The Fishpond Freehouse in Derbyshire Dales

Very friendly lady at the bar this afternoon. Smiles all round, and no requests were a bother. I will be back!

Top night. Had a live band on for New Year Eve. Great atmosphere

If you want a fantastic carvery in a beautiful location then this is the place to be. The staff at the Fishpond are most welcoming, friendly and the establishment is ran like a well-oiled machine. There is a very relaxed ambience and it's such a nice place to be in My wife and I went for a lunchtime carvery and were blown away by how amazing the food was. I cannot recommend it enough You do have to queue up the staircase to get to the restaurant where they serve the Carvery and if your sat downstairs then u have to carry a tray with your plate on so if your elderly or disabled then you may need assistance from staff but the staff are very approachable and cannot do enough for you. They are amazing There is a lovely selection of meats, plenty of different vegetables, the roast potatoes are to die for and the mashed potato was some of the best we have had. Plenty of sauces available such as Apple Sauce for example. The room we were sat in near the bar was very quaint and quiet which made the experience even better Thankyou Fishpond Hotel for having us and we will definitely be back

Visited on numerous occasions and often stay most of the evening. Food excellent with a wide variety of choice. Burgers to Asian speciality cuisine. Beer - Neckoil is a favourite here. Bar and waiting staff are friendly and efficient, and they make sure that there’s not much waiting at the bar. Only downside was this Friday (Feb 21st) the rock band (Freeway) was just too dang loud! I could forgive the singers *dubious* vocals at times because he was fun to watch, but I despair when essentially a good rock band thinks everyone wants to be deafened. We’ve been in when there’s been a covers band, Irish folk, and rock and it’s been pleasant, but we had to move on Friday and eventually left early.

Excellent in every respect. With three grandkids and a dog we felt very welcome and custom appreciated. We had a nice table by the fire so were very comfortable. We just seem to beat the rush and our food order was met very quickly. The food was great. We had two pizzas and houloumi bites for the three kids and a chicken burger between the two adults. All food well cooked and presented. Two puddings between the five of us. Quite sufficient food unlike some establishments. Would highly recommend. Will be back. Thanks to all the staff for making this a nice experience for us all.

Had steak dinner on valentine's day Both steaks cooked perfectly, the proper chips were really good. Got sides of garlic prawns and garlic mushrooms, both cooked well and actually tasted of garlic 😋

Had a thoroughly good evening here , some very good service and food was impressive. Had the dirty onion burger, and it was gorgeous, really high quality meat cooked with the slightest blush of pink, sauces and onions all complemented and enhanced the burger. Chips were proper chips one of the best burgers I've had in a long time.

Went here over the weekend with my friends and the food looked and tasted phenomenal. There was a live band playing. Great atmosphere.

Beer is good, food is excellent, and the real log fire on a cold January day just made it perfect. Dogs welcome as well

Come here quite often for the carvery and I must say it's outstanding and definitely value for money. Plenty of meat and a great fresh vegetable selection. The carvery always looks appetising, well stocked and plentiful. The meat is always melt in the mouth and I like the fact you can pick how you'd like your meat cooked. Wether it be done well, medium etc. As with other carveries the meat isn't cut wafer thin. I've always found the staff to be pleasant and helpful and that the ball room is dog free. I'm sorry but I don't like eating round them. If I was to pick fault I'd say some weeks the vegetables are cooked better than others and I find the stuffing balls very heavy and stodgy. That is my personal preference but saying that I have never come away not thoroughly enjoying it and plenty of other things to pick. Myself and my husband rave about it to everyone. Lastly the crackling is spot on and if you snooze you lose out on that. Sometimes toy with the idea of trying other places but when you find somewhere that ticks all your boxes it's not happening

Fantastic portions and quality of food

Was my local many years ago. Me and one of my best friends use to meet here alot. Since she passed away I've found it hard coming here but managed to get over my fear. My reward? Great food and drink

Popped in today Friday for a drink. I must say the young lady serving behind the bar is a credit to the business. A great friendly personality who was great engaging with the customers. A good mix of people in the bar area and dog friendly 👌

Sunday Carvery was amazing. Great choice of meats and veg. Would highly recommend

Very nice spot in Matlock Baths with excellent seafood

Booked in for the carvery and wow the best Sunday meal I’ve ever had fantastic food and excellent choice of meat fantastic staff thank you

Excellent carvery with lots of choice and all of great quality! Reasonably priced too, would recommend!

