We were seated and drink orders were placed-20 mins later they arrived-incorrect, took an additional 10 mins to correct.Ten mins later waiter finally shows up to get our food order, we decided to go with the Heapin chips with pork as an appetizer, and split the beanless chili and smokehouse burger prepared medium. The appetizer arrived and as we started to dig in we realized that the pork was nothing but fat and contained only two small pieces of meat, simply gross. Placed another bourbon order, then dinner arrived. Burger was cooked beyond well done, chili looked like it had also been sitting under the heat light for an hour (was very dry). It took another 30 mins for second drink order to arrive and it was a pathetic pour (1" with ice) which I sent back as we had by that time finished dinner, and there was no way I was paying $12 for a 1" pour of bourbon after waiting 30 mins for it. The drink server was extremely rude on each interaction and the waiter while apologetic was less than attentive and pawned every thing off to out of his control (despite us observing him to be extremely attentive to several other tables that were predominantly female). Â Normally Doc's has been a good experience for us, but this visit will be very difficult to over come.
Review Source:Good Southern food.
Had me some fried green tomatoes, fried okra and shrimp with grits. I'm in hog heaven.
As far as ambience, it's not exactly my kinda place (I'm a big fan of how a place makes me feel while I'm there) but that being said, I really enjoyed my meal A LOT!
Can't say enough good things about it!
I will returneth!
Pretty tasty. Â Went there for lunch and got the beef brisket and a huge potato with shredded pork. Â Decent price for the quantity. Â Coworker got the club sandwich and said it was a winner. Â Like the atmosphere. Â Parking is a bit of a hassle but the food was worth that hassle. Â Next up the ribs.....!!!! Â Wife isn't able to eat here because of her peanut/nut allergy.
Review Source:This place was walking distance from my hotel in downtown Louisville. The vibe in the restaurant was pretty cool and the food wasn't bad. It was waaaay too crowded and the hostesses seemed overwhelmed dealing with the waiting customers. We got lucky and snagged two seats at the bar right as a couple was leaving. I enjoyed the fried oysters but wouldn't wait in their cold dark entrance for 45 minutes just for the chance to eat them.
Review Source:I went in here with high expectations, I admit.
Unfortunately while it wasn't completely terrible the food was really nothing incredible. Â The "Famous" Chili was about the worst I've ever had, though I admit it had some spice to it which I was starting to think just didn't happen in KY.
The Brisket Sandwich I had was nothing to write home about. Â The bread was fairly tasty, but the Brisket itself was incredibly fatty, far more than brisket generally is if smoked long enough, and it seemed to lack much seasoning at all, depending instead on the huge glob of BBQ sauce it was drowning in to impart flavor.
I admit, I'm partial to dry rubs - but I'm becoming used to and even appreciative of the 'wet' form, but this was nothing unusual. Â And however this place ended up with '2 $' signs I have no idea. Â Sure, some things are in that catagory, but I would seriously be surprised if someone (especially at 'supper') could walk out of here at less thatn 20.00 a person.
The service was good. Quick and efficient though sometimes a bit 'pestering', but that can be excused as I suspect it was picked up on with my lack of satisfaction.
It wasn't bad enough to 'send back', because it was very apparent this was how it was 'supposed to' taste. Â But, if you're looking for something other than atmosphere and maybe someone to hang with (good sized seating arrangements etc.) I would go somewhere else.
The cornbread that came with the Chili was pretty darn good. Â I guess I should have stuck with bread products.
A hostess should be warm and inviting, not staring down while they grumble "how are you" to the desk, then with what seemed like an attitude at 5:30 p.m. when the place was nearly completely empty proceed to tell me that they jave a table but we must be finished before 7. Gee I dont know you tell me, will I be served in time to get out of your hair by then? Cause I've never been here amd you're making a terrible impression. The table offered to us was all chairs amd there were no boosters only highchairs. So since I had my 2 1/2 year old with me and was told that all other tables were reserves unless we waited an hour. (All the tables were empty but 5 that I could see) some sort of massive event must've been happening so i'll remain with 4 stars, but some better CS wouldve been appreciated.
Review Source:Great tasting inexpensive food coupled with strong drinks makes for a good time. To bad those qualities are completely overshadowed by absolutely horrible service.
