Top places for patio sitting this spring

With warmer weather on the horizon and Derby Festival season just around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite places to eat, drink, and be warm for the next eight or so months. All newbies out there for summer 2020, pop those table umbrellas — the competition is steep. In no particular order, these are just a handful of the places that we think do outdoor dining best.

The Eagle

All were sad when the ever-popular El Camino went out of business a few years ago. What we got in place of the Mexican joint was a cuisine that oddly enough, Louisville didn’t have an abundance of; fried chicken. The Eagle spread its wings across Bardstown Road and has been a hit since landing. Their classic fried chicken hits the spot anytime and the spicy honey for dipping will surely lead you to getting the 32oz High Life on draft. Some don’t like the notion that The Eagle is an out of town chain, but much like the model of our friends at Louvino, The Eagle has just four regional locations in Cincy, Indy, Columbus, and Louisville, and soon to add Charlotte and Pittsburgh. The patio is one of the biggest for outdoor dining and sports a full open air bar. The Eagle is a must.

80/20 @ Kaelin’s

A step back in time at every turn, Kaelin’s claims they were the brains behind the original cheeseburger more than 70 years ago. In another impressive claim, Colonel Sanders himself originally fried and sold his famous recipe chicken in this very building. Today, the burgers are just as good as they were when the Kaelins were flipping the patties themselves. The beer is cold and the patio atop Newburg Road will get a few honks from passer-byers since the sign used to say “If you can’t stop, please honk”. Understandably, upon reopening the sign requests a wave instead.

The shared patio space between Holy Grale and Gralehaus

Hole Grale / Gralehaus

In the sliver where Bardstown Rd and Baxter Ave split a beautiful marriage took place of the long-standing Holy Grale and the building out back. What the congregation received was one of the best bars in the Highlands linking up forever with what is maybe now the best breakfast in the city. Gralehaus shares many similarities with its Holy Grale precessor - so if you like one, you’ll love both. The shared outdoor space between the two buildings is completely fenced off to traffic from the busy Highlands epicenter, and surrounds its guests with enough greenery to post the pictures on your actual IG feed.
Have the lamb and grits for breakfast, grab beer cheese at happy hour, either way do it outside at Holy Grale / Gralehaus.

The front patio at Ramiro’s on Frankfort Ave

Ramiro’s Cantina

This Frankfort Ave gem could easily be propped up on stilts and sling its margaritas on the Gulf of Mexico but Ramiro and the gang knew they needed to be here to serve us in Clifton. The main deck, if you can score a table, will become a new favorite instantly. The covered top provides a nice bout of shade from the sun and any potential rain that would otherwise water down that Coronarita. The walls lift up for the patrons to feel the Avenue breeze and watch people get turned down from El Mundo across the street while perched up high. Ramiro’s doesn’t bother with doing anything fancy - but the margs are solid and the food is much better than other traditional Mexican offerings. We go to Ramiro’s for the patio dining, a pitcher of the green stuff, unlimited chips and salsa, and a split entree (they’re huge) - you should too.

Gravely

If you’ve been with us at Hello Louisville very long, you know that we love a trip to Gravely any time of year. What we haven’t had the chance to show you is how much more we’ll be there when Ray Baker☀️ is out and about. The beer is always cold and Mayan food truck is always dishing out the best eats on four wheels. The taproom itself opens up to the outside like a beach bar and every Louvillian floods to the back deck for some of the best beer in town. If you venture to the very top level of the deck, you’ll get maybe the best view of downtown there is. Summer at Gravely 12/10 HL recommends.

There are so many more great outdoor spots in Louisville that we can’t wait to get back to. We think of Shop Bar, Ostra, Silver Dollar, and Mesh to name a few (we think that Noche is going to be the spot to be). If you have a great experience somewhere that we should write about, drop us a line and we’ll make sure to get there ourselves and write! That’s what HL is all about.