Dudley Market

I’ve always loved this gem of a wine and raw bar combo tucked away right off the beach in Venice. The fish is caught fresh each day (usually by the owner of the place) and the crudo dishes never disappoint. I’ve yet to try the wagyu beef burger but I hear it’s incredible. The newest dish I tried was sweetbreads with baby corn, Szechuan pepper and a citrus sauce. It was incredible.

Dudley is a perfect restaurant. I've been going for the past three years and it only gets better- whether it's sitting solo at the bar chatting with the team or using any friend coming into town as an excuse to try more of the wine list. The deets: - Get any and all things fish, especially raw. The team and owner line catch everything so the menu will constantly change but it'll blow your socks off. Miso yakitori and all tuna will make your heart melt. - Other: would argue top three french fry from here to SF. Little bit of spice, perfectly crispy. The burger is ranked top (and is), recommend splitting it so you can eat more fish. - Wine: the staff knows their stuff. Huge natural list, special collaborations run by Dina, and some of the local winemakers running events. - The Vibe: a turntable, friends,DJs, etc. There's always good tunes coming. - What's going on: Check out their Instagram to see the hot takes of the day e.g. what fish is in, who's spinning what, and just to drool.

+6

Terrific menu. Upbeat lively and fun atmosphere. Trendy and delish food. Recommend oysters and fried eggplant while many ordered the mussels too.

Saw your restaurant in the third episode,Season 2 of High Potential. LOL! Got curious because the restaurant looks nice so I googled if Dudley Market is real. LOL! Well,I know where to eat next time I'm in Cali.

I went there in my birthday . I loved that it was open until 23.00. Parking around is expensive so you can park somewhere else and get yourself a another glass of drink or some more oysters. Oysters are medium and 7 out of a 10. I certainly drove drom dtla or melrose to the dudley market for oysters. Very amazing that even if i didnt have reservations they didnt make me wait too long. Wine is good for a price and I have had sashimis and scallops and was pretty good . I just wanted a better sauce on it. Toilets was clean and outside atmosphere was quiete well. I didnt feel discomfort. Ocean breeze and ambiance is well. Art piece on the wall isnt good no worries I have some paintings to replace it while one sit on the bar can keep look at it. Other than that its not super hidden somewhere therefore easy to find i liked that too so i went there again . This time i had three glass of wine and i decided that three is my limit about that. Simple menu cool vibesssssssssss

This place is incredible. Everything from the service, ambience, location, etc. We sat at the bar and were able to see the oysters getting shucked. This place is a wine nerd’s delight with very unique offerings geared towards natural producers. Very cool that their entire wine list is available with retail pricing if you find something you can’t live without.

Everything about this place is awesome, the food, the wine, the ambience… amazing! PS - the burger is top notch. 🐟 🍔 🍷 Update: Went back to Dudley for a second time… this time for dinner it was even better, what a fantastic restaurant, it’s now officially a favorite 🔝 😋

Dudley Market mixes fresh-from-the-Pacific seafood with a killer wine list and vinyl records Definitely a Venice must-try!

We came here for the burger and it is absolutely the best in west LA. The atmosphere is hip and stylish but very loud because the tables are super close. The bar table is too narrow and small almost impossible to not keep tapping others elbows. The service is slow and chaotic. We saw one of the server dropped the food on the floor. Wine is okay and other seafood options are fine - tbh the portions could be bigger when it comes to thinking about the price. But the burger. The best.

we didn’t have a reservation and tried to walk in the hostess was super nice and got seated at the bar within 15 minutes. We ordered the Caesar salad, the squash with miso the muscles and fries and the burger. Everything was super flavorful. Tasty and delicious would recommend.

Enchanting, fresh, sustainable, dynamic, delicious... how many lovely things could I say about the Dudley Market. Tucked away from the calamity of Venice, this is an establishment that provides truly sustainably sourced seafood, natural wine, and at atmosphere that you simply don't ever want to leave. The type of restaurant you want to visit for every special occasion, just so you have an excuse to come back. Be sure to begin by grabbing a bottle of natural wine, followed by oyster, crudo, and whatever their lovely & knowledgable staff recommends. I can't wait to come back here.

