Churchill Downs Racetrack Announces the Official Menu for the 152nd Kentucky Derby®
Churchill Downs has dropped the curtain on the official on-track menu for the 152nd Kentucky Derby, and it reads like a love letter to Louisville’s spring larder and classic cocktails.
Headlining the food lineup from Levy Restaurants’ Senior Executive Chef Robert Lopez are honey bourbon grilled chicken with roasted peach chutney, Kentucky BBQ shrimp with fava bean relish, and char‑grilled short ribs with pomegranate and fennel, all built around fresh, regional ingredients. Lighter bites keep things Derby‑day drinkable, including Green Goddess pasta salad, a kale salad with cider sorghum vinaigrette, farmstand veggies with hummus and buttermilk herb dip, a Caprese focaccia sandwich, a pretzel board, ancient grains pilaf, and brown sugar‑glazed roasted carrots with dill sorghum butter.
In the glass, Churchill Downs is sticking with Derby icons: the Old Forester Mint Julep, the Oaks Lily, the Woodford Spire, and the Herradura Horseshoe Margarita anchor the official beverage menu for race day. Across more than 25 dining rooms and 17 full kitchens, Levy expects to feed over 100,000 guests, burning through an eye‑popping 5,000 pounds of short rib, 4,000 pounds of shrimp, 6,000 pounds of carrots, and some 50,000 blackberries over the weekend. Chef Lopez, back for his third Derby, will be joined by a roster of celebrity chefs serving exclusive dishes in premium spaces like Club SI by Sports Illustrated, Spires Terrace, and the Turf Club as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” gets a matching upgrade on the plate and in the glass.
For the third year in a row, Head Chef Robert Lopez crafts a new lineup of delectable spring-forward race-day dishes
The Official Kentucky Derby® 152 On-Track Food Menu
Green Goddess Pasta Salad
Cheese tortellini, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mozzarella pearls & fresh basil with a creamy pesto
Kale Salad with Cider Sorghum Vinaigrette
Kale, shredded cabbage, julienne carrots, red quinoa, dried cherries, sunflower seeds & pickled red onions with a cider sorghum vinaigrette
Farmstand Vegetables & Assorted Dips
An assortment of vegetables with traditional hummus, lemon sweet pea hummus & buttermilk herb dip
Caprese Sandwich on Focaccia
Heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil & balsamic glaze on focaccia
Pretzel Board
Served with whole grain mustard dip, pimento cheese & vanilla glaze
Char-Grilled Short Ribs with Pomegranate & Fennel
Boneless short ribs topped with fennel & a pomegranate glaze
Honey Bourbon Grilled Chicken with Roasted Peach Chutney
Chicken breasts topped with a honey bourbon glaze & roasted peach chutney
Kentucky BBQ Shrimp & Fava Bean Relish
Large shrimp topped with a Kentucky BBQ butter sauce & fava bean relish
Ancient Grains Pilaf
Farro, quinoa, bulgur, barley & wild rice with sautéed vegetables, lemon zest & herbs
Brown Sugar Glazed Roasted Carrots & Dill Sorghum Butter
Roasted carrots tossed in dill sorghum butter
Kentucky Derby® 152 Beverage Menu
Old Forester Mint Julep
Old Forester, simple syrup, fresh mint, crushed ice
Oaks Lily®
Vodka, sweet and sour, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, blackberries, lemon wedge, crushed ice
Woodford Spire
Woodford Reserve, lemonade, cranberry juice, lemon twist, ice
Herradura Horseshoe Margarita
Herradura Reposado, margarita mix, lime
For more information, including recipes and images for the official menus, please visit https://www.kentuckyderby.com/recipes/cat/official-derby-menu/. To learn more about this year’s race or purchase tickets for the Kentucky Derby, please visit https://www.kentuckyderby.com/.
