Boat Inn in Derbyshire Dales

A huge thank you to the Team at The Boat Inn. During a break in our scheduled ramble, Sutton & District Rambling Club have enjoyed a wonderful xmas buffet, great hospitality and delicious food. The team have looked after us wonderfully, thank you so much 🤶 x

We walked six miles along the canal from Ambergate, dreaming of the nut roast we had booked for our Christmas dinner treat! Food arrived. Undercooked, not-roasted-at-all potatoes, a tiny ball of stuffing, one limp parsnip....and NO NUT ROAST. Instead, a sort of veggie wellington, with tomato sauce. NO GRAVY. Immediately spoke to the chef who was in the bar. "Nut roast is not on the menu." It was. My friend showed him the screenshot. "That's an old menu." No new ones could be found on the website because the website was blocked due to privacy concerns..... Showed him the multiple calls I'd had to make to book the table. No one had queried the nut roast I asked for several times..... In the end, we were given a complimentary dessert and coffee to say sorry. Definitely would NOT recommend.

Roast pork was too fatty, more fat than meat for £20! The veg was hard and Brussels were like bullets. Over priced for what you get. It’s a shame as it used to nice but not the same with owners. Table upstairs was sticky. Staff seem overworked and rushed. Overall was very disappointed with the place. £20 for roast dinner and £4.95 extra for cauliflower cheese, which was ok. Won’t rush back. It’s a shame as it used to be really nice.

I didn't think it's was going to be a good meal as the chef was drinking at the bar and looked liked he'd had a few by the time we got there.the food was awful to nobody's surprise

we have been cromford many times, this was first time visit this pub. a table was booked in advance. the boat inn is located at a small alleyway that's the reason why we did not notice this pub. the pub / restaurant was cosy and the service was good. the prices of dishes were reasonable as well as the portion sizes. we ordered parsley and apple soup, whitebaits, moroccan lamb tagine and steak and ale pie and all dishes were delicious. we will definite go back again.

Called in to the Boat on a couple of occasions on a recent trip to Cromford. It's a traditional pub in a lovely setting. We only had drinks but intend to eat there when next in the area.

Lovely lunchtime pie and nice beer, pub was very quiet but service was friendly with a good choice of food at reasonable prices.

We went with our two children for dinner. They had fish and chips (adult menu) and chicken goujons (children's menu) - both very nice. I was hoping for something vegetarian and was given veggie lasagne as an option. It came out and I'm sorry to say I had to send it back because it was literally a dish of soggy pasta with tomato sauce and one or two sliced carrots and tasted very unpleasant. However, the chef came out an apologised and offered to cook me the aubergine burger instead which he made with pesto and it was really, really good! Fresh sourdough roll and delicious aubergine and tasty, freshly cooked fries. He said the lasagne is not cooked by them - they buy it in. In my opinion they should take this off the menu because everything that IS cooked by them on the premises (all the burgers etc) are super tasty and well made. They removed the entire cost of my meal off the price of our bill. All in all, this is a busy restaurant trying really hard to keep lots of customers happy and they were lovely when I had to complain about my food and went out of their way to make it right. I would definitely recommend this place but stick to the food they make on site (perhaps ask before you order!) then you can't go wrong.

The food was so incredible, we didn’t have time to take any photos 😉 - too busy eating and enjoying!! The homemade lamb and mint pie with mash and homemade mushy peas was heaven-sent! We loved the variety and creativity of the burger menu - also delicious! Excellent selection of wines and beers, and lovely pot of tea. If only we lived next door! 😻

We stopped here for a drink and game of darts and decided to have a Sunday Lunch. At £20 for one course not cheap but we have eaten here for best part of 10 years so expected it to be good. The meat was nice and well cooked but everything else was not good. The veg has barely been cooked at all. I like my veg firm but this was rock hard and we couldn’t eat it. We did feedback to waitress but not sure she passed it on. I think the pub has changed hands so hope the new management will take feedback on board and get food back on track as it’s a lovely pub.

We have eaten here a few times and do the quiz here. The food is lovely but the quiz food is now vegetarian which isn't what we like in our team unfortunately 😕 otherwise we recommend it.

Didn't like the highly lit bright dinning area..the rest of the pub was fne

Part of a group of 12. Everyone's fodd was stunning. Best mussels I've had in a long long time.

Well having been quite a few times It's always beautiful well today it was and wasn't the Sunday dinner was very nice not worth the £20... I had the chicken tikka masala..... Well if chopped tomatoes warmed up if that's tita marsala then call me Abdul it's was bland and tasteless... Yes chopped plum tomatoes not worth a fiver never mind £15 I ate half. Will never again go that's me done...... When it came it looked beautiful was so looking forward to it....