The horrid service stared the moment we were seated... and began waiting.
Waiting for our drink order to be taken, waiting for a second or third drink, waiting for our food order to be taken, waiting for our food, waiting to ask for our checks, waiting for our checks, waiting to ask for a pen to signs our checks, waiting on a pen to sign our checks. See the theme? Why should a simple dinner take over three hours?
Our server also brought our salad and appetizers out at the same time as our meal. There was literately no room on our table because it all came out at once!
The saving grace and the reason for two stars over the minimum of one - the food! I had the Cracklin' Caesar Salad & Beef Brisket Tacos and hey were both delicious.
It's country and fried.
Seems like most everything here is fried, except the salad. . .and I will not be surprised if someday deep fried salad appears on the menu.
Feels country to me. Â Plaid shirts and all give it a southern vibe that hard to escape.
Not too many vegetarian options, so I opted for the black eyed pea burger. Â I will say it is a very tasty vegetarian option. Â The issue a lot of house made veggie burgers have is dryness.
This burger is indeed moist, with sprinkles of crunch via carrots. Â Really tasty creation served between buns. Â
Dessert.
I ordered the bread pudding, and the presentation is deceitful. Â
Deceitful in that it's a bread pudding, that looks like a muffin. Â However, when eaten, the center is gooey, yet the outside hard and crispy. Â I remind myself that it's bread pudding and not an undercooked muffin, but eventually I am not able to overcome the psychological shift needed to call this dessert a success.
It could have been warmer with maybe some ice cream. Â If you want really want a proper bread pudding with ice cream, I highly recommend Mayan cafe.
Southern cuisine is not my favorite, but I applaud Doc Crow for the tasty black eye pea burger. Â If you're into southern cooking and beer, sounds like a winner.
Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. This was the best place we found in Louisville, and so we ended up here for dinner twice in a week.
The drink selection is huge, there are lots of interesting cocktails to choose from, and a crazy variety of whiskey options. The cocktails I tried were tasty, the staff is definitely knowledgeable on the whiskeys.
All the food was fantastic. The oysters were served with house made cocktail sauce that was crazy good. They served house made chips covered in delicious pork barbeque. The St Louis ribs were melty wonderful. We tried a few other dishes while we were here and every one of them was awesome. Also- great fried okra! I would absolutely hit this place up again if I'm ever in the area!
I have to say that this place deserves no less than 5 stars. Â It hits every single criteria that I have for a wonderful meal out.
The restaurant is located in an old, historical building in downtown Louisville. Â The restaurant is built like a shotgun home. Â It is fairly narrow and runs the length of a city block. Â The bar is at the entrance and we dined in the back room. Â The decor is nice, clean and fairly modern. Â The wood floors are fantastic (and look like the real old deal). Â There is a middle room between the bar area and the back room where we dined, where there is an open kitchen and tables surrounding.
We asked our waiter who Doc Crow is/was (and I have not Googled to verify this) but the basement of the building was apparently used as a bourbon distillery back in the days of Prohibition, and Doc Crow ran the show. Â So, we have a beautiful new restaurant named after a bootlegger in an old, historical building in downtown Louisville. Â So far, so good.
Seeing as how I was in bourbon country, I drank it like water, just like the locals. Â The drinks were terrific here. Â Our server was really knowledgeable, quick, efficient and had a personality to boot. Â At our table, we ordered the redfish, catfish, fried pork chops, green beans, lima beans, fried green tomatoes and the crab cakes. Â There was not one unhappy face in the bunch. Â I had the fried pork chops and they were heaven. Â Two pork chops breaded and fried. Â The pork was moist and tender, and the breading was flavorful, crispy and not at all greasy. Â My sister had the redfish and it was nicely cooked, and had a wonderful texture to it.
If I had to ding the place (and I am wont to find something to gripe about) I would have to say that the green beans were a disappointment. Â This place is billed as southern cooking (only more upscale), and the green beans were disappointing. Â They were still crisp and had some kind of red (I am guessing) tomato in it. Â Southern green beans should be cooked in bacon or ham to the point they are almost a soggy mess.
