The Ridley was great that night! I loved the classic aesthetic of the place. The service was amazing! I wish I remembered my servers name because she was really sweet. Lastly the food CHILE...so flavorful. I'm not vegetarian but I don't regret ordering the fried green tomatoes as my entree. I also tried the shrimp po boy and oysters Rockefeller, both tasty dishes. I had 2 drinks, the pomegranate blossom and the Dr. Ridley's Legacy, both were good, but I would definitely do back repeatedly for the latter. read more

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The Ridley is always taking good care of their healthcare workers! On Mondays, they have drink specials with ID and just recently I received a 50% off coupon to use. I have been here for late night drinks before, it's a really nice vibe to sit out on the patio and people watch the college kids walk by. I tried their chicken biscuit on brunch and it was delicious! The chicken was fried perfectly, the salty sauce was yummy, and their biscuit was huge and didn't crumble under the pressure. The poached egg, unfortunately, was cooked hard, so it didn't spill over my dish as I liked. This dish is about $20, so it is definitely on the pricier side- I probably would never have gone to eat here if I didn't have the discount! read more

Came here in a weird afternoon lull as UVA Hospital visitors and sat at the bar for a late lunch but both both and interior are well designed. Good selection of wine and good happy hour. The golden beet salad with steak was phenomenal (some might not like the well done cook on the steak but it was perfect for me). Our bartender could have used a barback or second bartender but she held with own with a big pre wedding crowd. Would go back! read more

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I love the fact they donate some of their profits to good causes. The food is pretty typical for an upscale hotel restaurant. read more

The Ridley - Breakfast menu - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The hotel and the restaurant/bar are great. I've been there three times, and unfortunately, each time, one of the bartenders (Savannah) comes across as a very unhappy and disagreeable person in general...both to customers and her coworkers. Lots of eye rolls, sighs, and general exasperation directed toward everyone. Detwan was great and gave us friendly and excellent service. Smiling, happy, and accommodating of a special request we had. We will certainly be back, but this comment needed to be written down. read more

We were hesitant to try The Ridley due to some reviews, but went anyway to see for ourselves. WOW! This place is fantastic! We had no issues with service, our food was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect for a romantic dinner. We dined on a weekday night, so the place wasn't busy and our server was very attentive. The oysters Rockefeller and Brussels sprouts were amazing. We also had the shrimp and grits and braised lamb shank. Both were massive portions and cooked perfectly. The lamb was so tender it fell off the bone. We will absolutely be back when we find ourselves in C'Ville again. read more

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Pretty good food; very very slow service & kitchen. We came for the Christmas day prix fixe, and our 3:30 reservation took until almost 7. Considering the last seating was at 5, I felt awful for the staff. We had intended to order a bottle of wine with dinner, and after-dinner cocktails, but when our pre-meal cocktails (an old fashioned and a straight whiskey - not exactly rocket science) took a half hour we decided to skip having any further drinks. The portions are large - a little too big for a high end coursed meal - but the food was good. Salmon was well cooked, but a little under-salted; the pasta was excellent. I want to love this place - an upscale black-owned restaurant - but a meal shouldn't take four hours, especially a holiday meal with a limited menu, unless I'm choosing to take my time. read more

The bar is attached to the Draftsman Hotel - The Ridley? I would NOT recommend. 1. We sat at a high top and the guy (I refuse to call him a bartender) looked at us. I said, Do you need us to come up and order? He shook his head Yes. 2. My husband walked up to order and I said our table needs a wipedown. He gave a dry rag to my husband to give to me. 3. Then my husband asked about a dark beer for me and he handed him a bottle of the only one they had. (I guess so we could decide??) I said yes, that'll be great and we ordered. My husband came over to sit down and the guy called him over to come and get his drink. (There are 4 other people in this entire bar) My hubby said, "This is pretty hard on your tip."He just stared at him. 4. We are excited about returning the kindnesses by showing him how it actually affects his tip. (We are only having one drink, obviously!) I texted my daughter, who lives here and works at the UVA Cancer Center. This was her reply: I've been there once and had the EXACT same experience. I went with like 4 or 5 colleagues after work and we all said we would never go there again. And we all spread the news about the Ridley. Pretty dumb of them because they're right next to the hospital so it would be a great spot but their service is awful and down right rude. Enough said. read more

