Exeter Arms in Derby

Very lovely pub........ nothing more to say

Just for a beer but the food coming out looked fabulous

Nice pub great atmosphere good sevice nice choice of food & drinks

Great food in a fabulous 👌 setting snd atmosphere

Great place ,recommend it to anyone

Lovely Dancing Duck Pub with a cosy atmosphere (and log fire as you enter) with plenty of alcoholic drinks & spirits including at least 5 Real Ales (3 Dancing Duck) and Cider. Large Garden area with plenty of tables. Menu has a wide range of meals to chose from, including some local twists; I recommend the Korean Sticky BBQ Wings, Pie³, and the Bakewell Tart. We sampled on a Monday early-evening and there were tables available with a roughly 30 minute wait on food, so I'd probably recommend booking on busier days.

Excellent Sunday roast. Staff were amazing

The menu has gluten free options such as Burger, fish and chips, loaded fries etc. I ordered the Saxon burger to be told the chips weren’t gluten free and they had no gluten free cobs left leaving just the burger contents with mash or veg. As a result, I ordered the “I can’t believe it’s not batter” with just mash. After over an hour wait for the food to arrive (when there are plenty on empty tables), the meal arrived with chips. I asked for the meal to be swapped to a gluten free option. The waitress responded with an eye roll and attitude. When the food arrived, I was assured it was now gluten free. Even though the change seemed to be almost instant. When the food arrived, it was salty and bland. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone who is celiac or gluten free. The options are unbelievably limited and cross contamination can not be guaranteed.

Visited here for food one night, and liked it so much we came back the next day for more. The beers are good, and the food is excellent, particularly the 3 Pies, and the fish (haddock) and chips.

Great atmosphere. A little pricey but good value for money.

Great food, friendly accommodating service. Was glad to get some fish and chips. Cheers from America!

Great food, great drinks, slow service. But would return, is very popular

Top draw place in Derby. Book for quality food. Six real ales excellent condition. Had Jaipur 5.9 quality. Highly Recommended

One of the very best taverns in England.

Lovely pub food and drinks are great,ps the staff are 1st class but don't tell them.

Food was actually good but the pub itself is just a bit cold and old. Could do with renovation

Really good food, loved the pub , great staff and service.👍👍

Ok, rather expensive, our round was 23 pounds for 4 pints, nice little pub, bit out of the way, but OK for the odd drink.

Very busy, but very accommodating, managed to find a table for two in a lovely little snug, even though it was only 5:15 pm the place was very busy. Free house, so lots of different ales to try. Very imaginative menu. Delicious spicy wings sharer starter, pork Crockpot and trio of pies, all hot delicious and hearty, maybe we shouldn't have had the wings!! Definitely want to revisit this place.

Further to the review by David Burrows I was part of this group of friends and these comments echo my thoughts exactly. I was not directly involved as I was about to leave to catch my bus. However I was thoroughly disgusted at the attitude and arrogance of the bar person. He also said that he had been here 7 years which had no relevance whatsoever to the situation. We have no issue with the owners and will be happy to frequent the Silk Mill and the Devonshire but will now stay away from the Exeter. It is a shame as I have always liked it and sometimes use it with other friends and family.

I have always liked this pub; it is one of the Derby real-ale venues. So we were very surprised when five of us walked in to the pub at 10:10pm to be told that they had "just rang last orders", although we did still get served. The pub seemed quite busy, and I commented that they must be doing well if they could afford to shut up shop so early and turn away good customers. Anyway, we sat and drank our pints, whilst all of the time, customers continued to go to the bar and get served. At 10:40pm, we asked for another drink, only to be told that the bar was now closed. Less than one minute later, another customer went up to the bar and ordered and paid for a pint. When we questioned why we could not be served, we were told that the party being served were friends and family of an ex-employee. SO WHAT??? It wasn't "a lock-in", it wasn't after time, in fact it was well before the 11:30pm closing time that they advertise on their website. We simply wanted to be treated like everyone else in the pub and be served during normal licencing hours. When we tried to make this point, we were accused of "getting lairy"!!! The Exeter is a good venue, but it shouldn't make the mistake of living off its past reputation. There is a certain level of arrogance that seems to have crept in to the people running the pub. A shame really. They probably think that one group of customers won't make any difference. But each one of those five has friends, and it takes longer to gain a reputation than to lose it. I wonder if the owner would comment on how he might feel if treated in this way.

