Darby Digger in Basildon

We decided to have a family bank holiday meal here today at 12.00 noon.From the time we arrived we were made welcome by all the staff .We were served immediately and all with an energetic smile .Our main servers were Samme Lisa and Charlie who were very attentive and kept us informed about our food orders .We spoke at the end and commended them on how our experience made our day .Keep it up guys breath of fresh air .We will defo be back xxx

Very good food and service. Friendly staff, thanks to Erin and Sam in the kitchen. Sorry hear the management is leaving though.

Brilliant friendly service from Grace, always return each week & the food for price is excellent, highly reccomend!

First visit here. Joined a group of friends to celebrate 2 birthdays 70/80. Good atmosphere, tasty carvery. Can recommend.

First of all I would like to thank Tony & he's son Alfie (chef)for making sure that my wife's food was done separately, as she as a tomato allergy. We have been here a few times & never had any problems with cross contamination with tomatoes, definitely 5☆. Will definitely go back, food always fantastic & staff very polite. Stonehouse, your doing everything right..

Great service and friendly staff the chef is very friendly and helpful

Absolutely love it here. Staff are always friendly and helpful, the carver Sam Is always so polite and super friendly. Highly recommend it here. Xx

Very welcoming friendly staff orders come quickly and the carvery was absolutely delicious dave the chef is a lovely and has cooked up a beautiful dinner for me and my family.

A big shout-out to the Ginger Chef! The carvery was absolutely top-notch, and it's clear that a lot of skill and care went into every dish. From the perfectly cooked meats to the deliciously crisp Yorkshire puddings and fresh vegetables, everything was spot-on. Your attention to detail and passion for great food really shines through. Thank you for an unforgettable dining experience—keep up the amazing work!

Just had one of the best carveries I’ve ever tried—and a huge shoutout to Ginger Chef for absolutely smashing it. The best service🙌 & the manager who was so lovely and enthusiastic and accommodating to me and my friends. Couldn’t be happier with the service!

The ginger chef was very generous!

ginger chef was well nice, will go again

Ginger chef is brilliant extremely friendly

Absolutely banging Sunday roast staff are top

Ginge serving the meat was a really nice guy and sorted us out proper doing us fair portions and made sure to ask how our day was all over was a good experience and nice guy

Food was lovely! Had the carvery, the ginger chef as he called himself was very friendly and went the extra mile. The carvery was very yummy. Thank you!

Would recommend to anyone so much better than a toby nice welcoming especially the ginger chef makes things relaxing 5 star in my books

The ginger chef is the Don of carveries.

Havent been in since they done it up.and wow looks so nice and fresh . We had the carvery and a fresh of air .ginger chef. So pleasent and happy person. We had the carvery very nice .diet coke . Will be back. Saturday afternoon. We had a nice time and menu looks good.

Had a carvery was very appetising

Went to the derby digger and Tony was very helpful as always. The food was great, service was great would definitely come back again.

This is a nice pub with plenty of outside seating. Having enjoyed a few drinks in the sun, we decided to venture inside for something to eat. I had a meat feast calzone and my wife had a pizza. Both were bland and disappointing. But the reason for the really poor score, was the disgraceful side dishes. Burnt to a crisp onion rings and a thimble size pot of coleslaw and blue cheese sauce (which we had to request a second time and wished we hadn't bothered). I've eaten here in the past, including the carvery, and it has always been okay. Yesterday may have been an off day but to serve up such small sides is an insult. Won't be eating there again.

Came for a bottomless brunch for my hen do and it was great- lovely pizza and cocktails and thanks to Grace with the blue hair for keeping us topped up 💙

Went on a Saturday night was not to busy we had a carvery and the food was hot and fresh as just replaced all the veg and potatoes Guy serving was very pleasant and professional with a great attitude to customers Would definitely go again

Visited for the Carvery on Mother’s Day. The food was good as always, and a chat with the personable Ginger Chef was an added bonus!

Had a lovely meal with the family this evening and one particular member of staff stood out amongst the already great team - as promised the 5* review for the "Ginger Chef" (his words). Thank you for truly looking after our table and for the outstanding service you provided tonight. Every member of staff was incredible but I felt he needed a mention and shout-out.

