District 6 – Pho Restaurant 3930 Shelbyville Rd, Louisville KY 40207 (502) 873-5561 https://eatdistrict6.wixsite.com/district6
Louisville has had a wonderful Vietnamese food scene for decades with many great eateries having come (and some gone) from the Southside of the city around Iroquois Park. The East End also boasts my favorite Vietnamese hotspot, District 6 (actually named after a neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam… formerly Saigon). If you’re not familiar with Vietnamese street food, then it’s a good place to bring several friends and order a little bit of everything and eat family style. So many great flavors with some reasonably priced cocktails too wash them down.
If you are a fan of exploring Louisville’s tasty food scene and you have some high maintenance food peccadillos like me, you might worry about what has wheat or what poor animal was bludgeoned in the making of a dish. District 6 has you covered; they have a whole vegetarian section and have marked very well what is gluten-ie and what is spicy. Joe DeSensiThe restaurant has this effortlessly cool vibe, like it knows it’s awesome but doesn’t need to brag. It’s got just the right balance of modern and cozy, with dark wood accents, pops of greenery, and warm lighting letting you see all the vibrant colors in your meal. Even the upbeat playlist added to the experience—energetic without being so loud you can’t have the exact same argument on whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not (spoiler alert, it is). Joe DeSensiOrdering drinks first, Hope went for a Napa Valley, Sauvignon, Blanc, and being in a bourbon mood, I ordered off of their specialty cocktail menu with the Makers Mark Manhattan served in a short glass rather than a stemmed cocktail glass, making it much harder to spill… But let me make this very clear: not impossible. Joe DeSensiFoodwise, we started with a few shareables including the summer rolls and the tofu and mushroom lettuce wraps. The summer rolls were vegan with tofu and large slices of avocado, and a great sweet and savory dipping sauce. . tip: you will want to save any remaining sauce for the rest of your meal. The tofu and mushroom, lettuce, wraps, included noodles, slaw, peanuts, and cilantro. A little messier to eat, but we weren’t trying to win a Miss Manners Fancy Pants Eating Award either. Joe DeSensiFor the main course, it was hard to choose between the red curry dishes, and some other Vietnamese specialties like their version of spicy street corn. I opted for the Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower (crunchy fried cauliflower drizzled with sweet and spicy sauce and topped with green onions), a unique specialty to District 6. I remembered the cauliflower having a bit of zip, but I forgot that the “moderate” heat was partially from avoiding the small, spicy red chili slices that are sprinkled on top. The rest of my cocktail and a full glass of water later, I was ready to jump back into the meal. Joe DeSensiHope selected the salmon with pineapple and tomatoes (Pineapple and tomatoes sauce topped with green onion and Thai chili) which she ate with the demure of a killer whale tossing a seal around before gobbling it down. Joe DeSensiFor the carnage consumers out there, they have a short rib pho, baby back ribs, and Amity’s rice, fried rice with chorizo, bacon, egg, and cheese. Also drunken beef, fish served on banana leaves, and so much more. Joe DeSensiTwo more specialties to mention. District 6 is known for its Pho: a large bowl of flavorful broth with beef or tofu and what can only be described as a garden full o’vegetables with some rice noodles for added texture. Second, if you have a really authentic Vietnamese joint, they are going to have a proper coffee, sweet, creamy and packed with caffeine. . . just like me. Joe DeSensiAlso, so many places aren’t open for lunch these days, but being in the heart of Saint Matthews they have great lunch specials and combination plates with parking, conveniently located right out front. If you’re coming in the evening, I recommend a reservation and parking may be a little harder to find, but worth the journey. Joe DeSensiJoe DeSensiJoe DeSensiJoe DeSensiJoe DeSensiJoe DeSensi
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