Had a burger and fries nothing special but the staff was good and it was a great place to hang.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tsega
I am so glad my husband and I discovered this restaurant. The food was exquisite and the alcohol was strong!We tried their cornbread, Bourban street pasta, and Braised Lamb shank. Who would have thought cornbread could taste like a peice of heaven! It's served hot in a small cast-iron pan with a whipped butter and it's the best cornbread I've ever had. The pasta and Lamb were also delicious.Vegetarian options: Very few vegetarian options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Skillet Cornbread
Katie M
An uncomfortable dining experience. Our waiter David seemed unhappy with us when we wanted smaller menu items and he could not upsell us. Food was ok. Nothing great. Waiter also did not give us proper change, forcing us to tip him more… just an odd
The food was good - would definitely enjoy eating it again, however the service provided will not encourage me to go to Ridley's again. Our server disappeared for 30 minutes post bringing food and our meals were finished before we could find her and ask about the second round of drinks that she was to be bringing. This is not the kind of service you expect for a meal at this price point. There was plenty of staff on duty - just a failure to deliver service.
Laura Bullock
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Food was delicious, service was great. Great atmosphere. Thank you, Tessa, for great service and recommendations. Definitely visiting again. Fried green tomatoes ???! The burgers were cooked right, not dry, did not need any condiments., Mixed Berry cobbler ????. Well done Ridley.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary Boyd
The appetizers (corn bread and fried green tomatoes) were good but everything else was not as expected. They were out of three entrees (who runs out of a BLT ?) and the dessert cobbler was fruit and ice cream (no identifying crust). We were given the check before dessert and were not asked if we wanted a coffee ( maybe they were out of that as well). Would not go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Skillet Cornbread
Christopher Kennedy
Twanda is a fantastic server and bartender; quick and friendly. Normally I avoid hotel restaurants but I'm glad I made an exception here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
czb1
Standard pub fare when all is said and done, dressed up a bit, but this is not a restaurant that has a serious kitchen so by all means book a table and have a not bad meal but do not think it's going to be what you might expect from a a restaurant in a better hotel. Location and hotel accommodations make it easy to book as a hotel guest.
Had reservations at 5pm on a Saturday for a birthday dinner. We got there early and sat at the bar, which was wonderful. When it was time we went to the front, no one would acknowledge our presence until I directly went up and said we have a reservation. We got seated and waited 15 minutes before I got up again and found who I think was the manager and let him know we hadn’t been checked on. Mind, there was only like 3 other tables full at this time, and we saw about 5 waiters wandering around drinking coffee and not working. When we finally got waited on we ordered immediately, the waitress was nice and brought out our food quickly. Some of the food was cold and generally was underwhelming for the price. Very disappointed in the service and the food overall.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Delonta Price
This was one of the best experiences I have had at a dine-in restaurant in years. I would give it a 9.5/10. This is a black-owned restaurant with a very nice history. I booked the reservation a couple of weeks in advance. There was no wait and the two young ladies at the check in were very nice and polite. The ambiance was very nice for a night out, with the lighting outside, overhead hanging lights and a very organized and clean dining area. The only issue I had was waiting for our actual waiter to come, but it was only a few minutes and we were able to take a look at the menu in the meantime, while one of the hostesses grabbed us water and our drinks. We were serviced by David, who was quiet but had a good demeanor. The food was IMMACULATE. The chicken was well seasoned, collard greens, yams, skillet cornbread, and lava cake were amazing. My date also had a Sauvignon wine that she described as “sweet” and “very light”. Overall, I would definitely return if we were back in this part of Charlottesville.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kathleen
Many bus and wait staff walking around tending to future set up for patrons not yet there. Made eye contact with several of serving staff, but took close to 15 minutes for someone to ask for a cocktail order. We were able to place our food order shortly after that. Our food took 15-20 minutes to arrive, still had not received our cocktails. Had to tell our server that we still didn't receive our drinks. When those arrived my specialty drink made with passionfruit, was sickeningly sweet, and my shrimp and grits were mediocre. I sware the andouille sausage that was used was a supermarket brand. My friends shrimp po boy and fries were really good (except that she had ordered the oyster po boy) I would suggest that management look at the choices that are made to tend to future table set up at the cost of making seated customers wait for service. We will not go back.
The servers were lovely, but things were a bit inefficient. It was taking awhile for people to get seated. The appetizers were good, but the mains were terrible. Not worth the prices.
RichPleasants
Food was good, but service is spotty and somewhat disorganized. 35 minutes to get drinks and 53 minutes to get food, but salad came with main course. It was however pretty busy, but some simple changes in service approach would considerably improve our experience.