I had a good time, the food was good the pub was very cosy and warm with a real fire 🔥 staff could be a little bit more attentive, good selection of food and drink on offer.

We really enjoyed our meal here. Food is reasonably priced and portion sizes are really generous. The only downside for us was the queue for the carvery. My partner ordered a carvery and the rest of us ordered from the menu. By the time my partner returned to the table with his carvery meal, we had all been served and had finished eating! There was only one person serving at the extremely busy carvery, on a Sunday afternoon. The location is lovely and the pub is dog friendly.

No complaints. They made a small mistake with the order and fixed it really quickly, staff were super helpful and friendly. Fish and chips were pretty fab

what a great way to spend New year , well done to all at the Fishpond , we had a great night.

The best carvery I've had in a long time! The meat was so well seasoned and the veg perfectly cooked.

Really great food, nice generous portions too. Especially the desserts. Good selection of veggie food and non alcoholic beers which really suited me today! 2 adults and 2 kids and all enjoyed ourselves. Staff were super friendly and helpful

Amazing food n service. Has good Vegan options. I highly recommend a visit.

Looking for something to eat in Matlock Bath that wasn't Fish and Chips for 9 of us. They were incredibly busy and seemed quite stressed but welcomed us in along with a warning it could be a long wait and the menu had been hammered. With little other choice we stayed and it was well worth it. Took a while to get served but she was brilliant and even then brought our drinks to the table. The wait for food was not as bad as they thought and it was well worth it. Only 1 person had to pick something else. For the adults we had a burger, sausage & mash, pie & mash and then the BBQ Pork Belly which everyone agreed looked like the best and I can confirm as it was mine it was so good. I normally get food envy looking at other options but this time I was the winner. That being said everyone enjoyed their meals and every plate was clear including the kids. Prices were alright and I would recommend to anyone.

Excellent gluten free options! It was pretty packed when we arrived but we managed to get a table. Promising aromas of seafood filled the room, so we plumped for fish and chips. Pleasantly surprised that they had gluten free versions of this and other dishes. It was a fresh, light and crispy delight!

We went out in Matlock Bath to see if there were any decent food places for dinner, not expecting anything sensational, but we are so glad we stumbled upon this place. Everyone said the food was absolutely amazing. They warned us of a 45 minute wait for food, but it arrived considerably quicker. We are so pleased and couldn't have expected something this good. Highly recommend this!

A nice warm and cosy pub, reasonable selection of food and drink on offer, we both chose the afternoon menu meals and upon ordering we were told that they were not available even though they were listed on the menu, the pub itself is pleasantly nice inside with a warm feeling however the bar staff could be a little more enthusiastic whilst going about their jobs.

First class food is perfect Sunday carvery, chest is very polite , nice pub highly recommended

Lovely pint of Hartington bitter

Great food, great service and a lovely gem of a place….

Food was good, drinks were good. Service was great and it went further than 'how are you, what do you want to eat'. It was busy on a wintery Saturday during a storm, which says a lot. Would definitely go back again

Food average , overpriced for what you get. Staff tried their best, weren't very informative, just didn't seem to be any atmosphere.

Lovely reasonable priced food with friendly service.

