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Derby Dinner Playhouse

4.1 (151 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 7:30 pm
Updated 1 month ago

Derby Dinner Playhouse Photos

DERBY DINNER PLAYHOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Derby Dinner Playhouse

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Reviews With Photos

Jeffrey G.

It's always a fun night with family. Plus dinner and a show. The food is buffet style. It's better than a normal buffet like Golden corral in my opinion. The service is always outstanding. It's typically wait service by the actors.

Buffet plate
Deb M.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee currently at Derby Dinner Playhouse will keep you laughing from the first word to the last. (This play includes audience participation which adds to the fun). Your evening begins with a delicious buffet. The actors and actresses provide friendly and entertaining service. The play only has a little over a week so don't delay in getting your tickets to this hilarious show! You won't regret it.

Scott E.

I have to confess that it had been decades since I have last been here. But my wife and I are huge fans of the show Come From Away, so we decided to return. And we were not disappointed. The cast of the show was excellent. The food was better than expected as well. Since the ticket included dinner, it was really a pretty good value overall. We had a really nice experience and will most definitely be returning soon.

Buffet.
Ed S.

This was our first time at the Derby Dinner Playhouse. We received tickets as a Christmas gift for Love, Lies & the Lottery. There's lots to unpack here. First, the seating packs guests like sardines. As most shows are sold out, I'm guessing DDP is fine with the guests squeezed into their tables. It certainly doesn't help the wait staff as they navigate their drink trays while avoiding tripping on feet in the aisle. The food? Surprisingly good. Our Friday buffet had a modest salad bar. The hot buffet had roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green beans, orzo, fried catfish, fried chicken, baked chicken and prime rib/eye of the round. The beef was rare to medium rare and very tender. The fried chicken was a bit dry. The veggies were all on the cool side. Still, better than what we expected. Deserts are extra, but they had a good variety of selections. The play tended to drag. After a while, the slapstick grew wearisome. A few less scenes would have helped greatly. It's local theater, but the cast engaged the audience. Very professional. My only black mark was seating. DDP has no business putting tables in corners behind the stage. (Remember the sardines?). We probably missed out on 25% of the scenes as they took place out of our line of sight. Ticket pricing is fixed rate, so our lousy seats cost the same as the better seats. There's plenty of parking. And the clientele was courteous. Most dressed in jeans. Some in nice slacks. Wear a coat and tie and you'll stick out like a sore thumb. This would have been an A+ experience had our seats afforded us a view of the entire stage. We'd return, but only if we could select our seats.

Kim B.

Come from Away was amazing! Great job to the entire cast! The food was great as always and they had chili tonight! So so good! I loved the special Newfoundland frozen drink special too!

Hummingbird cake
Gary C.

The dinner and show are really awesome and I recommend everyone come to visit. The buffet has roast, chicken, and fish. There are lots of different sides and a good size salad bar. They have lots of desserts to choose from my wife went with the Hummingbird cake (icing is awesome). While I went with the Strawberry shortcake. This is not a Military friendly place since Covid (sad).

Hot air balloon earrings
Lorie L.

After a weekend visit to see Annie, I am updating my review. Derby Dinner has been part of my family's life for 20+ years. We've experienced both the adult and children season. Soon I'll be back for a one-time Dolly show from a traveling artist. Our service in the theatre and gift shop has always been friendly and helpful. The team also keeps the buffet lines moving quite effectively and restock items as they get low. My main con is the menu doesn't change. Filling but a bit boring. Dessert offers a variety if you choose to add it to dinner. The space itself is simple. The stage is the main focus for color and energy. They do a great job in the lobby having the gift shop. They source cute stuff and we've made several purchases through the years. If you have young children I highly encourage you to attend a breakfast show. Introduce them to theatre early! Derby Dinner understands the mission of creating a new generation of theatre lovers.

Allyson M.

What a wonderful performance by the cast of actresses and actors in the show Dracula. I love this venue of dining around the stage set. The buffet was nice with a variety of food for everyone and it comes with the price of the ticket, which was only $45 for adults. The staff and services were wonderful. Fatima took care of our table and was a joy. We were so lucky to catch a play here during our Louisville, KY visit. It was very crowded on a Tuesday which speaks to the quality and love of this place. No empty tables. And the show was really good. Would definitely recommend this awesome theater!! Also, take a jacket, it's freezing inside to help keep the cast comfortable.

Some fabulous fried chicken off of the buffet.
Matt M.

We recently had the absolute pleasure of going to the Derby Dinner Playhouse recently. Our experience included a buffet meal with a live play afterwards. The buffet had lots and lots of tasty choices with fried chicken and fried fish being standouts to me. Also the cheesecake I had for dessert was heavenly. As for the play it was titled "Love, Lies, and the Lottery". This was absolutely fantastic as the actors and actresses had us rolling with laughter and were extremely talented. It was a simple but engaging story and was really awesome to experience. The place was spotless and looked awesome and every person that worked there did a fabulous job. We had such a fun night here and I can't recommend this place highly enough for both the food as well as the experience. We'll definitely be back.

The Overtures, opening for Urinetown
Tahiti C.

Here this time to see Urinetown. Typing this during early intermission, so haven't seen much yet. But I love that the songs have a water theme and that the opening song was a nice rendition of a 1990s TLC song. Great singing. Looking forward to Act I coming up in five minutes. The food is always great here. My first time having a Kentucky Coffee and Hummingbird Cake. Both are high quality and delicious. The cake is similar to Italian Wedding Cake, which I love.

Theater Floor

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3 months ago

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Annie M.

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We appreciate all customer feedback.

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2 months ago

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Annie M.

