The Merlin in Derby - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Came in for a bite to eat and was served by Aimee on the bar, she was extremely attentive and couldn’t do enough for us! The food was piping hot when it came out and ordered a baked alaska for dessert which was fabulous! Would recommend.

Brilliant service coming in for a bite to eat after playing paddle , Aimee the barmaid was extremely helpful , would come again

Great place for a get together with family for a lovely cheap meal. April was a star, was really helpful and even recommended a pudding

Dessert and soft drink. Good selection. Dessert was good quality. Chose the cheesecake but on the small side. Soft drink was quite expensive

We come to the Merlin every week for dinner and we can’t fault anything. The food and staff are brilliant especially Hollie and Torie.

We visited on 2nd August with a group of 9 people, when we received our food it was a little disappointing, the beef burger was slightly undercooked meaning my mum couldn’t eat it, the sausage and bacon was undercooked on the all day brunch and was a tiny portion for the £9 it is, the salt and pepper fries tasted like I a packet out a pot noodle had been opened and sprinkled on them, however my dad said he did enjoy the steak, we did complain on the day and received two big bowls of ice cream, however most of us don’t eat ice cream and there for went to waste

Food was appalling cold. roast potatoes was burnt vegetables was hard meat cold its was the worst Sunday dinner we have ever had don't go there all round terrible it used to be great but not anymore very disappointed family

Sophie the manager is a absolute star 🌟

one of the servers told us she got locked in the cellar.

I had a dreadful experience at The Merlin. I arrived, took a seat, and waited for over three hours without receiving my food order. Despite multiple inquiries about the status of my meal, the staff provided empty promises and half-hearted apologies. As I grew increasingly impatient, I noticed the manager walking towards us with the restaurant with keys in hand. She walked up to me and asked to follow her. Curious I followed behind her. She walked up to a door opened it and shoved me inside. It was hours later that I was let out. When I confronted her about her bizarre behavior she got defensive and threatened to call the police. This unfortunate incident served as a stark reminder that even reputable establishments can fall short when it comes to customer service and management. The experience left me feeling frustrated. I will never be returning to The Merlin.

Love coming to the merlin for a pint qnd a game of pool after work

As always had an enjoyable meal at the Merlin, food is reasonably price and our server Jessie was pleasant and friendly as always

Food is always good and staff always friendly, polite and very helpful.

Love it here staff are always so kind and friendly, especially torie she always is so friendly and cheery and goes the extra mile to make sure we are looked after and cared for !!!

The Merlin has been around for a long time, and for good reason. You walk into the building and immediately feel comfortable and even at peak hours on a Friday, I didn't find it difficult at all to find myself a place to sit. The service staff are wonderful, they're up for a laugh, they work at great speed and even while you're waiting for service they'll make sure they know you're there. When it comes to food, I've never seen a restaurant get food out as fast as this. I put my order in at the bar, and not even fifteen minutes later and everything I had ordered arrives at my table. The only reason I didn't give the food five stars is due to just got scalding hot it comes out to you. But then again, I suppose I'd complain if it were cold. Overall, The Merlin is a great experience with good competitive prices. You can't go wrong going here

Amy on the bar was really good and helpful seemed really happy and entertained the conversation my child was having with her

Came for our sons birthday amazing food and amazing service Amy served us on the bar all the bar staff were great and the Amanda and Izzy were brilliant and attentive when bringing our food out

Amy on the bar was very helpful with our order Amanda was very helpful when delivering our food

Great breakfast and lovely staff, Kat and Torie always make us smile 😁

Pleasant enough, quick service, food can be a bit hit and miss, mine was fine on this occasion, full monty mixed grill. Only dampener was an extremely loud intoxicated woman (banshee) ear plugs or gag were not available, I did ask 😂

came for some lunch, beef burger was dry and tasteless, as well as chewy. only managed to have a few bites. the fries were also overcooked and rock solid. staff didn’t seem like they wanted to be there either, regretful meal

Weekly veterans breakfast club, space set up perfectly as usual with the food out to us all in a timely manner and staff always friendly and attentive with them knowing all our names and needs without asking

Came in for nice bite to eat yesterday, had slight trouble with my meal but Aimee sorted it out very quickly!

We enjoyed a celebration meal for my brother’s graduation across the road. We were served by Amelia who was friendly and chatty, despite it being very warm and busy! They could have done with more team working as pub was busy with the graduations but food was speedy and really tasty. We had the Veggie Lasagna and Garlic Bread which was really nice!

Regularly have breakfast here. Great choice, gluten free catered for and really nice and helpful staff.

Jessie who served my parents and I tonight was honestly absolutely perfect, and I don’t use that word often, she provided us with an extremely high level of customer service by being so sweet and friendly and providing us with boxes to take left overs home!The speed of the food service was also impeccable and we were not kept waiting around at all. Overall would HIGHLY recommend and topped of the day after a day of graduation ceremonies!

