Again, what a marvelous place to enjoy your bourbon drink in a very relaxed environment. 2024 was…read morethe last time we were here and it felt just as welcoming then as it did now in 2026. The wealth of knowledge with both Austin, our Bartender and Dave, Owner, is amazing. Thanks to them, we walked out of there quite happy with our tastings. With the huge selection of Bourbon, right in front of us, we were able to ask questions about any bottle we spotted on the shelf. We gained a lot more information about Bourbon. THANK YOU Austin & Dave !!! Yes, we will stop here EVERY TIME we travel to Frankfort, KY. Hoping it won't be another 2 yrs.

We pulled up to Benson Valley only to find it closed, so we decided to give HOC a try instead --…read morebest detour ever! This place was absolutely amazing! From the moment we walked in, the vibe was warm and welcoming. The staff provided great whiskey conversation and shared so much interesting history about the community and the distillery. It really made the tasting feel personal and special. We had the opportunity to sample an incredible lineup: * Weller 12 * Rip Van Winkle 10yr * Castle & Key Rye * Peerless Double Oak * Benson Valley Bourbon Every pour was smooth, flavorful, and clearly high quality. The pours were generous and the explanations for each one added so much depth. If you're into whiskey (or just good conversation and local history), HOC is a must-stop. We left smiling and already planning our next visit. Highly recommend! Thanks again to the team at HOC -- you turned a closed door into one of the highlights of our road trip!

This is a great spot for a well made cocktail or a beer. The staff are friendly, as are the…read morecustomers. We really enjoy the gospel hour, too. Would recommend.

Great downtown hangout. Cold beer great service. Hot bartenders not you Sam. Golf simulator…read moreupstairs. Come down and hang out.

Great spot! Everything is new and fresh, comfortable seats and barstools, nice TVS throughout,…read moregood sound system, friendly service and locals. Very cool!

I went to see Brian Glover play live music, since have heard him at open mics. The bar service was…read moregood, got 2 beers and 2 waters. A Mexican food truck was outside, which they had wings as well. I got tamales and took inside. The atmosphere is nice and laid back being a lounge. The chairs were def more comfortable than in a bar. A little drive from Lex, worth it though!

From the moment we walked in just an amazing experience. We were part of a surprise party of 6 and…read morethe staff knew it. They created our birthday girl as a reservation for 2 instead of 6 and helped us surprise her at the table. The lighting is a bit dark but that helped the surprise. The manager brought out a sparkling wine and the chef sent out an amuse bouche. The pimento spread was so good we took a pint home for $20 (shhh secret). Our waitress Mo was professional a helpful with meal suggestions and separating some mushrooms for me. The shrimp appetizer is delicious and had 9 shrimp. The corn fitters come in 4 and Mo added 2. They were okay but I'd try something different in the future. The whole large kernels were odd in a light fritter. Our meals were fantastic. Everyone raved about bites of the filet and the chicken dish. The bolognese is a staple in the menu and was almost the perfect bite, perhaps a bit more meat in the sauce but the pasta was perfect. I had the wild boar and goat cheese polenta. The polenta didn't have a strong goatyness to it but was creamy, I ate it all. The boar was done to just short of falling off the bone. I used a piece of the grilled bread from my friends pasta to finish the meal. The wine list is short but complex. We had the Rioja red, so dry and smelled of old leather, but was a perfect wine to cut through the richness of the dishes. Our seat had a great view of the whiskey wall (almost every seat does) and it was a conversation piece the whole evening. Oh, forgot to mention the manhattan can be made into a black manhattan- outstanding. Best I've had in a restaurant. We are already making plans for our parties next birthday in July and will be asking for Mo. she was there at every turn throughout the meal. Pleasant and there to help at any point. The manager checked on us two times. WHP does fine dining so well. I haven't had such a wonderful evening for everyone in quite some time. We will be back and highly recommend. Will be sending out an executive's here when they are looking for L'ville dining. Well done. Sorry no pics, the room is dark and the ones I took don't do the meal justice.

