The Observatory in Erewash

We visit here as a family of 4 or sometimes it will be a cheeky breakfast for just me and the wife 😆. Amazing breakfast taste soo good, great flavours and very good price z been coming here for a breakfast for many many years now and they always deliver 😋 staff is always very friendly and helpful and make you feel welcome. Did I mention about the hot drinks machine offering soo many different options also you can get free refills 😆 Fantastic service and food options Thank you 😊

Quite a nice atmosphere, friendly service

Like it, food nice, beer price excellent, gets very busy, but always find a table, quick service, nice place, recommend.

Early in the morning so not much atmosphere, small breakfast was nice as well as cheap, breakfast and tea for less than a fiver

Lovely building, helpful staff and good food and drink, what more can you ask for!

Cheep and chear full well worth it 👌

Brilliant place friendly food fantastic

Standard Wetherspoons. Great selection of Beers and spirits, food was good and the staff were very friendly and approachable.

Great for a cheap drink and some cheap quick food. Staff are always friendly, with quick service. Does get really busy though, so be aware.

Recently found this place on a shopping trip. Have been a few times now 🫣

it is exactly what you would expect from a weatherspoons the food and drinks are a good price for an ok quality. Definitely not fine dining but perfect for a catchup with friends.

My local customers best place. They always recommend Staff's are very friendly

Very nice food Very good service

Curry menu is great, really enjoyed ours and it was red hot!

Relatively quiet when I visited Staff efficient, service was quick and friendly

Decent food, lovely staff definitely decent pub meal

This is a decent enough Wetherspoons pub, located in the heart of Ilkeston, where Bath Street meets the Market Place. As with all Wetherspoons, the clientele can be pretty neatly placed into the cliché boxes. The pair of two older men sat nursing pints (these two men are in every single Wetherspoons across the land), the local unemployed, the local alcoholics, and the young families eating microwaved meals whilst YouTube raises their children. What I like about Wetherspoons is that a) it is remarkably cheap and b) they have lots of Local historical information framed all over the walls, giving it an immediate sense of belonging in the community. This one is absolutely no different, and I liked what I saw. I had a couple of pints of Ruddles here and, whilst I am convinced there was more alcohol on the floor than was in my pint, at £1.79 a pint, you really can't complain. We had a couple of drinks here, and I have absolutely no complaints. Would go again.

The best spoons I've ever been to. The carpet WASNT sticky. The food was amazing, we unfortunately had to move as we had some super loud people come sit right next to our table (despite being almost empty, typical). We moved upstairs, the breeze was amazing in 27° weather. Best breakfast outing, everything was clean and I cant recommend enough

Great food, nice day out with family

Great little weatherspoons, nice and central, kinda modern looking. You know what you're getting with a spoons. Clean, respectful staff, quick service, acceptable quality food. One of the nice ones. Would recommend.

Nice breakfast, served with a smile 😃

We just feel so comfortable and relaxed in the observatory 😀

Good spoons had a burger and a couple of pints good service food was good nice place in a nice town.

Decent food and nice friendly staff

Nice friendly atmosphere. Got served quickly and easily found a table to sit down. Would go again.. we went at lunch time and although didn't eat there, the food looked nice.

Went over to Ilkeston for a day out and have a look around the place. Nipped in for a late breakfast before continuing with our day. Ilkeston dates back to the 6th century. As do the carpets in the pub and some of the furniture. I think the squashed and ground in chips under our table had been there a similar amount of time. Actors Robert Lindsay and William Roache grew up in Ilkeston and both left as soon as they could. Mr Roache, or Ken Barlow as he’s better known now lives nowhere near the town and rarely if ever visits. Mr Lindsay likewise barely even thinks about The Observatory. Why would he? He’s heard about the carpets. And the ground in chips. Anyhoo, the breakfast/lunch. I had the all-day breakfast while my wife and daughter had a curry and chicken strips respectively. The breakfast was fine although there is something distinctly wrong about having chips on a full English breakfast. Still, my mistake, I knew the menu. I wasn’t to know the egg would be cooked until it was more solid than the iron that was once formed in Ilkeston in huge quantities. The rest of the food was fine, it would be overly picky to complain about the bacon being warm and the toast essentially being tepid bread. The Tikka Masala was adequate, my wife had no complaints. As explained in other reviews, my daughter would eat chicken, however it was cooked and so the strips were devoured like she’d never eaten in her life. That’s autism for you. The pub was Ok, that’s about it. It needs a bit of TLC and some work to make it anything other than a run of the mill, ordinary and very average Wetherspoons.

