The Exeter Arms in Derby

Great Spring Menu 5 * service from Chloe Westcot attentive and polite

I had the rib eye steak and thick cuts chips and it was beautiful nothing wrong with the food. Just it seemed like the servers and especially managers didn’t like me or didn’t like the fact I was on my own. And I tried to be helpful and give the glass of water back to the manager and he like scoffed. So I thought they were very rude. But apart from that I had a pleasant experience

Amazingly decorated inside. The women's toilet was especially good. Food was a bit pricey but nice once in a while.

Salad with a dried up MOTH!!!!! Manager was too much of a coward to even come and speak to us. Disgusting! Never to come back!!! Luxury? Yes of course….

Very expensive breakfast for 4 came to a £120.00 😩

Came here for lunch and loved it. Highly recommend.

I liked the style of the Ivy, but it felt that there werent enough servers on. It took a while to have our order taken. The food came out in good time. But it took an age for the plates to be cleared, and then they were half cleared...as our waitress started serving food again...so we didnt stay for dessert or coffee. Again, food was good but service needs to be sharper, its not what I expect...having been many times to the actual Ivy where the service is always on point.

Wasn't sure what to expect as first visit & lots of hype when it opened but it was absolutely lovely. Great atmosphere, lovely food, great service, we weren't rushed at all and spent the whole evening relaxed and catching up with friends.

Afternoon tea was mediocre at best and very expensive. Certain cakes were inedible, cream for scones was grainy and over solid. All in all a very disappointing experience

Amazing experience, great service and exceptional food. Highly recommend!

Absolutely wonderful celebrating breakfast with my partner for our birthdays on 23rd & 25th & then my son joining us with his fiance having a birthday yesterday on the 24th. So all in all lovely enjoyable morning, The Ivy, Exeter.

Unpleasant smell as you entered the building, possibly from the fish. The background music didn't match the ambience of the place. Seating was too cramped. I struggled to get booked in on 3 previous occasions. Food was nice but very overpriced as were the drinks and we were asked if we wanted water when seated which we were charged £5 for. They had sold out of my first choice of main dish, the Guinea Fowl special. Service charge is automatically added, our service was excellent and well deserved but I would have preferred to tip the waitress to ensure she got it. Overall, nice experience but probably wouldn't go back.

An affordable treat for brunch, lunch or dinner in Exeter. The Ivy is always busy which adds to the atmosphere. Pleasant, friendly staff provide a relaxing feel which, along with the decor, make eating here a pleasure.

I had an Ivy English Breakfast, sadly I wasn’t impressed, both fried eggs were hard, the tomato was cold and uncooked properly, bacon cooked one side only, sausage and potato’s ok. Toast wasn’t granary as told, but Soda bread, rock hard and cold. I ate very little, very disappointed. Staff lovely though and attentive. I didn’t make a complaint.

Amazing place, fantastic service, great food and venue

Went later, so much quieter, but food and service was very good.

Gorgeous restaurant, excellent breakfast, with superb service. Recommended.

Service good but the food is not good. Soooo over priced. They trick you into thinking it’s nice by having nice wall paper. Unfortunately you cant eat the wall paper .

Afternoon tea was perfect 👌 definitely worth going.

Food was excellent. Staff friendly and helpful. Service was very good. Definitely recommend especially if you have a celebration.

Unique atmosphere and decor, food reasonably priced and delicious. Service by Maya was amazing, very polite and professional

Mediocre meal at best (a M&S dine in deal would have tasted better) it appeared as though the food was pre-prepared and warmed though, quite bland and dried up, no information regarding any locally sourced ingredients. Service was ok but staff very disinterested. Lacks accessibility. Would far rather go to Harry’s for superior quality freshly cooked locally sourced food and amazing service

Had a great meal at The Ivy last week, the food was fab and our waitress Emily deserves major credit for our experience. She was great and so helpful. Will be returning ! :)

Table wasn't ready when got there. No room at the bar, so either stand in entrance or sit outside in the cold, under heaters, on a very chilli night. Not a good start. Once again our table was where everyone came in and on the way to the ladies loo. Every drink that I asked for they did not have, another disappointment. Food was very good, but a couple of main courses were not particularly hot. Very noisy so hard to have a conversation with our friends.

