Headed Into The City And Wanna Know The Best Eats? Here’s Downtown Louisville Restaurants!

Kentucky’s largest city is Louisville, which is known as the birthplace of bourbon, home to Muhammed Ali, famous for the Kentucky Derby, and has a ton of amazing restaurants, especially downtown. If you live in the area or are planning a sightseeing trip in the near future, you’re going to want to pair all of that adventure with good food and drinks, so today we’re here to talk about downtown Louisville restaurants that will have you wanting to go back the very next day! (And if you’d like to treat anyone to a nice night out on the town, these spots are perfect for it).

Speaking of a nice night on the town, if you’re looking for a great gift to give a loved one, why not try GiftYa? GiftYa is a digital “warehouse” that has gift cards to thousands of locations all over the country, from fast food chains to local favorites! With GiftYa, you can send a friend or family member a select set of money for participating locations via the website app that they then can set up with their debit or credit card. That way they don’t have to crowd their wallet with physical gift cards! It’s the perfect present in a much more convenient package.

Learn more about GiftYa and text an eGift in a few minutes!

1. Proof on Main

Comfortable, modern, great food, great drinks, all on Main Street!

702 W Main St | Louisville | proofonmain.com

Located within the 21c Museum Hotel, Proof on Main provides you with delicious food, a fully stocked bar, and a spectacular range of rotating contemporary artwork you can see before, during, or after your meal! Plus if you stay at 21c Museum Hotel, you also won’t have to travel far to grab a bite!

Featuring locally sourced cuisine, Proof on Main is here to make your downtown Louisville experience one to remember, and not just with their unique aesthetic, but with their wide variety of options to enjoy! They have a dinner, brunch, breakfast, cocktail, wine, spirits, and dessert menu, along with a Thanksgiving (2022) menu! Just some of the foods include Market Fish Crudo to share and a Pan Roasted Branzino entree for dinner, Fried Chicken Sandwich and the Proof Breakfast Sandwich for brunch! They have a range of other things to enjoy so make sure to check them out!

Proof on Main is open for dinner from 5pm until 9pm Sundays through Wednesdays and from 5pm until 10pm on Thursdays through Saturdays. Breakfast is served Monday through Friday 7am-10am, with Brunch served on the weekends 10am-2pm!

“Loved this place so much.  The atmosphere is so unique and the service was great and the food was amazing! We tried several dishes and each one was great! I'd definitely eat here again when in Louisville!” -Yelp Review

2. Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse

An upscale and stylin’ restaurant that’s received wide acclaim from all over!

325 W Main St | Louisville | jeffruby.com

Welcome to Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, the ultimate steakhouse experience on Main Street in Louisville. First opening in 2006, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse made its mark almost immediately offering an upscale dining experience providing U.S.D.A. Prime Steaks, an array of fresh seafood, and an award winning wine list! And they’ve continued to make waves, having received compliments from many national publications, including FoodNetwork, OpenTable, and USA Today.

Glitz and glamour meet in the dining area to create an atmosphere built to reflect the authenticity and sheer delicious-ness of the menu. Speaking of the menu you can enjoy foods like sushi, premium tuna, Crab Cake and Wagyu Meatball appetizers, salads, and of course high end steaks!

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse is open from 5pm until 10pm on Mondays through Thursdays, 5pm until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 4:30pm until 9pm on Sundays.

“Wonderful experience! We tried many items and all were amazing. Steak was cooked correctly and service excellent. Jade was wonderful and I'd highly recommend her! We enjoyed our experience here very much!” -Yelp Review

3. Doc Crow's

Southern-inspired dishes with locally sourced ingredients are hot and ready to serve!

127 W Main St | Louisville | doccrows.com

Located in a building that’s been around since 1869, Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar has changed a lot through time and has been widely acclaimed throughout Louisville as one of the best restaurants to go to for truly delicious food. 

Doc Crow’s has a lot for you to choose from, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are readily available to serve! You won’t be disappointed by the traditional southern cuisine and fresh seafood served here. They have things like Fried Oysters, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Pulled Pork, and more.

You’ll also want to grab a drink in the Bourbon Room as long as you’re stopping by! Doc Crow’s serves— you guessed it —bourbon to guests in this upscale extension of the restaurant. There’s more than 2,000 kinds of bourbon and whiskey to choose from, but you can always opt for a house cocktail instead. 

Doc Crow’s is open from 7am to 10pm Sundays through Thursdays and 7am to 11pm Fridays and Saturdays.

