Cheap eats and casual lunches

The best cheap eats in Bardstown are a diner plate at Pat’s Place, a smashburger at Mel’s Garage, a burger or hot dog at Marcella’s, barbecue at Family Barbecue and a milkshake at the Hurst Drug lunch counter. Downtown keeps the casual places within a few blocks of Court Square, and the Mexican restaurants on Granite Drive and Loretto Road serve the biggest plates for the least money. Save the splurge for dinner and a bourbon flight, and eat lunch like a local.

Cheap and casual at a glance

Diner food on Third Street

Pat’s Place at 125 North Third is the town’s mom-and-pop diner, and it’s where you eat when you want food that tastes like somebody’s aunt made it. Biscuits with egg, sausage and cheese in the morning; a bourbon burger, hand-breaded chicken tenders and daily specials at lunch; homemade pie any time. Published hours are Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Service can drag when the room fills, so don’t book a tour for 15 minutes after you sit down.

Across the street at 102 North Third, the lunch counter at Hurst Drug serves burgers and chicken salad sandwiches in a pharmacy with a 1950s-style fountain. It’s as much an experience as a meal. A banana split runs about $7 and a milkshake about $9. It’s closed Sundays, and cash avoids the card surcharge. See the Hurst Drug soda fountain page.

Burgers and hot dogs

Mel’s Garage Kitchen + Bar opened in December 2025 in a former filling station at 607 West Stephen Foster Avenue, decorated with car memorabilia and old tools. The Kentucky Standard reported crowds waiting in the parking lot at the opening. The menu is smashburgers, wings, hot dogs and desserts, with a bar, and kids’ meals come with a Hot Wheels car. Hours published in 2026 run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; confirm on the site. More on the Mel’s Garage page.

The same owners, Michael Lauricella and Emily Marrs, run Marcella’s and the After Hours Cafe at 225 North Third, opened in February 2023. It’s counter service: Angus burgers, a Smokehouse BBQ burger, beer-battered onion rings, loaded “smash bakers,” Carolina Gold wings and pretzel dogs, plus boba and desserts. One diner called hers the best burger she’d ever eaten. It’s closed Wednesdays, and published hours vary, but it’s reliably open late on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bardstown Burger, at 126 North Third with a drive-thru on Bloomfield Road, has more than 400 reviews averaging 4.6 stars on Restaurantji for its signature burger, the Outlaw Burger and milkshakes. Its site lists Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Sunday, but no recent dated reviews turned up, so it’s likely open; call ahead.

Barbecue and catfish

Family Barbecue at 317 Kentucky Home Square, a Bardstown Chamber member, smokes brisket, ribs and pulled pork and serves mac and cheese, baked beans, fried pickles and potato salad. The baked beans and fried pickles get the most consistent praise; the meats get mixed reviews, so ask what’s fresh off the smoker. It’s closed Mondays and opens at 10:30 a.m. the rest of the week.

BJ’s Steakhouse, at 201 Camptown Road since 1984, is a casual local steakhouse, not a fancy one. A 2026 reviewer called it one of their favorite dinner spots, and regulars rave about the catfish and a steak sandwich. It’s open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. and Saturday from 3 p.m., closed Sunday.

Casual sit-downs: pizza and a pint

When you want a table, a menu and a beer without a dinner bill, two downtown places split the difference. Cafe Primo at 120 North Third serves lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., then dinner from 4:30 p.m. Reviewers call the prices reasonable for the quality, and a pizza with the family-style salad feeds a group. The hot brown pizza is the local order. It’s closed Sundays, and peak-hour waits can run long.

Scout & Scholar Brewing Co. on West Flaget Avenue pours its own beer and serves smash burgers, totchos, a Cuban sandwich and pretzels, with menu items from about $8 up. It’s dog- and kid-friendly with a patio. One reviewer noted that a family of four easily spends $100 there, so order burgers and a round of pints rather than the steaks if you’re watching the total.

Mexican on the strips

Bardstown’s cheapest big meals are Mexican. El Jimador at 1009 Granite Drive, near the bypass, is open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and known for huge servings and good margaritas. Jose Y Los Tres Amigos at 829 Loretto Road is small and affordable, with cheese dip and guacamole that reviewers like; it has only a handful of reviews, so check hours by phone. El Patron Mexican Grill at 885 Pennsylvania Avenue serves carnitas and fajitas in large portions. Recent reviews are mixed, so treat it as a filling, budget stop rather than a destination.

Coffee-shop lunches

Two cafes do cheap, quick lunches. Fresh on North Third runs a daily-changing lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and bagel sandwiches all day. Garage Coffee Roastery on Lincoln Way serves veggie wraps, salads and breakfast burritos until 4 p.m. on weekdays. Both are covered in the coffee shops and bakeries guide.

Eating late

Bardstown closes early. Most kitchens are done by 9 p.m., and the distillery kitchens shut in the afternoon. For a late bite, Marcella’s is one of the few downtown kitchens open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and the Old Talbott Tavern’s bar runs until midnight on weekend music nights, though its dining room closes earlier. The Bardstown at night guide has the rest.

Save money without eating badly

Eat a big breakfast at Pat’s or a diner, graze at a distillery kitchen at lunch if you’re touring anyway, and keep dinner casual on your quieter night. The free Getz Museum and a walk around Court Square cost nothing; see free things to do. Many hotels on the bypass include a hot breakfast, which covers one meal a day. For more ideas, read Bardstown on a budget.