Professional & friendly chef lovely meal Will defo come again

The ginger chef was brilliant and sorted us out

Been there twice this wk,staff are very friendly an helpful the chef Jay his food is excellent,well done to u all

Just stopped for a drink, service helpful and friendly. Good prices. Nice outdoor seating area

My first time here for a carvery. The food was spot on, the chef (ginger lad, sorry lol) was super friendly, and his mannerisms alone made me want to come back. I LOVE the cheesy onion mash. All staff are very friendly. Thank you

Best carvery I’ve had in a long time and staff were very friendly and helpful. Only reason I didn’t give 5star was because starter was a little cold but will be back again for more carvery!

Really really friendly chatty and kind very welcoming definitely recommend

Popped in after work for a quick drink and was not disappointed, the service and food was above expectation. The gentleman called Tony is a true asset, in an extremely busy environment this person stood out and exceeded expectations Would definitely recommend

Sam our waitress was so friendly, polite and very helpful, you don't find staff like her very often. Would love to come back here again and we live in Shoeburyness so only half hour drive. Highly recommend this place !!!

First time here . Had bbq wings to start a good size and tasty. Had the carvery. Plenty of food delcious plus an extra sausage from the chef. Also the creamed horseradish sauce is one of if not the best I've had . Will be coming back soon

Always an enjoyable experience, staff go above and beyond for you . Food really food too . Definitely recommend.

We never eat in this establishment again. I caught the chef trying food and licking his fingers before plating up my meal with out washing his hands. So didn’t eat anything when brought out. Then only offered a refund for the dishes I see him do it to instead of the whole meal on which I did not touch because now I can’t trust anything coming from that kitchen.

I’m disappointed in how I’ve been treated ! I’ve been coming to the digger for years,twice a week, I get on with all the staff and made alot friends plus spent a lot of money and time having the diggers back , unfortunately after the way I was treated by the new jobs worth carver David I won’t be coming back ! Basically because I’m disabled with one arm and not good at walking the old carvers and servers gave me a bigger plate so I don’t spill it or have to return for more , so I don’t get more meat just more space but for some reason this new carver said she’s not having one!EVEN WHEN STAFF EXPLAINED WHY I NEED ONE!!!!And told me I get what I paid for ! Made me cry in front the whole pub? I WERNT HAVING ANY MORE MEAT ! BUT IT AFFECTED THE GRUMPY GIT AND ALL OVER A PLATE HIS WILLING TO LOSE A GOOD CUSTOMER! AND FOR ANYONE DISABLED HE WONT MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE FOR YOU ,JUST TRY MAKE YOUR LIFE HARDER , AND TO MAKE ME CRY AND TREATING ME HORRIBLY ,I BRANG ALOT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS THERE BUT ALOT WILL BOYCOTT YOU WHEN THEY FIND OUT HOW IVE BEEN TREATED FOR NO REASON IT DOESNT COST HIM TO HELP ME ? He will bring Darby digger down a lot of customers have said they notice how moody he is don’t expect any customers service 🤬

Lovely meal and very friendly staff

Roast not good well not go back for awhile 😕 😐 😒

Easy to book, friendly & efficient staff. Food delicious

Went in for a quick drink, it wasn't very busy, friendly staff

There is a traveller site right next to the pub, and it is the local hangout for them - they are terrorising the customers. I went in there for a meal and was harassed by a traveller the whole time trying to antagonise me into fighting him. You’ve been warned..

Excellent service and great food

Came for a cheeky carvery whilst our son was at football training and wasn't expecting much , to my delight it was bloody fabulous, friendly staff and the carvery for the money was great 👍 will definitely be a regular for training night and the extra bonus is I don't have to cook ....well done guys , we will be back xx

1st visit today and was seated by a lady who had blue hair,very friendly, helpful and polite x

Haven't been here for many years but thought we'd give it a go again. Very pleasantly surprised. Nice and clean and food was lovely

Well done to the ginger chef so friendly and helpful

Food was very nice, but service was absolutely poor, I would never recommend it because they said they're not taking anymore dessert orders.

Fantastic carvery. Roasties in particular. Also the Celtic cookie dough with ice cream was amazing!

Ignored all the fake reviews about the potato’s, there definitely not true ! I come here weekly with friends and family and everyone enjoys everything including the roast potato’s , they are the best, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside ! No complaints from anyone I know who goes always a lovely experience and the food is delicious ( especially the roast ) highly recommended from a chef x

Food and staff lovely. Great value.

Polite helpful staff, but the wait for food that's not carvery was very long, forgot some of our order, didn't listen at the bar counter, how we wanted our meals to come out. Which made some of our group eating after we had finished.

