Back Home Restaurant: Great Country Cooking in a Historic Home

Back Home Restaurant: the name says it all. It’s country cooking just like you’d get at Mama’s table. The eatery in Elizabethtown, Ky., just 45 minutes from Louisville, is perfect for out-of-towners visiting the historic State Theater and the Plum Alley Theatre, where the Hardin County Players perform. It’s just two blocks away. And nothing on the menu at Back Home Restaurant reaches $10, making your night out even more affordable.

The restaurant has been in a historic home since 1989, when Linda Fulkerson and her mother moved their expanding craft business into the 1872 Italianate building and began selling beans, cornbread and pimento cheese sandwiches at four tables.

Decades later, Linda’s husband, Tommy Fulkerson, is still cooking in the kitchen (although for a lot more tables), there's an antique clawfoot tub in what’s now the ladies’ room, and the Victorian home still uses its original radiators in cold weather. The old-time, family atmosphere adds to the sense that you’re reliving days spent in your Mama’s — or Granny’s — house.

Every visit to the Back Home Restaurant needs to begin with a serving of their fried green tomatoes ($4.95). This Southern specialty comes fried to a crisp perfection on the outside and juicy within. Be sure to savor the accompanying tangy dipping sauce.

Back Home’s entrees include the down-home food you’ve been craving: fried catfish with French fries, hushpuppies and coleslaw ($8.95); country-fried steak, smothered in a rich, creamy gravy, served two side dishes ($9.95); and meatloaf prepared from the family’s own recipe, served two side dishes ($8.95). Or opt for the Back Home Hot Brown: toast layered with sliced turkey and ham, a tangy cheese sauce, sliced tomatoes and crispy bacon, baked to perfection ($9.95)!

Even the side dishes will make you homesick: sweet potato casserole, hash brown casserole, fried squash, green beans, corn pudding and mashed potatoes are some of the options.

Thinking about some lighter fare? The Back Home Restaurant also serves salads and sandwiches, including chicken salad on a croissant with chips ($5.95), the Amish Country Barbecue, smothered with house-made coleslaw and sliced onions, served with French fries ($7.95); the Frickle Burger, dressed with fried pickle spears, lettuce and Back Home’s own special sauce and served with fries ($7.95); and the Fried Green Tomato Burger, also served with fries ($8.95).

With peach or blackberry cobbler à la mode (both $3.95), a light-as-air peanut butter pie and more on the menu, be sure to save room for dessert! But if you just haven’t any room, return for Afternoon Delight: From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, desserts and coffee are half price. There’s a children’s menu for kids aged 10 and younger. Every item comes with French fries, and none is over $3.95. 

Don’t miss the gift shop upstairs, which has lovely items for the home.

HelloMetro Tip: The Back Home Restaurant takes reservations, although they aren’t necessary except for parties of 10 or more.

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