TV Restaurants

Is Shirley Mae's Cafe Still Open? Food Paradise Update (Louisville, KY)

Open reported

As of September 2026, Shirley Mae's Cafe is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Yelp's listing for the Clay Street address was updated in July 2026 with more than 200 reviews and current Thursday-through-Sunday hours, and the restaurant's own website lists an active menu and catering page.

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO

What happened after Food Paradise?

The episode featured Shirley Mae's Cafe's soul-food menu, pig feet, ribs, baked chicken, pinto beans, and sweet potatoes with cornbread, prepared in an open kitchen customers can watch from the dining room. Shirley Mae's is a cash-only soul-food cafe at 802 S. Clay Street in Louisville, Kentucky. Courier-Journal food critic Marty Rosen has been credited on the restaurant's own site with describing its soul food as an authentic, slow-cooked Southern tradition. According to Yelp, the Clay Street listing was updated in July 2026, with more than 200 accumulated reviews and current Thursday-through-Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant's own website separately lists a rotating menu, a placemat art gallery, and a catering page. The cafe's own site also notes a past Food Network segment about the restaurant.

Featured on Food Paradise

Season / episode
Season 9, Episode 7
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
What was featured
Cash-only soul food cooked in an open kitchen
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Shirley Mae's Cafe

Frequently asked questions

Is Shirley Mae's Cafe still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Shirley Mae's Cafe is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to Shirley Mae's Cafe after Food Paradise?

The episode featured Shirley Mae's Cafe's soul-food menu, pig feet, ribs, baked chicken, pinto beans, and sweet potatoes with cornbread, prepared in an open kitchen customers can watch from the dining room. As of September 2026, Shirley Mae's Cafe is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is Shirley Mae's Cafe located?

802 S Clay St, Louisville, KY 40203. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Food Paradise featured Shirley Mae's Cafe?

Season 9, Episode 7 of Food Paradise. The episode is titled “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”.

What do reviews say since Food Paradise?

According to Yelp, the Clay Street listing was updated in July 2026, with more than 200 accumulated reviews and current Thursday-through-Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Is Shirley Mae's Cafe still using the Food Paradise menu or branding?

The episode featured Shirley Mae's Cafe's soul-food menu, pig feet, ribs, baked chicken, pinto beans, and sweet potatoes with cornbread, prepared in an open kitchen customers can watch from the dining room. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

More from Food Paradise

Every Food Paradise restaurant we track

Other TV restaurants in Kentucky

All Kentucky locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
802 S Clay St, Louisville, KY 40203
Venue type
cafe
Official website
shirleymaescafe.com

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

See something wrong? Tell us →

Share this page

Record fp-0594 · last verified .