Restaurants in Louisville

Patticakes' menu features sweet and savory flavors and more than 30 different panini sandwiches. The egg-, ham-, onion-, and pepper-stuffed Western Scrambler panini ($4.95) and the sweeter apple-pie panini ($4.50) satisfy bready cravings, and fast-breaking specialties, such as the vanilla-infused cinnamon-bread Sunnyside french toast ($4.49) with a side order of Patticakes' fresh-baked cinnamon rolls ($1.99), make traditional meal lovers smile. Herbivores and herbivoyeurs can dive fork-first into various salads, such as the corn and avocado salad, which is rich with spinach, turkey, bacon, and veggies and is drizzled with a honey-gorgonzola vinaigrette ($5.99, whole). If a full meal isn't on your to-do list, the cozy café—with its candy-colored pastel walls and dog-friendly atmosphere—is a welcoming place to pop in for an impromptu slice of Patticakes’ homemade pie, whose selection rotates daily.

Though Ahoy!! caters to a fish-loving crowd, you can kick off the feast with an order of fried green tomatoes ($4.50), sliced, cornmeal-flecked, fried until golden, and served year round. Seameat fans will squeal with delight for the cod priced according to size and number of sides. Try a medium order with your choice of one side, such as green beans or crinkle-cut fries ($6.99). Other aquatic eats include fried clams, tilapia, and grilled salmon. Specials include a bluegill sandwich ($6.50) and special tacos ($6.99). Stop in for live serenades, and support local artists who may or may not only play music about local weather, local hairstyles, and local underground cities.

A finalist for Best Sushi according to a 2012 City Voter poll, Osaka Sushi & Japanese Cuisine fills their menu with one-of-a-kind combinations. Their chefs roll out more than 50 types of maki, from basic unagi rolls to elaborate specialty rolls, such as the eponymous Osaka roll filled with spicy crab, fried shrimp, and avocado then topped with steamed shrimp and mozzarella, all served on a flaming dish. Nigiri and sashimi present fresh flavors without a protective wall of rice. The aloha roll trades savory flavors for sweets with a core of deep-fried ice cream hidden beneath strawberries and mangoes.

Chef Ramiro Gandaras literally attached his name to Ramiro’s Cantina, and he figuratively posts his family recipes all over the walls of his restaurant's kitchen. Referencing these recipes, his team dishes up a string of Mexican cuisine staples, such as burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, alongside a few Tex-Mex hybrids, such as guacamole burgers, enchilada casseroles, and homemade chili. In the cantina—which is Spanish for “proof that gravity exists”—bartenders pour tequila into margaritas and draft beer into tall glasses.

At Zen Garden, many of the Asian dishes sound familiar, with adjectives like "orange," "sweet ‘n’ sour," and "kung pao." However, rather than tossing chicken or beef in with these classic flavors, the kitchen has adopted a meat-free credo. Chefs mix masterfully seasoned bites of tofu and other meat alternatives with fresh veggies, creating entrees such as green beans stir-fried with mock duck and the barbecued-soy sandwich. Noodles tangle around shiitake mushrooms in both the udon-noodle soup and the shiitake mushroom lo mein, and curry sauce imbues eggplant and shredded tofu with a spicy kick. Guests can pair their meal with a cup of green tea, prepped hot, iced, or in its purest form: emeralds that have not yet been juiced.

Dedicated to combining the pleasures of tea and "good, wholesome food," according to co-owner Karter Louis in the Louisville Eccentric Observer, Hillbilly Tea invites patrons to sip at organic whole leaf teas and feast on mountain-inspired fare made from locally sourced ingredients. Like in a lavish dollhouse sauna, steam rises from mugs filled with black, green, herbal, and rare teas, from the sweet, full-bodied Swamp Tea to the aromatic Darling. Ingredients from local enterprises such as Duncan Farms and Stone Cross Farms combine for contemporary fare based on traditional Appalachian recipes, and vegetarian options such as barbecue tofu burgers slay hunger more effectively than a medieval knight in a chain-mail apron. Praised for its "old-fashioned country cooking" by the Courier Journal, Hillbilly Tea complements its brunch, lunch, and dinner dishes with savory additions such as chai butter and tomato jam.