The highlight of the meal had to be the dessert we ordered. Â It was called Wilbur's sundae, and whoever Wilbur is, God bless. Â It was a big scoop of rich butter pecan ice cream, with caramel, honest-to-goodness crumbled bacon and the piece de resistance was...pork rinds. Â I would have never ordered this dessert as soon as I saw "pork rinds" but my sister insisted on ordering it and we could not thank her enough. Â The pork rinds are covered in cinnamon and sugar, and they added a much needed crunch to the sundae and we all raved about how delicious it was.
So, what puts this place over the top to 5-stars? Â The bill. Â I live in Southern California, and in Southern California for a party of five, drinks, appetizers, five entrees and sides, plus a dessert., in a downtown restaurant....hoo boy, it ain't cheap. Â The bill here for everything was a third of what we would have expected out here on the Left coast. Â
So, to run it all down: Â wonderful decor (check), great service (check), delicious food and drinks (check) and very reasonably priced (check).
5- stars.
My cousin brought me here for lunch on my first day back to Kentucky. She ordered the Heapn' chips for the table and when the plate came out we were all wide eyed and drooling. It was like a heapin' mountain of deliciousness! Yum.
We tried devouring it, but even with 5 people we were only able to get it down to a hill. Of course, I purposely was saving my stomach for the Beef Brisket Sandwich that I had ordered. The star of the sandwich was the brisket itself, and I wondered if I should have just ditched the carb bookends and just had the meat itself. Oh well, next time.
Overall thoughts: the food was good, but I've actually had better brisket back here in CA.
Kentucky is known for their southern food and barbecue - but unfortunately for me, I must have ordered the wrong items. Â This place was recommended to me by the hotel staff at the Brown Hotel. Â On a cold October night, I trekked though downtown to Doc Crow's -- about a twenty minute walk. Â We arrived at the restaurant at about 9PM and the place was popping with people eating, drinking, and waiting to be seated. Â The hostess told me that the wait was going to be about 30-45 minutes, but it turned out to be more like 20 minutes. Â Score! Â
FOOD: My friend and I ordered the St. Louis style half rack of ribs, catfish po-boy, and sides of mac and cheese, and fried okra. Â Overall the food was tasty but nothing really special in my opinion. My only complains were that the ribs were a bit dry and the po-boy had a undercooked, fishy taste. Â The mac and cheese was pretty standard. I'd have to stay the best dish was the fried okra, which the perfect amount of batter to compliment the soft, chewy, and gooeyness of okra. Â For dessert, I tried the bourbon bread pudding which was pretty tasty, although there wasn't too much bourbon taste. Â I wish they gave the bread pudding a little bit more bourbon oomph!
AMBIANCE: Casual, intimate. Â The place is pretty dark inside, so it can make a pretty awesome date spot. Â But because this place is bustling with people (young and old), this place is a great meeting spot for friends and families wanting a hearty, affordable meal in downtown Louisville.
SERVICE: Good, attentive, and friendly service -- as what I've experienced throughout KY.
Overall, this place gets 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars. Â The food is overall above average, but the ribs and po-boy were a little disappointing, especially after reading reviews on these items. Â I had expected a little bit more from them. Â However, the fried okra and bread pudding were pretty good. Â Service and ambiance were good.
Second time to Doc Crows.
Arrived 5:30ish to dine before attending a show (3-5 blocks from venue), but was told no seating available without a 1 hour wait.....welcomed to eat at the bar. Â Eating at the bar not a problem for us, but during the hour and ten min we spent eating we saw LOTS of free tables. Â A table would have been nice.
My food was mediocre at best. I had BBack ribs and they were dry and tasted as if left over from previous day's service. Â My wife had the shrimp and grits.....she was very pleased. Â Appetizer of doz oysters was excellent.....house bourbon based sauce for the oysters is wonderful. Â Drinks and service pretty standard. Â Price is on the high side, but you're centrally located downtown, close to multiple attractions....nice place to start off an evening in Louisville.
Love, Love, Love this place!!! Â Found myself in Louisville this past week for a conference. Â The main group went to an off-site function and I decided to cool my heels and watch the Monday Night Football games (opening night had 2 of them).
I asked the valet at our hotel for a place with great food, but that was casual.  He immediately mentioned this place and  a couple of the other valets nodded their heads in agreement.  Off I went the couple block walk towards the river...
