8UP is a restaurant and bar offering one of the best rooftop views, paired with a unique dining and drinking experience which will satisfy your palate. Being located just a few blocks away from The Mercury Ballroom and the Louisville Palace Theater, this is a good place to visit either before or after a concert. The seasonal contemporary menu is coupled with a creative cocktail list and promises a dining experience to remember. Savor dishes like the duck confit with pinenuts and sherry vinaigrette; mussels steamed in beer with bourbon butter and green chilies; and flounder with fennel, watercress, and hazelnuts while soaking in views of the Ohio river through the all-glass walls.
Housed in a former garage, The Garage Bar is one of the most popular eateries and bars in the NuLu neighborhood or East Market District of Louisville. The place is always thumping with excitement and the two crashed cars at the entrance is a cool, gimmick that belies what the bar is all about. Their wood-fired oven pizzas are phenomenal and every single one of them uses local, farm fresh ingredients. Just check the menu, it has the local farmers and purveyors listed behind the products in your dish.
Beer nerds take note: The Nachbar is the place to be for beer selection in Louisville. There's a hefty menu of Belgians, Germans, other imports, and the best of the American microbreweries. There are lots of bottles and plenty of cascading hops out of the taps too. The walls are made of exposed brick, there's billiards and a backyard and a full bar in case beer isn't your first choice. A popular summer venue, the patio is a great place to mingle over drinks in fine weather. Open till late, this hidden gem is a Germantown favorite for those in the know.
Four Pegs bills itself as a "Beer Lounge and Social Eatery." It aptly fits the bill because the friendly and knowledgeable staff treat guests to a smorgasbord of great beer and hearty grub that sticks to the ribs. The beer selection is carefully curated and has choices from some of the best regions in the world, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, and much more. Almost every night, there is some kind of special, wings on Tuesdays, pints on Wednesdays and Trivia Sundays are always a blast.
Located on Frankfort Avenue, the Silver Dollar is a bar that probably serves the most diverse range of whiskeys in town. The bar is also known for their bourbon-heavy drinks as well as their delectable southern fare. The staff is friendly and attentive to your needs, and the retro ambiance transports you to the early 1950s. Behind the bar, there lies a virtually unending list of bourbon varieties that are used to keep the bar well-stocked with its most popular element. The kitchen serves comfort food like fried dill pickles, barbecue pork sandwiches, double cheeseburgers, and fried oysters.