Dudley's on Short

A large group of us came here on a weeknight for a business dinner. The staff was very helpful and accommodating. The restaurant is very nicely decorated and the architecture has been beautiful restored. Their menu was filled with amazing southern-inspired dishes, it was hard to decide what to get. They have a nice cocktail and wine list too.The dishes I ended up with were both from their nightly specials, one being split pea soup. I love a good split pea soup, it's just hard to find and their was spot-on what I desire! Especially on a cold, windy evening! The entrée I chose was a barramundi done Cajun style and it was also prepared quite nicely and flavorful, though I did have to spike it up with a little Tabasco sauce. Save room for dessert - they offer some amazing options, such as their daily cake, in this case it was chocolate cake with orangesicle icing and it was moist and delicious!Overall, highly recommend stopping in, especially for groups and/or business dinners!

I was excited and looking forward to eating here, but it was a great disappointment unfortunately. I was in town for a work trip and was looking for a nice place to have dinner one night on the trip and Dudley's kept coming up so I decided to make a reservation for myself and a few of my coworkers. There were 6 of us total and they were able to accommodate us nicely. We walked since our hotel wasn't far so I don't know much information about the parking situation. The restaurant is quaint and is very inviting. When we arrived we were seated quickly. We sat upstairs in a lovely room at a round table that fit us all nicely. The staff were all extremely helpful and kind. I truly enjoyed that part of the experience. First, we ordered drinks and appetizers. For appetizers we ordered the Calamari and Dudley Eggs. Now the appetizers were definitely the best part of the meal for me! The calamari was good and the Dudley Eggs were delicious. For my entree I shared the Tournedos Maxwell with one of my coworkers. I am the type to study a menu prior to going and I was sooooooo excited for it, but I was disappointed. It was extremely underwhelming. It was not appetizing.I hope that this was just a bad day and that it's better since most of the other reviews are great. I am willing to give it another try if I'm in the area, but maybe just for appetizers.

Food: excellent.Service: excellent.Manager's treatment of staff and the ridiculous vase in the middle of the dining room: we'll get to that.An upscale American venue.We started with the creamy, luxurious baked goat cheese, served with hot honey, dukkah, crushed almond, and lavash. I was considering this versus the mushroom tartine (mushroom gremolata, basil ricotta, pine nuts, sourdough). I'm happy with our decision. Other starters include house fries, marinated olives, oysters, salmon tartare, calamari, crane cake, shrimp cocktail, and more.I am not a bread person, but we did all enjoy the luscious, slightly salty, delicate yet rustic, bread. Free of charge, courtesy of their on site pastry chef.We each had a salad. My companions enjoyed the Caesar salad, the beet carpaccio, the TG Salad, and I enjoyed the wilted Brussels sprout salad. Each salad had fresh fruits, greens, and vegetables, various herbs, cheeses, nuts, accented by balsamic and vinaigrette dressings. My Brussels sprout salad was large and filling. The others were lighter.Entrees include king salmon, pasta, steak frites, braised lamb, a burger, the Kentucky hot brown, garlic chicken, and scallops.I had the Tournedos Maxwell, petite filets, crab, potato puree, and béarnaise. The medallions were tender, the crab was sweet and an amazing contrast to the steak meat . . . though I must say I ordered the steak medium and got closer to medium rare . . . which for me was okay. One of my companions ordered medium and one of her filets was blue, prompting her to pack it up for the ride home, to have for lunch the next day, after her own "re-fire."Another companion had the grouper and enjoyed it. Another the scallions and found them okay, but not over the top.Desserts included creme brûlée and a cheesecake that wasn't quite a cheesecake. Great dessert selection, which seems to rotate, as, again--on site pastry chef.Our service was AMAZING! Maddy (or Maddie) was wonderful. Attentive and right on top of every special and menu ingredient. We also had an amazing service member who kept filling our water who was personable and fun to interact with. We kept trading fun facts and jokes. It added some much needed levity to a more serious white table cloth type venue.THAT BEING SAID.There is this clunky table and large vase RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DINING ROOM. It's not functional, it doesn't add to the decor or ambiance, it blocks the path of servers and patrons. It makes the diners feel crowded. A couple of servers/employees came too close to this literal obstacle and in front of our whole group, the owner accosted them, essentially telling them that if they bumped into the vase, they would be unemployed the next day. What would happen if a patron bumped into the vase? Would we be held responsible?It was a stain on our evening to see the owner threaten the staff in front of us, much less over A BAD IDEA AND BAD DECORATING DECISION. Clear out that obstruction and treat your staff better. They are wonderful and you're lucky to have them.

