Worth the Drive: 11 Kentucky restaurants outside Louisville worthy of a road trip
While you can’t go wrong with many of the Louisville area restaurants, sometimes it’s fun to seek out a culinary adventure. Fortunately, there are plenty of impressive restaurants across the commonwealth.
If you have out-of-state family or friends coming to visit, consider some of these restaurants outside of Louisville city limits to give them the full Kentucky experience.
Barn8 on Hermitage Farm
Address: 10500 W. Highway 42 in Goshen
Distance from Louisville: Around 20 miles or a half-hour drive
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday to Saturday from 5-10 p.m.; Sunday from 4-9 p.m.
Located on a 683-acre working horse farm, Hermitage Farm, Barn8 can be found within a refurbished barn, which was repurposed to create a unique and authentic dining experience. The space features individual dining areas, an open chef’s kitchen, long communal farmhouse tables, unique artwork and a collection of rare bourbons.
The restaurant is known for its farm-to-table dining style, with most produce grown on the farm or locally sourced.
Found in Goshen, about 40 minutes from Louisville, Barn8 made USA Today’s Restaurants of the Year 2024 list earlier this year. "It’s uplifting personally, and for the city and region, anytime a local entity is recognized on the national scale, be it a restaurant, a hotel, or a bookstore," owner Steve Wilson told The Courier Journal. "Laura Lee and I are grateful for the chef, the gardeners, the farmers and suppliers of local food, and the entire staff that help run Barn8 and its host, Hermitage Farm. All are assets to our community."
Ramsey’s Diners
Address: Multiple locations in Lexington
Distance from Louisville: Varies by location selected but around 65-75 miles from Louisville, or about an hour and 15 minutes
Restaurant Hours: Monday to Friday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Rob Ramsey opened his first Ramsey’s Diner location in 1989 at the corner of Woodland and High streets in Lexington, which eventually grew into four shop locations, according to Ramsey’s Diners. The original location, which closed in January 2014, was replaced with the more spacious address on West Zandale Drive.
The menu includes a range of items to choose from, including burgers, sandwiches, salads, breakfast foods and more. Popular at the diner is a “meat & three” meal, with the customer’s choice of meat — including chicken, steak, pot roast to catfish — and any three sides.
Ramsey also owns Missy’s, a delicious pie shop, located near the original location at 502 East High St.
According to the diner’s website, Ramsey’s is dedicated to both high-quality food and high-quality service.
“Ramsey’s serves only the highest quality food using fresh vegetables, premium grade fresh meats, butter and whole cream in all his recipes. The prices allow people to eat at the restaurants several times a week,” according to the website. “The Ramsey’s team is committed to equaling the quality of our food with the quality of our service. If you ever feel we have failed to achieve this goal, please tell us. We will either make it right or pick up your bill.”
Ramsey’s Diners are at the following locations:
Ramsey’s Zandale: 151 West Zandale Drive in Lexington
Ramsey’s Andover: 3090 Helmsdale Drive in Lexington
Ramsey’s Harrodsburg Road: 4391 Harrodsburg Road in Lexington
Ramsey’s Masterson Station: 112 Lucille Drive in Lexington
440 Main
Address: 440 E. Main Ave. in Bowling Green
Distance from Louisville: About 115 miles, or close to two hours
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday to Thursday from 4-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 4-10 p.m.
440 Main welcomes visitors to a “world where every night is an ode to the South’s culinary spirit,” according to the website. The location, with one side designated as a bar area and the other for luxurious dinners, has a lengthy drink and food menu. The food menu includes a range of appetizers, steak dinners, and seafood dishes, such as jambalaya, crab cakes and bourbon salmon. For drinks, customers can choose from a selection of cocktails and wines.
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Romero’s
Address: 2 E. Main St. in Mount Sterling
Distance from Louisville: About 110 miles, or an hour and 45 minutes
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday to Thursday from 4-11 p.m. Friday from 5-11 p.m. Saturday from 3-10 p.m.
Romero’s, a family-owned restaurant dedicated to “fresh, organic, chef-prepared meals with the finest ingredients,” is located in Mount Sterling, about an hour and 45 minutes from Louisville.
According to the website, the menu primarily has salads, pastas and handhelds. “We offer an intimate, revolving menu with items that eventually earn a permanent home & off-menu items that we keep around for regular guests who have a favorite from one of our previous menus.”
Pig In A Poke
Address: 130 Mayo Circle in Pikeville
Distance from Louisville: Around 215 miles away, or three and a half hours
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 2-8 p.m.
According to Facebook, Pig in A Poke Pikeville is known for “serving up some of the best BBQ in east Kentucky.” The family-friendly restaurant offers a range of appetizers, taters, tacos, sandwiches, sliders and entrees with meats such as ribs, brisket, chicken and pork, according to the menu. The cocktail menu varies by season, one for fall and winter and the other for spring and summer.
