With summer now “officially” underway, we’re celebrating with a fresh batch of new Louisville restaurants, plus exciting new options available at longtime favorites. Whether you’re in the market for hearty brunch fare, fresh oysters, or a night of fine dining, Derby City’s food scene has you covered. Dig in!
Noah’s Kitchen
Neighborhood: East Louisville
More Info: eatatnoahskitchen.com
Inspired by his faith and a visit to Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Adam Ursprung opened Noah’s Kitchen, allocating 100% of profits to the restaurant’s nonprofit arm, Noah’s Movement. The elevated casual eatery serves breakfast and lunch six days a week, with dinner hours in the works.
Guests can expect to find an array of made-from-scratch offerings, including smoked salmon Benedict, French toast, corned beef hash, and chilaquiles, to name a few. The menu also features salads, pizzas, smoothies, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Noah’s Movement funds are aimed at helping to make known the love of God, fight sex trafficking and support recovery, support foster care and adoption, and fight drug and alcohol abuse and support recovery.
Retta’s
Neighborhood: Clifton
More Info: rettas.love
Retta’s ice cream has been around Louisville since last year. Flavors like bay leaf raspberry chip, toasted hay sorghum crisp, and rhubarb custard tart have been available by the pint at Full Stop, Goldie’s, and Locals Food Hub & Pizza Pub, to name a few. But on June 12, Brooklyn native and pastry chef Ben Deutsch celebrated the grand opening of his new brick-and-mortar digs on Frankfort Avenue, in the space formerly occupied by Harvey’s.
While guests can still order scoops of Ben’s unique ice cream flavors, we recommend dining in to truly enjoy a one-of-a-kind (and Instagram-worthy!) dessert like the English Pea, a pot de crème made with peas, cream, crème fraîche, white chocolate, and buttermilk, with a slice of benne seed financier hidden inside. Coffee, cocktails, and wine are available, too, as well as a selection of amaro, whiskey, rum, and brandy by the ounce.
YachtSea
Neighborhood: Butchertown
More Info: yachtseabar.com
After serving up seaside-style dishes via popups for over a year, YachtSea officially set sail on a brick-and-mortar spot in Butchertown. The brainchild of JC Denison (co-owner of The MerryWeather) and Leslee Macpherson (former director of operations of Lexington’s Holly Hill), the 1,300-square-foot bar offers nautical-themed cocktails, oysters, and a variety of hot dogs served on potato rolls.
Try the Yacht Dog (with IPA beer cheese, fried onions, gochujang ketchup, papaya mustard, and a pickle spear) or the Bratsea! (deep-fried bratwurst, kraut, pickled jalapeños, and honey-rum Dijon). There’s no shortage of classic or seafaring-themed drinks, either. You can enjoy everything from mai tais and piña coladas to daiquiri-based beverages and draft beers.
TRIED AND TRUE WITH SOMETHING NEW
Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar
City: Goshen
More Info: hermitagefarm.com
Executive Chef Oscar Bello and the Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar team recently rolled out several new summer dishes. Start with a refreshing seasonal starter like pineapple ceviche, made with corvina, pineapple juice, jicama, orange supremes, shallots, and fresnos; or watermelon gazpacho, which features mezcal-infused watermelon, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and focaccia crisp.
For dinner, try the canestri (housemade pasta, crab meat, corn purée, fresno, shallot, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, and manchego from Indiana’s Sirocco Ridge Farm) or spaghetti, featuring housemade pasta, spicy sausage from Fischer Farms in Indiana, confit tomatoes, garlic, asparagus, peas, shallot, aleppo, and burrata cream. And don’t forget dessert! Seasonal specials might include anything from pavlova to banana tres leches.
The House of Marigold
Neighborhood: Blue Ridge Manor
More Info: thehouseofmarigold.com
The House of Marigold is celebrating summer and its second anniversary with updated offerings. Guests can still order fan favorites, like the build-your-own deviled eggs, but there are lots of new items to try, too. There’s the Girl Brunch, a full meal that includes a Caesar salad, house fries, and a Diet Coke, with the option to add a glass of rosé or a Skinny Marigoldarita. And those with a sweet tooth will appreciate the Cookie Butter Crunch Waffle made with Biscoff cookie butter, vanilla whipped cream, toasted Biscoff cookie crumbs, and maple syrup.
The restaurant debuted new coffee options, cocktails, and mocktails, too!
Still hungry? Keep scrolling for even more recent restaurant openings!
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*MAY 2025 OPENINGS
From Peruvian sandwiches and pizza to French burgers and fresh sushi, Derby City’s food scene always has something new and interesting to offer. Check out these four new Louisville restaurants — plus one recently reopened gem — serving up delicious dishes.