We came to the fishpond as we do frequently Usually we’re so happy with the service and atmosphere along with the quality of the food We placed our order at the bar Waitresses were chatting away not fully listening We ordered the bbq pork belly and satay Asian rice bowl off the mains menu However when the meal came we received the char Sui belly pork starter instead of the main meal We stayed the order had come incorrect The waitress came across very sharp and snappy she offered no apology We offered to pay the difference as mistakes happen despite the attitude of the rude server Waitress accepted payment and placed the correct order then came back around 5 minutes later stating it would be a further 25 minutes wait for the correct meal She then asked if we would like the starter with “some rice” instead At this point we had paid for proper meal this response was unsatisfactory offering us a starter with “some rice” at a full mains price We asked for a refund as one of us already had a meal so we ended up splitting the Asian rice bowl Which was delicious but unfortunately not filling Again waitress was rude returning the money and still offered no apology for her mistake Which would have been avoided if she was doing her job correctly Overall as usual lovely atmosphere the food we received was brilliant however reluctant to return due to the rude waitress and unsatisfactory rectification to her mistake

We popped in on Thursday late lunch time, the fire was lovely, had two pints of great tasting beer (real ale). Order two lunchtime specials, WOW! Enough food for another two people, and nice tasting as well not your usual bland food! Will be popping in again very soon. 5 star *****

Great service, really nice interesting, veggie food, we've already booked to go back

Really like this place, always has a good vibe and great choice of drinks! The food does seem to have decreased a little in quality and taste which was a shame. Hopefully, just a one off as intended to visit again. Staff are always very friendly.

My wife and I called here on a rainy Sunday afternoon, as the place where we had in mind was closed. We were greeted with a friendly welcome when we arrived and directed to a seating area. We both had the Sunday Carvery and weren't disappointed at all. There was a good selection of locally sourced meats, and as a nice touch, we could choose if we wanted the meat, rare, medium or well done. A good selection of hot fresh vegetables and the red cabbage was to die for. We both left with full bellies. On a separate note, there was also a good selection of hand pulled beers, for the beer lovers. Would I recommend and return. Definitely. I would. If you like my honest review and find it helpful, please follow me as I review on a regular basis.

Nicely tucked away, I scored the atmosphere as 3, I’m a dog owner but I find people that feed dogs from there plate objectionable I’m afraid, otherwise staff and service was friendly.

Busy pub but service is on point, friendly staff and great atmosphere. Always clean and tidy

A must place to visit and eat at.10/10.

Best pub in town , friendly warm good beer and food really nice staff top place

Best pub in Matlock Bath , great beer selection, good food, lovely staff

Came here for a Sunday dinner with friends. Was about £33 for two carveries so not bad. Was really impressed with the carvery in that there was 8 meat options, including how you wanted your meat. You could have rare beef, medium beef, gammon, turkey, medium lamb, well done lamb and a couple of others. You could also have a nut roast too. Love the variety of meats to suit everyone. The mash was also very good. Everything else was standard. The parsnips and carrots were not peeled, and they were plain boiled parsnips not honey roasted. The peas were on the crunchier side and I prefer my veg soft. They had cheesy leeks and cauliflower cheese. It is not very good for labelling as I knew not all the veg was vegetarian. The red cabbage was picked and not stated that was not nice. The roast potatoes were crunchy but a little dry. The Yorkshire was big but not my favourite. Was worth the try for the meat

Had pizza and it was great. Best pizza I have had for a while

Accommodated our large group (18 people) easily. Good food, good beer, good place to be! Will look forward to coming back soon

We pre booked food, as a large group of friends. Really easy booking experience, food and drinks were really good. Nice atmosphere. Busy but not too loud. Would recommend.

We pre booked food as a party of 14. The service was great, with all food coming out together. Friendly staff, lovely atmosphere and good choice of drinks. The food was really good, from burgers to Asian dishes and great pizza.

Went last night for food. We had no prior booking. Was met by a barman who said choose a table with no settings or menu, which we did. Only then to be asked to move by the female bar tender on the basis of the table being reserved. Very poor customer service and experience. Felt like we were not priority.

Went last night for food. We had no prior booking. Was met by a barman who said choose a table with no settings or menu, which we did. Only then to be asked to move by the female bar tender on the basis of the table being reserved. Very poor customer service and experience. Felt like we were not priority. Following the response from Fishpond - given the difficulties, we should not have been the ones to ask to move. This could have been avoided.