Copious and tasty plates. Waiting time but since all the tables were occupied, that leaves time to have a drink.

It takes a lot for me to be impressed by food but this was something special. What I thought was going to be a quick pub ready meal turned into some very nice dishes.

All I can say is the best food in derby and pub the chefs are incredible at what they do. Been 4 times now and will 100 percent be back again soon. The staff are so friendly and welcoming

A friend recommended the Exeter arms I had never been before so thought I would give it a go when I'm not working I tend to dine out a lot and this place has turned out to be my go place every week now I thought the food couldn't get any better than the food I've already tried as I've been 4 times now in the past month and today I tried the Sunday dinner for 2 the birds and the beast and as it was delivered to our table I couldn't believe my eyes it looked amazing and tasted amazing too ! Everything cooked to perfection so well done to the chef . I will be back next week to try something else from the menu as I want to try everything .

Lovely staff, good local beer, great memorabilia about HMS EXETER.

Great place for good choice of well kept beer and food at reasonable prices. If anything the only downfall is this pubs own success on DCFC match days because it is so popular you struggle to get in. But that is a compliment in itself and I will definitely use again.

Popped in for a swift pint, and a black pudding scotch egg with brown sauce. Both were excellent.

We had a family meal here on the 17th of August 2024. We have a large family and the Manager and staff were absolutely awesome. Our meals were outstanding (complements to the chef and everyone in the kitchen). I would definitely recommend the Exeter Arms to everyone. Thank you so much for making my daughters birthday celebration special.

This is a great pub. It has a fantastic atmosphere with a series of small rooms, good beer (although personally I am not a great fan of dancing duck beers), and interesting food. The food always seems to take quite some time to arrive, hence the 3 for service, but the staff are friendly, polite and helpful. However the food is well worth waiting for. I had the Korean chicken, which was very tasty without being too hot. Other dishes included the fish platter with the homemade smoked fish sausage! A departure from the usual pub grub and worth seeking out. It gets very busy so worth booking ahead of you want to eat. Some areas have steps and the rather cramped layout means it is not great for wheelchairs.

Came here for the first time yesterday. From the outside is an unassuming pub but inside is a really lovely place with a great atmosphere and authentic feel, great job at retaining the old world feel but serving up some spectacular modern meals. The meals and puddings we had were all perfect. A real gem of a place which I'll definitely return to and recommend to family and friends!

Staff were friendly, efficient service and lovely food

First time here, though recommended by friends. Good beers, dirty vegan fries are good, service good and friendly 😀

Love it here. Although they do serve food here, the is still a true feeling of being in a proper British pub. Beer is always top notch. Please support the Exeter next time you are in Derby for a pint. It's even better outside in the summer when you can sit outside.

Went for my mums birthday lunch today and everything was absolutely fantastic. The service was quick and staff were so friendly, Amrit and Tash in particular looked after us and they were great. My mum did the nachos were the best we've after had and her fella couldn't finish his main which is the first time I've ever seen him not finish a meal! 10/10 would absolutely recommend!

Waited over 1 hour.pork faggotts and bubble and squeak was ordered. Faggotts very nice. But sloppy mash and under cooked onions was not what I expected for the bubble and squeak. ,manager did offer to do another plate of food but couldn't have waited another hour. Left hungry .

Lovely pub. Haven't sampled the food but I suspect it's excellent. Great character. Great choice of ales👍🍻

Excellent food and beer . Staff always friendly.

