Captains Quarters opened in the late 60's or early 70's. Worked there as a server, first job.
I believe it was THE PINE ROOM bar before that .
This is making me fell historic.

How about bars?
Can we count Jack Fry's? My uncles hung out there in the 40s and 50s with Jack Fry himself. I realize the restaurant itself is different, but same name, same location.
Air Devil's Inn? Before I die, I should go in there. Grew up a few blocks from there but never hung out there while going to Hawthorne Elementary That's been there since Bowman Field. I guess I'm getting into the bar category but so many people eat at bars now.
Back in the 60's my dad went to the Golden Nugget to place bets with his bookie
Is Ollie's Trolley on 3rd more than 50 years old?
Have to eat the Cottage Cafe on Eastern Parkway one more time before I die. Ate there once when I was alittle girl. Power went out. That's got to be a historic restaurant.

John E's website indicates that they've been a restaurant since the 50's.

What about Boone Tavern, the Beaumont Inn and Old Stone Inn? How old is the Twig and Leaf?

Waitaminit. The Pine Room wasn't an early incarnation of Captain's Quarter's was it? I distinctly remember it being in a different location than the current CQ, and I remember the Pine Room burning down. Don't I?

But hey, I've been wrong before.

The Pine Room - wow what a memory from when I was a little kid. Saloon-type atmosphere with Mable on the piano. I was always fascinated with the wine bottles made into candlesticks (hey, it was the early 1970s!) with what looked like 30 years of wax build up.

The Pine Room was not where CQ is located; it was much closer to where Wolf Pen Branch Rd. hits River road, right by the roadside. I'm thinking it was either where the post office is located or Chick Inn. And yes, it burned.

The Pine Room did in fact burn down. A favorite place to take a special date when you were underage. My wife also sang there a few times, well before I knew her. I also worked at Captains Quarters in the late sixties. A classy place for the time, with a killer bar with jazz and the Mahons as owners. Mrs. Mahon still comes in the Shady Lane Cafe once a month or so. She is the consummate southern bell and looks as lovely as she did 40 years ago.. many fond memories. Bill

The old location of the Pine Room is currently occupied by a pet groomer. I started going to the PR in the mid fifties. This was when the expressway only extended to Bardstown Road. According to Bill and Kitty Mershon, the owners, a bar was present before the PR. This bar featured hookers upstairs. The original PR occupied only the room to the right as viewed from the road. A car dealer moved out of the room on the left and the PR expanded into the space with a dining room that I believe was called the Gay Nineties Room. The PR was sold to a group of physicians and shortly thereafter burned down. I have no memories of any thing being in the Captain's Quarters location at the time. Buzz Parsons (now Cunninghams ) was close to the PR and very busy. If you went to the PR you will remember a server that was very tall, very thin and very good. If you go to the Prospect Kroger's you will from time to time see him. He has not changed in fifty years. He will be glad to talk PR with you.
And by the way kids, I don't regard anything from the fifties as historic. I well predate that and don't feel in the least historic.

A classy place for the time, with a killer bar with jazz and the Mahons as owners. Mrs. Mahon still comes in the Shady Lane Cafe once a month or so. She is the consummate southern bell and looks as lovely as she did 40 years ago.. many fond memories

I totally agree, Bill, that Dottie is the consummate southern bell.

And by the way kids, I don't regard anything from the fifties as historic. I well predate that and don't feel in the least historic.

I expect you're somewhat joshing, but just remember we live in a country that has the oldest surviving McDonald's (1953) on the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Not kidding, check it.
My wife and I have eaten in restaurants operated as such for 300 - 700 years in Europe, but most of the places listed so far have lasted far longer than most for our neighborhood. Historic is relative.

If the 60's and 70's are historic, then Lentini's was a memory of mine, in the classification of historic restaurant "growing up ", date night, experiences. We scraped up enough dollars, probably $12 (a piece), double dated in my first car (maybe $800), and impressed our dates enough for a prom night commitment.
Where do you find Italian opera and trellises and grape vines, dim lighting, very good pizza and lasagna for the period, and a 1966 Mustang these days? Before junk yard is mentioned, I loved that car, and it's travels.

Have to scratch my historic dinosaur frontal premaxilla and enjoy today.

I lived above Jack Frys, next to Jack himself, who would come down on days he felt well and do dishes and putter around the kitchen. He did not own the restaurant at the time at the time.