Saracens Bar & Restaurant, Shirley, Ashbourne, Derbyshire in Derbyshire Dales

A tucked away gem in Shirley. Cuisine extremely good. Friendliness of staff excellent. Service superb. Should I find myself nearby again, this is the pub and restaurant I would immediately seek out! Went there with local residents Steve and Lucy, but we were all treated like locals. A real home from home! Just go there!

Wow, what an absolute hidden gem of a place. Only found this by looking on Google Maps for somewhere different..... Just had the most amazing 3 course meal with perfectly cooked fresh food, superb pigeon and creamy mushrooms on sourdough to start along with a lovely 10oz Steak with a portion of their home made black pudding and a lovely steak and ale pie, I meant to ask if they sell that BP to take away as was superb. All complimented with lovely desserts in a really nice atmosphere with plenty of space around the tables, all freshly decorated. Really friendly staff too. Definitely one to return to.

Delicious food, welcoming staff and patrons. Thank you for a lovely evening out with our dogs. 5 stars 🌟

Had a lovely Sunday roast and a couple pints of Guinness. Great food & drink, would definitely recommend.

No kids changing table. Apart from that, really great food. A little pricey but you get what you pay for. Will likely go back another time.

Delicious food, comfortable pub with a nice atmosphere. Service was very good. Every meal well presented and very good value. We would recommend a visit.

Popped in for food after a flying lesson had a great meal in a lovely pub. Will have to visit again to eat more of the great food.

Great pub in an attractive village called Shirley. Anyone thinking of going should check the opening hours .

Wow, what an amazing find. A little off beaten track but amazing team, really warm and welcoming, and the food was excellent - hot, innovative and tasty! Helped by being in the middle of a beautiful village. Dog friendly. We ate in the wonderful front garden in the sun. Thank you.

Lovely Sunday lunch between the four of us we had pork, beef and lamb meals .. all were fabulous. Liked the huge Yorkshire puddings.

Second time food just as good staff brilliant brilliant atmosphere thank you

Lovely little gem, fresh inside, food was very nice, pleasant staff, sun trap at the rear late afternoon although not much rear outdoor seating. Would recommend to anyone!

The Saracens Head is at last back to serving good quality home cooked food. I would highly recommend it

The food was delicious. Varied menu. Attentive, friendly staff, couldn't do enough to make sure we had an amazing time. Lovely, old pub, clean and welcoming.

Brilliant that the pub is back in good hands 👍

So happy to see this place open again, we had the Steak and Stilton pies, they were probably the nicest pies we have ever had. Lovely relaxing atmosphere and great staff, have booked for next time.

My wife and I just called in earlier today on the off chance for lunch. What a lovely experience as both staff and surroundings were first class. Welcoming with a smile all round and the pie with mash and veg was excellent. Also gave our thoughts to the Chef and said that we will be back very soon. A big thank you for a lovely lunch. 👍

Wow, absolutely delicious food! We were amazed by this place. Highly recommend 👌

Food great good choice of dishes staff friendly and helpful

This was my second visit after the new management had taken over. Sunday lunch was first class and excellent value for money. Would highly recommend a visit .

So glad to see this pub back and with amazing food, staff & atmosphere. Vegetarians v well catered for. Roast dinners went down a treat… oh and wow the pies 🤤 100% be back!

Fab food: great staff. Beautiful location.

Warm welcome and great food - what more could you wish for !! A fabulous village pub and well worth a visit 👍

Really looked like another pub about to close down.

We had lunch and a drink, very nice and I could recommend the fish and chips , super

Roast Sunday lunch was absolutely delicious. Chicken supreme was beautiful

The food was very nice just a little on the expensive side the beer was very good but the wine again was a little expensive

Very old pub, very quiet. Just popped in for a quick drink.

Fantastic cajun chicken, stroganoff and chicken tikka.

