Food Fanatics Road Trip!

Bourbon, classic Southern food, genuine hospitality and more bourbon. We’re talking the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, formed in 1999 to bring tourism to the state.

Inherently local, the trail of 17 major distilleries has grown to 37, representing the growth of smaller craft bourbon makers. While many are located in the Louisville area, some are as far as 70 miles apart, making it impossible to cover them all. But rest assured. Solid restaurants, new and longstanding, can be found near all of them, ready to complement tastings before and after.

Nearly all restaurants honor tradition in some way with classic and updated takes on barbecue, fried chicken, the hot brown turkey sandwich, Derby pie and the iconic mint julep. That includes Edward Lee, who drew more eyes to Louisville than any other chef by bringing Asian ingredients to the Southern Table.

There’s no wrong way to eat and explore the Bourbon Trail, but if you need help, here are some of our favorite restaurants.

WORTH THE STOP

150 Quick Stop (Jake’s Sausage Shop)

4858 Springfield Road, Bardstown
Yes, a gas station and yes, the ultimate sausage biscuits.

610 Magnolia

610 W. Magnolia Ave., Louisville.
Edward Lee. Enough said.

Bourbon On Main

103 W. Main St., Frankfort
Chocolate bread pudding, inspired cocktails and an impressive bourbon library for what you may have missed on the trail.

The Brown Hotel

335 W Broadway, Louisville
Home of the iconic Hot Brown, roof top view.

Feast BBQ

909 E. Market St., Louisville
Best BBQ on the Ohio River. Really.

Le Moo

2300 Lexington Road, Louisville
Real Japanese wagyu steaks and the coolest Louis Vuitton upholstered booth.

Mayan Café

813 E. Market St., Louisville
Forward-thinking Latino food.

Pollo Bandido

135 Versailles Road, Frankfort
Classic barbecue meets Mexican with its housemade tortillas, pulled pork and spinach pupusas.

Proof on Main

702 W. Main St., Louisville
The adjoining 21c Museum Hotel keeps it interesting with food, drink and people-watching.

Star Hill Provisions

3350 Burks Spring Road, Loretta
An ode to local ingredients and solid classics inside the Maker’s Mark Distillery.

The Stave Restaurant and Bourbon Bar

5711 McCracken Pike, Frankfort
For a hot chicken sandwich, a hot brown and Brunswick stew.

FOOD FANATICS CHEFS

James Cochran, Robert Frye and Ed Butler live and eat by the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Follow @ _jamie_cochran and @ffcheffrye on Instagram. Check out the official trail site at kybourbontrail.com.