Donkey Derby in Chesterfield

Absolutely love the Donkey Derby, brilliant cost friendly food and the staff are amazing especially Richard, couldn’t recommend a better place☺️

7th May 2025. 3 years have passed and we came again. Wow! Food is stunning, staff are amazing, so friendly and helpful. My best part was the disabled toilet which was spotlessly clean and didn't make me cringe on opening the door. Loved it. I met two of my dearest friends today and we had a wonderful time in the Donkey Derby. The food was excellent, hot and plentiful. The atmosphere was great and we all thought the staff were lovely. We will definitely be going back again soon.

Staff were very attentive and pleased to make our visit most enjoyable nothing was too much for them. A happy crew working today as ever.

We're always wary of the Greene King/Flaming Grill pubs because food is hit and miss. Here, the food was nice enough and served quickly. Staff were friendly. Football was showing on the many screens and the pub was buzzing with fans.

Excellent service and food, can get very busy and noisy.

I thought this pub served ale. It does, but only just. Only one ale on on offer and it wasn't very good. It's an 18-30 pub so hardly surprising. Nowhere near as bad as The Jolly Sailor, in Poole, but it's clear that Greene King has given up on ale. It's an OK pub, like a 'Spoons, but at twice the price and no decent ale. If you want decent ale avoid Greene King pubs. I understand if they can't sell ale. In which case they should cut their losses and don't sell it at all. That way, their pub will not turn up on a "real ale" pub search and waste my, and other people's, time. It appears that some Greene King pubs are serious about their ale, and some are not. It's a lucky dip, I'm afraid, so until they get their act in order, their pubs are best avoided if you want a decent ale.

Went today and really enjoyed it. Amazing food, good prices. Really helpful & friendly staff. Can't wait to go back! Thank you :)

Staff were fab! New and only veggie burger is horrible!

Great family meal . Food was tasty. The staff were absolutely brilliant . Cant remember the last time I went somewhere where the staff were polite ,helpful and accommodating . Nothing was too much trouble

What a pleasure this place is. I’ve been here twice in two years when visiting relatives so I am in no way a local but staff are so friendly they treat you like a regular. We were phoned the evening of our booking to let us know what time the kitchen took last orders which was appreciated. The menu is pretty big and the food was very good. Delivered to the table hot and fresh by a lovely lady who brought sauces quick as a flash. Highly recommend for families, sport watchers & anyone who wants to feel like a valued customer

Really enjoyed are visit, very welcoming and polite staff rich and Lauren went that extra mile for us.

It's always great to revisit the Donkey Derby for a classic meal from there superb menu.The quality of food served is second to none and the staff are always happy to go the extra mile to please, it's great to have staff that make you feel special in today's world so a big thanks to all staff for making that extra effort. See you soon Jim & chez. X

Great staff , great food , great place

Food was amazing however the service times at the bar and waiting for food was extortionate, the service you receive is poor they walk past you constantly not taking the plates away, and when you order at the bar they can't even remember which is diet coke and which is normal coke which is great for someone who has a stomach issue to full sugar pop. Wouldn't recommend unless you have a long time to wait for food.

Lovely staff especially Richard and food is always excellent

Call in the donkey derby for tea to night the meal are a maszing lots of choice good deals good land lord A maszing staff Staff can't do enough for you

We arrived all screens showing darts all watching. One family watching football coz apparently they asked who was watching football. Never asked who was watching darts. Apparently coz one family watching football all screens were football. We was allowed to watch last 3 legs coz all gone home. Apparently boxes not working to show different but managed after football to separate screens. Not all punters want football. People left to watch darts elsewhere. Not all punters want football.

Excellent mothers day meals very good prices and service +free pink gins for the mothers can't complain in anyway

Booked in here for Mother’s Day. We were shown quickly to our table, food was ordered and delivered in quick time. Everything was hot and tasty and delivered with a smile. We were checked on by staff to ensure everything was ok but at no time were they intrusive. I also got a complimentary gin, what’s not to like! Everything was just perfect, a big thank you to all staff!

A great place to have some food and a catch-up. Staff were friendly and gave us great service. Definitely would go again. 😊

Good food and friendly staff avoid match days it can get quite busy..

Visiting family in chesterfield and came here for tea. Staff were great. The environment was cosy and welcoming. Food great value but plentiful. If you are looking for good value and good pub food this is the place to go.