I write this review in hopes that it will help to improve the quality of food and service. We found this place on Yelp. Open until 10 pm. It was nearing 8:00 pm for us. The menu & history was very appealing. Great location! Our waiter, Grayson was not familiar with the menu or soup of the day. He had to leave table and walk to the kitchen to find out. Then to tell us that there was no soup of the day. The music was so loud that he could not hear my questions about the menu. I ordered the beet salad with chicken as add on, $15 plus $6 for chicken. The chicken was not cooked to order. It was cold, precooked chicken. My husband ordered fried chicken dinner that came with biscuit, collard greens, cream corn, gravy, sweet potatoes and added mashed potatoes. $27 plus $8 potatoes. All the sides were cold, especially the gravy. The cream corn and sweet potatoes were delicious, but cold. The biscuit was dry and hard. The chicken was overcooked and dry. It was obvious the chicken was not made to order. We believe it was left over chicken that was put in the salamander to reheat, because the crust had dark burnt spots. On the web site it says the Ridley is Charlottesville's destination for high-quality American fare. This may be their goal, but with our experience & reading some of the previous reviews, I don't believe they have reached this goal. But I am hopeful. A gorgeous establishment that is clean, at an awesome location, with a great menu selection, connected to the Draftsman Boutique Hotel, with valet parking, near the University of Virginia, and the UVA hospital. What a gem! I believe that looking into the operations of the kitchen with prioritizing food freshness, and proper preparation, focusing on ingredient quality control, and staff training, that you can improve the quality of food and service. And you will be able to proudly state that The Ridley is Charlottesville destination for high-quality American fare. We wish you the best! read more

We stopped in Charlottesville for a few days to do some sight seeing. This place has a cool decor which caught my eye as we were driving in to the hotel. We decided to sit at the bar and although the place did not seem to be that busy, the bartender appeared to be overwhelmed. We ordered some cocktails; my wife's Pine Apple-lime martini was excellent, I on the other hand ordered a dirty martini and ended up with a less than dirty martini, if fact, no dirt at all. It was Belvedere Vodka, which on its own is good, the bar tender, although very nice, Houdini. The Oysters looked appealing, we like them raw and at $32 for a dozen, and that they are shucked to order, have to be good right? Oysters are best served "cold", not luke warm, and normally on a bed of "ice". Secondly for $2.67 a piece, these Oysters were anemic, with no vinaigrette, crackers, etc. which the menu says come with them. The bottle of Prosecco helped wash them down. Ok, being adventurous, we pressed forward our drinks plus the Prosecco were kicking in. My wife ordered the Caesar salad with the shrimp which she said was delicious and I ordered the buffalo seasoned cauliflower. Seasoning, ehhh, but the cauliflowers were good size. Desert martini was the "Wahoo Daiquiri", delicious. Moral of story .. stop in for a Signature Martini or Daiquiri, roll the dice on food, enjoy the ambiance. read more

The Ridley - Wahoo Daiquiri ... - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Came to the Ridley for food and drinks the night before the JMU (Go Dukes) & UVA game with my cousin and her college roommate. What an amazing atmosphere and service by Twanda was stellar! I didn't get a chance to take pics of the food cause we were a bit hungry. We had the deviled eggs, brussell sprouts, corn bread, Cobb salad with chicken & Cajun pasta with blackened salmon. Drinks were superb- and one margarita was enough for me!!! We ran into some folks (celebrating a wedding) who were kindred spirits and enjoyed great conversation. I'd definitely come back here the next time I'm in Charlottesville! read more