Had a lovely meal with friends Saturday night, delicious food, and great service, friendly and welcoming pub, will definitely be back

I recently had the pleasure of dining at the Saracens bar and restaurant in Shirley, and I must say that Candice provided exceptional service throughout the entire experience. From the moment I walked in, she greeted me with a warm smile and made me feel welcome. Candice was attentive and efficient, ensuring that all my needs were met throughout the meal. She took the time to explain the menu and even made excellent recommendations based on my preferences. It was clear that she had a strong knowledge of the dishes and was passionate about the food being served. Not only was Candice attentive to me, but she also demonstrated excellent teamwork with her colleagues. She seamlessly coordinated with the kitchen staff and other servers to ensure that all orders were prepared correctly and delivered promptly. Despite being busy, she managed to provide each customer with personalized attention. What impressed me most about Candice was her genuine friendliness and willingness to go the extra mile. She engaged in pleasant conversation and made me feel like a valued guest. She consistently checked on me to make sure I was satisfied with my meal and offered additional assistance when needed. Overall, Candice's service at the Saracens bar and restaurant was top-notch. Her attention to detail, knowledge of the menu, and friendly demeanor made the dining experience one of a kind.

Called in for a drink after a walk dog friendly pub, was greeted with a friendly warm welcome by a lovely lady who was the owners mum,we hope to return for a meal in the future would recommend visiting 😊

Visited Thursday lunchtime 17.11.2022, enjoyed the set menu. Homemade soup to start, very tasty with homemade poppy seed bread and butter. Fish, chips and peas for the main course with tartar sauce. The fish was beautifully cooked, the batter lovely and crisp and I really enjoyed this. Pudding was creme brulee with a peanut biscuit, very delicious. The service was excellent, very courteous and checked our satisfaction with the food. The value was amazing and I highly recommend the set menu. The meal cost £18 each, very well worth a trip to this little gem of a restaurant just off the A52 between Derby and Ashbourne. The set menu is not available every day, so your meal could cost more.

Happened to come in here with friends when coming all the way down from Leeds, absolutely amazing service, especially from the one female worker called “Cairrai”! Very good would definitely come again! Xx

Had a wonderful Sunday lunch here at The Saracens today. Went into the deli first and had a browse, great selection of local produce. Walked into the pub past the kitchen pass, had a chat with Anthony the chef, and were seated near the bar on a great table next to what would be a roaring log burner later in the year. (It was lit inside with a candle which really added to the cosy feel of the place) After ordering drinks and chatting for a while, we ordered starters and mains and the food was delivered to us within 15 minutes. All four of us were hugely impressed with our starters, but the Monkfish and King prawn tempura deserves special mention. Light, superb tastes with the guacamole and lime, and perfectly cooked. Roast beef, slightly pink as we love it, (but can be further cooked if you prefer) with all the trimmings, was a perfect September Sunday main. Mediterranean vegetable gnocchi was highly praised as veggie option too. Great beer, lovely wine selections and the staff were attentive and friendly without being overly hovering. A lovely meal, and would recommend highly. Well done the whole team, Anthony, Sally, Olivia, Chris and Stan. Keep it up! We’ll be back 😊😊

Amazing food and service after a nice 6km walk around Osmaston estate. Couldn't ask for more and they are very dog friendly

Just had a lunchtime drink very friendly staff good service

Expensive with not great food. We received part of what was ordered with a combination of other items not on the menu.Lots of items needing proper seasoning and flavour. Not enough Staff.

Absolutely beutiful location. Really great staff, friendly and welcoming. We only popped in for a drink, but would reccomend it if you're in the area. It's a bit pricey compared to most pubs in the area, but what price do you put on great memories. Well done guys 👍

Went on line to book but it didn't go through. Not sure if the Saracens is still closed, if it isn't then one star is flattering it

Nice friendly staff good beer and nice surroundings will go again soon

Unless you like all your food battered I wouldn't waste your time driving out to this restaurant. Staff were friendly enough but value for money is a big no. Shame as I was looking forward to a lovely evening out with special friends and found myself apologising all evening for poor menu choice.

Disappointed with the meal 😕 not how it use to be

Friday night took the lady to the pub down the road; few beers and wine accompanied with a complimentary new menu addition, vegetable paella, wouldn’t be my first choice but WOW terrific - well worth a try - We loved it thank you Chris & Team.

Really wanted to book a table now the Saracen’s Head has re-opened but their booking system just doesn’t work so I assume they are not really open - shame!

Lovely little pub in the village of Shirley. Bit of a gastro pub and is on my hot list to dine there very soon.

A Bit disappointing and over-priced, but location excellent. Locals appeared to be heading out of village around lunch time. Prices for Sunday Lunch, appear to deterred Diners ?