First time dining here. Great Sunday dinner with lots of vegetable options. The queue for the roast dinner was a tad long, but with the quality of food I'm not surprised! The roasts are served in the Ballroom upstairs. So it can be a safety risk if you lose your footing when carrying hot food. That was my only concern. The staff are friendly and it was cozy warm and inviting. A great dining experience.

I had steamed fish. Mashed potato & mushy peas. We met my aunt & uncle in Matlock Baths, l would go again

Fantastic venue to see live bands Bar staff have always been amazing and they are dog friendly too!! I love it here!!

Whenever I'm in Matlock I always stop here for a few drinks yesterday I took my friend here for a few drinks and for food and OMFG the food was so amazing. I will be eating here again the burger was well worth the money

Really good fish and chips, all washed down with a local pint.

This was a really popular spot for a Sunday afternoon, and as such it was hard to find a seat and service was understandably slow. But the food was delicious and a great atmosphere! I'll definitely be popping back next time we are in the area! Super dog friendly too which is a massive bonus. The beer garden at the back is mostly covered with heat lamps so it's a comfortable place for some of the poorer weather.

Fabulous food... Fabulous staff and a lovely atmosphere 😀

Best pub in matlock amazing pizza 🍕 served in the function room ,great selection of ipas and beers 🍻

Very busy pub good atmosphere, carvery very good,lots of choice on all roast meats,also a extra menu non roasts.Music on regularly.

Busy Saturday with fireworks and boats across the road and despite it being mega busy everywhere the service and food was fabulous

Excellent food and great service

Didn't eat, but the food looked and smelled delicious, The entertainment that they provide is excellent ,various nights and styles,which is truly keeping music alive in a modern and comfortable environment..Honestly I wish we lived closer to here, our 4th visit and each time never fails...if I'm honest the reason we go to Matlock bath is because of the entertainment that the fishpond offers..plus the beer is well kept and served with a smile...what more could you want? The efforts the management go to are well recognised and received.

Amazing South East Asian dishes - best we've had in this country.Kids portions were massive.Cracking value for money.Finshed the Thai Pork Belly and had could have ordered another one.

Great food in nice surroundings

Food was ok, but we expected better and with better service. Our table was reserved for 10 guests for a birthday dinner. There was no cutlery on the table or any sauces. Once the food arrived, We assumed they would bring the cutlery, but they didn't. I had to get up once the food was on the table and go to the bar to get the cutlery for all ten guests! Plus no serviettes, we ordered pizza's as well. They brought pizza down without a pizza cutter until the next lot of food came down. Utter shambles. I won't be going there again or recommending anyone to go there.

We was coming into matlock for the illuminations so thought we'd book a table to have a meal before going, we'd been before a few years ago and had a nice meal so thought we'd come here again when we arrived it was exceptionally busy our table wasn't cleaned ready for us we did have to wait around 15mins for the table to be sorted we was seated by the door for the beer garden it was a bit annoying having to keep getting up to shut the door because everyone that walked through kept leaving it open letting in the cold when everyone's trying to eat in that area. The food took a long time to come out and it was ok I think because it was so busy It did effect everything else so I'd probably come back in the future and ask not to be seated by the beer garden door

Great value and very quick service on the food.

Lovely place in a great location in Matlock. Been for a couple of meals before which have always been nice, but never got around to trying the famous carvery until today. So glad we came, the food was amazing, and so much variety.Everything was hot and well cooked. Staff were really friendly and everything was well organised. It was very busy and because there was 2 of us with a dog we had to queue separately which would have meant we’d probably be eating at different times, but after I’d got mine I was told to send my wife to the front of the queue so we could dine together, I thought that was very thoughtful and a nice touch. I must say Thankyou (and sorry) to the bar lady who cleared our plates and was really friendly, my clumsy wife managed to spill half a pint of lager not only on the floor but managed to decorate half the wall too. Thanks again for your assistance, I’ll be leaving the wife at home next time.

