Dog & Duck in South Derbyshire

Ive visited this pub for over 15 years... never ever had a bad experience.. until saturday evening. I hadnt booked but that was ok they only had 1 table left so i just assumed it would be lovely as usual... So so wrong! Drinks and starters came fairly quickly and were basic simple dishes so ok.. After waiting nearly 30 mins for our mains.. i assume it was the land lady but apparently its just had new management so??? Anyway she came over and said your mains may take a while we have a big party in.... the place was nearly empty!!! No apology or can we get more drinks nothing .. just walked off! Mains came nearly an hour after we had finished our starters. 3 x steaks medium rare... pretty easy... no 2 medium to well done and one well knackered... hawiian chicken but without the bacon.. ( an eye roll from the waitress when ordered!) It was just a dry chicken breast so dry it took ages to chew and swallow it.. was impossible to do without a few gulps of drink. I left it as it was inedible... but when ordered i asked for no bacon... not no cheese or bbq sauce!! Chips were white and floppy... Not 1 person came to ask if our meals were ok and as we were shoved in an annex we didnt see any staff! My friend couldnt even cut her steak it was so tough.. When they collected the plates... nearly half an hour after putting my knife and fork down in disgust. Still did not ask even tho 2 of those plates were still almost full. So we told the waitress who shrugged her shoulders and said oh!! She did however come back and say my friends dessert would be free. Still hungry we ordered pudding... they were ok nothing special.. But we also ordered a pitcher of cocktail for myself and friend to share... He didnt know how to make it... and the only jug was full of vinegar!!!! So he made 3 glasses seperately.. 2 so much alcohol you got drunk on the fumes .. 1 nothing.. but we had to share a glass ... Absolute disaster of an evening... then landlady came up 15 minutes later and said drink up we are closing... id still got almost a full glass full... so had my friend and the men hadnt finished there pints either! Cost well over £100 for a shitty evening... so thanks dog and duck shardlow for ruining my friends birthday meal!!! Never will i return... new management have made this the place NOT to be!!!

Loved the food, loved the staff, the atmosphere was lovely too! :)

I apologise, I never normally write negative reviews. It appears to be a lovely pub, although I've never been as it was very busy. But I think this caused issues. It seemed under staffed (only one on the bar, with ques, every time we went up). Im not sure if this was the partial issue with stuff being missed, but multiple items were not available, 10 minutes after ordering we were told 1 of the side 3 people had ordered was not available, 2 extras that was ordered and payed for were not supplied, one was supplied after asking one was never recieved. We had a largish reserved party 10 people and the food was incredibly hit and miss. My food (ribs) was lovely, but those who got burgers the food was very over cooked, we also think a lot of the food was over priced. The food quality was similar to a weatherspoons (which is fine when you know that is what your getting) but when you are paying the more expensive prices, the food quality should match this. I've given a 3 star as all the staff were very nice, and the pub itself is nice.

The pub was very quiet at the time of our visit. It's a big pub and there were only two other couples in at the time. Service was given by friendly and polite staff who gave us their undivided attention due to it being quiet. The food is typical pub grub and reasonably priced. My only criticism is that the choice of real ales was disappointing. There were only two on offer as the third was temporarily unavailable, but all in all, it wasn't a bad dining experience. ***UPDATED*** Friday 21/03/2025 We have re-visited less than two weeks since, and the pub has gone downhill since our previous visit. The food wasn't of a good standard. My scampi and chips arrived with less than the advertised pieces of scampi and a portion of chips that the seagulls at Whitby would have been ashamed of. In hindsight, the Katsu chicken burger that my partner had wasn't too bad, though... And she claims to have enjoyed it. Also, I was charged £6.60 for a pint of Brooklyn IPA... Which was quite nice to be fair. But it would have been nice to have been warned about the price first! No one in at this time of day (5.00pm), and staff are illusive. I have changed my rating of the place to two stars as I now believe that's all it currently deserves.

Don't know about the food, but a really nice traditional Burton pub, with nice surroundings and atmosphere. Service was good, nice staff, excellent range of traditional beers. Its been there for decades and I would definitely use it again.

Short staffed but Holly and panna did amazing. Wait time wasn't too long and had a great meal.

The food was amazing, my whole family loved it. The service was great not just with taking our orders and giving them to us but with how they interacted with our 2 young ones because they were very friendly and were fine to let them crawl about as there wasn't many people there at the time of our meal.