Ambiance 4.5/5: Very nice design with beautiful bar and huge bourbon selection…read more Service 4.5/5: Our server was great. Polite with good timing. Food 2.5/5: This obviously carries the most weight. The menu itself is excellent and the descriptions and components of each dish sound perfect. The execution was way off! Literally everything was far too salty and we ordered things that should not be salty... diver scallops and black cod. These are delicate proteins that don't need much help. Why oh why over-salt these?! Oddly the cook on both was very good but the seasoning ruined both dishes. Drinks 4.5/5: We had 3 different cocktails all of which were excellent.

Friday night = cocktails at my house. To my horror, I saw the empty bottle of bitters in my liquor…read morecabinet! I made the drive to Happy Hour Liquor to check it out and give an entrepreneur my business. Ondie was a great help. He asked which drink I was planning to make, and naturally I had my two-page list on hand. Together we searched the web to determine the best pick. We have something in common since we've both recently moved back to Lexington, and we agree that it rocks. Then he gave me a sneak peek of their future bourbon bar. I'm first in line when it opens! You'll find Ondie behind the bar. He made me promise to bring my list so we can concoct some libations. My new friend! Here's a tip: if you're looking for an alternative route to Nicholasville Road, take the Harrodsburg to Keene Road connection. Such a beautiful drive past a couple of horse farms.

The bourbon assortment is off the charts as is the service. Into single barrels but a little…read morehesitant to try a new one- free sample tastes of any single barrel they have in store, I've never seen that before Excellent experience and overly knowledgeable staff!

This shop is defiantly awesome-special. It was just a short walk from our [Galt] Hotel and we came…read morehere for breakfast prior to our daily visit to museums, etc... When we came here we did not realize that Proof on Main is a not only a wonderful restaurant/bar but also a 24/7 free museum. You can order drinks and then walk through the exhibits. We just opted to eat breakfast first. As soon as you enter, you are standing in a colorful and fun art museum. The walls are adorned with many different types of art from living artists. The staff also encourages you to walk through the dining room and if able they will walk along as your own private docent, explaining a lot of what you see. We had to pause the dining room and bar exhibit tour for a short time to have breakfast which included: - BREAKFAST SANDWICH - Scratch Biscuit, House Sausage, - FRENCH TOAST - Ricotta, Strawberry, Pistachio - BISCUITS & GRAVY - House Sausage Gravy, Sunny Eggs, Chili Crisp Scrambled Eggs, Melty Cheese, Hash-brown - STEEL CUT OATMEAL - Spiced Apple Butter, Apples, Candied Walnuts I will not go items by item but I will say that everything was so perfect-tasty-fresh. The portions are very robust here and I am sure no one goes aways hungry. They have a lot of unique twists on items as you can see by the menu we had. After breakfast, we resumed our tour of the main floor then the basement. It's hard to describe just how large the viewing area is and all spots within the area are used for some kind of art display... Even the bathroom. Everything is so unique and I tried to capture a fair amount of it in photographs and information about the piece as well. This too should be a must visit if your in the Louisville area. Set aside an hour or two to stop in and relax with some great food and art. KUDOs to the team at Proof on Main.

Service was great, very cool atmosphere. The food was horrible. Ordered the amuse bouche the…read moreoctopus t he pork c hop and a foccacia bread the foccacia 2as burnt yhe first octopus was extremely small and so chewy that it would have been easier to eat bubblegum. The second one they brought out smelled like sewage. I said id pay for it but dont bring anymore. The pork chop was very good tasting but super thin. Ive eaten all over the world, gor $42 im not saying it should be massive, but not like this. Needless to say I dont think id come here for anything other then a drink at yhe bar

For my last night in Louisville, I just happened to accidentally stumble upon this place on the way…read moreback to my hotel. Hipster speakeasy vibe is written all over the spot. I appreciated the amount of space, and there were even a few tables outside. Bar seating, table seating, couch seating... I think I peeped a small room in the back too... all the options! When I was there, it was mostly empty, but people did come in and out. It was easy to tell who the visitors and regulars were haha. I enjoyed just hanging out, people watching, and chatting with the friendly bartenders. They have cocktails and mocktails in abundance... there's literally something for everyone. And they even had these chocolate shot glasses. So cool! All in all, the place just seems like a perfect neighborhood bar. They don't have food, but there's plenty of options around to bring in there. Music was great too!

