Stones Restaurant in Derbyshire Dales

We have been eating at Stones for years, in fact we used to eat at that same restaurant even before it was Stones. We came away this weekend quite surprised and disappointed. We wondered if it was just us, but we can see other recent reviewers feel the same way. We have had the taster menu many times but this weekend we opted for the three course dinner menu. The food was, as always, presented well and delicious, but Chef seems to have lost all perspective between the size of a standard course and a taster course. The pork main dish was one very small medallion of pork, not much bigger than a bottle top and a 1” cube of belly pork, half a roasted carrot and a small spoon of mashed potato. The beef fillet, with a £4 supplement was two small strips of beef, about a quarter of a small fillet steak - in fact the £4 supplement would have easily covered the cost of the steak served. The set cream dessert, a small teaspoon quenelle of set cream, a miniature scoop of ice cream and a piece of shortbread smaller than the pork medallion if that were possible. Two ladies on the next table were having the taster menu and their set cream dessert was served at the same time. In retrospect I’m sure the one served at our table must have been plated at the same time, it’s difficult to see how it could have been served any smaller as a taster course. If we are noticing the change then other regular, loyal customers must be noticing too. Our memories aren’t incorrect either, previous pictures on this site show substantially larger portions. In fact the restaurant advertising picture shows double the amount of beef than was served this weekend. Stones has always been our ‘go to’ restaurant for a special evening out, it would be such a shame if after all these years we are forced to consider pastures new.

The small quantity of food was tasty however the main course was ridiculously small . Had duck breast which was one month sized piece. We were offered a refund which was appreciated but the evening was not a good experience.

We have had some smashing meals at this restaurant over the years, always top notch, delicious and something special. Tonight, we were treated to a meal at Stones and sadly, we were left disappointed. We have to highlight the wonderful service, front of house and welcome from the friendly helpful staff . However, as tasty as the food was I have never been served a main course which was smaller than my starter! A sliver of duck breast, 4 X tiny balls of potato and a sliver of carrot! Very disappointed to say the least. The toilet was on first glance suitable until, on further inspection there was a layer of grime around the corners and skirting boards.. I am no Hyacinth Bucket,but I don't run a Michelin star restaurant! We will have to find a new special place to celebrate, unfortunately 😔

Best food I have ever had. Amazing service too, beautiful restaurant.

We were served by Tim and received excellent customer service..I feel this should be recognised. Tim was a young man who was courteous and friendly and is a real credit to Stones Restaurant

Five course lunch Stones Restaurant is a stylish,cosy, family run restaurant in the heart of Matlock. You could say it's a place for all occasions and food tastes. As they serve A la carte, set menu's and tasting menu's which include vegetarian and vegan alternatives. As well as the smart modern restaurant they have a beautiful riverside terrace where you can dine or have a pre-meal drink,weather permitting. They are open for lunch 12-1.30 Wednesday to Saturday and for dinner 6-8.30 Tuesday to Saturday. We have been on numerous occasions and the food is exceptional and extremely good value. On top of the brisk,efficent,professional and friendly service.This truly is our most perfect restaurant. They have two AA rosettes. Also listed in the MICHELIN Guide . Why they haven't got a michelin bib gourmand at least is baffling. Make sure you book a reservation as we are not the only ones who know how good it is.

What a fantastic dining experience. We went for the 8 course tasting menu with wine pairing. We thought it was excellent value at £75pp & £45 for the wine. It had a different wine for all 8 courses. A nice touch was a menu for the complementary canapés. The stand out dishes for me was the halloumi canapé and salmon tartar 😍. Hubby’s star dishes were the ham hock terrine & strawberry parfait. He also loved both canapé’s & homemade sourdough and butters. Waiting staff were great, loved it & will be back!

Our first time at Stones. I must say it lived up to our expectations. Having been to a couple of restaurants in the area with 'high end' reputations, and been really let down , either by service, food , or both, I can only say , Stones nailed it ! Great food, a delightful journey through the meal and very genuine friendliness of staff. Also...delighted with my birthday suprise at the end. Thanks folks.

What a fantastic dining experience. We went for the 8 course tasting menu with wine pairing. We thought it was excellent value at £75pp & £45 for the wine. It had a different wine for all 8 courses. A nice touch was a menu for the complementary canapés. The stand out dishes for me was the halloumi canapé and salmon tartar 😍. Hubby’s star dishes were the ham hock terrine & strawberry parfait. He also loved both canapé’s & homemade sourdough and butters. Waiting staff were great, loved it & will be back!