Spark Community Café
Address: 175 N. Main St. in Versailles
Distance from Louisville: About 65 miles, or an hour drive
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Spark Community Café is a farm-to-table restaurant dedicated to feeding food-insecure populations in Woodford and Fayette counties. According to their website, 20% of every meal purchased at the café goes towards a meal for those in need. Customers can also purchase tokens, which those in need can use to purchase coffee, soups or a full meal. The café also relies on volunteers to pick up shifts, who’ve contributed over 20,000 hours of volunteer time thus far.
The café has both a regular menu and a brunch menu, with brunch only offered on Sundays. On the regular menu are items such as salads, burgers, chicken wraps, sandwiches, soups and more.
According to the website, the organization has served over 65,000 meals to the food insecure throughout Central Kentucky since its opening in March 2019. Customers and businesses have also donated over $500,000 to support the efforts.
“The goal of Spark Community Café is to provide great food with dignity for all of our patrons in a community space that educates, entertains, and accepts all who walk through our doors.”
Isaiah Screetch, chef at Spark Community Café, was also named a 2023 semi-finalist for best chef in the Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, one of twenty to receive the title and one of two from Kentucky to receive the award.
Flamingo Row
Address: 2640 Perkins Creek Drive in Paducah
Distance from Louisville: Around 220 miles from Louisville, or three and a half hours
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Flamingo Row offers a selection of appetizers, burgers, tacos, sandwiches, seafood dishes, portions of pasta and more, according to the website. “From amazing food to refreshing cocktails, Flamingo Row will have your head swimming with unique Caribbean flare. It’s simple, really. We serve the flavors you crave in an atmosphere that’s as cool as an island breeze.”
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The Mixer
Address: 114 E. 6th St. in Hopkinsville
Distance from Louisville: About 170 miles from Louisville, or close to three hours
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30-9 p.m.; Friday from 4:30-10 p.m.; Saturday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:30-10 p.m.
The Mixer, owned by married couple Graham and Heather Dawson, is located in historic downtown Hopkinsville at the former site of Young Hardware, which was built in 1898 and closed in 2017.
What was originally supposed to be a bakery grew into a dynamic dining experience for any time of the day. “From fresh pastries baked in-house and coffee sourced from small independent roasters to bistro-style lunch offerings, a well-balanced craft cocktail menu, and an elevated dinner menu fit for a big city, you’ll find artisanship in everything we offer at The Mixer.”
Montana Grille
Address: 1740 Scottsville Road in Bowling Green
Distance from Louisville: About 115 miles from Louisville, or two hours
Restaurant Hours: Monday to Thursday from 4-9 p.m.; Friday from 4-10 p.m.; Saturday from 3-10 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“Our restaurant is warm and inviting from the hand-hewn logs to the stone wood-burning fireplaces. Cast iron and copper highlights our dining area including the rotisserie and cooking areas, which are in full view.”
Menu items vary from fire-roasted specialty items to prime ribs and steaks to fresh seafood and don’t forget about the famous “firebread,” a jalapeno cornbread topped with butter in a cast iron skillet.
Holly Hill Inn
Address: 426 N. Winter St. in Midway
Distance from Louisville: About 65 miles, or an hour's drive
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday to Saturday from 6-9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Holly Hill Inn, owned by Ouita Michel, a James Beard Foundation nominee on multiple occasions, and her husband Chris Michel, was opened in 2001. Originally built in 1845 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the location has been in operation as a restaurant since 1979.
“At Holly Hill Inn, we’re known for our imaginative menus, award-winning wine list, and 100+ bourbon library,” according to the website. “Our philosophy is simple: good food prepared with the freshest ingredients available, and served by a knowledgeable and caring staff. We are dedicated to preserving local agriculture, and use as much locally grown meat and produce as we can. Many of the herbs and vegetables on our menu are grown in our Holly Hill Inn gardens.”
The Wood Shed Bar-B-Q & Restaurant
Address: 1821 W. 7th St. in Hopkinsville
Distance from Louisville: About 185 miles away, or three hours
Restaurant Hours: Closed on Sunday. Monday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Wood Shed was originally opened in March of 1984 by Jr. and Wilda Mathis before being passed down to their two sons, Phil and Mike Mathis in 1995. Now third-generation owned, Jeremy and Jarred Mathis hope to carry out their grandparents’ vision for the space.
For generations, Wood Shed has served delicious barbecue plates, burgers, sandwiches and sides at a fair price. “We appreciate the loyalty of our customers for over 35 years and hope we can continue to be successful for years to come,” according to the website.
Former Courier Journal reporter Dahlia Ghabour contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky restaurants: 11 eateries to visit in Spring 2024
