Shirley Mae's Café

$
Closed
yelp logo

(199)

Photos

802 S Clay St
Louisville, KY 40203
Coming to Shirley Mae's Café is like coming home to dinner. In a quaint little clay-brick building on the corner of Clay & Lampton Streets in downtown Louisville, KY, you'll find Shirley Mae in her cozy li'l kitchen creating a little slice of heaven... if Southern cuisine or soul food is what you crave. Each customer is given Shirley Mae's special attention as she fries, sautés and prepares many menu items to-order. In fact, Shirley Mae's Café is one of the few restaurants of its kind where the kitchen is wide open so that the customers can actually watch their food being prepared. And Shirley Mae always insists on fresh food... That's truly what makes Shirley Mae one-of-a-kind. "I don't like artificial anything," Shirley Mae once told Courier-Journal food critic Marty Rosen. "The way I cook takes some time, but cooking is a waste of time if you don't do it right." So, come on home for dinner to Shirley Mae's Café. We'll be waiting on you.

Find related places

Reviews

yelp logo
4.5199 reviews
Photo of Aldean R.
Aldean R.
10/6/2025

Ate at the legendary Shirley Mae's who namesake who recently transitioned over. She was a legend in the city who owned the building her restaurant sits in and helped the community out. Check out...

Photo of Matthew S.
Matthew S.
10/15/2025

Place is awesome it's a window on a random street, the food is cheap and delicious. Had the ribs which came with two cornbread's, wings which also came with two cornbreads and mac n cheese and a...

Wanda A.
8/11/2025

If I could give a negative star rating I would. When there yesterday August 11,2025 for my Sunday dinner. Ordered meatloaf mashed potatoes and greens. The meatloaf was like they started sloppy...

Photo of Anthony P.
Anthony P.
9/15/2025

Every time I headed to New Orleans Alabama my first stop to eat great great food!!! The sweet tea is brew fresh and the grape Kool-Aid excellent!!!

Photo of Amanda J.
Amanda J.
6/8/2024

Oooh, buddy! I'm so happy I finally made it to Shirley Mae's. When we walked up after parking on the screen, a friendly man, who was sitting out, greeted us and we gave him our orders and paid. We...

Own this business?
See a problem?

You might also like

United StatesKentuckyLouisvilleShirley Mae's Café

Partial Data by Infogroup (c) 2025. All rights reserved.

Partial Data by Foursquare.