The Dining Room in Derby

An absolute must to visit, food, service, drinks are all amazing quality ❤️

Very very good dining experience! The food is really good, service is friendly and good timing. I always make sure to go here when I'm in town for a few days!

Great food and excellent service!!

Beautiful restaurant, fantastic service

Mixed feelings about this review; excellent food that couldn’t be faulted; however, due to the small somewhat cramped nature of the venue the waiting staff were rushing whilst navigating the tables - my order was seemingly misheard by the waiter so I had to wait whilst the order was corrected (I watched my wife eat; then my wife watched me eat); then the waiter smashed a wine carafe at my wife’s feet, leading to a small cut on her finger (the second item of glassware to be broken by the staff whilst we were there). Though we were given profuse apologies, no discount, no on the house complimentary, no invitation to return at another time. We paid the bill in full and left. Odd service standard.

We’ve dined here for a la carte lunch and it was absolutely delicious, however we dined here for Sunday lunch and it we had tough meat and a tasteless meal. Was a shame.

We did a quick Google search for a Sunday roast , we were both extremely happy with everything , food, service and atmosphere, we will return to try the rest of the menu , amazing

We had a gorgeous meal for four on a Friday night to celebrate my sister's birthday. The restaurant only has around 20 places which gives it a cosy atmosphere. Service was amazing from all staff members. Food was delicious. It is a little pricey perhaps but well worth it, especially for a special occasion. We need more places like this in Derby 😋

We booked for dinner at 7pm and due to unseen circumstances arrived at 7.16pm and was told our table had been allocated to a walk in . We were extremely angry and disappointed. The staff were dismissive and said the table is only held for 15 minutes and then clears on their system. I did not see this on their website and it was not mentioned in their confirmation email to me on booking. It was my birthday treat from my husband. We didn’t make a fuss only to say we were very disappointed as the restaurant had diners in there. I think we acted with dignity which is more than can be said as of the staff. I contacted the restaurant through email,from their website and they haven’t bothered to respond. I think this speaks volumes that they are not interested in their customers now or in the future.

Fabulous food. Cozy atmosphere. We had the early diner deal which was good value. A lovely little place

Visited to celebrate my son's birthday. We had the 3 course early bird menu. The starters, cauliflower, melon and lamb, were all delicious. The mains, aubergine, fish stew and chicken were equally delicious. We loved that our wine was decanted, it made the occasion feel special, even though the bottle we chose wasn't overly expensive. We were served very attentively by a lady for the majority of our visit, then two young men joined her. The only disappointing part of our visit was that the maximum table size for the early bird was 4, so our kid's partners couldn't join us. Bizarre as we were the only customers in the restaurant for an hour and a half.

Amazing food, great service. Highly recommended especially for gluten free options. My vegan friend was also very happy to see something other than a vegan burger on the menu! Highly recommend the fish pie. So tasty and the fish was plentiful!

Third visit here and it's so worth it. Early bird menu this time and each course was amazing. Real effort in flavour, presentation and originality. Great options for vegetarians too. The cauliflower wings were amazing and I had a fish stew which was sublime

Our first time at The Dining Room and everything exceeded our expectations which were high, having seen they are rated number 2 on Trustpilot for Derby restaurants. Firstly, the food was not only delicious, but wonderfully different, each dish had a nice twist when it came to flavours, spices and ingredients used. We all really enjoyed our starters mains and deserts, they were really top notch and mouth watering. Secondly the atmosphere is cosy, relaxed, and inviting; music playing quietly in the background where it should be over a gentle hum of conversation. Service was excellent - attentive but informal and friendly. We will definitely return. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Fabulous food. Little gem in Derby.

Great food and service. A unique selection of whiskys too, which was an enjoyable conversation topic to chat to the owner about. Would highly recommend!

