Hilltop Tavern

Bar that seems to keep it pretty real and take pride in their humble pub food. Casual atmosphere is refreshing for Frankfort Ave. Seems like a place I’d like to go to drink more than a place id really go to seek out food, but that is more about my priorities as a diner than a statement on the quality of food here. Of four sandwiches, I was happiest with the steak melt. Beer cheese was pretty tasty too.

The wife and I initially started coming here because they are a Tavern yet kid friendly. Hilltop has quickly become our go to! The $ 5 PBR/​Old Crow is an awesome deal but the menu is awesome. Some of my favorites are the shrimp basket, chicken tenders, meatloaf sandwich, bow chicken sandwich and Mac and cheese. The only thing I’ve ever had I didn’t care for was the Hot Brown. Everything else is legit though! If you do have kiddos, be forewarned… They only have one high chair. But this place is a gem!

Everything you want in a neighborhood bar. Good atmosphere, good food, reasonable prices. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ will be faded here often.

I’ve been on a hunt for the best chicken fingers in town, and Hilltop is definitely in the running. They have a surprisingly large menu for what many consider a bar.
I really love Hilltop. I have had countless fun nights here, mostly due to the good beer and the awesome closet of games. Yes, it is amazing. Giant jenga, uno, and then really unique games. They had ping pong but I think that changed to fusball.
Go with a medium group and have a ton of fun!

Had money stolen from the bartenders on two separate occasions on Saturday night 12÷5…
$ 13 and $ 7.
Must have thought it was their tip on $ 2 drinks even it was change they brought back to me and they didn’t even ask/​thank before they took it!
…My mistake for talking to the person next to me while I sat at the bar!
Spoke with the manager this afternoon ¹²⁄₉.
He blamed me! …“After 30 seconds how is the bartender to know?”, was his answer.
I have an answer you fool, You Ask!
In closing, when I asked the manager his name today, he ran inside the bar! What a Coward!
No restitution!
Bottom line: DON’T TRUST THE BAR STAFF!!!
…INEXPERIENCED MANAGEMENT TOO!!!

In my own «noob» opinion, they make the drinks extremely strong here. I was surprised at how «out of it» I was from only drinking half of the bourbon Manhattan. Had I known their drinks were made that strong I would’ve just stuck to the food. But I’m not complaining. Seriously, I’m really not complaining because I really did enjoy my time here and the drink as well.
For a bar they have really good food. Their cheeseburger was so yummy and cooked to perfection and the fries were delicious as well! The staff is also very friendly and they didn’t get frustrated when I kept coming up to the bar to order something because I had forgotten to order it on my first trip up (oops).