This place was very busy, it's Malock illuminations and there was a wedding on too! Saying that there was plenty of staff on and we got served quickly. I would recommend the Eyam Brewery's Cappuccino Stout called "Bring out your dead." Very nice. This place is very popular and is both kid and dog friendly, as long as they are well-behaved!

I've been in the UK for 7 weeks and to be honest the food is rubbish...unless you have the Asian rice bowl at the Fish Pond... Absolutely delicious

Never had a bad meal here ❤️ I had sausage and mash off the main menu, and he had gammon steak, we had a side of onion rings, which we always have, they are so good

Try the Fish and Chips. The taste of the batter and frying of the chips is high on the scale. The fish is also rich in taste!!

I visited with my family for an occasion with high expectations. We were seated upstairs which we were told is solely for the carvery and were told that their regular menu food couldn’t be served upstairs, however, they would make an exception for us, as if it was our fault we asked for regular food. This made me a little frustrated as when I originally made the booking, I did not specify that any of our party wanted a carvery nor was I asked by the gentleman who took the booking over the phone, I simply said I wanted to book a table for food. The table was dirty and the queue for the bar was about 10 people long - we were told we couldn’t sit down and had to queue at the bar to be seated. In my opinion, the upstairs section did not have enough staff, one person behind the bar and one person occasionally checking the upstairs floor, whereas downstairs had lots of staff on the floor and behind the bar. Two of our party had a carvery and two had regular menu food. The regular menu food was initially served to an empty table on the other side of the room, the waitress even left the food on the empty table and walked off without looking for us. Thankfully, the woman behind the bar realised and asked the waitress to get the food and serve it to the correct table. There was no cutlery available so we had to cut the carvery queue and get cutlery ourselves. There were also no sauces available upstairs (when sitting downstairs there are sauces and cutlery on the table already). Also, the queue for the carvery itself is down a flight of stairs which seemed like a hazard as staff and customers were moving around the queue on the stairs carrying food and drinks - seemed a bizarre way to have the carvery set up. My dad let an elderly gentleman go ahead of him in the queue as he couldn’t face queuing on the stairs. The food was nice, a little overpriced but was very tasty. The only thing I would point out is that when ordering the Margherita pizza, you have to ask for it to be vegetarian as they put parmesan on it (the menu does say that it’s only vegetarian to order) which I found a little unusual as it’s a standard almost-always vegetarian pizza, but if that’s how they do it then so be it. My partner and I were in agreement that we would not visit again given our experience and the prices, but we did have a nice time.

We loved the food here. Great pub.

Brilliant, nice food and polite staff.

Excellent meal and fair priced beer. Burger and chips was excellent. Cheesy chips were also excellent.

Lovely place, very busy, been here a few times over the years but this time for a carvery. There is a good selection of veggies and they give a good portion of the meats that are available. Good beer selection too. Your best to book for the carvery.

Amazing food. Friendly . Good service . Highly recommend. We had the asian bowl and the Buddha bowl. Can’t wait to come back

Dreadful service! Waited so long at the bar to be served (10 minutes) before walking away with multiple other people served before us... 😠 Asked to speak to manager and told they are busy. Avoid the pub if it is at all busy 👎 We ended up walking down to the midland other end of the town - it was much quicker and engaging staff! 👏

Fantastic food, great staff even on busy days.

We had the carvery last Sunday at the Fishpond and the food was really lovely! There was plenty of meat and lots of veg to choose from. The Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes were quite stale so they let the side down a bit. We were a bit confused when we arrived. We had pre-booked luckily but we didn't know what to do when we arrived. There was no one directing people so it took us a while to figure out that we had to pay at the bar beforehand and then take the ticket upstairs to the carvery. Also note, even if you're sat downstairs you have to go upstairs to collect your food. This was difficult for me as I have a disability that makes walking upstairs hard so to walk down the uneven stairs with a full plate was a little difficult. I would also say some of the staff were rude. Bartenders were really lovely, the chefs were lovely but the waitresses we had were quite rude which was a shame.

