Mexican breakfast, brunch$$frankfort-avenue
Con Huevos on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville cooks fresh Mexican breakfasts from a Clifton corner kitchen, the brunch counter locals lean on for chilaquiles and tortas.
Signature: Chilaquiles con huevos, Chipotle poached huevos
Order: Chilaquiles con huevos with green sauce, plus a horchata.
Tip: Walk-in only. Weekend waits run 20 to 40 minutes; weekday mornings are easier.
Southern breakfast, brunch$$highlands
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.
Wood-fired pizza, American$$nulu
Garage Bar on East Market in Louisville turned an old auto-service shop into a NuLu wood-fired pizza pub with a courtyard ping-pong table and a Kentucky bourbon list.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Pork meatballs
Order: The pork-meatball wood-fired pizza, with a Kentucky bourbon old fashioned.
Tip: Kitchen serves late on weekends; the patio fills first on warm nights.
Gastropub, smokehouse$$germantown
Hammerheads in Louisville packs forty seats into a Germantown basement on Swan Street, running smoked lamb ribs and pork sliders from an open kitchen.
Signature: Lamb ribs, Smoked sliders
Order: The lamb ribs and a pork-belly slider, plus a local draft.
Tip: No reservations. Get in before 18:00 or expect a 45-minute wait on weekends.
Pizzeria, pub$$highlands
Wick's Pizza on Baxter Avenue in Louisville has poured pints and pulled deep-dish pies out of its Highlands corner since 1995, the busiest game-day room in the neighborhood.
Signature: The Big Wick, Stromboli
Order: The Big Wick pizza with sausage, pepperoni and mushroom.
Tip: Walk-in only on weekends. Order at the bar and a runner brings out the pie.
Coal-fired pizza$$frankfort-avenue
Coal's Artisan Pizza on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville pulls thin-crust pies from a coal-fired oven, the city's most consistent neighbourhood pizzeria since 2010.
Signature: Coal-fired pizza, Burrata appetizer
Order: The Brownsboro pie with sausage and roasted peppers, plus a burrata to start.
Tip: Walk-in for the bar. The Middletown location takes reservations for larger parties.