“Been waiting to try this place out forever now... it was worth the wait! I had Doc's chicken, roasted, and it was SO juicy! Ask for a cup of the bourbon honey sauce too. Hubs had the brisket. Thick ass bourbon menu! We will be back again.” -Yelp Review

4. Brazeiros

A Brazilian style steakhouse makes this spot a great downtown Louisville restaurant!

450 S 4th St | Louisville | brazeiros.com

Brazeiros Brazilian Steakhouse has a location in Knoxville, Tennessee as well as this one in Kentucky. Both restaurants serve equally delicious dishes that are inspired by authentic Southern Brazil cuisine with a modern twist.

In addition to the main menu, you’ll find a selection of starters, sides, desserts, wines, and cocktails. The bar opens at 4:30 p.m, and happy hour is until 6 p.m. on every day but Saturday.

Brazeiros is open from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, from 4 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays, from noon until 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and from noon until 9:30 p.m. on Sundays.

“Service and food all were phenomenal. Pineapple, house sirloin and the moose cake were my favorite by far. Not to mention and ice cold glass for your beer. Best place we ate on 4th street hands down” -Yelp Review

5. Porch Kitchen & Bar

Want a comfortable atmosphere while enjoying comfort foods? Porch Kitchen & Bar’s got you!

280 W Jefferson St | Louisville | porchlouisville.com

Porch Kitchen & Bar is named after the “iconic American porch,” which celebrates people gathering around with a drink and some food outdoors to chat and relax. This restaurant replicates that energy, with a “cozy-like feel” as soon as you step through their doors and the food on the menu matches that aesthetic quite well we might add.

They have a dinner, brunch, dessert, and drinks menu, so let’s give you glimpse of each of those menus so you know a taste of what to expect:

• Cheese Monkey Bread, Loaded Brisket Nachos, the Veggies Patty Melt, Southern Fried Chicken, and the Baked Mac & Cheese are all on the dinner menu.
• While the brunch menu has a Croissant Cinnamon Roll, Steel Cut Oats, Egg White Omelet, and a Breakfast Sandwich.
• And for dessert you can try their Pecan Pie Cheesecake or Bourbon Butter cake, with a selection of whites, reds, craft cocktails, bottled beers, and more to drink at this downtown Louisville restaurant!

Porch Kitchen & Bar is open for breakfast Monday through Friday 6:30am to 10am and for dinner 5pm to 10pm, and weekend brunch is served 7am-2pm with bar hours varying from 4pm to 11pm or midnight depending on the day of the week.

“Great place for dinner! They brought out the wrong appetizer at first, but were able to correct with no issue. Waitress Vanessa was very nice and welcoming. Would have liked to try the banana foster pie for dessert but we were too full!” -Google Review

6. Vincenzo's

A refined and romantic spot with a robust menu full of authentic Italian favorites!

150 S 5th St | Louisville | vincenzositalianrestaurant.com

Vincenzo’s is a well-known Italian restaurant located in the Humana Building, a skyscraper in downtown Louisville that was built in 1985, and it makes for the perfect location for a night of fine dining with a loved one.

At Vincenzo’s they serve lunch and dinner, and specifically on the lunch menu are dishes like the Smoked Salmon appetizer, North Atlantic Cod Sandwich, Italian Meatball Sub, and Fettuccine Alfredo Con Pollo. While the dinner menu has Risottino Con Pesce Del Giorno which is arborio rice with a medley of fresh seafood and petite shrimp tossed in a spicy red clam sauce and Linguini Con Gamberetti which is linguini tossed in a light marinara sauce with shrimp and zucchini!

Lunch hours at Vincenzo’s are from 11:30am until 1:30pm on weekdays, while dinner hours are from 5pm until 10pm. On Saturdays, dinner is served from 5pm until 10pm and the restaurant is closed on Sundays.

“Great food and service! A vendor brought us here for a dinner and the menu was preselected. Normally, I don't like this format, but it was actually pretty awesome because we got a taste of little bit of everything and it was all good. Definitely go back next time I'm in Louisville.” -Yelp Review

7. Sidebar at Whiskey Row

Burgers, bourbon, and beer in a historic building in downtown Louisville!

129 N 2nd St | Louisville | facebook.com

This restaurant is located within the beautiful Whiskey Row Lofts, which were originally built in 1877 (!?) as a headquarters for the L&N Railroad. So if you’re in the market to dine in a little bit of history then this is the perfect place to go while you’re in Louisville for classic “bar” food.