We come everything other day for coors we are normally served by kat or Torie, they are an absolute pleasure they are

Popped into the Merlin for a quick lunch, we only grabbed a sharing platter and 2 medium white wines, but I have to say the food, the drinks, the service and the price was excellent... Will definitely return

Very generous portions. The chips were great. The jerk chicken was a bit of a disappointment, rather do the mixed grill

Ok pub. Service friendly and polite. The soft drinks are well over priced. (£2.25) Fo a cordial & water, is a total rip off. The entire bottle costs less than half of that. Warning about the chef, I ordered a medium rare steak and to arrived cremated.

Great pub, staff very friendly and helpful after I ordered our food to the wrong pub!

Nice place for breakfast. April was amazing and accommodating for us. Very friendly and helpful

It's OK, food ok but I'd probably not go back to eat.

Quick service , friendly staff.

It is brilliant place to go and amazing staff at the marlins in pride Park, thanks to Sophie what is a great and kind member of staff. Highly recommended to come here for a drink with family and celebration

Visited on a scorcher of a day. Service was excellent and very attentive without being over the top. It's a greene king so you know drinks prices are inflated but still tasty. We had some mixed chicken starters, a chicken/bacon baguette and a fish finger wrap before one of the horseshoe doughnuts to share. All food was fresh, tasty, plentiful and reasonably priced. It was a scorcher of a day as otherwise we'd have indulged in something more meat heavy! The football got put on and the volume was a bit loud but the lovely manager turned it down without us even needed to be asked. Wouldn't hesitate to return and when my car is next in for a service I'll be having breakfast and lunch here!

Torie is very good. So is the Thursday deal.

Unexpected enjoyment from the gravy burger since it was delicious! Great service from friendly staff.

Great food, burger was beautiful and throughly enjoyed my meal. The staff was very attentive however I had one minor issue with one of my meals. But the manger Sophie was very helpful thank you very much Sophie.

Jessie was very professional, friendly, helpful and the food was speedy, prompt and tasty. Great value for money. Great portions. Great friendly happy staff 👌🏽😊

Nice atmosphere, good quality of food, and good portion even when we order from the 2 for £ menu. It was busy in the restaurant when we were there around 7pm but food was served quickly

Great atmosphere friendly staff

Lovely place, really nice friendly staff, large glass wine was also a decent price. Didn't eat on this visit. But a really friendly atmosphere.

Was served by Katie, Molly and Tilly on the bar very welcoming and helpful, even told me about the app offering discounts. Awesome service, definitely assets to the pub.

Always good food steak is really good

Greene Kings are usually pretty good for what they are, we've worked in one, and we've eaten at a bunch of them. Somehow, I still haven't learned my lesson about going to Hungry Horses. If you have a look at the pictures attached, you'll see my mixed grill, made up of my "medium rare" microwaved steak, some raw chicken that fell apart on the plate, and some hard peas. In my opinion that's "pretty bad" for £15 Went to the toilet just before leaving and apart from the sand covered taps and slippery floor they were almost okay 💀 Look Greene Kings can absolutely slap, and I would absolutely still recommend going to them, just not this one.

Had an amazing full English, was served by Jessie. Super attentive and made us feel at home! Amazing work thanks for a great start to my day

Really good breakfast, any problems Jessie the waitress helped perfectly.

Jessie is amazing she helped us so much when there was an issue and did it all with a smile and was so calm best worker there

Thank you to Jessie for your amazing services, you're were super welcoming and your problem solving was superb! Have a good rest of your day!

Went for works do top notch food and friendly atmosphere

The menu has different food specials every day. The food is delicious, the waiter service is very good, it is clean, and the environment is comfortable.

Lovely staff,lovely food even got a good selection of gluten free menu

Lovely place. Food is not hot enough for me

Ordered a meal as a family. Jerk chicken and wings is absolutely disgusting. No flavour and chicken looks like it was ran over. Sent the steak back as we'd ordered medium rare and it came out well done...came back out and it was practically mooing on the table! Kids spag Bol was dry.. hardly any sauce! Avoid...

Good value for money for food and drinks Nice outdoor seating with play equipment for children Lots of choice Plenty of seating

At The Meflin they serve breakfasts until noon and the food and drinks are delicious. All of the staff are friendly, professional and attentive. The amazing staff are quite an asset to the business as they go the extra mile.

Food was very nice. Bar staff/manager April was very helpful and friendly and couldn’t do enough for me and my family on arrival.

Our server Jessie, had to be one of the most delightful servers I have ever had the pleasure of being served by, she was lovely checked on our table and our table multiple times- to make sure everything was OK, and when I didn't eat all my food she was more than happy help me get it take away ready, which was lovely of her. The food is neither here nor there, but the service received was definitely a 10/10, and made all the difference to this being an enjoyable night out. So thank you Jessie, hope you get a bonus you deserve it!

Loved it first time I've been highly recommend

Nathan was a star. So helpful a+++++++++

Great service especially by Nathan, who took care of all our dietary needs for us. The food came out very hot and tasted great

Had a Sunday lunch.roast potatoes where over done.the mash potatoes was instant.and the carrots were hard a grayish orange colour.for the price it should be a bit better.

