The Mallard Beefeater in Derby

Well what a sad review to write. The team have been pulled apart under the closure terms, many of which have been made redundant from a career they have worked in for decades. Until the news it has always been great food and great service. Understandable that they slipped a bit given the circumstances. Thank you all for your years of service to us all. All the best for the whole team for the future. Derby will miss The Mallard!

After checking out of the primer inn and missing breakfast myself and my partner got the 3 small plates for 13.99. X2 20 mins After ordering 3 of the 6 plates arrived the manager approached us and told us the waitress had wrote the order down wrong so we repeated what we had ordered. Another 15 mins had passed still 3 plates short by this time we had ate what we had been given.. chicken goujons resembled brown rocks. 2 plates arrived still 1 short. My ‘potato dippers’ were just under cooked cheesy chips with spring onion. Could have got them from Aldi across the road - much nicer Fed up we approached a waitress stood at the till, behind her we could see the serving hatch with my partners final plate sitting there😂 I told her how unhappy we were and her response was ‘well if you aren’t happy just leave’ So that we did. Poor customer service, rubbish food and run down! Will not be returning

Just had an email telling me that The Mallard Beefeater is closing on 6th July. Why oh why are you doing this? Derby already has too few decent restaurants and now we're losing another. Gutted.

Only rating this place one star cause I have to otherwise it would’ve been zero. Would not recommend one bit. If you want a nice meal after staying in the premier inn, I would suggest going to Aldi instead, which is not that far from there.

We went as a family for breakfast as a family for my birthday we paid £10.99 per adult for the unlimited breakfast and all children under 15 eat free which is perfect. We will definitely be going again

Great food as always but service could be much better was seated on time and no one came to take an order or even check if we were ready to order for 50 mins, food arrived around 30 mins later so not that bad. No one came to clear plates. Sat with dirty plates for what seemed like ages then asked if we wanted to pay. 1 of the party said he wanted a desert which I was loath to wait for but we did and the bill appeared on the table before the pudding did 🙈 Beefeater sort it out. You are really letting the side down

Went for breakfast with my son. Well, worth it, food is extremely good. Kids under 16 are free. Recommended you book gets very busy.

Good for an after work pub but we went in at 5pm and glasses on the table from people before us. Didn't get collected the whole 90 mins we were there. Not exactly busy in the bar either.

Really good food and fantastic service 😀

I went to this restaurant for Father’s Day. I was seated quickly to be told that although it was 1245hrs Jack the bar man had overslept. What followed was a comedic pantomime of incompetence. Staff running around with no leadership, food sitting on the pass for 20 minutes and being ignored. The staff found plenty of time to chat and complain about Jacks tardiness. But not serve customers or clear tables. The restaurant was not very busy and I counted at least 5 staff members front of house, more than enough to cope with the volume of trade. When the food arrived it tasted good and was hot. It was a shame that the front of house was such a shambles. And on leaving Jack arrived! The staff clapped him and celebrated loudly he was an hour and 45 mins late.

In my eyes free means foc, in beefeaters eyes free means you need to pay, joined the loyalty programme and collected 500 points , went to redeem them for the "free" bottle of wine and was told I need to pay £4. After writing twice to customer service with no response I thought i would teach beefeater the definition of the word "free" publicly, I quote "without cost or payment" so please beefeater I would advise changing the wording on your not so free offers

Friendly efficient staff. Food well cooked and pleasant atmosphere.

Lindsay was our server and she was lovely. She was cheerful and polite and made our visit very welcoming. Would definitely recommend. Food was lush too! 👌🏼

The food is lovely, service a little slow which stopped us being able to have dessert and coffee. Morale is low because they are making staff redundant in a month. But that didn't stop us having a little giggle with them! Very sad because it's one of my favourite places to go to eat :(

Free for all breakfast. Eggs were just as mass on fried eggs stuck together hit or miss if it was stocked, but the hash browns were spot on. Staff were just rushing around the place quite panicked, felt sorry for them as they were having to keep the food stocked up as well as everything else. Used to be that the kitchen staff would top it up.

