Highest-rated Southern Restaurants in Louisville by Diners

Mohamed-Kareem Mohamed // Shutterstock

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 hushpuppies 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, compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in the Louisville area using data from as of May 2, 2025. 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 20 reviews tagged as "southern" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Louisville were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items.

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

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#30. Nic & Norman's

- Rating: 3.7/5 (90 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 108 West Washington St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: American, Cocktail Bars, Southern
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#29. Big Momma's Soul Kitchen

- Rating: 3.8/5 (66 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1213 South 28th St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Soul Food, Southern
-

#28. Bootleg Bar-B-Q

- Rating: 3.9/5 (208 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9704 Old Bardstown Road Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern, American
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#27. Doc Crow's

- Rating: 3.9/5 (2345 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 127 West Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Seafood, Smokehouse
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#26. Equus and Jack's Lounge

- Rating: 3.9/5 (113 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 122 Sears Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, New American, Lounges
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#25. Cottage Inn

- Rating: 4.0/5 (164 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 570 Eastern Pkwy Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: American, Southern, Soul Food
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#24. Joella's Hot Chicken - St Matthews

- Rating: 4.0/5 (618 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3400 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Chicken Wings
-

#23. The Silver Dollar

- Rating: 4.1/5 (890 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1761 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Whiskey Bars
-

#22. Indi's Fast Food Restaurant

- Rating: 4.1/5 (87 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1033 West Broadway Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Chicken Wings, Soul Food
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#21. River House

- Rating: 4.1/5 (743 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 3015 River Road Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: New American, Live/Raw Food, Southern
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#20. Big Bad Breakfast - Barret Ave

- Rating: 4.2/5 (547 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 984 Barret Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern, New American
-

#19. Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Louisville

- Rating: 4.2/5 (135 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 117 South Hurstbourne Pkwy Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Chicken Shop, Southern
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#18. Franco's Restaurant and Catering

- Rating: 4.2/5 (84 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3300 Dixie Hwy Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Soul Food, Southern
-

#17. Momma's Mustard, Pickles & BBQ

- Rating: 4.2/5 (961 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 102 Bauer Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
-

#16. LouVino Douglass Hills

- Rating: 4.2/5 (479 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11400 Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Wine Bars, Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
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#15. Wild Swann Restaurant

- Rating: 4.3/5 (50 reviews)
- Address: 601 West Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Cocktail Bars
-

#14. Bourbons Bistro

- Rating: 4.3/5 (313 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2255 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, New American, Whiskey Bars
-

#13. CASK Southern Kitchen & Bar

- Rating: 4.3/5 (542 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9980 Linn Station Road Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Salad, Desserts
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#12. Biscuit Belly - St Matthews

- Rating: 4.3/5 (231 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3723 Lexington Road Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern
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#11. The Eagle Oxmoor

- Rating: 4.3/5 (74 reviews)
- Address: 7900 Shelbyville Road Ste G25 Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: New American, Southern, Comfort Food
-

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#10. Shirley Mae's Café

- Rating: 4.3/5 (194 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 802 South Clay St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Soul Food, Beer Bar
-

#9. Enso

- Rating: 4.3/5 (72 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 1758 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Japanese, Bars
-

#8. Louie's Hot Chicken & Barbecue

- Rating: 4.4/5 (322 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4222 Poplar Level Road Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Barbecue
-

#7. The Eagle Louisville

- Rating: 4.4/5 (1799 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1314 Bardstown Road Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, American, Comfort Food
-

#6. 610 Magnolia

- Rating: 4.4/5 (246 reviews)
- Price level: $$$$
- Address: 610 West Magnolia Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, New American
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#5. Biscuit Belly - Nulu

- Rating: 4.4/5 (828 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 900 East Main St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
-

#4. The Fat Lamb

- Rating: 4.4/5 (356 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2011 Grinstead Drive Ste 104 Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, Southern, Mediterranean
-

#3. Hammerheads

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1457 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 921 Swan St. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, New American, Gastropubs
-

#2. V-GRITS Food Truck

- Rating: 4.5/5 (28 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1025 Barret Ave. Louisville, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Vegan, Food Trucks
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#1. Blondie & Jim's Bistro

- Rating: 4.6/5 (91 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10711 Meeting St. Prospect, Kentucky
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Cocktail Bars
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