Dudley’s on Short

Beautiful space, and very attentive service. We went at 1130 on a Saturday and it was not overly packed at all. Apparently they just changed their brunch menu. The biscuits were divine. I had the eggs Benedict with crab and it was good. My mother had the shrimp and grits and raved about it. My husband had the lemon ricotta pancakes — he prefers traditional but said they were tastey. Definitely a nice experience with solid food. We weren’t blown away by the food but found it enjoyable.

Bravo, Dudley’s! Thank you for the wonderful New Year’s Eve dinner last night! Going to a nice restaurant on a big holiday can really be hit-​or-​miss (and it’s usually a miss), but Dudley’s did it right.
We were seated immediately in a beautiful dining room and served two complimentary glasses of champagne (nice touch). Service was on-​point and we never had to wait long for anything. We started with a delicious, two-​bite black-​eyed pea fritter. Then we both had the butterfish crudo which was so rich and luscious it melted in our mouths. For the main course, I had the beef tenderloin which was served atop a creamed spinach sauce. It was accompanied by these amazing cheese fritter-​type things — delicious. My husband had the sea scallops which were perfectly cooked and even better than my dish. For dessert I had the pumpkin pound cake — a moist, dense, flavorful ending to the meal. It wasn’t too sweet and had just the right amount of additional touches, like toasted pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and whipped cream.
Everything about our dining experience was perfect. This is definitely our new special occasion dining spot!

Tournedos de Maxwell, filets of beef with Lump Crab meat and Bernaise Sauce, was exquisite — succulent to the last bite. I also recommend the chicken and duck liver parfait, the buttermilk-​fried quail, tuna tartare tacos, and sticky toffee pudding which were all delicious, but avoid the bacon beignets, they do a disservice to the rest of the Louisiana Purchase!

This place in general was good. The food was excellent. Espeically you should try their Beef Frites which was so amazing. The beef was cooked perfectly together with their fries. Their cheese and meat as the appetizer was good too, espcially the bacon in their. Its the best bacon I have ever had so far
I also ordered the ripeye steak which was just ok. I asked for medium rare but it was served as medium well
Their crème brûlée was not so good. Its not firm enough
One thing I really don’t like about this place is that its a fine dinning place, however there’s a TV in the room !

I am not a big fan of Dudley’s on Short in Lexington. The service is harried and quite inattentive. I have been several times and unimpressed with the quality of the meals. Great reputation among the locals, but just does not work for myself.

The arugula salad was really good. The ossom boca special was excellent. The best restaurant in Lexington hands down.

I’ve been a long time Dudley’s customer, never had a bad experience until last time we went, last Saturday ¹¹⁄₇. Our food took 45 minutes to arrive at our table and my father’s dish — steak frites — was dry and really rough. He complained and ate just two or three pieces and then I offered him my plate which was the special of the day. The waiter told us they were having problems at the kitchen and apologized for the dismal steak and frites, then proceed to offer us «FREE DESSERT» because of the bad experience. We could not believe this. If they wanted to really make this right by us, they wouldn’t have charged full price for the steak and frites and offer free food. We never asked to be given anything for free or free dessert. It’s offending. A classy place should’ve known better. I doubt, after 20+ times having eaten there, that my father will ever want to go back. No, we don’t want a free dessert. Thank you.

Great service. Loved the Brussel sprout salad. I had the pork chop dinner and it was amazing. My husband had steak and he said it was great too.

martinis and old fashioned in the upstairs bar were great not to mention the fried oyster appetizer; we’d love to come back when we’re in town again for dinner

Dudley’s is just the best & never disappoints & we have been enjoying meals waaay back when it was housed in the old schoolhouse! Great ambiance, prompt & attentive service and the food is delicious… not over presented with layers of unneeded accompaniments that bury the star of the meal. Which I greatly appreciate!!!

Service was friendly, atmosphere was nice.
Ambient temp was a bit on the warm side.
We began with fried Oysters and Mussels; the oysters were just OK but the mussels were amazing. For main courses, we chose some absolutely outstanding sea scallops (perhaps the best I’ve ever had) served in a corn /​vegetable succotash and tournedos of steak served with sautéed green beans and potatoes.
We enjoyed a bottle of wine from their huge selection.
For dessert, we had a brownie truffle hot fudge Sunday; it tasted good but the brownies were too hard.
All-​in-​all, it was very good and I would come back.

