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    The Stave

    4.1 (521 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    The Stave Photos

    Business Info

    THE STAVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Stave

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    Stave Burger
    Byron M.

    This is a fantastic little restaurant hidden on the Bourbon Trail. We stopped for lunch between distillery tours and had a wonderful meal. Brantley handled our party of five moderately imbibed fools perfectly and seriously the food was amazing! The Burnt Orange Old Fashioned was delicious. I had the Stave Burger which in all rights is honestly awesome but I was completely jealous of the Pickle Brined Chicken.

    Jay J.

    The Stave has a cool and relaxed vibe, good food, and good service. Their food is southern cuisine. They have a bar seating, indoor tables and high top seating, and some outdoor seating in a screened in area. They have a full bar and offer a full list of bourbons and whiskeys, mixed drinks, beer, and wine. We ordered a couple of appetizers - beer cheese and pimento cheese. They were both good, and the carrots and celery were fresh. For food, we ordered chicken sandwich and smoked bologna sandwich. Both were good a en had good flavor.

    Smoked Bologna Sandwich
    Patrick P.

    Nestled in-between Castle & Key and Woodford Reserve, The Stave is a southern comfort oasis in what is otherwise a dead spot for both food and cell signal. And that's something key to know about The Stave, when we visited on a Friday afternoon we saw that it was busy as tour buses dropped off groups fresh from the distilleries and well-dressed folks from Keeneland pulled up: as one of the only food options in the area, it's going to have a big draw. We almost decided to pass but we were given 20 minute wait, so we decided to stick around and see what happened. We ended up getting seated outside and we enjoyed a couple of Fried Bologna sandwiches. They were huge! Not what I expected, in a good way. I'll give it 4 stars for the food, but you should expect it to be busy- try and show up outside of the lunch rush.

    Blackened catfish and grits
    Tom B.

    This place looks like a hole in the wall, but the food, atmosphere, and service are amazing. We arrived at noon with no reservations and were seated immediately. We ordered the blacked catfish and grits. It was so good.

    Chocolate Walnut Bread Pudding. Def big enough to share.
    Jill R.

    Doesn't look like much as you drive up after a windy road to get here. You're at the right spot though. We sat inside to gaze at the beautiful wall of bourbon bottles! Other walls are bourbon barrels. Very cool vibe. Service was attentive and helpful. Makers and Cokes were good and strong. Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich and Smash Burger for entrees. Fries and Cheesy Grits for sides. Chocolate Walnut Bread Pudding for dessert. All perfection. Def recommend. My one and only note is the vent I sat next to in corner needs a thorough scrub, or just replace with a new black one.

    The Millville Plate
    Sara G.

    My family and I arrived to grab an early dinner around 4 PM-ish. The restaurant was not busy at all. The server took about 15 minutes to approach us because she kept talking to the bartender and the other employees behind the bar, deciding to finish her drink before greeting our table. The food was OK, but not great. I ordered the shrimp and grits, and it arrived at my table room temperature. My father had the meatloaf, and his food was cold. The food had a good taste, but they use way too much sodium. I couldn't even finish the shrimp. The ambiance seemed fine, oh, and also, there's only one bathroom. For the amount of money paid, I wouldn't come back. The only positive thing was the old-fashion

    Chicken Sandwich and fries
    Anthony L.

    The food was well-seasoned and properly prepared. The staff worked quick and sharp, like they knew what they were doing. The owner was as friendly as a front porch in summer. Plating was just fine--nothing to brag about, nothing to gripe over. The décor was nice, and we lingered on the porch a while, which is never a bad sign. As for the bourbon, you'd be hard-pressed to find a selection in Washington, D.C. that could match it for both availability and pric

    Half a chicken sandwich and half a bologna smoked sandwich
    Greg Z.

    Little hole in wall that packs a punch. We had a great waitress named Lexi. She was super awesome. Guided us through the menu. My brother and I shared a half of each the chick sandwich and the smoked bologna. Yes try the bologna smoked sandwich. You will not regret it. The old fashions were on point. The cole slaw was so delicious. Highly recommend this place if you are coming from Woodford and have some time before Castle and Key.

    Smash burgers with salad homemade dressing
    Dwaine C.

    Nice location near woodford and castle key distillery. Best bourbon selection in Frankfort. You can taste or have a shot of anything. Food is good. Chicken a little overcooked. Blood orange old fashioned is good. Staff is friendly. Outside and inside seating.

    Roasted chicken with butternut squash risotto
    Randy C.

    I'd give more stars, but them's the rules...best shrimp and grits ever, and I mean ever!!! My pimiento grilled cheese with bacon jam was innovative and crazy good...and there was a roasted chicken with butternut squash risotto, OMG!!! The wait staff were down to earth and good at their craft...what good people, and the young guys in the kitchen absolutely professional and talented...can't wait to go back, what a great experience!

    The bar
    Melinda Z.

    After touring Woodford Reserve, we came here for lunch. We had a smash burger and a chicken sandwich. Biggest piece of chicken on a bun I've ever seen! Wow! Food was yummy and while the sign said reservations recommended, they were able to seat us very quickly.