WOW WOW WOW BLEW MY SOCKS OFF!!! Love this place. Chez Vegas classic. Amazing steak. Not my first or last time going here. But understandably packed on a match day due to being next to the stadium.

Service was top draw .Richard is always so brillant. Cracking value for money

Come here twice weekly....Fab service and food .. Highly recommend

A very well run, friendly place with a nice atmosphere. The food was really nice and the staff was very helpful. Have been a few times and will not hesitate to revisit. Keep up the good work 👏

Very good service and good quality food

Fantastic food service was lovely and nothing to much and nice fun place well worth the money

Lovely place & fabulous staff 😄

Great pub, nice pub food, family atmosphere, helpful staff, lots of parking, affordable prices. Visited many times and always enjoy it.

Been a few times now my partner and I, and we were both very impressed with the meals and service. Today we had Hunters Chicken on a skillet with chips n peas. Both meals arrived quickly within 5 mins or so of ordering and the chicken was nice and tender, cooked just right. We,'ll be coming back again I can say that! 😁👍

Good tasty food at very affordable prices. Friendly, attentive staff.

My sons chicken was burnt but the rest off the food was ok

Always a pleasure at donkey derby

Staff are amazing, lovely and very accommodating. Food is nice but menu lacks on dessert choice could do with a traditional dessert like syrup sponge and custard for example.

Lovely place, go here often, staff so friendly and welcoming, good offer on the 2 for £12.99 meals but could add more dishes and not much choice on that offer.

Great atmosphere, brilliant music 🎶

Very nice food. All freshly cooked. Would recommend.

Came yesterday with my friend first time in forever, and we were blown away by the Jamaican chicken strew . We both loved it and the John smiths was excellent. Staff were lovely and helpful too. Definitely be back again soon

Working lunch was busy but great fast service 👌

We have been visiting for many years but recently the quality has gone down and the prices up. £6 a pint! The food is the sort you get from the freezer section of a cheap supermarket. Never again.

Great service, good atmosphere and good value for money !

Absolutely an amazing place for food, The staff were great, The Environment was perfect too! The food was just perfect, We would highly recommend this place for families, Thank you to Fiona and the rest of the team today for being so helpful with our autistic kids, You all went above and beyond, We will definitely be back 👌

Good for the football as have sky and tnt.

Had a lovely meal here today with my wife and daughter. The food was absolutely beautiful, the staff were friendly and attentive.

Great atmosphere good food and polite staff

Great menu. Friendly, polite staff. Quick service. Spotlessly clean. Fantastic food. Good value for money. Never been disappointed.

This is my place to go for cheap pub food. Always an offer to had with bogof deals. Friendly staff and a good atmosphere.

We arrived and was greeted with a smile "Florentina" what a wonderful smiling but very busy person. I was served very quickly and politely at the bar. we were taken to our table all the girls working the tables were extremely polite and all looked and worked very hard to reset for the dinner. We ordered our food and again was dealt with so professionally. Our food came and I couldn't believe the portions, I ate every bit of it cos it was scrumptious. whilst we were eating all six of us the staff kept coming and checking that we were all happy and if we needed anything else "great attention to detail" once we finished our meal the table was cleared very quickly and the staff member was so nice and helpful. we all had at least another hour chatting then we left . we were thanked for our custom , the staff here are a credit to the establishment. The Chef "bloody fantastic food keep it up" on the other hand !!!! I recently took my family to the Half Moon on the way to Worksop and you cannot go from one extreme to the other in terms of atmosphere, service and food any further. The Donkey Derby Chesterfield is off the scale in every aspect of the word but the Half Moon wow, never again and I have already told allot of people how bad it was. The donkey Derby is miles ahead overall and taking everything into account 10/10 on the other hand the half moon at Whitwell Worksop 1/10 and that's only because its a beautiful setting everything else not good at all.

Great. Good atmosphere, always clean, staff friendly and always working hard, great food.

