Went to celebrate our son starting grad school at UVA Had high hopes walking in sat down and it turned disappointing Ordered an app and salad never showed up until served main courses Foot was ok, steak was bland, pork chop cooked well but lacked flavor and chutney was disappointing
Very disappointed - we were compelled to try it based on the story of its namesake and ownership, but everything was mediocre- food, service, decor
The food was good not great. Service was poor. Took a long time for the waiter to bring drinks and food and check. Had to ask for a box twice to take leftovers home. Asked for new silverware after using them for the appetizer but never received them. Not impressed with the restaurant.
We ate breakfast there after spending the night. The grits were amazing. The eggs were perfect and the bacon was crispy. I was very pleased with our service as well as the food. We will return.
Our dinner was excellent! The food came out so quickly that we didn't think it would be our order when it arrived. The food was delicious!
I've lived in Charlottesville for a year and dated my wife here for two years before that. We've dined at many fine restaurants in town. The Ridley immediately catapults to the Top 3! My wife ordered scallops while I ate shrimp and grits -- both dishes were superb. Our cocktails were so delicious, we ordered a second round -- something we rarely do. Add in the understated elegance of the interior, the nice spacing so that we could carry on a normal conversation (unlike many other restaurants where you have to wear ear plugs), and the relaxed atmosphere -- and it was simply a wonderful dining experience. On top of all that, we were moved to read the history of Dr. Ridley, who was a true pioneer. We will return here many times for sure!
The food and service were very good. They were very accomodating to our needs and requests.
Oysters - ExcellentShrimp - ExcellentBrussel Sprouts - Must HaveNashville Hot Chicken Sandwich - More like a fancy Chick-Fil-A sandwich. Was not hot or anything like a traditional NHC sandwich
A pleasant lunch at The Ridley lead to a second dinner visit the next day, so this review is a culmination of the two mealtime experiences. If I were to strictly review the first visit, it would be much more positive. I ordered The Ridley pomegranate blossom signature cocktail followed by the shrimp and grits and a glass of Pinot Grigio; my companion had the Cobb salad with grilled chicken. Aside from a tad too much red eye gravy on the shrimp and grits, everything was delightful and I gladly returned the next day. Once again, I ordered the pomegranate blossom cocktail, which was far different from the first version, with what appeared to be overoxidized juice that lost its flavor and color with a far different consistency - a signature cocktail should really be consistent with itself. My second cocktail version just wasn't pleasant. I ordered the raw oysters which contained a lot of grit and were lukewarm on a bed of salt (no ice) drowning in mignonette that seemed to lack the ingredients written on the menu; however, my companion ordered the pork chops and they were near perfect. Finally, the printed menu states it tells you what is gluten free with a GF designation, yet none of the items on the menu had that designation and when questioned, we were told there was a printing error so no GF designations were present. That's fine, but then why have a GF designation in the first place? The decor was modern and the service was excellent. I really wanted to love this place. But the second impression truly crushed my first. I would probably return for a happy hour meeting with friends and drink their bottled offerings of wine and beer, but Charlottesville has so many great restaurants so I'll skip this place in lieu of other establishments come mealtime.
Staying at the hotel: it was a great option!