103-year-old Wagner’s Pharmacy bustling again on Kentucky Derby week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A longtime staple near Churchill Downs is once again drawing crowds during Kentucky Derby week as race fans — both local and out-of-town — flock to Wagner's Pharmacy for food, drinks and tradition.

Located just steps from the entrance to the track on South 4th Street, Wagner's has been serving breakfast and lunch since 1922. For many, it's as much a part of the Kentucky Derby experience as the horses themselves.

"Everyone is just friendly, chit-chatting," said Joanna Johnson, who was visiting Tuesday from Denver. "Everyone is here to have a good time and have a nice meal. And it's Derby week, so people are in good moods."

The mom-and-pop restaurant was packed Tuesday with nearly every table full and the kitchen bustling. Staff members said Tuesday that crowds are typically a 50/50 mix of locals and tourists at the start of the week, but that ratio shifts to about 80% out-of-towners by the weekend.

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Beyond breakfast favorites, patrons sipped on bloody mary's and mint juleps. Proceeds from Tuesday's event — dubbed "502'sDay" — help benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

"We've walked by here for several years and we knew it was part of the Derby tradition," said Jason Darnold, a first-time visitor. "Being in Louisville, we just wanted to take the opportunity to stop in — especially on a day that is probably not as busy as the rest of the week will be."

While Derby Day draws massive crowds across the city, Wagner’s staff said their busiest day of the year is actually the day after — the Sunday following the race. And the most popular item? The aptly named "Hangover”" breakfast.

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