Been here before and pies were always brilliant but sadly that has all changed and now not in the same league with limited choice and pies very ordinary. Also make sure do not eat upstairs where effectively in the kitchen and meal disturbed by the shouting chef the serving noises and later your clothes all smell of the kitchen. Good beer etc downstairs.

Under new management sadly. We were a party of four. I ordered medium steak- food arrived luke warm and the steak was tough and overcooked. My wife ordered a Captins Burger - overdone on the outside, undercooked on the inside and lukewarm. Son had fish and chips- fish undersized and mostly batter,.Daughter in law also had a burger - tough and overcooked. Overall very poor.

This is a lovely pub downstairs but unfortunately my friends and I were given one of the two tables upstairs. Our experience wasn’t great . The lighting was harsh and there was a direct view into the kitchen and a flourescent lit cupboard which was left open and was jumbled with supplies and utensils, cleaning equipment and other ephemera which spoiled any atmosphere there might have been. Coupled with this was an extremely shouty somewhat frantic chef who spent the evening bellowing orders at top volume just a few feet away from us. We had booked as some of our party had waxed lyrical about the pies but my chicken pie had soggy, inedible crust and lumps of completely dessicated chicken which was tough and unpleasant . The starter of mushroom and garlic bruschetta on the other hand was delicious . I think had we been given a table in the cosy downstairs area away from mr shouty and better pie this would have been a much more pleasant experience.

Always a great pint and good selection of ales.

Extraordinarily good food. We had spicy bean burger and fish and chips. This is like eating in a top class restaurant. Homemade chips, batter, tartare sauce etc. Highly recommended food in a beautiful location.

Visited the famous bookshop in Cromford today and fancied some lunch .the Boat inn is just down the road. Our dog was welcome. Plus our slightly muddy footwear. We were greeted with a smile...and food and drinks were fairly soon spread before us. The fish and chips were the best I've ever tasted..so much flavour and freshly cooked... gorgeous chips ..and good mushy peas! Would have like to have room to try a dessert..but alas. we were stuffed! Well done to you all !

We booked for sunday lunch as I've always thought it looked a nice place. Lunch was served but after starting we all found our roast dinners were cold. I kept hoping that someone would come and ask how is the meal but noone did. After we finished eating a young waiter came and asked if everything was alright. I simply stated that the food was cold. She said she'd see her supervisor who then came along. Again I said the food was cold but she said that it was our responsibility to go and find someone to report the cold meal. We pointed out that it was the responsibility of the pub to ensure that the meal was of an acceptable standard. They did nothing else about the matter and clearly thought that serving cold roast dinners was the responsibility of the customer.

Great place, especially for a roast

*NEW OWNERS ALERT* We have been coming to the Boat Inn on and off for the last 10 years when we visit Cromford or the surrounding area, and never had a bad visit or a bad meal. 2 weeks ago, the owners changed - it now has the same owners as the only other pub in Cromford - the Greyhound. They now have the same menu as well. And it's not good. It's a much reduced and more standard (boring) selection, and the blackboard of pies has reduced to a single pie of the day. Today's pie of the day (steak and ale) was awful. The pastry was inedible (and almost uncuttable) and the beef was tough and chewy. Really disappointing as this has been much a dependable place for us over the years, but now we probably won't be back again 😞

I called in with my wife on a Saturday afternoon for some lunch. We both had gammon, egg and chips which was very good. They were proper chips and tasted like they were cooked in beef dripping. Delicious. The staff were very pleasant. The only slight criticism we had was that it took 50 minutes for our food to arrive. It wasn't an issue for us as we weren't in any rush. I always think though, that if your food is going to be half an hour or more, it's just courtesy to let the customers know. They can then decide whether or not to stay. All in all though, apart from the wait, we couldn't really fault the place.

Really great dinner. It's one of the best pub burgers I've ever had. Nice atmosphere of locals enjoying quiz night.

We won't rush back here! Meals not great - small portion of fish, batter cooked to dark brown, aubergine burger just a bun with a couple of slices of aubergine in. Waitress unable to explain the menu. Hopefully these are just teething problems for the new tenants but we came away feeling it was definitely on the poor side.

We took in 5 dogs at that was fine. Staff very friendly, food was fantastic and the portion sizes very good, and good value for money.