M. Peppers
Neighborhood: Tyler Park
More Info: mpeppers.com
The team behind NuLu’s bar Vetti is now serving French fare in the space formerly occupied by Nostalgic. M. Peppers (short for Monsieur Peppers, a fond nickname for co-owner Ryan Rogers’s dog). The menu features a handful of hors d’oeuvres, soups, salads, and six entrées. These include everything from Parisian gnocchi and butter-poached salmon to steak frites and Le Burger M. Peppers — a loaded, mouthwatering option made with local beef, gruyère, caramelized onions, au poivre sauce, and garlic and sherry aioli.
There’s a kids’ menu, too, and you can look forward to sipping cocktails, mocktails, beer, or wine from the extensive list. Don’t skip dessert. The crème brûlée and chocolate mousse with salted caramel and candied hazelnuts are both great!
Perú Peruvian and Latin Cuisine
City: Middletown
More Info: instagram.com
Family-owned-and-operated Peru Peruvian and Latin Cuisine offers a variety of dishes crafted from generational recipes. Those familiar with Peruvian fare will recognize huancaina sauce, a traditional Peruvian spicy cheese sauce usually served over boiled and sliced potatoes (à la the Papa Ala Huancaina) and Sopa Criolla (Peruvian beef noodle soup).
The restaurant also offers a variety of lunch specials, available Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. These include a Cuban sandwich, Pan con Chicharron (featuring deep-fried pork), and Arroz Chaufa, Peruvian fried rice with scrambled eggs, peas, and carrots. Guests can also enjoy Wing Wednesday (with $1 wings all day), live music every weekend, and other sporadic specials announced via Instagram.
Sake a Go Go
Neighborhood: Phoenix Hill
More Info: sakeagogo.com
Kevin Grangier of Belle Noble Entertainment Group (who owns The Village Anchor, Grassa Gramma, and Le Moo) has opened Sake a Go Go in the NuLu-area space that was once home to Toast on Market. Inspired by the energy of Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles, the Japanese restaurant fuses a rock ‘n’ roll attitude with authentic Japanese flavor, promising a bold new experience unlike any other in Derby City.
The kitchen is led by Brian Emperor, who trained in Tokyo, and it offers a menu full of fresh, wild-caught seafood flown in daily. You can enjoy sashimi, sushi nigiri, makimono rolls, and more. The dinner destination also touts the largest sake selection in the area and offers a handful of unique, handcrafted cocktails made with the Japanese rice wine.
Steakhouse Bourré Bonne
Neighborhood: Downtown
More Info: bourrebonne.com
Belle Noble Entertainment Group’s Kevin Grangier is on fire. He also has a new lodging option in Downtown Louisville, Hotel Bourré Bonne. And the new hotel happens to boast the city’s latest steakhouse. Decked out in floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes and deep blue and green furniture pieces alongside aged bronze accents, the space features ample seating, a spacious bar, and an open kitchen.
The French-inspired menu promises a blend of Southern charm and bold flavor, along with Kentucky’s finest bourbons and a one-of-a-kind wine selection. Guests can expect steak, oysters, caviar, fresh seasonal salads, and more. You can also indulge in various unique sweets by pastry chef Nokee Bucayu. We’ve got our eyes on the sweet corn pudding in pavlova, made with fresh blackberries, hibiscus and blackberry compote, and marigold confetti. Yum!
TRIED AND TRUE WITH SOMETHING NEW
Segreto
Neighborhood: Shelby Park
More Info: instagram.com
Accessible only by walking through the restaurant Perso, Segreto — the Italian word for “secret” — is a speakeasy-style garden bar. The secret spot was closed for the winter, but has reopened for spring and beyond. It features ample seating amid a garden full of veggies, herbs, and edible flowers that are used in both Perso and Segreto dishes.
Several specials are now being offered, including $10 pizzas on Tuesdays, $10 Marksbury St. Louis-style ribs every Wednesday, and $5 beer, wine, and cocktails for Thirsty Thursday. The one-of-a-kind space is also home to the occasional special event. Owner Emil David hosted an all-you-can-eat s’mores event to celebrate the restaurant’s reopening, and the sweet, wood-fired treats are now available daily.
Still hungry, Louisville? Keep scrolling for even more recent restaurant openings!
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*APRIL 2025 OPENINGS
This month, the Derby City is serving up everything from one-of-a-kind Thai dishes to Japanese-Southern fusion fare. Check out these new Louisville restaurants — and a few revamped menus — that are shaking up the local dining scene!
Ensō
Neighborhood: Clifton
More Info: ensolouisville.com
After a temporary closure due to a fire this past fall, Ensō is back — and it’s bringing even more flavor to its signature Japanese-Southern fusion menu. Everything is served à la carte and comes out as it is prepared. One fun new offering is fish and spaghetti, a ramen noodle-based dish made with tomato-basil sauce and a crispy fried catfish filet.