We had lunch at The Ridley today. Was really looking forward to some good Southern cuisine so I ordered the fried chicken. We first ordered corn bread (which my husband loves) and couldn't eat it -it had an odd flavor-actually all of the food has this flavor -a sour aftertaste with a scent of vinegar. Our food came and it was beyond disappointing. The sides that came with my fried chicken were cold or luke-warm. The sweet potato was fine in flavor just not warm. The cream corn was soup consistency and couldn't be eaten with a fork. The collards also had that weird, sour taste and were crunchy and cold. But the real offense was the chicken-2 reheated chicken wings, dropped on a biscuit and topped with cold gravy. I chewed through the wings and ate nothing else. The server asked how the food was and her response to our complaint was, "Oh, sorry." And then the bill. $28 for two chicken wings. Do not eat there unless you have money to blow and a high tolerance for inferior food. read more

First time visiting Charlotte and they did not disappoint! Hubby and I were seated right away. Restaurant was clean and not crowded or noisy. Food was prepared quickly and it was downright addictive! I would drive all the way back just for the jalapeños cornbread! read more

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While staying in C'ville I came here one evening for an appetizer and a couple of drinks. I sat at the bar and was immediately given menus, though I wasn't greeted. The bartender seemed to be pre-occupied much of the time, but was attentive once I got his attention. They have an interesting menu and also offer cocktails ad wine. The food I saw others get was really nice looking and my brussel sprouts were excellent! The cocktail he made me was really good too. Prices are ok, a little on the high side. I did like the vibe here, seems like a great place to hang with friends or come for a date. I'd return. read more

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In town with a work group, we had a large party totaling 18 people for dinner on 2/21/23. We were told The Ridley could accommodate, but we were given a special shortened menu, with limited selections. Each person was responsible for their dinner, state per diem rules. The location from our hotel was walking distance..perfect location. The ambiance was very nice. A few of us arrived early and had an adult beverage prior to dinner. Very nice and relaxing at the bar. Our large group arrived and was seated at two separate tables, with two completely different servers. So basically they broke us up into a party of 8? Which was surprising to me. So tell me why do we need to order from shortened menu, with a party of 8? Servers wouldn't budge, even though we were now a party of 8 people, with 1 check for each group. Keep in mind we had 2 separate servers. Pretty disappointed with this process. Overall the food was average, nice portions. Our server was less than stellar, took along time to get our drinks to table and to take our order. I haf th cajun pasta and added blackened chicken. Food came, and the chicken was not blackened at all. Server made a comment it had sear marks..? Our other group had some food cooking temp issues with chicken. Our group had to insist with their server it wasnt prepared to proper cooking temp and chicken had visible signs of red colors. The dish was Sent back to finish cooking and after 30 minutes passed the food came back out. By this time every person in the party had finished eating. This person was very upset and her server did nothing to make it right. I'm being very generous with a 2 star rating. I feel the setup for out group was not right..the service was less than adequate and the food prices for this lack of food options, quality and service was horrific. The Ridley was very disappointing for the amount of money being spent by their customers. Thank You Dave F....very sad customer! read more

We came to C'ville for a long weekend getaway for my wife for Mothers Day. I have read reviews on The Ridley on several different platforms and they seem to be good to very good. I dug a little deeper and a lot of those reviews were at the bar, which makes sense. We came in and it was like a ghost town, but everything took 20 minutes. Drinks, order, food, check, check receipt....the servers were nice enough, but lacked direction. The food was NOT good. My chicken biscuit breakfast was fried within an inch of its life. The avocado toast my wife had was ok, but the poached eggs were slimy. My daughters French toast was the best part of the meal. I would not come back here. Nice enough people terrible food. read more

Came here to celebrate a birthday and we had a great time. This place isn't high end luxury but has that boujee feeling to it. In terms of food, the salmon was great. Don't get me wrong about that. Cooked perfectly and the rice and chickpeas were a great pair. However it tasted and looked very lackluster and generic. For 28$, my pallet just wasn't satisfied. read more

The Ridley - Salmon - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The restaurant is conveniently located at the Draftsman Hotel, a 10minute walk from the Rotunda at University of Virginia. Our table servers were lovely. Prices were similar to big-city hotel prices, probably a little higher than some in the area. Food quality and quantity were excellent. Servers were attentive and friendly. Very clean, too. read more