A fun little neighborhood bar.
‘Neighborhood bar’, in my opinion, is a meaningless term. Most people who use the term are referring to a certain comfortable or relaxed environment, I think.
Sometimes ‘neighborhood bar’ is used as a euphemism for ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ or ‘dirty dive bar’ or worse. Sometimes it means ‘it is near my house, so we can save on cab fare’.
But I think Hilltop embodies a certain ‘neighborhood’ feeling, unlike what I’ve described above. And I don’t feel this way about a lot of other so-​called ‘neighborhood bars’.
First starters, people actually walk to the bar! It’s nestled right in Clifton, on Frankfort Avenue, in a mostly residential area. Silver Dollar and a few small businesses are nearby, but this isn’t a really a commercial hotspot. It’s quiet mostly. And that’s nice sometimes — like when you want to sit on the patio outside the bar and sip a beer after work.
Oh, and the beer! So many great options. They also occasionally have promotions with local vendors and feature new beers they’ve just come up with. I was lucky enough to try one of Against the Grain’s new beers there one night before they hit the shelves.
Hilltop doesn’t take itself too seriously. This would normally be a euphemism for ‘they don’t really clean’. But not in this case! The bases are all covered in the cleanliness department — however, I’m referring to the atmosphere. The have a bunch of card games and other activities laying around the place that you can play with. There’s a foosball table, ping pong, a set of giant jenga blocks and much more.
The food is wonderful. I can’t believe it took me 8 paragraphs to get to the food! You gotta try the beer cheese burger! The West Sixth mac-​and-​cheese fritters are to die for, as well! The pork sandwich and the chicken-​and-​waffles are also some of my favorites. (…try the beer cheese burger, though, and thank me later!)
Some other notes:
–outdoor seating — some covered by umbrellas
–lots of local art hanging on the walls
–bathrooms are clean (and have more art on the walls)
–giant projection screen to watch football/​basketball games
–lots of seating indoors
–good mix of music
Lastly, my only complaint is that it can be difficult to order a drink
—I don’t think it’s the staff’s fault. I think they are wearing a lot of hats. It seems like at any moment, the staff could be tending bar, then getting more glasses, then checking with the kitchen for a to-​go food order, then running another food order out to a table
—I can only observe what I see — but it appears they could use a little better organization OR a few more staff members to handle the many needs of the customers
—The bar area tends to get a little crowded as well when the bar gets busy — I’d recommend taking down the wall that runs down the middle of the bar, so customers can order from that side of the bar as well (near the stage/​projection screen) — this would free up space — just a suggestion.
Overall: I love Hilltop! It’s comfortable, fun, silly and the people there are great. I’d recommend going on Thursday night. That is «Pint Night» — and you can take your pint glass home with you. Try a few different beers, get something to eat (SERIOUSLY. THE BEER CHEESE BURGER) and enjoy the atmosphere.

I’d driven by Hilltop a million times and often wondered what exactly it was — dive bar, bar/​restaurant, hipster hang out? After a recent discussion with a fellow Unilocaler during which she gave a rave review, I convinced some friends to try it out for a drink and late night bite. The place was beginning to get crowded by 11 pm on a Friday, but we still managed to find a table. With a large bar, late food service, and a variety of games (from foosball to arcade), Hilltop was a buzz with people enjoying the start of the weekend.
Grab a menu off the bar and make sure to check out the specials board. Looked like they had homemade potato soup that night — yum! We ordered (at the bar, no table service) a variety of snacks including the mac & cheese fritters, hot pretzels w/​spicy beer cheese, churros, and bread pudding. No item was over $ 7 and the portions are large.
I’d high hopes for the mac & cheese fritters. The crunchy exterior and dipping sauce were excellent, but the interior was pretty bland. A pair of enormous, hot pretzels with delicious beer cheese made up for this disappointment. The beer cheese had a chunkier texture than you often see and reminded me of my grandfather’s recipe. It had a fantastic flavor with just the right amount of kick to perfectly compliment a cold beer or cider.
One of my friends always goes for dessert first and he was in shock when his bread pudding arrived. It was the size of a paperback novel (think Harry Potter) and covered with nuts and bourbon sauce. He only made it through half before having to doggie bag the rest. Our churros were perfectly fried creating a hot, crunchy treat. The bourbon dipping sauce on the side was also fantastic.
With so much food, all three of us ended up taking home leftovers. I’ll be back to Hilltop to explore more of their affordable, bar food made with care.

I was so surprised by this spot! Some friends and I stopped by for a drink around 10 pm on a Thursday when every other bar in the neighborhood was closed. This place was happening! I loved the bartender in overalls and the people who all knew each other and were regulars. The best was a regular guy who is insane on the ping pong table! People were lining up to play him; he was too fun. I definitely will go back!

Very nice restaurant. I tried the grilled cheese and it was awesome, the same for the smoked pulled pork sandwich.

