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Dudley School opened in November, 1852, in a four room house on this site, named for Benjamin Winslow Dudley, M.D. Dr. Dudley was Chairman of Anatomy and Surgery at the Transylvania Medical School.
The school must have flourished, for in 1881, the existing building was erected, and in 1886, four additional rooms were added. The school remained in use until the early 1930s.
Renovation on what is now Dudley Square started in 1979 followed by Dudley's Restaurant opening in 1981, by converting two of the original classrooms into a dining room and bar. Cocktail atmosphere is set by a 100-year-old antique bar.
In 1983, an outdoor patio was added which further enhanced the ambience and popularity of the restaurant. Patrons are surrounded by local artists' work in the dining room or by poplar trees as old as the school itself, which flank the patio. To accommodate larger parties and special occasions the Wine Room was added in 1995.
Dudley's menu is comprised of a wide variety of seasonally fresh foods. These are prepared with an eye for health and reflect the flavors of our region where owner Debbie Long heightened her culinary expertise.
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Debbie Long's tenure as a restaurateur has been an educational journey, particularly regarding wine. When Dudley's opened in the early 1980s, the choices were primarily house white, red and rosé, with perhaps a carafe of this or that now and then. Time, the input of collectors and personal travel have transformed a tiny ordinary collection into one of the best in Lexington. (Full review)