Stopped for lunch but "best kept secret" turned out to be somewhat disappointing with several items out of stock.

Have loved coming to The Boat over the last 2 years - their steak and stilton pie was the best pie I've ever had. Now the pie menu has much less choice (and no steak and stilton), pies are smaller and mostly pastry that was soft in texture, hardly any meat inside. Was ok but not worth £15 and very disappointing compared to how the food used to be. We're now on a search to find where the previous pie makers have gone and sadly won't be opting to eat at the Boat again (shame as it's very dog friendly and the staff are lovely).

First time visit at lunchtime today. The pub is so quaint and cosy. The menu was varied and interesting. The food was delicious and the staff member was so lovely. It's definitely worth a visit.

A great pub in a lovely spot. We visited on bank holiday Monday so expected it to be busy. There were a number of tables reserved but the staff were very accommodating and made sure to get our order in before the groups arrived. The food was excellent and the beer garden is a lovely space to enjoy a pint.

Amazing food, we both had pie and chips and the pie was huge and full of meat. Very worth it.

Great pub traditional pub with good food and friendly service

We had a really lovely meal at this lovely friendly pub..Food was excellent and lovely staff. Highly recommend it 😉

Pleasant trad local with good ales and food offering. Nice beer garden out back. Friendly staff. Dog and kid friendly.

Food was lovely a little slow at coming. Would definitely go again.

Lovley little cosy traditional pub great food lovely little beer garden

We had an excellent Sunday lunch here yesterday. The food was fantastic and staff were friendly - definitely worth a visit if you are staying in the area.

Lovely food at a deasant price very good portion size the place is cosy with character variety of beers wines and spirits friendly landlady have entertainment every fri/ Sat nights

Just called in for a coke, we decided to share a tuna cob and portion of chips (plenty to share) Friendly efficient service great food, chips to die for!

Well.impresses lovely food ,Sunday lunch amazing and staff very friendly and helpful ,will be back next time in this area

Friendly staff, huge pie slice. A great experience all round. Could just maybe do with a couple brighter lights inside.

Good prices and chips was amazing

Whilst we were staying in Matlock Bath we ate here on two evenings, on Monday it was Pie Night and Wednesday it was Steak Night and I must say that the meals were brilliant, large portions of food well cooked and served hot, how a meal should be served. I believe Thursday is Quiz night with the standard menu available, well worth a visit but I would say it is advised to book in advance as it is a very popular pub/eatery. Parking is at a premium especially up the side road where the pub is and the village square is also well used by cars. No complaints as we enjoyed our visits here and the staff were warm and friendly.

Great little pub, we only came for drinks, and there was a great selection of cask beers. Lovely staff too, nice outdoor space if it's a nice day.

Real meat pies with tops and bottoms. Also good selection of desserts but too full after the steak and Stilton pie to eat any.

Nice old pub. Great food. 2 big meaty pies. Aspall cider.

We called in for a beer and upon arrival I saw the most immense portion of pie. We changed up the ‘just a beer’ situation for a fully committed three course food fest! By the the end of the ciabatta and Brie starter we were ‘normal’ full, by the end of steak and stilton pie we were ‘Christmas Day’ full, by the end of the treacle sponge we were ‘last day of a two week all inclusive (with alcohol) holiday’ full. Every mouthful was amazing. Thanks for a great impromptu smorgasbord!

Always friendly and helpful food Always good nice to eat outside for a change.

Met relatives there last night. First time we've ever visited. Staff were extremely friendly and attentive. 3 of us had steak & Stilton pie, huge portion and i can honestly say, as a pie conesure 😉, it was the best pie ever! Pub was busy, even though mid week, and I can see why! Lovely atmosphere, thoroughly recommend this place. We will definitely be going back there.

The soup was cold and the bread seemed to be heated up in the microwave.

Great food and service. Nice friendly pub

Good food, we went on pie night and would certainly recommend. Very welcoming and they allow dogs too. Really can’t fault the place.

Came here with friends after a hike and a swim in the Matlock area. The service was excellent and very friendly and the food was great. Heartily recommend!

Interesting old pub serving home cooked food.

Nice vibe. Restaurant part looks fine but we were only there for a coffee.

Lovely friendly pub in a great location, had an excellent meal and a nice walk afterwards along the river and canal.

Excellent experience in an amazing old pub with a good beer garden. The homemade pie and Chios were delicious, we'll be back for sure.

The ham and leek pie was better than homemade.