Proper pub, great food. Always good service.

Chips were awful, burnt on the outside but soggy inside. It felt like they’d just be recooked in the fryer, just tasted like grease.

Food dire for the second time in row. Bland tandoori chicken in the burger and wedges that were soggy as hell yet burned on the outside. They blame their potatoes. Not eating here again

Not sure if they were a manager, or an owner or what but they were berating their staff so much, and so loudly, the other day I don't think I'll ever be back to give them any money. real shame. but jeeez.

The food, or rather my choice of food here was mediocre at best. I ordered the kebabs on recommendation from the bar staff, which consisted of a chicken kebab and two beef. The chicken was nice but the beef was tough as boots. Cheap cuts with grissel which made for very unpleasant eating. For the price circa 18, completely not worth it.

Lovely food and beers! Friendly staff! Proper pub!

Great beer at great prices. A welcoming pub.

The best pub in Derby by far, fantastic beer, amazing food & quality staff. Can't praise it enough

Very welcoming pub, dog friendly too, staff friendly, nothing too much trouble & the food was amazing - highly recommended

What a cracking Inn!! Strongly recommend for a good slurp and great scran. We will definitely be calling in again.

Absolutely brilliant as usual! Our favourite one in Derby. Thank you to all the stuff!

Best food in Derby, and great beer to match, service great, warned of slightly longer time to get food to the table but it was just right, even the teenagers were happy and wanted to come back!

Wonderful team the food is delicious and the atmosphere was brilliant on our visit and the manager even came over the personally check everything was alright which was a nice touch.

Absolutely gem of a place. Always great reception, super beers and food it outstanding. 040624 - still a great pub

Lovely boozers, friendly staff, lovely food 😋 not cheap though

This was our first visit since the reopening following the floods and, I have to say, we were extremely disappointed. As longstanding admirers of the quality of the food, and in particular, the legendary Chippy, with its claims of crispy battered haddock, we were saddened that, on this occasion, the fish and its coating was both soggy and tasteless, with very little in the way of crispness. We definitely won’t be rushing back🙁

Little gem in Derby. Quirky pub with a good atmosphere. Food was really tasty and fresh.

Just called in for a few pints with a mate after attending the QUAD event "why punk".

Amazing food and excellent customer service. Amrit was lovely and welcoming, fantastic experience

Food on point! Top notch service from Amrit, great banter while serving us. Couldn’t ask for anything more!

Absolutely the best place to be in Derby for the finest food, drinks and a service that is beyond reproach!! Thanks Guys!

We went for Sunday lunch with friends from Worcester. What a lovely meal we all had. There was plenty to eat with gravy to die for! Thank.👍

Excellent place great graphics fantastic beer and food.

Excellent friendly staff, lovely food great atmosphere both inside and outside the pub and the best pint of guiness in derby by far

Great tasting food and large portions, lovely old style pub but with great food and drink especially local beers

If I could give it 6 stars I would! Got sent to work in Derby for a month, ate here a couple of nights a week with colleagues and always enjoyed it. The staff were super welcoming and the beers were great too.

The food was amazing the staff are very friendly and helpful all round service was great

Beautiful food, excellent service, thoroughly recommended

Fantastic food as always and great value for money with big full plates.

Very welcoming pub (special mention to Dan behind the bar and the chef Pat) with a good range of beers and ciders on tap. We had a brilliant Sunday lunch (we had the chicken and the beef) with masses of veg, potatoes and gravy. The only downside was we had no room for dessert! We will definitely be back next time we come to the cricket in Derby.

Pub with a wealth of history Great food Friendly staff A must visit pub

Don't judge this place by the exterior. Just fantastic food and friendly service. Not familiar with Derby city food options but I'd be amazed if there is anything better.

Country pub feel within a city centre, great ale and food, friendly staff.

Very busy but quick service good beer

Unfortunately they couldn’t cater for “walk ins”. They did have menus out but we’re not able to serve. Shame as we are regular customers, perhaps it’s time for a change.

