the troll pub under the bridge

decent food and an interesting atmosphere. although i think most come for the beer which also has a good list of options available. definitely a good after work meet upplaceto unwind and grab some grub.

karla at the troll pub is the best!!. the troll pub is now my favorite eating/drinkingplacein louisville. karla, the bar manager, is the best!! go!

my family new we were headed to the louisville area so we hit urban spoon to find us a local restaurant to visit while were in town (family tradition). we all agreed, the troll under the bridge looked like a funplaceto try. the atmosphere was spot on, we loved it!! the food was ok but in their defense it was during march madness & several home games had been played that week. the menu was basically empty so we only had a few choices. we all chose the beer cheese & pretzel rolls for appitizer & beer burger for dinner. we loved the appitizer but we were not so crazy about the burger. i think it was just beer cheese overload. i can't wait to try it again when the menu is full so we can have other choices.
another positive note is our service was very good.

if you were walking around downtown louisville, you would easily miss the bar hiding under the clark memorial bridge that leads to the north. except for the trolls. literally, peeking out from the underground bar, the goofy little mascots are a funny way to introduce you to the troll pub under the bridge. a dank little watering hole where locals love to go for pub food and a drink. the food here is good, and the atmosphere is perfect for the theme. it’s a funnyplaceto see, and in fact, i think it’s overall a good experience.   the bar has a menu of your basic pub fare, with a ton of fried appetizers, pizzas, some steaks and pastas, fish and chips and more. the theme stays pretty close to your prototypical favorites, of course there are the burgers and sandwiches. i gave a try to the chicken salad sandwich, which is a pretty simple item, but the chicken salad is fresh, the chicken is real and large-cut pieces. the end result is a delicious sandwich with a bit of bacon that adds an element of saltiness to it. i love it, like many of the other bar food items, it has a simple charm. i have to mention a beer that is crafted specifically for this bar, termed the “card red.” it’s a light amber beer with a very simple flavor, a clean finish and not too heavy at all. it was perfect to try with the sandwich and i was a fan. if you happen to prefer one of the other brews, i might suggest one of the several dozen other beers, wines or bourbons on the menu. no matter your spirit, you’ll find a lot of different drinks to try. the atmosphere deserves mentioning. the restaurant reminds me a lot of an english pub concept, the dark interior has many recesses and small rooms where groups of folks go to congregate. mostly it’s good for small groups, though there is a central bar too. in all the spot seems to be popular both with the downtown lunch cr

good food - fun concept - daytime family friendly. while visiting friends on a sunday, we met them here for lunch at 12:30pm - plenty of available seating and no wait (it's a fairly largeplaceand you get the feel that it is more of an adult evening haunt! we didn't mind as we were a party of 4 adults + 3 kids (all under 10).

beware: if not from the area, gps will have a hard time finding it - we kept getting routed through the yum! center via our gps (latest update for 2014 even). it is sort of an ally interchange/corner and while there is a decent sign and statue of a jolly troll, the doors in are not well marked either...but this added to the fun mystique of the place!

atmospheric highlights:
1) inside this former bourbon house you get the sense of the former barrel roll paths, etc.
2) nice thick exposed brick walls, troll themed art and statues...plenty to keep you or kids entertained while waiting to eat.
3) bathrooms were a decent walk so young kids may need an adult escort so they don't get lost along the way there or back. this actually might be a positive as it will keep kids busy trying to find way to and from with the chance to view art along the way...for adults (if drinking) it will be entertaining to see if you can "hold it" and make it, let alone in a drunken stupor - find your way around. ha!
4) hidden room (near the patio and between main eatery and bar area is a side room, hidden by a heavy bookcase door) - two flat screen tv's, two tables with chairs and booth seats - it'd easily seat 8-10 adults. we had this room and it was nice for keeping younger kids corralled, and with full use of remote for the directtv - they blissfully watched cartoons while waiting for their meals.
5) clean - although a dark, long, cavern-like space that is subterranean, it was noticeably clean and well-kept.
6) we saw the bar, but can't comment much since we didn't spend time there. seemed to be plenty of tvs and a fairly large arrange of multi-shelf liquors.
7) through a door and window, we saw an outside urban-courtyard patio with cute little lights and urban-chic aluminum chairs. had it not been a bit rainy, and had we been there sans kiddos, the adults all commented that this would be a funplacefor some happy hour drinks before a bats game!

overall, we found the menu to be diverse, a bit imaginative, and reasonably priced. very friendly, polite, prompt servers - we all noted were accommodating to our kids.

our family of 4 ordered: hot brown (which flavor-wise was a 4 on a 5 scale but presentation-wise looked like a large deep dish of neutral colored sludge), chicken fingers & sweet potato tater tots (all your usual kid-fare, most likely from a wholesale, frozen restaurant food provider but good), breakfast burger (ordered only after learning that despite the brunch menu, the server regretfully announced that they had run out of waffle batter and could not produce their famed chicken & waffles - boo...and seriously, pull out the flour, eggs, milk, etc and make some new batter...it's not that hard, my 10 year old can make it on her own even!). we had 2 lemonades and cola...and our bill for 2 adults and 2 kids was around $63 including a 25% tip (yeh, service was that good).

