It’s Oh-fish-ial, These are the 7 Best Fish Restaurants in Louisville, KY

Does Kentucky have good fish restaurants? The answer is yes, Kentucky, and specifically Louisville, has many fish restaurants that offer a variety of fresh fish and freshwater creatures like mussels and clams. Fried fish and chips are probably what you’ll find at most fish restaurants in Louisville, though, but we’re not complaining. Who doesn’t love a good fish and chips moment? Here is our list of the seven best fish restaurants in Louisville, KY.

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1. Pier 17 Cajun Seafood & Bar

Family-friendly seafood restaurant with lively decor.

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1975 S Hurstbourne Pkwy | Louisville | pier17seafood.com 

Do you want to know what stole our hearts at this fish restaurant? The decor, complete with fishing nets with colorful mini crabs stuck in it, hungry-looking sharks hanging from the ceiling, and giant smiling lobsters greeting you at the door. 

The food at this restaurant is just as good. Pick your catch from blue crab, king crab legs, shrimp, crawfish, clams, lobster tail, and more! All seafood comes with corn and potato. If you’d prefer something fried, check out their fried seafood baskets like fried shrimp, fried shrimp & cod, and fried oysters, each served with cajun or regular fries. 

Last but not least, Pier 17 also offers po’ boys and sandwiches like shrimp po’ boy, lobster tail po’ boy, and their signature fish sandwich. 

Pro tip: stop in sometime during Monday—Friday from 11am—3pm for their fried basket lunch specials. You can get a basket of fried shrimp, calamari, or catfish and cajun fries for only $8. Yum!

“Pier 17. Where do I start?  Is it with the value?...because for seafood, they are VERY affordable. Is it the flavor?....because everything I've had there has been delicious… I HIGHLY recommend trying here at least once.” - Yelp Review 

Purchase a GiftYa for Pier 17 Cajun Seafood & Bar here.

2. Million’s Crab Boiled Seafood

Popular cajun seafood chain.

12951 Shelbyville Rd | Louisville | millionscrab.com 

If you want the reliability of a popular seafood chain, you should definitely check out Million’s Crab Boiled Seafood, a popular cajun seafood chain with locations in Louisville and Chicago and across Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin. 

For their boiled seafood, you can get 1/2 lb. or 1 lb. bucket of clams, black mussels, green mussels, crawfish, shrimp, scallops, crab legs, lobster tail or whole lobster, and more. (FYI: All 1 lb. come with corn and a potato.) Sauce it up with sauces like Original Cajun and Million’s Special, but beware of where your sauce lands on the spice scale which ranges from no spice to Carolina Reaper!  

There’s also a variety of other offerings on their menu, from fried appetizers like Fire Cracker Catfish and Fried Coconut Shrimp (add $2 for fries or garlic noodles) to specialties such as Pineapple Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice and Clam Pasta.

“Million’s Crab has a very extensive menu which makes it great for everyone. Seafood boil was delicious and the fried shrimp was equally as good. Get the Million’s sauce for the seafood boil!  Super flavorful! Service is fast and friendly… Highly recommend.” - Yelp Review 

Purchase a GiftYa for Million’s Crab Seafood Boil here.

3. KingFish Restaurant

Regarded as some of Louisville’s best seafood since 1948!

3021 River Rd | Brownsboro Zorn | kingfishrestaurants.com 

KingFish Restaurant has been regarded as one of Louisville’s best seafood restaurants since 1948. The First KingFish Restaurant began with a refrigerator of fish, two fryers, and a cooler of beer. Now, its two locations boast live entertainment, banquet facilities, special events, and outside dining. Oh, and they still have amazing seafood, of course.

From hand-breaded classics to boiled seafood to sandwiches, KingFish has all the seafood choices your heart desires. House favorites include Crispy Cod Strips, their original whitefish—flaky snow white hand-cut North Atlantic cod—hand-cut into strips and breaded in a panko bread crumb, perfect for dipping in their tangy Boom-Boom sauce, tartar, or cocktail, and Surf & Turf, 10 oz. ribeye and 10 oz. lobster tail. 

You can also feed an entire family (of 3–5 people) with The Barge—a sampling of all of the goodness from the sea for one price, including hand-breaded cod, fried shrimp, tender clam strips, Boom Boom shrimp, mini-shrimp, catfish strips, crab cakes, frog legs (seasonal), unlimited French fries, and hot hush puppies. This is all for only $44.99!

Other amenities include a deck bar available during warm weather months with live entertainment, a playground, and a miniature golf course.

“It's been a staple of the Louisville community forever and while it has gone through peaks and valleys, it is always an enjoyable and consistent meal when we dine there. We had coleslaw macaroni and cheese, sweet homemade onion rings (my favorite) and french fries.” - Yelp Review 

Purchase a GiftYa for KingFish Restaurant here.

4. The Fish House

Award-winning menu of golden crisp favorites. 

1310 Winter Ave | Highlands | fishhouselouisville.com 

If you’re craving fried fish, there’s no place to go but The Fish House. Not only do they offer an award-winning menu of crisp golden favorites, their commitment to providing the friendliest service in town makes The Fish House the seafood restaurant you will choose again and again.