Not a patch on the previous ownership - sorry…. Wanted to support but the service was non existent.

Absolutely horrendous experience food was terrible a hint to your chef when you do fish and chips put some fish in the overdone batter we won't be back till it changes hands which I'm thinking won't be long . Massively expensive too 🙈

I don't often score somewhere with five stars, but this place deserved it for the food and service. We has black pudding fritters with apple salad, which were light, crispy and delicious. The goan vegetable curry was really tasty, very filling and looked amazing. My husband had fish and chips which had the most amazing crunch. We had a leisurely meal, and never felt rushed. We will definatly be back.

We have been a fan of the Saracens ever since moving into the area at the end of 2019. We recently read some reviews since ownership changed hands and many of them were not flattering. We decided to experience the changes for ourselves. I think it is important to understand that the new owners and new menu need time to settle in and find their strengths. Comparing the old owners with the new is easy but at this stage unfair. Our experience was ok. We had mains and dessert. If I had cooked either of the mains I would have been pleased. Perhaps a bit more flavour was needed. The chocolate brownie was delicious but the sticky toffee pudding didn’t have any sticky toffee sauce. The waiter removed it from our bill even though we ate it. The service was friendly and attentive. The community needs places like the Saracens to survive and the community needs to support the Saracens. Feedback positive or negative is still necessary for this establishment to make the changes it needs to reach the popularity that previous owners managed to achieve. We will go back and I encourage the community to support this business in a time of transition.

Service was excellent . The food was average.

Visited for Sunday lunch on 22/0522. This venue has been our ‘special occasion’ place for the last two decades and we would normally only visit four or five times each year as it is a 38 mile round trip from our home. Our recent visit, following the change of ownership was a real disappointment and certainly not worth the long drive. I left most of my starter and roast lamb shoulder dinner. The lamb shoulder was very poor quality and very stringy. To be fair the vegetables were obviously fresh and plentiful but very under cooked for my taste. The pork pate starter was not really pate at all but a solid lump of compressed meat (terrine?) and was really lacking in flavour . I did eat the sticky toffee pudding as I was obviously still hungry but this was poor too and quite unlike the popular perception of this classic pudding. No sticky toffee sauce and very small! My wife was happier with her meal (Roast Beef) but agreed that we have many pubs much closer to home offering superior food. One improvement is that dogs are welcome at more tables than previously. The two serving staff were excellent by the way. There were several vacant tables and parking spaces which I am sure reflects the drop in standard.

Nice little find tucked away in the Derbyshire countryside...

Amazing, attentive service. Dog friendly. A hidden luxury. The deli is also fab

I came here last year and had polite fantastic service and food, this visit was not as I expected ask if we could have food and told kitchen closed but then delivered several tables with food, just wanted a light snack to keep us going as we had cycled there, obviously too much to add to the few booked tables they had in, don't think I will bother coming back here, I will go somewhere that want my trade, and the drink prices were very high, think they are selling the glasses with every drink!

Excellent sunday lunch today and service was superb, thank you.

good ,on the high price. very good service.

Friendly welcoming staff and the best pint of Guinness for miles around. Just popped in for a drink on a wet cold walk with two soggy doggies and it was warm and cosy. The food going past looked fantastic so will definitely call in for a meal next time.

Nice atmosphere. Food expensive.

Absolutely delicious food, lovely atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff.

Possibly the best fillet steak with black peppercorn sauce we've ever had. Great pub, great staff, lovely warm comfortable atmosphere. The chef is a genius. this is what I look for when we eat out. The starter, the main and dessert, 1st class. The detail of the elements on all 3 dishes was perfect! We had such a nice evening, can only recommend this place at the best level.

Caution- the saracens head will charge you £20 per head if you forget about your booking… and they don’t offer any type of text/email reminder. During lockdown I bought vouchers for a number of local places to support their businesses and to have something to look forward to. I booked a table for a random Tuesday night a month in advance, but without a reminder, having had a particularly busy time at work and with my wife in isolation, I completely forgot about the booking. I appreciate it is poor form and it is honestly the first time I have ever done that anywhere, but I feel it is completely punitive to charge £40 for the table. I have previously enjoyed using both the deli and the restaurant- they are both expensive but good quality. However I won’t be using either again and advise you to be cautious.