You can expect appetizers like Nachos and Sweet Potato Fries, salads, hand-blended ice cream shakes, burgers - a wide range of burgers, and a huge selection of beverages!

Sidebar at Whiskey Row is closed Sundays through Tuesdays, but it’s open from 5pm until 9pm on Wednesdays, 11:30am until 9:30pm on Thursdays, 11:30am until 10pm on Fridays, and noon until 10pm on Saturdays.

“Great food and excellent southern hospitality style service!  I had the burger with green chilies, chorizo, pepper Jack, and a fried egg.  That was awesome!  And the truffle fries are so flipping good!” -Yelp Review

8. Wild Eggs

An award winning restaurant with many locations that all Louisvillians know and love!

121 S Floyd St | Louisville | wildeggs.com

Wild Eggs has locations in 3 different states, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, and since we’re here to talk about Louisville specifically you’ll be happy to know that they have five different locations in the Louisville area! This restaurant is incredibly popular for its menu that contains all the breakfast favorites you could want, as well as innovative twists on many dishes you know and love. 

Today we’re going to be talking about the South Floyd Street location and give you a glimpse of just some of the items on the menu there:

• Biscuits & Gravy, House-Made Cinnamon Roll, Southwest Steak & Cheese, a Build Your Own Omelet or Scramble with a ton of options, Country Fried Steak, Strawberry Tall Cakes, and Stuffed French Toast. (They also have a Gluten-Free menu for all those with different dietary needs).

Weekday hours at Wild Eggs are from 6:30am until 2:30pm on weekdays and from 7am until 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

“Loved this place! Found it while searching for brunch when I arrived in Louisville. The Border Benedict was amazing and unlike any Benedict I'd had. The mimosas were great and the service was as well! Can't wait to go back!” -Yelp Review

9. Troll Pub Under the Bridge

Sports bar with classic “pub grub” and cool secret dining area behind a fake bookcase…

150 W Washington St | Louisville | trollpub.com

If you want a unique dining experience, look no further than one of the best restaurant names we’ve come across: Troll Pub Under the Bridge. Troll Pub Under the Bridge just like its name has a unique and interesting backstory, to read it all make sure to check out their website, but what we can tell you is they have curly myrtle wood bar-top, a hidden room behind a bookcase like a spy movie, and of course their Louie the Troll mascot guiding you to the restaurant. 

Now, let’s talk about what they serve here! Their dinner menu consists of foods including but not limited to Frickles (fried pickles), Chicken and Black Bean Quesadilla, Chicken Wings, Philadelphia Cheesecake, Fried Chicken and Waffle Sandwich, and Salted Caramel Pretzel Bites!

Troll Pub Under the Bridge is open daily at 11pm and noon on the weekends.

“Very quirky fun spot along the Bourbon Trail. The Troll Fashioned was  delicious! The brown sugar adds a sweetness that sets it apart from most other Old Fashioned cocktails you'll get from other locations. And it was so, so good!” -Yelp Review

10. Mussel & Burger Bar

Creative American bistro fare in a cool environment that brings the vibes.

113 S 7th St | Louisville | mussel-burger-bar.com

Welcome to your new favorite neighborhood restaurant, Mussel & Burger Bar! They have a goal and that goal is to make their two locations your “go-to” spot for well, mussels and burgers of course as their name makes that quite known, and beer! They are taking classic recipes and adding their own gourmet twists on classic “pub-grub.'' With everything made in-house and using the freshest ingredients, you’re sure to have a great meal.

On the menu they have a ton of special creations, so let’s give you a small taste of what they have: the Good Ol’ Bacon Burger, Short Rib Nachos, Mediterranean Burger, Korean BBQ Wings, 4 Blend Mac N Cheese, Chorizo Burger, Vegetarian Burger, and Fish Tacos!

Mussels & Burger Bar is open Monday through Thursday 11am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 10pm, and Sunday 11am to 8pm!

“Everything was amazing from the gregarious host to the overall service.The food was epic from the goat cheese dates to the mac and cheese. Don't get me started on the elote. We will be back this week!” -Yelp Review

All of these downtown Louisville restaurants are the perfect places to grab a bite and beverage to eat, whether you’d like to keep it casual or dress up for something a little more upscale, you’re sure to find your new favorite restaurant when you head downtown!