Jake P

This place is incredible. Everything from the service, ambience, location, etc. We sat at the bar and were able to see the oysters getting shucked. This place is a wine nerd’s delight with very unique offerings geared towards natural producers. Very cool that their entire wine list is available with retail pricing if you find something you can’t live without.

Dalmiro Quiroga

Dudley Market mixes fresh-from-the-Pacific seafood with a killer wine list and vinyl records Definitely a Venice must-try!

Jenna Park

We came here for the burger and it is absolutely the best in west LA. The atmosphere is hip and stylish but very loud because the tables are super close. The bar table is too narrow and small almost impossible to not keep tapping others elbows. The service is slow and chaotic. We saw one of the server dropped the food on the floor. Wine is okay and other seafood options are fine - tbh the portions could be bigger when it comes to thinking about the price. But the burger. The best.

Elad Schor

we didn’t have a reservation and tried to walk in the hostess was super nice and got seated at the bar within 15 minutes. We ordered the Caesar salad, the squash with miso the muscles and fries and the burger. Everything was super flavorful. Tasty and delicious would recommend.

Milan Norling

Enchanting, fresh, sustainable, dynamic, delicious... how many lovely things could I say about the Dudley Market. Tucked away from the calamity of Venice, this is an establishment that provides truly sustainably sourced seafood, natural wine, and at atmosphere that you simply don't ever want to leave. The type of restaurant you want to visit for every special occasion, just so you have an excuse to come back. Be sure to begin by grabbing a bottle of natural wine, followed by oyster, crudo, and whatever their lovely & knowledgable staff recommends. I can't wait to come back here.

Mason Ganz

Everything we tried was delicious! We ordered the scallops on a half shell, a crudo, the burger and fries, and a fish sandwich. I'm still dreaming about this meal and rave about this place to all my friends!

What an incredibly energy this plsce has! We had a reservation for 9pm but went a couple hours early to see if they had any last minute spots and they sat us within 15 minutes. Sitting at the bar, we got served but an awesome waiter who not only gave us perfect recommendations for food, but also knew exactly the glass of wine to pour for me after I gave him a brief description of what I was looking for. We had the most perfectly put together scallop dish, perfect amount of salt, fat, and a little sprinkle of spice. 10/10 would recommend.

If I could leave 10 stars, I would. My stomach hurt last night but I didn't want to give up the res. We went and asked if they had any soup or anything simple...the chef made us soup from scratch. Didn't take long. The attention to detail and care for customers has been unmatched by any other LA restaurant. period.

Dani was incredible–so friendly and made me feel like home. Dudley Market is the definition of a neighborhood joint whose atmosphere is only surpassed by its menu. an ode to old Venice. Local tip- get the burger!

Arrived 10’ before closing. They still served me a great plate of pasta as I was starving after a long trip and everything else was already closed. Fantastic team, super friendly. Highly recommended. Food was great( not only because I was starving)

mohammed

Im no stranger to dudley market, i usually come in the morning to get the best coffee at hooked with Nicely, and i couldnt believe the food i was eating when i came to try Dudley Market the restaurant for the first time each plate was so outstanding that not a single crumb was left on the plate, the Caesar salad and dudley burger and fries was exquisite and top notch, i cant believe i've been missing out this whole time, also a big thank you for Matias for the great hospitality and service!!

Coyote Rob Shreds

Dani was incredible–so friendly and made me feel like home. Dudley Market is the definition of a neighborhood joint whose atmosphere is only surpassed by its menu. an ode to old Venice. Local tip- get the burger!

