Restaurants/Bars in Louisville that are a must (St. Matthews, Bardstown: neighborhood, live)

[sjpilche]

I am working in Louisville for a couple weeks. I am looking for both amazing restaurants reccomendations or great bar/nightlife scenes. What are some place in Louisville that I absolutely "Must Go To" before leaving?

[JefferyT]

Heh, I'd like to hear this, too!

[mdawg]

It depends what kind of nightlife you are looking for, a lot of places that have good nightlife attract more of a younger crowd than others, and some places have more singles. I would go to O'Shea's on Bardstown Rd., its a nice bar overall, but if you walk down Bardstown Rd. between Baxter Ave and Eastern Pkwy you won't have a problem finding a great bar with a lot of nightlife, especially on weekends. If you want something downtown, you can try 4th Street Live, but it is directed more towards tourists, its still fun though. On the river, Captains Quarters gets pretty live on the weekends, they have a huge deck on the river with live bands some nights.

[sellinggreaterlouisville]

Hit Captains Quarters on a Sunday night. Don't leave until they kick you out...

Hit Baxter Avenue and bounce between Wicks, Molly Malones, O'sheas and Flannigans. Wicks is my favorite starting point. The drinks are cheap and strong (relative to the other places) and they used to not charge a cover... not sure if they are still doing that or not.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by sjpilche

I am working in Louisville for a couple weeks. I am looking for both amazing restaurants reccomendations or great bar/nightlife scenes. What are some place in Louisville that I absolutely "Must Go To" before leaving?

You assume we know too much about you. where do you come from? What is your age? Sex? What do you seek in a bar? Some people are young and go to bars looking for young women/men to hook up with. Others go to dance. Others go for good food and beer. Still others like to people watch. Which is you? Louisville is simply much larger and more varied than the tried and true recommendations of lower Baxter Ave. and 4th St Live (which are worth seeing no doubt, but I feel do not represent the city on a whole, and depending on your age, backround, etc, you may hate them). Again, be more specific on what kinds of bars or restaurants you want, and maybe even provide examples of places you like in your hometown. Then, I can assist you.

[JefferyT]

How about bars for hipsters?

[jimmymac1077]

I'd agree with STX, there are so many bars and restaurants. Personally, I think 4th Street is mostly for tourists. It's a great area and I go there from time to time, don't get me wrong, but I feel like it's very commercialized. In the summer it's great, but Bardstown Road is a must for an out-of-towner because it's unique and it's great to people watch. It's kind of the local thing to do. There are all kinds of bars and restaurants...one word: Eclectic. Park your car or take a cab to where Bardstown and Baxter meet.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by JefferyT

How about bars for hipsters?

Too many to count. Here are some by neighborhood that I know of...(Louisville has a much bigger and more extensive nightlife than anyone could guess based on its size alone)

Downtown:

Third Street Dive, the bars at 732 Social and Proof, Derby City Espresso

Old Louisville:

Mag Bar, The Rudyard Kipling

Highlands:

Outlook Inn, Monkey Wrench, Pink Door, Back Door, Hideaway Saloon, Highlands Taproom, Seidenfaden's

Crescent Hill:

Darkstar

Clifton:

North End Cafe

St. Matthews:

Zazoo's, Gerstle's

Germantown:

Nachbar

The Swan Dive

Lisa's Oak St Lounge

Keswick Democratic Club

Pour Hous

Zeppelin Cafe

And of course, there have been many new gay clubs open in the past few years, many of which mix hipster singles with gays.

This may be surprising, but there is more hipster in Louisville than much of the state of Florida, where I now reside. I look to return to Louisville, or perhaps Portland or Austin, which are already hipster to the max. However, I do believe in the potential of Louisville, and in general, the midsized city with good transit (something Louisville currently lacks a bit).

[im2bob]

Jack Frye's restaurant is a must.

[DC12]

My favorites are Vincenzo's for Italian and Jade Palace for Dim Sum. Lynn's Paradise Cafe is really good as well.