A contemporary Italian restaurant from chef Dallas McGarity and Tarek Hamada built around handmade pastas and seasonal ingredients.

A Louisville bakery known for cookies, brownies and cakes, which opened its Bardstown Road shop in July 2026.

An Ethiopian restaurant that opened in August 2026 with tibs, doro wot, shiro and fresh injera.

A Highlands bubble tea shop with smoothies and snacks.

A bakery dedicated to homemade sweet potato pies and other Southern sweets.

A French pastry shop on Bardstown Road with gâteaux and classic pastries.

Cookies and baked treats from "The Cookie Lady," a beloved Louisville baker.

A burger and comfort-food restaurant with malt-shop ice cream at the historic Kaelin's corner on Newburg Road, which has long claimed to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger.

The Baxter Avenue location of Spinelli's, a late-night pizza favorite with giant slices.

A Highlands pizzeria pairing creative pies with a bourbon-heavy bar.

The Highlands home of a Louisville pizza family known for loaded pies and breadsticks.

Chef Dallas McGarity's restaurant pairing modern American cooking with Mediterranean and Southern influences.

A fast-casual Bardstown Road counter serving Indian favorites alongside Caribbean dishes.

A longtime Highlands favorite for Indian curries and tandoori dishes.

A French bistro from the Bar Vetti team with an art-covered dining room, steak frites and weekend brunch, named one of USA Today's most romantic restaurants.

A Baxter Avenue restaurant cooking Southern European-inspired dishes in a wood-fired oven.

An elegant Highlands restaurant serving flavors from owner Rocco Cadolini's native Sorrento, Italy.

An intimate omakase counter on Bardstown Road serving chef's-choice sushi courses.

A Korean barbecue restaurant where diners grill meats at the table.

A Highlands restaurant serving Osaka-style Japanese comfort food.

A long-standing Highlands sushi bar and Japanese grill.

A Bardstown Road favorite for creative sushi and Asian-fusion small plates.

A plant-based Asian restaurant elevating meatless dining on Bardstown Road.

A Highlands restaurant blending Mexican flavors with barbecue, plus tequila and mezcal drinks.

A Bardstown Road taco joint built for quick, inexpensive tacos and late-night bites.

A Latin restaurant and bar near Douglass Loop serving Mexican-rooted dishes and drinks.

A Highlands institution with a sprawling international menu that accommodates nearly every diet.

Chef Anthony Lamas' long-running Highlands restaurant, known for ceviche and bold Latin-inspired plates.

A Louisville icon since the 1930s, serving upscale Southern-inspired dishes in a dim, photo-lined dining room.

A diner from chef Chris Seckman in the longtime Cottage Inn building, which first opened in 1929.

A neighborhood stop for coffee, burgers and everyday basics.

A Germantown coffee shop where you can watch the beans being roasted.

A laid-back Germantown dive bar with a roomy patio.

A neighborhood bar with a spin-the-wheel drink special, a jukebox and DJs on weekends.

A Germantown bar that hosts rotating pop-up food vendors and stays open late.

A go-to live music venue for local and national acts, with a bar, kitchen and vintage arcade.

A Germantown brewery with a wide range of beers and a menu of wood-fired pizzas, salads and sandwiches.

A Schnitzelburg brewery and gathering place with 20 taps and a full menu that includes vegetarian and vegan options.

A Schnitzelburg doughnut bakery famous for its maple bacon doughnuts; get there early.

A classic seasonal walk-up stand serving soft serve, chili dogs and other summer treats.

A walk-up soft-serve stand that has been a Germantown summer tradition for decades.

A newer Germantown ice cream shop on Goss Avenue.

A Japanese grill and sushi restaurant that opened in Germantown in 2025.

A Germantown seafood spot specializing in fresh oysters.

A Taiwanese New American restaurant from chef Ming Pu and Courtney Pu that opened on Goss Avenue in July 2026.

A New Orleans-meets-Louisville restaurant with a five-page bourbon list and seating inside an oversized bourbon barrel, named to The New York Times' 2024 favorites list.

A Germantown bar and pizzeria serving New York-style slices and whole pies.

A Germantown Italian restaurant known for fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza.

A Schnitzelburg corner spot in the former Hauck's Handy Store (opened 1912), birthplace of the World Championship Dainty Contest.

A Germantown tradition for more than 60 years, pairing cold beer with inexpensive German and American dishes like rolled oysters and fried bologna.

A tiny Germantown favorite known for house-smoked meats and duck-fat fries, marked by the hammerhead shark over the door.

