4 New Louisville Restaurants (+2 New Menus!) to Try This Month
Hope you’re hungry, Louisville! These recent restaurant openings boast everything from bar favorites to Asian/Latin fare. Image: Facebook / OMA
The warm-weather days of spring are an open invitation to get out and about around town. In between the festivals, fairs, and sporting events, be sure to check out some of these new Louisville restaurants. From fresh empanadas to a new take on omakase, there’s sure to be something to satisfy every craving.
Clifton Tavern
Neighborhood: Clifton
More Info: Instagram
After roughly 14 years in business, Hilltop Tavern shut its doors in September 2025, leaving yet another gap on the once-bustling Clifton corner. Thankfully, the space has since been revived. Former Hilltop Tavern employee Dan Regneri and longtime friend Britton Richardson opened Clifton Tavern in early March, bringing back affordable drinks and bites to the spot on the corner of Frankfort Avenue and Pope Street.
Open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight, Clifton Tavern serves a variety of appetizers, salads, sides, and smashburgers, as well as sandwiches and tacos made with smoked-in-house meats. House cocktails include an Old Fashioned, an Astral Margarita, and a Lemon Drop. Keep an eye on social media for their latest food and drink specials.
Helm & Honey
Neighborhood: Cherokee Triangle
More Info: Instagram
The space formerly occupied by La Chasse is now home to the upscale eatery Helm & Honey. Jesse Helm Jones opened the restaurant in mid-March alongside Chef Erik Abraham, promising a sophisticated yet soulful exploration of modern Southern cuisine. The menu celebrates Kentucky’s rich heritage with an emphasis on hyper-local sourcing and seasonal ingredients.
Here you can enjoy elevated classics like a 50-layer lasagna with wagyu bolognese, mornay sauce, and stracciatella. Or dive into a dry-aged brisket burger made with DKenny’s cheddar, aioli, and Habagardil relish, made with Habagardil pickles — a unique brand of Pops’ Pepper Patch gourmet bread-and-butter that blends habañero peppers, garlic, and dill. The brand-new dinner destination is accepting reservations on OpenTable, with seatings filling up fast.
Lucia’s Cafecito y Mas
Neighborhood: Cherokee Triangle
More Info: luciascafecito.com
The former Drip N Dough space on Bardstown Road is now Lucia’s Cafecito y Mas, a coffee shop and café that opened at the end of February. The spot is owned by Ecuador native Melina Seifried, whose parents previously operated an Ecuadorian and Colombian restaurant in New York.
Melina’s menu focuses on coffee and light cafe fare with a Latin/Spanish-inspired angle. Offerings include coffee drinks, along with bagels, doughnuts, teas, croissants, and empanadas. Try one of the specialty bevvies, like the banana, cookie butter, or raspberry latte, or the Spanish latte, which boasts more espresso than a traditional latte for a stronger, richer flavor.
Oma
Neighborhood: Shelby Park
More Info: omatable.com
A culinary journey dubbed “hombrekase” — a Latin omakase experience — has arrived on Logan Street. The spot is owned and operated by Adam Burress, who is also known for Hammerheads, Migo, Game, and Ostra. Adam’s 14-seat dining experience features an ever-changing menu that draws from Latin coastal and equatorial flavors in a live-fire tasting format.
Nightly seatings are available at 5:30 and 8 p.m., with each course prepared and plated in front of guests at the chef’s table for an intimate, immersive dining experience.
Recent offerings have included everything from West Coast oysters with coconut and shoyu pearl to bison tartare in pani puri, and a duck confit enchilada wrapped in kimchi. Prepaid reservations of $110 per person are required in advance, and spots fill up quickly — so book early!
TRIED AND TRUE WITH SOMETHING NEW
Con Huevos
Multiple Locations
More Info: conhuevos.com
Beloved Mexican brunch spot Con Huevos has been serving favorites like tres leches pancakes for more than 10 years, but this spring brings even more to enjoy! Beginning in early March, all five of the restaurant’s Louisville locations debuted new spring specials. New offerings include the sweet berries-and-cream French toast and the savory enfrijoladas con huevos, a dish made with tortillas dipped or coated in a bean sauce and served with eggs. Wash it all down with the new strawberry cold foam matcha.
Crave Wave
Neighborhood: Shelby Park
More Info: Instagram
Food truck Crave Wave opened its permanent spot at Atrium Brewing last fall, giving brewery guests the chance to enjoy innovative pours — like Spicy Meatball, Apple Cider Donut, and Peach Melba Mama’s Boy — with tasty Crave Wave bites. The menu features appetizers like fries, wings, and dips, plus smashburgers, sandwiches, and street tacos — with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free substitutions available. Customers can check Instagram for weekly specials and new menu debuts, including one just announced on March 10.