We visited The Ivy Exeter today 24-02-24 and had the most amazing experience, from booking with Jemima who couldn’t have been more attentive and catered for the variety of needs the birthday group had. She was so welcoming on arrival, and again on leaving she continued with wonderful customer service, our Ivy experience was definitely made special because of her. The food was unbelievable, absolutely exquisite, from the presentation to the taste, as a group we couldn’t fault anything! Our server Caitlin was also fantastic, nothing was too much trouble and she made the birthday girl feel very special. All in all 10/10 across the board. Well done team Ivy Exeter x

Me & my sister came last night and we were served my Keira - she was so lovely & her service was amazing. The food & cocktails tasted amazing too. Thank you to Keira & Paula for making it such an enjoyable night

A lovely meal with fast and friendly service from Emily. Really helpful and added to our experience. Can’t wait to go back for some more gorgeous food.

Took a friend there last night it was the best meal experience I've had in a long while

It was my first time dining at the Ivy , I came with my partner and we had the best time! The food was amazing and our waitress Emily was so kind and helpful , she recommend some lovely dishes for us to try and we absolutely loved them! Thankyou Emily for making our first experience at the Ivy a great one :) We will definately be back!

We had a great meal here, they create a luxury atmosphere and deliver on the service too

Never usually do reviews but I came for my birthday and our server Emily Jones just made my day all that special, I have never had a dining experience as great as she made it! Lovely food & good vibes. Thanks Ivy Exeter:)

We enjoyed the food immensely and the restaurant decoration and building is beautiful. We were there for a very special occasion to celebrate two recent family events. My reduction in stars is because of the service which was rude and either badly trained, or badly managed. We were blatantly ignored on several occasions - it was extremely frustrating - and at one point were snapped at by the waitress who said she was with another customer, which left me quite angry. It is completely normal to alert waiting staff that you have a question, and then wait while they finish with another customer. In fact there was no way of _not_ doing that, because there weren’t enough staff - so someone was always with another customer! It felt impossible to win, given the waitress’s angry logic. We had waited 15 minutes for Prosecco for our celebrations, and when it finally came, it came with the fresh juice we’d ordered to accompany our brunch. The brunch came less than five minutes later, and so I found that both drinks got warm and the staff completely missed the concept of ordering a celebratory drink to enjoy first, vs a juice to accompany food later (we did state that this was how we wanted the drinks to arrive when ordering). Overall I left feeling quite pissed off that we had paid a lot for a pretty shoddy service during a moment that was meant to be a celebration - I have never experienced being spoken to like that by waiting staff before, to be honest, so I’m surprised and irritated that the first time was in the Ivy.

Nice place with great food. Probably a bit over-priced, even though it is a "fancy" restaurant. Service was good but not exceptional (sometimes hard to attract attention of a waiter).

As my daughter is at University here in Exeter we thought we would book a few days away and I surprised my husband with a booking here at the Ivy in Exeter. The staff were great and the setting is lovely, however I was so underwhelmed by the food. My husband had the burger and it came with “thick cut chips”, no chips were thick cut here at the as the chips were frozen, would not have expected that and we were disappointed. I had the duck curry and I thought they had bought me the wrong dish, the little duck I had was the texture and flavour of pulled pork. The portion size was more of a starter. What a shame when it’s such a lovely setting and the service was delightful.

Nice. Staff great. Atmosphere very noisy, seating/tables very cramped - ours was too close to table either side for us to converse in private. Food is excellent. Venue a sort of cramped garden centre, with OTT Ivy images. Value for a money? Not really. Promises more than it delivers, which is pretentious.

I found it very expensive. The breakfast was not very good at all. and £15 service charge. I won’t be going back

Lovely place, lovely food, and great service

Food and service were excellent, unfortunately we had counter seating which smacks a bit of cramming people in for the sake of it, chairs only swivelled so if you're a big unit you'll struggle with the space afforded. The food was great, not the cheapest but the service was of an excellent standard so a case of getting what you pay for I guess, will I be rushing back ? Probably, but will make sure I book a table.

