The Silver Dollar

We stopped in at the Silver Dollar as we explored Frankfort Avenue post dinner at a nearby establishment. Since it was only 8 PM on a Saturday, we weren't ready to call it a night and decided to do reconnaissance for a future visit. This place was hopping and we threaded our way through to find seating near the back, but it was worthwhile. The music was a mix of Bob Seger and Wanda Jackson (reminiscent of Patsy Cline) in block sets -- no complaints here! The building was a former firehouse and has exposed brick, high ceilings, and a large glass garage door on the front facade. The original fire pole is also still installed near the front of the restaurant, but can no longer be used and is boarded up top. Darn. We had a beer while we took it all in and this is a great place to people watch and chill. Bar staff were all quite friendly and nice -- I even met one that I would have been happy to take home! (Just kidding -- he ran too fast for me to catch him.) Also, I want to mention that this place smells divine. It reminded me of a pleasant smokehouse bacon-y perfume and one of the barkeeps informed me that it is the result of the pork belly they serve. Mmmm. We have a plan to return in the future to dine and imbibe. I'll be logging miles at the track in the meantime. :)

Used to love this place and used to get the chilaquiles with smoked chicken nearly every weekend, but it left the menu during Covid. After the recent reopening I saw it had returned to the (online) menu so I went in during brunch to revisit. Didn't see the smoked chicken as an option for the dish, but asked and was told I could get it, so I did. However what came out was the chilaquiles as on the menu without the chicken, and was given a separate bowl of not-smoked chicken tossed in some red sauce. So I had an $11 plate of chips with cheese and verde and Cisco chicken for $6. Disappointed the original dish didn't really return, and even more disappointed I was still sold it and was given a make-shift substitution. Just be honest. Oh well.Several other complaints, but I'll just leave it at that. Hate it because I was so excited.

The Silver Dollar is BACK! The restaurant is under new management/ownership and since I personally know one of the owners, I was invited last night to their friends and family night! The restaurant still has some of its iconic items such as strung Christmas lights, a wall full of bourbon (since it's a hot bourbon spot), the garage door, chicken & waffles, and their outdoor patio (but with a face lift)! A few new touches is a revamped menu, no more condiment/silverware baskets on the tables, and refinished tables made from Stitzel-Weller rickhouse wood! At our table we had chips/salsa, chimichurri steak frites, salmon, shrimp & grits, avocado salad, and brussel sprouts! All tasty, especially those brussels and the shrimp & grits which were made with smoked gouda and pimento cheddar. A couple bourbon connoisseurs with us had the Old Fashion and raved about it! They also chose to taste several pours selected from the massive book of bourbon? My Kentucky Mule was good too... packed with crushed ice and just the right amount of bourbon to ginger beer! My only compliant to it would be the paper straw. Sodas are served in the can. They are currently operating on a limited schedule due to still trying to complete their staff and keep in mind that the staff is new so offer some grace... but get out there and give the refreshed Dollar a go!

Haven't been here in a long time. Went to the Aglimmer at the waterfront botanical gardens and this was close so decided to eat here. I made a reservation on open table but didn't need one. Very scant crowd. There were 3 people behind the bar it appeared, to bartend for maybe 8-10 people seated at the bar. Turns out one was sort of filling in for all areas. He ran food, bartended and checked on tables. Maybe the manager? We were seated and it was quite some time before a waiter arrived. He dropped off water and menus and said he would be back in a while. (It was a really long while) There were three other tables with people at them. Mostly empty. It was a LONG time waiting. Finally I decided maybe I just needed to go to the bar to order drinks. I went and stood there for a while. Couldn't get the attention of either bartender. Felt invisible. Finally as I was standing at the bar the waiter came to the table. Hubby called me back over. Waiter finally showed up. I ordered a knob creek with gingerale. He had some Mexican beer concoction. We didn't want him to leave because now we realize he is the only waiter and obviously 4 tables to wait on was too many. We quickly ordered appetizer and meals. Hubby ordered the brisket sandwich with fries and I ordered the fried chicken sandwich with Nashville hot seasoning. We also ordered mac n cheese. We had fried pickles also. We both really liked the fried pickles. Not greasy, tart, crisp, hot. And the sauce for the pickles was really good. My drink came and it didn't taste right. Definitely not gingerale. Sometimes bartenders think they can "make" gingerale....you can't. Or the gingerale was so flat it ruined the drink. I didn't drink it. Hubbys brisket was tender and good, but a bit too saucy but he liked the flavor and it wasn't chewy or too fatty. My chicken sandwich was small. I am 5' tall with very small hands and my palm is bigger than the chicken sandwich. Really small. Like almost slider small. I generally think portions are too big so it didn't bother me as I can't normally eat an entire sandwich. This was about 6 bites if that. Definitely no larger than 3 ounces of chicken breast. The flavor was really good. But for $18 it was a lot for a very small sandwich. The Mac n cheese was creamy and good but very rich. It had a ton of cheese on it. If you like cheese you will like it. In Louisville if I am having a Nashville hot chicken I compare it to Royals because nobody does the chicken sandwich better. If you compared the two, royals sandwich is about 1 and 1/2 or 2 times the size. Their breasts are thick and plump with plenty of chicken and breading. This was tiny and skinny. Royals sandwich is under $13 and includes a side. This did too but at half the size and it was $18. The service was slow for sure but it seemed like that was a result of not enough staff. Overall it was not a great experience. Drinks were not great, took about 25 minutes to get a drink. And food was good enough but I wouldn't say good enough for the bill to be $100.

What a great spot for food and bourbon. Rustic feel and very foodie choice of dishes. Staff was very helpful and efficient. They have a nice back patio as well. Some parking but it's right next to a residential neighborhood so ride share is best. Really enjoyed the experience and you should as well.

A casual no-frills tavern with amazing selection of bourbon. My buddy and I came for a flight of the hard-to-find and expensive Pappy Van Winkle. I called around and Silver Dollar was one of few with entire family: 10, 12, 13 (rye), 15, 20 and 23 year. We samples all but the 20yr as it and 23 yr were super expensive. We split a 1.5oz pour between two 3/4 oz pours. It was a once in a lifetime experience! My favorite was the 15yr, if you want to save money on the older years. The food was good. I enjoyed steak with seasoned fries. It is higher end of standard tavern fare. The bourbon selection is the real gem here.

Fun place to go for dinner and drinks. They change the vinyls playing behind the bar as you enjoy your meal. Typical bar food, fun date night option.

A good meal to start off our weekend in Louisville. The drinks had mixed reviews - old fashioned was great the Bloody Mary and strawberry something were not good. The food was tasty and the outdoor patio was nice. The service was good although it seemed we didn't have one server but rather many.

Very cute restaurant with delicious food. We saw the chicken and waffles online in reviews, but they weren't on the menu. We asked the server about them and he said they could make them without any hesitation. We also got the biscuit basket appetizer. So delicious! There was a little bit of a wait for the food to come out, but nothing crazy and very much worth it.

Good ambience and friendly staff. A great place to grab a quick drink. I will be back!