The Malt Shovel Spondon in Derby

it was very good the food was amazing and service on point it was great too have a chat with people i havent seen in years its very family friendly and great!

Great atmosphere, Lovely staff. Great back garden for kids. Meal was lovely we had a steakburger and steak off the menu which was both made to perfection!

We're regulars here anyway and often have our tea - the new pizza selections are lovely and mark the landlord is always eager for feedback for ideas. This time though the whole family came for Sunday lunch. There was eight of us and two toddlers all with different wants and needs . The food was beautiful and everyone cleared their plates . Ruth the landlady had made sure we had everything we needed and all the staff were brilliant. Thankyou very much everyone xxx

Lovely food...worth the price 👌

The pub had a lovely vibrant atmosphere, the meal was perfectly presented and cooked and arrived within 15 minutes of ordering. The staff were helpful and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Malt Shovel for a night out

I saw other reviews but cannot agree with them based on our visit today. Yes, the staff (one lady) was lovely but the food took about 40 mins to be delivered and when it came was severely overcooked. The chips and peas were wrinkled and, in the case of the chips, not crisp. The gammon salty and so overcooked that it was difficult to cut, even with the steak knife provided. Shoe leather came to mind. Our adult daughter is vegetarian and her 1st choice was declared unavailable 15 mins after we ordered and when the replacement lasagne arrived it was also overcooked. One of the worst meals we have had in a very long time. Won't be going back.

The outside looks pretty. But don't be deceived, the food is terrible. All food for 3 people was very overcooked. Salad was pale and limp. They even managed to mess up chips. It'd be good as a chew toy for a dog.

We came from Essex to visit family, this is the 3rd time we have visited Brilliant proper local pub. Food was great every time. Even made a cheese and ham treat for our little dog😋🐶 Really made to feel welcome. The owners Ruth and mark are great. Mark you can relax now we won't be back till November. The Essex lot x

Great pub, ale selection is really good, food is excellent, pizza's are brilliant. Great value for money!

Ive been to many places in Spondon with my three boys never had more of a friendly welcome providing my lads with board games to entertain them as they were a little old for the play area which I saw many kids enjoying mine are a little shy .....thier food is amazing omg the pizza are to die for and great value

Nice enough place, went to a family gathering so didn’t really go in the main bar we just used the function room, which is good for gatherings

We went to the Malt Shovel with family. Really cute and quirky pub that we have visited previously. As always, the staff were lovely and very courteous. We all had food, three of us had the fish, chips and mushy peas. The beer batter was just right, as was the cod and the chips were 'proper' chips. Another of our party had scampi and chips which he said was really good, one had lasagne which he really enjoyed and one had a burger, doubled, with bacon cheese and onions which he said was perfect. Really enjoyable evening, thank you Malt Shovel staff we will be coming back 😊

Nice friendly local that knows how to look after beer. Good choice of three hand pulls, although I do miss the Sunbeam from the cellar straight from the barrel! Limited menu but food well cooked, lovely service and reasonable prices. Sat outside at the back and very lively with children (including my granddaughter). Sunshine and school holidays always brings a decent crowd on a Friday early evening. Decent facilities for kids to play who all seemed happy enough.

The fish and chips was amazing, home made chips and the fish was pretty large, best food you'll get in any pub. all very reasonable priced and a good pint to.

This pub's got it all: mouth-watering menu, drinks galore, and a sun-soaked garden that's perfect for those who love their vitamin D. And for your epic parties, there's a function room so big it could host a medieval banquet. With its proper traditional vibe, you half expect to find Shakespeare at the bar ordering an ale!

Lovely old pub, friendly staff and beautiful home cooked food

A cozy pub with several small rooms, and outside areas. I didn't eat but beer was excellent and had a reasonable number of customers but not crowded. Street parking was nearby and easy, and the pub seemed friendly.

Fantastic buffet and private room for 40 people for a childrens Christening. Excellent service and friendly atmosphere. Safe and well maintained play area in the garden was well used by all ages of children. Thanks to Ruth and Mark for helping to make our children's special day excellent.

A wonderful pub! Very friendly, great atmosphere, delicious food, good beer! Absolutely love this place ❤️

As life long regular spanning many tennancies over far too many years, it is reassuring to know the malt is in good hands.