The eatery launched nearly a dozen new offerings, including the French Onion Smash, made with Swiss cheese, grilled onions, crispy fried onions, and French onion aioli on a toasted brioche bun; and the Crave Chopped Cheese, a seasoned beef sandwich with grilled onions, American cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, and Crave Sauce on a toasted hoagie.
Still hungry? Keep scrolling for more recent restaurant openings!
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Updates from February 2026
When Louisville teases us with a stretch of “false spring,” we take that as a signal to step outside and soak up what’s happening around town. Thankfully, our dining scene offers no shortage of fun new ways to explore. From a cozy pastry shop to a trendy new dinner destination, these new restaurants offer plenty of reasons to get out and about.
Chica’s Cantina
Neighborhood: Butchertown
More Info: chicascantina.com
Now open in the space formerly occupied by Butcher Block Barbershop, Chica’s Cantina brings a bold take on modern Mexican cooking to the neighborhood. It’s the latest concept by husband-and-wife team Vikrant Multani and Christian Nava — the duo behind vegan restaurant Shahar.
“Opening Chica’s Cantina has been a labor of love,” Vikrant says. “We wanted to create a space that feels joyful, welcoming, and full of life — where great food, cocktails, and community come together in the historic Butcher Block neighborhood. We’re excited to finally open our doors and share it with Louisville.”
The menu features homemade tortillas that house everything from ribeye tacos and steak and al pastor trompo to crispy mushroom tacos, all designed for sharing.
“When I moved to Louisville from California, I couldn’t find the street-style tacos I grew up with — so I wanted to bring that energy here,” Christian explains. “And the name ‘Chica’ is personal: it’s what my little sisters have called me since they were toddlers. It felt like the perfect heart behind the restaurant.”
Bar manager Bentley Harrell offers a margarita-forward cocktail program, perfect for late-night weekend outings, as Chica’s Cantina is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The intimate taqueria seats 15 guests on the main level, with additional upstairs seating and a spacious patio slated to open this spring.
European Patisserie
Neighborhood: Hurstbourne
More Info: epatisserie.com
The space formerly occupied by Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen is now European Patisserie, a new East Louisville spot that offers sweet treats inspired by the charm of Parisian cafés and Italian bakeries. Open Tuesday through Sunday, the shop serves a range of desserts and café items, including apple strudel, poppy seed pastries, tea cakes, and sponge rolls, as well as hearty European-style breads such as rye, challah, and sourdough.
Larger celebration cakes — including honey cake, Napoleon cake, and Spartak cake — are also available by special order. Guests can relax and enjoy their pastries with coffee and espresso drinks like flat whites, cappuccinos, and lattes, or pick up a box of treats to go. Though the shop specializes in traditional pastries, select gluten-free options are also available.
Greenside
Neighborhood: Butchertown
More Info: greensidepizza.com
Greenside brings a fresh, design-forward take on New York-style pizza to East Main Street. The pizzeria, which opened on February 12, anchors a multi-million-dollar redevelopment at the corner of Main and Campbell. The modern, sit-down spot is the latest hospitality concept from Nathaniel Gravely, founder of Gravely Brewing.
“Greenside is about intention,” Nathaniel says. “From the dough to the room itself, everything is designed to feel confident but approachable — a place where people want to sit, share a pie, and stay awhile.”
Nathaniel created the menu with the help of Max Balliet of Pizza Lupo. It is guided by a dough-first philosophy, spotlighting long-fermented dough that produces thin, foldable crusts. Guests can pair one of nine 18-inch pizzas — or a build-your-own pie — with Gravely Brewing favorites, as well as exclusive brews made specifically for the pizzeria. A robust wine list and a mix of classic and signature cocktails are also available.
Mill Iron 4
Neighborhood: Clifton
More Info: milliron4.com
Named as a tribute to pitmaster Dustin Olsen’s grandfather’s cattle brand and Wyoming ranching roots, dinner destination Mill Iron 4 has opened on Frankfort Avenue in the space formerly occupied by Southern-Japanese eatery Enso.
The new concept was brought to life by the owners of award-winning North of Bourbon and features a menu by executive chef Noam Biliitzer — the James Beard Award semifinalist behind MeeshMeesh Mediterranean — with dishes that focus on sourcing whole animals from trusted ranches, practicing in-house European seam butchery, dry-aging on site, and cooking over traditional smokers.
Guests can expect large shareable plates featuring everything from dry-aged steaks to underutilized cuts, with every offering on-theme. Start your meal with a beef tallow old-fashioned, made with beef tallow wash, apricot, tobacco bitters, and blackstrap bitters, and end it with a salted soft serve, featuring a waffle cone and bone marrow magic shell.
