River Garden Restaurant in Amber Valley

I have eaten at River Gardens for many years. We still enjoy a delivered meal. But to eat in- it was an awful experience this time. Tatty, curled noticed on the doors and barrier glass up at the bar makes it feel rather unwelcoming. The decor is rather tired, but also tatty and dirty in places. I understand paying up front - but it is not usual and it is not undertaken smoothly - the waiting staff seen rather uncomfortable. The warming plate arrived, stacked with plates and cutlery. And left like that. No one set out the table. Similarly, when the duck arrived with its trimmings, they were left stacked in the plate too. Most of the food was ok - but the crispy duck was rather dry, tough and did not seem hot or fresh. Served as chunks rather than shreds. Finally - when asking for the top up bill, I would expect a bill, to check, then pay. But no - just a card machine and this is how much it is. And to be honest, the cost completely outweighed the experience. The waiting staff seemed inexperienced, did not interact well and did not perform what I consider the most basic of service tasks. I will stick to a delivery order next time. Please sort things out River Gardens- I want to come back and enjoy the evening.

Fabulous tasty food from the A la Carte menu. Really nice staff and great value for money.

Me and my friend both travel for an hour for a meal here, best Chinese food ever xx

Regular attender at the restaurant and usually enjoy the food, however tonight was a sharp turnaround from the usual. We were made to feel like a burden, even though we arrived three hours before closing. Our order for starters - the food we ordered didn't arrive, there were items missing. Even when clarifying the order, it was still incorrect. The portion sizes were also significantly reduced. We were then rushed by the waitress to move to mains, despite this being an "all you can eat menu" and paying for that. When the mains came out, they were out on the table, but we had been given no plates or cutlery. When one of the waitresses realised she exclaimed across the kitchen/bar area that two tables were left without plates. The restaurant was relatively busy with one particularly large table of people when we arrived and when those patrons left, the waitresses, who all appeared to be quite new, spent time moaning about how busy it was in the middle of the restaurant whilst clearing plates from the tables. However, for the majority of our time at the restaurant, only three tables were occupied. Despite that, the tables plates were cleared from earlier, were left for over an hour (until after we left) without actually being cleaned down, so food waste was left sat on the tables. Usually we are served really well and the food is very enjoyable, generally one of the people front of house I think is the owner, and it usually feels smoother. This occasion has felt unwelcoming, unorganised and has me contemplating, despite visiting infrequently for the last 7+ years, not coming back. I would have flagged the experience to management rather than writing a review, but none seemed to be in the restaurant - which is unusual!

We visited this restaurant for the first time and decided it would definitely be the last time. To pay before you eat is very insulting and I have never been required to do this anywhere else and we eat out a lot. Also other tables were paying after their meal so the policy is not applied consistently. The food was o.k. but from arrival at the restaurant to seeing any food on the table was almost an hour. They also had to be reminded about drinks we had ordered. The staff were serving in the restaurant and dealing with takeaway orders, to be honest most of them looked like rabbits in the headlights, were overwhelmed with trying to cater for too many.

We had a takeaway delivered last night and everything was perfect! Quick delivery and piping hot. We will definitely order again. Thank you 🤩

Superb food, we had the all you can eat, spare ribs, chicken wings, chicken satay, beef in black bean sauce, and a few other dishes, Highly recommend! Pleasant atmosphere, lovely staff, clean and well decorated. Can't wait to visit you again, Thank you for making our wedding anniversary meal special

Very poor service, the waitress bought our wine to the table and forgot to de-cork it. When we reminded her she took it away and it must have been 10 minutes before she returned Forgot one of the starters, food had no flavour just tasted of salt. We have been coming here for many years but on this occasion we were very disappointed

We ordered a take-away last Sunday. Two people had duck, one chicken and I had mushrooms. Both the duck and the chicken were rock-solid and completely inedible. Clearly both had been cooked a couple of times before. After 5 minutes trying to hack the meat to pieces, they gave up and it all went into the bin. We have had reasonable meals from them before, but never particularly good. In addition, the staff have gone back to their ways of years ago - disinterested, unfriendly. A dreadful experience.

Called Sunday evening for a takeaway, it was excellent. Would certainly use again.