Made a table reservation and when we arrived, the bar maid gave a look of I don’t know what you are talking about. Asked another member of staff who gave the same look. None of the staff knew what they was doing. We had to wait nearly 10 mins before they found us a table, even though we had booked. Poor management. Only one member of staff behind the bar serving, long wait to be served behind the bar. Quality of the food was not great and expensive. Staff behind the bar inexperienced in how to serve drinks. Over poor management of staff and lack of experience! Certainly won’t be going back or recommending pub to people!

Always a friendly welcome and good service. The food is always good quality and cooked well. Reasonable pricing compared with similar establishments.

Very good service, staff very friendly. Great food, we all enjoyed it. Thank you.

Lovely pub, nice food and dog friendly. Worth a visit.

Was really good food was lovely dessert could off been bigger 😋

Shocking service, miserable staff, terrible food. I appreciate that some times are busier but waiting 10/15 minutes to be served everytime you go to the bar because there is no signal for the app is not acceptable. Took 45 minutes for the starter to be served no apology, my partner had the wrong sauce but couldn't get any staffs attention. We moved the empty dishes and drinks glasses to the edge of the table and waited a further 35 minutes for our main to arrive the dirty dishes were left on the table. The food was disappointing the steak was so tough and the scampi had no taste peas were rock hard and cold and as for the congealed gloupy mess that was supposed to be peppercorn sauce I have no words. All around us tables were full of dirty dishes. There is no atmosphere and too many arcade machines. After finishing our meal we had to sit in front of the dirty dishes so we left our drinks and went. Will definitely not be returning such a disappointing evening!!

Came with my mother, Kathryn was very helpful and informative to assist her with her gluten free needs. Kathryn also helped us to find the GF Christmas Day Menu for us to look at and decide

Love the Dog & Duck for family celebrations. Staff are always really good with the kids. Menu has enough to suit everyone - even good gluten free options. Will definitely be back (again)

It was fine, nothing special nor nothing terrible. Menu was what you'd expect from a pub, could do with better healthier options. Most of the food was either deep fried, came in pastry or bread or had unhealthy sauces on them. I ordered on my phone and couldn't deselect peas as an option, I could substitute for mushy peas or beans but the 'no peas' option couldn't be chosen. The price was reasonable, the pub was clean. I went to try it, there was nothing about it they would make me want to return.

Dogs welcome (on the hard floors). Lovely mix of modern and old, bright areas, cosy areas, something for everyone. Marstons pub so menu is standard but always good.

Been here years ago...about the same really

This was our first visit after looking for a dog friendly pub in the area. The staff were friendly and quickly found us a table for our party of 6 + 2 dogs. The food was nice and served quickly. We will definitely visit again.

Amazing, had a wonderful roast dinner with the family today. Had a slight issue last time which Adi rectified quickly. Lovely food, compliments to the chef, delicious food 10/10 and friendly staff

My family and I went to the dog and duck for my sons 13th birthday this evening. The staff went above and beyond to be accommodating! After having an ordeal at a local pub before hand and having to leave they instantly put us at ease. Especially a male member of Staff who's name I'm not sure of. He was incredible with the children and adults. We will be going again as a family as the food was also lovely. Thank you.

All 3 mains very good and very quick service, superb value

Food was fine but took forever to come to our table.

Good food and drink at reasonable prices. Staff friendly and professional

Went in for a Sunday dinner with the family and was not disappointed Lovely atmosphere with other families around, very accommodating for us having a toddler with us and very quick service

The food was slow to be delivered and most of it was wrong compared to what we ordered.

Lovely evening meal ,recommend the beef chilli quite spicy . Staff really friendly. Would definitely come again

Nice quaint place with a lovely atmosphere & quality food

Delicious meal for hubby's birthday celebration. Husband was a little disappointed to find a small bone however in his steak pie. (Luckily didn't swallow it!).Staff very apologetic and promised to tell suppliers of problem. Service excellent, chips top notch! Definitely be back.

Really good pool table and darts area. Ale on a Monday was only £2.80 a pint

Awesome service off Felicity, there is something really nice and special when you go somewhere and someone is so happy and welcoming 🙏

I came 2 weeks ago and it was brilliant, great staff and service, so we decided to come again 2 weeks later and actually order food. And the food was to die for, and a great deal when you come on the deal days. I've already recommended it to numerous of people and would still recommend it. Thank you for having places like this. ❤️

We went as a group of 10 on 1/2/25 we was told when ordering they only had 2 staff in the kitchen which was ok. 2 hrs later the food came out very poor over cooked and dry the hotdog roll .you could of used as a club it was that hard . Been there 3 times in last six weeks 2 out the 3 was poor .will not be going back and have unsubscribe from my email .went to complaine they said because we was told they was short of staff they could not do anything . So do they think it is excceptable to send very poor food out .