Such a gem! We had a brunch reservation, but were happily seated early! Wonderful atmosphere, live piano music and outstanding service! The chef checked on every patron to ensure they were pleased with their meal, and the waitstaff was so attentive and friendly! The quality of food blew me away and the price point was incredibly reasonable! read more

The Ridley - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I an in town for work and staying at the attached Marriott The food here is very good. And pricing is great (I figured it would be Marriott pricing but surprise, its not) Great bourbon selection (had my faves so, thats great for me) My server Sarah (with an H) was great even when busy she kept organized. She is also a good reference for other pubs and such. I enjoyed my breakfasts as well (included w my Titanium status) I will be back!! Thanks All :) read more

Really good food, nice chill atmosphere and great service. Definitely recommend if you're near "the corner".

Great atmosphere, coupled with decent food (albeit cold), wrapped up in inexperienced service, and washed down with horrendous drinks - David A. I really try to avoid bad or even mid star reviews. But my family and I are in town to celebrate a wedding and wanted to try The Ridley out for dinner. We were able to make a reservation on open table for a Friday night at the time we wanted which was great. We were seated right away, and greeted with water and our waitress fairly quickly. Hurriedly, she said she would be right back to take our drink order... at least 20 minutes later, we finally make eye contact and she rushes over and verbatim says "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about you" .... yikes! At this point we've wised up to what's going on and luckily knew to put our drink and dinner orders at the same time. We get the food before our drinks, never a good sign... my lobster roll was okay, but the fries were cold. Dad's burger was good, cooked how he likes but nothing special, his fries were warm. Mom's salad was good, but needed pepper, it took another 10 minutes to get our waitress to come back for something simple. Finally, our drinks were made and brought out over 1/2 way through dinner (this is about 30 minutes after we've ordered them). Again, our waitress rushes over "I'm sorry for the delay, our bartenders are terrible" sets the drinks down and then rushes off to God knows where, because she wasn't checking on other tables either. The thing I'd been looking forward to after a long day of travel was their Old Fashioned (my favorite and go to cocktail), presentation was good but the drink was unfortunately mixed terribly, took one sip and didn't touch the drink after. For $21 you expect it to at least taste correct. Another 15 minutes or so after we've finished our meal we have to flag her down yet again to get our check. Another table locally was waiting to pay their bill for at least 20-25 minutes for her to come back. Overall, the experience was a letdown and I feel like with a different and more experienced waitress the meal and experience could have been salvaged. read more

Wow. What a disappointment. This was in our hotel and we made a reservation the night we arrived. Restaurant was dead. Kind of cold decor. The staff was young and inexperienced. Seemed like they were missing management. Food was a MAJOR disappointment. Brussel sprouts that seem to have been cooked earlier in the day and reheated. Shrimp and grits that were overly spicy and curdled. No creamy here. Cobb salad that was tasteless. Cornbread that was dense and undercooked. Again. Clearly precooked and reheated - or not reheated as the case may be. I usually avoid bad reviews, but this restaurant is on many top 10 lists. It should NOT BE. Sorry Ridley. read more

The Ridley was our first dining indoors experience since the Pandemic started. It was my wife's birthday and the food was AMAZING. The atmosphere was truly top notch and the staff were quite accommodating. I had the roasted chicken, Tammy had the Shrimp and Grits with andouille sausage and we shared apps. We weren't drinking, but if I find myself in Charlottesville again, I'm gonna try their signature old fashioned with VA Bourbon. The deviled eggs had enough mustard to cut through the extra creamy blend with a shard of bacon on each that elevated them beyond normal. The jalapeño cornbread was a sublime mix of sweet and heat. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the carrots roasted to a turn. They were just starting to soften on the outside while still crispy in the center. I truly enjoyed the roasted pearl onions which popped in your mouth like flavor bombs. The mashed potatoes where divinely blended. The grace notes with the rosemary spear and the seasoned salt surrounding the dish so you could spice to preference, individually, on each bite were brilliant. After dinner we each had a cup of coffee that ended the evening perfectly. Definitely will be returning our next time through Charlottesville. read more