Place was dirty staff indifferent last orders 10 o’clock they couldn’t wait to get you out was stopping at the premier inn….what can you do after 10 o’clock on Saturday night closed at 09 o’clock on Sunday never again

Not been for a long time but really good my meal.It was not busy and the service was very nice.

Lana what a babe. Top service good work here.

A bit of a damp squid. I had a surf and turf. The steak should have been rare, it came medium 2 prawns, which tasted more like rubber. Very hard. 7 chunky chips. 3 bits of calamari. More like a child's portion. My partner had the prawn skewers. There was one skewer with 4 rubbery prawns. Not a great experience. Would not recommend this place for a decent meal.

Even though the pub was quite quiet and empty, the atmosphere was lovely. Didn't feel awkward in any way. Staff were really chatty and friendly. Food was great

Standard beefeater. Food was ok and weirdly fast.

Great food friendly staff good beer can't ask for more 😋 😉

Nice and clean, good food and service

Popped in for lunch, excellent friendly service from Hannah.

Service was a bit scatter brained no one was in control of hot plates and you had to wait around for food to be replenished.

Shane and Layla made my 1st visit to the beefeater amazing. Really attentive with a smile. Keep up the great work. The calamari and steak were gorgeous

Always fantastic food and service.

A friend of the Derby Royal. We used to coin the Mallard Beefeater 'Ward 37' lol. Disabled parking and outdoor decking a hotel close also.

Ben was an absolute legend today! Gave us first class service. Big up the mighty Ben 🙌🏼

Had a wonderful breakfast this morning. Unlimited and wide variety of items offered as part of the continental breakfast. I opted for coffee and toast as I wanted to try the cooked breakfast. This was cooked (perfectly) to order. This again was unlimited but I was more than happy with what I had originally ordered. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful

Ben (benneth) is absolute delight. Thanks for the excellent service.

The staff was very friendly, and nothing was too much trouble. Food was lovely and didn't have too long to wait, even though they were having technical issues . Would definitely go back.

Price for breakfast up again…but NO orange juice (“supply issue” …told “we aren’t allowed to go and buy any”) and NO sugar (we have sent cleaner to premier inn hotel next door to find some)…bacon like rubber…why charge people for breakfast when you literally have not got the basics like orange juice or sugar?? I have been coming here for years before starting work at weekends, and standards getting worse and worse…I gave them benefit of doubt for so long, but I am done…it may be convenient for the hotel if you are staying but seriously save your money and go elsewhere for breakfast or just buy some pastries in supermarket next door and make yourself some tea or coffee in your hotel room.

This is a great place to have a nice relaxing meal and a drink. The atmosphere is very friendly and clean and tidy. Now the staff you cannot fault them, they are great fun and cannot do enough for you, nothing is too much trouble. The drinks are good and reasonably priced, the beer is always good and the service is always quick. The food is great especially the ribs and if you have the chicken and rib combo is recommendable.

Ben was our server, for today and yesterday’s breakfast, He has outstanding service, makes us feel so welcome with a great and smiley attitude, so thank you Ben!! Would 1000% come again!

The restaurant is easily accessible from the A38 and Uttoxeter New road, the staff were very friendly. We were looked after by Ben who was very friendly and welcoming. The food was fast and tasty, I would recommend the ribs!!

Shane and Jade were amazing, very friendly! Food was good too. Quick and easier, lovely customer service. Exactly what I wanted.

Has been a while since I have been back to The Mallard. The new Manager Emma seems to have turned things around for the better the food was tasty and great but this visit was made even better because Ben served us he is amazing at his job and hope Whitbread realise what a star he is !!

Ben provided us with great service with a smile.

Great food and service!!! Definitely recommend

Served by Ben, very helpful and kind to us and the kids. 10/10 perfect place to visit with the family.

Very busy, but Kim was excellent waitress Lovely girl very helpful and friendly explained all problems in the kitchen, but with a smile and cheer. Thank you for a wonderful evening to all the staff

A regular haunt of ours, can you believe we think the best thing at Beefeater is their Fish and Chips? Consistently good and using our rewards card is always a bonus. I have a question for Beefeater. Why are your entrance doors so heavy? As well as frequenting The Mallard we visit the Foxborough in Lowestoft which also suffers a confusing heavy entrance door. The entrance door in the Mallard was particularly annoying today on account of the strong wind. Bang. There it goes again......