It's an excellent place to enjoy the atmosphere, nice food, and to walk around the cathedral afterwards 😋

A truly delightful experience, I went for a birthday afternoon tea, and The Ivy did not disappoint. The staff were charming and attentive, the decor is maximalist to perfection, and the food is exquisite. We had a delicious selection of sandwiches, cakes, and scones as well as champagne and tea to follow. There was even a cascade of dry ice from the top of the cake tower on arrival. Highly recommend for a special occasion or any occasion!

Nice to go here when it's slightly quieter, it's the second time we've been on a Monday evening and it's still the excellent food, fabulous service and imaginative drinks you'd expect, but you can actually have a conversation without raising your voice! Nice selection of alcohol free cocktails too. Brilliant evening. Thankyou to all the staff too .

Me and my friend went to the Ivy for lunch on Friday. The entrance to the restaurant was clean and we were welcomed in by the lovely receptionist (Tia and Laura). We were the served by the lovely Abi, whose service was outstanding through out. All of our food was delicious and would recommend the Parfait as a starter. I would also like to mention that all of the staff were very attentive and made sure that we had everything that we needed. Also like to mention: Luke, Michal, Fabio and Jay, for making the lunch extra special.

I went here for the first time with my wife and parents and all four of us loved it, the food was great, service great and ambience great. One of the best dinning experiences I’ve had in years. I would recommend it to anyone. Thank you.

Me and my boyfriend Are going on the 11th of February and it's our early Valentine's Breakfast and I do have a gift voucher Breakfast for 2

Had an amazing night out with Rain as our waitress, they were absolutely lovely, so friendly and made sure we had everything we needed as well as stopping to chat whenever they could. Would rate higher if I could, they absolutely need a raise.

A very good ivy in the centre of Exeter, food is up to ivy standards and wait staff very friendly, would definitely go again!

Situated in an old bank, directly opposite the cathedral. Decor is a mix of art deco, chandeliers, tropical wallpaper & even pink loos with roses all over the ceiling. There was a mix of seasonal specials, a 1917 set menu plus A La Carte options. I personally detest mushrooms but the chef was unable to adapt dishes from the set menu, a lot of which were very funghi centric. They did keep asking about allergies / intolerances however so I'm sure dishes could be adapted for health reasons. Unless stated, dishes generally do not come with vegetables so you have to separately order chips / seasonal veg etc. When the server asks if you want water for the table, be aware that a bottle costs £4.95. Good selection of cocktails plus non-alcoholic ones but the latter cost £9 each. Service was fairly clinical & not that friendly, although the receptionist was nice & appreciative of our custom. They operate a loyalty card where you earn points for your total spend which can be redeemed against future spending. All in all, a beautiful setting, including a lovely room for private dining, but food was over-priced for the portion sizes.

Not the best ivy I've been too but still nice and the service was fantastic

Sobs. St petrocks have been there years and years. Helping and providing for the street homeless and vulnerable. Ever since they have been established they have made out it's not a suitable place for the homeless to be outside,people may not o chose to eat there . So now at petrocks they have a limited service. All to make the ivy look good disgusting