Had a burger and fries nothing special but the staff was good and it was a great place to hang.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I am so glad my husband and I discovered this restaurant. The food was exquisite and the alcohol was strong!We tried their cornbread, Bourban street pasta, and Braised Lamb shank. Who would have thought cornbread could taste like a peice of heaven! It's served hot in a small cast-iron pan with a whipped butter and it's the best cornbread I've ever had. The pasta and Lamb were also delicious.Vegetarian options: Very few vegetarian options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Skillet Cornbread
An uncomfortable dining experience. Our waiter David seemed unhappy with us when we wanted smaller menu items and he could not upsell us. Food was ok. Nothing great. Waiter also did not give us proper change, forcing us to tip him more… just an odd
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Gumbo
Great food, nice atmosphere, easily accessible!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted Chicken, Deviled Eggs, Lobster Roll, Fries
First time eating at The Ridley. We enjoyed the experience. Looking forward to our next visit.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Shrimp & Grits, Skillet Cornbread
The food was good - would definitely enjoy eating it again, however the service provided will not encourage me to go to Ridley's again. Our server disappeared for 30 minutes post bringing food and our meals were finished before we could find her and ask about the second round of drinks that she was to be bringing. This is not the kind of service you expect for a meal at this price point. There was plenty of staff on duty - just a failure to deliver service.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Food was delicious, service was great. Great atmosphere. Thank you, Tessa, for great service and recommendations. Definitely visiting again. Fried green tomatoes ???! The burgers were cooked right, not dry, did not need any condiments., Mixed Berry cobbler ????. Well done Ridley.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The appetizers (corn bread and fried green tomatoes) were good but everything else was not as expected. They were out of three entrees (who runs out of a BLT ?) and the dessert cobbler was fruit and ice cream (no identifying crust). We were given the check before dessert and were not asked if we wanted a coffee ( maybe they were out of that as well). Would not go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Skillet Cornbread
Twanda is a fantastic server and bartender; quick and friendly. Normally I avoid hotel restaurants but I'm glad I made an exception here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Standard pub fare when all is said and done, dressed up a bit, but this is not a restaurant that has a serious kitchen so by all means book a table and have a not bad meal but do not think it's going to be what you might expect from a a restaurant in a better hotel. Location and hotel accommodations make it easy to book as a hotel guest.
Restaurantji Recommends
Had reservations at 5pm on a Saturday for a birthday dinner. We got there early and sat at the bar, which was wonderful. When it was time we went to the front, no one would acknowledge our presence until I directly went up and said we have a reservation. We got seated and waited 15 minutes before I got up again and found who I think was the manager and let him know we hadn’t been checked on. Mind, there was only like 3 other tables full at this time, and we saw about 5 waiters wandering around drinking coffee and not working. When we finally got waited on we ordered immediately, the waitress was nice and brought out our food quickly. Some of the food was cold and generally was underwhelming for the price. Very disappointed in the service and the food overall.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
This was one of the best experiences I have had at a dine-in restaurant in years. I would give it a 9.5/10. This is a black-owned restaurant with a very nice history. I booked the reservation a couple of weeks in advance. There was no wait and the two young ladies at the check in were very nice and polite. The ambiance was very nice for a night out, with the lighting outside, overhead hanging lights and a very organized and clean dining area. The only issue I had was waiting for our actual waiter to come, but it was only a few minutes and we were able to take a look at the menu in the meantime, while one of the hostesses grabbed us water and our drinks. We were serviced by David, who was quiet but had a good demeanor. The food was IMMACULATE. The chicken was well seasoned, collard greens, yams, skillet cornbread, and lava cake were amazing. My date also had a Sauvignon wine that she described as “sweet” and “very light”. Overall, I would definitely return if we were back in this part of Charlottesville.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Many bus and wait staff walking around tending to future set up for patrons not yet there. Made eye contact with several of serving staff, but took close to 15 minutes for someone to ask for a cocktail order. We were able to place our food order shortly after that. Our food took 15-20 minutes to arrive, still had not received our cocktails. Had to tell our server that we still didn't receive our drinks. When those arrived my specialty drink made with passionfruit, was sickeningly sweet, and my shrimp and grits were mediocre. I sware the andouille sausage that was used was a supermarket brand. My friends shrimp po boy and fries were really good (except that she had ordered the oyster po boy) I would suggest that management look at the choices that are made to tend to future table set up at the cost of making seated customers wait for service. We will not go back.
The servers were lovely, but things were a bit inefficient. It was taking awhile for people to get seated. The appetizers were good, but the mains were terrible. Not worth the prices.
Food was good, but service is spotty and somewhat disorganized. 35 minutes to get drinks and 53 minutes to get food, but salad came with main course. It was however pretty busy, but some simple changes in service approach would considerably improve our experience.