J. Graham's Cafe is a southern restaurant in Downtown, Louisville.
J. Graham's Cafe in the Brown Hotel serves Louisville's original Hot Brown, the open-faced turkey-and-Mornay sandwich invented here in 1926.
Signature dishes: Hot Brown, Bourbon flights
Must order: The Hot Brown, served the way Fred Schmidt wrote it in 1926.
Tip: Walk-in for lunch. Book the Lobby Bar through the hotel for an evening Hot Brown and bourbon.
Address: 335 West Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202
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.
Signature: Smoked brisket, Pulled pork
Order: A brisket plate with two sides and a side of pickles.
Tip: Get there before 14:00 on weekends. The brisket sells out fastest.
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.
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.
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.
Signature: Hot chicken sandwich, Tachos
Order: The hot chicken sandwich at medium heat, with a side of tachos.
Tip: Order at the counter. The hot levels run from southern to plain-clucking insane.
Mark's Feed Store on Shelbyville Road in Louisville has hickory-smoked Kentucky BBQ since 1988, the Saint Matthews counter for pulled pork, brisket and a hearty bowl of burgoo.
Signature: Hickory-smoked pulled pork, Burgoo
Order: A pulled-pork plate with two sides and a cup of burgoo on the side.
Tip: Order ahead by phone for catering trays. Burgoo is the Kentucky stew side worth a try.
Pat's Steakhouse on Brownsboro Road in Louisville has cooked hand-cut steaks for decades, the family-run room locals book for an anniversary on a quiet weeknight.
Signature: Hand-cut steaks, House sides
Order: A bone-in ribeye and the house creamed spinach.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Book on OpenTable for the dining room; the bar runs first-come.