Went for Sunday lunch as we were staying in Matlock and The Fishpond had been recommended by a family member. We were seated upstairs in the main dining room which was bright and welcoming and had music playing in the background. Warm welcome from staff and carvery process explained. We went to get our meals and what an awesome experience.the chef carving the meats greeted each and every customer explained what was available and how many meats you could have and the variety of vegetables was just wonderful. All fresh and well presented and the 2 staff running the carvery were constantly topping up and keeping the area clean and tidy. I can honestly say it was one of the best carvery's I have ever had and it was reasonable on price. One of our party had the vegetarian option and that did not disappoint either. Well done to the whole team especially the chef. Great experience and we all left very satisfied with our meals.

Had a nice meal here. Great selection of beers. Good food. Friendly staff. Nice atmosphere. Reasonably priced.

Great pub! Good variety of beer,good service and great atmosphere.

Honestly the best carvery I have ever had. Everything was so fresh and so much choice.

Excellent food, friendly staff, huge seating choices on several levels, both in and outdoors, food was good quality, tasty, reasonably priced, usually a queue at opening time on a sunday, would recommend going up to the top outdoor level near the small spring water outlet and looking down into the fishpond, beautiful carp

Chunky chips were basically baked potato chopped in quarters, not very nice 😒.

Service at the bar wasn't great. I was stood and ignored for a good 5+ minutes while other locals were served-not even any eye contact or acknowledgement. The menu is limited with just a few pub favourites. Very much a locals pub in a tourist town.

Didn't have food so cannot rate but this is an amazing pub with plenty of areas to sit, staff are friendly and service great x

Food was delicious! We popped in for a quick meal before setting off to see the Matlock illuminations and did not regret it! Pizza was yummy, and the 'proper chips' were proper tasty! Staff serving food were really friendly and quite attentive of the tables despite us being tucked away. Atmosphere was a bit rowdy and loud but understandable for a Saturday night - good vibe overall, especially as there is seating tucked away from the noisy bar. Would recommend for those vacationing in the area like ourselves.

Catered for gf, and food was good.

Great pub restaurant. Good location. Next to the river and shops.

Good food, great atmosphere and not too expensive would recommend,

A nice pub to visit. All clean and service was quick. A nice big menu and specials board too. Very nice interior and we enjoyed our visit

Visited here after seeing all of the good reviews. Cannot fault the food but the service was abysmal. It was quiet enough that the girl behind the bar brought out drinks over for us, my boyfriend ordering a Guinness 0 and bring given normal guinness. Not good enough really. The server was wearing crocs which i thought to be extremely unprofessional. Not a single smile out of her (i work hospitality we all have our bad days but a smile goes a long way!) Worst latte I’ve ever had in my life (americano with some hot milk). Just the small little things really added up. Would return for the food but definitely not the service we received

Really good food, definitely recommend the beer battered fish here over a few of the chippies, and the Fishpond burger was also a great choice.

We had the carvery which is served in the ball room. There was an excellent choice of meat, including rare and well-done options, excellent Yorkshire puddings, and so many side dishes and vegetables to choose from. All served in the very grand ballroom. A lovely place for a lovely lunch.

No gammon or stuffing with no prior notice before paying to get the raffle ticket. Cauliflower cheese dry, cabbage chewy, roast potatoes not crispy or fluffy. Service very slow, only could have carvery upstairs which wasn't very clear when booking a table. Lamb was tasty and moist and the turkey was moist. Didn't like the view of the mould on the ceiling and I mean a lot of black mould. Pricey for a carvery so was expecting a better quality than a bog standard chain carvery but this was definitely not the case. Would not recommend

Very nice pub to enjoy a few beers and a brilliant outside areas to sit in the sunshine especially around the back upper terrace, definitely worth a visit 👍