Dine and Dash in Bowling Green | Listen

Small-town charm meets urban dining and culture in southern Kentucky

Bowling Green, Kentucky, may be best known for the National Corvette Museum, but this is a city poised to rev things up.

Planted between the South and Midwest and home to Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green looks like a quintessential college town. But travelers who scratch below the surface are rewarded with a unique range of culinary offerings, from sweet Americana to traditional Southern fare to globally influenced cosmopolitan options belying the city’s small size. 

Strolling through the bustling downtown, visitors will find a sense of nostalgia sweeping them along. Locally owned shops and restaurants ring the fountain square and beyond, creating a small-town vibe that comes with bigger city perks. 

Eat

Start your day on the square with an infusion of caffeine and community at the hopping Spencer’s Coffee. This fixture plays up the historic architecture of its building with a front-row-seat view of the fountain square and the aroma of their fresh-crop coffees. Grab breakfast here or take your latte down the street to the wellness-centered Café Kindness, where scratch-made goodies, fresh juices, and smoothie bowls will get you sorted.

It’s Pastiche Provisions for lunch, where locals line up for the beloved bodega’s thoughtfully prepared sandwiches (including a fresh-from-New York bagel option) and the artisan cheese and charcuterie offerings. 

Sweet tooths are spoiled for choice around here. Follow the college crowd (and the rest of town, for that matter) to the old school Great American Donut Shop, aka GADS for doughnuts 24 hours a day. Make it a crawl with a stop down the street at the equally classic Riley’s Bakery, where you’ll want a heaping order of their adorable tea cookies in the green-and-white-striped carryout bag.

Come dinner, you can’t miss the institution that is Montana Grille. A rustic log cabin fever dream from the founder of regional chain Rafferty’s, this popular spot serves hearty steaks and fixings around the fireplace including a Kentucky version of Wagyu (but do not miss the prime rib sliders).

For international flavors, look for anything in the dynasty built by Saša Mandrapa. The Bosnian immigrant who worked his way up from washing dishes at a local restaurant now helms a number of restaurants ranging from Latin-inspired tapas at Toro to Mediterranean street food at Speeza.

Whatever you do, don’t leave Bowling Green without tracking down their Pie Queen. Considered local royalty for her scratch-made creations, Brie Golliher is transitioning to a mobile Pie Wagon worth finding.

Drink

Can’t decide between coffee and cocktails? Bowling Green’s got you at Providence Coffee House, where boozy milkshakes are served with bacon and maple cream cheese sweet bread. 

Craft beer more your jam? Get to White Squirrel (named for the town’s unofficial mascot), where it’s about more than the tasty beer brewed on-site. Opened last fall in the ShakeRag Historic District by a pair of friends, the welcoming brewery bills itself as Bowling Green’s living room for good reason, with a massive space that’s home to music and comedy shows and loads more fun. Check out the countertop hewn from a tree downed by the 2021 tornado.

Stay 

Book a room at the new Embassy Suites, where local heritage is celebrated with artwork playing on the town’s intertwined Corvette history and rural environs. A local artisan was brought on board to incorporate locally salvaged materials into the bar, restaurant, and bright public spaces, lending a sense of place to this outpost of the Hilton chain located a quick five-mile drive from downtown.

Do

While away an afternoon popping in and out of downtown shops. Take your time choosing handmade chocolates at the time capsule that is Mary Jane’s Chocolates, unearth a treasure from times past at Fountain Square Emporium, and find something special at Back Down South. See what’s on tap at former 19th-century vaudeville house turned community theater and more at The Capitol. And of course, plan your pilgrimage to the temple of one of America’s most beloved muscle cars, the National Corvette Museum. While you’re there, consider lunch at the Stingray Grill, where you can wash down a towering burger with their nod to Barbie’s iconic ride, The Pink Corvette cocktail.

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