The Best BBQ Spots in Louisville, KY
Louisville is a city for clearing plates! We all know that Louisville is famous around the world for its authentic BBQ. The big question comes down to which restaurants offer smooth Kentucky notes for flavor, boldness, sweetness, and sizzle. That’s why we did a deep dive on the best places for BBQ in Derby City. Here’s a list of the eight best BBQ spots in Louisville, KY.
Feast BBQ
909 East Market Street (Suite 100), Louisville, KY
(502) 749-9900
Did somebody say bourbon slushies? That’s just one of the many treats on Feast BBQ’s amazing roster of rotating drinks! Of course, BBQ is Feast’s true passion. Enjoy a rustic setting offering plate after plate of pulled pork, brisket, smoked sausage, and more. Feast is also one of the best spots for gluten-free BBQ in Louisville. While we loved our meat plates, the experience was made even better by choosing loaded tots, pork cakes, and smoked wings as appetizers. Don’t skip the chocolate bread pudding sticks after dinner!
Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse
401 East Main Street, Louisville, KY
(502) 515-0174
There isn’t a better place for BBQ and brews in Louisville. Against the Grain makes its bones with a wide selection of craft ales and lagers. The smokehouse portion of this great eatery offers mouthwatering pit-smoked meats. The only hard part about eating here is deciding between spare ribs, brisket, chopped pork, pulled chicken, and turkey. There’s also a “pit experience” option that’s perfect for getting variety when feeding four to five people. During our visit, we fell in love with the brisket baked beans, truffle fries, and creamy coleslaw from the side menu. The wings with dry rub were also very appreciated at our table!
Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar
127 West Main Street, Louisville, KY
(502) 587-1626
Doc Crow’s merges Southern culinary traditions with modern BBQ for a magical experience. It’s impossible to talk about this eatery without mentioning its impressive collection of wines and spirits. Named after Dr. James C. Crow, Doc Crow’s was founded to pay homage to the “father of bourbon.” We were overwhelmed by the size of the menu after being seated. Oysters, crab cakes, and shrimp dominate the appetizer menu. Once the appetizers were settled, it was time to choose between sandwiches, smoker meals, and a variety of Southern specials. Our table ultimately picked the fried pork loin, sautéed salmon, and half rack of baby back ribs. Be sure to end your meal with the Derby pie, a Louisville tradition. This pie combines a chocolate-and-walnut base with a bourbon-chocolate drizzle that’s topped with whipped cream.
Mark’s Feed Store
1514 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY
(502) 458-1570
Mark’s was the perfect place to end up on our search for classic Louisville BBQ. This casual joint offers separate lunch and dinner menus. Guests can choose from rib dinners, combo rib dinners, sandwiches, burgers, chicken, fish, salads, and “lite” dinners. Something you’ll love here is the lemon pepper fish dinner with sweet fried corn on the cob, baked beans, and cornbread! Our table was practically singing as we all split a plate of Mark’s famous honey wings. The great prices, abundant servings, and laid-back attitude make this a winning spot!
Back Deck BBQ
801 West Kenwood Drive, Louisville, KY
(502) 705-7662
The menu at Back Deck BBQ is the definition of comfort food. Our table decided to split a few plates in order to be able to taste the ribs, pulled pork, and smoked ribs. While we knew right away that the meat would be incredible based on the smells wafting all around us, we were not prepared for how delicious the sides would be. The smoky beans, coleslaw, smoked corn on the cob, and smoked mac and cheese all stand on their own alongside world-class meats!
River Road BBQ
3017 River Road, Louisville, KY
(502) 592-7065
Nested near the Ohio River, this little BBQ joint offers some of the best dry rub in Kentucky. The River Road BBQ menu features fire-smoked BBQ sandwiches served with house BBQ sauce. Pulled pork, brisket, pork spare ribs, and chopped chicken are served by the pound. The hit at our table ended up being the Texas Plate that combines pulled pork, beef brisket, chopped chicken, spare ribs, sausage links, and two sides.
Red Hog Restaurant
2622 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY
(502) 890-6976
Red Hog Restaurant’s premise is that guests get to enjoy hearty food that’s been cooked around a live fire. We consider this to be the “fanciest” place for BBQ in Louisville. The pleasant surprise to this restaurant is that the menu isn’t only about meats. There’s a tasty woodfired pizza featuring saucisson de Paris, rosemary, garlic, Gruyere, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Other menu highlights include the smoked half chicken, dry-aged cheeseburger, and wood-fired branzino with country ham. The thing that really makes Red Hog Restaurant stand out is its best-in-class bar menu. We were dazzled by extensive wine and beer lists. In addition, Red Hog offers dozens of mixed drinks made with bourbon, rum, American whiskey, vodka, tequila, gin, and rye.
City Barbeque
9429 Viking Center Drive, Louisville, KY
(502) 996-8003
City Barbeque is a great spot when the goal is to get good BBQ fairly quickly. During a recent visit, a plate of brisket, pulled pork, baked beans, and cornbread more than hit the spot! The meats were moist, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The pro tip is to make your meal special by rounding it out with sweet tea, corn casserole, and a slice of banana cream pie.
For more recommendations on where to eat and drink in the city, check out our Louisville page, here!
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