My Husband bought a £100 promotion voucher for the Ivy and was told we must use it before the end of March to receive a complimentary bottle of champagne . Upon arrival, at lunchtime on New Years Eve , we were just acknowledged ,and shown to our seat , no welcome greeting or even a smile. Once seated, I liked the decor and the ambiance of the restaurant , but thought it was a shame to see everybody's coats & scarfs thrown over the backs of their chairs. We had corner bench seats , without backs , so had no choice but to place our coats on the seats beside us, which was awkward when the party at the next table arrived. My Husband asked a waiter if there was somewhere he could take our coats, which he did , and brought us back a cloakroom ticket. I thought it was shame that is not standard service . We waited 15 mins and then a lovely young lady asked if we would like to order drinks. . We gave her the £100 Champagne/lunch gift voucher my Husband had purchased the week before. Another 15 mins past and an Asian Gentleman told us we couldn't use the voucher until the 2nd of Jan . This was NOT explained to my Husband when he purchased it. We were upset as there was now an unpleasant atmosphere and we had been really looking forward to trying lunch at the Ivy. The Asian gentleman said he would see what he could do , which we greatly appreciated. Eventually, the waitress arrived with a bottle of champagne. We had been there for 1 hour at this point. She told us she was new and this was only the 3rd bottle of champagne she had opened. She opened it and a least a glass full went over the table & floor. She was embarrassed but we reassured her it was not her fault if she was not trained properly.. Its a good job it was complimentary. The food was ok, nothing special, apart from my Husbands steak . He said it was one of the best he's had . When the bill arrived, we had been charged for the champagne! This was eventually taken off. Upon leaving we handed the arrival lady our ticket and she handed us our coats. My Husband took mine, and helped me on with it. It only takes a second to help a lady on with her coat, especially an older lady . These little touches take so little time and there is no cost to you, but make all the difference. There was no farewell , Happy new year , hope to see you soon. You only get one chance to make an impression and make people want to re visit your restaurant, so I hope you don't mind my feedback. Training your staff properly , and customer service is so important . I have twice , emailed to you my thoughts, but have not had a reply . If I were the restaurant manager or owner , I would like to know. Kind regards Nicola Perry

A sticky start as my daughter who was organising the event (my other daughters Wedding pre celebrations) called when the diet had changed for one of the guests and told a baby couldnt to attend aswell even though she had booked for an "additional" high chair. Told that 48hrs needed to be given for gluten free diet and that a 5th person (a baby)!! should be reserved so we wouldnt be able to attend. She decided to tell them we wouldnt bring the baby to keep the spot. However on the day a lovely reception and the staff were wonderful Even though the baby didnt attend although table was laid up for 5! Lovely waitress x Lovely memories were made especially for my 5 year old grandaughter x Worth the service charge just issues before attendance as lady was rude on the phone

Can't even put into words how awesome The Ivy Exeter is .... Fantastic Service , great food and superb atmosphere! thank you!

Overpriced pub food as always. Lovely decor but try Cote a few doors along. Not so pretentious, and vastly superior food.

1st time at the Ivy and well worth it. My birthday treat from my wife xxxx

Went in for early breakfast.Decorations too busy for me. ( All very large flower/plant prints on walls and ceiling)

Usual Ivy experience. Lovely atmosphere, great food and excellent service. Only let down by having a table that was clearly too small for the 5 people that we booked for.

We had the most lunches here this weekend. We busted Friday and Saturday as we were so impressed. Amazing food and excellent value. The staff were lovely just the right amount of interaction. The 1917 menu is a must! Thank you The Ivy for making our weekend in Exeter such a memorable one. We are back in March for sure for birthday celebrations.

Very helpful staff on the door who reserved a table, just a 45 minute wait, so time for a little more shopping. Lovely atmosphere and attentive staff, Superb three course meal and extensive menu, happy with the house wine. Only critiques were pouring salt and brine with olives, apart from those little things, wonderful food. Will be back.

We came for our first visit Friday 5th January for a birthday & honestly had the best time, it really made my day. The food, atmosphere and the service we received from Anastasija was just amazing. We will definitely be returning

A grand atmosphere, very pretty. Friendly staff but perhaps could’ve been more proactive. Also, I didn’t enjoy being seated essentially shoulder to shoulder with neighbouring diners. Very timely service, a delicious and beautifully presented mushroom and truffle linguine, albeit served a little colder than I prefer. Strawberry and lime margarita was fabulous, I enjoyed the sugar rim.

Very friendly staff, tasty food and great surroundings. Couldn’t give it 5 stars as there was a little mix up with the order (it happens) but it was rectified and we would definitely return. 4.5 stars

Great place With superb decor Been a few times Was in for NYE found the service wasn't as good as previous visits

The food was good and there was excellent service. The only thing that let it down was that the toilets were not up to the usual high standard.

Fabulous festive afternoon tea. Great food, bubbles & friendly staff. Beautiful decor & loved the dry ice on the cake stand.

