Turning to F&D’s Middle Eastern (Cuisine) News Desk, in July of 2022 Maira Mediterranean Grill on Fourth St. closed after a five-year run amid impending redevelopment by the University of Louisville and Cardinal Center.
Then, earlier this year, we noted the arrival of Mirage Express at 4000 Dutchman’s Ln. in St. Matthews, an offshoot of the original location on Preston Highway.
This particular deck of cards now appears to have been reshuffled; Mirage is out, Maira is in, and so let’s credit Robin Garr’s Louisville Restaurants Forum and LRF reader Rich S. for the scoop (since confirmed by two F&D readers), which was originally published in September.
Citizen journalism? We’re for it. If you have updates, let us know.
Maira Mediterranean Grill replaces Mirage Express
I walked into Mirage Express Mediterranean Restaurant on Saturday and found it had abruptly turned into Maira Mediterranean Grill; they hadn’t even had time to change the signs. (This is at 4000 Dutchmans Lane in St. Matthews, a block east of Breckenridge.) Maira used to be near U of L, but it closed about a year ago because that property is set to be redeveloped. For now Maira is still serving the Mirage Express menu, but the owner told me he’ll switch to Maira’s menu in a week or two (the menus are similar).
I really liked Mirage Express, but even before it closed it had given up on its steam table of daily specials, which made it stand out. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Maira — at one point its owner also owned Safier downtown — and I plan to try more of its food.
