Dudley's Sport and Ale — Restaurant in Virginia

I have been playing trivia here every week since they opened in 2019. The prizes before the pandemic were $50 per person for first place, $35 per person for second place, and $20 per person for third place for up to 7 people per ranking. After the pandemic, the prizes were $25 per person for first place, $15 per person for second place, $10 per person for third place, and $10 per person for fourth place for up to 7 people per ranking.

Ever since the business was sold and they have new management, the place has gone downhill. It is like they don’t know how to be a restaurant nor want to be servers. To begin with, the menu has changed numerous times. The food quality is ok to poor depending on who you ask and the prices have been ridiculously increased. They used to have a host seat you and they don’t anymore. The servers barely check in on you. Once they take your order, they disappear the rest of the night. They would make more money (and tips) by going around a few times asking if we wanted more food and drinks. It is unacceptable to not refill water either.

Under the new management everything has changed. The old manager (who was awesome) and many servers quit because they didn’t like how the new management treated them. The prizes for trivia also went down to $100 per team for first place, $50 per team for second place, $25 per team for third place, and $25 per team for fourth place. It is obvious they are having money issues and are doing anything they can to reduce costs. If they knew how to run a restaurant and treat customers properly, they may not have these issues. The staff has been reduced, which has resulted in poor service. They changed their soda from Coke to Pepsi. The cable package has also changed so you can’t watch every sports game that you wanted to previously.

The lights have always been on when we played trivia. When we went on January 7, which was right after the huge snowstorm, they literally had no heat and turned off the lights. We need the lights on for trivia as we are reading and writing. I asked the manager to turn the lights on and he refused. He claims they have always been off and that is a lie. I’ve been playing there for over five years and the lights have always been on. I don’t appreciate him arguing with and gaslighting us. On January 14 there was no heat but the lights were on. On January 21, there was no heat and the manager turned the lights off again. Every team asked him to turn them on, but the manager claimed it was hard. How hard is it to flip the light switch on? Instead, Dudley’s management was extremely rude and unprofessional in how they handled the situation. They were being jerks and arguing with us. It was already bad enough that there was no heat on, which is illegal and an OSHA violation, the least they could do was turn the lights on to make the customers happy. It is not like this is a romantic restaurant where you want the lights dimmed. This is far from that. They eventually turned the lights on but then said they would no longer have trivia. They claim that their karaoke company will now host trivia there instead of Pour House Trivia (who is amazing). No one is going to go to their new trivia night. Additionally, how hard is it to find an HVAC company to fix the heat for over three weeks? We figured they were just being cheap and trying to save costs by turning the heat and lights off, which is not acceptable. They are also blocking a fire exit which is illegal and are doing so because they claim it will keep the heat in.

Unfortunately, under their new management Dudley’s has gone downhill. It is evident they are financially struggling and cutting costs in every way. The way they treat their staff and speak to and treat their customers is appalling. Additionally, I’ve seen mice run across the floor. If you’re looking for a sports bar or place to eat in Shirlington, I recommend going elsewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go out of business this year and...

After 6 years in the region, Dudley's is the only bar in the area I'd consider for watching sports & has the best casual rooftop outside of Clarendon.

Food: For pub grub, the food's very good -- expect mid-scale American, nothing extravagant, but I've had 10 or so items on the menu and it's all been solid. Much better than standard sports bar food, not a place for a fancy dinner. Dining room downstairs is very large, so do not expect a busy indoor restaurant when there are no major games.

Happy Hour: Value is great-not-good. Get the crab balls, and you're welcome in advance. The ale made exclusively for the bar is great if you like pale ale. Good beer selection, rail booze aren't bottom shelf.

Bar(s): It's a sports bar, so come for a good beer selection & standard cocktails -- haven't had a problem with either in a dozen visits or so. Inside bar is massive & wraparound, but at present lightly attended during a normal happy hour.

Rooftop bar is where the happy hour action takes place; best casual spot in Shirlington and the nearby area and it's not close. Hightop & picnic tables sit behind a long bar the length of the patio, there are only a couple large TVs in the main sitting area, many behind the bar. All-around great experience, primarily made up of small groups and guys at the sitting bar.

Service: Well trained, friendly, there to work. Only had one rude bartender over the entire period, so I can't deduct points for a single dude having a bad day. Efficient card system when busy, drinks come fast busy or not, friendly staff working hard but not overwhelmed. Good experiy.

GAME DAY: Do not arrive with a group larger than 2 after kickoff on football Sundays or major playoff events expecting seats to be a certainty. Just don't. Arrive a little early & expect a crowd that will cheer. It's loud, but not abrasive. Don't expect drunk ravers or fights, but don't expect tame. Obviously. It's a big sports bar in a big sports town.

In conclusion, I recommend Dudley's for anyone looking for a great gameday experience and a casual rooftop happy hour/ meal. Not a huge social community, but generally friendly regulars & staff at the bars.

(There's a reason the NBC Sports Washington guys travel from Potomac to watch Monday night football on the rooftop bar, and it's not because the bar pays them to go do a live pod....

I’ve been a long-time customer at this spot and often bring friends here, especially on Fridays and Saturdays to enjoy the rooftop. Today, I invited a good friend from Maryland to experience the great atmosphere and weather. We started our evening at the rooftop, but moved to the lower level because of an event happening upstairs. At the downstairs bar, we were served by a very respectful and professional bartender who took our order for two Jameson drinks. We asked if we could prepay for two additional drinks to enjoy outside, and he said yes and confirmed he would inform the next bartender taking over. We were there when he let the new bartenders know about our prepaid drinks. After finishing the first two, we returned inside to get the remaining two we had already paid for. At this point, we were met with disrespect and confusion from the two new bartenders. They insisted we hadn't paid, and only after some back and forth did they agree to give us the two drinks we had already purchased. Later, a third friend joined us, and we ordered one more drink plus an additional three drinks, totaling four, and paid for all of them upfront. We made it clear we would come back later for the remaining three. When we returned, the bartenders refused to give us the drinks and falsely claimed we had already received everything. We showed them our receipt, but they continued to argue and disrespect us. When we asked for a manager, one of them claimed to be the manager but refused to help. We didn’t believe he was the real manager, so we asked for someone else. Thankfully, Abbi—the actual manager—arrived, and we explained everything. He took the time to listen to us and was respectful. While we are grateful for Abbi’s professionalism, the experience left us disappointed and disrespected at a place we’ve always enjoyed and recommended to others. The behavior of the two bartenders at the lower level...