If you had 5 days in Louisville...

I'm sure by this point, this is sounding like a broken record, but...

Seviche, Havana Rumba, Melillo's, El Mundo (it's good and funky), Sari Sari, and at least get take-out once from Shiraz.

For Dessert, the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen has great rhubarb pie!


Hope you have a great time in our city and hopefully we can convince you to stick around!

Our faves are:

The 3 P's - Primo, Proof and Porcini
Melillo's
Cafe Lou Lou
El Mundo (a funkier little place you won't find anywhere and the best Margaritas in town)

Have fun and bring loose clothing for your return trip!

And if you do stroll on Frankfort Ave., don't limit yourself to between Ewing and Stilz or you'll miss a bunch of great shops and restaurants between Pope and Ewing.

We've got a great mix of restaurants here from serious upscale and formal to very esoteric and ethnic.

Upscale:
Corbett's
Le Relais
610 Magnolia
Oakroom
Jack Fry's
Proof

Fusion/Cutting Edge:
Seviche
Asiatique
Maido
Basa

Ethnic:
Palermo Viejo
Mayan Cafe
Vietnam Kitchen
Havana Rumba
Mojito
August Moon
Santa Fe Grill


Casual:
Uptown Cafe
L&N Wine Bar & Bistro
Primo
60 West

Bar Food:
Baxter Station (fancy bar food)
Granville Inn
Cumberland Brews


I missed a ton of places, but that should hold you for five days.

Hi Steve,

Welcome! As far as I know, there aren't any true Greek restaurants in Louisville. I recall The Grape Leaf having moussaka, but it wasn't the Greek moussaka I'm used to eating which is like an eggplant lasagna topped with a béchamel. The Grape Leaf's version was more of a stew. (My father-in-law is Greek and has probably spoiled us)

We have tons of Mexican choices here. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions from the folks that eat it more often than I do. If you're feeling adventurous, I recall Robin and some of the other forumites discussing a taco stand/tent that had set up in The Indian Trail Shopping Center (on Preston Hwy).

My Recommendations for dining (a mix of offbeat, upscale & casual):
Vietnam Kitchen - Vietnamese
Maido - Japanese/Sushi
Third Avenue Cafe - Eclectic/Lots of Vegetarian Items
Mayan Cafe - Mexican/Central American
El Mundo - Mexican
The Come Back Inn - Italian
Cafe Lou Lou - Louisiana meets Louisville
Baxter Station - American Pub/Bistro
Jack Fry's - Upscale Bistro
Palermo Viejo - Argetinian Steakhouse
Irish Rover - Irish Pub Grub
Za's Pizza - Pizza
Captain's Quarters - Continental. Also a good Sunday brunch. Check out the deck & the view.
Home Made Pie Kitchen - Dessert

Definitely spend some time wondering up & down Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue. Oh, and here's a link to our local entertainment guide (The LEO). You can also pick one up for free at just about any restaurant or bar. Hope you have a great trip! http://www.leoweekly.com/

Don't eat the Hot Brown.

And for heaven's sake, don't drink a Mint Julep.

Actually Hot Browns and Mint Julep's are a must for a visitor to Louisville since they're both truly unique to Louisville. Hot Browns are actually all right in my opinion at least once in awhile, but as stated elsewhere Mint Juleps are a true waste even when they're made with fresh mint.

I agree. I think Mint Juleps taste like Scope mouthwash. Actually, I think the Scope may taste better.

We've got a great mix of restaurants here from serious upscale and formal to very esoteric and ethnic.

Upscale:
Corbett's
Le Relais
610 Magnolia
Oakroom
Jack Fry's
Proof

Fusion/Cutting Edge:
Seviche
Asiatique
Maido
Basa

Ethnic:
Palermo Viejo
Mayan Cafe
Vietnam Kitchen
Havana Rumba
Mojito
August Moon
Santa Fe Grill


Casual:
Uptown Cafe
L&N Wine Bar & Bistro
Primo
60 West

Bar Food:
Baxter Station (fancy bar food)
Granville Inn
Cumberland Brews


I missed a ton of places, but that should hold you for five days.

Steve,
Ron has given some EXCELLENT suggestions. If the question is where would I eat given 5 days in Louisville.
I would have breakfast at Lynn's Paradise Cafe, Toast on Main, North End Cafe, Wild Eggs
I would have lunch at Captain's Quarters, Seviche Goosecreek, Bistro 301, Mellilo's and Uptown Cafe
I would have dinner at Porcini, Limestone Restaurant, Equus, Jack Fry's and Avalon

Any of Ron's selections are great places to eat, but you have 5 days - This gives you a realistic review of the style of food in the region.

If you are looking for good bar crowds and bar eats Cumberland Brews, Irish Rover, Shennanigan's (Norris Place), Baxter Station and Spring Street Grill and Bar are some good local places.

As all have said, there are endless opportunities - We are very blessed.

On a side note, I did not list Cafe Lou Lou, but it is a must try while in town

You can't really go wrong at any of the places already listed above.

To get a unique Louisville experience, I often take visitors to Lynn's Paradise Cafe. They're best known for breakfast food but the rest of the menu is good as well if you want to avoiding the morning crowds.

Other favorites to take visitors include El Mundo, Cafe Lou Lou and Palermo Viejo. If you like Thai food, you can't go wrong at Thai Taste.