Six of us in for Sunday lunch and we had an excellent time. Service was nicely informal and really good. This is a small intimate restaurant which knows what it's doing and as a result everything is spot on. A small but well balanced menu choice including proper Sunday roast choices. Everyone's meat option cooked exactly as requested and the big surprise was having already been presented the main plates there then followed a procession of green veggies, red cabbage and some top quality cauliflower cheese. Very good portions and a cracking Yorkshire pudding to boot. Pudding menu was equally well selected but not a long list of things which shouts "bought in"! Good wine list, good coffees just really good all round. A super little independent restaurant which fully deserves your support. Highly Recommended.

We haven’t been to The Dining Room for some time but decided to go for a Father’s Day lunch. It was great. Good service. Lovely food. Plentiful portions. It’s a really nice restaurant in a very sad looking city.

We visited today for my birthday and oh my goodness it's was brilliant. Absolutely fantastic service from a very friendly guy (didn't get his name!) from the minute we walked in. So refreshing to have a waiter who does things so well. Cocktails were lovely and well made and the birthday card was a very nice touch. We both had three courses, and finished every last bit of it all! Really delicious. My husband particularly enjoyed the Thai sweet potato soup and I absolutely loved the rump of lamb. The flavours were so fresh and delicious. Felt like a real treat to visit somewhere so lovely. Can't wait to revisit! Thank you!

A business colleague booked this for a small group of us looking for basically a steak supper. Wasn’t disappointed we had 3 chateau briande between 5 of us with a few extra bits. The meat was cooked to our liking and the wine was decent. It’s a small place with maybe only 16 or covers so would definitely suit a more intimate dining experience. Although due to the size the tables are quite close to each other

Overall we would say we had a nice evening here. I feel like you pay more for the intimacy of the setting and the excellent service as the quality of the food and drinks did not reflect the price paid. They were still nice don't get me wrong, but not 2x as expensive as elsewhere nice. For starters we had the halloumi and watermelon and the Korean lamb belly. The fat on the lamb wasn't rendered enough but the flavour of this dish was good. The halloumi and watermelon was an interesting combination but the mint gel tasted like it was made with jarred mint sauce. The lamb main- no complaints it was all good. I had the ricotta soufflé and the soufflé itself was really tasty. I feel like a little bit more seasoning and getting some more colouration on the vegetables this was served with really would have made this dish shine more though. Desserts- lemon and blueberry cheesecake was really tasty albeit deconstructed which we probably would have preferred it just served as a normal cheesecake slice but it was still excellent. Chocolate cremeux- needed some cream or something to cut through the rich elements. Some of the blackberries served with this tasted like they'd been soaked in vinegar and they were little acid explosions which was really odd on a dessert and we weren't fans of this at all. Cocktails really quite a lot for what they are (9.95, nearly £10 for one small one!) so perhaps wouldn't get these again. The food portion sizes were perfect in order to facilitate your enjoyment of starter, main and dessert while being comfortably but not overly full at the end, so have to give credit for this. This place is a few small changes and slightly better attention to detail from being really great, I might go again if the menu looked really interesting but only as a special treat.

Fab again. This couple consistently turn out fab meals in a really lovely ambiance. Menu is varied and interesting, wines great match. Love it

Best Sunday roast in Derby, absolutely sensational and more than reasonable on the price. 10/10. Get the pork belly, you won’t regret it.

What a lovely find! Visited on a Thursday evening with my bestie. The food was sublime, lovely wine list and the service was faultless super friendly and knowledgable. Great job everyone, I will be back.

Another excellent experience, this time took our 16 yr old girls … great menu , professional service .. never a bad experience here

I brought my girlfriend here for our 5 year anniversary, it is the perfect place for a special occasion, one of the few 'fancy' restaurants in Derby. We came before 6pm to get the early bird deal, but would have happily paid full price for the food we got. The service was great and professional, the staff were great with their recommendations, it didn't feel like they were selling you their most profitable items and just wanted you to enjoy the best food. The restaurant is a great size for an intimate and romantic meal. The food was of course very tasty and the description on the menu was clear unlike some restaurants where it seems to be purposely confusing. The portion size was bigger than expected and filled us right up. The owner was also waiting and was very friendly with customers and her staff. Would recommend to anyone and will be returning for definite.

