Nine local restaurants in Louisville

Liv Bohler| September 7, 2019

9 Restaurant Spots in Louisville 

Looking for a spot to eat with your friends? Here are some to choose from.

Grassa Gramma

Grassa Gramma is a new Italian restaurant located in Holiday Manor where everything is made from scratch. This includes pasta, pastries and breads. All other ingredients are organic or locally sourced. However, what really sets this restaurant apart is it’s dining area. It’s a scene taken straight from Italy. Tables are made with bicycles as the platforms and there is a fountain in the center of the restaurant along with large Italian paintings lined on the exterior restaurant on the exposed brick. Oddly enough, “Grassa Gramma’s” literal definition is fat grandma, this may pertain to their large portions because they sure do not leave you hungry. Keep in mind this restaurant is more upscale, so feel free to dress in business casual attire! Check out their menu on their website: https://www.grassagramma.com/

“It reminded me of one of those dinner and show things, they had exposed brick, greenery and large red curtains that made me feel as though I was dining in Italy itself. The food was delicious but I think it was the environment that made the experience most recommendable. I had gone with my group of friends and we were all wowed when we stepped inside,” Ashrith Garimella (11, MST) said.

 

Gander, an American Grill

Gander is a restaurant located in Middletown. Their menu has a variety of prices to go along with their wide variety of dishes. You can accommodate all of the picky eaters within your family or your group of friends with coastal items like crab cakes and fish tacos, locally inspired dishes like “the Kentucky Hot Brown” or even just your mainstream classic burger. The owners of Gander also own another casual eatery called Goose Creek Diner on the opposite part of town on Goose Creek Road. Check out their menu on their website: https://www.ganderanamericangrill.com/ 

“I work at Gander as a server with a bunch of other Manual kids and I really enjoy it. It has a really great atmosphere and we seat really large parties all the time so people could come with large groups of friends,” Jackson Griggs (11, HSU) said.

Feast BBQ

Feast Barbecue is a casual dine-in or take-out spot to go with your family or friends. They serve lots of sides made from scratch and offer vegetarian, gluten-free, and soy-free options. Feast BBQ has two locations: one in NULU and one in Jeffersontown. Both are near desert places like Steel City Pops and the Macaroon Bar, so after grabbing a bite for dinner you could grab a desert for the ride home. Check out their menu on their website: http://www.feastbbq.com/

 

“I went there with a couple friends after a service event down at the Waterfront and it was so good. The atmosphere was super cozy and was a great spot to eat comfort food with my friends,” Nadia Ehsani (11, MST) said.

Los Noches

Los Noches or “the nights” restaurants is a new Mexican barbecue place that opened at the end of the summer. Residing in a renovated church in the  Highlands, the building itself features stained glass windows as well as murals of ancestors. The restaurant also serves as a dedication to Dia de Los Muertos, serving some of their drinks in skull shaped glasses. It is a more casual setting, so feel free to wear jeans and a t-shirt! Check out their menu on their website: https://www.nochemexicanbbq.com/

“Noche is my new favorite restaurant. It takes me back to my favorite authentic Texas barbecue places. The brisket is tender and juicy. It’s a beautiful ambiance with exceptional service and is surrounded with gorgeous stained glass. The burritos came in two so I had one there and took the other for lunch, and to my surprise, it was just as delicious the next day!” Emily Slaven (12, HSU) said.

Coals

Looking for pizza? Coals serves it artisan style. What this means is that they choose to make pizza more traditionally, with hands-on quality control and high-quality ingredients.  With locations in Middletown and St. Matthews, Coals is known for introducing the first coal-fired pizza in Kentucky. This is how Coals makes their different pizzas that correspond to different parts of Louisville. For example, Coals sells “The Brownsboro,” “The Middletown,” “The Prospect” and “The St. Matthews.” It may have been these pizzas that helped Coals win Louisville Magazine’s “Best Pizza” Award just last year. The restaurant itself is somewhere to go dressed based on how you feel. In other words, you could dress casually with your family, but if you’re celebrating a birthday with some friends, feel free to dress the part. Check out their menu on their website: https://www.coalsartisanpizza.com

“It was my moms birthday when we went, and the restaurant’s atmosphere and the food was very enjoyable. I think it was some of the best pizza I had in Louisville, I’ve been back with my friends and I plan to continue doing so. 10/10 would definitely recommend,” Rohan Ghiya (11, MST) said.