Alex Vander Ark

What an incredibly energy this plsce has! We had a reservation for 9pm but went a couple hours early to see if they had any last minute spots and they sat us within 15 minutes. Sitting at the bar, we got served but an awesome waiter who not only gave us perfect recommendations for food, but also knew exactly the glass of wine to pour for me after I gave him a brief description of what I was looking for. We had the most perfectly put together scallop dish, perfect amount of salt, fat, and a little sprinkle of spice. 10/10 would recommend.

Aria Dash

If I could leave 10 stars, I would. My stomach hurt last night but I didn't want to give up the res. We went and asked if they had any soup or anything simple...the chef made us soup from scratch. Didn't take long. The attention to detail and care for customers has been unmatched by any other LA restaurant. period.

Frank Becker

Arrived 10’ before closing. They still served me a great plate of pasta as I was starving after a long trip and everything else was already closed. Fantastic team, super friendly. Highly recommended. Food was great( not only because I was starving)

Very affordable considering the quality of dishes/ingredients. The oysters here are ridiculously fresh. The ambience and service were also top-notch.

Tasty, a bit loud inside but great service. Definitely make a reservation before hand. fish sammy & muscles were delicious!

Delicious! Overpriced. No sides. No starters. Small servings. Nice atmosphere. Fried snapper was spectacular. Best I've ever had.

I walked up and got sat at the bar. It was nice to see what was going on in the kitchen from my seat. The service was fast and friendly. The vibe was cool and cozy. I would bring a friend here and share a bottle of wine instead of ordering by the glass. The stand out things that I ordered was they oysters 🦪 and the miso glazed squash.

A little hidden from the Venice chaos. Got the oysters that were plump, fresh, and nicely shucked. Took away a star because they give you one condiment for a dozen oysters and they seem understaffed. Which is a note to management not the staff. The fish and chips were surprisingly good too. The fish kept juicy without too much of the oily outer batter.

Very fun atmosphere, but tables are a bit too close to one another and it’s unbelievably loud. Felt like I had to yell across the table. Nonetheless, the Dudley burger, fish tacos, gochuchang hiramasu crudo, scallop crudo and miso glazed squash are all phenomenal.

This is really one of the best burgers I’ve ever had in LA. My girl and I went in a date here on a weekday night. It was crowded and a little noisy, but the food made up for the lack of hearing each others’ conversation. The oysters were really good and other dishes we ordered hit the spot. Do not pass up the burger!!!

Just off the Venice boardwalk, the energy is cool and coastal. Seafood forward with an American backbone. You put your name down on weekends and wait, worth knowing upfront. The oysters are what you want: briny, fresh, clean. Exactly what you hope for when you order a half dozen, just the sea doing its thing. The kanpachi sashimi is tender and quietly excellent. Thick slices, soft texture, tamari grounding each bite. It’s not reinventing sashimi, it’s respecting it. Good fish, treated well. Then the dudley burger, wagyu richness, sweet bacon jam melting into cheddar, dill aioli tying it all together. It’s sweet, savory, juicy. The charred broccolini arrives with blistered edges, sweet chili vinegar brightening its natural bitterness. French fries come out golden and crisp, good with everything, as they should be. Inside, the room is dark, cool, a little seductive. Great for dates, equally fitting for a group dinner. Service is polite, steady. Nothing overly fussy, nothing overly flashy. Just solid seafood-forward cooking with ocean energy baked in.

I stopped by here for a coffee, it’s a vibey spot, they have a DJ playing live tunes. And they seem to be making slow coffee. It’s a cool vibe, but defs don’t come if you’re in a rush.theres only one person who takes the orders and makes the coffee in front of you, so it took me about 25 mins in line to get my coffee (even though the line was only like 5-7 people). I would also say the coffee is expensive $5-16 + tax and tip. But you can kinda expect that in Venice I guess

Went to Dudley Market to celebrate a friend’s birthday and had such a great experience. The staff was incredibly helpful and attentive without being overbearing. Standout dishes for me were the Peruvian Scallops, Kanpachi Crudo, the Dudley burger (not pictured), and the fried fish sandwich (not pictured) all hits. I’d highly recommend ordering about 3–5 dishes per person so you can really try a bit of everything. Will definitely be back!