Great pub. Good local beer selection. Staff are always nice and polite, food is great. Best pint of Guinness in Derby in my opinion too

Bit slow service but was quite busy. Really nice food.

From the outside this pub doesn't look anything special, but when you've eaten there you can understand why it's been voted Pub of the Year so many times. One the best Sunday Roasts we've ever had with Yorkshire puddings as big as a dinner plate! Beautifully cooked, with lots of different veg. Service was exceptional, with delightful, attentive staff, especially Tasha who went above and beyond to ensure my autistic son got the most perfect meal. It's a proper pub, with a great atmosphere. First time we've been, but it definitely won't be the last! Highly recommend.

Lovely pub, salmon was delicious. Great atmosphere, so friendly.

The food is always very good here, and on my most recent visit it was excellent. The service was very friendly and helpful. There can be a bit of a wait for the food, but that's usually because it can be busy, but it's always worth the wait. The beers are always great here too. I would definitely recommend The Exeter Arms.

We always like this gem of a pub. The food is hearty and delicious, staff always friendly, and selection of drinks excellent.

Place is amazing! We were recommended to go here by a hotel in the very centre of Derbyshire, and it was great in every respect! Food, beers, welcome and service from the staff, all superb!

Great beer selection and really good pub food. Reasonably priced. Would recommend.

Loved the place it had a variety of unique food options for vegetarians and not. The food was well seasoned and delicious. Would highly recommend.

A great pub with mighty fine service food and beer. Well worth a visit.

Every visit to Derby this place is, a must do ale visit. Plenty of ale choice and top quality ale alchemy. 😊

Trio of pies was amazing, steak, chicken and thyme and shepherd's pie. Worth the wait and the service was amazing.

Proper old school pub, home and away fans mix before Derby County games

Probably the best pub food in Derby! Huge portions served up by friendly staff with a great selection of beers! You need to book to get a table as it is normally busy but well worth it.

Lovely pub..food always good..would recommend booking as its always busy at weekend x dog Friendly too

Everything about the place is great if you love an old style pub vibe. Classic pub food done very very well, excellent barstaff and some really solid draught. All round one of the most solid places ive been for both bevs and food. Couldnt reccommend it more

A good pub, looked like it must have been a busy day on this visit. Staff looked tired and we're a bit grumpy, but we all have one of those days!

Great traditional pub serving good food all day

Love this place. Went for my birthday on Valentines weekend and although busy the service was second to none and the food was amazing. As it has a quirky layout there was plenty room around the tables and you didn't feel like you are penned in. Very reasonably priced and plenty of ales/drinks to choose from.

Better class of pub and grub. I needed a miners lamp though.

Food is good. Great atmosphere and good service. Fab outdoor area with tables, chairs and heaters. Can get very busy so if you want to eat I suggest you book in advance.

Fabulous food. Friendly staff. Lack of free parking.

Hidden gem! Great quality food. I had the beef sandwich served with gravy and chips, it was delicious! Great atmosphere seeing as we went for a Monday lunch time! Dog friendly too!

The person we spoke to when booking the table was incredibly friendly and accommodating, the serving staff were amazing, the food was incredible. The only sad thing is that we don't live closer! Thank you :)

A quaint place for Real Ale and home cooked food.

Great pub, good selection of local and world beers. Friendly staff, fast service, nice punters.

Wednesday 8th March 2023 I visited this great great Derby real ale pub and eatery Great unspoilt inside drinking areas Like been in a proper 1830 era pub Great choice of well-kept, hand pumped ales and it's got really pleasent staff and clientele in this pub Derby is great drinking place , ut this has to be in the top 3 pubs in Derby to visit Tuesday 9th January 2024 This pub we again visited today almost 12 months from our last visit this pub is a stonker still Great well kept hand pumped ales the staff today excellent and it has still got the old world interiors to it Today there were lots of people ating and the atmosphere inside was""spot on