Our first time at Stones. I must say it lived up to our expectations. Having been to a couple of restaurants in the area with 'high end' reputations, and been really let down , either by service, food , or both, I can only say , Stones nailed it ! Great food, a delightful journey through the meal and very genuine friendliness of staff. Also...delighted with my birthday suprise at the end. Thanks folks.

Once again, amazing food and atmosphere. We again went for the taster menu, it gives you the opportunity to experience so many fantastic dishes wish phenomenal flavours. The standard of food is suburb. I'm happy to wait for good quality food, Toby carvery this is not! The staff are all so friendly And nothing is too much trouble. And I am not sure what toilet the previous review went to but they were impeccable?? I can only assume they mistakenly went to the toilet on the park. Speaking of the park the scenery is fantastic, overlooking the river, watching the world go by. Also the drinks match the food perfectly, with a drinks menu to suit all palettes, only criticism is there was too many to pick from. We will be back!

A great place for fantastic food and a relaxed atmosphere. Cannot recommend highly enough. Superb choice of food with amazing service

We had the vegetarian tasting menu. The food was "quite good". The wine pairings were poor, occasionally being somewhat matched, sometimes entirely dischordant. The service was "quite good" but slow in patches.

Excellent service. Staff were friendly and very helpful. Food, as always was excellently presented and tasted delicious! Looking forward already to our Christmas lunch in December.

Great lunch and great service as always! Lovely to have coffee on the terrace!

Exceptional 3 course lunch. Delicious canapes and amuse bouche also served prior to starters. All beautifully presented. Staff were attentive and friendly.

Fantastic quality food as always. We had the lamb and hake. They were beautifully presented and deliciously flavoured. The service was excellent too.

Beautiful food, catered to my non dairy requirements amazingly, staff were really attentive, overall a lovely night.

Fine dining that has never let us down, great place, if the sunshine is out enjoy the experience outside looking over the river, tranquil and peaceful

Amazing food with a good choice on the menu. Staff were friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. Would recommend for a special occasion.

The staff couldn't be friendlier and attentive. Everything was done with professionalism. The food was excellent, not the stack em' high poor quality, but high quality, tasty and well presented. Starting with beautiful canapés, followed with a lovely amuse-bouche, then sour dough, you are feeling well on the way to being satisfied before the starter arrives. We had Scallops, again perfectly presented and full of flavour. Mains arrived, lamb was succulent and pink, just perfect. Duck was our other main, just perfect. Two great deserts to follow finished our evening in style. We dined 7:30 until turned 10:00, a full evening experience and we'll worth it. We will be back, sooner rather than later, getting a table is the only draw back. Book early if you have a specific date.

Not what it once was , been here a few times now but unfortunately the food has got worse over the last couple of years. The staff are very friendly but the service is very slow, also the toilets are disgusting, I'm afraid they're miles away from a star.

A good range of food on all courses, excellent wine list, reasonable prices.

An excellent lunch in perfect surroundings. Good food, good service. What more do you need?

The staff couldn't do enough for us, would definitely go back if we're ever in the area again

We had a wonderful time at stones last night for my husbands birthday. Each course looked and tasted wonderful. The service was great. We will definitely be back

Great meal, great value and great atmosphere, will definitely be returning.

Excellent food and service. One drawback - the music (soul based, not to everyone's taste) was loud enough to be intrusive and also unpleasant to listen to due to a very tinny sound system. Better attention to ambience would be the icing on cake for this uniquely accomplished restaurant.

We have always loved Stones restaurant, and always given full marks, this time although it was lovely and the staff were lovely too there was some confusion with one waitress as I said she was lovely but a bit confused on most questions we asked her she said she was going to ask another waitress to answer our question about something on the menu they never came to our table, she took two happy Birthday plates to the same person but my partner didn't get his???? They had ran out of one of the starters we were not informed so had picked this particular one then were told they didn't have it, I found this strange as there are only three choices, there was a little dead fly in my glass which I noticed as soon as I sat down which can't be helped but all the things added together took the shine off the whole experience. I also felt that the main course was extremely small and this time I left feeling not a full as usual. Sorry to say but this time they fell a bit short of the usual perfection. Also when I rang to book a few weeks ago I asked for our usual table and was told I wouldn't be able to sit there as there was a big party of people and they were going to put them along the back wall. When we got there no big party turned up and it was obvious that we could have sat there. The food tasted amazing as usual.

Had the 5 coarse taster menu. Really exceptional food. Thoroughly enjoyed the 2+hours spent eating it to celebrate my birthday.

Great food and service! We sat in the conservatory area which was really nice!