Dudley Market has that classic Venice vibe — buzzy, beachy, and very busy. I had a reservation on a Saturday around 4 PM, but still had to wait a bit and ended up seated at the bar. Every table was packed, so it’s clearly popular, but the wait did take away from the experience. Service was a little slow to start, though once I ordered, the food came out quickly. I had the Dudley Burger, fries, and a bottle of beer. The burger was juicy and flavorful, but at $25, it didn’t quite live up to the price tag. Located just a few blocks from the beach, it’s a solid spot — just plan ahead for parking and be ready for a crowd.

Ray Eguavoen

Went to Dudley Market to celebrate a friend’s birthday and had such a great experience. The staff was incredibly helpful and attentive without being overbearing. Standout dishes for me were the Peruvian Scallops, Kanpachi Crudo, the Dudley burger (not pictured), and the fried fish sandwich (not pictured) all hits. I’d highly recommend ordering about 3–5 dishes per person so you can really try a bit of everything. Will definitely be back!

Mike P

Dudley Market has that classic Venice vibe — buzzy, beachy, and very busy. I had a reservation on a Saturday around 4 PM, but still had to wait a bit and ended up seated at the bar. Every table was packed, so it’s clearly popular, but the wait did take away from the experience. Service was a little slow to start, though once I ordered, the food came out quickly. I had the Dudley Burger, fries, and a bottle of beer. The burger was juicy and flavorful, but at $25, it didn’t quite live up to the price tag. Located just a few blocks from the beach, it’s a solid spot — just plan ahead for parking and be ready for a crowd.

Breon Jones

I walked up and got sat at the bar. It was nice to see what was going on in the kitchen from my seat. The service was fast and friendly. The vibe was cool and cozy. I would bring a friend here and share a bottle of wine instead of ordering by the glass. The stand out things that I ordered was they oysters 🦪 and the miso glazed squash.

It's very good and classier than most restaurants on Venice Beach, while still being casual enough to be comfortable instead of stuffy. Food, including cucumber salad as well the burger (defaults to medium-rare) is very good but not cheap. Definitely make a reservation if you can, walk up waits can get quite long.

Brian Won

It's very good and classier than most restaurants on Venice Beach, while still being casual enough to be comfortable instead of stuffy. Food, including cucumber salad as well the burger (defaults to medium-rare) is very good but not cheap. Definitely make a reservation if you can, walk up waits can get quite long.

In town from for a food tour and was extremely excited about Dudley. We put our names in at 4:30 to sit at 6p. It’s really troubling that a restaurant that makes tik toks about their burger sells out before 6p on a Sunday. Other places know the game, know why they’re popular and ensure they have more than enough! Dudley selling out seems like a major miss step by their ownership. A popular restaurant making money hand over fist off the type has the audacity to not take reservations and not ensure there’s proper stock of their most popular item. It’s giving arrogant. We ordered their seafood, and while fresh, severely missed the mark in terms of size and flavor I’ve had an amazing experience eating in LA thus far and will be traveling back to Dudley for the burger. Management, please read this. Your portions of seafood are tiny and you’re a wine forward restaurant. The back of the napkin math shows you can afford to stock more of the burger…stop being cheap.

This place is lively and can get quite loud. Food was okay, nothing to write home about. They don't offer reservation so prepare for the long wait. I also noticed that if you're friends with the host, you can get seated before guests who have been waiting for a table.

Burger is quite good, if overhyped. Peruvian scallop crudo and shrimp cocktail were okay, nothing special. Couldn't really taste the scallops. Fries were also just average fries with Heinz ketchup. No dessert options was disappointing. 5pm patio reservation was easily accommodated inside since it was raining. Was expecting it to be crowded but there were empty tables from 5pm to 7pm on a Wednesday. I would not recommending coming right at 5pm, seems like it takes them a long time to get the restaurant up and running upon opening. Took like 15 minutes to print the daily menus, food took a long time to come out, and the space was cold for a while before heating up. Service was good.