Asked for no mushrooms or peas on my plate and steak medium, plate came with said items on and when I said to the waitress, she just said sorry and walked away. Steak was like leather , tasted terrible , extremely well done and very fatty. First beer husband had was watery and 2nd was a short measure. No one checked to see if our food was OK. No care for their customers at all. Also only toilet roll in 1 of 3 of the ladies cubicles. Will not be going back.

Clearly understaffed. Food took far too long to arrive (50mins for puddings) and the roasts were overcooked and lacked taste

Staff were so helpful & polite from when we arrived till leaving. The food was amazing, everyone enjoyed the meal. Definitely visit again.

Brilliant food and very friendly staff

Panna was absolutely brilliant, great service!!

First time we've been here for a very long time, we found the place very clean and tidy. The outdoor seating area is very stylish even though we never got to use it due to the weather. We had two 3 course meals, every course was cooked to perfection and came out in a timely manner. All the staff we were served by were incredibly friendly and happy to help. I'd certainly recommend this place.

Only visited for a drink ask for pint of hobgoblin ruby and it was so bad I took it back and they what I wanted in it place so I asked for a pedigree and that was the same not a good experience the staff did not apologise but to be fair you bar staff should see the beer is not right when they give it you price at five pounds a pint you expect a good 🍺 not good thanks

Millie and Beth were attentive to our table and very polite

Lovely place excellent service definitely recommend will be back

Lovely pub that we found completely by accident! Don't live locally but was looking for somewhere to meet a friend who did. The food was lovely and the staff were very attentive and will definitely be back again.

Excellent place to visit to enjoy good food and drink with your friends.

I booked a table for 4 in the morning for 3pm that afternoon on our arrival we stood for a good 5minutes to be seated eventually we was called to the bar where the barmaid/manager couldn’t find our booking . She told us there had been a problem with the app and she didn’t have anything for at least 2 hours. She said nothing she could do as it was a fault with the app. I had picked my brother up from Nottinghamshire and we was left to find somewhere else to eat which I am sure you can understand was very difficult to do on Boxing Day . To say we wasn’t very impressed was an understatement . I received a text message and email confirming my booking,

Great place for a beer and meal (excellent food good value for money)

Showed us straight to our table with a friendly smile and the food and drink was delicious. Very nice place and will defo go back ...excellent service with quality food and great price

friendly staff. Rebecca our server was polite and helpful and Danny the chef produced an excellent meal. the venue was warm and welcoming and we were served our drinks at the table.

Lovely friendly pub with great food.

Visited again today 01/02/24. Was served by Rebecca who was very friendly and bubbly and very helpful. The food was great, no complaints here, well done to Lilly the Chef. I really like the pub, it's nice and big inside with plenty of seating. Price of food very reasonable. It is a nice pub and serves decent food. Give it a try. Excellent service. Food was excellent, well presented and tasty. Staff very friendly and helpful. Well presented food and friendly staff really do make the difference between visiting and not visiting again. We will visit again.

Absolutely delightful staff, for the day it was - managed to be seen to quite quickly and even though no further bookings supposed to occur on the day; was seen to and sorted promptly. Always a pleasure to have a meal at the Dog and Duck

We went with family for the boxing day meal. Although the tables weren't set up for christmas the food was lovely. Staff were very helpful we had a good time.

Absolutely fabulous here would come here every single time full of a lovely bunch on girls who have made my Christmas and probably my whole year lol shoutout the maddy I think her name was a nice young girl with a positive vibe and clearly a hardworker and her friend holly aswell bare of stars. They deserve all the praise in the world and all the compliments

I regularly visit the dog and duck with family for a meal . Excellent friendly staff and fantastic quality food well done to all the staff.

Had a amazing time staff were amazing holly and maddie did a fabulous job and food was amazing deffo looking forward to tomorrow when we come again with family staff were very very polite

Great xmas day meal - the food was spot on!

Food was disappointing. No taste in the steak. Veg looked and tasted dry.

Great food and service by Holly.

Sleepy village pub. Very generic offerings for food & drink. Clean & tidy with lots of tables (bookable online). Some outdoor seating. Small car park.

Came for breakfast with Santa, my son loved it. Staff were welcoming and friendly and breakfast was lovely. Adi, Keira and Felicity were very attentive and helpful. Great morning and would definitely recommend.