Visited the restaurant for lunch with my husband and 10month old daughter. Such a warm welcome and nothing too much trouble. Lovely table with space for a highchair. We both throughly enjoyed all the courses especially the hake main. Will definitely return in the future! ⭐️

We had a fantastic evening celebrating a birthday. The service was excellent, the food was the best we have had in a long time . Every course we had was amazing , we could not have felt more comfortable, what a great evening. We have already booked again.

Outstanding, we had the 8 course taster menu and all dishes were perfect, some diners didn’t like the Stilton cheesecake as it was powerful flavour but I thought it was a great “bridge” course between savoury and sweet courses.

Unbelievable food & experience Just amazing. Had the taster menu as a treat for my 39 + 1. Completely worth it and love that it lasted 3 hours. Staff were also amazing 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

all elements were as they are every time we go we had a lovely meal pre lunch drinks on the terrace and the great food and wine inside matched with friendly polite service booked to go again

Celebrating a birthday perfectly. Lovely food and added canapés at no extra cost was a lovely touch. Attentive service. This is our ‘go to’ place locally for a special treat.

Our second visit to Stones within a month as we were so impressed. Interesting, brilliant, seasonal food served in a bright and airy restaurant. We had the three courses which were augmented by amuse bouche and freshly baked bread with flavoured butters. Each of our meals was perfectly presented and cooked and the staff were very attentive. Another fabulous evening at Stones.

Yet another excellent visit to Stones. The food, drink and service was excellent, much as I expected. We were running late and the restaurant were very accommodating and adjusted our reservation to help. Keep up the good work and keep up the flavour combinations up. I’m looking forward to coming again and seeing what flavours you put together next time. As Arnie would say “I’ll be back!”

What a fabulous find! Everything about our dining experience was outstanding! Delicious, interesting food served by friendly, attentive staff in lovely surroundings. Great attention to detail but not stuffy in the slightest. We have already booked a return visit. Thank you! 🙂

Excellent Environment. Outstanding Food. Wonderful Wine. Delightful Service. We had a super time and can’t wait to go again!

We have been a few times before and it has always been excellent. Unfortunately,this time it did not live upto previous experiences . We did not feel the menu excited us as much but due to our other visits decided to try it. A few aspects of our food did not match the standards we expect . My hake was over , no crispy skin and pesto crushed potatoes with a cream sauce ( not sure what it was no reference on menu )was sloppy with no texture. My wife had Rump of Lamb which was very fatty and completely overpowered by fennel that had been pickled to inch of its life. Other small things such as the warm bread rolls were that hot you couldn't touch them . Also we asked the waitress a few question about some of the dishes and she didn't know ,had to go and ask . Also when food was presented no description other than ,here's your lamb ,here's your hake . We had to ask for a menu to see what the full dish was. Very disappointed because you do pay over the average and usually in spite of that Stones is a safe bet. I don't think we will return until the menu changes . The Summer menu has just started so hopefully things will improve from here on in with practise . Not keen on leaving reviews like this but such a different experience to our usual ones here .Has something changed ???

The food was truly delicious with such amazing flavours.

Excellent food and service. This made our anniversary even more special.

We had a wonderful afternoon celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary the staff were fantastic and the food amazing

Amazing food, amazing service, great wine pairings. All-round one of the best meals I’ve ever had and can’t wait to book to go again.

As always - great service, great food, lovely atmosphere - amazing restaurant

Absolutely beautiful food and very polite staff Definitely would return

Amazing, innovative food, as surprising as it is delicious.

This is certainly the best restaurant I've been to this year. Every course is beautifully presented and cooked and is delicious. The canapes are a taste sensation. The staff are polite, attentive and informative. The surroundings are pleasantly contemporary and, although the restaurant is quite small, you don't feel that it's overcrowded. I highly recommend Stones for both its food and ambiance.

Visited a couple of times before and the food and service have never wavered below excellent!!

Took out of town family for the tasting menu so 6 of us. Greeted and made to feel very welcome straight away. Explanation of the courses and wine pairing was incredible! Food was amazing, service was exceptional and the atmosphere was delightful! Could not have felt more special. Loved every minute

Dined here on many occasions as I live 5 minutes away,never been disappointed.

As always food and service were great thank you

We visited Stones recently for a birthday celebration. Having booked well in advance, we were all looking forward to the meal. The restaurant has a beautiful view of Matlock and i’m sure if it were warmer it would be lovely to sit on the terrace. The food was delicious and lived up to expectations, but was sadly let down by the service. The staff were nice, but were not attentive. They forgot to clear items, forgot to bring a drinks order (although they did later take this off the bill) and missed things which would have made the experience as special as the food such as pouring the wine. Would recommend but think the service could be improved to match the quality of the food served.