I don’t get the hype. I was really looking forward to coming here but left underwhelmed to be honest. The food was good enough but not great and the portions are small. We had scallops, fish tacos and burger, none of it terrible but not memorable either. The service is too casual, the servers seemed more interested in hanging out and socializing than checking in on the customers. The atmosphere felt chaotic and loud and the tables are way too close together. Not going back.

The food was very good but one of the staff member who took care of our table was very rude and not welcoming at all. It just made the overall experience not very pleasant. I hope they can work on their customer service much more especially that their prices are quite on the high side

I ate here about two weeks ago and provided this feedback directly to the restaurant. Having not heard back: The food is good. Very good even, in the way that a fair number of LA restaurants are very good: great produce, great dish, the burger worth the hype. Good vibe; there was a wait but easy enough to enjoy a bottle of wine while we did. I would not return because of how rude the hostess was. We had bought a bottle of sparkling water while we were waiting, which an employee very kindly carried over to our table when it was available. Right after that, the hostess swept in, reached in to grab the bottle of water, and said “I’m going to have to take this.” We (a table of four), looked up confused and one of us asked why. “You didn’t buy it here,” and begins to take it away. We laughed awkwardly and uncomfortably and said that we had bought it there. She paused, “… did you? Seriously?” Eye brow cocked, disbelieving. We said yes again and she rolled her eyes, let go of the bottle, and walked away. It was so bizarre, rude, and condescending.

My friend had been raving about Dudley Market as she had been seeing it all over her FYP. With the petite spot amplified by the hype, no wonder reservations were tough. Besides, it’s Venice so weekend was always crowd stealer in the area, which did mean parking could be tough but last weekend was my lucky day! We needed to wait a bit as our table still wasn’t ready 15 mins passed our reservation time; thankfully our patience bank for the day was still full LOL. The venue gave me the vibe of beach house combined with green house; simply cute and slow. They’re known for their seafood so we certainly didn’t skip having a couple from their raw section. Our picks were their Peruvian Scallop and Bluefin Tuna Crudo. Served on ice, the scallops were fresh and juicy. Nothing fancy but palatable. I would skip the tuna though as it had that fishy hint a bit and the sauce was just okay to me. My friend got their Dudley Burger featuring wagyu as the protein and apparently was one of their top sellers despite being well-known for seafood. I went for the fried fish katsu as I wanna go all in with seafood theme. My friend did enjoy hers, though it’s probably tad smaller in size compared to typical burger elsewhere. Thick and tender meat might make it up! I did love my fish burger and prolly my fave dish of the night. The fish was pleasantly crispy, right size of fillet, and the sauce was so flavorful mixing tangy and slightly spicy flavor. We did get fries as additional since it didn’t come with any sides. Overall it was decent, but prolly not distinctive enough to make me a regular.

Expected way more. Coliflower was ok. Crudo was fishe, they gave us soy to make it better 🥹 the fried fish sandwich was so dryyyyy. The burger was great! The sweet potato was the best thing we ordered. Vibe was great but the stuff was so busy all year time, never asked us how are we doing.

Not impressed with the food, except with the burger (great!). Overall left disappointed, felt wronged by the high rating and the prices $$$. The food is really fresh and that may be why the flavors are so subtle… if you like fishy fish, bold and tasty flavors this place is not for you. It will give you basic flavors that end up being unmemorable. Also, staff could be a little friendlier.

