Our picks · Updated October 4, 2026

The 8 Best Restaurants in The Highlands

Our list, our call. This is 502 Restaurants’ own recommendation — where we’d send a friend for this food in Louisville right now, from our own eating and research. It isn’t a sponsored or “official” ranking.
Reviewed monthly: the order can change month to month based on the food, what’s new in town, our own visits, and your thumbs up/down votes below (logged and shown live).
One honest note: our parent company has marketing relationships with a few Louisville restaurants that may appear on our lists — that never buys a spot, and it’s never for sale. These are simply our genuine picks.
Cipollini

1

Cipollini
1606 Bardstown Rd · Louisville
Dallas McGarity’s newer Bardstown Road room, in the old LouVino space.

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M. Peppers

2

M. Peppers
1306 Bardstown Rd · Louisville
At Bardstown and Rosewood. Ask about the Wednesday Triple Crown.

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Jack Fry's

3

Jack Fry’s
1007 Bardstown Rd · Louisville
Open since 1933 and still the room you book for the big night.

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The Fat Lamb

4

The Fat Lamb
2011 Grinstead Dr · Louisville
Just off the main drag on Grinstead, from the same chef as Cipollini.

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Seviche

5

Seviche
1538 Bardstown Rd · Louisville
Latin cooking that has held its corner of Bardstown Road for years.

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Holy Grale

6

Holy Grale
1034 Bardstown Rd · Louisville
Beer and evening food in the old church. Same family as Gralehaus, one block over.

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Gralehaus

7

Gralehaus
1001 Baxter Ave · Louisville
The morning half of the Grale family, 9 to 2 on Baxter. Separate room, separate menu.

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Uptown Cafe

8

Uptown Cafe
1624 Bardstown Rd · Louisville
A Bardstown Road fixture for 35 years, brought back under new owners in 2021.

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Questions about this list

How does 502 Restaurants choose the best the Highlands restaurants in Louisville?
This is our own editorial recommendation — where we’d send a friend right now, from our own visits and research. It isn’t a sponsored or paid ranking.

How often is this list updated?
We review it monthly, and the order can change based on the food, new openings, our visits, and reader votes.

Do the thumbs up/down votes change the order?
We read them — votes are logged and shown live — but the final call stays editorial: ours.

Does a restaurant pay to be on this list?
No, never for sale. Our parent company has marketing relationships with a few Louisville restaurants that may appear on our lists, but that never buys a spot — these are our genuine picks.

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Hey, I'm Lou! I've read way too many Louisville reviews so you don't have to. Ask me for a cuisine's top pick, what's on this weekend, or what's about to open — if I haven't covered it, I'll tell you straight (and probably plug the newsletter). Got a tip, a correction, or an idea instead? Hand it over, I'm always taking notes.
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