Pulled up to this swanky spot around the corner from our Airbnb to get the night started. The…read moreladies behind the bar had great energy and took our orders as soon as we were ready. The originally cocktail I ordered didn't satisfy me like I'd hope and the ladies were kind enough to make me something different, so I opted with my favorite - a spicy margarita with mezcal a few extra dashes of hot sauce! I was very satisfied with that one and would probably come back again next time we're in town!

So good! So good! The hot fried chicken with hot honey sauce was just fantastic! Every bit was…read moreflavorful and left me wanting more. The Mac and cheese was also delicious! I'd skip the slaw next time, not bad, but would try something else. The warm cookie to finish the night was epic! Baked fresh and did not disappoint. The only downside was when I realized I left my hat there the next morning Dinner was served very quickly! The waitress was friendly and attentive (I forget her name).

Merle's is one of those restaurants where I didn't expect much from it, but nevertheless, it…read moreexceeded my expectations. It's way better than it needs to be! It could just be mediocre pub food, but the food here is very, very good. I don't know why, but when I'm in the south, I get the hankering for a deviled egg. So we started with the deviled eggs (Los Huevos El Diablo), which, despite the name, were not super spicy. They had just the right amount of spice. One thing to know about me is: If I see a patty melt on the menu, I will order that. So I got the Merle's Melt, which is a burger patty with cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, plus bacon and special sauce on buttered toast. It was sublimely tasty! It comes with house-made chips, which were good. They also offer tacos on the menu. One of my children got one steak taco and one chicken taco. The tacos are topped with tomato, lettuce and cojita cheese. I was told that these were very good! My kid eats like a bird, but ate one and a half tacos, so that must say something, right? The Lip Smack'n Mac & Cheese was also ordered, as well as the fried chicken, because the menu says that the fried chicken is award-winning, so how could we not? The fried chicken was super crispy and tasty, and the mac and cheese was creamy and made with large shells, which is the best kind of pasta to use for mac and cheese (in my opinion). The service was great, the lighting was great, and we were seated quickly, even though they seemed busy. It was a good place to have a family dinner in Louisville.

Great speakeasy. Nice for date night. Can be busy on weekends…read more Calling card no. 2 $20- nice large ice chunk. Like an old fashion base. Speckled moon $18- so so good nice and sweet. Angel envy pecan pie $9- pretty good. Nice shape, good to share.

This is a gorgeous speakeasy nestled in Whiskey Alley in Louisville. It's a treat for the eyes as…read moreyou round the corner into the bar area. They have a wonderful selection of cocktails, which are nicely grouped depending on how liquor forward you prefer your drinks to be. We only sampled four drinks between the two of us but all were expertly crafted and delightful. The bartenders were so welcoming and willing to engage that you immediately felt at home. I'd love to make another stop here some time. Reservations are definitely recommended.

I visited this morning for a pop-up barre class. The private space upstairs is fantastic and…read morerentable for events. The Rick Room had plenty of space for all of us attending to spread out on mats and complete a challenging workout. It was a beautiful space with brick walls, hardwood floors, and windows. I could see it being a fantastic space for some fancier events too. Off of the main room was a lounge area with huge couches. It was nice chatting with a few other attendees here after the workout. After class, we had a couple of cocktail options (option for N/A too) and light bites. Light bites were tasty! I tried the champagne cocktail, ooooh it was strong, but really tasty. It would be a perfect drink at dinner time! The owner and bartender were both really kind. This was a fantastic pop-up event and a great glimpse at Bourbons Bistro. Thanks for inviting us into the space :)

We were thankful to score a last minute reservation for a table of 8 on this busy Kentucky Derby…read moreweekend. We were seated immediately on their enclosed back porch with a beautiful roaring fire in their corner fireplace. Lovely! Our server was efficient, drinks and complimentary bread and butter were served quickly. Their small, one basket serving of bread and dabby do of butter was not enough for our table, but they honored our request for more. My Caesar Salad was crispy fresh and hit the spot. I ordered the appetizer Spicy Fried Oysters served over grits as my entree. The 6-7 oysters were fried perfectly crispy, not too spicy, and the creamy parmesan grits were a nice accompaniment. This appetizer really was the right entree portion for me.