Shady Lane Cafe

Shady Lane Café is an (almost hidden) gem! even though they have won several awards, most famously, their burger. Everything is made fresh daily. The homemade desserts are sinfully delicious. The husband-​wife team are fun, energetic, and will even sing Happy Birthday to u from the counter (she has a wonderful voice). Eat inside, outside, or call ahead for take out. You will not b disappointed.

Shady Lane Café is wonderful. It’s not the kind of place you are likely to find accidentally: it is in a strip mall and nondescript on the outside.
Inside, Shady Lane Café is charming. It looks small, but has an upstairs level so there is quite a lot of seating. The décor is homey and a little kitsch.
At Shady Lane Café, you order at a counter, then take a seat and wait for your order. Today, we had the privilege of being served by the owner. She is very friendly, and rightly very proud of her food. Today, she boasted that everything is homemade, the old fashioned way, from scratch. She says that she considers herself a food counselor.
Today, both of us ordered breakfast. We had bacon and blue cheese omelettes and split an order of biscuits and gravy.
The biscuits and gravy were great! The biscuits were perfectly browned and flaky, and swimming in a generous pool of homemade sausage gravy just like my grandma made.
The omelettes were also good, with a nice balance of ingredients and nothing to overwhelm the interplay between the bacon and the blue cheese. Accompanying each omelette was a delicious fruit cup and a biscuit. We could have ordered another bread but wanted to sop up more of the gravy.
There were several delicious looking homemade desserts on stands on the counter. I would have loved to have tried one but feared my date might (rightly) peg me as a glutton if I went beyond my meal-​and-​a-​half! I wanted to make a good impression.
I intend to return soon to Shady Lane Café to try one of their hand-​formed burgers. They looked lovely.
Next time, I’ll have dessert!

Diner dining is alive and well at the Shady Lane Café! Wonderful burger on brioche bun, perfect French fries, and (OMG!) banana foster cake. Touted as «Italian cream cake on crack,» by super Susie behind the counter, it certainly must be true because all the food here is wonderful. Funky ambience, friendly staff, and convenient location make this my current lunch stop of choice! You may have to stand in line to order and pray for a table, but this place is worth it. Open only onSaturday morning for breakfast at 8:30 am (only until 11:45), and Tuesday through Friday, open at 11 am, lunch or supper, this restaurant is worth a stop!

This is a neighborhood shop with excellent, freshly prepare food the friendly enthusiastic owners add to the delightful atmosphere. Menu includes grilled and tomato soup combo, fried bologna sandwiches and other favorites from childhood. A good choice anytime.

Awesome food – fun times!
Huge Italian sub – my daughter loved it.
Great tomato basil soup.
Yummy salmon burger.

Grabbed lunch here on a Thursday after browsing here on Unilocal.Walked in to find a couple dozen seniors — thought about checking out, but stayed, and glad I did — we had a club and a grilled cheese and they were great!

Burgers are perfectly cooked. Juicy, but not bloody! Great service! This place is a hidden gem.

I’ve been here twice and just cannot get excited about it.
Today I had the meatloaf sandwich and tomato basil soup. It was good. Nothing wrong with it. But nothing to write home about, either. My wife had the Brownsboro Burger. It was good, but no different from any other everyday burger (she compared it to Home Run Burgers and Fries).
A lot of reviewers rave about this place. To me, it’s just OK. I will say, though, that the service was fantastic — Susi is very friendly and our table was promptly bussed by a friendly, polite young man. Also, we went right at the peak of the lunch rush, so maybe they were off their game a bit, I don’t know.
Oh, and the tortilla chips served on the side of my sandwich were boring and a little stale.

