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The Ridley, Charlottesville, VA

The Ridley

4.1
4.1
497 Reviews
$30 and under
Regional American (Southern)
A photo of The Ridley restaurant

The Ridley

4.1
$30 and under
Regional American (Southern)
Charlottesville

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 14 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for groups
  • Charming
  • Good for business meals
The Ridley is THE destination for upscale-casual dining and fresh seafood offerings in Charlottesville, Virginia. Located within The Draftsmen boutique hotel, The Ridley combines convenience and accessibility with an unparalleled dining experience. As one of Charlottesville’s Black-owned restaurants, the concept pays homage to Dr. Walter N. Ridley, the first Black student to graduate from The University of Virginia and receive a graduate degree from any major, historically white public university in the South.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Regional American (Southern), Seafood
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 07:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 07:00–00:00
  • Phone number
    (434) 984-8010
  • Website
    http://www.theridleyva.com/
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Robert Anglin
  • Location
    1106 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2822
  • Area
    Charlottesville
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wine

Experiences

  • Christmas Day Buffets at The Ridley!

    25 Dec 2024 only
    Let us take care of the cooking (and cleanup!) this Christmas at The Ridley. 🎄✨ Start your holiday with our Brunch Buffet from 7 AM to 12 PM, featuring all your morning favorites. OR, join us later for a festive Christmas Dinner Buffet from 2 PM to 8 PM, complete with with all your classic holiday dishes.
    Christmas Day Buffets at The Ridley! photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 497 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.1
4.1 based on recent ratings
  • 4.1Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Virginia

    Good for groups

  • Charlottesville

    Innovative

  • Charlottesville

    Good for groups

  • Charlottesville

    Hot spot

  • Charlottesville

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Charlottesville

    Lively

  • Charlottesville

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Ridley offers a vibrant dining experience with standout "excellent meal" reviews, praised for its "amazing" food and "fantastic" servers. Highlights include "delicious" Southern favorites like shrimp and grits and fried chicken. The ambience is "nice" and "upscale chill," making it a great choice for special occasions or a casual brunch.

497 Reviews

  1. Cheryl

    Detroit

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Server made the experience the best. Shelley was engaging - attentive and fun. We were celebrating a birthday. She checked back often. And sang HB the best. As for the food - couldn’t taste the cheddar in the cheddar waffle but the avocado toast and French fries were good.

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  2. Courtney

    E. Tennessee

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 3 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, great service. I had the salmon, my husband had the turkey sandwich and both were great. We had no complaints whatsoever! We also had our toddler with us and both our hostess and server were both very kind and sweet to her. It was decorated for Christmas also and the atmosphere was great.

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  3. Mary

    Richmond

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our party of four dined at The Ridley for Sunday brunch. Our server, Shelly, was truly phenomenal. She was supremely prompt, efficient kind and warm. The food—presented immaculate and enjoyed by us all. We have vowed to return to see Shelly again. Thank you!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Susan

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 29 November 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    This was our second time there. After the first wonderful time we wanted to go back. The service was horrible. There were only three parties in the place and all the servers were hanging out together near the register and/or the kitchen entranceway talking and laughing. At no time after we received our order did any one come to check on us. The only time we were able to get a server's attention was for the check. We will not be returning.

    1 person found this helpful

  5. fernando

    Richmond

    124 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    124 reviews

    Dined on 29 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Was a quiet afternoon after Thanksgiving, food was good but service kind of slow.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Sarah

    New York City

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 29 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Went to the Thanksgiving dinner and the food was cold/not everything was out/it tasted awful. Was not worth the $45. 

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  7. Polin

    New York City

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 29 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    The place was not worth the cost. My burger came out burned, my son's chicken and waffle was overcooked and greasy. The only the thing that was decent were the oysters, I guess because they didn't need to be cooked. The drinks were terrible and service was horrible. Never coming back I would rather go to corner grocery store then ever eat there again. Very disappointing.

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  8. PAUL

    San Diego

    55 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    55 reviews

    Dined on 28 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    4s across the board. Can't go wrong at The Ridley for decent food at a good price. Had a standard fare dinner and breakfast there - both were yummy!

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  9. Josephine

    Richmond

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 24 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    This is an attractive restaurant, conveniently located and well worth a visit.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Lewis

    Washington DC

    37 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    37 reviews

    Dined on 16 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Pleasant ambience. Food was outstanding as was the service

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Ridley offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (434) 984-8010.

The Ridley is rated 4.1 stars by 497 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

A photo of The Ridley restaurant

The Ridley

4.1
$30 and under
Regional American (Southern)
Charlottesville

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 14 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for The Ridley

1106 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2822

Additional information

  • Area
    Charlottesville
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 07:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 07:00–00:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Regional American (Southern), Seafood
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Executive Chef
    Robert Anglin
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wine
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