Lilly was a fantastic waitress and chef Jay got a 10 out of 10 for he’s macaroni cheese and pepperoni pizza both of my children are autistic and find it hard taking them out for meals was nice having a relaxing meal

I always give a fair review when I do these. Today I was asked to do one and mention “the legend ginger doing the carvery”. He gave a fair portion and was happy to engage. The food was good and hot and tonight I am stuffed!

Lovely food and good quality shame I had to pay by card no cash option but rest was very good and staff were excellent.

The Darby Digger is our local and we love it! Such friendly staff, great atmosphere, drinks, food all at a reasonable price. The recently upgraded pub is definitely one for your sunday lunch :)

Lovely service, ambience and food!

Letting the travellers back in ,that's not a good move 😕

Apart from the staff being friendly, there is nothing else going for this place. This is a venue I will not be revisiting anytime soon.

Ordered the carvery and it was ok. Very unappetising when queuing up as the meat was very dry, vegetables were dry, discoloured and pots were empty. When ordering food at the bar, even though the dessert was confirmed back to me twice, I received the incorrect order. The place wasn't busy but looked like the manager was running the whole place with one extra person on the bar. Understaffed to the point that the manager had to eat a pizza in the sauce area next to the carvery.

Would avoid. We came to celebrate my Nans birthday with other family members including 6 adults and 2 children. We arrived at our booked table 7pm, sat down ordered drinks and food at around 7:30/7:40pm. We ordered starters and children’s food to come out at the same time. First starter came out at 8pm but no children’s food. We waited for our 3 adults carvery tickets which came 8:30, they went up got there food and came back. Still by 8:30 there was no children’s food or adult food. We spoke and asked understood it was busy but just wanted the children’s meals as they were cranky and hungry by then. 9pm the children’s food came out, a plain hamburger and chips which was completely burnt and chicken dippers and chips which were fine. The adults food soon followed 2 cheese and bacon meals which were wrong, one had 3 burger patties inside with no cheese and no bacon. Was burnt, then the other meal had a 2 patties inside and bacon which was so burnt you couldn’t even bite into it. The next adult meal that followed was a calzone which was burnt and wrong, we ordered a meat feast calzone and a carvery calzone came. We ended up leaving at 9:45 as the children were so tired, we were all hungry having paid the money and not eaten and none of the starters ever came out.

Amazing carvery, good pint and very friendly staff. Can’t knock it

Absolutely loved the sunday dinner my sons exact words are it's delicious meat

All staff were very friendly and the food is great!

Particularly good value when £6 roast promotion is on but good food and prices usually anyway so always worth a visit.

The ginger chef is amazing. Food was incredible.

Amazing service from lilly it's always a laugh when we go food was nice and hot and fresh

Good for a cheap meal. Can still have a small roast for under a fiver....just!! As long as the small roast is ordered before 5pm.... Update as of November 2022....small roast now £5.50 and can only have one meat.... ....and March 2023, closed Mondays and Tuesdays... ....and when we last visited, August '23, the Carvery had definitely deteriorated. The Cauliflower Cheese had no cheese sauce on it; the potatoes were sparse and burnt; the other vegetables were dry and the stuffing was rock hard.

Had to order food at the bar and the children’s meal come with a dessert. I didn’t know I had to order at the same time as the main, so I asked for her dessert as our table was being cleared and was told “you was meant to order it with your mains” even though I wasn’t prompted for this at the bar when ordering food. when I questioned this she hit back with “I’m not a mind reader”. I’m not sure why they wanted to deprive my sister of strawberries on her 13th birthday. We got them in the end :) I don’t expect someone working at Darby digger to have a part time role as a mind reader. But also don’t expect that comment either.

Nice place to visit friendly staff

SAM THE FOOD IS AMAZING. SO FRESH SO HOT. NEXT BEST ROAST TO MY OWN. BETTER THEN TOBY BYA FAR WAY. THANK YOU XXX

Carvery excellent and staff friendly and just excellent

Nice food, friendly staff, good atmosphere.

Went to this place at 12.30 Sunday the food and parking was fantastic great service and value 4 of us very much enjoyed our meals and deserts will deffo come again

Booked this for a get together and breakfast with my family. 7adults and 4 children. I pre booked and received emails asking to confirm my visit. When we got there it was like a surprise. No customers there but had to wait for a table, then no food ready, coffee pot empty. Stood waiting at the buffet for food to appear at random for about 20 mins. Fried eggs were very poor. Have been twice now but after today will not be back. Shame as the hostess with the coloured hair did try her best

We love it so much we went twice last week. Superb Roasts ever.

