Best Hot Brown in Louisville: Origin and How to Eat It

The best hot brown in Louisville starts at the hotel that invented it. A hot brown is an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon, tomato and a creamy cheese sauce, baked until it bubbles, served at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. This guide covers what the dish is, how it began, how to order it and what to drink with it.

Order the original first so you know the baseline, expect a short wait while it bakes, and share one with a salad if the table is large.

What is a hot brown?

A hot brown is turkey on toast, covered with Mornay sauce, a white sauce made with cheese, then topped with bacon and tomato and browned under a broiler or in a very hot oven. It is served in a baking dish, hot enough to bubble at the edges, and it is eaten with a knife and fork. A dusting of Parmesan or a similar cheese finishes the top.

Think of it as a cousin of the Welsh rarebit, cheese melted over toast, but richer and more filling. The sandwich is large, so it is usually a full meal, or a dish to share with a salad.

What is the origin of the Kentucky hot brown?

Most accounts agree that the hot brown was created in 1926 by Fred K. Schmidt, a chef at the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville. The hotel held dinner dances that drew crowds, and guests wanted something more than the usual ham and eggs late in the evening. Schmidt's answer was a hot, open-faced turkey sandwich, and it became the hotel's signature.

You can read about the early history in many places, and the details vary a little from one telling to another. The shared point is the date, the hotel and the chef.

Where to find the hot brown at the Brown Hotel

The Brown Hotel is the obvious place to start, and the original is served in J. Graham's Cafe, in the hotel. The Lobby Bar is another spot in the hotel where the dish is listed. It is busiest during Kentucky Derby week, when the city is full.

If you plan to go in spring, book ahead or arrive early.

How to order the best hot brown in Louisville

Order the original first, so you know the baseline. Most kitchens bake it, so expect a short wait. If your table is sharing, one hot brown and a salad make a sensible lunch for two. Ask whether the kitchen uses a classic Mornay and whether the bacon is added before or after baking, since small differences change the texture.

Some restaurants serve variations: country ham in place of turkey, a smaller portion or a vegetarian version. These are worth trying after the first, because they show how far the idea stretches.

Is the hot brown only for special occasions?

It is a celebration dish for many people, and the centennial year has put it in the news, but it is also an everyday order at the hotel. Kentucky Derby week and the holidays are the busiest times. Turkey left over from a holiday dinner is a common excuse to make one at home, since the sandwich is easy to assemble from roast turkey, bacon, tomato and a pan of cheese sauce.

If you want to cook one, the key is the sauce: a smooth white sauce built on butter, flour and milk or cream, with grated cheese stirred in at the end. Bake the sandwich only until the top browns, so the toast underneath keeps some of its bite.

What to eat and drink with a hot brown

A hot brown is rich, so pair it with something fresh. A simple green salad with a sharp dressing works, as do pickles or a side of vegetables. For a drink, iced tea is a Southern standard, and in the evening a Kentucky bourbon, neat or in a cocktail, is a natural match in a city proud of its distilling.

Leave room for dessert if you can. Louisville has its own sweets, among them Derby pie, a chocolate and walnut tart. If you want to eat beyond the hotel, a walk through downtown or one of the neighborhoods will turn up much more.

What other Louisville Kentucky food is worth a try?

Louisville sits on the Ohio River and has absorbed Southern, Midwestern and Appalachian cooking. Burgoo, a thick stew of meats and vegetables, shows up at cookouts and festivals. Country ham and biscuits are a common breakfast. Fried chicken and barbecue are part of the regional repertoire, and the city's distillery and bourbon culture shapes a lot of the restaurant scene.

To see how the hot brown fits among the foods of the region, read the Ohio Valley regional foods guide and the Appalachian food guide. If you are planning a holiday meal, the Thanksgiving dinner out guide has tips for booking and ordering. The full set of city guides is on the US guides page.

Generations on, the hot brown is still easy to rate and hard to forget. Use the Mosey app to record each one you eat, and add it to a Kentucky list that grows with every trip.