I also recommend Bourbon's Bistro for either dinner or drinks. They have a wonderful selection of bourbon and even offer different flights for sampling several bourbons at once. I think drinking bourbon is a must for any visit to Kentucky.

And for dessert, I have to recommend Sweet Surrender. Especially if you're having dinner anywhere along Frankfort Avenue. If you don't want an actual Mint Julep during your visit, we make a delicious Chocolate Mint Julep Cake.

Hi Steve,

Here's my suggestions:

Seriously excellent breakfast @ North End Cafe
Horsey atmosphere breakfast @ Wagner's Pharmacy near Churchill Downs. They produce the jockey silks & repair saddles/tack upstairs.

Lunch @ Havana Rumba (best Cuban outside of Coral Gables, FL)
El Mundo for a Mexican dream lunch......Muy Buena

Cocktails and apps @ Jacks

Vino and dinner @ L&N (Dozens of fine wines by the glass)
Seviche for Latin fusion
610 Magnolia ~ Upscale heaven ...........call for reservations NOW.

Cafe Lou Lou ~ ogasmatic desserts (can I say that here?).
oops I did it............

Hope your visit to tha "Ville is a pleasant one.

Tom

Cafe Lou Lou ~ ogasmatic desserts (can I say that here?).
oops I did it............

It's okay as far as I'm concerned, Tom

Steve, if you do visit us at Cafe Lou Lou, we make great hummus and a meze plate with pita, we also serve gyros, and our best selling salad is Greek Salad (lettuce, tomato, red onion, green pepper, feta, kalamatas, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette). I wouldn't put us in the "Greek restaurant" category but there's definitely a lot of Mediterranean dishes on the menu. We also have a full slate of gourmet pizzas and pasta dishes....and dessert.

Please, if you do make a reservation or come to visit, ask for me so I can say hello.

If I was trying to use the Louisville restaurant scene to lure a couple of Yankees to live here, (aside from Lou Lou) I'd send them to Jack Fry's, Proof on Main, L&N Wine Bar & Bistro, Havana Rumba, Seviche, Mellilo's... geez, you only have 5 days? Heh.

I have yet to see Artemisia listed?
It is nice for a casual lunch or jazz dinner on the patio.

Also Jennica's is just up E. Market. Great for a nice glass of wine and a light meal as you check out the art district there.

Park Place is not casual but Browning's is. You can order off either menu. After a lunch, walk down to our riverfront.

visit Iroquois and Cherokee parks
Cave Hill Cemetary
Bardstown Road between Highland and Taylor
Frankfort Avenue between Pope and Lexington
4th Street (not Live, but between Broadway and Jefferson)

fun bars with Louisville attitude
The Rudyard Kipling
Air Devil's Inn
Gerstles
The Hideaway Saloon
Longshots
BBC on Shelbyville
&
PTs


cross the river and enjoy Indiana as well

Which must-visit restaurants would you take new visitors to in Louisville?

My wife and I are coming into town next week (from Maine) to scope out the area as a potential new home for us. We both love good food. Our palates can appreciate a range from street cart food to an 8-course tasting menu.

The reviews here are really helpful, but there's so much to choose from that I'd like to hear from locals what their favorites are.

Oh, we're not planning on bringing dressy clothes, so any place that welcomes a couple of pale new englanders in dockers or jeans is our kind of place.

Oh.... I have long waited for the day that a real Mainer would come to our fair city to partake of what we have to offer.

I did my time in Rangely and York Beach,ME as a young chef and came of age in North Conway and Jackson,NH...
These are my suggestions to you(presuming you have reliable transportation, not always a givin' in Northern New England).

Havana Rumba in St Matthew's... I can assume You've never had Cuban Food and this is as good as it gets and it's cheap!

Hero's Pizza in Jeffersontown...It's like Elvio's but it's better than South of the Bronx....

Ollie's Trolley...In between downtown and Old Louisville, You might have to seek it out but it's worth it...Then stop by the....
Granville Inn....A very friendly neighborhood kind of place(By the way, you can live like "Royalty" in Old Louisville for $750.00 a month, as long as you don't need more than one parking spot)

You are gonna have to try some Fried Fish Place(Hill St Fish Fry, Kingfish,The Fishery or any other) and Just Shake Your Head because we don't like Haddock here..It has to be Cod....

And after you tried any of these suggestions, you can take a stroll down starting from the North End of either Bardstown Rd or Frankfort Ave. and see what you like. You can PM me and I will gladly meet up with you if time allows me!

Which must-visit restaurants would you take new visitors to in Louisville?

My wife and I are coming into town next week (from Maine) to scope out the area as a potential new home for us. We both love good food. Our palates can appreciate a range from street cart food to an 8-course tasting menu.

The reviews here are really helpful, but there's so much to choose from that I'd like to hear from locals what their favorites are.

Oh, we're not planning on bringing dressy clothes, so any place that welcomes a couple of pale new englanders in dockers or jeans is our kind of place.

You can PM me and I will gladly meet up with you if time allows me!

I'd love to tag along, please.

Lilly's
Basa
Jack Fry's
Richo's
Porcini
El Mundo
Maido
BBC
Lolita's <- no, not kidding.
Annie Cafe

Uptown Cafe (Saturday nights with live jazz)
English Grill
Jack Fry's
Porcini's