Clifton & Crescent Hill

You'll find great restaurants and shopping in Clifton & Crescent Hill along Frankfort Avenue

Take a stroll along Frankfort Avenue, the main thoroughfare through the leafy and charming Crescent Hill and Clifton neighborhoods. You’ll find historic homes and buildings, treelined
streets, alfresco dining, and locally owned shops peppering this railroad-lined avenue and one of the city’s noted “Restaurant Rows.”

In the Neighborhood

Clifton & Crescent Hill Restaurants

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Eat & Drink

Start your day at any one of the many outstanding breakfast and brunch locations on Frankfort Avenue. Grab a croissant at Blue Dog Bakery, known for their authentic artisan breads (Levain!). Try the huevos rancheros at James Beard-nominated Con Huevos, a burrito con huevos at Good Morning Breakfast & Lunch, biscuits and gravy at Eggs Over Frankfort, or settle in for a leisurely brunch at Morning Fork.

The Manhattan Project is a great place to catch the big game with elevated pub food and craft cocktails. Craving pizza? Head to New York Pizza Company or Parlour. For burgers and shakes, try SmashD. Red Hog highlights locally sourced meats on a rotating seasonal menu. For sushi, there’s cozy Osaka. For Vietnamese favorites like pho and banh mi, there’s Eatz Vietnamese Restaurant. At Miki’s Karaoke Bar & Korean Restaurant you’ll find casual Korean food, and Kiwa offers Louisville’s only Korean teahouse.

Among other local favorites are Caffe Classico (a European cafe), Kayrouz Delicatessen (chili and hearty sandwiches), Porcini (fine Northern Italian cuisine), Irish Rover (authentic Irish pub grub), Bourbons Bistro (known for its Bourbon-inspired dishes), Volare (authentic Italian), Varanese (Mediterranean and American), The Grape Leaf (Mediterranean), Adelita (Mexican), and Mesh (innovative American fine dining).

Need a sugar fix? Head to Bae’s Baekery for cookies, brownies, and cakes or Pinnamel Patisserie & Café for pastries as beautiful as they are delicious. Gelato Gilberto specializes in artisan ice cream with an Italian flair, while Retta’s serves ice cream by the scoop and whiskey by the drink. Please & Thank You bakes what’s touted as the country’s best chocolate chip cookie and is among the neighborhood’s many unique coffee shops.

Other java joints include Abol Café, an Ethiopian coffee shop; Quills Coffee, a lightfilled community gathering spot; Hotel Marty, a mixed-use space with artisanal brews; Heine Brothers’ Coffee, offering a large covered and heated patio; Witches Brew Coffee, where you can get a Tarot card reading with your Dragon’s Blood Latte; and sister shops Crescent Hill Coffee and SuperTonic Elixr Café, next to Carmichael’s Books, where you can read a spell while watching trains roll along. To start the evening or top off the night, the options are vast. Sip fine vintages and enjoy live jazz at The Wine Room by JBell Wine Co., or keep things casual at Gallant Fox Brewing 4 Company or Apocalypse Brew Works, both known for small-batch craft beers. Frankfort Avenue Liquors & Wine pours cocktails (including frozen Old Fashioneds!) and boasts over 600 whiskeys by the bottle. Pretty Decent serves botanically inspired cocktails in their botany shop. The Shop features a rotating draft list of local brews. And for late nights, there’s Dive Bar on Frankfort and Burger Girl, a 24-hour diner offering breakfast, burgers, and sandwiches.

Discover

The 1879 Crescent Hill Reservoir and Gatehouse is the perfect place for a leisurely stroll. For a round of golf, there’s the public nine-hole Crescent Hill Golf Course.

The American Printing House for the Blind will open The Dot Experience in fall 2026. It is set to be the world’s most accessible museum for the visually impaired, with exhibits that include significant artifacts, such as Helen Keller’s desk and Stevie Wonder’s piano. Across the street, you’ll find the Clifton Multisensory Art Installation, a mural made of hand-carved ceramic tiles depicting scenes from this vibrant neighborhood, which is also home to Wheelhouse Art, a welcoming space featuring works by local artists.

Shop

Consignment shops line Frankfort Avenue, including Margaret’s Fine Consignments, Urban Kitty, and men’s resale shop Evolve. Looking for something a little unusual? Just Creations is a fair-trade marketplace with handcrafted goods from more than 45 countries. Vinyl lovers will want to peruse Guestroom Records, and book lovers will feel right at home at Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville’s oldest independent bookstore. Women’s clothing store Magnolia & Fig is known for its charm and inclusive sizing. You can find designer fashions at Peacock Boutique, and next door is the whimsical children’s clothing store Kiddo. Designer options for your home abound at Posh Home and Summer Eliason Designs. The Wine Rack is a friendly neighborhood shop, offering wine tastings every Thursday and Friday. Vintage, antique, and resale seekers will enjoy 2023 Antiques, Bartertown, Nussbaum Antiques & Fine Art, Redefine Design on the Avenue, and the expansive Mellwood Antiques & Interiors in a former meatpacking plant off Mellwood Avenue in Clifton.

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