Still hungry? Keep scrolling for more recent restaurant openings!
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Updated from January 2026
With record low temperatures, it can be difficult to peel yourself out of bed to bop around town. Fortunately for Louisvillians, there are some hot new restaurants that are reason enough to don our heaviest coats and have someone else serve us dinner. Whether you’re looking for a cozy deli or a hopping new brewery space, this latest list of new restaurants has you covered.
Derby Dogs
Neighborhood: Cherokee Triangle
More Info: derbydogs.dog
Louisvillians familiar with California-based Pink’s Hot Dogs will want to make a stop at River City’s newest hot dog spot, Derby Dogs. Husband-and-wife team Diahanna and Wayne Bui took over the Bardstown Road space formerly occupied by Joy Luck to open Derby Dogs in December.
“I lived in California,” Diahanna says, explaining her Pink’s inspiration. “They have really decked-out, wild hot dogs, and I thought, We’ve got to do that style here.” Guests can choose a jumbo, polish, or plant-based dog for one of 11 gourmet picks, all of which boast Derby-themed names.
Oft-ordered items include Maythehorsebewithu, served with chili, cheese sauce, shredded cheddar, and onions; and Wayne’s Derby Dog, a pizza dog with marinara, pepperoni, melted mozzarella, and fresh parmesan. There are burgers, sandwiches, and salads available, too — all of which can be enjoyed at home via DoorDash and Grubhub, or within the revamped space that boasts a speakeasy aesthetic blended with industrial elements and a Roaring ’20s vibe. The cocktail menu is slated to be on-theme, too, featuring 1920s-forward bevvies that align with the prohibition-era aesthetic.
Franny’s Seafood
Neighborhood: Schnitzelburg
More Info: frannysseafood.com
Louisville native Meghan Love is bringing her New England experiences to Derby City by way of Franny’s Seafood, a new Schnitzelburg spot she opened in December. Named after Meghan’s grandmother, Franny, the restaurant focuses on coastal-inspired seafood classics, with oysters being a popular pick. Head chef Spencer McMillin’s menu includes everything from pan-fried flounder and horseradish-crusted salmon to a fried fish sandwich and New England seafood chowder.
There’s also a kids’ menu featuring items like popcorn shrimp, chicken tenders, and linguine and butter. Guests can also enjoy a selection of house cocktails, mocktails, beer, and wines by the glass. Don’t miss $2.50 oysters and $5 cocktails during happy hour from Monday through Friday.
Goss Ave Deli
Neighborhood: Schnitzelburg
More Info: Instagram
Schnitzelburg has a new lunchtime go-to, and it’s serving a variety of sandwiches on fresh, locally baked rye bread. Goss Ave Deli officially opened this past New Year’s Eve at 1010 Goss Avenue, in the former home of Baked AF. The neighborhood spot comes from Chef Eric Morris, who owned Faces Bar & Bistro and most recently worked at the now-closed fried chicken restaurant, Dirty Bird.
His menu features a variety of hero, smoked-daily pastrami, and corned beef sandwich options, as well as soups, sides, and a couple of sweets. Specials — like a housemade roast beef, chopped and steeped in French onion soup, then smothered with provolone cheese and horseradish mustard — are announced on social media. The eatery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with online ordering available for pickup.
Gravely Brewing Co.
Neighborhood: Butchertown
More Info: gravelybrewing.com
Louisville’s most award-winning brewery isn’t exactly new — but its latest location is. After about eight years in its Baxter Avenue spot, the popular taproom officially moved into its new digs at 905 East Main Street in December. At about 10,000 square feet, the new space is significantly larger than the old one, providing more room for guests to spread out within the open-concept layout. Honduran fare by chef Eliana Lopez — previously offered from a food truck outside the old spot — now serves as the brewery’s permanent, indoor food option.
A native of Honduras, Eliana has been honing her culinary talent since the age of 13 and has been sharing authentic Honduran fare with Gravely patrons since September 2024. Appetizers and shareables include queso, guacamole, pico de gallo, yuca fries, and more. For those looking for a full dinner, there are also a variety of tacos, burritos, salads, and sides. There’s even a kids’ menu for the littlest guests.
Dig in, Louisville!
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Lennie Omalza
Originally from Hawaii, Lennie Omalza is a Louisville-based freelance writer of over 18 years. Lennie is a yoga-loving foodie who travels as often as she can and enjoys writing about food, homes, and weddings. You can find more of Lennie's work at Eater, Hawaii Home & Remodeling, and The Louisville Courier-Journal.