Louisville Eats and Other Finds

We always eat well when we are in Louisville and there never is a shortage of wonderful establishments to try. On this trip, we visited two of our favorites and tried a sampling of other restaurants which I must say are now new favorites. We also discovered some great areas for shopping for local products near some of these eateries as well.


Whenever we are in Louisville, we have to make a stop at Mark's Feed Store for some of our favorite BBQ. Mark's Feed is very simple and comfortable and a fun place to settle in for a lunch. The menu is not too cumbersome and is very directly BBQ! Mark's Feed has three sauces to try and you can purchase some to bring home for a tasty souvenir. My husband loves to order a mixed BBQ platter while I prefer to stick with the pulled chicken. The honey wings are amazing as is the buttermilk pie, if you save room!

We usually visit the Mark's Feed location in the Highlands. Not too far from there is the Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen with fresh churned ice cream. Their Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream is the best I have ever had--and I have had my share!

If you venture to the Highlands, take a spin around and enjoy the unique shops and atmosphere. Also, venture down some of the arteries off of Bardstown Road and check out some of the neat architecture! Cherokee Park is particularly picturesque and worth and adventure!

On our first night, we were not quite sure where to eat and did some searching online. We are so glad that we did because we uncovered 8UP which is actually located on the rooftop of the Hilton Garden Inn. The restaurant is slightly upscale but the menu of small plates appealed to us. My daughter is already accustomed to eating at similar places, so that was not an issue and they handled serving a child without batting an eye, so that was nice. We ordered  number of small plates and were blown away! Great food!

Scallops

Cheese Hush Puppies

Lamb Bolognese Orecchiette

Mac and cheese

After finishing dinner at 8UP, we found a lovely boutique selling handmade items by American artisans including many in the Louisville area. Block Party is a really a nice, upbeat place and we came home with our own treasure--a little easel with a painting of the Louisville skyline at Fourth of July!

The next day, we headed over to Toast on Market for lunch. Toast on Market is a breakfast and lunch restaurant that serves breakfast all day. The restaurant is housed in an old brick building with an atrium. Nice atmosphere! We all opted to stick with lunch at Toast. We ordered an Italian Pot Roast for the hubby, Black Bean Soup and Shepherd's Salad for me and a BLT for the little one. Nice solid meals. The stars were the Black Bean Soup and Shepherd's Salad! Wonderful!

Italian Beef

Black Bean Soup and Shepherd's Salad

BLT

By Toast you will find some artist galleries to peruse and perhaps find a local treasure to bring home! Nearby is Please & Thank You where you can stop for a chocolate chip cookie full of chocolate and a coffee!

Please & Thank You

Market Street

Our last full meal in Louisville was at DISH on Market which was not a bad walk from our hotel. The restaurant has a nice relaxed and slightly off beat atmosphere. The menu features many comfort food favorites and what did we go for--the Hot Brown. The Hot Brown is a Louisville staple and features roasted turkey, applewood bacon, tomato, Texas toast, mornay sauce, sharp cheddar and green onions. Wow! HUGE sandwich but when in Louisville, you have to enjoy! We enjoyed DISH and it was a nice cap on our vacation!

Louisville has plenty of fine restaurants and really pretty much whatever you are looking for! I definitely encourage you to explore! We look forward to returning to some of our new and old faves as well as trying something new on our next visit! Thank you to Louisville for welcoming us once again! Thank you to the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau for hosting us and helping us bring this wonderful city to you!