Enso, Where Japan Meets the Bluegrass by MONALISA TAILOR, MD
Enso: the meaning of the name stems from a common Buddhist symbol that represents coming full circle in the journey of enlightenment. The circle can be incomplete and might have a deliberate imperfection to mark the desired acceptance of life’ s true realities. One may choose to interpret it as either empty or full. The sign outside this Louisville restaurant has a circle surrounding the name. I’ ve been waiting to write this review for months. This is one of my favorite places in town. The mark of being a Louisvillian is knowing all the other things a space has been in the past. It is my favorite iteration of a restaurant in this space. Unfortunately, the Enso folks suffered a fire a few months ago that temporarily closed the location. Fret no more, Enso returned to us starting in April 2025.
The food is best defined as Southern cuisine with the flair of Japanese techniques, with chicken, seafood and vegetarian options. They feature skewers and salads and noodles. I’ ve been there three times with different people and enjoyed my experience every single time. In advance, I’ ve made a reservation online through OpenTable. When you are meeting others, they will wait for your entire party to arrive before you are seated. I have sat both inside and outside. The patio is absolutely gorgeous on one of these beautiful spring
days! You have a beautiful space to enjoy: this is the freshest, most airy use of space I’ ve seen in this location. It’ s open, inviting and so pleasing to the eye. You feel comfortable and welcomed. Once everybody arrives, they will seat you and provide the menu. This is followed by a very Asian sentiment: you are given a warm washcloth to clean your hands off.
The first time I went, I channeled my favorite show from middle school and ordered the Sailor Moon Cocktail. It was delicious. We then ordered some appetizers to share, from the mushroom skewers to my eternal favorite, the Japanese potato salad( without the bacon). It was delicious. For our entrees, we’ ve gotten a variety of items. The first time I got a tofu slider. My friend got the ramen. She loved it. On my last visit, I had the Frito pie. It was vegan and incredible! They combined Carolina gold rice with a vegan house made chili, topped with lettuce, onions and vegan cheese. I was given a side of Fritos to top the dish. It was so filling and so absolutely tasty. They have an extensive selection of sake, as well as clever cocktails, and a selection of teas, wine, whiskies and beer.
I truly appreciate how many options they have for vegetarians. Now, the menu is seasonal, so a lot of things will rotate off the menu like the dishes I mentioned above. Every meal and experience is full circle so it’ s worth a try of every seasonal menu.
Dr. Tailor is a practicing internal medicine physician at Norton Community Medical Associates: Barret.
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