So happy you enjoyed SPELLING BEE! Please visit us again soon!

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1 year ago

I had the best time! The play was witty, funny and well performed! The food was excellence! The service outstanding!

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2 years ago

Everything went great from the time we checked in to the time we left , especially our waiter

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Ask the Community - Derby Dinner Playhouse

What time is lunch served at the mattinee?

The Doors & Buffet open at 11:45am for matinee performances.

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Review Highlights - Derby Dinner Playhouse

Dinner is served prior to the show, the dinner is a buffet style setting with ham chicken or turkey.

Mentioned in 12 reviews

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Although it is listed as being on Fourth Street the actual location is now at the Tempo Hotel by…read moreHilton on East Jefferson Street in NuLu. We actually received this as a gift from friends. It's a bit over the top and corny but some parts of it are humorous. It is interactive and you are taxed with solving the murder. There are actors among us who may be the culprit. In fact the murderer was eventually discovered at our table along with the clever young lady who solved the mystery and won the prize. The food was just OK and the dessert was meh. Service was very good and please tip the staff/actors accordingly. Unfortunately we were unaware that the NuLu Bock Fest was going on this weekend so parking at the hotel was a hefty $42(event parking). Ouch. Street parking was nonexistent and other pay lots were just as expensive as the hotel. On the bright side the Tempo Hotel is quite nice, staff friendly, the dinner is on the 6th floor with a view of the NuLu district.

The acting was amateurish, most time was spent talking to people at your table and the food was…read moreserved cold and over several minutes depending on what you ordered. The first person receiving her entree was 10 minutes earlier than the last. There was a venue change from when we bought the tickets which was far less desirable than the original venue. It was a special occasion and we were very disappointed.

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Magic Dinner & Bourbon - Public and Private Dinner shows

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5.0(1 review)
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We were looking for something different to do in the Louisville area, and we came upon Magic,…read moreDinner, & Bourbon. We like all three of these things, so we gave it a try, and we were hooked. Richard Darshwood, Darsh to his friends, is great at close up magic and uses venues that are relatively small (20-40 people) to keep with the "intimate" theme. He works with several bourbon distillers as sponsors, so included with the show are specialty cocktails and bourbon tastings. Food and service has been outstanding at the Bristol Bar & Grille downtown. During dinner, Darsh will roam throughout the room, doing some amazing close up magic at the tables. I've even had the opportunity to inspect some of the equipment he's used in a few of his tricks and cannot fathom how he managed his feats. You will be treated to a terrific evening of entertainment, food, and libations when you attend one of these shows.

From the owner: Kentucky's only intimate dinner show with magic and bourbon. For the bourbon curious and the…read morebourbon experts. Each dinner includes history of the featured bourbon of the night. UPDATE 2026: No Public shows scheduled. Please Inquire about our private shows for groups of 20 or more. How many people can actually claim to have had an up close experience with sophisticated magic performed by a true master of illusion? It's a sensational rarity! From Asia to Las Vegas and back, Richard E. Darshwood provides many treats to charm our guests throughout the evening. One of Kentucky's greatest prides lies in its production of whiskey and an evening like this is only complete with the addition of hand-crafted cocktails and straight Kentucky whiskey from one of Kentucky's distilleries. Each drink is a magical pairing for each food course and it's accompanying entertainment for an exciting and tantalizing experience. Everyone receives an introduction to the heritage of Kentucky bourbon and bourbon history, and goes home with a gift from the featured distillery.

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Magic Dinner & Bourbon
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Golden Blossom Buffet - Boneless Pork Spare Ribs (Combo). Egg Roll is not pictured.

Golden Blossom Buffet

3.7(67 reviews)
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My brother and I met at GB for lunch at 1130. The buffet…read moresteam tables were so immaculately prepared. There were a couple people there already, but I was so impressed how everything was like brand new and inviting. Elaine and Daniela were so cheerful and accomadating. The food was SO good and the service was impeccable. I'm so glad my brother likes GB as much as I do. We visited just a couple weeks ago and agree GB is the best Chinese restaurant in Southern Indiana. I look forward to visiting again soon. My highlights on this visit were the salmon which is very tasty, crab Rangoon, spring rolls, stuffed mushrooms and chicken on a stick to name a few. Lastly, it wasn't long after my brother and I started at 1130 that MANY working people showed up and made for a good crowd. It wasn't too loud and the restaurant is noticeably CLEAN. Give Golden Blossom a try. Oh, my favorite dessert there is the fruit and little orange cakes.

One of my Yelp! Buddies noted how much Golden Blossom has improved. So we decided to give it…read moreanother try. And yes, it was better. But there's still plenty of room to improve. They've added some new items, like spare ribs, stuffed clams, & crawfish. No longer did they serve fried chicken wings, instead offering "buffalo" wings soaking in some sauce. I skipped them. My wife loved the new frog legs, although a tad on the salty side. Hot & sour soup is still some of the best you'll find. I appreciated the wontons in a separate steamer so you can add it to your soup. Overall, the buffet was fresh. Tasty. And a nice variety. But they really need to fix the steam tables. Not one dish was actually hot unless it just came from the kitchen. Now, an observation. Initially, we were going to opt for home delivery. Good heavens. Our $35 order came to almost $60 with all the GH add ons. At Golden Blossom our 2 buffets came to just under $35 with tip (and a senior discount). EZ call.

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Golden Blossom Buffet - Green beans, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, rice, and noodles.

Green beans, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, rice, and noodles.

Golden Blossom Buffet - My Sample Plate

My Sample Plate

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Derby Dinner Playhouse - theater - Updated May 2026

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