We had reservations on a Monday night and the place was pretty packed, so definitely get a reservation if you can. We were sat at a booth two top and it was pretty loud in the restaurant. It was hard to hear the person two feet across the table from you, so maybe not the spot for a super intimate dinner. The service was friendly and efficient, so no complaints there. I tried a bourbon drink, I can't remember the name but rose is in the name. I really like it. My boyfriend got an old fashion and it had some spice to it. I tried the Kentucky hot brown and he got steak. I've never had a hot brown so I don't know what to compare it to but it was good; steak was good too. He also tried the Dudley eggs and we split some house fries. The fries were meh, they came with some tasty sauces. We were too full for dessert but they had several things on the menu that looked good. I'd go back to maybe sit at the bar and get dessert and some drinks.

I highly recommend their weekend brunch! The food is delicious and the prices are very reasonable for what you get. I'm not a fan of their bloody Mary mix, but they do allow you to add all kinds of condiments and vegetables and meat to drink.The club sandwich with country ham is incredible and I can't wait to go back to eat it again.

We were very disappointed in this restaurant, it was attractive & had a classy feel about it, but the food wasn't anywhere near as good as it should have been, The fried calamari we ordered for an appetizer wasn't fresh or flavorful. It was rubbery & overcooked, The ribeye steak we shared was also tough & lacking in flavor. The only thing we ordered that was good & worth the price was the bourbon. It was very strong & very good.

My sister has made a reservation for my bachelorette party here. We walked in and they had a table ready which was awesome. This is a nicer place for sure, white tablecloths and dressed up wait staff.Service was great all night and food and drinks were pretty quick.I loved the brightness of the place, maybe it was the large windows but I hate eating in the dark! This was perfect.Now, the food. Wow. We ended up splitting a couple appetizers - curry cauliflower, baked goat cheese, broccolini, brussel sprout salad. They are very generous with their servings and everything was SO GOOD. We got the s'mores dessert which I'm still dreaming about, it was the star of the show, and ended with their house made lemon cello. There wasn't one thing I tried that I didn't love. Props to the chef, it was phenomenal.Great experience and highly recommend as a nice dinner if you're visiting.

Everything tasted great. The soup was over the top. It was a pleasant lunch in a somewhat crowded restaurant but it was very pleasant.

This is hands down one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. My boyfriend and I visited Lexington for the weekend, and he picked this out based on a Reddit post for best restaurants in the area. The atmosphere was so nice for a snowy Saturday night. It almost feels like you're in a house the way the dining room is set up. We arrived early for our reservation, so grabbed a couple drinks at the bar. We chose two of the specialty cocktails and they were great. The bartender was super attentive. We were then seated and they took our coats to hang up (a very nice touch you don't get at most restaurants these days). Our server was awesome, I wish I could remember his name. My boyfriend tried the pork belly special, and I had the steak and frites. We both agreed the pork belly was the best pork we've ever had. Upon expressing this to our waiter, he went and talked to the chef to see how they cook it to get it so tender, and arrived back with very detailed instructions! The steak and frites were also delicious, but the pork just really blew us both away. I can't recommend this place enough! Was the perfect place to celebrate our anniversary!

We dined in the red ladened Lounge for dinner and our mustachioed server, Luke, was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable of the listed fare. Tried the local KY Hot Brown iteration while the fam' had steak frites and Da' Burger (two patties smashed style). The food was delicious as was the ol' fashioned bourbon. This is a good stop for fine dining.