A Germantown gastropub in a 150-year-old landmark serving smoked meats, wings and inventive dishes for both carnivores and vegetarians.

A Butchertown bar and live music venue; it plans to move a few blocks to 1028 Story Ave in 2027.

Louisville's largest LGBTQ nightclub, hosting drag shows and dance parties in Butchertown.

A cozy lounge specializing in Scotch whisky along with classic and house cocktails.

A Butchertown beer bar and bottle shop with more than 1,000 beers from around the world.

A Butchertown brewery with an indoor taproom, a beer garden, and an on-site taqueria and pizzeria.

A cheesecake shop so popular that fans line up early for the day's flavors.

A Butchertown spot for Vietnamese specialties and Saigon street food such as bánh mì.

A tiki bar and cantina on Story Avenue with tropical drinks, mini golf, live music and patio seating.

A tropical-leaning bar known for what locals call the best piña colada in town, plus oysters and gourmet hot dogs.

A wood-fired pizzeria with handmade pasta and craft cocktails at the Butchertown end of Frankfort Avenue.

A Butchertown kitchen and bar turning locally sourced ingredients into Latin-inspired plates.

A Butchertown restaurant serving New American cooking with Italian and French influences.

A juice bar in the NuLu Marketplace serving cold-pressed juices and smoothies.

A salumeria and restaurant where owner Alvio Lapinet house-cures locally sourced meats, served with cocktails.

A European-style bakery on East Main baking bread and pastries fresh each morning.

The cocktail bar at Prova Spirits, a small Louisville distillery, mixing drinks with house-made spirits.

A revival of Louisville's historic Falls City beer brand, brewing alongside Parlour Pizza in NuLu.

A Louisville craft brewery and music-friendly taproom near the east end of NuLu.

A Louisville craft brewery with a NuLu taproom pouring house-brewed ales and lagers.

A retro neighborhood watering hole that moved from Butchertown to East Market Street in 2025.

A chic NuLu Marketplace lounge for craft cocktails and bourbon late into the night.

An intimate East Market cocktail bar known for inventive drinks.

A funky NuLu bar with signature drinks, live music, karaoke nights and a back patio.

A small NuLu bar devoted to natural wines.

A wine bar and bottle shop pouring more than 40 wines by the glass just off East Market.

A small-batch ice cream shop in NuLu with rotating creative flavors, including boozy scoops.

Louisville-based Quills roasts and pours coffee inside a converted 19th-century firehouse on East Main.

A NuLu coffee shop and bakery famed for its chocolate chip cookies, one of Louisville's beloved cafés.

A Louisville gourmet hot dog maker serving loaded all-beef dogs inside Mashup Food Hall.

A bagel counter inside Mashup Food Hall with house-made bagels and breakfast sandwiches.

A NuLu food hall gathering local vendors such as Cold Smoke Bagels, Wiltshire Pantry, Red Top Dogs and Mabel's Southern Kitchen around a central bar.

A NuLu location of a Louisville-based taco shop serving tacos, bowls and margaritas.

A New York–style pizzeria that opened on East Main in early 2026, serving whole pies and slices.

A modern Mexican kitchen and bar that opened in NuLu in 2026.

A counter-service barbecue spot in NuLu serving smoked meats and sides, plus its well-known bourbon slushie.

A NuLu burger joint grinding grass-fed beef in house and backing it with a long bourbon list.

A modern Mexican restaurant at the east end of NuLu with a rooftop patio and margaritas.

A speakeasy jazz bar hidden behind a yellow door in Hotel Genevieve's Mini Marché.

A sixth-floor rooftop bar atop Hotel Genevieve with cocktails and skyline views over NuLu.

The second location of a New Albany gastropub, opened in 2026 inside Hotel Genevieve with regional small plates and NuLu-only dishes.

A New Orleans-inspired restaurant serving Cajun and Creole dishes, with live jazz in its speakeasy, The Stave.

An elevated NuLu sushi bar pairing sushi and sashimi with a strong sake list.

A Levantine-focused restaurant from a James Beard–finalist chef, popular enough that reservations are a must.

A lush Cuban restaurant and rum bar in NuLu, known for its colorful dining rooms and its chocolate "cigar" dessert.

A buzzy NuLu Italian spot built around house-made pasta and seasonal shared plates.

A Louisville-grown hot chicken joint with Nashville-style spice levels and a famous Ale-8 bourbon slushie.

A bright, airy NuLu watering hole that turns into a late-night dance spot.

A converted service station with wood-fired pizza, oysters and a big patio with ping-pong, one of NuLu's go-to hangouts.