The Exchange to move into former Byrdie's space inside NuLu hotel

Louisville restaurant Byrdie’s is a must-try for 2025

Byrdie’s in the NuLu neighborhood opened in December of 2024 on the first floor of Hotel Genevieve. Here’s what you can expect.

Less than a week after Byrdie’s closed inside Hotel Genevieve, the NuLu hotel has announced a new restaurant is moving in.

A second location of The Exchange, the popular New Albany gastropub, is expected to open on the ground floor of the hotel, 730 E Market St., this spring, according to a news release. It will be dubbed The Exchange NuLu.

Byrdie’s officially concluded service Feb. 13 after roughly a year in business. The upscale French restaurant opened in December 2025 from owners Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo, who are also behind the fine-dining Chicago restaurant Esmé, which has earned a Michelin star. Prior to Byrdie’s, the space occupied another short-lived concept called Rosette’s. That restaurant, which served American-French cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, closed in August 2025 after opening in May 2024.

In the news release, Stephen Wendell, CEO of Mountain Shore Properties, which owns Hotel Genevieve, said The Exchange NuLu is “hopefully” the last “evolution of our restaurant space.”

The Exchange NuLu marks an expansion of the restaurant that owners Ian and Nikki Hall first opened its New Albany in 2011. It also marks the duo’s first restaurant in Louisville, as they also own Brooklyn and The Butcher in New Albany and previously ran the nearby Outcast Fish & Oyster Bar, which closed, at least temporarily, in December 2025.

“We couldn’t ask for a better partner than Hotel Genevieve for the opening of our second location,” Ian Hall, founder of The Exchange, said in the release. “The energy in NuLu is unmatched, and we’re excited to bring our menu across the bridge and join such a welcoming and exciting community.”

The menu will include “small plates that highlight the bounty of the region, and will feature certain NuLu exclusive dishes alongside long time favorites,” according to the release.

The Exchange NuLu joins other Hotel Genevieve including Bar Genevieve, Mini Marché, and Jimmy Can’t Dance.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Ian and Nikki for this latest — and hopefully last — evolution of our restaurant space,” Wendell said. “Their restaurant and approach to food embodies everything that our NuLu community has asked for: a refined and comfortable dining experience that celebrates the flavors and classic dishes that make our region great, and we hope it becomes a neighborhood staple for years to come.”

Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.