Wasn't happy with service ,waited on my starter,ie soup,had to ask twice for my soup to be served, while everyone else in our party had there's,and then they brought the wrong one out,main meal the same everyone else,s came out and yet again ,we had to ask for our order ,if tour serving a table you should make sure that all the food comes out together ,not the chips then 10 mins later the rest of my order, my wife ask for beef and vegetables,with noodles her beef and vegetables went cold before her noodles came out which we had to ask for yet again,and they had to do her a fresh plate of beef a nd vegetables,first time we've been here won't return again

Wr went as a party of 6 and ordered as couples.. for £20 each..they took your order and the food came as per table..we as a couple ordered chicken wings and ribs. As did the other 2 couples they came out as 1 item each..3 of us order Egg noodles it came out in a small bowl and was told to share the portion was enough for one..the soup was like dish water and we returned it..the food came out in intervals meat first rice 10 minutes later so the rest was cold..sent food back...we all finished apart from my husband who hadn't even had his starter..when asked we was told we should share..so it cost £ 60 quid and got about £20 worth of rubbish food will never visit again..I recommend the rice bowl the food is better . value for money. more choice and know hidden cost...

This was our first visit here, we have been coming to Belper for over 20 years and always driven past. My husband booked this for our 20th Anniversary Treat. We had the special Sunday Buffet which was very good. Lots of choices of starters. We both had the Spare Ribs which fell off the bone, Sesame Prawn Toast which my husband said was the best he had ever had! All the trimmings! We did have to pay once we had ordered but this is no problem as you do this at many other establishments pubs etc. Main courses, again, lots of choice supplements for Duck and Prawn dishes and Yuk Sung. Very nice attentive staff always making sure we had everything. You can order as much food as you want. The decor is a little tired and toilet area corridor could have been a bit more tidy as tables leant against the wall. We will be returning on our next visit to the Peak District.

Been twice recently, very obliging, service is excellent - not forgetting the food, very very good 👌

I'd seen some reviews saying this wasn't that great an establishment, but we thought we would try for ourselves last Friday. what can I say? River Garden is OUTSTANDING! we aren't a huge fan of buffet style restaurants, as we like to eat together but this is the style that you order from a set menu and everything is brought out to your table freshly cooked. we had starters and OMG the prawn toast was actually the best I've e ver had. the food was beautiful,full of flavour. you dont get massive portions to start with, but i totally understand that given there could be huge waste, however, they will let you order the same item multiple times until youre ready to move to the next course! the staff were a credit to the restaurant, couldn't be more polite helpful or genuinely lovely. have told everyone about this place.....do not hesitate to book! guarantee youll love it! x

A very good Chinese. Serves gluten free which is rare for a Chinese. A must try in Belper, I will visit here quite frequently I imagine.

Been here time after time, not one bad experience. Food is always top tier quality and service is impeccable. Highly HIGHLY recommend.

The food was lovely and a good price well worth a visit

Had a takeaway. Great value. Super quick delivery

We had a bad experience in this place.My husband and I had a meal there today,sat the table and ordered our food,told one of the service crew we just want main course and skip the starter after 2 minutes she came back and showed us different menu and said if we want to have a look at that cause its more cheaper.We honestly feel the descrimination and embarrasment.And when we left the place we never heard any words,not pleasant at all.It so ridiculous!If I could put negative reviews,I would! Never Again.

Just finished 5 starters and a main course, having the best of my life, highly recomended *****

Fabulous takeaway.Food delicious and hot. Came within time quoted when ordering.

Lads night out. Great meal and the food and beer kept coming. We would certainly go back.

Excellent food, really tasty and always hot/fresh! Staff are all very friendly and service is exemplary. Would definitely visit again

Small portions, mad pay up front and supplementary charges on the buffet and only menu - doesn't look like the place has Benn decorated or cleaned properly in years. Not what it once was

food was really good but menu seemed small, no knives and we had to eat off starter plates for the entire meal. we had to ask one of the waitresses for some knives as no one came and checked on us

So first of all the food was amazing, one of the best Chinese I have had in a long time. However though, it’s an all you can eat buffet, but the table services was shocking towards the end of my night I was left waiting for quite a while. The staff kept coming to the tables near us but never further down to the last two tables. In the end I had to go up and ask someone to come and take our order.

Good value, great food and friendly service. Would recommend. Second visit for our wedding Anniversary.