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I hate to waste any more time with this restaurant. If you were my friend and you told me you wanted to go out for an evening that it is not absolutely highjacked by horrendous service at a restaurant where no one NO ONE seemed invested in the establishment or your experience. I would say keep looking and avoid The Ripley. Period read more

Dinner Service was very energetic and good. Ambience OK. Food OK. Breakfast was fine. Sliders open to outside make Al fresco dining an option. read more

Not worth what they are charging. Terrible service. Food and drinks were meh. Ambiance is nice The hostess kindly sat us down and brought us water, which communicated that our server may have been busy. She also took our drink order so we didn't have to wait that long. Drinks came to us not too long after. But a different server brought the drink, dropped it off without saying a single word. (Not the type of service at this level of restaurant) The actual server came maybe 5min after we got our drink. We ordered a oysters, Rockefeller oysters and the fried green tomatoes. Held off on entrees to see what we were feeling after the apps. They took forever; waited about 25-30min. Had to ask where our food was, gave ourselves a 10min countdown before we were gonna leave. They could've just brought the raw oysters and told us they were backed up. We would've been fine if they communicated. We ordered another round of drinks which was bland. Food was meh/bland. read more

Brunch For basic eaters with a desire to feel upscale. Unique menu items: No Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5 Service: 3 of 5 What would Gordon Ramsay say: " #%!* Pathetic attempt at cooking classic dishes." Price for food quality: 1 of 5 There is nothing on this menu that stands out as unique. Nothing about the food seemed freshly made, which can be fine for some people. Seeing as this place is attached to a hotel, it makes sense why everything comes prepackaged and then assembled. If you are an experienced eater desiring uniqueness and flavor, this isn't for you. If you want to impress your friends who don't get out much or want to be off the hook for picking the restaurant for outings, this is for you. read more

The Ridley will always have a special place in our hearts and our stomachs we've been coming here for a couple of years now and they honestly never disappoint. The menu has changed a bit over time and as much as i miss some of the old dishes, the new items are just as delicious. I highly recommend the crab cakes. Almost all crab lump meat, very little filler, and seasoned to perfection. And if you have room for dessert, the bread pudding is out of this world! read more

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Had an amazing brunch at The Ridley this morning. The food was outstanding, some of the best southern cooking I've had and I just spent a week in Charleston!! Shelly was a great waitress, super friendly and attentive. She encouraged us to try the grits and the homemade buttermilk biscuit with our omelets - both great choices. Topped it off with a peach mimosa! Definitely coming back next time I'm in Charlottesville. read more

My husband and I were excited about trying out this restaurant. It's really nice inside so I had high hopes. I have food sensitivities so when I asked if my pork chop could be cooked with olive oil, the server had to go to the kitchen and ask. She came back and said their olive oil was 90% soybean oil. I cannot tolerate soy. I asked her again to check to see if there was any real olive oil in the restaurant. She checked again and said no. Apparently, they only use cheap vegetable oils, which are inflammatory to me. I understand many restaurants use cheap oil, but I've never been to a restaurant this nice that had ZERO real olive oil. Every time we eat out at a nice place, I always ask for olive oil. I've never had a problem. I'm not sure what the Ridley is doing but they should try cooking with quality oils that make food taste better. My husband and I walked out. read more

Was really disappointed the food was not what we expected. The appetizers were good and the drinks were good as well. The entrees were not as flavorful like we thought read more

Came in town for a bachelorette trip and stopped in for brunch! Lots of drinks on tap to choose from, not pictured is a delicious sour I got! I'm a big deviled eggs gal so we got those for the table. I had French toast with bacon on the side and it was delicious. read more

The Ridley - Deviled Eggs - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We had a nice dinner at the Ridley. Service was great. We've been in the Charlottesville area for about a decade and it was nice to have another option. Nice setting near UVa. read more

