Soul Food Tour - Dasha Barbours Southern Bistro

Venture off the well-worn path to Bardstown Road and the NuLu District and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious surprise at Dasha Barbours Southern Bistro.  This off the beaten path restaurant is a perfect example of the gems hidden all over the city waiting to be discovered.

The address is listed as 3825 Bardstown Road but the restaurant is actually on Bradford Drive, one block before the intersection of Bardstown and Six Mile (if you’re heading south).  Turn left onto Bradford Drive from Bardstown Road and it’s at the end of a small shopping strip on the left, right next door to a Mediterranean & a Middle Eastern grocery store.  The restaurant is small but clean and inviting.

In front of the restaurant

Inside

Owner Aaron, a Hart County native, said he wants to cook the type of food he grew up eating in the country.  That simple philosophy is reflected in the small menu of roughly 11 items.  This is what you can expect to see, with some variations.  Sorry in advance my menu photo is not that great!

Appetizers:
Fried mushrooms
Fried green tomatoes ($4.65)

Entrees:  
Chicken & Waffles ($8.50)
Chop and Waff ($8.50)
Chicken Dinner/2 sides ($6.99 + many size options)
Pork Chops w/ 2 sides (~$11.50)
Cheese Burger w/ Fresh Cut Fries ($8.80)
Boneless Chicken Breast w/2 sides
Fish Dinner (Catch of the day) ($10.25)
Hot Wings, Sweet & Spicy, Ranch, Lemon Pepper (several prices)
Salmon Croquets w/ 2 sides ($9.90)
Pizza
Shrimps and sides

Sides ($3.75/each): 
Collard Greens; Mac & Cheese; Sweet Potato Casserole; Fried Corn on the Cob; Fresh Cut Fries; Hash Brown Casserole; Cole Slaw

Drinks include can sodas, bottled water ($1) and homemade sweet ice tea ($1.99).  I highly recommend this as you get unlimited refills and it’s delicious!

On my first visit, I got the chop and waff (pork chop and waffles), especially after Aaron said his restaurant is the only one in the city with this dish. My husband went for the burger and fries (yeah, he’s pretty boring).

Everything here is made fresh to order but the wait is not too bad.  My fried pork chop came out piping hot and glistened with fat, just the way fried food should be.  I love that it’s a thick cut, battered and seasoned on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. I can still see the clear juice and steam oozing out of it as I type this.  It was delicious!  My husband really liked his juicy burger; the fries were different as they were seasoned with a batter much like the one you find on Indi’s wedges.

Burger and fries ($9.80 w/bacon)

Chop and Waff ($8.50)

On our second visit, we got the fried green tomatoes. They packed a lot of heat, temperature and taste wise, so take your time.  That ranch and pepper sauce wa amazing, creamy and spicy.  I would buy jars of that stuff if available.  

Fried green tomatoes ($4.65)

They didn't skim on the salmon and it was spicy.  My husband raved about the cheesy hash brown casserole and mac & cheese.

Salmon Croquet, hash brown casserole, mac & cheese ($9.90)

All reviews swear by the fried chicken here so I had to order some.  The batter is thicker than what I normally prefer but it was crunchy and the meat was moist and tender.

Chicken and waffles ($8.50)

2 piece chicken dinner, collard greens, fried corn ($6.99)

Subtle signs reveal that Aaron and his wife haven’t been in the restaurant business for long and that this place is a labor of love.  Aaron works in the front and his wife cooks in the back, he knows his customers by name and made an effort to get to know us.  He’s young and genuinely excited to share his food with customers.  You won’t find that anymore in other overcrowded and established restaurants.

Discovering great food and meeting new people at restaurants like Dasha Barbour’s made my food adventure in Louisville so rewarding.  Come here for lunch or dinner one day and you’ll also be tempted to stray off the beaten path more often.

Dasha Barbours Southern Bistro | Rating: 8/10 
3825 Bardstown Road (the restaurant actually faces Bradford Dr.)
Louisville, KY 40218

502-882-2081
Monday – Wednesday, Sunday: 11:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday – Saturday: 12 a.m.. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 12:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
(They close at 8 p.m. everyday, but call to see when they open, above is from memory)
average $5 - $15
Park in the front