TV Restaurants

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

Food Paradise, Season 9 Louisville, Kentucky

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Shirley Mae's Cafe is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on October 11, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

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. How we decide a status →

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.

The episode Food Paradise, Season 9

Episode 7
Air date not confirmed
Title: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner · What was featured: Cash-only soul food cooked in an open kitchen
How Food Paradise restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 9 Food Paradise

Season 9: 70 of 100 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 9 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 802 S Clay St

All 43 TV restaurants in Kentucky →

Before you go: 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 we checked 2 references

  1. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/shirley-maes-caf%C3%A9-louisville-2
  2. shirleymaescafe.com https://shirleymaescafe.com/contact/
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Record fp-0594 · checked by Cal Marchetti.