Was not a very desirable dining experience. First off, we pulled into the Valet parking, and they told us that parking was for hotel guests only, and that we would have to find a parking garage which was a couple blocks away. That's crap. He did show us a lot across the way which was sketchy at best. Next we checked in with the hostess and as we were walking to our table she asked if we wouldn't mind sharing a menu. Really.....out of menu's. She seated us at a small table and we asked if we could have the table near the window so we can keep an eye on the lot where our car was parked. The floor manager came by and said that that table was reserved and people had reservations and were waiting. I said, we had reservations too, and she (Kim is her name) rudely insisted that we take our table because the other table was reserved. At that point we almost walked out...We opted to at least try the cuisine. After a few minutes, the server finally came, by that time we had all our choices made. I ordered the Ribeye and my wife ordered the Crab Cakes. (all different than online menu) My wife orders a white wine with her entrée and I ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon with mine. She got her White and I also received a white. As she was scurrying away I called her back and told her I ordered a red. She said let me check to see what you ordered. Really....I know what I ordered and a cab is a red. She came back and said the Bartender made the mistake. The food did come a little over 10 minutes from order (we had a timer going) which was impressive. My wife said the crab cakes were pretty good and my ribeye was good, not great and a restaurant of this caliber ought to be. The steak was on top the mashed potatoes and asparagus and when I went to cut the steak and the mashed potatoes oozed out from under the steak and all the steak juice was in the potatoes which I would rather pool on the place to swab my bites in. In summary, sounds like the restaurant is for guests only, based on no parking for outsiders. Kim the floor manager is rude and there were not enough menu's. Food was good, not great, which a restaurant of this caliber should present. By the way, at the time we were leaving, nobody was ever seated at the table by the window we requested. They merged it with another table which STILL, nobody was sitting at when we left. So Kim lied to us! No reservations for a small table. We will never return! read more

I made a reservation one month ago for this restaurant and was excited to experience the southern cuisine. We were seated in the bar area at a dirty table. About 10 minutes after seating we were greeted by our bartender/server who said " sorry, usually they let us know if they seat these tables." Certainly didn't make us feel welcome and it felt like our seating was an afterthought despite me making this reservation weeks in advance. The jalepeno cornbread was fine. I wish I could tell you how any of the other food was... but after 45 minutes of sitting and not placing our entree order we lost hope and flagged down the bartender to pay our bill. What a disappointment to a highly anticipated weekend in Charlottesville. Would not recommend. read more

We had high expectations for this restaurant, but found it was hit or miss depending on the dish... Oysters were ok, but found lots of small shell pieces and a bit gritty. The old fashioned included pomegranate juice, which added a sweet flavor, but wasn't our favorite. Cornbread was good & sharable size. The shrimp and grits... spot on and would bring us back! The burger was fine and the fries were tasty. The service was a little off tonight. Nice people, but had to ask for our server a couple of times. read more

The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. Outstanding! So yummy and juicy. All white meat! Try it read more

The Ridley - The inside - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Decided to drive to Charlottesville for a girls trip and stopped in at the Ridley for dinner had the opportunity of meeting a worker there by the name of Savannah she was so polite, helpful explained, cheerful smile, and very polite was great. Having conversation with her. She definitely will make us decide to wanna come back. read more

Shoulda went somewhere else, but it was across the street from the Courtyard Marriott and had a large crowd dining outside. Sat at the bar and looked at eh menu for 5-10 minutes with nothing looking good. Settled on a Grilled Chicken sandwich and swapped the fries for collard greens. Sandwich came with Mayo on it... Disgusting . Scraped off what I could and tried to eat it as I was hungry. Absolutely zero seasoning -no salt, no pepper, nothing. I don't even think it was grilled. Tried a bit of the collards and they were old and really shredded up. I love hot sauce, but someone had added some to this to cover how old they were. A 20oz Miller Lite (that smelled like a dirty dish towel) and a crappy chicken sandwich was $37. Run anywhere but here. read more