Mid-Range in Louisville

Hammerheads

• ★ 4.8
• American BBQ
• $$

Try Smoked lamb ribs, BBQ sliders

Hammerheads in Germantown Louisville smokes lamb ribs and BBQ sliders until 22:00 from a Swan Street basement, the after-dinner room locals book for a second.

Sunergos Coffee and Roastery

• ★ 4.7
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Sunergos Coffee in Louisville roasts in-house at the Preston Street cafe, the Schnitzelburg roastery shaping the city's specialty cup with single-origin lots.

Muth's Candies

• ★ 4.7
• Bakery
• $$

Muths Candies on East Market is the 1921 Louisville confectioner where modjeskas (caramel marshmallow) are still hand-rolled, three blocks past Whiskey Row.

Mayan Cafe

• ★ 4.7
• Yucatecan
• $$

Mayan Cafe in Louisville: yucatecan room. Chef Bruce Ucan cooks Yucatecan classics with Kentucky farm produce on East Market, a 30-seat NuLu.

North of Bourbon

• ★ 4.6
• Soul food
• $$
• Germantown / Schnitzelburg

Order Cornmeal-fried catfish and gumbo, with a bourbon flight from the 300-bottle wall.

North of Bourbon on Goss Avenue in Louisville cooks Louisiana-rooted Southern plates with over 300 bourbons in a Germantown room named to The New York Times.

Quills Coffee

• ★ 4.6
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Quills Coffee in Louisville roasts and pours single-origin coffees from a Highlands roastery and cafe, the city's most rigorous third-wave program.

Holy Grale

• ★ 4.6
• British gastropub
• $$

Try Gastropub plates, 30+ Belgian beers

Holy Grale on Bardstown Road pours Belgian and German beers from a restored 1905 church until 23:00 weekends, the Louisville late-night gastropub.

Blue Dog Bakery and Cafe

• ★ 4.6
• Brunch
• $$

Order Croque madame on house sourdough with a side of pickled vegetables.

Blue Dog Bakery and Cafe on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville bakes European-style hearth breads and runs a Sunday brunch from a Crescent Hill kitchen.

J. Graham's Cafe at the Brown Hotel

• ★ 4.6
• Brunch
• $$

Order The Hot Brown, the original 1926 recipe with house Mornay sauce.

J. Graham's Cafe in the Brown Hotel serves Louisville's original Hot Brown for brunch and lunch, the open-faced turkey-and-Mornay sandwich invented.

Feast BBQ

• ★ 4.5
• Texas-style Bbq
• $$
• NuLu (East Market District)

Order A brisket plate with two sides and a side of pickles.

Feast BBQ on East Market in Louisville runs a counter-service NuLu pit, slicing brisket and pulled pork until the smoker runs out for the day.

Monnik Beer Co.

• ★ 4.5
• Brewery
• $$

Monnik Beer Co. on East Burnett in Louisville brews Belgian-inspired beers in a Schnitzelburg brewpub, the neighbourhood's Friday-night beer-hall.

Nord's Bakery

• ★ 4.5
• Bakery
• $$

Nord's Bakery is tourists queue for the famous hot brown; locals queue for nord's maple bacon donut on south preston, a germantown counter open since 2008.

Highland Morning

• ★ 4.5
• Brunch
• $$

Order Stuffed French toast with bourbon syrup and a side of bacon.

Highland Morning on Bardstown Road in Louisville cooks all-day brunch and stuffed French toast in the Highlands, named one of USA Today's best brunch spots.

Proof on Main

• ★ 4.5
• Brunch
• $$

Order Bison burger with house pickles and a bourbon flight on the side.

Proof on Main inside the 21c Museum Hotel runs weekend brunch with bison burgers and Ohio Valley plates, the city's most-photographed brunch room.

Coal's Artisan Pizza

• ★ 4.4
• Coal-fired Pizza
• $$
• Frankfort Avenue (Crescent Hill / Clifton)

Order The Brownsboro pie with sausage and roasted peppers, plus a burrata to start.

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.

Royals Hot Chicken

• ★ 4.4
• Nashville-style Hot Chicken
• $$
• NuLu (East Market District)

Order The hot chicken sandwich at medium heat, with a side of tachos.

Royals Hot Chicken on East Market in Louisville fries Nashville-style hot chicken from Ryan Rogers's Eternal Optimist group, the NuLu counter open since 2015.

Con Huevos

• ★ 4.4
• Mexican
• $$
• Frankfort Avenue (Crescent Hill / Clifton)

Order Chilaquiles con huevos with green sauce, plus a horchata.

Con Huevos on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville cooks fresh Mexican breakfasts from a Clifton corner kitchen, the brunch counter locals lean on for chilaquiles.

Please and Thank You

• ★ 4.4
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Please and Thank You on East Market in Louisville pours Counter Culture coffee paired with warm cookies and pastries, the NuLu cafe that anchors one.

North Lime Coffee and Donuts

• ★ 4.4
• Coffee roaster
• $$

North Lime Coffee in Louisville pulls espresso paired with same-day fried donuts from a Westport Village roastery counter, the duo locals queue.

Day's Espresso and Coffee

• ★ 4.4
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Day's Espresso on Bardstown Road in Louisville has been an independent Highlands coffee bar since 1994, with whole-bean retail and the city's longest-running.