Nicely presented and cooked meal. Good place for solo or group dining. The perfect place to take guests. The Pizzas are rather nice. 31/2/3023 Had a lovely Roast pork sandwich. Two slices of pork with stuffing and a little pot of apple sauce. The Hob Goblin Gold was just as it should be. A light bite after doing the shopping. Went to a darts match, they provided a nice hot buffet, they provided twe large cottage pies which were completely consumed along with the mushy peas. The visiting team said it was great. Well done. Had the seafood platter last Wednesday. The batter on the fish was crispy and no soggy wetness under the batter. The chips were crispy with nice soft centres.

Great old pub. Guinesses was spot on, food was excellent. Would definitely recomend to anyone. **Their home made coleslaw tastes amazing.

A really nice pub, this was my first visit, and the staff and the locals were super chatty and friendly. Great pint on Hobgoblin, and the half of directors was top quality too. Good choice of crisps too... Always a winner.

Booked the function room for a wake, it was all last minute and they couldn't have made it any easier for me, such nice people.

Lovely old pub with a homely feel. All the staff including the landlady and landlord are warm and welcoming. Great selection of drinks and a good, clean pint of all on draft. The food is AMAZING, all home cooked. A regular menu and specials board, always cooked well.

I would guess this is the oldest working pub in Derby. It is an absolute architectural gem with several small rooms accessed from the corridor. There is an outdoor drinking area, and garden.

Lovely village pub, Mark and Ruth are wonderful hosts.

Had beautiful tasty Sunday roast dinner, please when are you open for meals over Xmas and New year period please Ruth.

I am new to the village as a newly separated mature lady so my new life is a little daunting but on a walk around the village I discovered the malt Shovel and my sister and I decided to have call in and the hospitality from the landlord and his family made me feel extremely welcome and I knew I could call in for a bite to eat alone and feel part of the community

Just had a great Xmas dinner. You won't find a better value for money meal don't know how they do a 4 corse Xmas dinner for £20 absolutely brilliant. Well worth a visit

Always a welcome her staff and landlord and landlady always friendly and welcoming not had food here yet but the real ales are always spot on

Staff always very friendly, love going there when I get the chance, the food and drinks were really good.

Cosy little old style pub, cheap drinks and what looked like great food although we didn't try that.

Popped in for Knitting club. Pub staff are friendly & helpful. Everyone gave a warm welcome. Will be going back next Friday

Lovely food & reasonably priced

Great ales, service and atmosphere.

When I come to this pub I always feel welcome, it is a great atmosphere with really good food and drinks. The car park is big so you can fit any size vehicle. They accept all ages and even children. Ruth and Mark have really done up this pub and I am happy for them and hope they carry on with every success. They have a big garden with plenty of seating that can be enjoyed on a warm day. My grandchildren enjoyed their food and after the meal kept themselves occupied with board games in the function room. PS. A rare treat is the home made chips!!!

This place is amazing, been here a couple of times for family birthdays, so appreciate the level of kindness and how accomodating the staff are. Highly recommend this place

What can I say mark and Ruth and the staff very good friendly and make everyone welcome and great service

I thought I would treat myself to a pub lunch. As soon as I walked in the door there was a friendly greeting from the lady behind the bar. There are 3 rooms and the function hall to choose if you are sitting inside, and a large garden with an outside bar if the weather is good. I had the ribs from the specials board which were cooked to perfection and plentiful. I enjoyed the whole experience and will return to see what's on the specials board next time.

Great for families as there is lots of space outside

The food is plentiful, well cooked and delicious. The staff are helpful and friendly. It’s a wonderful place to meet people and have a chat

Just moving to the area and trying my local options, no atmosphere no customers but its obvious why there was no warm welcome or staff on site. I left as probably it was closed and didn't close the doors on way out. Will try other options but will give this place another go and hopefully see some life in the building. On exit I did see someone and was going to mention it appeared empty but was engrossed in technology so didn't bother.

We attended a wedding party on Saturday 26th August and I cannot praise the staff enough. They were super efficient, but also made everyone feel welcome, joining in with our celebrations. The buffet food was excellent and the whole atmosphere was superb. Thank you to all the staff for going the extra mile and making the evening such a success.