We had a loyalty discount code so went for dinner as a family. Been here a few times but the food and service this visit were particularly good. Our waitress Kim was amazing, so efficient, friendly and really good at her job. It was pretty busy as it was around 6pm, but we still got served promptly and the food was cooked really well.

Layla was very professional and looked after our every need with an incredible smile. We'll most certainly be returning to this venue. Thank you for looking after us so well. We can't remember the last time when we've been looked after the way layla looked after us... amazing.

Layla was brilliant, her service was amazing and had great banter. Will definitely be returning because of her. :)

Visited on Good Friday 2 adults and 2 kids. Food was hot plentiful and tasty. Arrived at 9:45am for breakfast it was really busy but were seated quickly and the member of staff explained how the service worked and where everything was. The staff were all really pleasant and friendly even though you could see they were really busy nothing was too much trouble. Would have no hesitation in recommending the Mallard for breakfast will be returning again soon.

Lovely food and didn’t have to wait long Staff were friendly and attentive Shane served us and nothing was too much trouble! Will deffo be back!

Came for lunch with friends service was good and food was delicious. Shane looked after us and went above and beyond for our table! Would definitely come back.

Banging breakfast. Top service from our waitress Kim! Would highly recommend eating here and will definitely be returning.

Staff was amazing and is just very nice have breakfast with my kids in a very friendly environment. And the best the kids was free which make it very affordable.

Staff at the beefeater mallard are so nice. Made me feel very welcome. Nice food. Nice atmosphere. Shane is a nice chap.

First and foremost give chelsea a promotion she is a diamond helped us above and beyond with food and drinks the food was and always is spot on !! Nice dining space and the breakfasts are to die for

Chloe has been ever so amazing! Really looked after us!

Absolutely brilliant service and food! Our lovely waitress Chloe was a total gem!

Appalling waiting over 30 minutes for drinks, over 90 minutes for food, had a cremated fry on the plate of chips and steak

Very nice plqce to eat I gave it a 2 star as they didn't have any veg for the meal i wanted

Always good food and excellent service from Ben S who is always cheerful and goes the extra mile to ensure his customers are happt.

Chaotic, but friendly service. Long wait to receive a bottle of wine (twice)...on pretext "we're very busy". I suggested staff go behind the bar open the fridge, remove said bottle & walk back to the table - not difficult! Baffled by last orders called at 21.30, on a Saturday night! Have asked Whitbread to explain. Google states pub open until 23.00hrs. Staff packing up at this time seems odd. Food average. Brilliant that pub supports NHS Staff via Blue light card - gives 25% discount off food. So, thanks for this. 2 premium lagers not available (moretti/madri) & only 1 ale. Poor.

Certainly served a purpose, but I wasn't impressed. Food was rather bland, if I'm honest and there was very little atmosphere. I may return one day due to its location, but only for convenience.

Thought the food was nice and got a good service from the waitress. But we weren't allowed to order food until after 5, and there were no sweet potato fries available

Pricey, soulless, and not particularly nice.

Disappointed yet again !!!! Lost count of how many times we've booked for Sunday lunch to be told no roast dinners left. Today it was only 2pm !! The waitress said it's because sometimes they have food left over ! What sort of budget have you set for the Mallard, Beefeater bosses ???? You're losing customers.

Food was excellent on Saturday night.

Came for Sunday lunch. Got told on arrival that there would be a delay of 30 minutes for food, sat down ordered drinks and then had to ask for Sunday menu. Then told no Sunday meals were being ordered for the next 30-40 minutes so the kitchen could catch up. I Mentioned that I was told that it was just a delay in food coming out but if we couldn’t order for 30-40 minutes then should have been made clear before seating us. Staff went to see manager who informed us that it was an hour wait for ordering. Older couple sat next to us with Sunday menus seated 2-3 minutes after us, had there Sunday meal order taken while we were being told an hour wait to order. When we said we’d like to pay for the drinks and go we were then told that it’d only be 20-30 minutes wait for food but can order 🤦🏼‍♀️ Quite obvious that staff and manager had no clue on what was going off when being told 3 different waiting times in 4 minutes.

