From the OED: An eating-house or tavern where public meals are provided at a fixed price; a dining room in such a building. In the 17th century, the more expensive ordinaries were frequented by men of fashion, and the dinner was usually followed by gambling; hence the term was often used as synonymous with
An Ordinary was also a meal, usually a lunchtime meal, that was available in pubs. This is the sense that it has when Pepys says, "I went to an Ordinary at the King
Paul Brewster Link to this
From the OED:
An eating-house or tavern where public meals are provided at a fixed price; a dining room in such a building.
In the 17th century, the more expensive ordinaries were frequented by men of fashion, and the dinner was usually followed by gambling; hence the term was often used as synonymous with
Stuart Mitchell Link to this
An Ordinary was also a meal, usually a lunchtime meal, that was available in pubs. This is the sense that it has when Pepys says, "I went to an Ordinary at the King