Buckhead Mountain Grill offers good service, decent food, and good prices in a comfortable setting. They are a semi-local chain, with two locations in Louisville and one across the river from Cincinnati. It is a family restaurant, and Boo enjoys our visits as much as we do.
The decor of the restaurant is modeled on a mountain cabin, complete with stuffed deer and moose heads, and this is one of my families favorite spots to grab a quick dinner. Both local locations offer a good variety of draft beers, and the bar area has several televisions showing sports programming. However, if you’re coming into Louisville for the 2016 NRAAM, please keep Kentucky and Indiana laws about carrying concealed and having a beer in mind.
There is usually a wait during dinner hours at Buckhead’s, but there is a comfortable seating area available and I’ve never had to wait more than 20 minutes. Remember, in Louisville, it seems that about half the residents only use the kitchen to make reservations or dinner plans on weekends, so plan accordingly.
The appetizers at Buckhead’s are tasty, and their portions are large enough that they can easily be shared between two or three adults. Our family favorite is the Homemade Queso Dip, mainly due to Boo’s addiction to corn chips, but the Summit Sampler is also good if you want some variety or have varying tastes present at the table.
The menu at Buckhead’s is pretty strictly American fare, including steaks, chicken, fish, and one of the best chicken pot pies I’ve ever had. The food is tasty, but not fancy. Irish Woman almost always gets their buffalo chicken sandwich, which goes well with either fries or steamed broccoli. I try different things, but my two favorites tend to be either the aforementioned Buckhead Pot Pie or the Grilled Whitefish Dinner.
Desserts are pretty good, but we rarely have room for them. On the odd occasion that we splurge, we usually get a slice of the Pike’s Peak Pie, which is decedent and big enough to stuff two adults.
Cost-wise, Buckhead’s is about middle of the road. Dinner for Boo, Irish Woman, and me was $32 the other night, before tip.
In the years we’ve been going there, Buckhead’s has always given us good service. Our table is always clean, our drinks come quickly and are never empty, and the wait staff is always friendly.
One drawback to Buckhead’s is parking. The Bardstown Road location is part of a strip mall, which includes several other restaurants, and the parking lot is almost always close to full during the dinner hour. The Jeffersonville location has ample parking, though, as well as an excellent view of the Ohio River and Louisville’s riverfront.
As for location, the two Louisville restaurants are relatively easy to get to. The Bardstown Road location is just off the Watterson Expressway (I-264), about 10 to 15 minutes from the Kentucky Exposition Center. The Jeffersonville location is across the river in Indiana, so you’ll have to drive on I-65 through the current bridge construction and road re-do, then drive on surface streets for a few minutes to get to it. Expect a 15 to 20 minute drive, at least, to get across the river and through the construction.
Buckhead Mountain Grill is a good place to get a good meal for singles, couples, families, or larger groups of friends. If you’re coming in for the NRAAM, it would be a great place for lunch or dinner.
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