Great food use all the time. Better than usual tonight,everyone was laughing.

We ordered a takeaway and went to collect it. The staff were super friendly and it was a short wait for our food which was extremly tasty. I don’t understand all these negative reviews. We have always found service and food to be excellent.

Well, I really don’t know where to start! what can I say about this place? I don’t have one positive thing to say from the moment we walked through the door this evening, 11/11/23! I am not one to complain unnecessarily, I always try to find a positive and I’m always very fair when writing reviews, however, I’m afraid this is impossible here!!!! I had booked a table, the young waitress showed us to our table, from the moment we sat down there wasn’t a nice atmosphere and lack of interest! We ordered our drinks and food, our drinks were taken to the wrong table!!! disorganised young people with no experience! Probably not their fault! The food arrived, it was absolutely awful, with very little taste, and the chicken was inedible with a very strange sour taste, with a rubbery texture!!!! 🤢 I would advise people to avoid this place!!! Just to add, Chinese is my favourite food, so we visit places or have take aways regularly, this was our first and last time visiting here!!!! The lack of customer service was terrible, we weren’t asked if we would like more drinks or if everything was okay with our meals, shocking!!! They were too busy chatting at the bar to care!!!! ALSO PLEASE BE AWARE - you do have to play for your meals and drinks as soon as you order! I’ve never known this in any establishment before! AVOID!!!!!!

Great food, great staff, great night.

Been coming here for years but can really tell that this place isnt as popular as it used to be, no atmosphere and dining room empty, and for a friday evening. They had alot of takeaway orders which I think is whats keeping them in business. Cant really fault the food was all hot and edible, we paid upfront which is a new thing but made no odds to us either way. Only charged us for 1 child as we had 2 under 5s so that was good they did that. Im not sure I would come back or not 🤷‍♀️

The "all you can eat" is great value and very good if, like me, you're a Homer Simpson. Definitely going back

Blessed with the greatest Chinese on our doorstep. So many great places to eat in Belper these days but this is the one I return to, as I've done for 20 years.

Very friendly and helpful when I came in to ask for some menus and about delivery. We were a party of 23 so the order was pretty large, all the food arrived within an hour, everything was very tasty and nothing was missing or wrong! Impressive for such a large order, lovely jubbly :)

Yet another business that does not bother to update its website that is closed as on holiday. Not hard to do. Poor customer service.

I went for a birthday meal with friends, the table had been booked well in advance. Unfortunately no-one came over to take a drinks order after we arrived and as we pondered the menu I was shocked to see that payment was required when ordering. After 30 minutes we walked out as no-one had even hinted at serving us. I used to go here years ago and the food and service was always good, I obviously can't comment on the food as I didn't get that far so it would be unfair to say it's all terrible but I do think that the new policy will put people off. We walked down the road to the curry house where we had great service and superb food.

We’ve not long moved to Belper, and with a Chinese takeaway meal being a regular choice for us, we were keen to find somewhere good. This more than delivered. All of the dishes were fresh hot, and perfectly seasoned. We ordered the soft noodles (plain chow mein), chicken chow mein, shredded chicken in garlic and chilli, and banana fritters. All exceptional, incredibly fresh and delicious. We ordered on a Friday night - online form said 45 minutes. It arrived a little later than predicted, but I called the restaurant and the person who answered the phone was lovely and kept me updated. She also called me back when the food left for delivery, which was a really nice touch and much appreciated. Overall a fantastic meal, amazing service and two very happy and full bellies. Thanks so much. We’ll definitely be back soon :)

Ordered a take away on the website, said 45 mins. Left it for 1hour 10 mins and rang and asked where it was. They said they had inidcated 75 mins, then told me it was next to be cooked!!!!! How could it be cooked and delivered on time? When I said that I was not impresed they immediately cancelled the order, thus showing that no way would it be even on time from their story. Money taken immediately from me, but said will take 3 to 5 days to return to me. Then they cancelled my account on the web saying I had violated their conditions. I had ordered from them for several years, so if you have no problems they love you!!! But if you complain you "violate their conditions"! DO NOT TRUST THIS LOT, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Listening to, not abusing your customers is a good way to start. ———- Reply to Rivergardens response Utter lies. I have never complained before in the years that I ordered from you or eaten in the restaurant with friends, on the contrary I have recommended to others! 1. You said next to be cooked, not that it was ready! So how it could have got to me, even in your timeframe is a clear untruth on your behalf! 2. I then said following your response on my call that I would place a negative review and their tone went from bad to worse. Not to intimidate, but to show dissatisfaction! Your reply to this in your diatribe appears to back this up. 3. Libellous comment that I have previously been rude/threatened your staff. A complaint and the tone and clear and precise breakdown of what my complaint was about is not “rude but factual”. 4. Do not deflect and blame the customer!