    This outlines the sample flights
    Kim L.

    We don't remember how we learned of this spot - but glad it was here and sooo good! Best part is small sips of bourbon/rye. We went for "Our Neighbors" which was bourbons from distilleries near the restaurant. And the Rye Sampler - all so perfect. We shared a wedge salad and then I went for a hot chicken sandwich with fries - sandwich was delish, fries were also yummy. Wayne went for mushroom stroganoff and it was good, just needed a bit of color variation? Our server was Wendy and, man, she had the whole place under control. It is a small place, but cozy and feels sooo good!

    Pulled BBQ on hoe cakes

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    20 days ago

    Food is too salty and extremely expensive. In addition, force you to add 22% tip. Very bad experience, zero star if possible.

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    3 months ago

    Friendly service and conveniently located to some Bourbon Trail stops. Excellent selection of bourbon + some great local beers.

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    Page 1 of 14

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    Woodford Reserve Distillery - Still room

    Woodford Reserve Distillery

    4.3(617 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    We did not have food on this visit. We enjoyed a few cocktails in the beautiful outdoor area before…read morea tour. We tried the spire and double oaked old fashioned and they were perfect. Service was quick at the indoor bar. The distillery itself is beautiful, the grounds and decor. Bethany did an amazing job with our tour.

    This is a beautiful distillery but my least favorite tour of the three tours we've taken on this…read moretrip (Rabbit Hole and Stitzel-Weller were the others). There are two buildings and you check in at the one building, near a parking lot, but then get on a tour bus and they take you to the other building, which has the gift shop. It seemed a bit counterintuitive to start at the other building, then. Before this, I was super hungry, so we went to their bar area in the gift shop and ordered the charcuterie, which ended up just being like a metal box with some meats, cheeses, and other things, and a bag with a few pretzels in it. Disappointing especially for $33, although it kinda worked out because we only had a half-hour before the tour. I didn't know that Woodford Reserve has actually only been around since 1996 but the campus they purchased has buildings from 1890 and later - I would've loved to have heard more about that history even though it wasn't technically Woodford's. At the end of the tour, they return you to the gift shop and that's where you do the tasting - there is a private tasting room. I should probably note that we did the basic tour - it was $35 and my husband said you could get a similar tasting to the one we got, in the gift shop area, for $30, which made the tour only $5, which isn't bad. I did end up buying a pin, a magnet, and a sampler box of their bourbon treats (chocolates etc. - expensive, at $46 or so, but looks good) and my husband bought a few of their bottles. However, next time we are in Louisville we can probably skip this one, I'm thinking.

    Photos
    Woodford Reserve Distillery - Distillery Tour

    Distillery Tour

    Woodford Reserve Distillery - The welcome center

    The welcome center

    Woodford Reserve Distillery - Rick house

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    Rick house

    Limewater - Gnocchi with mushrooms

    Limewater

    4.6(97 reviews)
    6.0 mi

    Limewater is a family-owned and -operated bistro and bar in Frankfort, Kentucky. We went here for…read morelunch while on a bourbon tour and the food, ambiance, and service were all exceptional. The name 'Limewater' is an ode to the Kentucky River as well as the limestone-rich soil that makes the Bluegrass Region so green. Limewater is located in the historic Glen Willis house, which sits on the banks of the Kentucky River. The brick home was built in 1815 and the building itself is stunningly beautiful. Coming from California, where you often don't see brick buildings or really anything that it preserved to last, it was a stunning sight to see! This restaurant is also in an amazing location if you are doing a bourbon tour in the area as it is extremely close to both Buffalo Trace Distillery and J Mattingly Distillery. We ate here for lunch, although this would be an amazing place for dinner as well. We love how this place was designed and decorated, which created such a beautiful setting to have lunch in. The restaurant is owned and operated by husband and wife team, chef Axl and Isabelle Wheeler. I love that this is a locally owned restaurant and not a chain restaurant because I think that is one of the many things that makes this place so special! Everything our group had, they loved. I had the Caprese Panini with mozzarella, tomato, basil, balsamic reduction, housemade ciabatta. It was absolutely delicious and the food was so fresh and flavorful. Two of the group had the 1815 {their version of an old fashioned} with brown butter-washed four roses bourbon, marmalade simple, angostura bitters, cherry and shared that it was delicious! If you are in the Frankfort area, this is definitely a place that you have to check out! Highly recommend and look forward to coming back next time I am in the area!

    What a great find! Stopped for lunch after tasting at Buffalo Trace (almost next door) and sat on…read morethe back porch with our dog overlooking the river. Service and food were awesome, had the pork schnitzel with spaetzle and red cabbage, delicious! Wife had a Mediterranean platter with roasted red pepper, fresh pita, Greek salad and some of the best falafels ever. Highly recommend for more interesting dishes, great service and views.

    Photos
    Limewater - The wallpaper in the lobby was beautiful.

    The wallpaper in the lobby was beautiful.

    Limewater - Share some appetizers for sure

    Share some appetizers for sure

    Limewater - Cocktail

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    Cocktail

    The Stave - southern - Updated May 2026

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