We had the privilege of attending my cousin’s wedding at the Malt Shovel in Spondon. The venue is excellent for a medium sized wedding party. Can’t say enough about the staff, welcoming, excellent service and accommodating. Great food, the trifle in particular was exceptional. Highly recommend the Malt Shovel!

Went for lunch today. Had fish and chips and they were the best I've had in a long time. Looking forward to going again.

Didn’t have food, so can’t comment. Service and atmosphere were great.

Lovely food, good variety on the menu.

Absolutely brilliant thank you 😊

Very nice set out set out dining area's in the garden.

They didn't mention my disability were welcoming. It was a lovely atmosphere. Drinks were brought to table we placed our order service was about 12 to 15 mlns dessert ae outstanding the staff would ask if we were happy and was there anything we needed. Overall a pleasant time

Lovely family pub, great play areas for children of all ages. Good selection of beers and other drinks. Great food and a friendly atmosphere. What more could you ask for? Oh, nearly forgot the staff! The best you will find anywhere.

Unique little pub with the best beer for miles around. This is our local, has been for 30 years and I can honestly say the staff, atmosphere, and food are the best they’ve ever been.

18th birthday party there, looked after us well

Nice welcoming pub attentive staff food was absolutely lovely and all home cooked ....Good range of real ales ..and a well supported range of gins ...cannot fault will be back again ...

Amazing staff, good food and cold beer!!

Brilliant lunch, well priced, good service. Really enjoyed my pri pri chicken. My friend had the omelette and they said it was great too.

Good food, family friendly, fair price

I've been coming here for years it is my local. But had two different pints of bitter which were very cloudy and tasted quite bad. The beers here used to be crystal clear. Must be under new management. Plus I had bad diarrhoea after. Don't think I'll be bothering to go back.

Even though it was extremely busy there wasn't a very long wait at the bar, I was also told there is a QR code ordering system for drinks delivered to your table. Food arrived hot and well presented, I was tempted by the specials on display at the bar but didn't have a big enough appetite on this visit.

Did not wait long for food or drinks. The price was good as was the food and I will return ,

Went to see a really good band called J Quad. They played in the beer garden & it was a great evening. The garden is great for children to play in & the landlord & bar staff are really friendly. We will go there again.

Great food , real home cooked chips. Good pricing and food portion. Quick service even though busy. Lots of outside seating.

We've dined here a couple of times now for our Sunday roast and we have been so happy with our experience on both occasions! A great local pub , serving wholesome food for all the family x Lovely staff, personal service, plenty of meat, perfectly cooked vegetables, served hot and all of us full and happy!

Ok as a local pub, not very accessible for anyone with a disability

I have dreams about their veggie lasagne. It's so delicious. I need my monthly fix.

Lovely home cooked meals just had a lovely soup of the day with a cheese toastie.Lovely friendly staff they cater for all ages.

Spent weekend in Spondon with friends and visited all the pubs in Spondon and the Malt Shovel was by far the best - cosy, friendly and well kept beer. - a proper pub. We are soft Southerners but the Shovel is our kind of pub!

Another cracking evening at the Malt, as McIntyre would say , great beer, great food and even better service !

First I wil explain I have mental health issues and disabled. My is a frequent visitor he explained my pro lem and didn't want any special treatment. Well I can't thank the manager were lovely the food was lovely and deserts wow. The lady on next table said sometimes they call in for a drink and desert. I had roast dinner and Brisco cheesecake we thanked the managers Ruth and Mark plus staff. I will certainly visit again. The first time out in 3months and I couldn't ask for a better place to go

What a hidden gem. Best. Pub. Ever. A traditional local pub with a Fantastic atmosphere, genuinely friendly staff, superb home cooked food and the best poured Guiness for miles around. I recently celebrated my 50th birthday there and was allowed the use of the function room. Mark and Ruth could not do enough for us and and are fantastic landlords that make you feel so welcome.

Best landlady you could ever meet. The food is amazing.

