Butchertown

Louisville's original meatpacking district

One of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods, Butchertown, just east of downtown, was the city’s original meatpacking district with butcher shops dominating the area in the 1800s. These days, though one large meatpacker still anchors the area, Butchertown is in the middle of a renaissance, with an influx of tasty restaurants, chic boutiques, the city’s only brandy distillery, and a state-of-the-art stadium.

Butchertown Restaurants

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Eat & Drink

Start your morning at Butchertown Grocery Bakery, a European-style bakery where the bread and pastries are made fresh daily, or the café at Haymarket, which offers coffee, cold-pressed juices, smoothies, breakfast items, and sandwiches.

For a locally sourced meal with a unique twist, try Naïve Latin-Inspired Kitchen + Bar or Decade for New American cuisine with Italian and French influences. For handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and craft cocktails, there’s Pizza Lupo. YachtSea is famous for what locals call the best piña colada in town. Try one with their oysters and gourmet hot dogs. For more tropical vibes, there’s also South Seas Tiki & Golf Lounge, a cantina and tiki bar with mini golf, live music, and patio seating. MoonDog is known for its Vietnamese specialties and Saigon street-food favorites, such as bánh mì sandwiches. Chick’n & Mi specializes in Asian-inspired Southern comfort food, including a fun twist on fried chicken. Cultured, a cheese and charcuterie bar, features local and unique farmstead cheeses, charcuterie, and a dynamic selection of carefully curated wines, beer, and Bourbon. CURED Restaurant & Salumeria offers cocktails and locally sourced meats that are house-cured by owner and artisan Alvio Lapinet. Get in line early at Big Nita’s Cheesecakes for one of their uber-popular
desserts.

For beer, try TEN20 Craft Brewery, which offers a beer garden and an indoor taproom with a taqueria and pizzeria on-site. Or whet your whistle at Sergio’s World Beers with more than 1,000 options. For Scotch whiskey, visit Tartan House, a cozy lounge specializing in both classic and house cocktails.

Discover

Butchertown is home to Bourbon City’s only brandy distillery, Copper & Kings. Take a tour before enjoying classic cocktails at Copper & Kings Rooftop Bar, boasting stunning views of downtown Louisville.

Play Dance Bar, Louisville’s largest LGBTQ nightclub, is the neighborhood hot spot for drag shows and dance parties. For live music, visit The Whirling Tiger. For some vintage bowling, Vernon Lanes is the place to roll. The historic bowling alley’s eight wooden lanes are newly refurbished, but maintain a cool retro vibe, and the menu is worth a visit on its own. Or, catch a professional soccer game at Lynn Family Stadium, home to the women’s soccer team, Racing Louisville FC, the men’s team, Louisville City FC, and the city’s newest team, the Louisville Kings, part of the United Football League. For X Games-style fun, David Armstrong Extreme Park features 40,000 square feet of outdoor concrete skating surface, as well as a 24-foot full pipe and a wooden vert ramp.

Named the Best Riverwalk in the U.S. by USA Today’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, Waterfront Park offers art, history, and recreation. For stunning views, walk across the Big Four Bridge, spanning the Ohio River and connecting Kentucky and Indiana. Explore public art installations, including Ed Hamilton’s “Lincoln Memorial,” or enjoy multiple playgrounds and picnic areas throughout. You can also connect with nature at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, offering views of downtown Louisville.

A walk through this neighborhood is an architectural delight—from the iconic steeples of St. Joseph Catholic Church (built in 1866) to the one-room Thomas Edison House and the modest shotgun houses are mixed among more highly styled Italianates and Victorians with Eastlake details.

Shop

Butchertown Market is a one-stop shop for a little retail therapy. You’ll find clothing, jewelry, home décor, and one-of-a-kind gifts at Work the Metal. Moss Hill makes handcrafted lotions, soaps, and candles with specialty scents like Bourbon and Mint Julep. At Bourbon Barrel Foods, you can pick up Bourbon barrel-smoked spices, small-batch soy sauce aged in Bourbon barrels, and specialty bitters after
taking a tour of the facility.

Master Milliner Jenny Pfanenstiel creates some of the standout hats of each Derby season at her shop, Formé Millinery Co. Just around the corner, you’ll find Hard Times Collective, a vintage shop filled with eclectic goods made by local vendors. For creatives, check out PYRO Gallery, an artist cooperative featuring more than 20 artists working across a variety of media. Hadley Pottery has been handcrafting American pottery since 1940 and offers a whimsical collection of platters, plates, mugs, and bowls. You’ll note its many uses as decorative plaques among the houses and sidewalks of this historic neighborhood.

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