Amazing food and service Luke was fornominal a credit to the Ivy, excellent attention to detail, the whole experience was great, highly recommend Exeter Ivy because of Luke, the food and ambience.

Nice place. Most luxurious restaurant in Exeter without any doubt.

I have to say the venue is lovely, the service was ok, but overall i felt let down. When booking online, it asked if it was a special occasion, which it was and i put a comment in dietary requirements thatbisbwas a 60th birthday. I don't know why they ask, as they did nothing to make it special at all! We ordered drinks and food, the wife had fish and chips and i ordered the duck curry. I had to send the curry back as it was Luke warm, the wife had nearly finished her meal by the time i got my hot curry. To top it off i was very disappointed to see a 12.5% "service charge" added to the bill. I find this very annoying and underhand, it should be the customers discretion if they want to leave a tip, not automatically put in the bill!! Yep disappointed and let down.

Probably the best of Exeter's branded restaurants, good atmosphere and service, ideal lunch spot

Really lovely food and drinks. High quality and well presented. It’s quite pricey but very good. Lovely setting and decor also and a nice atmosphere. Despite the price however you are shoulder to shoulder with the next table, and the service was very poor. It was clear they were understaffed on the night I went with slow service, and having to remind the server of drinks and dessert menu. Not good enough for the price.

Starters were good but both the mains (turbot and burger) were overcooked (particularly the burger - it was bordering on burnt) and there was also no brown shrimps in the butter (as the menu described) and the creamed spinach was watery and quite bland. All that was offered to compensate was free tea and coffee with our desserts and as we didn’t want a third course we didn’t get this. They didn’t even suggest an alternative offering (eg another drink) or to take any money off the bill, which given it was £33.95 for a small piece of Turbot felt very tight. Overall as nice as the atmosphere is in this restaurant £160 for a meal for two when we only had 2 drinks each and mediocre food is just not good value for money. Can’t fault the service or restaurant atmosphere but sadly we won’t be returning.

This place looks fabulous and is a treat to behold, but the food was really underwhelming and the service was slow. Overall I was disappointed.

My first visit to The Ivy and it was a good experience, Our waitress was superb looking after our party's every need. I paid my part of the surcharge, I am just sorry the rest of my friends didn't. I was a little disappointed that The Ivy didn't have any Christmas decorations up as it was December and would have just completed the special experience.

Great food. Service a little slow. Expensive but very good quality. Special occasion place.

We went to The Ivy, Exeter to celebrate my daughter's birthday. We were seated outside but it was icy and the staff re seated us inside. They were so accommodating. All of the staff were "on it" The service was excellent! The food was fabulous. We will definitely be back to eat and drink here. I would recommend it too.

Overrated. Lots of hype but it's a slightly odd dining experience. Every staff member calling you Sir and Madam every 5 minutes. It all just feels quite performative and forced. Food is good and varied menu options - about what you'd expect for the price. There's no soul to the place though. Head to an independent restaurant where you can - this is just another chain, dressed up fancy.

Called in for cocktails, had to sit at the bar,which was difficult for 4 of us to have a conversation. We asked if we could sit at a table, which the staff found us a table. Very helpful & friendly staff.

Fabulous food and excellent service - so lovely to spend an evening at The Ivy. The only sufficient word I can use to describe our dining experience is 'magnifique'!

1st visit to this chain of restaurants. The festive menu was on offer with a range of prices and dishes. The waiting staff were very attentive and helpful. They were accommodating when I enquired if I could have a starter course for my mains choice. Found the interior design of the restaurant quite a talking point, in a good way.

We came here for our wedding anniversary after so many friends told us this was the place to go. The staff were polite, welcoming and very friendly. The counter seating we had was spectacular and the food and drink surpassed our expectations and made this special occasion a night worth remembering. The whole atmosphere had you feeling like you were transported to a magical world that was art deco meets botanical gardens. If you're looking for a place to celebrate and make memories, this place is my number one recommendation.

Wonderful brunch ....excellent service can't wait to come again *****

Great place for fish and chips. Finish off with great dessert.