We waited ages to be seated and food was very ordinary. Find somewhere else.

great service from ben S and lana made us feel very welcomed. thankyou

Comprehensive and decent breakfast for a tenner. Good black pudding. No grumbles in terms of VFM.

Staff very friendly and helpful Food is usually good here I’ve eaten in restaurant on several occasions when I’ve stayed in the attached hotel.

Large prebooked group with preordered meals. Not enough staff and a couple of the main meals were not warm enough to eat, but (more or less) sorted.

I wasnt keen on the very hard brussel sprouts and carrots ,I wouldn't have them again .

Fantastic breakfasts, lovely staff excellent service very well run buffet. Excellent for celebrating a birthday breakfast or leaving doo.

Took my elderly mother for food after her hospital appointment, not much choice especially for her. 2 fish and chips one smothered chicken, very expensive for the portion size. Fish over cooked and alot of very hard batter,mum couldn't eat hers,but took it home for the dog!! Taking this experience into consideration would not return, sorry.

Me & my family have just had Christmas dinner (on 25th) & and it was absolutely diabolical. We arrived at 3pm and didn't receive our mains until 15.55pm. We then had to wait another hour before we received our main course. 2 family members ordered steak, which they asked to cooked medium rare. The steak came well done. The restaurant was really short-staffed. I complained to the manager and we received a part refund.

Christmas Dinner was Awful 😖 never again and I was so looking forward to it aswell

We waited 2 hours for our meal on Christmas Day. When it arrived the picture below was my roast beef dinner. When I suggested it was the scrag ends of fat. She told me that is how it is cut. Disgusting. And this cost £69.00. This is the worst Christmas Day meal. Have us our money back for one meal.

Just across the road from the Royal Derby Hospital my place of work. Never disappoints always good food available, very friendly and pleasant staff. Would recommend you give it a try.

Went here last minute for our work Xmas meal, was very impressed with the food it came out promptly and piping hot and was delicious, wouldn't hesitate to eat here again

Very friendly staff. Good all round atmosphere.

Went on Sunday 26/11 Pretty bad experience. Table booked for 12.45, we were sat at our table by the pleasant manager who apologised we had no cutlery and she would get some. We then had our drinks order pretty soon after, but again we waited 20 minutes for the drinks to arrive. When they arrived, I mentioned to the waitress we had no cutlery and she said she would get some. Another 25 minutes had past and the waitress came over to see if we wanted more drinks, I declined but asked for the cutlery for the third time. The food then arrived, and we waited around an hour overall and the food was mediocre. The staff were trying to be pleasant enough but we were sat next to the kitchen and we could hear arguments between the front of house staff and the kitchen staff. This wasn't a great experience for me and my children. A shame because it was great on a previous visit but at a much quieter time.

Right in the city near the Hospital close enough to walk across and eat if you have to wait a long time for anyone. Really plesent staff food was nice and hot and we enjoyed our visit.

Been here a few times and it's just nice.

Lovely staff...very understanding 🙂

Tasty food. Quickly and cheerfully served. Portion size just right. Waitress service very good. Lovely night out.

Came here for Sunday lunch, at it was soo good. The roast pots are the best non homamde ive ever had! Have booked to come again next sunday

We have date night once a month and decided to give the Beefeater a go as we had a vocuher come through on email. Food was hot and tasty and ordered to festive cocktails which were very nice (akthought they did take a long time to arrive) Our waitress (forgot her name but she had christmas earings!) was lovely and looked after us very well.