JG

My friend had been raving about Dudley Market as she had been seeing it all over her FYP. With the petite spot amplified by the hype, no wonder reservations were tough. Besides, it’s Venice so weekend was always crowd stealer in the area, which did mean parking could be tough but last weekend was my lucky day! We needed to wait a bit as our table still wasn’t ready 15 mins passed our reservation time; thankfully our patience bank for the day was still full LOL. The venue gave me the vibe of beach house combined with green house; simply cute and slow. They’re known for their seafood so we certainly didn’t skip having a couple from their raw section. Our picks were their Peruvian Scallop and Bluefin Tuna Crudo. Served on ice, the scallops were fresh and juicy. Nothing fancy but palatable. I would skip the tuna though as it had that fishy hint a bit and the sauce was just okay to me. My friend got their Dudley Burger featuring wagyu as the protein and apparently was one of their top sellers despite being well-known for seafood. I went for the fried fish katsu as I wanna go all in with seafood theme. My friend did enjoy hers, though it’s probably tad smaller in size compared to typical burger elsewhere. Thick and tender meat might make it up! I did love my fish burger and prolly my fave dish of the night. The fish was pleasantly crispy, right size of fillet, and the sauce was so flavorful mixing tangy and slightly spicy flavor. We did get fries as additional since it didn’t come with any sides. Overall it was decent, but prolly not distinctive enough to make me a regular.

Atar Edri

Expected way more. Coliflower was ok. Crudo was fishe, they gave us soy to make it better 🥹 the fried fish sandwich was so dryyyyy. The burger was great! The sweet potato was the best thing we ordered. Vibe was great but the stuff was so busy all year time, never asked us how are we doing.

Martina Mattar

Not impressed with the food, except with the burger (great!). Overall left disappointed, felt wronged by the high rating and the prices $$$. The food is really fresh and that may be why the flavors are so subtle… if you like fishy fish, bold and tasty flavors this place is not for you. It will give you basic flavors that end up being unmemorable. Also, staff could be a little friendlier.

Annie Sanderson

I don’t get the hype. I was really looking forward to coming here but left underwhelmed to be honest. The food was good enough but not great and the portions are small. We had scallops, fish tacos and burger, none of it terrible but not memorable either. The service is too casual, the servers seemed more interested in hanging out and socializing than checking in on the customers. The atmosphere felt chaotic and loud and the tables are way too close together. Not going back.

Disappointed. I hate restaurants that can’t organize/time their kitchen. Everything had to be ordered at once, so no oysters with a bottle of wine while we decide on dinner. Even then, we had to wait for every single dish. Seafood was fresh, but prep was terrible. Scallops in a pool of soy tasting sauce with a jalapeño slice on top , completely overpowered the delicate taste of the scallop. Fish cheeks were inedible. Oysters were great, but had to call back the waiter to let us know the names, etc. I’ve never been served a variety of oysters and not been told their origin. Nothing worked for me except the music. Sadly, Dudley Market did not live up to the hype.

Hilariously bad experience. They are not equipped for outdoor seating. I had my small dog with me, so my friend & I sat in an alleyway / parking lot with no heat lamps. It took us forever to get seated even with a res. The food was burnt. Then a waitress spilled a carafe of water all over our table and our purses. The Caesar salad was good, and so were the fries. I think my fish sandwich would have been good if it weren’t actually burnt. Been hearing so much hype about this place, and I think it’s gone to their head. Lazy lazy, and the service sucks. Didn’t take anything off the bill for their mishaps. We didn’t ask, but come on. Any restaurant of quality would have higher standards for the dining experience

Last night, we were going to eat at this restaurant and the man out front was extremely rude to us so we left. I won’t repeat what was said to us, but by far the worst customer service I have ever experienced from a restaurant staff. Perhaps this is only the behavior of one person, but it is a reflection of the restaurant itself. Customer service and kindness to others is everything.