We only stopped here for a drink whilst passing through on the Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk but we were super impressed. Lovely decor, friendly staff and the menu looked delicious. We got a pasty and some tiffin from the adjoining deli which were both yum! Definitely recommend and will be returning!

My favourite restaurant. Can't fault it.

A lovely pub. Friendly staff and delicious food. Great for popping by for a pint at the end of a walk or a meal with family.

Came here for lunch with friends and loved it as always. We come from Lichfield and it's well worth the journey. Friendly, professional staff, great ambience and delicious food. I had the beef burguignon and then strawberry pavlova. Fabulous. Definitely recommend to anyone for lunch or evening meal.

Always enjoy our visits to the Saracens and latest dinner for two last week was no exception. Thx again all.

It wasnt open today, but we have been here before and it was lovely. We did have coffee at the little deli to the side of the pub. This is a lovely place selling lovely produce and essentials.

Lovely food and great surroundings. It has certainly changed since we used to go regularly years ago but still very enjoyable.

Outstanding service Great food Beautiful surroundings

On holiday at bungalow in shirley. Food was excellant and very friendly staff Thank you

Just had our first meal for ages here. It was delicious! 😋 Well worth a visit. Hopefully we can go again soon! 👍

Great chef and team producing fantastic restaurant quality food for takeaway. 100% worth a try. Also great deli selling locally sourced produce also.

Used the Deli. Excellent range of goods and the bread is wonderful.

Great hot snacks, cakes & drinks at the deli.

Nice and quiet, good decor. Food 3-4 star

Had a lovely sunday lunch today. Covid safe. Food amazing as always. Staff lovely,friendly cant do enough for you. So sorry you have to close again, will be back very soon. Keep safe everyone x x

Amazing food and service as always! Thank you so much!

I like the crispy duck, and dessert, and the first dish of king prawns, they are very delicious！ The decoration is very tasteful, very good, I like it.

Really nice ambience about the place. Great food and friendly service

Well worth visit the food was delicious and the staff were very help.

Well organised social measures. Friendly professional service and amazing food.

Sunday lunch today, 27th September, amazing food and service as always. Safe dining, first class experience, thank you to all of the staff. Will be planning our next visit soon.

Rest of revue about food is still valid, however had my coat stolen during our meal. They took my number but didn't say whether there was another left at end of evening or indeed offer to supply (unlikely in the days of data privacy) or call the clients who left before us that evening from the numbers they take at time of reservation . Made sure they told me that they weren't responsible. Just left an off taste in the mouth. Old review Regular venue because it is so consistently good. Excellent meal from the Christmas and usual blackboard. Back room has more atmosphere now.

Great food, great service and layout makes you feel safe in the current climate.

Outstanding food, good waiting staff, excellent covid precautions (including a one way system and staff in full length visors). Despite that a good atmosphere and reasonably priced. Cant wait to go back.

Just had a wonderful meal , at the saracens head opening night 8th august. The first time we’ve been out for a meal since lockdown!! We knew it would be safe to go to robins and terri,s , the food as always was brilliant, always looked after so well , recommend the saracens head to anyone who loves good food well presented in a lovely atmosphere . Welcome back , robin Terri and your team !!!

No Duck for the second time now. Will not book again without an assurance which the do not give. Also stopped lyonais potatoes. Something has changed and maybe sadly the downfall of this long time amazing restaurant

The most delicious fresh food and quality service. The menu is rich and so far, every meal has been a treat. The Stone Bass dish was made with distinctive tastes. Highly recommend eating here and once again compliments to the chef.

The food was absolutely spot on I had the sea bream cooked to perfection. A good choice of beers will definitely go again.

Brilliant food, excellent service.

Very nice village pub with a great menu

A very comfortable pub with excellent staff, the food is good quality and well cooked, excellent location, and you aren't rushed. It's expensive compared to other pubs but the quality and service make it worth paying for, if that's what you are looking for!

Nice country pub/ eatery. Staff very friendly.

Lovely village pub with open fires and superb food, best to book its always packed.

Just had a meal here starters and mains with a lovely bottle of wine. Food fabulous and service exellent thank you Saracens head.

Always lovely food with great service and a friendly atmosphere

Lovely place. Food was excellent.

Supet old pub with a great roof top beer garden