We were visiting Derby and wanted something out the way . We looked online , saw a few good reviews for this pub . We decided to come for food. We tried at 6.10. we ordered drinks at the bar and some food . We had with us , our autistic non verbal son . 7.10 we went to the bar to see where the food was. The person serving just walked off and didn't answer my husband's query . We had to shout someone to come back . We were then told 5 mins. 7.35 I went back to the bar to ask for a refund. The person serving sqe me and the man just walked away. Someone came out the kitchen and I asked for a refund as our son was hungry and begining to cry. Someone said we can bring the child's out now. She followed me I sat at the table , and she put our plate on another person's table. When we finally got his food we found the potatoes were cold and the beans lukewarm. We took it straight back , got a refund and left. This was 7.45 . It's disgraceful . No exolaination , no apology or offer of a drink if they had no staff . Terrible food, service we won't be back and do not recommend this pub at all .

Lovely oldy worldy pub, Ale good, food amazing and friendly staff. Fires in the snugs. On a cold day you just dont want to leave

Friendly staff and lovely snooker

Great little village pub, great well kept beers,friendly staff, lovely food.

Having moved into the area, we wanted to find a new local pub. As soon as we walked in Mark and Ruth made us feel welcome. Mark (landlord) talked to us about the history of the building and it's place in the community (even recorded in the Domesday Book). The Malt Shovel retains so much character and charm, whilst being warm and friendly. The staff are attentive and personable, giving a true "family run" feel. The food is real home cooked, and portions are generous. Great selection of beers, wines and spirits. I am almost don't want to recommend this hidden gem so I can keep it for myself! The Malt Shovel is definitely worth a visit.

Great character and charm to this hidden gem. Lovely staff and friendly patrons. Would recommend the Sunday lunch. Real home cooked food and generous portions. Good selection of beers, and I'm told they will be doing more guest ales in the future. Looking forward to going back.

Nice easy going food and beer 😁

Since we have moved here the Malt had been the best place to visit (every Friday night) Ruth and Mark are amazing!!

Great staff and lovely food, credit goes to ruth and co . 👌👍

Best pub in spondon .. mark is a legend

Foods mint....ginger mark is the best!! Marky boy doing a good job!!

As a longstanding customer, it is time to update review as now under new management. Customer oriented service and keen to maintain quality in all areas. Excellent food, good beer but stupidly oversized bags of nuts. 🙂

Great atmosphere, was made to feel very welcomed. Will definitely be back, thankyou for a wonderful evening.

Enjoyed a meal and drink with friends here recently , food was well cooked and the ales looked after well. Staff were polite and management are friendly and courteous will definelty return 🙂

Since Mark and Ruth took over in August this year ( 2022 ) the Malt Shovel has gone from strength to strength. Lovely atmosphere and lovely grub.

Nicely presented well cooked food. There is a nice selection of traditional beers . The Hosts are most hospitable. A good place to go any day of the week.

Usually food here is brilliant but sat teatime had to send scampi back not crispy, vegetable burger scoogy sent bk 2nd one bit better but chips greesy different colours and tasted reheated. My son had sausages he said OK but sausage greezy and hard to cut he said he didn't like them much. My partner had lamb but only 5 pieces of the lamb loads potatoes. Not as organised or good as when ran by Mark

Normally the food is lovely but tonight the chips seemed recooked and not as good as normal

Delicious hearty food. Can be very popular and therefore difficult to find a table in its quirky old interior. Worth a visit

The burgers are amazing a really good pub.

Had lunch at the Malt Shovel, It seemed to be well patronised. Tried the Boozy Beef and was not disappointed. It was well cooked and nicely laid out. This would be a great place to take someone out to lunch. Give it a try.

Always been a good pub, good beer and the minted lamb to die for. Great landlord and landlady now retired, best to the new landlords in these difficult times ❤️ 🍻🍷👍

Cosy out with nice staff and a good range of beers. An oldy worldly feel that I love.

A superbly run pub by former manager Mark and his partner I didn’t visit very often but on my previous visit a few days before the new manager took over and the meal only took 1 hour to arrive and it was just really lovely the chips were unbelievable.

Very friendly staff but just missed the food.

Top pub,Mark and Karen do a grand job...food is excellent.

Great beer. Choice of 3 real ales. All tasty

Lovely pub friendly staff definitely would recommend