We've visited this restaurant a few times now and every time we've thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This time we started with the new Crab dish, which is a softshell crab cooked wonderfully and was very tasty, I opted for the Lamb starter which was wonderful and tasty. Mains were Sea Bass and Pork cheek with Pork Belly for me and they were both cooked really well. Puddings are always a delight here. Service was excellent without being overbearing and the atmosphere was good. I recommend this place as its small and intimate with exceptional cooking.

We went to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Never been there before, but we were really impressed by the food and the service. Good portion sizes too. We will definitely be going again. Not cheap, but worth it.

Fantastic food in Derby town centre

Lovely little gem in Derby City Centre. Have been couple of times and the food is exquisite. Relaxed and friendly service, excellent cocktails and they even gave me a Birthday card as they knew we were celebrating.

Good Thai food, fast service and very helpful waiters/waitresses

Loved it. Team dinner, had the whole restaurant for ourselves. Absolutely loved the meal. Starters were great taste and filling. I had the catch of the day for Mains, loved the fish and prawns with Mashed potatoes. And sticky toffee cake really hit the spot

This might sound like a negative review but it’s intended to be constructive. I along with 4 members of my family have eaten here 2 or 3 times and we love it. The food is delicious, the service good and the ambience pleasant. BUT! 1) the vegan alternative on a Sunday while delicious was tiny when compared to the roast beef which was so large it was falling off my wife’s plate. 2) Why oh why is there no cheese board? In a restaurant this good, serving such excellent food it makes no sense not to offer a cheese selection as an alternative to or in addition to dessert. 3) The desserts, while tasty were all too sweet.4) One final comment: The dessert menu is confusing and needs rewriting.

Went for dinner with my husband and a friend on a mostly cultural trip to Derby. Loved this place. Not cheap but very high standard of food and service in relaxed surroundings.

Good but very expensive!! Ate here for the first time last night with friends as had heard lots of good things. It is a super cosy restaurant with not much seating but feels very cosy & warm. Also feels like an independent restaurant which is very good to see. The service from the young lady who attended to us was excellent, she explained things very well, was very attentive & made sure we had everything we needed. We started with their home made bread which was delicious. Those are the good points, the bad points however i ordered a Peroni which for £5.25 assumed it would be a pint or a large bottle but was given a small 330ml which seemed a bit expensive. I had the lamb for main which was nice, didn't think it needed the pomegranate or feta as the lamb could speak for itself. But for £30 I expected a bit more lamb on my plate & for that price I hoped it would be one of the best lamb dishes I ever had, but to my disappointment it was not. Likewise my girlfriends Seabass which had just one small fillet again not much for the price. We spent £180 between 4 of us, £90 per couple for some bread, couple main courses & drinks, thats on par with London prices. If u have deep pockets then certainly give this place a try, I wish them all the best but won't be going back as just far too expensive for what they offer.

5 stars in all areas. Atmosphere, service, choice of background music and most importantly the food itself. I chose this restaurant as it was top of the trip advisor list, and I wasn’t disappointed. Surpasses the top of the list restaurant in London in my opinion. The Seabass Caribbean style could not be improved upon.

Fabulous meal at the weekend, all of the food was amazing and looked stunning. Service was great and staff were eager to help and so friendly. We have ahead y booked to return with a group of friends in a few weeks.

What an amazing evening, the food was fabulous and the service was great. My new favourite place to eat and have already booked our next visit with friends. ❤️

This restaurant was great for a special meal. Food was very good, service was excellent, really enjoyed. Good menu choice with excellent wine list.

Revisiting The Dining Room after a previous experience here, we had a wonderful evening and the staff (Kai, Jess and Chef) went above and beyond to ensure all went well! They couldn’t have done more in regards to the quality of service and food. Always a pleasure to dine here, leaving with smiles every time!

Fabulous menu lots of exciting seasonal choice. Great service and lovely atmosphere. Mid week and quite busy but felt cosy and unhurried.

