Popular publication Southern Living recently named three Kentucky restaurants among “the South’s most legendary,” including a historic spot in Berea.
In its March 12 report “The South’s Most Legendary Restaurants Have Outlasted Trends—And Still Set The Standard,” Southern Living recognized Berea’s Crafted at Boone Tavern Hotel, as well as Patti’s 1880’s Settlement in Grand Rivers and Jack Fry’s in Louisville.
Berea’s Boone Tavern was founded in 1909 and has hosted guests including Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Robert Frost and the Dalai Lama.
A collection of broom craft hang on the wall of Crafted at Boone Tavern July 14, 2025 at Crafted at Boone Tavern, the restaurant at the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea.
Boone Tavern restaurant rebranded to “Crafted at Boone Tavern” in 2025, and focuses on locally sourced Southern and Kentucky foods. About 60% of the restaurant’s ingredients and produce are sourced from Berea College.
“The history of this spot is inextricably bound with Berea College, a Kentucky institution that was the nation’s first to offer coed, racially integrated classes,” the Southern Living report reads. “That sense of welcome is something you find in the tavern, too, which sits on the College Square on campus.”
You can make reservations to dine at Crafted at Boone Tavern online, and the restaurant offers menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Dinnertime entrees include the pretzel-crusted trout, fish and chips, barbecue plate and the Berea smash burger.
The Berea College Farm Burger ($19) is seen at Crafted at Boone Tavern, the restaurant at the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea.
An eight-person bar was created at Crafted at Boone Tavern, the new rebranded restaurant seen July 14, 2025, at the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea. The full-service bar features new wines, bourbon, craft cocktails and draft beer.
At brunch, options include buckwheat banana hotcakes or cast iron hash brown casserole, and the lunchtime menu features a black bean burger, butternut squash gnocchi, tavern chicken and more.
Crafted at Boone Tavern Hotel is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and is located at 100 Main St. in Berea.
Here’s what to know about the other two Kentucky spots to receive recognition on Southern Living’s “most legendary” list.
Patti’s 1880’s Settlement
Patti’s 1880’s Settlement is also not just a restaurant, but an inn, mini golf, boutique shops and gardens.
“There’s plenty to get distracted by, but be sure to try a slice of Sawdust Pie, a gooey, crunchy dessert with coconut, pecans, and graham cracker crumbs held together with egg,” Southern Living’s report reads.
The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., excluding four holiday closures each year. Patti’s serves more than 350,000 people each year despite being located in a city with only about 350 residents, according to its website.
The menu at features “Oldies but Goodies,” such as the Patti’s Burger, ribeye steak sandwich and hot ham and cheese, as well as beef entrees, pork chops, seafood dishes, pasta and more. Reservations can be made online.
Patti’s sawdust pie gets its name from the crushed graham crackers, chopped pecans and flaked coconut that make it look like baked sawdust. The recipe came from Patti’s 1880’s Settlement in Grand Rivers.
“We at Patti’s 1880s Settlement are honored to have been featured in Southern Living Magazine this April, along with 25 other outstanding restaurants. As we celebrate our 49th Anniversary this year, makes this recognition all the more memorable. We thank our guests as well as our amazing staff for keeping Patti’s 1880’s Settlement going all these years,” Director of Marketing Beverly Edwards wrote in an emailed statement to the Herald-Leader. “Miss Patti would be so proud.”
Patti’s 1880’s Settlement is located at 1793 J H O’Bryan Ave. in Grand Rivers, about 230 miles from Lexington.
Jack Fry’s
Jack Fry’s serves dishes inspired by Southern and French influences, from meatloaf and shrimp and grits to croque monsieur and escargots.
“Founded in 1933 by Flossie and Jack Fry, it was originally a place where sportsmen congregated. Jack was a colorful character who loved living it up: gambling, boxing, and horse racing — not to mention bootlegging and bookmaking,” Southern Living’s March report reads.
Lunch service runs 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and dinner is served from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Reservations are recommended, and can be made online or by calling 502-452-9244. Business casual dress is recommended, but there is no enforced dress code, according to the restaurant’s website.
Jack Fry’s is located at 1007 Bardstown Road in Louisville.
The Herald-Leader has contacted staff with Crafted at Boone Tavern and Jack Fry’s for comment about the Southern Living recognition.
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Dining and Cooking