Food was well below average. Slow service, no one even asked us if our food was OK, plates were left uncleared till we went up to order pudding. The place was virtually empty so no excuse for slow service...and to be honest the fact it was empty spoke volumes

Good meal and are closing for a refurbishment next month

polite and freindly staff food was basic pub grub but came out quick. A great place for a drink.

Really good experience, there where 4 of us and we all said how good the food was. The staff were all great.

First time to Shardlow and blown away by this amazing building,wow! Friendly & attentive staff. Great food choice and standard. Will definitely return and recommend

Friendly staff who were really helpful, great atmosphere. The food was really nice and served hot and very well timmed with everyone eating at the same time for a large group was brilliant

Beth Holly and Felicity were very helpful and attentive. Food was great - hunters and fish and chips.

Lovely meal. Very good value and really nice surroundings. The staff were lovely and very friendly

Brilliant venue, for food and drinks. Pool table and darts too.

First visit for ages. Really worth the visit. Great staff. Really fresh and good food. 4 beers on tap which is becoming unusual but great to see.

Poor food quality overcooked and very little chicken in the pie. The scampi was overcooked and dry.

Reasonably priced pub grub. Been many times and will probably go many times more

Had a family birthday celebration here, a party of 18 people. Food was fabulous, steak amazing ! Staff were brilliant 😃 big thank you to Kiara, Maddy, Sarah & Danny they all worked so hard and made the occasion extra special! 😊

Great Sunday roast friendly staff 3 empty plates at the end well be going back!

Lovely inside for a corporate pub. Small dog friendly area inside with free treats. Lite bite meals are Okay and reasonably priced. Warm welcome from staff.

Possibly the best marsdens house in the derby area

Food good Sunday roast ! White wine not cold enough and rather expensive I thought Tables not cleared quickly

Went with friends. Service really good, staff friendly. Food good. Thank you to Holly who was lovely. We will be back.

Food was unreal, good prices as well, jess was especially helpful with a few requirements we had in terms of allergies etc, will definitely be back, top class

All in all OK but don't have the roast beef as mainly fat

When we got there they didn't have our booking and there was an hour wait for food

We took our friends for a meal was lovely we really enjoyed the meals

Great food, good atmosphere and the staff were friendly, helpful and smiley ☺️

There was no onion rings on our mixed grills, no one came back to our table to ask if our food was ok? Not overly impressed with the food in general

Great place good management and bar staff… highly recommend Ross

Jess was polite,attentive and sorted out my dinner when we wanted something extra, quickly and without fuss

Perfect pub food, order at bar on on the phone. Only complaint was maybe the wait was a bit long, but the food was worth it!

The atmosphere was good as it was quiz night. My husband’s food was good but mine was slightly burnt. We have been several times a the food is always hit and miss. Sometimes it’s really good and sometimes it’s not

Had a lovely roast dinner at the Dog and Duck. Was the nicest roast we have had at a pub! Was very pleasantly surprised and highly recommend. The staff were very accommodating and friendly, we will definitely be back! Thank you, Jodie & Ant Xx

Called in for drinks and would have ordered food. However after being informed (purely by chance) that there were 2 snakes in the pub, we immediately left. For someone who has a severe phobia of snakes as I'm sure others are, it would have been better if there was a sign on the door pre warning. I'm not sure if they are a permanent resident or whether a customer had brought them in, we didn't stay to find out.

Staff were helpful and friendly. Craft items for the children in the party. Food value for money and good too.

A good pub, staff are very pleasant and food was good

I have been going now for months and everytime me and my friend go the staff are very friendly you can have good banter with them the food always hot very tasty and value for money they have never put a foot wrong

Always a pleasure to visit, staff very friendly and food never disappoints.

Place was clean and tidy and staff were friendly and helpful. Food was straight out of the freezer very bland and tasteless.

Amazing food done by Alan in kitchen 👍🏼friendly service by Panna and Sarah

Fabulous fish and chips. Great staff, good service.

12.10.24 Omg food was cold wen it came out send it back my frends food was still frozen after she had to say this come with Veggie send back Twice so definitely a ping ping job not Worth the money we paid for it £38 we did get a free beer I Would not recommend this place at all . Suggested they get a new chef

Had a little bit of an issue with the food being cooked as 2 of our meals was stone cold however the bar staff worked quickly to get this rectified and Kyra was very friend and warming and tried to keep us happy which we appreciated

Great service, Kyra & Judith great hosts. Can’t fault Alan & Sarah for food presentation and taste. Highly recommend