Good service and lovely food. Waiting staff were attentive and friendly. I had the catch of the day, sea bass with fennel, orange and capers. Made me wish it was summer. My partner had the Sunday roast, lamb, which was superb. The sun roast portion was huge and topped off with a Yorkshire pud, gravy and sides of cauliflower cheese and red cabbage. All the veg was cooked perfectly. Good attention to the detail for kitchen staff. Highly recommend.

Fabulous relaxed restaurant, great food, wonderful service and exceptional food. Highly recommended, we will definitely go again.

Such a wonderful experience for ambience and quality of the food , even though it was a festive menu the options were a modern twist on classic dishes, highly recommended

Excellent food again - plenty to choose from on the menu. Starters very tasty and good portion size. Rump steak main course tasted magnificent. All food served piping hot which is important to me. Very reasonable prices. As I said before, the best place to eat in Derby!

Exceptional food. Nice calm atmosphere. Small and cosy venue. We will certainly go again.

We enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal from the festive fixed price menu. The food was faultless, everything was cooked to perfection and generously portioned. I would recommend the glazed pigs in blankets and truffle chips as sides, they were to die for. Booking is highly recommended at this hidden gem of a restaurant. As one of the few remaining independent restaurants in the area, it will certainly become a regular favourite of ours.

Booked this place for our Christmas party. The food was fantastic, there was something for all dietary needs and the price was really good value. We had such a fantastic evening we ripped them 20%. Definitely going back here with my family and friends!

No rating possible as when we arrived our christmas meal booking had been taken incorrectly (they had booked us for 2 people, not 3) so there was 'no room at the inn'. Unhelpful staff so ruined christmas meal evening as we left with no dinner. Okra across the road came to our rescue. Merry Christmas! Thank you for your comments which i find offensive as there was no taking a chance involved as was told someone must have pressed two not three and this meal was booked in September and will certainly not be booking another one.

For me,best place in Derby to eat,food is always 10/10

Delicious food, beautifully presented, and served by lovely people. This little restaurant is a gem. We were a group of 4 friends and we were wowed by every mouthful!

This place is without doubt the best place in Derby to eat... As close to perfect as derby has to offer... You will not be disappointed!

Lovely meal here from start to finish, and very reasonable prices considering the quality and quantity. Everything delicious, especially the pork belly and the sticky toffee pudding!

Booked 2 months in advance for my birthday as we couldn’t get in last year. Was really looking forward to eating here as the previous reviews were good. Got seated at a table of 2 facing a wall, the worst table in the restaurant. Food was poor and overpriced. Asked for a bottle Prosecco there wasn’t any which is a joke saying there only 10 tables in the place. My starter came out barely warm (lamb kofta) and my main (chateaubriand) was well overdone saying i only ask for it to be cooked medium. £123 later was really disappointed with this place and will not be returning.

My husband booked us a table here for our anniversary having researched the best restaurants in Derby, it certainly was that! The food was exceptional, beautifully presented and extremely tasty. The service was also fabulous. Thank you to the team, we had a lovely date night and we’ll definitely be back soon.

What a fabulous little restaurant. Food was delicious ( lamb was amazing). Great service. Would definitely recommend.

Fantastic venue, amazing food, brilliant service. Lovely meal for a family birthday, based our visit on previous reviews and wasn't disappointed.

Second visit and won’t be the last. Such a vast GF choice ( coeliac not fussy!) fantastic food, staff and atmosphere. See you again soon

Amazing food, excellent service and a beautiful atmosphere. The staff were so polite and attentive, the steak was incredible. Could not recommend it more!

Experienced food and dining service. Lunched at the restaurant after reading positive reviews of the dining room's menu, this led to an impressive experience from the staff, they were both helpful and informative. The food we ordered was among the most outstanding we have eaten anywhere. Both the cauliflower's wings and my Stilton's and Shiitake's were enjoyable. The flavors of the seasoned tuna and my rump steak were also wonderful. I can't wait to return. highly recommended and worth taking a detour to explore this wonderful little restaurant.