Worst Chinese I have ever had. We were away in our caravan and always have a Chinese when we go away so we have had Chinese food all over the country. But this food was inedible, the chicken had a sour taste and the rice was hard not cooked. This was the worst I hope that they can get this sorted otherwise someone will get Poisoned 🤮?

Have been dining with my partner for 5 years and love the food but, they are now requiring advance payment saying that they have experienced non paying diners. Although the food is great the restaurant requires a major overhaul to bring it into the 21st century. The decor is tired and needs a major overhaul.. won’t be visiting again until the owner improves the decor. When paying for food at the going rate in the 21st century I expect the restaurant decor to be up to date.

As always a great meal, good service and good value. We do not recognise these bad reviews, we have friend who regularly comes from Leicester to eat with us there. In 30 years we have 99% great experiences. If we ever have had a problem it has been sorted promptly and pleasantly. We were rather taken back by having to pay upfront, but if you are running a business you have to protect yourself, we don't complain when Sainsbury's tag the coffee jars,and every pub chain charges for food when you order. As always the many pay for the ba behaviour of the few. I can only assume that the people complaining were eating after a pub crawl, or were ignorant like the fool that did not know what a dumpling should be like.

The food and service were spot on, the way this resteraunt has had to adapt over the years to survive is amazing. I first came to the river garden in 2000 and back then it was only a treat as it was a top place to go. The service was spit on with the staff professional and very pleasant. Food was a 10 out of 10 for my wife and I with the satay mussels being my personal favourite. Top place well worth a visit.

Lovely food and great staff. Very good value for all you can eat buffet.

Went for all you can eat buffet fantastic food

Been going to this restaurant for many years been today for a take out and noticed from today you have to pay up front when you site down for food bizarre And hideous. I asked why and the young lady said they had some runners etc last week and didn’t pay. So I said to her why tar normal good people with that problem it’s going to be embarrassing as how do you know what you want on the a la carte It’s says on the paper that other restaurants do this. It’s NOT TRUE. This is the first time I have seen this in a restaurant. And I eat at places all over the uk You will loose many customers doing this.

As a regular at the River Gardens I don’t know where the negative reviews come from! They offer great service and a comprehensive all you can eat menu, yes, the prices have increased recently but what hasn’t in the current climate!? I always find the food fresh and plentiful, and cannot fault it. The only negative is the decor is a bit tired, but I’ll keep going back for the quality of the food.

If I could leave no stars I really would. What a absolute awful experience, First of all, the blonde hair girl in there, couldn’t be any Ruder if she tried, ordered the dumplings and they came out cold in the middle and soggy/ wet on the bottom. Had the vegetarian spring rolls which had nothing inside them at all. Then ordered ribs which were cold and pink in the middle. At this point we said we didn’t want to order any mains as nothing was properly cooked and we were told that the pink / red colour inside the ribs was just fat. So all in all we got charged £25 for 1 coke, some uncooked dumplings, half cooked ribs and 6 chicken wings. Definitely wouldn’t recommend or come back. Editing our review for the response, Judging your customers when they come in is clearly something you do. The squash? I ordered a water and added a drop of squash which the lady who come over was aware of due to me having a problem with my stomach, and having certain allergies, but I made you aware of this since no one asked if we had any allergens. As for the cctv, I wouldn’t want to come back if I’m being watched on cctv constantly. We was very fair and asked to pay half for the starters rather than just walking out because I know businesses do suffer these days with the price rise so we was fair. But from your response to not only mine but other peoples reviews I wouldn’t want to come back to the restaurant,