Came for my friend's 70 th birthday Great table.prossecco excellent value..all in all great value for money & nice place to eat & drink

Slow table service but worth the wait

Serene environment with good service and tasty meals 😋

Very slow service and large queues to get to the bar to order food. Unfortunately a strong smell of ‘weed’ in the place so felt a little uncomfortable with children been around. I appreciate it won’t be like this all the time ‘hopefully not’.

Tbh not the best breakfast I've ever had.

Was in the area and needed something to eat, so popped in for a quick lunch on a Saturday. Hadn't been to a hungry horse in ages. They've put some effort into keeping the menu interesting, the prices and portions are excellent - great value - and the overall experience actually surprised me by how nice it was! Plenty of staff, all really helpful, and everyone seemed genuinely cheerful and happy to be there. Lots of space and decor seemed in reasonably good nick. Bar or app ordering which was handy. Food was decent quality, especially for the price, and arrived quickly. Would happily go back!

Merlin Derby Hungry Horse has always been a place to go to & have lunch. Wonderful atmosphere, our server Jessie who took our order & she was also our server. Jessie was very nice & attentive. I highly recommended The Merlin Hungry Horse Derby 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on the one occasion I have been there, it was great! Loved the breakfast food, it was clean and spacious, and food came out quickly. I was also very affordable, I would definitely go again!

Been there a few times now for breakfast good food.would recommend it been for Sunday lunch not as good as breakfast.i would like to see at breakfast time unlimited tea and coffee and praps a loyalty card were you get points for visiting the pub.

It would be better if more vegetarian option available

Good food great value but service is slow due to under staffing.

Food , service and atmosphere are great! One of the best pubs with great prices and deals

Lovely staff, lovely bar manager, lovely manager, great place for food, clean toilets ample car parking, and disabled car parking it's a lovely place to take the family or to enjoy out with friends like I did a few days back with friends, top pub

Great food and even better service from April, she was fantastic

We enjoyed an early evening meal really nice vibe!!

I always enjoy going into the Merlin for a coffee because the staff are so friendly, welcoming and helpful.

Really friendly and helpful staff, especially Sophie, one of the managers. She was super helpful when I was on crutches, and always has a bit of banter for you!

Wonderful food and wonderful service lovely staff.

I enjoyed my visit, thank you! Fast, friendly service and a good variety of choice on the menu too, at very reasonable prices. I'd happily return if I'm back this way again.

Cheap food so you get what you pay for!

Went in for a meal after a Derby game so I think it's hard to give a fair view Service was polite food was decent enough but atmosphere was hard to say as many football fans were still to leave although I must add these were not a problem just changes the restaurant atmosphere to more of a boys drinking pub in all a pleasant visit thanks

Even when busy the food came out fairly quickly. Staff we're happy to help and interact with the whole family. When there was a mistake they were quick to amend it and correct it. Will be coming back again.

Great quality food at reasonable prices. The staff were very friendly and went out of their way to entertain my 3 year old by bringing him paper and crayons. Great variety of food and drink available, brought out pretty quickly even during busy periods. Plenty of seating and parking is available so you shouldn't feel the need to book (unless Derby are playing at home.) During the football the places gets very busy so just bare that in mind.

Great place, first time visit. Will go again when in the area.

Been there recently while stopping in derby had breakfast and evening meals food and staff were all 1st class will go back next time in the area

Fantastic food and great service thanks. Great prices for drinks. Nice added touch with cake for friends baby shower. 🙂 thank you 🥰

I just want to thank one of the waitresses Kat today as she went above and beyond for my group. We originally came in as a group of 5 however had more people coming and kat helped put us all onto a table and put tables together for us. She was also so helpful for us and was also cheerful and had a great attitude. Thankyou for being so helpful tonight as I know there was a big group of us. You did great !!

Just back from having a few days away Very nice friendly welcome staff very friendly and helpful we had breakfast here every day 2 for the price what a bargain and good selection of evening meals too Thank you to all staff and to the lady who double checked for my egg allergy was appreciated so thank you

Friendly place with great staff, terrific for drinking, watching sports or family outings, will definitely be visiting many times more. 10/10

Booked for the end of season match day game, only to be told the reservation had been cancelled several days later because of 'and IT system error'.

My review is based on the manager that was in today . Rude and unhelpful.

Lovely pub, good food at good prices

April our sever was so helpful, she is a credit to this establishment, she couldn't do enough for us, definitely recommend, 5 stars from us, thank you

Visited today for Sunday lunch food and staff great thankyou to Jessie for great service

Pleasantly surprised how good it was. The restaurant area was pretty clean and well kept. Bar service was quite quick and food came swiftly to the table.

Great place. Been coming here on a regular basis for years, hence can give a balanced opinion rather than a one off good / bad experience. So never had an issue. Staff extremely friendly and welcoming. Food very nice and great value for money. Drinks reasonably cheap. We mainly come on Derby County home match days, and after being on the waiting list for a few years have now managed to secure a fixed table. My advice if you don’t have one of these reservations is to get there three hours before kick off to get one of the few unreserved tables. Thank you Amanda and the team (T57)

I had a minor issue with my breakfast but April resolved it promptly and efficiently and turned what could have been a negative into a positive. Great customer service despite it being really busy and short staffed.