How I forgot to write my review about this right away in March is beyond me. During a happy birthday celebration we stumbled in at 1:00am on a Saturday Night and the place was full of hipsters.
I was a tad scared because I’m just an east end girl who rarely goes out late anymore but I snagged a table and my GF who used to wait tables took our orders and delivered them to the bar.
With 8 of us eating and drinking her going back and forth was much faster than waiting for them to see us with it being so busy.
Hipsters DO know how to make food. I can’t complain about any of it.
Chili Cheese Fries
Chicken & Waffles
Beer Cheese
A more «local» way to end your night of party time than steak and shake.

Absolutely one of my favorite places to go in Louisville! Their food is simple but delicious. They offer a lot of house made items such as their beer cheese and all the sauces you find on your table. All equally flavorful and delicious. Their house-​smoked pulled pork (they also have wings, turkey and chicken that are smoked) is my favorite. The majority of the time I order the cheese quesadilla and add the pork to it. Holy moly it’s good! I’ve recommended that dish to at least 3 or 4 friends who were new to Hilltop and have received only rave reviews. Foods I’ve also enjoyed are the pretzel and beer cheese, chicken tender basket, and the mac-​n-​cheese.
As far as drinks go, they have a full bar. My go-​to is the Crab Apple. It’s Crabbie’s ginger beer and Redd’s apple ale mixed. I believe that was an in-​house creation. LOVE!!! There are several other drink creations available and I know they are scrumptious according to my company’s comments.
This is for sure an eat, drink & be merry tavern. Ping pong, human-​sized Jenga, «put the ring on the hoop game» (I don’t know the name of it. Hahaha!), and board games are available to play. They also have TVs scattered throughout the building including one huge screen in the big dinning room. I also appreciate how local art is displayed all over the walls. It’s awesome they support local artists! The music is always terrific. It’s ranged from 80s, Indie, 90s alternative, to even classic old school jazz.
I’d really give this place 10 stars if I could. Yes, sometimes it can be a bit difficult to get service right away if they are swamped. However, they always get to you as soon as they can and do a great job! Patience is a virtue. :)

We came here for a friends birthday. Super chill atmosphere and I liked that they had enough space for groups. The hubs and I got pretzels and beer cheese for an app and their beer cheese was not at all what I was expecting. It was cold and not smooth, kind of the best way to describe it. But the flavor was great. You get two ball park pretzels which were massive.
The chicken bbq sammie was amazing and the Mac and cheese was great with a little kick to it. I really enjoyed the place overall but the service left a little to be desired. The waitress was really slow, although the food was not. We may be back.

It’s actually quite alarming how much I enjoy this place. It’s almost like… someone crawled into my head and made a restaurant/​bar based on my preferences.
— Nice area? Yep. Love Frankfort Avenue.
— Cool décor? Yep. The artwork is funky and neat.
— Outside seating? Yep. And again, on Frankfort Avenue. Good people watching.
— Flowing beer? Yep. Good selection, too.
— Good food? Yep. Not amazing, but really solid bar food.
— Anything else? Yep. Ping Pong table and a ton of board & card games, if you wish.
Oh, and they have TVs if you want to just chill and watch baseball or something. Which I love, as I’m a huge sports fan.
The menu is really neat. They have wings and shrimp and BBQ. But they also have a meatloaf sandwich, which is turbo cool. That’s what I got, and it was great.
Hard to dislike this place. It only gets 4* because the food was pretty good. It isn’t incredible, but then it *IS* just a bar, so maybe I’m being overly critical.
Because of the food, good drink selection, decent prices, and the countless games to play, this is a great place to take friends and spend a whole evening. It is definitely worth planning an evening here with friends. You won’t be disappointed.