It's nice, it's definitely of Ivy standards. Was served by the wonderful Justine, and a young lady who is possibly Latin American, the bearded guy was a bit surly but sparked into life l, hence the dropped point. I can't comment on the food but what I saw coming out and next to me looks majestic. Probably better to invest in a bottle of wine, rather than glass by glass. Tremendous cocktails, highly recommend the old fashioned and one the name of I can't remember . £80 two cocktails and 3 glasses of wine a bit over the top

HATS OFF TO LAURA ! thank you so much …….excellent food !

Poor service. Stopped for pre-dinner drinks and after being given a jug of tap water, waited more than 20 minutes for drinks to be brought to our table (with no apology). Nice venue but won't be returning.

A great atmosphere in a restaurant with great decor and ambience. The food was nice but nothing special.

Great front of house staff very welcoming and helpful. Chelsie our waitress was brilliant, helpful, informative and attentive. Down side, overpriced and poor quality for what you get. Silverware unpolished and the inside black. Would not recommend, there are better restaurants around.

Absolutely fabulous. Service exemplary, food fantastic and ambience amazing 👏 thank you 😊.

Service was mediocre waited an hour to be served with less than average food for an expensive price 100% had better at a Wetherspoon 200% had better at home won’t be going again Crap

What can we say, well we have visited twice in a week so I think that says something! Amazing friendly staff who are happy to advise on the ales, let you try them and also just really welcoming! We visited this second time with our puppy dog and they were brilliant to bring a bowl of water and make him welcome. But aside from that, this is a very traditional boozer where you feel comfy, very British and if you try the food then OmG! We have travelled and we like to think we appreciate good food, so this menu has made us go wow… twice! Gorgeous food (fish and chips with the most amazing chips and cockles too!) fantastic portions and amazing service. I can’t really say any more (and no, I don’t know the owners or have been paid to write this). Really looking forward to our next visit. Thanks guys.

Was welcomed here with a friendly smile and shown to our pre-ordered table. Offered samples of the range of ales and given menus. I had the homity pie which was simply delicious. Service was spot and, such helpful staff. A real pleasure to spend time here.

We’ve been in Derby for a week’s holiday, ate here three times, and what can I say, absolutely brilliant. Just had Sunday lunch, couldn’t have done better myself. Would highly recommend here to eat.

I visited for the first time in over a year for a drink and was made most welcome by the bar staff. The ale was in tip top condition and didn't have to wait too long for service . The 2 staff I encountered were both charming and pleasant and a credit to the establishment. Overall a pleasant experience and I shall return.

Brilliant pub with good choice of real ales and wine and the food was excellent on both occasions that we ate there over the weekend 11/14 June 2021. Staff were so friendly too.

The food was amazing and the staff so friendly. Thank you. We ordered to be delivered to Derby Marketplace and the food was piping hot when it arrived.

Visited with my sister and ordered two donor kebab wraps. Quiet disappointing to find barely any meat so more like a salad wrap!! Every time I’ve been previously it is always lovely. Staff are very warm and welcoming. Nice establishment - very cosy!! Would recommend

We ordered through the Derby Market Place for delivery. The food was good and delivered when requested. We will probably try eating at the actual establishment sometime.

We ate at the Derby Market Place and had our food delivered from the Exeter. It arrived promptly in the requested timeslot and in insulated containers with napkins and cutlery. Food was great for all four of us. We went along to the pub itself later for drinks and were shown to our table after checking in. Drink orders were taken at our table and included some excellent recommendations from Lee (cheers mate!)

We visited with a few friends for drinks and ended up having food too. The layout of the pub is so lovely and a really good find in Derby. They have a great selection of beers and the food was fabulous!!

Excellent service and an amazing selection of varied alcohol and food tailored for everyone’s dietary requirements! Service came with a smile and promptly! Will be recommending to everyone I know looking for a great pup with excellent prices, service and selection

Great food and atmosphere. We were able to order food and drinks online via our phone which is a nice new feature. The food was excellent (as always) but was a bit of a wait for drinks.