Best Burgers in Louisville: Cheeseburger City

The best burgers in Louisville are found on its neighborhood dining streets: Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue in the Highlands, East Market Street in NuLu, Germantown and Schnitzelburg, Frankfort Avenue through Crescent Hill and Clifton, and downtown along Whiskey Row. Each strip mixes bars, burger counters and long bourbon lists.

Louisville has a claim on burger history. Carl Kaelin said he first put cheese on a hamburger at his restaurant in 1934, and the city is often called the birthplace of the cheeseburger, although a 1928 Los Angeles menu already listed one. Its other signatures are the Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and Mornay sauce created at the Brown Hotel in 1926, and Benedictine, a cucumber and cream cheese spread named after a local caterer. Bourbon, Kentucky’s spirit, anchors the bar list on Whiskey Row.

Burgers in Louisville: key facts

• Neighborhoods to explore: the Highlands, NuLu, Germantown and Schnitzelburg, Crescent Hill, Clifton, Butchertown and downtown.
• Burger history: Kaelin’s restaurant claimed the cheeseburger in 1934; the claim is disputed.
• Local specialties: the Hot Brown and Benedictine spread.
• When it gets busy: Kentucky Derby week, around the first Saturday in May.
• Currency: US dollar (USD), Kentucky sales tax added on top.
• What our guides check: a named signature burger, the beef, a dated price and a venue open on the date of the guide.

Every guide we publish on Louisville is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse all our burger restaurant guides.