Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Louisville by diners

When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you’ll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.

Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It’s impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that’s best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.

What’s unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.

The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in Louisville using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp’s ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.

Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.

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#29. Bootleg Bar-B-Q

– Rating: 3.9/5 (188 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 9704 Old Bardstown Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: barbeque, southern, american
– Read more on Yelp

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#28. Equus and Jack’s Lounge

– Rating: 3.9/5 (112 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 122 Sears Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, new american, lounges
– Read more on Yelp

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#27. Big Momma’s Soul Kitchen

– Rating: 4.0/5 (58 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 1213 South 28th St. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: soul food, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#26. Joella’s Hot Chicken – Middletown

– Rating: 4.1/5 (334 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 13401 Shelbyville Road Ste 101 Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, chicken wings, american
– Read more on Yelp

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#25. Cottage Inn

– Rating: 4.1/5 (137 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 570 Eastern Pkwy Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: american, southern, soul food
– Read more on Yelp

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#24. Joella’s Hot Chicken – St Matthews

– Rating: 4.1/5 (590 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 3400 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, chicken wings
– Read more on Yelp

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#23. The Silver Dollar

– Rating: 4.1/5 (861 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 1761 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, whiskey bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#22. Indi’s Fast Food Restaurant

– Rating: 4.1/5 (76 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 1033 West Broadway Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, chicken wings, soul food
– Read more on Yelp

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#21. River House

– Rating: 4.1/5 (677 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 3015 River Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: new american, live/raw food, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#20. The Village Anchor

– Rating: 4.2/5 (628 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 11507 Park Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, pubs, sandwiches
– Read more on Yelp

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#19. Franco’s Restaurant and Catering

– Rating: 4.2/5 (74 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 3300 Dixie Hwy Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: soul food, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#18. Big Bad Breakfast – Barret Ave

– Rating: 4.2/5 (456 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 984 Barret Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, new american
– Read more on Yelp

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#17. Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ

– Rating: 4.3/5 (902 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 102 Bauer Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: barbeque, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#16. LouVino Douglass Hills

– Rating: 4.3/5 (455 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 11400 Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: wine bars, southern, breakfast & brunch
– Read more on Yelp

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#15. CASK Southern Kitchen & Bar

– Rating: 4.3/5 (484 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 9980 Linn Station Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, salad, desserts
– Read more on Yelp

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#14. LouVino – Highlands

– Rating: 4.3/5 (469 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 1606 Bardstown Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: wine bars, breakfast & brunch, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#13. Biscuit Belly –  St Matthews

– Rating: 4.3/5 (211 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 3723 Lexington Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern
– Read more on Yelp

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#12. The Eagle Oxmoor

– Rating: 4.3/5 (41 reviews)
– Address: 7900 Shelbyville Road Ste G25 Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: new american, southern, comfort food
– Read more on Yelp

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#11. Bourbons Bistro

– Rating: 4.3/5 (299 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 2255 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, new american, whiskey bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#10. Wild Swann Restaurant

– Rating: 4.4/5 (36 reviews)
– Address: 601 West Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, desserts, venues & event spaces
– Read more on Yelp

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#9. The Eagle

– Rating: 4.4/5 (1660 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 1314 Bardstown Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, american, comfort food
– Read more on Yelp

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#8. Louie’s Hot Chicken & Barbecue

– Rating: 4.4/5 (306 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 4222 Poplar Level Road Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, barbeque
– Read more on Yelp

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#7. Shirley Mae’s Café

– Rating: 4.4/5 (184 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 802 South Clay St. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, soul food, beer bar
– Read more on Yelp

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#6. Enso

– Rating: 4.4/5 (45 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 1758 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, japanese, bars
– Read more on Yelp

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#5. 610 Magnolia

– Rating: 4.4/5 (230 reviews)
– Price level: $$$$
– Address: 610 West Magnolia Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, new american
– Read more on Yelp

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#4. The Fat Lamb

– Rating: 4.4/5 (325 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 2011 Grinstead Drive Ste 104 Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: cocktail bars, southern, mediterranean
– Read more on Yelp

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#3. Biscuit Belly – Nulu

– Rating: 4.5/5 (761 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 900 East Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch
– Read more on Yelp

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#2. Hammerheads

– Rating: 4.5/5 (1371 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 921 Swan St. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, new american, gastropubs
– Read more on Yelp

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#1. V-GRITS Food Truck

– Rating: 4.5/5 (28 reviews)
– Price level: $
– Address: 1025 Barret Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
– Categories: southern, vegan, food trucks
– Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.