Attended as a table of 6, have been previously and enjoyed the experience so was looking forward to the evening with our family. Unfortunately this time the experience was not memorable. Service was poor. Drinks ordered were forgotten, cutlery was missing, needed to ask for spoons for the amuse bouche, wine not poured for us, plates left on the table and our party had to collect and pass plates over the table to the staff. The food however was good, but the poor service made it unmemorable. Unlikely we’ll return.

Loved it! 💕 Food and wine excellent. Great atmosphere and lovely staff…….

The meal was excellent as usual, food was excellent good service and great atmosphere love visiting Stones restaurant definitely recommend & we will definitely going again in the future 👍👍

Great staff, amazingly tasty and interesting food in a lovely setting. So good we’ve booked for a return visit.

Everything was perfect, my wife and I had a wonderful evening, great food, excellent staff, we will be back.

We opted to go for the 8 course tasting menu. It turned out to be a wonderful culinary experience. The food was absolutely delicious, flavoursome and beautifully presented. As each course was served we were given a detailed description of the dish. Service was excellent and the service staff were very knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. In short, I cannot speak highly enough of this restaurant and would recommend it without hesitation.

We love this place. The whole experience is wonderful, the staff are amazing & the food is perfection. you wont be disappointed. Thank you for another fantastic evening xx

Stones is a beautiful restaurant, great value for money , and perfect for a special meal out/ celebration, we came for our retirement and the only slight negative was the music was too load , but a request to the waitress and it was turned down , it was our third visit and we will definitely be back again , it’s nice to try the different seasonal menus, a small wedding reception was in the conservatory and I would probably recommend this to someone who is looking for a small intimate venue .

Exceptional lunch in a lovely location next to the river. Service fantastic. Already booked to go again!

Went late May 2024. Had the most wonderful experience with the canopes they brought in between each meal and all the food was delicious. Only thing that could have made this a 5 star review is the staff’s customer friendliness.

Fabulous menu as always, never disappoints! Would recommend to everyone, not regular customers but it’s our special place!

We really enjoyed the evening however the courses were presented too quickly and we felt a bit rushed. We delayed ordering the dessert course to slow things down. Apart from that, the food, service and ambience were excellent. We will be back but I will need to state upfront next time that we do not want to be rushed as the occasion was spoilt a tad this time around.

A very enjoyable meal to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Drinks on the terrace was a rare treat this summer. As is often the case at Stones, the top dish in our memory was the amuse bouche - in this case a pea veloute - but closely followed this time by the mains (chicken & lamb respectively). A few hours here are highly recommended.

From arriving to our departure we cannot fault Stones. A warm greeting, super table, excellent food and great service. All round one of the best dining experiences we have had for a considerable time.

Excellent lunch taster meal today. Stones has never let us down yet for quality food, beautifully presented by friendly staff.

We visited here for lunch. Service is impeccable and everything we ate and drank from the canapés to the coffee was excellent. The restaurant itself is lovely with a great setting next to the river and an outdoor seating area. Staff will go out of their way to make your experience such a memorable one. We’d highly recommend and will certainly visit again.

First class, still as consistently impressive in all aspects of dinner out.

For a special occasion Stones cannot be faulted. Excellent food, service, surroundings. We've been many times for the lunch service but this was our first evening experience and we weren't disappointed. We'll done Stones!

My wife and I had the lunch menu with a bottle of wine followed by coffee. Everything was perfect, food, service and location. We will definitely return sooner rather than later. Oh, the steps are a little tricky.

We loved the wine pairing to explore new wines we wouldn't usually try. The food was excellent and the river view 👌

A perfect lunch to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Can't fault it at all. A wonderful venue for a special occasion. Everything was absolutely delicious. Thank you.

The food was as usual exceptional,apart from the cheese doughnut which we both thought was a big mistake.

Setting, food choice and quality all excellent. Staff were very professional, friendly and helpful.

A beautiful tasting menu in a lovely venue. Overall the food was excellent, there was just one course which I wasn’t overly keen on - the Parmesan filled donut. It was too dense and difficult to eat. But given you also enjoy canapés, an amuse bouche and breads etc, plus the tasting courses, this is good value compared with other fine dining experiences. The pastry /dessert courses were especially good. The drinks are very reasonably priced which surprised me, so another thumbs up there! Service was pleasant although did lack a little passion in places. I understand this may come with time. No one offered to take my jacket and I’d have appreciated a stool for my bag or hook - other establishments do do this given handbags can be expensive pieces of kit! However, we would definitely return; thank you very much!

