Darling’s named one of USA TODAY’s best bars of 2025 – Video
Take a look inside Darling’s in Louisville, Kentucky, named one of USA TODAY’s best bars for 2025.
Kentucky restaurants Ensō and Tuk Tuk Snack Shop were recognized on Garden & Gun’s list of “30 New Restaurants to Try.”Kentucky author Silas House wrote the entries for both restaurants.Ensō, a Louisville restaurant, recently reopened after a fire.
Two Kentucky restaurants got major props from Garden & Gun, the national publication celebrating Southern food and culture.
Ensō, a favorite of Louisville’s Clifton neighborhood, and Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, a Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant in Lexington, both snagged spots on “The Hot List: 30 New Restaurants to Try,” which Garden & Gun recently released in print and online.
“To compile this list, we focused on places that opened in 2023 or later and canvassed the region with the help of our most trusted food-minded contributors for spots that wowed them,” the introduction states. “Some are fancy, some just plain fun, but all make a compelling case that the South’s culinary landscape has never been richer.”
The recognition includes an added layer of Kentucky love.
The descriptions of Ensō and Tuk Tuk Snack Shop were penned by Silas House, the Kentucky-born writer, former Kentucky poet laureate and 2024 Grammy nominee for his involvement with the music video for Tyler Childers’ song, “In Your Love.”
Of Ensō, House said, “There’s plenty to love in its Japanese-meets-Southern fare, from sorghum ginger salad and Nashville hot oysters to miso crawfish ramen. … You’ll often see chef Lawrence Weeks visiting with diners as he does at North of Bourbon, his first Louisville restaurant, where his dedication to feeding people and building community has already made him a beloved figure.”
After originally opening in late 2023, the inventive eatery landed on Yelp’s 25 “Best New Restaurants in the South” list. And Weeks was named a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist.
That momentum took a pause in October 2024, when Ensō closed due to a fire inside the restaurant’s building, 1758 Frankfort Ave. It reopened in early April.
“It’s an honor to be recognized on (Garden & Gun’s hot list) among global names like Kwame Onwuachi, Ashleigh Shanti and the Castro sisters,” Weeks told the Courier Journal. “Coming out of a difficult reopen, it really goes to show that the dedication that’s gone into Ensō by the entire staff shines brighter than just Louisville and the Clifton neighborhood. Huge thanks to everyone who makes it happen every day and a special shoutout to Kentucky’s own Silas House for the mention.”
Of Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, House applauded the Lexington restaurant’s riff on biscuits and gravy (Tuk Tuk makes a turmeric black pepper biscuit) and its house-made crab curry pasta.
“If you’re really lucky, you might be at Tuk Tuk on a night when the lightly spiced spin on chicken and dumplings is available, a dish meant ‘to evoke the rib-sticking comfort of someone cooking for you because they love you,’ says chef-owner Sam Fore, a description that could also double as a mission statement for her restaurant,” House wrote.
While House stuck to shouting out two of his Kentucky favorites, other Garden & Gun contributors put restaurants in Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston and other Southern cities on the “Hot List.”
Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.
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