From Frankfort Avenue to the Highlands and back to NuLu, Louisville is peppered with unique brunch spots. Enjoy traditional Kentucky home cooking, a European-inspired Continental breakfast or authentic Mexican fare all in the same city. The variety of cuisine is only matched by the variety of atmospheres in which to enjoy a lazy weekend brunch, from the cosy and casual to the fun and colourful. Here are 10 of the best places to try.
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Wild Eggs
Cafe, Contemporary, Fast Food, American, Vegetarian, $$$
Wild Eggs is one of the top go-to restaurants for breakfast in Louisville. With four locations in the city, it’s easy to see the local chain’s popularity. The restaurant offers chef-crafted cuisine at mid-range prices, making a chic, fine dining brunch accessible. Highlights of the menu include the sweet home apple bourbon crepes and, as the venue’s name would suggest, lots of egg dishes. These range from several varieties of eggs Benedict, omelettes, and specialties like the kelsey ‘KY’ brown, inspired by the famous Kentucky hot brown dish invented in Louisville.
Located in trendy NuLu, Toast On Market offers a simple breakfast menu. The house specialty is French toast, in styles ranging from the savoury Monte Cristo, two slices of brioche filled with slices of ham, baby Swiss cheese and orange marmalade, to the sweet king, peanut butter, bananas and mascarpone cheese stuffed inside two slices of brioche. Pancakes, omelettes and other egg dishes are also on offer, as well as a lunch menu. Each week brings a different variety of egg scramble, so be sure to visit more than once.
SuperChef’s Breakfast was begun by childhood friends Ryan Bryson and chef Darnell Ferguson, growing over the past few years to three locations in Louisville and now one in Columbus, Ohio. Chef Ferguson earned his nickname ‘SuperChef’ while he was cooking for the 2008 USA Olympic team in Beijing. The name stuck, and now it is synonymous in Louisville with delicious food served with a creative presentation. Guests can expect green waffles adapted as the bread for a breakfast sandwich or red velvet pancakes. Other house specialties include shrimp and roasted red pepper grits and ‘superdillas’, gourmet quesadillas named after superheroes.
Focusing on baking some of the best artisanal bread in Louisville, Blue Dog Bakery & Café’s Frankfort Avenue location is a warm, comfortable spot to enjoy freshly baked breads or other free-range, organic selections from their brunch menu. Catering to ethical and health conscious diners, Blue Dog offers poached free-range eggs, house-made granola, and a variety of gourmet meat selections to complement their freshly baked bread. Blue Dog also has a variety of beers on tap and an extensive wine list.
Goose Creek Diner offers a Sunday brunch buffet in its casual, colourful dining room. The buffet includes breakfast classics of eggs, sausage, bacon, and French toast as well as baby back ribs and cheesecakes for dessert. Reservations are recommended for this popular brunch. Everything on the menu, brunch and beyond, is inspired by Southern home cooking traditions making this an ideal location to sample Kentucky’s native cuisine. Goose Creek is also known for their high level of customer service, often complemented as much as the food. For Southern cuisine served with a generous helping of southern hospitality, look no further than this diner.
With two locations, one on Bardstown Road and the other on Frankfort Avenue, North End Café is convenient to downtown, as well as the Highlands. The menu is heavily local and organic, vegan and gluten-free friendly, aiming to prepare traditional Southern cuisine in a health conscious manner with its farm-to-table business model. A Louisville establishment for over 10 years now, North End Café has certainly succeeded in this mission. Brunch selections range from breakfast tacos to steak and eggs to meat and vegetarian omelettes. Most of the breakfast menu is served all day, so this is the perfect location for late brunchers.
Fusing Southern California and Southern cuisine, The Silver Dollar has concocted one of the most unusual brunch menus in Louisville. As its menu suggests, the restaurant is inspired by the experience and culture of American Midwesterners and Southerners who moved out West to California in search of work during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Cornbread pancakes, fried oysters, chilli cheese hash brown and smoked chicken enfrijoladas all surprise and delight the taste buds. Wash down chef, Tyler Powell’s creations with a specialty cocktail from the bar. The Silver Dollar is best known for its extensive bourbon menu.
Back in the NuLu district, Ghyslain Chocolatier operates a small, intimate bistro with a boutique offering its unique chocolates, homemade gelato and pastries. The menu is European inspired, offering breakfast croissants, pain au chocolat, and crepes as well as eggs, bacon and sausage dishes. Ghyslain is an ideal location to indulge a sweet tooth or simply to enjoy the European bistro ambience in the heart of trendy East Market. The bistro opens early for breakfast before exploring this up-and-coming neighbourhood.
Following the closure of popular brunch venue That Place on Goss, the chef and staff relocated to The Rudyard Kipling to continue serving its dedicated clientele. That Place’s bloody mary is as legendary as its cuisine and continues to live up to its reputation at The Rudyard Kipling. In addition to the usual breakfast fare, the brunch buffet features a hot brown casserole, quiche and chickpea salad. The historic Oak Street location preserves a taste of Old Louisville and is also a thriving music and theatre venue. Take note of the original artwork from local artists adorning the dining room walls while enjoying the gourmet food.
Brunch enthusiasts seeking spicier cuisine with an equally colourful atmosphere should explore El Camino. Opening at 10am on the weekends, this Mexican restaurant offers authentic cuisine and cocktails. Executive Chef Brian Enyart crafts unique tacos, biscuits with chorizo gravy, plantain pancakes and huevos rancheros for those seeking a brunch less ordinary. Described as ‘a tiki bar in the middle of Bourbon Country’ El Camino’s fun atmosphere and unique dishes will not easily be forgotten.
