The Back Door

Once settled in Louisville (settled meaning the moving truck was unloaded) the first thing I did was to seek out the closest dive to my place. This happened to be a short walk from my apartment: Barret Bar, which I frequented for 2 weeks before it shut down.

Out of luck and still with no Louisville friends, a Google search lead me to the Outlook Inn - not a dive, at least not anymore - and then Cahoots - too hipster. I had seen the signs for The Back Door during my first few visits to ValuMarket but couldn't for the life of me comprehend where in the shopping center it was, nor did the elitist East Coaster in me have any interest in visiting a mini-mall bar in Kentucky (I was new).

However, as I started to get acquainted with those whom I now consider good friends, recommendations for The Back Door came piling in, and I quickly realized the joke was on me. Since then I've gone back every couple of weeks for ridiculously cheap drinks, great (who knew?) bar food, and perhaps the best people-watching of any bar I have ever been to.

Of course, I'm from Boston and spent some time in Seattle and Chicago before arriving in Kentucky last fall, so the everyday people and culture I still find fascinating - and is full force like no other at The Back Door - is nothing short of mundane for my born-and-raised friends that usually join me.

My only gripe isn't really a complaint, only that I'm often overlooked for locals and regulars at the bar, but if I were back home I'd expect nothing less from a place where the regulars are literally painted on the wall. I actually prefer a dive bar to be a place you have to earn your stripes, if that means being looked over after five minutes in line for someone who just walked in so be it.

My full Examiner review is here.

• Happy Hour: 4-8pm daily, $2.50 wells, $6.50 pitchers $2.50 pints of domestics, $1 off pitchers, $.75 off pints of imports
• Monday: $1.50 domestic bottles
• Tuesday: $2.50 wells
• Wednesday: $3.25 Jim Beams
• Thursday: $.75 off imported beer
• U of L and UK Gameday Specials : $6 pitchers of domestic, $.40 wings

The Back Door and The Back Burner Grill
1250 Bardstown Road (behind ValuMarket, along the north alley)
(502) 451-0659

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Bearno's Highlands Happy Hour

Went to Bearno's on Bardstown earlier today for a beer and stumbled upon one of the best happy hours in Louisville.

Full review is here, but the details on their happy hour (or, in this case, happy day) and daily specials (which start when happy day ends at 7pm, except Sundays) below:

• Happy Hour: daily, seven days a week, from open (!) to 7pm. $1.75 domestic drafts, $2.50 well drinks, $3 house wine
• Monday: $3 Absolute drinks (all flavors)
• Tuesday: $3 Long Islands
• Wednesday: $3 Margaritas (rocks only)
• Thursday: $4 Makers, "Draft Night" $2 all drafts (imports, micros, domestics), pub trivia @ 7:30pm
• Friday: $1.50 Pabst Blue Ribbon drafts, $3 Crown Royal drinks
• Saturday $3 Jim Beam "your way"
• Sunday: $3 Effen Bloody Marys

Bonus: A featured "Beer of the Month" is on special all month long. PBR is $1.50 all June.

*UPDATE 7.06 : Picked up a salad to-go last night, stumbled upon another great deal. Monday's from 8:59pm - 12:01am (not sure what's up with the odd times) they host a $9.99 all-you-can eat and drink pizza and domestic draft buffet


Bearno's
1318 Bardstown Rd
(502) 456 4556

Cumberland Brews Happy Hour

Cumberland Brews is a brewpub on Bardstown in the highlands. Like most brewpubs the beer is great but can get a little pricey. However, they have daily specials AND a daily weekday happy hour. The food is standard pub food, mostly apps and sandwiches.

Stopped by one afternoon a couple weeks ago for a porter (delicious) and ended up getting the hummus plate (good) for something to snack on while hanging out on the (small, 4 table) patio. If you can snag a seat outside during happy hour its a good place to read the paper or hang out with a couple friends (but beware! like most brewpubs they don't serve booze).


You can see my full review here

• Monday: $5 Growler refills (a 1/2 gallon, take-home jug)
• Tuesday: $2.75 Pints all day long
• Wednesday: $10 Bison burger + a pint of beer (the burger alone is usually $9.50)
• Thursday: Cask conditioned beer is offered (hand pumped, unfiltered specialty beer, usually room temperature)
• Friday: $5 lunch specials
• Sunday: $3.25 Pints all day long
• Regular Happy Hour : $3.25 pints 4-7pm Mon-Fri

Cumberland Brews
1576 Bardstown Road
502 458 8727

Dragon King's Daughter Happy Hour

Dragon King's Daughter is one of my go to restaurants when I can make their 3-5 happy hour. Only draw back is they don't sell liquor, so you have to be in the mood for wine, sake or beer. Also, given its all bottled beer and they don't offer anything along the lines of PBR or Miller Lite, even with the happy hour prices the drinks aren't super cheap. However, the food is so absurdly cheap during happy hours that it makes up for it, and the (small, but rarely full) patio is a great place to sit on a warm summer night.