Great food, excellent service. Very relaxed atmosphere

Jay in the Kitchen is the man. Top people, top food and top customer service.

Absolutely fantastic service and vibes from Lily! We had the bottomless pizza and Prosecco brunch, upgrade for £5 to have bottomless cocktails! Service was incredible at such a great price! Digger is our local and absolutely love coming here, thank you lily and team! :)

Had the best time down at the Darby Digger today. My friend and I done the Bottomless Brunch, which consisted of their homemade pizzas and Prosecco but we chose cocktails instead ( we upgraded for £5). Genuinely don’t know why this isn’t talked about more as it was amazing!!! Great value for money and the best time chatting to some of the locals. Major shout to Lilly, who not only started off our afternoon but kept the cocktails flowing and was more than accommodating for everything we wanted, nothing was too much for her! Everyone needs to go down to the Darby Digger and give their Bottomless Pizza and Prosecco Brunch a try, you will not be disappointed!!

Lovely atmosphere, great service, happy staff - they genuinely seemed pleased to be at work! Everyone taking pride in what they did and food was delicious! And a bargain too!

Friendly staff, clean restaurant, it and plentiful food, fair pricing.

Went here for a carvery lunch. The food was all freshly cooked and was delicious. The staff were very helpful and friendly. I would definitely recommend going here, it is a perfect place to eat or drink for all the family

Today we visited The Derby Digger for lunch, there were 8 of us altogether from silvanna court care home, the staff were so nice and helpful, we had the carvery as we love a roast it was lovely, the meat was tender and the selection of vegetables was perfect, thankyou all so much, we will definitely be back soon.

We came for dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our first date which we had at the Darby Digger. The waitress, Georgia, was absolutely lovely and really made us feel special, Enquiring if we would like to sit at the table we sat at originally, checking in on us to make sure everything was okay and after a meal presenting us with a lovely dessert on a plate with Happy Anniversary on it! It was a lovely touch and the attention she gave us was brilliant!

had a lovely carvery at the darby digger with the family, food was lovely!

Very good carvery, good service, drinks arrived quickly.

Daughter had a pizza party, everyone had a great time and loved the food

Went to a pizza party, was very organised and the staff were very helpful and attentive, the pizzas were very tasty!

We always receive exceptional from the team but especially father and son duo Tony and Alfie! The Son is the chef and makes a fantastic crispy fish. Always spot on! Very friendly pub and they always make us feel so welcome

Food was nice but service was a bit slow

Had a great time here. Especially want to thank Sean, who really went above and beyond for us. Great lad and great service.

Thank you to lilly henry Alma Steven for the amazing service Thank you to Sam

As soon as we got there one of the regulars was confrontational. We were a party of ten people. We got there first. We wanted to open up a tab but couldn’t do so. The first drink l asked for was a tia Maria which they didn’t have. As our party arrived one wanted a Prosecco and they didn’t have any flute glasses. Nine of our party ordered the carvery. When the waitress said we could go to get our meals the other meal she had with her so l was sat alone eating my meal while people were getting there meals. Not very nice eating on your own when you are a party. When returning with their meals most looked dry and burnt. I didn’t complain at the time because it wasn’t me that booked. The only good part was that the waitress was excellent she was very polite and friendly. I don’t usually write comments but if no one does things can’t be put right.

Have been to Darby Digger before love the food staff are friendly and helpful,

Amazing Christmas day! Food incredible. Staff fantastic and so friendly. Will definitely be coming next year for dinner and Christmas day again. Faultless. Thankyou so much for a special day. Especially today and working. You're time is very appreciated. 🖤❤️🖤

Value for money. Roast potatoes excellent. Best carvery in the area. Staff very friendly & helpful. Henry, Tina & Morgan served us this evening, servuce was excellent as always. Vegan options available. 5🌟

Went for Christmas meal .Prebooked but booking not registered. Under staffed. Worst cavery ever. Hardly anything in serving dishes was dried up. No Xmas crackers or decs on table. So disappointing. We visit quite often and normally really satisfied.The gentleman who served us did his best.He was very helpful and pleasant. But it was our Christmas get together with my sister and brother in law. Such a shame.