Walked in and noticed a raw-bar near the front door, pulled up a seat at the bar in front of the TV. Â My server/bartender Courtney is an absolute doll and a great ambassador for Doc Crow's, she hooked me up with some good Kentucky bourbon and fried pork-chops, which were out of this world. Â After my meal, while watching the games, I noticed the diswashers at this place must have little to do, as every plate seemed to be picked-up like mine was... licked clean!
Steve came on shift and for the next few hours was incredibly attentive to me and another solo patron I'd met who also wanted to try some of their extensive selection of single barrel bourbons. Â He took the time to explain and tell us stories about each one we tried, which made the whole experience VERY worthwhile.
I had a wonderful Monday night at Doc Crow's... the atmosphere is very relaxing, the food outstanding and the service was fantastic!
This is a great group dinner spot right on Main Street. We have been here for a few birthday gatherings. The menu is spot on and reasonable prices for a nice dinner on most budgets. You can splurge for oysters that vary daily or you can get one of the fabulous sandwiches for under 10 bucks.
They are known for their BBQ and it is definitely good, but I am a bit hooked on the Softshell crab sandwich. Maybe a touch overseasoned, but over is definitely better than under in this case. Juicy and flavorful, it shows how helpful it is to have the UPS hub here in Louisville to ensure access to fresh seafood.
I have also tried the portabello and fried green tomato sammich, also quite tasty. I'm a fan of paying extra for their sweet potato fries. My bf got the rolled oyster appetizer one time and they were excellent. The single raw oysters are a bit overpriced to me, but then again we are in Louisville. They are paying to get them there.
It has a good sleek atmosphere that is southern yet somehow modern big city at the same time. Cool spot!
I was excited to come back to Louisville after my really great first time there. Â A friend of a friend's 3rd cousin removed suggested this would be a good place to go. Â Luckily enough, this was right across the street from my hotel!! So after a long drive I was ready to dive in. After my meal, I had to walk 12 miles to work the food off. (seriously).
The deets:
*A shit ton of bourbon. Â The bar staff was very knowledgeable and loved talking about their bourbon. They also had a great beer selection.
*Ribs: yum. They didn't fall of the bone like I semi expect them to, you had to work a bit harder to get enough meet but they were really good, not
*Fried okra: I had to peel off some of the fried stuff. but the okra was great and not mushy.
*Mac and cheese: great texture and good cheese balance
Disclaimer: I am not from the south, nor do I pretend to know anything about BBQ. In fact I just stopped using A-1 sauce last week. Â This is smack dab in the middle of downtown across from Yum! arena.
Thanks yelp! We stopped in last weekend based on recommendations from yelp! as well as location to the hotel. We sat at the bar and the servers (Jennifer & Courtney) were awesome!! Friendly, personable, and knowledgeable about the area. Courtney made a great Manhattan and beer recommendations were excellent. Started with oysters, very good!! Make sure to try the vinaigrette that comes with them. The filet was cooked to perfection and brisket tacos were delicious!
Great atmosphere, creative bar and restaurant ideas. Staff handled all types of customers with grace and professionalism.
Thanks so much!! We'll definitely visit again on our next trip!
Two words: Spectacularly bland.
Fried green tomatoes = Â bland.
Brisket = sad forgettable sauce.
Corn Bread = wake me up from this nightmare, pathetic!
At first I was taken back that the protein did not come with sides (WTH!)...but after going through my meal Im glad I didn't select any.
One star for a cool looking place, one star for good service, no stars for food "like."
We went here on a Saturday night and it was packe! Â I can see why! Â The food was excellent for the price. Â We had the heap o' chips appetizer!! Â YUMMMMM Â for only $6 followed by catfish dinners. Â The hushpuppies were not sweet (southern cooks make 'em sweet). Â the slaw, fries, catfish, roumelade sauce all had a sprinking of their dry BBQ rub in it which was great. Â The sweet tea was good. Â The beer was real cold (ice floating in it). Â Cant wait to go back and try the oysters and a po boy sandwich!!
Review Source:Giant Frosty Stella. Beer so cold, ice forms at the top. Â Yum! Â
Food was solid. Â I encourage sharing with table mates as the "suppers" are heavy. Â Skip the hush puppies. Â Mussels were surprisingly very good. Fried green tomatoes made me smile.