Went for breakfast with santa with grandchildren. Absolutely brilliant So much effort put in Snow Bubbles Games Fab breakfast and of course Santa and Elve. And a toy Will be booking next year worth every penny kids loved it x Thank you x

I work for Greene King in Bury St Edmunds. Before the staff even knew who I was they were fantastic, and friendly. Then I saw the treatment they not only gave my family but my granddad. I don't think words can thank the staff at Donkey Derby. They are incredible towards him. I've never experienced such great hospitality in my life! The food here is also decent, great pint at a proper price, the atmosphere is great with happy friendly customers. The pub is always busy due to it's correct pricing. Greene King establishments in Suffolk or the south in general need to take serious note of Donkey Derby because they are so far behind what this pub offers its customers. This is how a pub is run correctly!!!

The food was great and affordable the atmosphere was in good spirits and Alex on the bar was cheerful and helpful when serving are drinks

Very friendly lovely food and the 3 course menu was very nice very reasonably priced

My friend and I visit on a weekly basis for lunch excellent menu competitive prices friendly staff especially the Sheffield Wednesday fan as I'm a Sheffield United supporter so always have friendly banter

Had a shandy and a steak. Shandy was flat and tasted terrible. Steak was overcooked.

Fantastic food and ambience especially for large group meals xx

Family gathering for Boxing Day. Service was good. Food was good and staff were helpful and friendly. What more could you want.

Took my mum for boxing day meal. Was the fastest the food was brought out and was extremely hot. Very impressed with the delivery

Family gathering for Boxing Day. Service was good. Food was good and staff were helpful and friendly. What more could you want.

We decided to go out for Christmas lunch for the first time ever. We were met with cheery, friendly staff in a lovely atmosphere. The food was amazing and there was more than enough. We have decided to carry on this new tradition as we can't fault the quality of the food or the service. We visit every month/two months anyway and have never been disappointed with the food or service. Thank you so much.

Went for Christmas Day dinner - great service from friendly staff, tasty food and our special guest was treated very well. Highly recommended

Been for Christmas dinner today with family. Was just perfect. The food was exceptional the staff was exceptional .Nothing was rushed . Couldn’t have asked for better. Definitely booking for next Christmas. Thankyou to everyone on shift today you did a fantastic job.

Excellent service and friendly staff couldn’t be better, it’s the second year we have had Christmas lunch there with absolutely no complaints highly recommend

We had our Christmas do here last night. Excellent food. I had the veggie/ vegan options and it was well prepared, very tasty, and above all excellent service. Very impressive! Thank you to the very attentive staff too. Merry Yule!

Visited for Sunday lunch....what can I say.the service was ok,had about a twenty five minutes wait as they were pretty busy,but tha food wasn't good at all.the frozen veg was severely undercooked especially the broccoli,the roast potatoes were awfully,mash wasn't too bad,Yorkshire puddings were cold,stuffing ball was rock hard...the only saving grace was the beef which was ok....how on earth can food be sent out like this...totally unacceptable.

I went into watch the Manchester United Vs Manchester City game, and I was served by Shakiera, she was great, very helpful, helped me chose what to eat and she knew a lot about type of drinks and managed to sell me a Lilly’s mango cider, definitely worth coming here for food drinks and amazing staff, definitely deserves a raise !

Enjoyed what I had although the portion was a bit small

Great value for money, good service, and the people were welcoming.

I had the mixed grill and it was the best mixed grill I have ever had from a pub. No expense spared on the quality of the meats or the quantity. Will definitely be going back for the same again

Highly recommend the Donkey! Great service, staff are friendly, plenty of choice for drinks and the food is good too. Great for a match day pint

Amazing food to go with the amazing staff

We all enjoyed the food as usual. The staff are all friendly and helpful. Our go to restaurant whenever we eat out. The steaks are always fantastic and the meals are well worth the price.

I booked a table on Friday for Saturday easy booking and even though it was after a football match my table had been reserved. The manager came and checked my name for the reservation. Food was easy to order and came quickly even though the pub was really busy.

This is a cozy family place with an outside park and game machines. The staff are very friendly. The beverages and food are fantastic and affordable and the portions are good even on the kids meals. Would definitely recommend!

Really friendly staff, good prices and great deals. Good range of drinks and the menu has something for everyone including vegetarians and vegans. The pub has a nice atmosphere and is good for meeting friends, family gatherings, sport etc. Also has a massive car park and a kids play area. Highly recommend giving them a go!

Nice pub. Lovely staff. Nipped in after a big hike with the dog and had all day breakfast.