My partner and I visited The Mallard for both lunch and dinner on 18/11/2023 as we were attending an event nearby inbetween. We also spent an hour sat in the bar area before dinner. Lunch was pretty bad. It took a LONG time to get attention from a server - at the end to get the bill, I had to walk directly up to a staff member and ask for it, and even then it took another fifteen minutes. Upon paying, said staff member (youngish woman with brown hair and freckles - she didn't introduce herself) literally threw our receipt into the leftover spicy mayo on the table (it hadn't been cleared), which made us laugh because it was so cartoonishly rubbish service. The food itself was a bit grim, and our order was taken wrong - ordered onion rings, got chips - but after asking the cost of the chips we hadn't ordered was taken off of the final bill, which we appreciated. At lunchtime, the restaurant mens toilet was clean, and we did appreciate that. In the evening, both mens toilets were broken - something I alerted staff to. The men's toilet in the bar had a broken seat which had poo smeared over the back of it, and the one in the restaurant had an entirely broken flush. Signs were stuck on the cubicles saying to use the disabled toilet instead, which was fair enough. At dinner we were served by Evie, who is absolutely lovely and was attentive and brilliant - about as far from our lunchtime server as is possible. When an item was forgotten off of our order (funnily enough, onion rings again!) she fetched it for us immediately. Nothing was too much, and she took good care of us. The food again wasn't great, unfortunately - below normal Beefeater standard. We normally get at least two courses, but we only went for mains this time. Overall, this is a grubby, underwhelming Beefeater. The staff (except for our server at lunch) all seemed nice, and they handled the toilet situation well, but the food was poor and it was very frustrating that both mens cubicles broke. The astonishingly rude behaviour of the server at lunch was *so* extreme as to become almost comical - neither of us have ever had our receipt literally thrown into our food before. I'd recommend avoiding this Beefeater.

Lovely hot food and brilliant service

Expensive for what you get! You put your prices up with your new menus and make the food portion smaller in size even the waitress agreed! Don't think we will be back.

Stayed for two nights while on a course with work, my partner also came along with me. On the first night we just had a couple of drinks in the bar and were looked after by two very lovely ladies called Lana and Vicky. They chatted to us and we had a giggle and talked about the local area. The second night we went for a three course meal in the restaurant area, the food was delicious! We were looked after by Ben who was incredibly attentive and friendly. Overall the experience was brilliant and I cannot thank the staff enough for their kindness. Highly recommend this restaurant!

Service was terrible. Fish and chips is haddock and not cod ( not stated on the menu ) Was told that I could reorder and would be back in a couple of minutes and never bothered to turn up for at least 30 mins. Give the manager his due though, the other meals were given at half price. Such a shame really as this restaurant was very good a few years ago ( pre covid ) and also the prices are quite expensive as are the other restaurants. Sorry for the bad review but I don't expect to be kept waiting for as long as that

Buffet breakfast with no food out everyone waiting. We left and went to harvester which was much better.

Fantastic steak, highly recommed the sirloin. Had a meal deal from the hotel and was good value. Thank you Kim for looking after me!

Brooke was great ! Was here all week and she served us almost every night. Lovely lady and very polite

Some of the best waitress staff we have experienced anywhere, always nicely presented food (except one pudding has less in it than the photo) and served quite quickly. Good job. I enjoy their vegan burger, my fried the salmon

Place was semi busy but we were seated quickly. Restaurant was warm and a friendly ambiance. We were served excellent and superbly by Hannah who was attentive and friendly from the onset. Food was nice and well prepped and portion size was good! We were regularly checked up on but not annoyingly and extra orders was done in good speed! Again Hannah was lovely and gave a decent service to not question not coming back.

Really good service and good food. We were served by Brooke who was super nice and patient, even when we were changing orders and being difficult. Appreciate all the staff, all very efficient and patient.

I went to the Beefeater with family for Breakfast there was a lot of choice of food and the team was great especially Simon who is a credit to the company as nothing was to much trouble, we will definitely be returning 😊

Food was lovely and the staff were excellent 👍👍

Been here lots of times and it's always been good but on this occasion it was poor. Service was really slow and waitress clearly didn't wany to be there. Food arrived with but the order was wrong, mixed grill was missing onion rings and peas which did arrive after asking for them. Chips were cold and no offer for sauces. The ice sundaes were really poor, only half full in the glass and most of the ice cream and cream had melted when it arrived. The churros were nice. A really disappointing visit and will now look for elsewhere as I don't want a repeat of the meal and service.