I will never set foot in here again. Extra charges for all the nice dishes (prawns, yuk sung, duck) amounting to around £45 per head and for that princely sum we had very below average food, child size portions and when we dared to complain, surley attitude from the manageress. I see other reviewers have mentioned rowdy parties, the one sat near us were not so rowdy but obscene and racist and the staff did nothing to control their unacceptable behaviour, I think because the manager aside, they were all children and clearly out of their depth. Eating there is a cross between eating at a soup kitchen and an Ibiza 18-30 hotel - avoid

Gone down hill fast! This place used to be great but now they seem to cater for rowdy parties not quiet meals. Price’s extortionate due to extra charges added. Portions tiny food mediocre. Staff lazy and disinterested. Will not be returning

Love the takeaway and have never been left anything less than happy and full. Did the all you can eat and wasn't as impressed still worth a take out tho

All you can eat £20 been here about 4 times now .. Love it .. All cooked fresh n order as much as ya like n all good food ... Will be back soon ..

Order turned up wrong to then take another 30 minutes to get the correct order on top of the nearly hour wait once the order showed was only just warm and also very bland chips seemed as they had been warmed crispy shredded beef came dry and not in the Cantonese sauce

Lovely food Lovely service will definitely go back xx

Just don't bother for a take away... Had very poor ones on the last 2 times several months ago. The wife wanted to try again. Well over priced and imo a cook in sauce from a supermarket is better.. Date of visit: March 2023

Food was lovely as always . Always nice Service and atmosphere .

Well worth a visit all you can eat value for money

Had a lovely meal. Food spot on and service nice and quick and friendly.

Friendly staff plenty to eat and you don't feel rushed

Rang up last minute and was able to book a table. Parked in the little car park over the road easily enough for a Friday evening. Wasn’t too busy when we first arrived, but it got busier as the evening went on and we could see why. Service was really good - all the staff were friendly and efficient. Lots to chose from on the menu - all you can eat, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Will return and recommend.

2nd time been lovely food as always, lovely staff very busy as worth the visit ,pity we did not live nearer as would order or eat in go give a try, advise too book save waiting incase fully booked

We always have a great experience when we go to this restaurant. The food is always fantastic, and great service to go with it. Great value for money!

Best Chinese in Belper. Food delivered quickly. Good vegetarian selection

A bit expensive and service not as good as in the past

Having been to this Restaurant for an "All You Can Eat" party with friends, (really great by the way!), I decided to order a takeaway lunch with the family for my birthday. Excellent choice of dishes from the menu, and I was surprised to find that the place was open on a Sunday. Ordered over the phone and the food was ready after 25 minutes. Everything we ordered was excellent and the staff couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful. Having lived in Belper for many years, I'm really mad that I haven't tried this place before. Highly recommended.

Came here for my dads bday , there was 16 of us . The staff was all amazing from the young girls who was waitressing, to the owners. The was polite , quick and efficient. Nothing was too much trouble . The food all came out together and was all amazing , some of us had double starters as it was so nice . The mains was great aswel . We brought a cake with us which they brought out and sang happy birthday, they also gave us tubs so people could take the cake away with them . Overall a great evening which everyone agreed , we cnt wait to come back .

Everything was delicious and a really good variety of dishes. The service was amazing and the food was really quick, Will definitely come again!

Never had such a overpriced and horrible Chinese take away, left us with belly aches and feeling nauseous what a way to spend Christmas Eve. The mock duck pancakes inedible even a dog would be offended to be served such a nasty dish. The chow mein was vermicelli noodles, and sauce at the bottom, when we called to ask if we had been given the wrong dish they said no it’s how it comes we should’ve specified we wanted it dry, what on earth. Pancakes roll were missing from our order too. So glad we don’t live near by, if we did safe to say we’d never go there again. Horrific

After travelling a long way for this, we found that the everything has sooooo many extra charges! £9 extra for duck. What are you paying £20+ each for?!? Basically just the rice and chips, not even a drink included. Food wasn’t even that good and we didn’t even have a lot!

great meal here tonight (all you can eat), quality of food excellent as was the service, well recommended 👍

Just love the food, service brilliant, and you eat your weight if you want to... Which of course I do... For set price. Been coming for over 30 years in all its versions and very happy they are still best in belper to eat in x

Great food all you can eat menu,staff are very helpful and polite

My favourite ever place to eat, it was brilliant as always, great customer service, lovely food and even hosted a baby shower there for my friend!

