The old black horse, mapperley in Amber Valley

Stumbled across this pub when in the area. Arrived just as the kitchen was closing but the staff was brilliant and still allowed us to order food!

The food was lovely good portion sizes, good service and the staff were friendly and helpful really enjoyed our visit will be visiting again keep up the good work

16th October 2024, we visited the Old Black Horse, and it was the Wednesday Night Pie night. We had a really good night. The price was fantastic. You can also order off the normal menu. The pies are first-rate and as good as any I have tasted before. The staff are really nice being professional and very friendly at the same time. We have been a number of times and had the Carvary. This is one of the tastest I have tasted, and the price is resealable.

Great place. Good food. Nice people

Was just brilliant, went for pie night (Wednesday) & the piccie tells the tale - not a scrap left! I had the steak & ale with parmesan & truffle mash, garden peas & gravy. Two things are great - a stunningly tasty meal for under £10.00 (less drinks) & the choices on offer. There are choices for every bit - pies, mash/chips, peas/veg and even gravy choices. Something for everyone, even the veggies😁👍.

Nice setting. Had carvery but beef and turkey tough. Shame because couldn’t fault otherwise.

Celebrated my grandsons 21st birthday there, everything was really lovely especially when the staff surprised us and gathered round to sing Happy birthday. So thoughtful and delightful. Great atmosphere and all in all a wonderful experience. Thanks to all concerned. Will definitely visit again.

Great place, some cheap drinks and their ice cold, which is perfect for when you need a cool down after a long walk.

Pie night, with a good choice of pies and sides on the menu, BUT the pies were just OK, only just warm enough. Chips seemed to have been cooked ages ago and kept barely warm, mixed veg was watery. Grave was nice though. Drink service OK, but food took ages to arrive. Hopefully this was a bad day, rather than a regular thing.

My wife and I went last night for the pie night, I had the steak and ale, my wife had the chicken and ham pie. Both were very good. The thing i liked the most was the different side options, a choice of five potato choices I.E. Mustard,Horseradish,Truffle or classic mash or chips, A great choice of gravy, wild mushroom,onion,etc.Wine very well priced and good. Far too much food for us but that's not a bad thing, we just don't eat a lot. We would definitely recommend people to try, and last of all very very well priced meal's.P.S. the staff were excellent well done to all of you.

Stopped here during an evening walk from Shipley Country Park for drinks. Lovely pub set in the countryside with a large beer garden with plenty seating. Service was quick and they had an excellent range of beers on tap including Screech Owl from Castle Rock Brewery.

Rude staff and double standards regards dogs on leads when others didn't have theirs on leads, couldn't book for food as said they were at capacity but empty tables,outdoor seating area not cleaned up either same as smoking area ashtray not emptied, avoid avoid

Had blackened chicken with a portion of chips very nice. The pub is very nice and good country atmosphere. Pricey but well worth the money

Excellent food and great service, a lovely dog friendly pub.

Brilliant, wholesome country pub. Pie Night last night was brilliant👍🏻

Wasn’t great had the burger and chips paid extra for some cheese which was not nice at all the buns used were so thick and bready and floury very very bland and the burger wasn’t hot enough and didn’t have any taste , I would suggest changing the bread to a burger bun, chips didn’t go very well had chippy chips that’s what they tasted like, they were not great. disappointed to be honest

Cracking country pub , lovely meal and great choice of beers on at the bar. Really nice inside and a great back garden too. T

It was great to see a Traditional Morris side tonight and they were going inside to sing but the pub closed at 9pm. Some pub.

Great place to go with a dog staff friendly and helpful food was just what I needed 5*

Great location. Kind staff. Great food.

Nice bar, quite empty at 14.20 Friday but still enjoyable. Looking forward to trying pie night on Wednesday

Good overall ok although mine had too much batter. Long time to bring food and drinks. Staff didn't bother to pour the wine. They seemed to forget that we had placed our food order because they came to the table a second time to ask us to order food!

Booked here the evening before mother's day so didn't think they would fit us in but they did. The pub is situated in a very small village so it was good they had their own carpark with room to park. It's not a massive carpark so I could imagine it would be difficult to park on a busy day. On entering the pub you need to input your registration number due to parking restrictions on the carpark. There was a very loud, rowdy crowd in the bar area due to sport on the TV but we were seated in the other dinning room out of the way but you could still hear them. The food and the service were brilliant and the wine was excellent. Just felt like they could have set a bit more of an atmosphere by lighting the table lights and turning down the bright overhead lights. Overall it was a good night out even though we didn't stay that long. I would recommend this place for a nice meal just don't go if you want it to be a quite meal ! Especially if there are any sporting events on TV.

£4.40 for a pint of Cruzcampo in a lovely village, just outside of Ilkeston...Who'd have known! We had the blackened cajun chicken and the battered halloumi & chips which seems to be a rarity now! Portions were good and food was lovely, not like your typical "meh" pub food. It took a nice amount of time to come out, so it felt hot and fresh. The staff were polite and attentive and the clientele were your typical village folk, so a nice atmosphere throughout the pub and garden. It seems to be very dog friendly, except for one dining room (I believe and understandably). Make sure to register your car reg at the bar (if parking in their car park).

Went on a Wednesday, pie night, and was very good 👍

Staff good food okay smell of dogs not good Shame most non dog walkers in their option seated in a cafe type area - dogs in bigger area seems a bit backward we are the customers the dogs are pets needs a rethink !

This really is a hidden gem, an old country pub, but very modern inside. The landlord and landlady are very welcoming. We were in the area on holiday and they gave us lots of local information, which was very useful. The range of beers is outstanding, so much so, my wife and I were glad our holiday Cottage was within staggering distance by the end of the night. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, the music playlist was great. I can't comment on the food as we didn't eat, however it is best to book. Overall, what a fantastic pub, and a really great evening, so a big thank you to the Old Black Horse.