Our waiter needed more training on the oyster bar - his attempt at a recommendation wasn't particularly helpful. Â Atmosphere is cool and spacious. Â Parking was easy. Â Great people watching. Â This seems like a great place to enjoy from the bar.
Again, this is Louisville, and this was as close as I got to great BBQ. Not really because I didn't look, but mostly because I didn't have time to get to Owensborough.
I got the pork rinds, which were exactly what I wanted. The guy I went out with got the Oysters Rockefeller, which were not what I wanted, but were really very good. I'm used to oysters that were in the ocean earlier that same day, and while not so amazingly fresh I cried tears of joy... they were plenty fresh and the whole dish was awesome.
I got the brisket, and it was tender, flavorful, and served on a thick piece of white bread that was very good. It wasn't the most amazing brisket I've ever had, but it was hands down the best beef dish I had while down here. (Best chicken dish goes to Sway, btw)
Homeboy I was with had the ribs, and he enjoyed them, but the entrees weren't the star of the show.
The mac and cheese was. If you've read any of my other reviews you'll note that I love cheese. When I say love, it's with a capital L, and involves a lot of feelings I need to discuss with my therapist. There are 10 cheeses in this bowl of macaroni, and I could pick out 4 or 5 of them. There was a sharp cheddar, a gouda, some parmesan and romano, and I think the topping was another shredded cheddar. It was -awesome- truly, and if you get only one thing from here... make it this.
Big fan.
We went here twice in two days since we were staying at the Galt. Â We went through the usual Yelp! routine of trying to find good restaurants in a city filled with 4 star restaurants. Â Of course with a 11 month old baby, we were a bit limited in our options. Â
One of the best bargains was the Heap'n Chips for $6. Â Picture a open bag of potato chips (or as they call it, tater chips) topped with moist and tender pulled pork, salsa, sour cream, and chile peppers. Â That was pretty good. Â Definitely get the wings too for a quality appetizer. Â
The rest of the main entrees (catfish, ribs, gumbo soup) were not spectacular but filling. Â We really thought the ribs could have been more tender - they didn't fall off the bone by any means. Â Check it out if you are downtown - but we would have loved to possibly visit another restaurant.
I came here last night and had the mussels and then the pork chops dinner. Â Wow, the mussels are a must have! Â They looked small but were very plump; they were cooked perfectly tender. Â And that broth! Â It had just a hint of warmth from red pepper flakes. I really wanted to ask for more bread or pasta and just soak it all up. Â But I knew I still had the pork chop dinner to eat. Â Those two fried pork chops were as good as ever.
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Also, I am glad to report that I was able to get a perfectly made Dewar's and soda with a twist of lemon! Â Yes, that twirl of lemon peel just made me smile! My friend had a 505?? Â It was something served in a champagne glass with a swirl of lime: light, refreshing, yet full of booze! Â Just the way a great cocktail should be! Â There is just something to be said about those great bartenders at Doc Crows! Â I will be back for more!
New place within walking to the YUM Center and other bars and eateries. Â Decor is brick and hardwoods making the noise level a bit noisy but this adds to the energy level of the restaurant. Â
We walk past the bar, windowed kitchen and a large main dining area towards the back, felt like we walked to the Ohio River.
A very decent wine selection but our server could not help much since it just changed that day...maybe true but the Pinot Noir selected was perfect.
We overdosed on raw oysters and proceeded to order ribs, pulled pork, steak, fish, fried green tomatoes, crabcake, fried okra and did I mention oysters?
Someone in my group mentioned birthday boy and out came a Comfy Cow ice cream with bacon served on top of pork rinds! Â If you're going to be bad, be really BAD...it was great...salty, sweet, crunchy.
Service for our large group was excellent and handled without stress or missing anything. Â
Check out this area if you want less of the Fourth Street Live action while Downtown.
This place has a southerner-wanna-be-a-hipster vibe. Â The space takes up the length of a city block downtown. Â
The oysters are usually pretty good. Â I've lived in Memphis and Kansas City, and can safely say skip the ribs. Â I'd even go as far as say skip any of the meat. Â Every red meat selection I've had has been dry. Â Made me lower my rating from 4 to 3 stars. Â There is a good selection of other food that you can go healthy, or true southern with hush puppies and other fried delicacies. Â Â
Order any beer they serve in a chilled goblet; you will feel like a king.
