North of Bourbon

North of Bourbon, located in Louisville’s Germantown, is a celebration of Gullah Geechee, Viet-Cajun, and other cuisines rooted in the diasporic communities of the American South. When compiling the menu, Executive Chef Lawrence Weeks drew on his own family heritage, as well as a deep knowledge of the cultural migrations that have shaped his home region. 

Classic Creole dishes include crawfish boils and red beans and rice. Seafood Clemenceau, a New Orleanian staple perpetually on the menu at restaurants like Dooky Chase’s, is a definite crowd-pleaser when it makes its seasonal appearance on the menu. 

But while there may be gumbo and boudin on the menu, Weeks goes to great lengths to avoid sinking into stereotypical Cajun restaurant tropes. Diners can expect to find West African-inspired fritters on the menu alongside spaetzle—a nod to the restaurant’s neighborhood. There’s always a rotating pasta on the menu, because when Weeks’ Chinese great-great-grandfather immigrated to New Orleans, there was a large Sicilian community living in the French Quarter. 

After a big Sunday brunch of buttermilk-fried quail and biscuits—plus a few Bloody Mary oyster shots—you may find yourself hanging out here all day. Thankfully, North of Bourbon is also a great place for an afternoon or evening tipple. 

The name is a reference to the bourbon trade between Kentucky and New Orleans, as well as a solid indication of what to expect from the cocktail menu. As promised, this is a bourbon lover's paradise, with more than 300 bourbons and ryes available for one-ounce or two-ounce pours. To add to the theme, parts of the interior are made from old Maker's Mark casks.

The cocktail menu features a range of Old Fashioneds and also a section of “Not So Bourbon” creations. For those looking to take a bottle of bourbon home, the bar has a packaged liquor license and offers private, on-premise bourbon lockers.