The Green Derby is hanging by a thread. This place has certainly gone downhill over the years. That is especially true after the original owners died. The servers will even tell you so. This is the mecca for all those aged 60 and over. If they were looking for extras on the movie Cocoon, this would have been a great place for casting calls.
I have been here a couple of times every year over my entire life though.
Best part of the Derby. Â The Derby salad (a hot slaw) and the fish sandwich. Â These are the only 2 things worth mentioning on the menu. The derby salad is pretty much their calling card. No one and I mean no one can duplicate it and it is good. The fish sandwich is very good and worth a go as well.
Worst part of the Derby.... Pretty much everything else. This place is like visiting your grandma's house. You go there b/c you feel like you should. Your guilty, and then you are glad when it is over. Hard to explain. With so many other options out there now. It really is getting left in the dust. It  is slow and smoky and dark. Nothing flashy or up to date. But it would be sad if it were gone. I would have to think its days are limited.
You know how "interesting" is often a euphemism for "weird", with a slight positive connotation? Well, interesting is the word that I would use to describe Green Derby. When I walked into what appeared to be the main entrance, which was quite small and narrow, I was confused as to where I should go. There were 2 seating areas on either side. (Apparently, having more than one option makes my brain go into overdrive.) The smoking section was dank and dark, the bar lined with amusingly foul-mouthed seniors watching basketball and surrounded by tables and chairs. Just a few feet away was the non-smoking section, which looked like your typical family restaurant with booths and bright lighting. I found that contrast a bit funny.
One thing I liked was their $10 beer and wings special - 4 beers and 10 wings. The wings were definitely nothing special, but weren't the worst. They were served with a choice of either mild, medium, or hot sauce and ranch dipping sauce. Service was very friendly and attentive, as it should be at 3:30 pm :) Despite the weird, old vibe, I enjoyed hearing women my grandma's age get all rowdy, cuss, and talk about getting drunk. Hilarious! I don't know if I'd drive all the way to KY again for another visit (cuz it's sooo far away), but it was certainly an experience.
Hubby and I are pretty close to Green Derby's target demographic (think Q-tips) and we had a Groupon. Yeah, it's an old-fashioned place. It gets points for having a comfortably decorated, brightly lighted, no-smoking dining room. The smoke problem is always an issue in Kentucky. We both really enjoyed the Derby salad, somthing a little different as were the side of "potato puffs," balls of mashed potatoes which had been lightly breaded and deep fried.
I had the fried cod, which was also lightly breaded and tasty although nothing unique. Hubby's hot brown was just average and would have been improved with real cheese as opposed to what was probably reconstituted cheese powder.
Service was good, and prices are appropriate. We were not overwhelmed but we might return occasionally.
The Hank Williams memorabilia at Green Derby might not be the most modern choice for décor, but then Green Derby is not a modern restaurant. They have been around since 1947, serving up tried-and-true comfort foods like Kentucky hot browns, country-fried steak, and chicken livers. They're probably most famous for their enormous fried halibut sandwich, which is served with some of the best tartar sauce I've tasted in recent memory.
Since I moved to Newport, I ate here twice in a week, making a special trip with my grandmother because I knew this place would be right up her alley. The Green Derby is full of the retirement age crowd. Here are the hits: fried halibut sandwich, metts with sauerkraut, green beans, cole slaw and the Green Derby salad. I highly recommend getting this salad, which is more similar to hot slaw than a traditional salad. It really is the perfect combination of sweet, sour and salty.
Some of the misses: salmon patties (on special, pretty bland, served with an inedible mock hollandaise sauce), stuffed peppers (also on special, tomato sauce was too sweet, the pepper stuffing was bland).
The prices are very reasonable and the portions are American-sized (meaning huge). Service was attentive and food came out without too much delay even on a busy Friday night. This is a place I'd go for certain dishes (Green Derby salad, hot brown) but I wouldn't veer too far away from those main-stays.
We went to the derby for Sunday dinner on Sept 27,2010. There is no lunch menu on Sunday, but they usually off a lot of dinner specials. We were upset to find out there were no specials  like ribs, fish, etc. It used to be that Sunday food offers were the best of the week. I will call ahead before I go there on a weekend day.
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