Chef Lawrence Weeks is also rolling out other new must-tries, including hamachi crudo with yuzu marmalade and sesame oil, a rich pork tonkatsu steak topped with Japanese coleslaw and red-eye gravy, and panko rabbit skewers served with pea purée and ginger-carrot slaw. Of course, popular picks like crispy Japanese fried chicken and our favorite matcha cheesecake are still on deck. Wash it all down with a one-of-a-kind cocktail or one of five highball offerings.
Jerusalem Kitchen
Neighborhood: Shelby Park
More Info: Facebook
Jerusalem Kitchen is back after closing its Saint Rita Drive location last year. Its new digs are in Logan Street Market, in the space formerly occupied by V-Grits. Owner Sami Barghouthi still offers his same Mediterranean eats, including falafel, shawarma, and hummus, plus daily specials. He also plans to add a few new vegan options for those missing V-Grits’s plant-powered fare!
COMING (BACK) SOON: Khao Boys at Trellis Brewing
Neighborhood: Smoketown
More Info: Instagram
Writer’s Note: After an overwhelmingly successful soft launch, the team decided to take some time to regroup operations, staffing, and strategy to ensure every guest has the best experience. They plan to reopen in mid-May, with an official announcement to come on Instagram. Here’s a preview, in the meantime!
Buds, a new incubator kitchen from James Beard Award finalist Noam Bilitzer of MeeshMeesh Mediterranean, has opened inside Trellis Brewing’s Logan Street food truck. Buds is a rotating concept space where Noam’s team can test out new restaurant ideas in a flexible, low-risk setting. The first to debut is Khao Boys, a Thai-inspired concept led by MeeshMeesh Chef de Cuisine Alex Hamrick.
The menu draws from both chefs’ time in Thailand, as Noam backpacked the country and Alex studied and cooked there. Their offerings include a flavorful, gluten-free lineup that boasts extra crispy Thai-style fried chicken (or vegan cauliflower); a Southern Thai-style yellow curry with sweet potatoes and braised cabbage; and som tum, a spicy, crunchy green papaya salad. Buds will host new culinary concepts every few weeks or months, with Khao Boys expected to stick around through summer.
FAMILIAR SPOTS, NEW OFFERINGS
Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar
City: Goshen
More Info: hermitagefarm.com
Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar keeps things fresh with a handful of new seasonal dishes that join the lineup of farm-to-table favorites. Highlights include a rich Carbonara made with house-made canestri, egg, pecorino, black pepper, and Woodland Farm pork lardons; a vibrant spinach risotto featuring asparagus, peas, Parmigiano, and a kick of chili oil; and Verlasso Salmon served with strawberry mole, marble potatoes, watermelon radish, and fresh cilantro.
In addition to the new entrées, there are even more reasons to visit the Hermitage Farm restaurant midweek: a juicy bison burger is now available every Wednesday and Thursday night.
Mileta
City: Lexington
More Info: miletarestaurant.com
Mileta, a contemporary Italian-inspired restaurant in Lexington, is now adding a new reason to visit — and it’s worth the drive. The eatery recently launched a Sunday brunch service, available weekly from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It offers a menu that blends local ingredients and bold flavors. The brunch lineup features shareable small plates, handmade pastas, and seasonal entrées that spotlight the best of the Bluegrass.
Highlights include Mixed Grain Grits finished with cultured butter, sorghum syrup, and a date-pecan relish, and Eggs in Purgatory, served in a zesty Calabrian chili tomato sauce with melted fontina and piadina flatbread. For a heartier bite, go for the Crispy Fried Chicken Thighs paired with smoked onion agrodolce and a snap pea cacio e pepe salad. Those with a sweet tooth will want to try the Local Kentucky Strawberry Shortcake, topped with honey-whipped ricotta and cream over buttermilk biscuits.
The Silver Dollar
Neighborhood: Clifton
More Info: whiskeybythedrink.com
The Silver Dollar is serving up new reasons to stop by this spring, starting with its Sunday Supper Club. Every Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., guests can enjoy a $40 prix-fixe menu that includes a choice of soup or salad, entrée, and dessert. For those who enjoy a well-paired pour, optional spirit pairings are available for an additional $30. It’s the perfect excuse to wind down the weekend with great food, drinks, and company.
For weekend cravings earlier in the day, the Slim Pickins’ menu now runs every Saturday and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Ideal for a late lunch or early dinner, the selections include comfort classics including chili, chicken and waffles, the Silver Dollar’s crave-worthy Fried Chicken Sandwich, burgers, and more.
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