This year our food critique, Robin Garr, gave us a rundown of some of the delectable restaurants he dined at. We figured it’d be only right for to give you all an updated list for 2024.
For more of Robin’s writing, which includes thoughts on various aspects of restaurant criticism itself, throwbacks to since-closed restaurants in Louisville, and more, check out our Food & Drink archives.
MeeshMeesh636 E Market Street.Review: From Chicken Shawarma to Chocolate Babka, MeeshMeesh Delivers Bold, Nationality Acclaimed FlavorsRecommended: “Shawarma spiced chicken thighs ($36). The signature house amba includes lemon, spice blend, and apple cider vinegar. Schug? It’s a fiery Yemeni chili condiment made in-house with fresh jalapeños, lemon, garlic, and salt. This dish was so good that even the scents wafting up from the plate inspired a powerful appetite.”Friends Fusion
4111 Murphy Lane.Review: This Peruvian Hidden Gem Is About To Become Your Next Favorite Louisville Restaurant
Recommended: “Arroz chaufa – fried rice with a Peruvian accent – is a popular dish rooted in Peru’s many Chinese immigrants. It’s available with seafood, beef, chicken, or fresh veggies.”Bellisimo
2217 Steier Lane.Review: Louisville’s First Afghan Eatery Is Full of Family, Flavor, and HeartRecommended: “A generous slice of dense, honey-sweet Afghan-style baklava ($3), big enough to share, was built on many layers of flaky phyllo pastry enveloping finely chopped walnuts and hard-to-pin-down spices that inspired memories of orange, cardamom, honey, and roses. It was on the dense side, almost tough, but once broken down with knife and fork, it made a splendid ending.”Take Thai12908 Factory Lane.Review: We Tried The Tasty Thai Restaurant That’s Shaking Up Louisville’s East End
Recommended: “Tom Kha ($8.75) Rich with coconut milk and tender chicken and aromatic with lemongrass and galangal, tom kha is a classic Thai main-course soup.”Los Aztecas445 E Market Street.Review: This Louisville Mexican Chain Truly Lives Up To The Hype
Recommended: “Carnitas- Crunchy bits, tender bits, flavorful pork: Mexican carnitas smirks at norteamericano pulled pork and says “Hold my cerveza.” Yes, it’s that good.”Namnam Cafe318 Wallace Ave.Review: Authenticity & Flawless Pho Make This Vietnamese Spot A Reliable Louisville Staple Recommended: “Buddha rolls ($7.50). Two very large rice paper-wrapped rolls were split into four chunks and plated on ridged green square plates that resembled banana leaves. They were loaded with cold rice noodles, slices of chewy grilled tofu, a few bean sprouts and bright carrot shreds, and crisp leaf lettuce. Each plate came with a small tub of tangy-sweet peanut butter and hoisin sauce topped with chopped peanuts. I’m pretty sure I could see the Buddha smiling as we mindfully enjoyed this simple treat.”Perso741 E Oak Street.Review: This Louisville Farm-To-Table Restaurant Is Going To Be Your New Favorite Recommended: “A hearty pasta e fagioli starter mixed plump cranberry beans and fresh campanelle pasta in a thick tomato sauce, topped with grated mild pecorino toscano cheese and snipped basil leaves.”Kiwami1700 Bardstown Road.Review: Louisville Is Loving This Brand New Ramen Restaurant. Here’s What We Thought After Visiting. Recommended: “A half-dozen potsticker-style gyoza ($9.45 for either pork- or veggie-stuffed) made another tempting appetizer. Wrapped in pale-green kale-pastry wrappers and grilled crispy brown on one side, they were sizzling hot and filled with cooked and mashed puree of mixed veggies, with a sweet-hot dipping sauce on the side.”Naive1001 E Washington Street.Review: Naive’s Patio Offers Comfort Even On A Chilly Day Recommended: “A pair of corn cakes ($12) made an impressive appetizer. Two thick, chewy, pancake-like corn-based cakes were griddled crisp and brown, then plated with an assortment of ingredients in a whirl of contrasting yet compatible colors, textures, and flavors.”Banditz Pizza712 Brent Street.Review: Here’s What To Eat At Paristown’s Village Market Food Hall Recommended: “I tried a mall Margherita pizza ($13) and was rewarded with a still sizable oval flatbread topped with the traditional mozzarella, snipped fresh basil, and wan winter tomato slices reflecting the white, red, and green colors of the Italian flag. The crust has already developed a cult following for its solid construction that’s lovably crisp on the surface yet light and soft within.”Kathmandu Kitcken and Bar3825 Bardstown Rd.Review: Enjoy A Taste Of Nepal At Kathmandu Kitchen Recommended: “Daal jhanneko ($12.99) is a Nepalese cousin of the Northern Indian lentil dish dal tadka. This thick, savory lentil soup comes with yellow (my choice) or black lentils simmered to a thick, savory porridge, then kicked up with a complex, piquant tadka spice mix that’s poured into the lentils to flavor them.”Sharks Seafood3009 Breckinridge Lane.Review:We Just Discovered A Hidden Gem In The Louisville Seafood Scene Recommended: “The cod fillet dinner [fish] were shaped as neat cylinders [with a] tinted yellow cornmeal color. They were white, wonderfully flaky, and delicious, fried crisp and not at all greasy.”Jack Fry’s1007 Bardstown Road.Review: Louisville Restaurants That Are Worth The Splurge. Recommended: “Mixed seafood linguini frutti-di-mare at Volare mustered an army of seafood, all fine – clams, mussels, a bit of salmon, a square of sea bass, scallops and shrimp – over house-made linguine.”Four Pegs1700 Bardstown Road.Review: Louisville Is Loving This Brand New Ramen Restaurant. Here’s What We Thought After Visiting. Recommended: “Who knew that barbecued fruit could taste so good? In skilled hands, smoked and dry-rubbed and deliciously sauced, this stringy tropical fruit turns into a dead ringer for pulled pork. Try it if you don’t believe me.”
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