Love this place… great food (high end quality seafood and nice presentation, complemented with nice sides), great wine selection (Silver Oak by the glass!). Debbie and her team very friendly, good vibe. I frequent as often as possible,

It would be quite incongruous to dine in Lexington, Kentucky and not be surrounded by an equestrian theme. This is thoroughbred country, and although UK basketball may be number one in the city, everything to do with «horse» is the foundation of blue grass country.
Dudley’s on Short does not disappoint. There are horse portraits, racing colors, winning trophies, and the very epitome of the «horsey set» all around you. The well scrubbed diners, impeccably dressed, show off their pedigree. The woman dress in St. John knits, and the silver tressed gentleman all don Ralph Lauren. They all looked so smart, that my wife and I felt best sitting at the bar, away from the tables. Perhaps our plebeian manner would be less obtrusive at the small bar, let alone my New York accent. Yankees may not be welcome. I am quite aware that certain aspects of the Civil War are not forgotten here in the South.
Dudley’s is not for trendy or innovative dining. The conservative patrons want the familiar and I must say everything we ate tasted real good, and there were no surprises. The bartender was perfectly lovely and she made excellent suggestions and actually laughed at my Yankee humor. We struck up a conversation with two engaging women at the bar, and by the end of the meal, I almost thought of becoming a jockey. Dudley’s was perfectly pleasant and fits the needs of their patrons. If you have the proper expectations you will have a wonderful time, eating good food, and watching the cotillion around you. «My darlin, may I please have a Pappy’s on the rocks, so very neat.»

Service, atmosphere and food were all exceptional! Dined for brunch! The spicy Bloody Mary was one of the best I’ve had! Those potatoes with the eggs Benedict though… Oh my!!! Definitely my top choice for a classic and CLASSY brunch!

I have been here twice, once for lunch and again for a private lunch event. Dudleyed eggs are tasty, good Bloody Mary, great service from Suzie the first visit. Second visit presented some service issues, not terrible, but not very professional when it came to clearing and distributing plates and wine service. Over all good food. I will be back.

This review doesn’t need to be long. The food is absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is nice. The staff is friendly. The other patrons here are regulars and love it and so do I. I don’t often give 5 stars. This place deserves it.

Maybe I’m spoiled. Maybe I got them on an off night but… uninspired would be good way to describe my meal at Dudley’s. I ate by myself the first night in Lexington and I should have paid better attention to the TA and Unilocal reviews.
I started with wilted brussel sprout salad… salad was very basic, exhibiting none of the richness or deliciousness this dish can have. It is priced at $ 10 but I am not griping about the price. If you are going to do something — do it well. I had short rib with grits as my second dish, if anything this was worse than the brussel sprouts. The boneless short rib was grey, There was no effort to brown or caramelize the meat before simmering, and sadly there was a ton of fat left on the plate, meaning that the cooking time/​method did not allow for the fat to render.
Anyway, this restaurant took two «no miss» dishes and made them poorly. I give Dudley’s two stars because of the food. The service and atmosphere were excellent.
Sorry to have to write this review. To the owners — do better.

Had a really perfect meal here with colleagues during a work trip. The service was really attentive; although the ambience is sort of old school (leather booths, white tablecloths), I liked it, down to the waiter saying «To good health» when he brought over our bourbon. Do yourself a favor and have a bourbon; my hosts recommended the Four Roses Single Barrel, which was perfect.
We shared tuna poke as a starter, then I had the local Bibb and Humboldt Fog salad as a main and a side of dudleyed eggs (deviled, a la the chef). The poke was very good — served on sweet potato, with spicy homemade hot sauce. The pickled ginger and wasabi were on the side and quite spicy — I didn’t understand what they added to the dish given the hot sauce. Seemed like an afterthought. But overall a special dish.
I enjoyed the salad a lot — the squash and fennel and blue cheese with vinaigrette were very harmonious. The low point for me were the deviled eggs, which started out awesome and mustardy, but I think the kitchen scooped out some of the white to make them look more spherical. I needed more egg white to reduce the richness of the eggs; I had to share the last half with one of my fellow diners.
The high point of dinner was the Black Tie Sundae, and thank goodness the waiter told me I could order a half sundae, because that was the right size. The brownie and fudge and vanilla ice cream were amazing. The best sundae I’ve had in long time!
I recommend Dudley’s for a nice dinner out with work friends or family; save some room in your stomachs for dessert!

Went for brunch with extended family and one parent when I moved down here for a job. This was one of my first dining places in Lex and it was exceptional.
Staff was great, food was well done and while I haven’t eaten dinner here… I have been to the bar a couple times and made poor purchasing decisions on glasses of stuff not offered elsewhere in this town… because hey…18 year old single malts are awesome or something… idk.
Point is, place has great ambiance, great atmosphere and its great to bring a date for drinks and small plates to enjoy the people walking by. Need to get here for dinner, but it feels better as a date night for a special occasion rather than a regular place to hit up.
For my one time eating, I’ve not had much better. Dudley’s and Coles remain, in my opinion, the best places in town for an upscale fine dining experience.

Looking for a romantic place to woo a beautiful lady? Wine and dine her at Dudley’s! The atmosphere in the dining room downstairs, and especially the more private area upstairs, where my party sat, is elegant.
On the recommendation of my server, I had the Tournedos Maxwell, a steak with lump crab and béarnaise atop it. Melt in your mouth delicious and savory from the first bite! Although I ordered my steak well done, it arrived medium rare. After the first bite, I didn’t even bother sending it back, it was so good.