Colonial Gardens lands another restaurant tenant with Biscuit Belly

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Another restaurant is moving into Louisville's historic Colonial Gardens on New Cut Road.

Two other restaurants — El Taco Luchador and Union 15 — also recently announced plans to open there. El Taco Luchador is a popular taqueria that offers menu items including gourmet tacos and tortas. Union 15 is a pizza and tap house concept created by Paul Blackburn and Alex Tinker, two business partners who grew up in the south end.

Now, Biscuit Belly says it's planning to open in Colonial Gardens sometime next year. The owners of Louvino opened the first Biscuit Belly location on Market Street in June in NuLu. The eatery features southern cooking, with a focus on biscuits. The owners posted a message about the upcoming grand opening on Facebook.

Colonial Gardens was vacant for several years. South Louisville residents had the iconic white building declared a local landmark in 2008, and the city bought the rundown property in 2013. Underhill Associates then bought the property from the city of Louisville in 2014 for $1, with the promise to spend $5 million to restore the building.

The project called for renovating the 7,000-square-foot building and adding three new, one-story buildings that will share a common patio and garden area.

Colonial Gardens Exterior Rendering — Pictured: Visualization of what Colonial Gardens will look like after renovations are complete. (Underhill & Associates)

The property across from the Iroquois Amphitheater was originally opened as a beer garden in 1902. It also housed a nightclub and even Louisville's first zoo before it was left vacant in 2003.

Now, it's becoming a venue for several bars and restaurants.