When you walk in, it has an old Middletown feel to it. You automatically feel welcome and comfortable! Trinkets and awards cover the walls along with a bad ass menu board! There is seating in the lower deck and in the adorable upper deck for larger groups.
They were out of their famous burger, but it was okay! I had about five other menu options I was seriously debating over! My girlfriend and I finally decided on the Benedictine bacon sandwich and the grilled pimento cheese sandwich with tomato basil coup and sweet potato fries. We split our meals half and half so we could try the best of both worlds! Also, we devoured a Blondie bite that was the best I have ever put into my mouth!
We were absolutely blown away by the flavors and staff of Shady Lane Café! Not only was the food decisions and savory and filling and scrumptious… But Will and Rachel were absolute dolls! They were so kind and helpful. And patient with me and my ordering shenanigans!!!
I am coming back next week for that burger!

Best burgers in town. The lady at the counter is super friendly and funny. Line is always out the door but definitely worth the wait.

The best place to get a burger in Louisville. I’ve been here countless times and have never had a bad experience. Their cream of mushroom soup is possibly the best in this universe. Bill and Susi make you feel like family every time you come in. A++++

Good food and great location but weird hours. Prices are a little high for lunch but the Brownsboro Burger is worth it.

The food is always good but the price are a little steep for lunch. The salmon patty is good. I got the benedictine BLT last and it was good too.

Yep, this place is awesome.
The restaurant has a small-​town, simple, homey feel. You line up at the counter to order. The menu is posted on a chalkboard behind the counter. The cooks’ workstations are set up right there behind the counter for you to watch. The owner is happy, welcoming, and friendly. She greets you when you walk in, and converses with each customer as they’re ordering. She doesn’t hold back with recommendations, which I love.
There’s a signed posted that their Brownsboro Burger was picked as the best burger in Louisville for 2014. Combined with all the hype I’ve heard about that burger, I had to order it. The owner told me about their smoked bacon potato salad which sounded amazing so I picked that as my side.
You find a table and they bring your food out to you a short time later. It didn’t take long at all. Around 5 minutes.
OMG. The food did not disappoint. The burger was outstanding. A perfectly cooked patty topped with gooey pepperjack cheese (you pick your cheese) and the standard toppings (lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo). The proportion of meat to cheese to toppings to bun was just right. Everything was well balanced and flavorful. There’s not anything fancy about this burger; it’s just downright good. For a basic burger (not gourmet), this is definitely one of the tastiest burgers in Louisville. And then the potato salad. Wow. It almost outshone the burger. I don’t know if it was a special or a listed side item, but man, it was easily the best potato salad I’ve ever had. I also had a few fries, which were great. They were the perfect size with just the right amount of crispness and seasoning.
The hours are pretty limited. They run lunch service on Tuesday-​Saturday, and are closed by 3pm. They also serve breakfast on Saturday mornings from 8:30−11:45 (signs say they are strict about the end of breakfast). Unfortunately, their hours only allow me to make it by on a Saturday, but I’ll definitely be back as much as I can. The breakfast looks amazing, so I’m looking forward to trying that.

Thanks to an article in the Courier Journal about the best hamburgers in town I discovered this outstanding restaurant. The hamburger is easily one of the best, if not the best, in town. Yes, there was a line to the door, and yes, the hamburger alone is $ 7.00. But the wait and cost are more than worth it. This hamburger is the old-​fashioned real deal, but better because it weighs in at ¹⁄₃ of a pound of handcrafted wonder. The restaurant itself is equally old-​fashioned and charming, and the owner/​order taker is hospitality personified. If you are a burger person, then you simply must try this place. I personally think that a truly good hamburger is right up there with the holy grail in terms of finding it, but success at last!