Looks amazing, rang to book a table for 10 but they don't accept bookings for more than 6 ?? Surely that doesn't make good business sense ? What a shame

One of Derby's little gems. Very small restaurant, if you didn’t know it, you’d pass it buy, however, The food is top quality, reasonably priced for the quality. Surprisingly good wine list. Would highly recommend

Well, what a little gem of a find. Not sure how I have missed the Dinning Room before but I'm very glad I have found it now. The food was great, varied menu, good wine list and the lady serving us was excellent. It's certainly am oasis in the Derby desert of good food.

Fantastic food and lovely atmosphere me and my boss thoroughly enjoyed it. Server was very welcoming and food was faultless.

Great food, great atmosphere, affordable pricing. Definitely one of my top 3 places to dine in Derby, and I dine out A LOT! You won't be disappointed!

1st time at the Dining Room for us. Booked for our Anniversary. Everything for us was 10 out of 10. Will be going back very soon. Thank you The Dining Room

My wife and I booked for Sunday lunch (6th Aug) we received a warm welcome, with what was simply impeccable service. The Sunday lunch that followed was simply outstanding, I can't rate it highly enough, the beef was cooked to perfection, presented beautifully, accompanied by a plethora of roasted vegetables, the plates were full... Then, red cabbage and simply the best cauliflower cheese I've ever eaten followed. The date and pecan bread and butter pudding was incredible. We're first time visitors, but we'll be back very soon. Well done guys, just keep doing what your doing 👏🏻👏🏻

What a fantastic little restaurant! Great food, really good sized portions (you won't need to call at a takeaway on the way home), the food is fresh and tasty with a lot of gluten free options. Definately recommend the mushroom starter. Service is great and there is a nice wine selection. Three courses, bread, olives and a decent bottle of malbec came to £50 each, not including tip. Will go again!

Booked this place for my wife’s birthday thinking it was a place I had never tried before. Waitress tried hard but due to tables being so close to each other was often leaning over the table to put plates down. We ordered water for the table and was given a small jug of Luke warm water for a table of six. Served the table next us and she poured the water and replenished it but not for us? Ordered a bottle of red she came back up with different bottle saying “we don’t have it but we do have this and just started opening the bottle” Scollops over cooked and rubbery very disappointed. I had the pork dish as well as my friend for mains. His was nice and pink mine over cooked. I spoke to a male waiter and explained the issue and he just walked off. After a few minutes the waitress arrived and told me it was probably the light making it seem over cooked 🙄 not impressed I can over cook everything my self but I pay for it to be cook correctly. Women manager walking pasted table no hello no touching base with us she just stayed in the corner behind the bar?? Is she okay??? Wouldn’t pay for this ever again not worth the money for such poor quality food.

The service was excellent. The food was absolutely amazing, and I will definitely revisit.

We wanted to treat our son to somewhere special as he is just back from his first year at Uni, and boy did this place deliver! An excellent and varied menu, catering for all tastes, with my choice of seared scallops, black pudding, minted pea and a lobster emulsion a real taste sensation. My pork main was a meat-eater’s delight, but I was also tempted by the vegetarian dishes as well. I do not now imbibe, but still love looking at a good wine list, and the one here is both varied, well-thought out, and offers some real value for money. All in all, a real jewel in Derby’s culinary crown, and all done in such a lovely, friendly, typically Derbian way!

Lovely little restaurant. 2nd time we've been after a long time and it is still fantastic. Cosy, great service and amazing food.

Amazing, can't recommend highly enough! Food was incredible, we had the 3 small plates option. Staff were so lovely, we had a great time!

Food was fine if slightly unremarkable. Chips were good. Service was adequate but lacking warmth bordering on grumpy. Overall an unhappy place.

Best Roast dinner I've ever had in Derby

Very intimate atmosphere, great food and service, would definitely come back again!

On coming to this restaurant looking forward to a nice meal with the good reviews we left completely disappointed with the quality of the food. The issue was the quality of the pork being very fatty and not crispy as on the menu. It was sent back but a new one came back just as fatty and even rawer pork fillet. I did go to talk to the chef but was told abruptly to leave the restaurant. I thought this was rude and unprofessional. I was not angry or rude to them but just stated what had happened. The waitress was apologetic of the situation and was there when the chef was rude to me. She apologised again and said they were stressed. The front of house staff were brilliant in trying to handle the situation but I feel the kitchen staff were to blame for the inadequate quality of the meal. I ended up paying for what we had eaten and my meal was taken off the bill but I still feel it was too much for what we had.

