Spread of dishes and a beer at Decade | Decade
Korean barbecue and karaoke at chef Ed Lee’s steakhouse, eclectic Southern food at one of the best bourbon bars in the country, the famous hot brown and decadent Derby Pie at the Brown Hotel, and more of Louisville’s best meals
There’s more to Louisville than bourbon, baseball bats, and the Kentucky Derby. The largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky also boasts a thriving restaurant scene. It’s the birthplace of the famous hot brown — a cheesy mess of turkey, toast, and Mornay invented at the Brown Hotel — but this large city with a small-town feel holds so many great places to eat. You could start the day with coffee and a matcha-glazed croissant, grab sushi at a food hall stall, and finish the evening at a James Beard-nominated Mediterranean restaurant. And sure, fit in some races and stops along the Bourbon Trail in between, too.
Over the last five years as the Courier Journal dining columnist, I’ve had so many conversations with friends, family, and strangers about the best meals in Louisville. This map is a curated collection of those recommendations: a list of exceptional restaurants that shape Louisville’s dining scene.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10, to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
New to the map in April 2025: Anko Sushi, an excellent food hall sushi stand with fun weekly specials; Decade, featuring an ever-inspired new American menu; North of Bourbon, with a Southern polyglot menu and an award-winning whiskey selection; Perso, an eclectic modern restaurant with an outstanding chef’s table and a speakeasy bar; Seviche, a Louisville institution that blends Mexican and Puerto Rican influences with Southern ingredients; and Taj Palace, an understated but nonetheless essential North Indian standby.
Lennie Omalza is a Kentucky-based freelance writer. Originally from Hawaii, she is a yoga-loving foodie who travels as often as she can.