The two sirloin steaks were very tough and gristly. The fish and chips and macaroni cheese dishes were fine. We had no check to see if everything was ok. I did speak to the server whilst she was clearing the table and pointed out how much steak we had to leave as it was inedible. She apologised but there wasn't a follow up by the manager. Very disappointed overall.

Reserved a table. Quick service at counter and table. Food was good. Staff very attentive. Enjoyable visit.

The portions of food seem to have been cut down somewhat, not good for a hungry man.

Great for Away fans, right by the ground.

Good tasty food with lots of menu choices, reasonably priced and good service.

We came to eat here for the first time as we were looking for somewhere out to have my birthday meal. Really surprised with the great range of choice and settled on a burger with my wife having a chicken dish. The food came out amazingly quick and was delicious. One slight issue was dealt with so fantastically and professionally by the server and the manager. An extra shout out is needed for how well the small issue was handled and we could not be more appreciative, I even got a birthday candle in my cheesecake!! The food was wonderful but it is the management and staff that will have us coming back very soon.

Great service and food. Will definitely be going back and would 100% recommend 👌🏼

Staff couldn't do enough. Really good size portions with a speedy service too

We ordered a chicken burger and halloumi flat bread. Both were the most basic Bland meals we have had. Burger was like mcdonalds- nothing special and flat bread was so uncreative and Bland. Not good value.

It's gone downhill recently, the food was a let down. I paid £12 for a burger and chips, the chips were chewy like they'd been cooked another day and just reheated, they weren't very nice and some of the poorest chips I've had in a pub. I especially like how they scattered them around the plate to make it look like a good portion, when there was only about 20-25 fries. The burger was ok but not great for the price, it was supposed to be a spicy burger but was just smothered in nacho cheese with no "famous spicy sauce" in sight. Such a shame as we used to like it here.

Food was really good staff are amazing when stated i had a allergy he was concerned as wasnt on list but i assured him it was ok n if i did have any reaction it wasnt there fault bit was all good

Busy pub even midweek with families and groups enjoying a drink and something to eat. We ate from the 2 for £13 menu and were pleased with our value meals. There are TV screens for football which is good for those of us who don't subscribe to Sky etc! We only live up the road from the Donkey but it is good to have it close!

This is just your bog standard Greene King Pub. It does what it says on the tin, reasonably priced food and drink. It has a decent size car park and a beer garden. Most of the staff seem competent enough, but nobody is going for employee of the month, or even the day for that matter. I would go back, but I wouldn't rush.

Decent pub food. Can't go wrong with donkey derby, staff are always very friendly and welcoming.

For a "pub grub" experience, this is a good one. Decent sized portions, reasonable prices, friendly staff, nice drinks and good quality. The service is reasonably fast and the meals always arrive hot. Add in a good choice of drinks and some nice desserts - great stuff. Improvements? Minor stuff like considering increased staffing when it's busy and making sure all items are available - but in the main a decent place.

Food is always bang on, had the chicken and ribs combo and it was class. The staff are super friendly and helpful, even when they were rushed during a busy Sunday lunch.

Ok pub which serves food. Beer selection is what lets it down. Good sized carpark and easy to get to.

Great place been going 3 nearly 4 year now and totally love the food and the staff are great x

There were 4 in our party and we decided to have the 2 meals for 13.99, 3 had fish & chips and I had Steak & Ale pie, all 3 fish & chips were good and well worth the price however the Steak & Ale pie was very disappointing. I accept that for less than £7 you’re not going to get a pie full of meat put I found it difficult to find 1 piece of meat of any significance, I would say that 90% of the contents was gravy, very disappointing.

Nice food, however they ran out of Sunday dinners by 2pm which was really disappointing

We was a party of 10 birthday meal mainly mixed grills all cooked diffrently and to perfection it was tuesday 17th sept 7pm and it was quite busy we was shown where to sit and staff was so attentive nothing was too much troble will you let the chef know he/she did a beautiful job food was cooked to perfection bar staff was great not sure of male bar staffs name could of been steve ? Was wearing glasses he was very helpfull checked if everything was ok for us and very polite will be coming again hope its soon we all had a great night yhankyou to all imvolved great service cu all soon

Couldn't fault the 2 for 14 quid lunch menu

Just had 2 for 13.99, Gammon and Hunters chicken, and couldn't fault it for the money, friendly staff, good service, would recommend