Here is a re post of an article I already wrote for examiner.

The only thing better than happy hour : two happy hours in one day. At Dragon King's Daughter on Bardstown Road and Ellwood Avenue in the Highlands, this glorious phenomenon happens six days a week from 3-5pm and again from 10pm-12am (they close at 10pm on Sunday).

Similar in quality and price to its sister restaurant Maido on Frankfort Ave, Dragon King's Daughter veers slightly from Maido's strictly Japanese menu to offer, according to its website, "an eclectic fusion of Japanese and American fare." Here, eclectic means tacos and pizza to compliment your Makizushi, but by "taco" DKD is referring to options like tuna teriyaki with wasabi sour cream and by "pizza" they mean smoked salmon with wasabi-cream cheese sauce on flat bread.

All three - sushi, tacos, and pizza - are offered on the cheap during the early happy hour. While the late-night deals are reserved for sushi rolls, about quadruple the amount are offered the second time around and you can still get pizzas and snacks starting at $5 and $2.50 respectively, all day and night.

What about drinks? The 3-5pm has discounted wine, beer and sake. 10pm-12am offers select $10 bottles of wine. The only con: No liquor, no draft beers. Here's the Details:

3pm - 5pm:

* $1 off beers, $2 off glasses of wine, $5 off bottles of wine, 1/2 off hot sake, $3 off cold sake
* Half pizzas (all you'll need) $5, Tacos $2 each, Sushi from $3-$5.

10pm - 12am:

* $10 select bottles of wine
* 25+ varieties of sushi rolls from $3 to $11

Dragon King's Daughter

1126 Bardstown Road

502 632 2444

Welcome To Happy Louisville

SEE: NEW HAPPY LOUISVILLE UPDATED JULY.28.2010

Happy hours are everywhere. They exist at almost every bar and restaurant in the country. Yet, if you ask someone in any city across America where to find a great local one they will almost always shrug their shoulders and give the inevitable "I don't know."

People can usually point you in the direction of a cheap bar, or a bar they know has good deals but they rarely know exactly what those deals are or when they happen. At the very best, you'll have someone tell you on a Monday, "well I know Bar X has a $2 Jim Beams on Wednesday nights." Gee, thanks.

However, the locals are not to be blamed, as I don't expect anyone without a serious drinking problem to remember the daily specials and happy hour prices of dozens of bars in their city. The problem is, very few cities have - efficient and updated - websites or blogs devoted to the documentation of the best deals in town.

I've had the pleasure of living in Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and Louisville but in every city I've had the same problem. Constantly asking around and searching the Internet just to end up at the same $1 draft night, or stumbling upon a great special, forgetting the details months later, and ending up playing it safe at the same old corner dive.

Enter, happy louisville.

Yelp, Metromix, Urban Spoon etc. are all great for overwrought, self-righteous user reviews, business hours, menu pages and phone numbers. happy louisville is great for happy hour and daily special information.

Whether its a daily special, a happy hour, or just an every-day cheap price in the Louisville, Kentucky area, happy louisville is here to let you know about it. I'll try to post at least twice a week, and as someone who's worked in every aspect of the food service industry from bouncer, to waiter, to manager, and everything in between, I'll always try to be fair in any reflections that come with the facts. I created this blog because I was sick of googling "louisville happy hours" and getting nothing worthwhile, not to rip on bad service.

Along with the happy hour information, I'll add some of my own thoughts and observations about the bars, restaurants, and Louisville and Kentucky culture in general from the point of view of a recent transplant who's spent the last few years traveling the country.  The goal is for people searching for a good happy hour or new bar, or just looking, to end up on this site and hopefully be both satisfied with the information and entertained by the content. The good news for you: you can always skim right past my blabbering to the good stuff.

This being a blog, they'll also be some shameless self-promoting for my Louisville Happy Hour Examiner page, which has more reviews and info. You can also follow me on twitter for up-to-the-minute deals and promotions. Lastly, feel free to comment and/or email me with suggestions, tips, or bars/restaurants you'd like to see added to the site.

Enjoy!