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The beloved local cafe and catering service Wiltshire Pantry took over concessions with style for the art museum known as the Speed, which opened in 1927 and re-opened last year after an extensive expansion.
Website: wiltshireatthespeed.com
Address: 2035 South Third St.
Phone number: 502-224-9588
Number of seats: 75
Entrée price range: $8-$16
Popular dishes: Grilled peach panzanella salad with country ham, Midnight Moon cheese, shaved radish, brioche croutons and citrus shallot vinaigrette; housemade chorizo stuffed potato cake, sunny side up egg, chimichurri, oven dried cherry tomato and peatop-arugula salad; duck confit tacos with pickled vegetable-napa slaw, cotija cheese and lime-cilantro crema.
What others say: “At the Wiltshire at the Speed Cafe, veteran restaurateur Susan Hershberg and respected chef Coby Ming are tapping into a growing movement among museums to offer chef-driven fare in a setting that reflects their surroundings.” — Dana McMahan, Courier-Journal
Ryan Rogers, founder and co-owner of the beloved barbecue restaurant Feast, borrowed an idea from Nashville and gave it a Kentucky spin at this teeming destination for hot chicken.
Website: royalshotchicken.com
Address: 736 E. Market St.
Phone number: 502-919-7068
Number of seats: 75
Entrée price range: $7.50-$9
Popular dishes: Royals Fried Chicken Sandwich with potato bun, iceberg, mayonnaise, and dill pickles; baked pimento cheese with bacon jam and Ritz Crackers; fried sweet potato and marshmallow pie.
What others say: “But the chicken — ahh, the chicken. … The meal came on a lovely white-and-baby-blue porcelain plate that could have been used in some Tennessee grandmother’s kitchen in the 1950s, but it was almost too small for the food. And when I lifted the bird, the crispy crust wanted to slide right off. In short, your fingers will get messy.” — Kevin Gibson, Insider Louisville
Royals Fried Chicken Sandwich
Chef Bobby Benjamin behind the bar
Inside a 19th-century building that played home to a family-owned grocery for ages, sleek and stylish environs lure diners into a contemporary home for fresh-made pastas and meats and veggies presented with elemental simplicity.
Website: butchertowngrocery.com
Address: 1076 East Washington St.
Phone number: 502-742-8315
Number of seats: 130
Entrée price range: $21-$60
Popular dishes: Ravioli with goat cheese, spicy carrot, cauliflower, pine nuts and parsley; bucatini with Parmigiano-Reggiano and bourbon barrel black pepper; diver scallops with spring peas, blueberries, radishes, pickled black beans, Calabrese chile and corn and roasted jalapeño purée.
What others say: “Butchertown Grocery takes inspiration from hard work and craftsmanship in its menu of simple, high-quality dishes, like bone marrow brûlée, braised short ribs, rabbit pappardelle and porcini mushroom risotto. Every dish is personal to Executive Chef Bobby Benjamin, who's worked at top kitchens around the nation.” -— USA Today
Pizzas
Sherry-roasted beet salad
Southern Chickn sandwich
Burger
This vegan bakery and hotspot for breakfast and lunch brings non-carnivores and carnivores alike to the Louisville neighbohood of St. Matthews.
Website: halfpeachbakery.com
Address: 4121 Oechsli Ave.
Phone number: 502-742-7839
Number of seats: 42
Entrée price range: $6-$12
Popular dishes: Southern Chickn sandwich: Breaded fried soy patty, cashew cheese, carrot and cabbage pickle, cucumber pickles on sesame bun; Banh Mi: Monkeyhead mushroom, soy protein, enoki mushrooms, cabbage and carrot pickle, cucumber, cilantro and vegenaise on housemade baguette; Nacho Bowl: corn tortilla chips, raw taco “meat” (spiced almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds), romaine lettuce, tomato salsa, corn salsa, pickled jalapeño, cashew sour cream, green onion, red bell peppers, cilantro and cashew cheese sauce.
What others say: “We were looking for some amazing vegan restaurants in Louisville and this was one of the top recommendations. And after our experience here, I can understand why.” — comment on Yelp
Milkshake
Roasted chicken salad sandwich
Affiliated with Louismill, a haven for milling and breadmaking at its most elemental (including classes for crafting artisanal bread), this offshoot for pizza takes a holistic approach from the process of taking grains and turning them into succulent pizza pies.
Website: mozzapi.com
Address: 12102 La Grange Rd.
Phone number: 502-494-7012
Number of seats: 80
Entrée price range: $8-$12
Popular dishes: Sweet onion marmalade pizza with caramelized onions, blue cheese, mozzarella, andouille sausage, bourbon cherries and rosemary; rosemary focaccia; meatball sub on ciabatta with giardiniera: housemade spicy pickled vegetables; spinach and ricotta with fresh mozzarella, fresh pepper flakes and olive oil.
What others say: “The pizza is fantastic. The dough is perfect. The topping combinations are interesting and not like anywhere else in town.” — comment on Yelp
The exterior
Banh mi