Worth a visit for interesting local beers

We decided to visit here whilst in Cromford after visiting White Peak Distillery not to far away. Whilst visiting here the four of us decided to go for all three courses; starters, main & dessert. For starters we had the soup of the day & nachos sharer. Both were good, however it would have been nice to have sour cream & guacamole on the nachos too. For mains I personally chose the gammon & egg, this was cooked & tasted just right. My wife & two friends also liked their main meals. For dessert I decided to go for the chocolate brownie, with ice cream which worked well. I decided to go for the brownie, with ice cream which worked well & my decided to go for the treacle sponge, which you don’t get often on dessert menus, but tasted great. This would definitely be a place to visit again if in the area.

We decided to visit here whilst in Cromford after visiting White Peak Distillery not to far away. Whilst visiting here the four of us decided to go for all three courses; starters, main & dessert. For starters we had the soup of the day & nachos sharer. Both were good, however it would have been nice to have sour cream & guacamole on the nachos too. For mains I personally chose the gammon & egg, this was cooked & tasted just right. My wife & two friends also liked their main meals. For dessert I decided to go for the chocolate brownie, with ice cream which worked well. I decided to go for the brownie, with ice cream which worked well & my decided to go for the treacle sponge, which you don’t get often on dessert menus, but tasted great. This would definitely be a place to visit again if in the area.

Great pub dinner, very friendly staff and locals! We had steaks and pies all cooked beautifully and tasted lovely, this was washed down with excellent beer.

Helpful and friendly person when I phoned to book. Friendly waitress, food was loved by all 4 of us. Place is very comfortable and atmosphere great. Fantastic place.

A wonderful friendly pub, even on a busy night. Thank you.

Honestly amazed at all the 'happy' customers. Arrived to find our booking hadn't even been reserved despite confirming the date with them, twice over the phone. They 'luckily' had a table upstairs available which basically enjoys the view of a room full of junk. We placed our drinks order quickly but then waited 20 minutes to order our food and that was only because we asked. We then waited almost 35 minutes for our food to arrive. We visited on steak night where they'd run out of fillet steak by 6:10pm! I ordered a 16oz sirloin instead ....medium well as I'm aware this isn't the most succulent of steaks. It came well done, more than well done. I could barely cut it let alone chew it and sadly had to leave some which I hate doing when I'm eating meat. The accompanying food was v good but the steaks...even the fillets my family had were dry dry dry. So disappointed. We couldn't even order a dessert as our table had to be vacated by 7:30pm and due to it taking 1hr40 we had run out of time. Poor poor poor service and rock hard steak left a bitter taste in our mouths. Would not return.

Superb little pub, managed to get a table for food … all excellent

Traditional real ale pub. Very clean and tidy inside but dog mess on lawn outside which didn't look fresh so nobody checking outside. Shame because garden was ok .

Great food, and a lovely beer garden, fantastic service. Will always pop in when visiting Cromford 😊

If I could give this pub 10 stars I would.One of the best places I have ever been (and I have eaten at all the best places this wonderful country has to offer).Great service, top notch and fab food, great bar staff and an awesome athmosphere.Staying in Cromford with my family for the weekend and we ate lunch twice there and I am only sorry there was no tables available as I would have booked lunch and dinner there for all 2 1/2 days of our visit. Recommend the Jutes on Draft and the Bass - outstanding.Sunday lunch amazing and sticky toffee pudding made in heaven. Great live music too - a cracking wee place and we cannot wait to come back.Cheers bab and up the Blues! :) x (the Brummie Foursome)

lovely steak. perfect chips. just needed to be a bit warmer. but there was 12 of us.

Eighteenth century pub, cosy front bar with excellent ales on hand pump including Bass 🔺. Would recommend the pies 🙏 Picturesque Beer garden with heated covered shelters

Great food and ale pub , just around the corner from main st , lovely beer garden, and good atmosphere, wel be back !!! 😀

Lovely cosy pub overlooking the Cromford Mill Pond. Exposed brick walls and battered leather sofas add to the hygge ambience. Really decent pub grub to boot.

Cosy, characterful little pub / restaurant with a great atmosphere. Excellent, tasty, reasonably priced food. Fantastic, friendly & efficient service.