So glad we found this place! Food was delicious, staff were lovely and it was quick even though they were busy. All you can eat was so good!

Been here quite a few times and always had a brilliant experience, excellent menu choices and price. The only thing I could fault was on this occasion the staff kept forgetting about us when we would order drinks or food. We had to get up and ask a couple of times to which we were quickly seen to . It just seemed a bit slower than normal All in all a great night out

Food really good service very slow

Overpriced and below average food.

When we camp we normally get a Indian takeaway on the first night which is spot on and you will not see any complaints from me. However on this occasion we ordered a Chinese which was overpriced and was below average. The chip didn't have any seasoning, crispy shredded chicken came as plan chicken, chow main was weird and the ribs were terrible. We Paid £65 for food which would not cost more than £45 at our local Chinese. I would rate 4.5/10, if it wasn't overpriced i may give 6/10.

It was okay....just. We both thought it was bland. (Chow mein)

Good Chinese. Been going for over 10 years now still good quality, but due for a refurb specially toilets.

All the sauses where very very good.

quality Cantonese food. we love this place.

Excellent Cantonese restaurant. Superb service even when busy. There is an all you can eat menu but also a very nice al a carte menu which we tried. They serve some dishes on the sizzler plates which we had and they were delicious. Highly recommend as we will be going back soon. IMHO best Chinese in area

The food at The River Garden is absolutely outstanding. 10 out of 10!

Great food at a good price. Staff are friendly and helpful. Best chinese takeaway in Belper.

Thought I would give this place another try as I I'd heard it had changed hands. Ordered prawn crackers while waiting for my mains. They turned out to be very greasy. Main dish was shredded chilli chicken in garlic that resembled fried toe nails and had 0 taste apart from the salt overload. Hubby had Chicken in black bean that wasn't much better. Staff were wearing masks 😷 they didn't ought to have bothered as the menus had about a months worth of grease on them. Won't be returning, think I'll nip to morrisons for microwave ding.

The best Chinese takeaway meal we have had in Belper. Large portions at a reasonable price.

Went last night with a friend who I haven't seen for 10 years...food was ok but definitely not as good as 7 months ago, My friend had mussels and has spent the last 24 hrs in bed being sick with stomach cramps......very disappointed as had loads of stuff planned.

Lovely takeaway spot on and fast friendly service.

Simply the best food. It takes us nearly an hour to get here, but well worth it. Great staff and always looked after. We've been coming here for years.

Really enjoyed eating here. The hot and sour soup is excellent and the chicken and black been sauce is worth the trip. the staff were very friendly and I would definitely return.

I have been eating at this restaurant for over 12 years used to be really good quality tasty food, but it’s gone down hill really bad tasteless food more expensive we went in at dinner time on Sunday (mothers day) it’s normally £15.99 for afternoon they charged us £18.99 in the afternoon I asked why and they said because it’s Mother’s Day!!!! Didn’t get anything different for the Mother’s Day menu to what you would get on a normal Sunday afternoon. For then my daughter is 5 years old only eats chips and boiled rice I said can I order them for her they said it was fine and would just charge for them to then charge me full Childs price for all you can eat I asked about this when we got the bill and said she has only had chips and rice to still be charge £9.00! They was rude didn’t change the price I was really disappointed and WILL NEVER BE GOING BACK AGAIN!!! A lot of money for a load of CRAP FOOD!!

Food was good as always, but as they were quite busy it did take a long time between ordering and serving each course. Sometimes half of us had food whilst half waited which is not good as we were not given the usual plate warmers to keep food warm today.

Very good service, decent food and reasonable price! A meal for two with a bottle of wine came to £56. The food here is above average but this place won't win any awards. But if you want a decent feed at a reasonable price give...

We have been visiting this restaurant for over 20 years and was our favourite place. It used to be an exquisite place to spend an evening with a good chief and personal attention to detail with the chinese owners. Times change, it is now very...

I've been here a few times, and I love it. The food is great, reasonably priced and the staff are so lovely. The all you can eat is fantastic.

First visit in a long time, good quality food. Service was OK, ladies for gin and tonic came in beer glass no ice or lemon?

A group of us ate here last night and we all enjoyed every plate that was presented. All food was excellent, served fresh hot and in good time. I would highly recommended this restaurant.

Food was lovely ! Best chicken chow mein I've had !