Sapporo

Sapporo is a sushi and hibachi grill located on Bardstown Road and is named after the fifth-largest city in Japan. It has been ranked #1 Best Sushi Restaurant in Louisville in the past by Louisville Magazine. The restaurant is locally owned and welcoming towards larger audience. As a hibachi grill, they commonly seat large groups celebrating all kinds of achievements or birthdays. The grill is a more upscale restaurant for the area so feel free to take the more casual or dressy route depending on what you’re in the mood for. Check out their menu on their website: https://www.sapporolouisville.com/

“The food, service and atmosphere of Sapporo was exquisite, It was the best sushi I’ve had in Louisville and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone,” Roshan Pourgassemi (11, MST) said.

El Taco Luchador 

Taco Luchador is a Mexican taco place in Jeffersontown, with already existing locations Downtown, Colonial Gardens, St Matthews and Baxter Avenue. Each store features red and white decor as well as prominent items that highlight lucha libre wrestling. For example, the mask in their brand name. Lucha libre is a term used for wrestling in Mexico and a luchador is someone who competes in it. Cousins Fernando and Yaniel Martinez are the owners of El Taco Luchador and are also the owners of Guacamole, Mussel and Burger Bar, Mercato Italiano and Artesano Tapas.  Fernando Martinez alone started Havana Rumba and Mojitos Tapas. Taco Luchador is a very casual spot to stop in and grab a bite. Check out their menu on their website: https://www.el-taco-luchador.com/

 

“They have really good chicken tacos and the outside seating area at the Taco Luchador in the Highlands is really cute. My friends and I will go there on the weekends for dinner or even after school,” Masara Mtangi (11, J&C) said.

Le Moo

Judging from the name, you would probably guess that the restaurant focuses on mainly beef selections. While that is more of their specialty, they also provide seafood and pasta options. However, what Le Moo is really known for is their Drag Brunches. A Drag Brunch is an event that happens on the weekends and showcases the performing arts skills of drag queens, usually based aroung a theme. For example, Katy Perry is coming up on September 8th and Lizzo will be on September 28th. At these events the drag queens will sing and dance. The restaurant is located on the outskirts of Cherokee Park and embraces a casual setting. Check out their menu on their website https://www.lemoorestaurant.com/

“I went with about eight of friends to Le Moo for a surprise dinner that my mom planned. We all dressed up cute and it was a fun place to talk, take pictures and eat good food,” Laila Marcum (11, YPAS) said.

Garage Bar

Garage Bar is a restaurant located in Nulu that focuses on making pizzas in a fire brick oven as well as southern inspired dishes using locally grown ingredients. The restaurant itself was converted from an old auto service garage, hence the name “Garage Bar.” If you’ve passed by the restaurant in the past, it is likely that you have noticed two old cars colliding on the sidewalk in front of the building. These two cars are a sculpture to represent Jonathan Schipper’s message, the “Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle.” The machine that the sculpture stands on is able to move the two cars into their inevitable collision, but at a very slow pace. This enables the viewer to contemplate the collision of the two vehicles and reflect on their own destruction. The Garage Bar is owned by the same group who owns the 21c Museum Hotels, and Proof on Main is their sister restaurant. The restaurant, which opened in 2011, also sells their own merchandise, so while dining at this casual eatery you can pick up a t-shirt as memorabilia. Check out their menu on their website: https://www.garageonmarket.com/

 

“Garage Bar is a really neat place to go on a Saturday night. They have a lot of good options to choose from and a really nice atmosphere to enjoy with your friends. Also, it’s a really good spot to get pictures with your friends,” Lara Mcqueenie (11 , J&C) said.

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