‘Take a bite, and you’ll understand the hype’

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of five articles naming the winners of the 2025 Authenti-CITY awards given by the City of Covington at a ceremony last Tuesday to mark the National Economic Development Week. More about the awards can be found at the bottom of this article

COVINGTON, Ky. – Looking to sink your teeth into one of the best burgers in town? You’ll find  what you’re looking for at Bard’s Burgers & Chili at 3620 Decoursey Ave., in the heart of Latonia.

There’s something for every burger-lovin’ palate at Bard’s: The Purist … the Starlight Doughnut Lab  … the Chili Craig … the 5-Oh … the Bard Boy … the All-The-Way … the Mushlove … and if you’re feeling all prideful (or starving), take on the Bardzilla, a veritable beast of a burger, which stacks eleven 1/3-pound patties, 22 slices of cheese, and tops it off with two pounds of french fries.

“Once you take a bite, you’ll understand the hype,” said Covington Business Retention and Expansion Manager Patrick Duffy.

Polish off your meal with some deep-fried Oreos that come with a dusting of powdered sugar and raspberry sauce, or Starlight Doughnut Lab Bread Pudding, whereby glazed doughnuts are dropped into Southern-style bread pudding and topped with a Maker’s Mark bourbon glaze.

Bard’s is so good that back in 2016 its menu caught the attention of none other than The Food Network’s Josh Denny, host of the series Ginormous Foods, giving the restaurant national cred.

“The team at Bard’s is warm, welcoming, and just as memorable as the menu,” said Duffy. “It’s fun for the whole family, and it’s one of those places that keeps people coming back again and again.”

About the awards: The first-annual Authenti-CITY awards were unveiled by Covington’s fun and irreverent Economic Development team in 2021 to celebrate National Economic Development Week in an off-the-wall way.

There were no rules and no criteria – just staffers getting together after hours (maybe over a few drinks, maybe not) and debating fiercely about what businesses, places, events, people and organizations most “kept it real” in The Cov. The fervor had to do with this: Narrowing down the massive list (because, you know, Covington is such a cool place).

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