Bardstown Road runs three miles of bars, indie kitchens and late-night counters from Eastern Parkway down through Cherokee Triangle, the city's after-dark spine.
Jack Fry's has run on Bardstown Road in Louisville since 1933, the Highlands dining bar where the counter takes walk-ins for the full menu.
Signature: Lamb chops, Shrimp and grits
Order: The lamb chops, the dish that has anchored the menu for decades.
Tip: Book on OpenTable a week ahead. First-come bar seats turn over for walk-ins.
Wick's Pizza on Baxter Avenue in Louisville has poured pints and pulled pizzas out of its Highlands corner since 1995, the neighbourhood's busiest game-day room.
Signature: The Big Wick pizza, Stromboli
Order: The Big Wick pizza with sausage, pepperoni and mushroom.
Tip: Walk-in only on weekends. Order at the bar and a runner brings the pizza out.
Wick's Pizza on Baxter Avenue in Louisville has poured pints and pulled deep-dish pies out of its Highlands corner since 1995, the busiest game-day room in the neighborhood.
Signature: The Big Wick, Stromboli
Order: The Big Wick pizza with sausage, pepperoni and mushroom.
Tip: Walk-in only on weekends. Order at the bar and a runner brings out the pie.
Highland Morning on Bardstown Road in Louisville cooks Highlands breakfast plates and stuffed French toast, named one of USA Today's best brunch spots in America.
Signature: Biscuits and gravy, Stuffed French toast
Order: The stuffed French toast or biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon.
Tip: Walk-in only. Get there before 10:00 on weekends or expect a 30-minute wait.
Big Bad Breakfast on Barret Avenue in Louisville cooks Chef John Currence's all-morning Southern menu in the Highlands, the city's outpost of the Oxford, Mississippi original with house-cured bacon and stone-milled grits.
Signature: House-cured bacon plate, Southern fried chicken biscuit
Order: House-cured bacon plate with two eggs and stone-milled grits, plus a $5 happy-hour cocktail.
Tip: Walk-in only. $5 cocktails Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 10:00. Kitchen closes at 14:30.
Big Bar on Bardstown Road in Louisville is the Highlands' welcoming gay bar, voted Best Bar in the Highlands by LEO Weekly, with karaoke on Wednesday and Sunday nights since 2012.
Tip: Walk-in. Wednesday karaoke is the loudest night; happy hour runs every weekday.
Chill Bar Highlands on Bardstown Road in Louisville runs a Highlands gay-friendly bar with drag shows, karaoke and a busy Friday-night dance floor, an LGBTQ+ Highlands fixture.
Tip: Walk-in. Drag shows run multiple weeknights; check the calendar online.
Holy Grale on Bardstown Road in Louisville pours Belgian and German imports from a converted 1905 church, the late-night Highlands beer hall with 30 taps and a stained-glass aesthetic.
Tip: Walk-in for the bar. Kitchen serves Belgian-style fries with the European beer list.
Wick's Pizza on Baxter Avenue in Louisville pulls pies and pours pints until 22:00 on weekends from a Highlands corner, the city's busiest game-day pub and post-bar pizza stop.
Tip: Walk-in only on weekends. The bar takes orders direct.