Well, they have Crabbies ginger beer so that’s a major plus as that’s the only beer I’ve ever tried and like (fortunately the Wine Rack sells it too)! And they have a yummy salad for when you’re trying not to eat and gain five pounds in one sitting… When I’m ok with being a fat ass their fried shrimp is good :) Another awesome attribute is that I can walk here. I love bars like this… And this place is awesome. It’s friendly and I love watching the Cards play here (basketball). There are awesome stickers on the paper towel dispenser and sometimes there’s a life altering quote in the bathroom stall. (I’ve had a few crabby beers already :) I forgot to mention the Apple cucumber salad … Mmmmmm

I’ve now been here a handful of times and feel as though I can finally post a review. It’s a neighborhood type of bar (that’s why I gave it a few times before reviewing) and it really is a wonderful spot. I typically come for post work drinks, but I have been on a late Saturday night and this place definitely gets busy! Everyone is very friendly and everyone seems to know each other here. I’ve only been here for drinks so I can’t comment on the food (although everything looks good!); they have board games and a life-​sized Jenga game, which I am hoping to play sometime in the near future. It’s definitely a great spot to enjoy a drink with friends with no fuss. Definitely recommended.

I met an old friend & her new fiancé here one night for dinner & a few drinks. They’re regulars at Hilltop; I assumed because they live literally a five minute walk down the road (three cheers for no DUI’s!). Come to find out, that’s not the only reason.
The bartender, MJ (as well as the rest of the employees) had an astounding personality. Things like this automatically excite me about a restaurant. Not to mention, she made a great bourbon & lemonade! & only gave me half as weird of a look as all the others when I’ve asked for that cocktail. ;) I highly recommend sitting at the bar with MJ. She’s fantastic!
I wasn’t too hungry in particular, but I needed to try something. I went with popcorn shrimp & fries. Delicious. My friends salad she ordered looked fresh, & she was very pleased. Another reason I assume she’s a regular.
I can’t quite give it 5 stars because it wasn’t mind blowingly delicious… But service was amazing, drinks were strong, & the company was good. Come on Unilocal,why can’t I do 4.5?!

We came to Hilltop to celebrate a going away party. There were probably around 25 people in our group and loads of others in the bar watching the end of the U of L game and then later the UK game. It was packed but the service at the bar was still solid and pretty fast!
I think Hilltop is a fun hangout spot on Frankfort Ave because they have a ping pong table, three different areas to chill and also card/​board games. Oh, and of course tvs for watching games and such.
Reasonable prices and a pretty tasty full menu (from a previous visit where i was hungry). Try the fried mac and cheese bites, you will not be disappointed.

Awesome little hole-​in-​the-​wall bar with surprisingly good food at reasonable prices. Three of us came here on a Saturday around 6:30. There was hardly anyone in here. We found seats right away, and our drinks our food all came out quickly. I had the Peach Old Fashioned to drink which was good, though I didn’t taste much bourbon. We started with the Beer Cheese Pretzels for an appetizers. The beer cheese is excellent and has a spicy kick (it is cold FYI). For entrees, we had the PBR pulled chicken sandwich, the meatloaf sandwich, and the pulled pork sandwich with fries and macaroni and cheese as sides. Everything was really good. I highly recommend the mac and cheese.
My only complaint was that it was freezing cold inside. It was a cold December night and it didn’t feel like there was any heat on. Servers were wearing jackets and patrons had on coats — yes, big, puffy, winter coats. I kept my coat on and was still cold.
We didn’t hang out very long after our meal, but Hilltop looks like a fun place to spend a few hours having drinks. They have tons of board games and life size jenga. This was my first time here and I’m looking forward to coming back to hang out and try more menu items.

I absolutely love this bar. We start my birthday here every year, and for good reason. The atmosphere is great, plenty of room and plenty of seating. It’s great for groups.
They have ping pong and tons of board games to play. That’s right, board games. They have a closet brimming with the things. And let me tell you, if you think you’re not a fan of board games, just start playing with all your close friends and have a couple drinks. You can’t not have fun!
And the food. Oh man, the food is awesome. Not what you’d expect at all from a dive bar. Everything I’ve tried from the menu has been great, and they have my favorite pretzel and beer cheese in town. And you get two huge pretzels with that order. And then you eat them both, because they’re delicious!