Beautiful. It felt like the staff and food gave us a giant hug. Myself and my girlfriend loved it. Best restaurant experience we have ever had. Scallops were wonderful just saying.

Great meal! Such amazing services and management.

Great place and amazing food every time

Had a great meal today with attentive but not obtrusive service. Starters came out quickly and very enjoyable. Main courses were chateua briand, beef rump and lamb shank and every plate went back empty. I really enjoyed the raspberry and lemon curd cheesecake and highly recommend having a nice dessert wine with it. My sister doenst usually like steam pudding but really enjoyed the sticky toffee pudding. Great meal overall and will go again for sure

The paneer was very nice. Catch of the day was ok. Deserts and cocktails were amazing. Very friendly staff but not the best service. Quite pricy. A nice experience overall.

First time visit this evening but it won’t be our last. Had the Tuna as the catch of the day. Perfect to say the least as it was the best I have had. Great service, so a big thank you.

Had a lovely evening with friends. Liked the ambiance of the restaurant. Service was friendly. Good selection of wine and other drinks. Food didn't quite live up to the menu descriptions but my pork tenderloin was very tender and the sticky toffee pudding was great.

Visited for a works meal for xmas & can honestly say we all agreed it was amazing food served with fantastic service! I would highly recommend you visit this restaurant!

Just brilliant!! Celebrated my daughters birthday here and it was exceptional. Thank you.

Just go and experience it for yourself that's all I got to say fantastic.👌

A pleasant experience at Dining Room. The food was fresh and light, leaving us satisfied.

Phenomenal! Delicious food, great service, great atmosphere. A real gem in the heart of Derby. 100% recommended.

Have always loved coming here. As a gluten intolerant, it's perfect as 99% of the menu is either gluten free by default or has a gluten free option. I've never had a bad meal, all good cooked to a very high standard and well presented. Staff always lovely, and attentive which is helped by the relatively small scale of the restaurant which aids the cozy and friendly atmosphere. Absolutely 10/10, cannot recommend enough!

Excellent food and staff were amazing well worth a visit

Was pleasant, Had the baked camenbert which was fine but cpuld have so much nicer if there an onion chutney with it. The main was the Sea Bass, which was beautifully cooked with a perfect Salsa Verdi. The side veg (cabbage and broccoli) was over cooked and a little bland, but overall a good meal. Good hosts, great service and definitely would go again

Absolutely delicious Sunday Lunch and plentiful! Highly recommend 👍🏼❤️😋

Excellent food and attentive service.

Really lovely space, great menu options and service during lunch

Very intimate dining , a lovely place for a romantic evening meal or a small celebration. Service was excellent and we had lunch from an early bird menu at 19.95 a head for two courses. The food was delicious and the menu was varied . Very interesting taste combinations and alot of local produce. Great range of wines and cocktails. Will definitely visit again !

I visited with a group of work colleagues, two of us had the scallop starter and became very ill later that night.

Good food, attentive service, good value. Best restaurant I've been to in Derby for a good while. Will be going again.

Hands down the best Sunday Roast that you will find in Derby and it’s surrounding areas. We both opted for the Lamb. Simply exquisite. Great range of wines (including English wines). Be sure to go hungry as the portions do not disappoint and your tastebuds will refuse to let you send anything but an empty plate back to the kitchen.

We found this place while looking for a nice restaurant to eat at in Derby. The ratings made it seem that we really should try it out and we were not dissapointed. We like to cook and look for something a bit special when eating out and although the menu looks pretty standard the actual presentation and details are fantastic. We had the prawns and scallops to start and both agreed the scallops were the best we have had. The pork belly main was delightful with all kinds of interesting things to accompany a perfectly cooked pork cheek and a generous cube of belly of pork. We are definitely going back soon!