In case you’ve missed the massive amount of construction on the corner of Bardstown and Grinstead, there’s a new restaurant/beer joint preparing for a grand opening in the Highlands. The construction has made it somewhat difficult for me to park and grab one of my favorite burgers in Louisville at Highlands Tap Room, but I still managed to get one recently. As for HopCat, they already have locations in 5 different Michigan cities, plus Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lincoln, NE, Madison, WI, and one right down the road in Lexington. The grand opening is set for July 30th in the Highlands.
The folks at HopCat have done a significant renovation on the building where Spindletop Draperies sat for a long time. There’s a second floor patio with a number of tables inside and outside. Honestly this place looks huge. I know that there are some concerns around the neighborhood as to where all these people will park, but that seems to be a daily struggle in the Highlands anyway. Also, as more of a corporate establishment, there has been some discussion about whether or not this place will last since the neighborhood tends to lean in the direction of local establishments. My thoughts are that they picked this location pretty strategically. Looking at the locations they already have across the country, Louisville makes sense. There will be a crowd here. More than likely they want to grab as many Bellarmine and U of L students as they can. Lincoln, Madison, Ann Arbor, Lexington? These are all college towns. While Louisville is not necessarily a college town, we have quite a few of them, and plenty of students to go around. I can’t find their exact hours, but it seems like they will be open for lunch, closing at 2:00 am. Anyone in the food and beverage biz here knows that Highlands lunches can be pretty sparse at times, however there are a few spots that kill it. So maybe HopCat is planning to capitalize on whatever it is that separates the busy lunch spots from the dead ones.
From the looks of the HopCat menu, they will have burgers, fries, sandwiches, pizza, tacos, salads, etc. There are some standards and some not-so-standards, like the muffin top burger or the loaded potato dip. The Louisville beer menu was not available on their website at the time of this article, but checking out the Lexington beer list you can find a lot of regional offerings, as well as national craft beers and even some imports. Country Boy, Goodwood, Apocalypse, West 6th, Against the Grain, Dry Ground (paducah), Stone, New Holland, Uinta, Founders, and the list goes on. The website says that they will have 132 draft beers and at least 130 bourbon offerings. That’s a lot. It also says they will be brewing some small batch home brews in the basement of the restaurant. I know that a plethora of product doesn’t necessarily make a profitable place, but on paper, HopCat seems to appeal to what people are pining for these days.
I will certainly have to check this place out to see what it’s all about. I’m also very interested in exploring that second floor patio and the extensive beer list. I wish them well, and I hope they find their place here in our great city.
Thinking about moving to Louisville or relocating within Louisville? I would love to help you find your place here, too! Call or email me: 502-417-1255 – justin@metrolouisvillemls.net – Justin Thomas, Realtor Keller Williams Realty Louisville East
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