Pat’s Steakhouse: A Family Affair and Louisville Tradition Since 1958
The distinctive Z-shaped sign shines shamrock green as motorists whoosh by on lower Brownsboro Road every evening, a landmark in the Clifton Heights neighborhood since 1958.
The building on which the sign is mounted, a former coach house that provided a stop-off for travelers in the 1800s heading west from Cincinnati, with its green and white motif, beckons still to hungry people traveling by.
But unlike a coach stop that was founded to cater to traveling passersby, Pat’s Steakhouse is perhaps the ultimate mainstay in the city when it comes to dining and tradition, with many of its regulars having been circling back to the unique restaurant for decades. Pat Francis, the affable, do-it-all owner, began working part-time at the restaurant when he was 11, back when the eatery was known as Min’s Steak House, operated by his father, Michael.
Pat himself took the reins in the 1970s — and apart from the name change, the restaurant has hardly changed in the years since it was Min’s. There are even employees who have worked at the restaurant for decades — including Pat’s own family. And while many diners might think of a modern steakhouse in terms of high-end establishments like Jeff Ruby’s or Le Moo, Pat’s is a place rooted in tradition, blending the elements of a classic steakhouse, an Irish pub and a neighborhood tavern.