only downsides: a bit pricey * (then, we did tip well) but portions were fairly large and we took take-home boxes, a bit hard to find if not from the area (gps didn't help), park is in ally, on street around yum! center or city garage (we paid $5 flat rate there)...and time moves a little slower at the troll, we hoped to stay an hour and were there just shy of 2 hours.

good food. good service. fun eclectic atmosphere. family friendly. urban hip. relaxed feeling. kudos on the great restoration of this great old building! if we lived in l'ville, we'd surely look to rent it out for a company event! thanks troll, we'll surely be back!!!

always different. i've have been here several times now. the food is usually pretty darn good. the staff, on the other hand, is hit and miss. sometimes you get a great server and sometimes you don't. greatplaceto sit at the bar with a nice craft beer selection and good atmosphere.

great atmosphere and surprising good food for a bar type place. the service was great and theplacewas packed. taco salad had a great cilantro lime dressing that was good. also tried chicken salad sandwich and it was white chicken breast meat on great bread.

all around great!. the atmosphere is fun and inviting. the food is attractive to all ages. my son loves the pizza. my wife likes the beer cheese burger and i'm a fan of the breakfast burger. it has a family atmosphere as well as aplaceto hang out for drinks with your friends. all around great place.

under the bridge in deed 2.5 out of 5 stars. went on a monday evening a week before christmas 2012. the troll bar is cool. i bet thatplaceis hoppin’ on a night that there is a ball game in the yum center or on a friday night. food is so, so. drinks are what i call expensive $$$, $5.50 for a miller lite draft. but i can tell that is where the downtown under 30, professionals go to congregate and pick up each other. there was a couple of groups of the beautiful people in there last night (fashionable suits and little black dresses and high heeled catch me pumps). you know the type. it was fun to go once. i'll drop in again in 6 months or so if it still open. i think it is a flash in the pan.

disappointing.... i had been wanting to try the troll pub for several months. it looks like a coolplaceand a great location. i went earlier today- a sunday afternoon around 2:30 pm.- and brought a friend with me. we walked inside and could not find anyone in the restaurant. i walked towards the back of the restaurant to find someone, and finally an employee comes walking towards us, says "hi" without stopping, and continues out the front door to smoke a cigarette. therefore we turned around and left... i was very disappointed and won't be back.

go on sunday afternoon!. the location is perfect for this little gem. much like "hobbit" hole, it was tucked sweetly away under the 2nd street bridge. everything about the ambiance was just right. brick walls, concrete floors, big flat screen tvs, secret rooms hidden behind bookshelves (complete with the book that lowers to open it)..it was all there.

we went on a sunday afternoon (1ish) and were literally the only people in the restaurant. which was awesome as we had great service. our kids were treated to a little tour and our food was fresh and fast. they said that was the norm for a sun. afternoon.

ordered loaded kettle chips, beer cheese burger, and hot brown. i will have to say that the kettle chips were worth getting as a meal. their cheese sauce is one of the best in town. beats lynn's paradise cafe's hand down. hubby enjoyed his burger and i devoured my hot brown. i wished that there was more mornay/cheese on the hot brown...just b/c it was that good. we aren't "drinkers" so we had iced teas, which were right on.

thisplacewas super for families, but i could see it being fun for dates as well. don't let the word "pub" keep you from trying it if you have kids.

our server was trent and he was just wonderful. managers/owner: he needs a raise. thanks for the great experience!

do not waste your time. i work downtown louisville i called in an order for lunch, it took literally 34 mins from the time that i ordered to get my order, which was mac n cheese and troll tots. i ended up being late back from lunch and even spoke with the manager johnny while i was their, who was very unprofessional. he stated that the problem was the server should not have quoted me 10 mins (like he did over the phone). theplacewas on a 20 minute wait and their were several tables open. the server who took my to go order didnt even come back to take the money. its good mac and cheese, but doc crow's is just as good and same price. their are alot of restraunts in the downtown area, dont waste your time on this place. this is not our first expierence with this place, i asked the last time we ordered if i could make a substitution on my order, she stated "it depends on if the chef feels like it," thats why i only order sides their. however not anymore save time and go to one of the great establishments around the corner like doc's or oshea's alot more friendlier than this place.

if you are in louisville go here. i'm 27 cool low keyplaceon the weekdays. great music great appetizers and an awesome atmosphere, can't talk about the food (i didn't have any) but if you're looking to drink in downtown go here.

great space, food boring. i love the space, but, when i went with a party of four, everything we ordered didn't have the feel of theplacebeing unique in any way. and, when the food was served, it was lackluster, at best.
it is a restaurant, after all. they should concentrate on the menu. i can't even say it's glorified bar food. i could walk into any city and find this mediocre shlock.
it's obvious they have someone at the helm in the kitchen with little or no experience....or the owners don't have a clear vision of what it takes to make it in this town of restaurants and diners.....

a little overpriced. we went one sunday afternoon, theplacewasn't crowded, but the service was hit or miss. the homemade loaded chips appetizer was tasty but the loaded really wasn't accurate. our entrees were fine, we left still a bit hungry and the wallet was lighter with not a lot of satisfaction.