Went there on Saturday Night. Â Went with another couple. Â We had heard great things, and they had been there before. Â I am fine with the atmosphere. Â You go to a hot place on a saturday night and you expect noise. Â No biggie.
Let's talk about the food. Â For the appetizer, we got the fried green tomatoes and the Heap n chips. Â I was not a huge fan of the chips. Â And I was diesppointed that the fried green tomatoes were not hand breaded. Â They were frozen. Â I understand that, due to the volume they likely sell, but it is still disappointing. Â There are ways to prep and do them by hand. Â The sauce on them was great though.
For dinner, I got the catfish. Â The taste was decent. Â Was not a fan of the hushpuppies. Â The portion was a little small. Â Would not get it again. Â It was decent though. Â Was disapointed with the quantity and there should be at least one regular side included.
My wife got Brisket and Okra. Â She liked it. Â
Dessert was the Wilbur Sundae. Â I liked it, but it is a complex and confused dish. Â Lot of stuff happening. Â I would get it again. Â But would also be open to trying other desserts.
Overall, it was ok. Â The place is a little confused: Raw Bar, Southern, BBQ. Â Odd combo and it seems they are unable to do one of them great. Â I guess they do them all well, but not great. Â I will go again, but will not fight people to get there.
I can absolutely see why this is a new Louisville favorite. Southern downhome cooking and a raw bar? Yes please!
The space is beautiful. A sleek modern look that would feel at home in a place like NYC and Chicago. I know some people have commented that someplace this nice doesn't feel right with the BBQ atmosphere, but I actually kind of liked it. Modern setting and some ribs? Why the hell not.
Nikki K called it "new urban south aesthetic." I couldn't have said it better myself.
I got the smoked Portobello & Fried Green Tomato sandwich, which was delicious. Perfectly cornmeal fried, fried green tomatoes and a delicious mushroom. My only complaint was the bun, which got a little too soaked up with all the juices and caused the sandwich to basically fall apart in my hands. It was a delicious messy meal for sure but I would have liked a little more stable bun and, therefore, a little more stable sandwich.
And it was only $7, as were most of the sandwiches. Damn. That's hard to beat.
I absolutely enjoyed having a nice Louisville lunch here and would recommend it to others without question.
I was in town for a conference and we were craving BBQ!
We ordered a bunch of food and I tried the shrimp & oyster po'boy, raw oysters, shrimp cocktail, and baby back ribs. The best had to be the shrimp cocktail and raw oysters--both were super fresh. The po'boy was good but the bread was on the rough side. My ribs were also rather burnt but it was tasty when I added the sauces at the table. Service was great and I liked how they all wear flannel shirts.
Eh. Â The space Doc Crows occupies is beautiful. Â The size of the restaurant belies the exterior. Â It reminds me of some restaurants in NYC where it's narrow up front, but the space just goes on and on through the back. Â The decor has an old school oyster house, meets smoke house, meets speak easy feel to it. Â Definitely a great place to hang out.
The food is good, but I wouldn't quite say amazing. Â My special burger with short ribs and other cuts of meat was good, but nothing quite stellar about the meat or the bread. Â We had a selection of hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, sweet potato fries, and mac n cheese - all good, but again, nothing stellar. Â I did not try the ribs, which I heard were quite moist and tasty so potential for an extra star for that dish. Â The food again is good and nothing to disappoint, but you may agonize over the dishes trying to find something that really stands out. Â Thankfully they also had a selection of fresh oysters, which was a great way to start the evening while my glass of Four Roses bourbon was a great way to end the evening.
Ate here with a larger sized group on Friday night.
It was good - had the oysters (delicious) and the smoked turkey (also very good). Â The service was really good from our waitress.
The one gripe I have about this place is its theme. Â It's a raw bar, and a smoke house, with a very contemporary theme. Â The contemporary theme fits the raw bar / cocktails perfectly. Â But then for dinner you can have a slab of ribs or some brisket? Â I just don't see how that works well. Â I think it would have been better for this owner to focus this location on the raw bar and some newer american entrees. Â Then opened the smoke house at a second location.