Bar staff were excellent but the kitchen staff leave a lot to be desired. Had the double American Burger, when it finally turned up it was cold, bar staff changed it and when it returned, my burger had been microwaved but with fresh chips unfortunately the burger didn’t have any American mustard in but by now we just wanted to eat so ignored it. Bar staff fantastic

Solid experience keep the faith.

In a prominent position in the market square taking full advantage of the 🌞 beaming in through the glass frontage. Week two of the Spoons Spring Fest and there’s still plenty of new ales to choose from. Always an added bonus having the toilets close by at ground level. About a one mile easy walk to the 🚂 station.

absolutely disgusting. mould near my table. i do not eat in conditions like this at home so why should i pay to be around mould while eating!!!

It was just perfect I had pancakes for breakfast this morning and they were absolutely amazing including the hot chocolate the food came faster than I expected it was full of people that's how good it is

Great pub, good location and plenty of seats and tables. Good value for food and the staff are polite and courteous. Honestly.. can't fault it.

It was steak night and we both had a lovely meal. Quality and value for money. We have visited the Observatory many times since and never had reason to complain, this week's visited was no exception, a great meal at very reasonable priced. The place has a good atmosphere. The staff are friendly and professional. Service was quick.

Always a good pint and the service is always good, food is what you expect from a Wetherspoons pub, cheap.

Your typical JD Wetherspoon... Plenty of locals to people watch!

Always decent food at very low prices. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Good selection of beers etc.

A bit chilly but otherwise lovely

Lovely little number. Very clean

I do not go often, but service is good. Food tasty .

Fabulous visit ,warm and friendly...these guys know how to keep us customers happy ..a true pleasure to visit..would recommend!!

Didn't eat but food looked good. Typical Wetherspoons- cheap, cheerful and clean.

Took my boyfriend here for our 5 years, wonderful place, great workers - especially Callie 🥰🥰🥰

Lovely friendly staff, excellent service, and very enjoyable food.

Good quality spoons, nuff said.

This is a nice place to be at....very cosy and clean. Tables are cleared constantly. Shame about the surrounding area. Not a place for out if towers. Nothing to do and nowhere to go.

Good hot food, plenty on the plate. Not too busy, got a clean table with ease.

#163 on the Spoons quest Called in on the way home from park run, managed to get some on street parking a five minute walk away. Nice bright little pub on two levels, toilets Downstairs for a change, Staff were sociable and friendly, all in all a nice experience

Good selection of drinks quick service with the food as well

What a great great pub with the drink and food that you want at a great price.

Very busy, food ok for the price you pay, good beer

Breakfast was cooked to exactly how I like it. Don't usually eat at wetherspoons for breakfast (bad experience elsewhere).

It's a nice, clean pub. Really nice hot drinks with free refills. Spot on.

Visited her when I came up to visit my daughter. She had been recommended by other locals to try this place, I wasn't sure as not keen of wetherspoons but was actually very nice staff were very helpful definitely would revisit next time I spend a weekend visiting my daughter.

Some good beers at reasonable prices

Food came quickly and was great value for money! Waitress was totally uninterested and probably wished she was somewhere else!

It's a spoons! It's fine, though strangely the toilets are on the ground floor!?!?!? Not too far from the Benerly viaduct.

The food is brilliant 👏 I absolutely love wetherspoons I feel like Everyone should be here🤣 Keep it up!

I had fish chips and mushy peas and a large pepsi for just over seven pounds. Can't fault it ,the food especially the fish was very good. There's a friendly atmosphere and the staff were very efficient.

Food is always amazing here only thing I feel it lacks is background music

Had a lovely fish and chips. Staff were very pleasant and helpful

Great evening meal and breakfast was had here 23/24 August 2023.Very central location great service and prices.

Lovely nice staff,lady called Dawn .

We used to be regulars in the Observatory when we lived in Ilkeston 10 years ago, so thought we'd give it a go. First impressions was rather grubby with unwiped tables and a stained rumpled Wetherspoons magazine stuck to the table. We ordered our food and waited approximately 30 mins for it. Fair enough, it was busy. I ordered a veggie pizza and hubby a mixed grill with salad rather than the usual trimmings, as he isn't eating carbs. He also got a side of chicken wings, after checking they weren't breaded. Food arrived after about 30 mins. Hubby was confused that peas were still on the plate and that the salad was in a side bowl, as peas are carbs. We were also confused about the chicken wings, as they looked breaded - it turned out that they weren't breaded, they were just cremated to the point of being completely inedible. His mixed grill looked like shoe leather (the egg was done well, though) and was lukewarm. I started on my pizza and ate one slice as it was tepid. I can eat hot pizza or even stone cold pizza the day after, but tepid pizza, especially vegetable ones are slimy and horrible. Such a shame, because had it been delivered when cooked, rather than left standing, I think it would have been a good pizza I quite like a Spoons when done reasonably to well - they are exactly what you expect and cheap, but The Observatory is not done well. Never again

Great for a quick budget friendly pub meal.