Mile Wide Beer Co.

• ★ 4.4
• Brewery
• $$

Mile Wide Beer Co. on Barret Avenue in Louisville brews IPAs and sours behind a grain silo at a former biscuit factory, with a dog-friendly taproom patio.

West Sixth NuLu

• ★ 4.4
• Brewery
• $$

West Sixth NuLu on East Market in Louisville brews bourbon-barrel-aged ales and IPAs from a 9,000-square-foot NuLu Marketplace taproom with a courtyard beer.

Wagner's Pharmacy

• ★ 4.4
• Brunch
• $$

Wagner's Pharmacy across from Churchill Downs in Louisville is a 1922 diner where Derby trainers, jockeys and stable workers eat at the breakfast counter.

Logan Street Market

• ★ 4.4
• Food hall
• $$

Logan Street Market in Shelby Park is Louisvilles first public market with 30-plus stalls under one roof, tacos to vegan plates and boba past the NuLu crowds.

Biscuit Belly NuLu

• ★ 4.4
• Brunch
• $$

Order Sweet Heat biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, plus a side of cheddar grits.

Biscuit Belly NuLu on East Main in Louisville stacks Southern biscuit sandwiches at the chain's original NuLu storefront, the weekend brunch counter.

Wick's Pizza Parlor

• ★ 4.3
• Pizzeria, Pub
• $$
• Highlands (Bardstown Road)

Order The Big Wick pizza with sausage, pepperoni and mushroom.

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.

Akasha Brewing Co.

• ★ 4.3
• American
• $$
• NuLu (East Market District)

Order A flight of wild sours and an IPA alongside a brewpub burger or shareable.

Akasha Brewing on East Market in Louisville turns up the funk with wild-fermented sour beers from a NuLu taproom tucked between Feast BBQ and Grind Burger.

Big Bad Breakfast

• ★ 4.3
• Brunch
• $$
• Highlands (Bardstown Road)

Order House-cured bacon plate with two eggs and stone-milled grits, plus a $5 happy-hour cocktail.

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.

Heine Brothers Coffee

• ★ 4.3
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Heine Brothers Coffee in Louisville roasts coffee at a Portland-neighborhood facility and pours it across two dozen city cafes, the local chain that defines.

Garage Bar

• ★ 4.3
• Pizzeria
• $$

Try Wood-fired pizza, pork meatballs

Garage Bar on East Market in Louisville keeps the wood-fired oven running until 02:00 daily, the NuLu pizza pub for the after-dinner crowd off the bourbon.

Lou Lou on Market

• ★ 4.3
• Brunch
• $$

Order Shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and a mimosa.

Lou Lou on Market in Louisville cooks Sunday brunch with shrimp and grits, New Orleans-rooted plates and bourbon cocktails on East Market in the former Decca.

Mussel and Burger Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Burgers
• $$
• Downtown (Whiskey Row)

Order A pot of mussels in white wine and garlic, plus the house burger.

Mussel and Burger Bar in Louisville pours pots of steamed mussels and grills smashed burgers at a casual American bistro counter on South 7th Street downtown.

Falls City Brewing

• ★ 4.2
• Brewery
• $$

Falls City Brewing on East Liberty in Louisville revived the city's pre-Prohibition Falls City brand from a Phoenix Hill brewery, the local lager Louisville.

Game Restaurant

• ★ 4.2
• Burgers
• $$

Game Restaurant in Louisville: burgers room. Antelope, yak, wild boar and venison on Lexington Road, a Butchertown-adjacent burger menu most.

Wild Eggs

• ★ 4.1
• Brunch
• $$
• Downtown (Whiskey Row)

Order Kelsey KY Brown: sourdough, roasted turkey, bacon, white cheddar mornay, fried egg.

Wild Eggs on South Floyd Street downtown serves the Kelsey KY Brown, a breakfast take on Louisville's Hot Brown, plus biscuits and stone-ground grits.

Mark's Feed Store Bar-B-Q

• ★ 4.0
• Kentucky Bbq
• $$
• Saint Matthews

Order A pulled-pork plate with two sides and a cup of burgoo on the side.

Mark's Feed Store on Shelbyville Road in Louisville has hickory-smoked Kentucky BBQ since 1988, the Saint Matthews counter for pulled pork, brisket.

Joella's Hot Chicken

• ★ 4.0
• Nashville-style Hot Chicken
• $$
• Frankfort Avenue (Crescent Hill / Clifton)

Order The hot chicken tenders at Southern style, plus pimento mac and cheese.

Joella's Hot Chicken on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville cooks Nashville-style hot chicken across six heat levels with hormone-free birds, a family-friendly.

Against the Grain Brewery

• ★ 4.0
• Brewery
• $$

Against the Grain Brewery on East Main in Louisville ran Whiskey Row's flagship brewpub for 14 years, with production continuing at the brewery.

8UP Elevated Drinkery and Kitchen

• ★ 4.0
• Pizzeria
• $$

Try Wood-fired pizza, late cocktails

8UP on West Chestnut in Louisville pours mint juleps and wood-fired pizzas from the Hilton Garden Inn rooftop until midnight, an all-glass late-night.