Had the 8 course taster menu. Really good varied. Portions. Was full but not Stuffed. Would recommend for a treat or special occasion.

I went to this restaurant with high expectations and it certainly delivered. We opted for the lunch spring 5 course menu and it was amazing. They do serve you small portions of snacks before the course actually starts. My favourite one out of all the dishes was the asparagus soup with mint oil. It had the perfect balance. The desert at the end was heavenlyyyy. Even though the prices are a bit on the high end I would definitely recommend you to go there. The staff were so polite, they explained each and every dish to us before serving.

We've been visiting Stones for years, right from the very beginning. It's been our favourite local restaurant so I chose it to bring some friends who had never been before. Tonight however was a bit different. The staff weren't quite as attentive, one of the waiting staff kept meeting a chef on the terrace every 15 minutes to take photos of plates of food. Most of the waiting staff were in the bar area half of the restaurant so we barely saw them. Nobody asked if we wanted more drinks. The water for the table we'd asked for never arrived. The bread/butter plates and baskets weren't cleared before the mains arrived and although not terribly busy for a Saturday night, the atmosphere was just lacklustre. The food however was beautifully presented and tasted amazing. No complaints there. I think my friends wondered what I'd been raving about.

My BFF spoilt me for my birthday and took me here . We had the lunch tasting menu with wine flight. OMG!! It was the best food I have ever had. Amazing ! Service was excellent. Lovely setting. Just perfect. Well worth a visit for a special occasion.

It was just perfect. The food was very well presented and delicious. Will certainly be returning.

lovely river location great food helpful service ….

Been twice now and this is by far the best food I have ever tasted. The attention to detail is amazing. All the extras make it a fantastic all round dining experience. Will definitely be back soon. This restaurant is exceptional

Hot chocolate was late after the initial one was not right according to waitress. I had to wait over 5 minutes for replacement.

I usually say best Restaurant in Derbyshire.. I will revise that.best restaurant full stop.

Perfect in every department. Highly recommended,you won't find better

Overall an enjoyable meal but maybe a few little tweaks required to refine the diner's experience. The waiting staff were attentive and largely proficient. The outlook from the conservatory was pleasant but I would advise keeping the bin-yard gate closed. The food itself was very nice indeed, especially the canapes and veloute, although a hammer and chisel would have been more suitable utensils for the sourdough bread (a minor complaint in an otherwise lovely meal). Also, in my professional opinion, the toilet facilities and areas of decor would benefit from a revamp. 4/5 rating from myself but you have to go a long way to find comparable dining.

Incredible food from start to finish. Nothing challenging but great, tried and tested combinations put together brilliantly.....what's not to love? Good value matching wines. Service friendly and professional. After the 3rd or 4th course I asked if we could slow down a fraction and they did just that. Lovely reaction to my request. On a par with any Michelin starred restaurant tasting menu.

Our first visit to stones and was very impressed. We could not fault anything about our evening.

Amazing night again at Stones Staff were attentive whilst giving us time and space to enjoy the evening. The spring menu has great seasonal choice and I personally would highly recommend the Trio of Fish - it was exceptional Continues to be our favourite restaurant. Thanks again Stones x

Absolutely superb. Wonderful food, excellent wine pairing - we had a great time! We were so impressed by all the everyone, especially the member of staff that looked after us - she was friendly, knowledgeable, attentive and a real credit to the business. We couldn’t recommend highly enough.

Exceptional food with friendly, knowledgeable, efficient staff. A lovely atmosphere in a picturesque setting. The taster menu was fabulous, we enjoyed every course. We cannot recommend enough. We cannot wait to return.

We visited Stones this week for the first time to celebrate our daughters’ 18th birthday. It was a delight and we’ll definitely be back!!!

I would happily take the opportunity to feedback to the team at Stones Restaurant as opposed to posting constructive feedback on Open Table. If the team want to reach out to us, they have our details from the booking on May 25th, 1:30 lunchtime tasting menu with wine flight. Thanks, Dan & Gem

Another beautiful meal, friendly staff and a lovely atmosphere.

As ever, a wonderful dining experience. The vegetarian menu was much better this time than in winter, and the little touches make all the difference. The service was slightly less attentive than usual, we wondered if there were some new staff. But overall, excellent!

We went for the taster menu, one vegetarian and one non vegetarian, the food was very good, only downside was the delay between courses the service could have been a bit quicker.