This has always been a gem, a favorite, and a restaurant that told a story I could get behind, bread of authenticity and hard work to get there. However, I haven’t been back in a while and there seems to be a different story being told. The food was wonderful per usual but that’s only one part of the experience. We chose to drive, made extra time for parking and hustled over in excitement for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner, and his FIRST experience here. We stood there waiting to check in so the clock kept running, and initially, arrived maybe 45 seconds outside of the [10 minute] grace period only to be met with resistance to understanding and pompous demeanor to boot. It was cold outside and this is a 40 year old man’s birthday - I wanted him to experience the magic of the ambiance while telling him the inception of Dudley Market as it was told to me one night three years back by the owner who was spinning records with his friends. Cut to: being told the only option was the bar, I accepted what was and they said to give them ten minutes. 40 minutes later we were sat up at the bar area watching the wait staff ring up orders. Mind you, this was all because there was a line at the hostess stand. No two patrons are the same and she really couldn’t see that operations were slow, having to ask her manager questions at every turn for multiple people, finally to turn my indoor table down for a birthday. We also had a younger guy “helping us” who barely said a word, but spent more time on the two girls next to us and the service between the two were world’s apart. While he was getting a play-by-play on the rest of their evening plans, I was doing my best to stay positive and make item suggestions to my boyfriend who had never been there. Even with the hostess being made aware, he never got so much as a, happy birthday, a smile, or service I’d known to have had in years past. Since it’s a rotating menu, I did my best and also left a 20% tip because that’s just how I was raised, but no staff recommendations were made, no wine pairings, just an initial, “what can I get you to drink?” I was used to being greeted at Dudley with being asked who had dined there before, some highlights on the menu, asking about allergy restrictions, wine pairings, and quality service. This was not how I wanted to spend his birthday and him being a 40 year old man, was obviously confused by the entire situation at large. He enjoyed the food but has no interest in going back, if we hadn’t driven from Manhattan Beach, I would’ve left. Disappointed, out $150 and did I mention those same girls accidentally spilled wine all over my bf? She felt worse than the guy who flirted with them all night and I spent our last ten minutes there trying to clean him up. I would’ve thought he’d offer them another drink, make sure glass wasn’t being spilled, etc. I’m bummed to say the least and never write reviews but here we are.

Tara Ferguson

This has always been a gem, a favorite, and a restaurant that told a story I could get behind, bread of authenticity and hard work to get there. However, I haven’t been back in a while and there seems to be a different story being told. The food was wonderful per usual but that’s only one part of the experience. We chose to drive, made extra time for parking and hustled over in excitement for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner, and his FIRST experience here. We stood there waiting to check in so the clock kept running, and initially, arrived maybe 45 seconds outside of the [10 minute] grace period only to be met with resistance to understanding and pompous demeanor to boot. It was cold outside and this is a 40 year old man’s birthday - I wanted him to experience the magic of the ambiance while telling him the inception of Dudley Market as it was told to me one night three years back by the owner who was spinning records with his friends. Cut to: being told the only option was the bar, I accepted what was and they said to give them ten minutes. 40 minutes later we were sat up at the bar area watching the wait staff ring up orders. Mind you, this was all because there was a line at the hostess stand. No two patrons are the same and she really couldn’t see that operations were slow, having to ask her manager questions at every turn for multiple people, finally to turn my indoor table down for a birthday. We also had a younger guy “helping us” who barely said a word, but spent more time on the two girls next to us and the service between the two were world’s apart. While he was getting a play-by-play on the rest of their evening plans, I was doing my best to stay positive and make item suggestions to my boyfriend who had never been there. Even with the hostess being made aware, he never got so much as a, happy birthday, a smile, or service I’d known to have had in years past. Since it’s a rotating menu, I did my best and also left a 20% tip because that’s just how I was raised, but no staff recommendations were made, no wine pairings, just an initial, “what can I get you to drink?” I was used to being greeted at Dudley with being asked who had dined there before, some highlights on the menu, asking about allergy restrictions, wine pairings, and quality service. This was not how I wanted to spend his birthday and him being a 40 year old man, was obviously confused by the entire situation at large. He enjoyed the food but has no interest in going back, if we hadn’t driven from Manhattan Beach, I would’ve left. Disappointed, out $150 and did I mention those same girls accidentally spilled wine all over my bf? She felt worse than the guy who flirted with them all night and I spent our last ten minutes there trying to clean him up. I would’ve thought he’d offer them another drink, make sure glass wasn’t being spilled, etc. I’m bummed to say the least and never write reviews but here we are.