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Doing good by eating well at Locals
Show me a restaurant that does the small things well, and I will bet the price of a good lunch that it does the big things well too. So it is with Locals Food Hub & Pizza Pub, a combined local food market and quick-service eatery on East Broadway in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood.
Some of its good works might seem rather small, but I appreciate them: It's good to be able to enjoy a meal of locally grown produce in a restaurant that, despite its casual status, still uses ceramic or cardboard plates and cups and metal forks, knives, and spoons, avoiding dumping plastic in the landfill or the environment.
That’s not all. This gets even more serious when Locals lists its three main goals:
• Increase community access to locally produced, nutrient-rich, delicious food
• Create a consistent and viable market for local farmers.
• Create a gathering space where the community and visitors can come together around local food
"All of our products are sourced from local farmers, food makers, and small producers," the restaurant's website declares. "We prioritize seasonal, Kentucky-grown produce and artisan goods that reflect the best of our region’s agriculture and food scene." Since opening in 2021, according to a chalkboard sign over the kitchen, Locals has spent $2,020,004 with 238 Kentuckiana farmers and producers.
Locals' Smoketown location is no accident: While open and inviting to all, the food hub consciously fills a gap in one of the city's food deserts. As Michael L. Jones reported in the Feb. 7, 2025 edition of Louisville Business First, the Smoketown neighborhood "bears the marks of decades of economic redlining. It is a designated food desert due to the lack of nearby grocery stores, and about 60% of the population lived below the federal poverty line in 2017, according to U.S. Census data."
Accordingly, Locals emphasizes with prominent signage that it proudly accepts SNAP/EBT, and is part of the Kentucky Double Dollars program coordinated by Community Farm Alliance. When a person spends $20 using SNAP, they get a $20 match to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. On top of that, thanks to generous local sponsors, Locals offers $20 more through its in-house Triple Dollar Program. This combination brings the SNAP/EBT shopper's total grocery buying power to $60 based on just $20 out-of-pocket. This program is available while monthly funds last, management emphasizes, so guests are advised to shop early in the month!
Want to make a direct impact on food desert hunger and poverty? Donate to Locals' Triple Dollar Program. Gifts will stretch SNAP benefits for hungry families while at the same time putting more money into the hands of local farmers.
That all sounds great. So, how's the food? I'm happy to report that the bill of fare is impressive, too. Several vegetarian and vegan options are available, and they'll work with you to remove meat from other dishes where feasible.
Pizza, as the name implies, is front-and-center, with 13 specialty pizzas built on a wood-fired, 12-inch sourdough base (or optional gluten-free cauliflower), ranging in price from $15 (for a cheese pie) to $22 (for several options). You can also build your own, starting with the $15 cheese pie and adding your choice of $1, $2, or $3 add-ons and extras.
Five appetizers and six salads offer a range of delights and are priced from $12 to $17 (or $22 for a full pound of fire-roasted, pasture-raised chicken wings; a half-pound is $12). Two tasty soups – kale and local Italian sausage or tomato bisque – are $8 for a cup, $12 for a bowl, with $2 off for a soup-and-salad combo.
Everything we tried was outstanding. Mary declared the kale and sausage soup one of the best ever, well worth going back for. Rough chunks of sausage – locally made, of course – swam in a rich, savory, creamy broth with long-simmered chopped kale, white beans, and potato dice, all finished with a little cream. A crisp toasted slice of good sourdough bread came alongside.
A bowl of Thai Dye salad came along as the other half of a $19 combo. A large white bowl bore a generous pile of mixed greens that included lettuces, parsley, endive, and arugula, all fresh and carefully cleaned, tossed with fresh pineapple cubes, thin=sliced banana pepper rounds, carrot shreds, green onion slices, and pickled red onion, with a tub of gently spicy Thai peanut dressing alongside.
Pizza? Yes, please! I had heard glowing reports of the Mighty Mushroom pizza ($22), which features thin-sliced seasonal mushrooms along with caramelized onion, house-pickled chile slices, mozzarella, and Parmesan on an oil-and-garlic base (no tomato sauce), with an artful concentric swirl of garlic aioli as a decorative and tasty finish. The pizza was very thin at the center, with fat, crisp, and chewy browned edges reminiscent of good garlic bread.
Desserts aren't listed on the menu, but two flavors of cheesecake from Backwoods Bakery in Fayette County ($9) were available. A "turtle" cheesecake topped with caramel and pecans, and chocolate was dense, sweet, and a fine ending to an excellent meal.
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Locals Food Hub & Pizza Pub
822 E. Broadway
537-7300
https://localsfoodhub.com
https://facebook.com/localslouisville/
Another location: 863 Wilkinson Blvd., Frankfort, Ky. (502) 682-7332
Noise Level: The room was about half full during a weekday lunch, but conversation was never difficult with sound levels averaging just over 70dB.
Accessibility: The restaurant and grocery appear to have been thoughtfully made accessible to wheelchair users at the entrances and through both facilities.
