Some say part of why Main Street Café (217 E. Main St.) has enjoyed less publicity than it deserves is its lack of a liquor license.

Well, maybe. That it’s not become a serious go-to place for breakfast and lunch remains a mystery to me because the food is really good. But the inability to have a mimosa with my meal hasn’t been a deterrent for me.

Regardless, that hurdle—perceived or otherwise—is gone now that Main Street Café has a liquor license.

Its friendly and talented executive chef, Laurence Agnew, has created a new beverage lineup of cocktails, craft beer and wine (by the bottle and glass) to sip while supping on his great chow.

Cocktail list options ranging in price from $6 to $9 each and include treats such as The Main Mary (house-made bloody Mary mix, vodka, horseradish and lime, garnished with celery, lemon and pickled okra); the PaMosa (PAMA and Gruet NV Blanc de Blancs); red and white sangria; and the signature Main Street Smokin’ Mary (Old Forester Kentucky bourbon, bourbon-smoked paprika and hickory smoke, garnished with house-smoked bacon, celery and lemon).

If beer is more your speed, expect Kentucky options such as Falls City Brewing Company and West Sixth Brewing.

According to a news release, you can drink at the historic bar salvaged from the old Hausman Jeep building on East Market Street in Louisville. (Not sure what a bar was doing in an auto showroom, but it sounds cool anyway.)

Never been?

You’re missing out.

Main Street Café offers breakfast, lunch and deli options Monday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Some suggestions:

Breakfast

  • Arepas and eggs with griddled cake, house-made chorizo, soft scrambled eggs, black beans, cilantro, Mexican crema, fresh pico and smashed avocado, $10
  • The Smoke, a tri-fold omelet of house-made sorghum bacon, smoked Gouda and smoked mushrooms, topped with smoked onion marmalade and served with a choice of hash browns, grits, toast or a biscuit, $9.75
  • Sorghum fried chicken biscuit, $5
  • Belgian waffle with whipped butter, berry compote and powdered sugar, $5.25

Lunch

  • BB&T with house-made sorghum bacon, Benedictine, tomato and cucumber on rye, $8.50
  • House-made smoked pastrami with jalapeño pimento cheese, butter lettuce, garden tomatoes, garlic mayonnaise and red onion on rye, $10
  • Tarragon chicken salad sandwich, $7.50
  • Smoky carrot, tomato and chipotle soup, $3.25/cup; $4.75/bowl

Hungry and thirsty now?

For more information, call (502) 992-8080.