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Start a Top 5 for Fried ChickenEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in LEO Weekly. Updated August 2026.
Shirley Mae’s Cafe · Smoketown
Smoketown soul-food stalwart at Clay and Lampton. Featured on Food Network. Cash only, open Thursday through Sunday.
80/20 @ Kaelin's Restaurant · Schnitzelburg
LEO's lead entry on the non-KFC list. Generous portions and a date-night room built around Southern fried chicken and soul-food sides.
The Eagle Louisville · Highlands
LEO's Bardstown Road pick. 'some of the best chicken you'll find this side of the Ohio River,' priced a notch above the neighborhood average and worth the higher check.
Mellwood Tavern · Louisville
Part owner Scott Crowder cooked at Chick Inn, and he runs that same prep with extra spices on Tuesdays, with rotating Southern sides. LEO's review calls the resemblance direct. It is a tavern first, so the chicken arrives with a beer already in front of you, which is how the regulars order it.
Dasha Barbour's @ E. Main · Whiskey Row
LEO says this name came up again and again when people were asked about their favorite chicken in Louisville. The kitchen works from family recipes, with fried shrimp and fish alongside the chicken and soul food sides that never feel like an afterthought. Whiskey Row makes it an easy walk downtown.