Quick service, and nice breakfast, thank you

Myself and my mum enjoyed some very nice lunch on sunday 13th August 2023 during the Ilkeston outdoor car show! We ordered drinks and food .... I had pannii and chips and my mum had fish and chips n enjoyed our food on the upstairs outdoor balcony! It was very busy which helped to give a good atmosphere! 😉👍

Not a bad place, cheap and cheerful, nice staff, food was lovely and decent price. Only downfall in my opinion could do with new look.

The no smoking terrace garden is a welcome change, never disappoints to be value for money

All the tables dirty and full of pots upstairs other than that a Wetherspoons and everything you'd expect.

Great value for money, I particularly enjoy the breakfasts there. I have always been served quickly by very friendly staff and the food has always been excellent. I haven't tried any ales, (although they seem to have a good selection at a fantastic price) because I usually go in the morning but the place is always busy with many drinking it and it looks good!

The staff they are very good service brilliant. My wife had the American 3 oz burger, said it was very nice and I at the sirloin steak the one with all the extras and unfortunately half of it was fat.

Standard food quality, which is not bad price is competitive for the area no music but several tv's for entertainment. A selection of beers and ales are ever changing daily plus has drink and food offers

My old haunt as you know what your getting have my favs

Busy place doing Breakfast, cheap and cheerful 😀.

Its a spoons what else do you want cheap beer cheap food does the job

Great choice of real ales as always. I like to try some of the guest ales and they are always kept well. Late afternoon there is always a nice relaxed buzzing atmosphere. As with all Spoons pubs, the prices are great value. Some of the bar staff could be more welcoming, except Jay who always acknowledges customers and is happy to have a word while he is serving. He should be in charge!

First class, both service and meals

Great prices great food, nice atmosphere

Very nice father s day present foe hubby

Wetherspoons decent ale and good food at a mint price. Always good value

Never fails to deliver good food and drink prices great

Good food with quick service. All at a reasonable price

Half my chicken was bones. The chips were really soggy . Then there was a man serving my food but was also serving drinks and going in and out the kitchen. I don’t think this is appropriate as he is bringing peoples food out and wiping his nose and wiping it on his trousers . Never coming here again

Nice spoons nice none smoking terrace up starts, smokers have the outside at the side of the pub. Toilets for all down stairs!!. Liked..

Great service, food could have been hotter.

Went for a nice walk early on a Monday morning towards Bennerly Viaduct from Giltbrook and this is where we ended up. Brilliant food and reasonably priced too!

I'm not a fan of wetherspoons but this time was alright, would probably go again.

Does what it says on the can. Good selection of cheap cask ales. Food cheap but mediocre

Lovely place nice food reasonable price friendly staff

A nice spoons, very big with lots of tables

Food took 15 minutes to arrive fatty bacon and ordered scrambled eggs and git fried eggs

Pints are a lot cheaper than reading however they need to have some training on how to pour pints

Awful service. The lady who served us spoke over us to another member of staff repeatedly at the bar. We had a couple of drinks that had been bought at costa but weren’t being drunk as we had ordered food and drink there. They were just on the table until we left She bought our food out saw the drinks and said nothing only to then come back after we had started eating to tell us we needed to throw them in the bin. Why was this not said straight away?? Because if it had been I would have asked for a refund and left. My husband had to leave and stand outside and wait for us!! Ridiculous, you won’t be seeing us there again and we will not recommend to anyone The member of staff looked like management which is unfortunate as her whole persona was rude

Went for curry Thursday. food place staff all great, only 1 slight issue food could have been a bit hotter temperature. not spice wise, the curry's we both had were very nice. Thanks Jon&Denise 🧙‍♂️ 🦉

Friendly staff Well priced produce

Enjoyable visit, nice staff, who brought us a couple of pints of Abbot ale straight up from the barrel in the cellar since the line was being cleaned. Customers were very pleasant, too. All in all, no complaints whatsoever. Looking forward to a return visit.

A typical Wetherspoons pub with good prices and this one has efficient staff

Decent pint food average van get busy during the school holidays

What a great wether spoons!! Clean, fast and tasty

Nice place to pop in for some food. Friendly staff