So, what’s on their menu? They have sandwiches like catfish, tilapia, and haddock served with fries and slaw. They also offer seafood dinners, also served with fries and slaw, like the Seafood Platter Dinner of fish, shrimp, clam, and oysters and the Pan-fried Oyster Dinner. Last but not least, you can enjoy sides like David’s Seafood Chowder, Cottage Fries (Sliced Chips), Potato Pancakes, and more.

Within The Fish House is Cafe Beignet—a cafe with sweets like a chocolate fudge brownie, a fresh-baked cookie, and, of course, beignets.

“Often touted as the best fish place in Louisville, and it is very good! It is a neighborhood a little off the beaten path for visitors, but it is worth the drive… The food was 4 stars for me; the whole experience makes it 5 stars for me.” - Yelp Review 

The Fish House doesn’t offer GiftYa digital gift cards just yet, but check back soon because we are always adding new restaurants!

5. The Fishery

A no-frills Louisville staple serving the community since 1983. 

3624 Lexington Rd | Louisville | thefisheryky.com 

Although we loved the decor at Pier 17 Cajun Seafood & Bar, we’ll be the first to say that the food is the utmost important thing to us when putting together our recommendations list. That’s why we don’t leave out any no-frills restaurants like The Fishery. 

The Fishery is a Louisville staple that has been serving top quality food, fast, fresh, and hot to the community since 1983. Many even claim they have “the BEST fish sandwich” in all of Louisville. Some of their other well known and loved dishes are their fried chicken strips, pan fried oysters, crab cake sandwiches, and various home made soups.

We have to say that their Crab Cake Sandwich is our absolute favorite menu item, but we also appreciate that they offer lighter fare like Blackened Catfish Salad for those days when we aren’t as hungry.

Go on up to the window and order whatever seafood plate your heart desires—none of them will disappoint!

“We ordered and paid at the window on the right and the food came out just a few minutes later under the sliding window to the left. Fast and seamless. My sandwich of fried cod came with two sizable servings of fish and two slices of my bread choice (rye).  The fish was nice and crispy.” - Yelp Review 

The Fishery doesn’t offer GiftYa digital gift cards just yet, but check back soon because we are always adding new restaurants!

6. The Seafood Lady

Chic seafood spot that has been featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

601 E Jefferson St | Nulu | seafoodlady502.com 

This chic seafood spot has been featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and has received high praise from Chef Guy Fieri himself! In case this fact alone doesn’t convince you, let us tell you a little more about The Seafood Lady.

Their menu boasts Chee-Sea Fries (cheese fries with crab), a Seafood Tacos Trio (one crab, one shrimp, and one fried white fish taco cooked with onions, bell peppers, mozzarella and cheddar cheese), and even a Sampler Tower where you can get a little bit of fried lobster, chee-sea fries, gator tail, snow crab, fried shrimp, hushpuppies, coleslaw, broccoli, sausage and corn on the cob! 

This is next-level seafood, and the presentation is on point—especially the Sampler Tower! Some other notable dishes are the Seafood Mac and the Catfish and Cheese Grits. 

This fish restaurant is slightly pricier than some of our other restaurants, however if you want a place with Instagrammable plates and fun vibes, The Seafood Lady should definitely be on your list!

“We wanted to try as much as we could, and no better (or splurgier) way than the crabboss sampler tower. And we ate it all. We really, really enjoyed  the seafood mac and gator bites, but everything was delicious.” - Yelp Review 

The Seafood Lady doesn’t offer GiftYa digital gift cards just yet, but check back soon because we are always adding new restaurants!

7. Legend Crab Seafood House

Fish restaurant fit for the entire family.

3020 Bardstown Rd | Louisville | legendcrab.com 

This is another fish restaurant with fun decor fit for the entire family. They offer baskets, boils, and combos, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

For fried baskets, you can get shrimp, tilapia, catfish, oyster, clam strip, cod, crab cake, and even chicken tenders for those non-fish lovers. All fried baskets come with cajun fries and coleslaw. As for the seafood boil, you can choose from shrimp, crawfish, manila clams, green mussels, black mussels, blue crab, scallops, lobster tail, snow crab legs, and more.

We love that they have a kid’s menu—as we said, this place is very family friendly. Kids can order a chicken tender basket or popcorn shrimp, each served with fries and a soda. 

For dessert, we suggest everyone share either the cheesecake or the vanilla ice cream! 

“I'm a skeptic when it comes to seafood in landlocked states, but on a whim we decided to give Legend Crab a try and we came away convinced that shrimp can taste amazingly fresh in Kentucky. We ordered a pound of headless shrimp in a seafood boil.” - Yelp Review 

Legend Crab Seafood House doesn’t offer GiftYa digital gift cards just yet, but check back soon because we are always adding new restaurants!

Now that you know where the best fish restaurants in Louisville, KY are, what are you waiting for? Whether you go to a chic fish restaurant beloved by the likes of Chef Guy Fieri like The Seafood Lady for a seafood sampler tower or you go to a long-running establishment where you order a fried fish sandwich at the counter like The Fishery, you are sure to one of the many fish restaurants Louisville, KY has to offer.

Be sure to let us know in the comments which of these fish restaurants in Louisville, KY you try first, or if we left out any of your favorites! We love to hear from you!