Can’t rate this place highly enough. We booked in for food and beers at the last minute and they managed to squeeze in 4 adults, 2 kids and 3 dogs. Jackpot!! We turned up 10mins late, no grumbles just a nice friendly hello from the locals with their pooches. This pub/restaurant is quintessentially English with one of the nicest settings imaginable, stone built , locals celebrating the end of a working week drinking a cracking beer from an array that’s on offer. The food was superb and all homemade. Slightly pissed off with ourselves that we had all burnt ourselves out during the day, and was therefore to knackered to stay and watch a local band that was due to KO @ 8pm. I would 100% recommend this place to all. Finally wanted to give some kudos to the waitress who was nothing but excellent and managed to keep the front of house smiling , watered and fed throughout. Bravo 🙌

An evening meal whilst on holiday. We both ordered steak & chips which were done to a tee! Well priced. Excellent service. Dog friendly - as were the locals!

After a walk along Cromford canal and back I searched for dog friendly pubs and this was one recommended which was 10 mins walk from the start of the canal. We popped in on spec to find it very busy and I was afraid we might get turned away. However the host greeted us and our dog and let us use their function room in which to eat our meals. The food was delicious, service was quick, prices were reasonable and nothing was too much trouble for the lovely staff. Our dog was given a bowl of water and some treats. Highly recommended!!!

Very good pub, cracking pint of Guinness. Only criticism is that the mayonnaise was poor which affected my fish and chip enjoyment

Best pub fish and chips I've ever had -- was like eating a meal prepared by jesus and Gordon Ramsey together as friends Pub was packed with a lovely atmosphere, dogs were everywhere, the staff were friendly. Not even going yo complain about parking my van because everything else was sensational experience. Go. Go now. you won't regret it. Robert

Dropped in on our way to the cinema, Monday was pie night, so I was very happy. Proper home made pie, stuffed full of meat, and a little hint of Stilton. 🥧 Of course, other pies were available. 😀

Another lovely night at The Boat Inn.On arrival the pub was very busy but we were seated immediately by a very pleasant young lady.and the service that followed was first class.The choice at the bar is excellent,and the menu very comprehensive.The meals we had where very good ,and the Old Perculiar still the best.All in all a great experience.

Never ate, but we did look at the menu, and it looks lovely. Cosy area with separate dining area along with darts and such downstairs. Dog friendly.

We visited this adorable little pub last week and had a great time. Great atmosphere, nice to find some thoughtful veggie options, I had the moving mountains burger which is incredible! My partner had the steak and stilton pie which looked great too. Will definitely be back in the summer to make the most of the beer garden! Staff very friendly too, good beer, what more could you want?

We love this pub. Our plans unexpectedly changed at the last minute so we booked a weeks holiday in Cromford. We came here because of this pub! We love everything about this pub, the ambiance, the food, the staff and the location. You really couldn’t ask for more in my opinion. We are a family of 5 with three young children and they cater for all. We will be back.

We went New Years Eve . Had a lovely meal. Great service . Live music on. Good night all round .

Little gem friendly good food helpful staff

Pleasant pub with friendly staff. Food acceptable, but not great. The batter on my fish was rather soggy and the chips were uninspiring but edible. Desserts, on the other hand, were delicious. Overall, a good evening out!

Excellent place, you won't be disappointed.

Always a nice place to go to. Friendly and cosy.

Friendly pub, great ambience, and a lovely range of vegetarian food, with some unusual and imaginative options! We were only staying in Cromford for 3 nights, but the Boat Inn was so good we ate here every night! Wish we lived a bit nearer.....

Visited for a Christmas dinner. Great atmosphere throughout the bar. Food portions were huge, very tasty and friendly staff. Live music in the evening - bar was busy but service very efficient.

Very disappointed. Despite checking on the day (Saturday 25th Nov) for food serving times and being assured that it was from 12 - 8pm we were not allowed to order food despite being there at 7.05pm. Waitress was very unhelpful and unfriendly.

Lovely, homely and welcoming pub, with good drinks selection and comfortable seating.

A gem of a pub with excellent food, drinks, and friendly staff in a good location. Highly recommended 👌

Despite checking food serving times earlier in the day (12 to 8pm) we were refused service at 7.05pm saying kitchen wasn't taking any more orders! Very disappointing. Member of staff we dealt with was very unfriendly.

Stayed over at Cromford and we called into the Boat for a drink at lunch time, sat outside in the lovely garden, and then returned in the evening for dinner. Very warm and friendly welcome on both occasions and dog-friendly, which works for us. We both had the luxury fish pie and treacle pudding and custard, piping hot and delicious. Great service and a great pub, would definitely recommend and will certainly return. Thanks to all.

Good food and beer choices at reasonable prices,friendly staff and cosy atmosphere

Great little pub with good food and atmosphere

A characterful warm cosy pub with kind friendly staff.my fishcake with chilli sauce was delicious. We will certainly call again thank you.