I had lunch with a friend here today and was completely blown away by the atmosphere, service and most of all the food! The café is on the corner of a small shopping center and I would have never expected there to be a line out the door!
The atmosphere was unique, it’s an order and pay at the counter café. We were greeted as soon as we walked in the door. As the line grew they greeted everyone at once and announced the specials for the day. We had never seen this done before but we loved it. All the tables had mismatched salt and pepper shakers and other cute decorations. My friend uses a wheelchair and while the space isn’t entirely accessible they made every effort to make us comfortable. Her power wheelchair was able to make it over the door threshold but it was a couple of inches tall. Inside the tables are kind of close together but the dining room attendant approached us and helped us get seated right after we ordered. The staff were very respectful of both of us and for the first time in a long time they viewed my friend as a person, capable of fulfilling her own order instead of looking at me to order for her. You just don’t find people who are compassionate like this everywhere you go! When we left the staff called us by name and asked how we enjoyed our experience and held the door for us on the way out!
The food… oh my goodness. I had the grilled pimento cheese with tomato and bacon and a cup of tomato basil soup served with crackers, tortilla chips and a pickle. The sandwich was absolutely amazing and over the top cheesy. While it was amazing there was so much cheese I would consider splitting the sandwich with my dining companion and sharing a salad next time. My friend had a grilled chicken sandwich and the kitchen was happy to accommodate her request of no bun and made her feel very at home.
If you haven’t tried this place yet, make it the destination for your next lunch date or meeting!

Wow… went for lunch. As I walked in I got a very thorough explanation of the menu from the owner, along with her recommendations. I went with the burger and a cup of mushroom soup. Burger was fantastic and mushroom soup was great. Food came out quick and I think the price was low if anything based on the quality. It has a diner atmosphere, but the food quality exceeds your typical diner. Highly recommend!

Tucked away in a corner of a shopping center, you will be surprised by the line of people waiting. The décor can be a little overwhelming and the space is tight, but it is completely worth it. I have been there and had trouble finding sitting, so I took my order to go. I have also been there and had no trouble sitting with my family of 8. The walls are covered in all kinds of little things to keep kids entertained and adults interested while waiting for your meal.
The food has never, ever disappointed me. Everything tastes homemade and is made right in front of you. One of my favorites is the Benedictine and Bacon Wrap. I love the twist of bacon on a Louisville classic. Their potato salad is divine. From what I hear, they have one of the best burgers in town. While I cannot say if that is true or not, I can say they have one of the best veggie burgers in town.
There is breakfast on Saturday until 11am. The place is closed for about half an hour and re-​opened for lunch. Shady Lane Café is never open for dinner, but you must find the time to try it. Be sure to get there right when the doors unlock, otherwise you will be waiting in line.

SHAME SHAME SHAME on me.
This place is around the corner from my house (well 60 second drive) and it took me this long to go here.
This is the real deal, it’s like sitting in a relatives house that has gotten most of their furniture at garage sales or other relatives house when they got new stuff. It eclectic.
When you come is they greet you and explain the menu, the owners are there taking the orders and cooking them up, this is the best thing in the world. Everything is made from scratch.
Everything we ordered was outstanding but I was there for the burger, you should be there for the burger. It was top notch not over the top and fancy jsut cow, meets stuff from cows (cheese) and a good bun. They have krinkle fries and they are done exactly right crisp outside fluffy inside.
The soups were again from scratch and it showed, we had the tomato and it was on point.
Aside from the food what amazed me about the place was we ordered everything up front (food, desserts etc) and they brought it out like it was a sit down restaurant and someone had taken your order, they even timed it right. The dessert showed up after we finished our meal and no on is walking around the place checking this stuff out. HOW DO THEY DO THAT? I assume its whichcraft or some sort of voodoo medicine but cannot confirm, which means when I go back and I will many many times it will be in name of research not to get another one of the blondies made from scratch…

One of the best burgers in town. Is it because the grill is well seasoned? Is it because Chef/​Owner/​Husband puts a little love into each and every one he makes? Is it because he doesn’t over cook it? YUP! All of the above! I get my burger with everything on it — just the perfect amount of sauce with all the veggies that make it a healthy meal. ;) I also ordered the black been soup that they had the day I went. If they have that when you go I recommend it! My little ordered a burger too — just cheese and pickles for her which is the way she likes it — and french fries. Little usually doesn’t like the shape of fries they make at Shady Lane but she loves theirs. She says they are perfect. Also, she won’t share so I had to steal 2 fries and yes they were perfect. I love the character of the owners too.