Alot better than our last visit. Seems to be a big food pub now..most tables reserved so had to move.The food looked very nice.. good decor and service.

Best Sunday carvery by far , great service great food

it was really busy when I went, but the food was relively nice, nothing that really blew my mind but it was good :))

Came here for a Saturday night meal with friends, staff were lovely friendly and welcoming, the food was great excellent flavour I had the belly pork, others had pie of the day and steak and none of us were disappointed, we all had dessert and again the presentation and portion size was spot on. Great value and happy to recommend

We visited this pub for the first time for Sunday lunch and it was excellent. The food was exceptional and the staff were very courteous and welcoming. Plus it is great value for money. The only slight criticism is that you had to give back the table in 1 and a half hours, and we would have preferred 2 hours as it did feel a bit rushed. The other great thing about this pub is that dogs are not allowed in the restaurant area, only in the bar area, which is a great compromise to suit dog owners as well as non dog owners. I don't agree with dogs being in a restaurant where you are eating food and especially in a small area where dogs are usually pushed under tables in cramped conditions, not fair to the dog at all. So it is nice to see this pub thinking about all of their customers and not just dog owners. We will definitely be returning.

1st time treat here for Sunday carvery! Won’t be the last! 6 adults 1new born baby! 1little dog in a pushchair!Really enjoyed the meal tasty selection of veg! Good selection of meat! The staff had been really accommodating by putting us out of the way of passing customers! Good value for money! So nice to be welcome into a dog friendly pub!Thankyou! Been back for Sunday carvery quite a few times since! Can’t fault it!

Good food at a dog friendly Pub.

Super great food , friendly service, must visit again soon

Yet again another tasty carvery good Choice of meat &veg !Brilliant for families & dogs ! Lovely welcome from staff!

Great food and fantastic service! Will definitely come again!

Good beer and good food and reasonable prices. Friendly staff.

Sorry to mark down the score for atmosphere, but unfortunately we were the only ones in the restaurant...Billy Nomates! Anyway, good welcome and friendly service. Our first visit and we were looking forward to the haunch of venison as seen on their website but unfortunately not now available. Went for the Jambalaya and thoroughly enjoyed it, really good wholesome food and plenty of it (could easily be shared for two). It is worth returning for the food, and the good choice of ales, and the Old Black Horse does not deserve to be so quiet on a Saturday night (mind you the weather was atrocious for August). Do go and enjoy the food and if decent weather there is a nice outdoor area at the back.

Took my Daughter-in-law to the Old Black Horse on Saturday evening and we had a lovely meal as usual. Good food and lovely atmosphere. You can’t go wrong.

First impressions are not good, both disabled parking slots taken up by a bin, a sign and some other large item. When i bought the matter up i got attitude and nothing but dirty looks afterwards and no apology for the pure lack of consideration towards disabled customers. Then there was a time limit to eat your food before you had to vacate the table, last thing i want is to be rushed when im out for a family meal. The food was nice but i would not go back purely due to the other things

Lovely location, nice well kept local village pub, great beer garden. Staff were really friendly and helpful. Food was great, decent portion and tasted good. Staff were on it with food allergies.

Excellent carvery, all very hot and vegetables not hard like they usually are when you eat out. Man serving was helpful. He must dream about his question-sausage, yorkshire, and a stuffing! Bar staff were friendly and helpful

Group of friends went out for Sunday lunch .Lamb was absolutely beautiful and tender . Staff couldn’t do enough for us and very helpful . Definitely be going back soon

Good food, friendly service from professional staff. Pity they had run out of gravy! (does show they probably make it from scratch)

Great pub with a good atmosphere and good pub garden for a drink with friends

My wife and I don’t understand the bad reviews. The food in this pub is lovely and the bar staff, particularly the waitress that served us are a credit to the pub. A lovely little pub and well worth a visit.

Pretty awful to be honest. 1 hour wait for food which was of poor quality and cold. The pub wasn't busy... Ordered x2 burgers, one pie and a lasagne. The burger buns were awful and broke appart, chips were cold. The veg with the pie was cold. The lasagne was burned and was hard to cut through... Won't be going again as it cost over £65! I could cook better at home to be honest.. Poor show.

Wow what a difference, I came a few years ago and the difference from then to now is incredible, the food was exceptional, the young lady that served us was lovely couldn’t do enough for us will definitely be coming again

Great food great premises just need about 1 hour and 20 mins to wait for a burger when it’s not even busy. This took away the fact of its great food :(

Lovely food would definitely eat here again got a small car park behind the pub great priced meals friendly staff 10/10

Lovely pub… but think the timings are a bit off putting of the sittings ..no carrots on carvery - they did bring some over when we was half way through meal . Had to wait for GF gravy. Nice food but just think the way it’s done is a little off putting, felt rushed and people coming looking to see if table free was a little rude , when something was said by one of the customers the staff didn’t try and calm things down. We was there to catch up with family and I wouldn’t go again for Sunday lunch due to not being able to relax and socialise.. we didn’t even get pudding as was told the time was up. Maybe just do less sittings ? We was told if we don’t want to be rushed come for the 16.30 seating 😂

Lovely place friendly people and a very nice meal

Carvery delicious and service good

Plenty indoor & outdoor space. Friendly, welcoming staff, good menu. Well positioned to visit after a great dog walk on Shipley Park.

Amazing food and service for a large group. Thank you for having us and making my other half’s birthday a winner! Lovely afternoon had ❤️

We had a wonderful time on Sunday 26th March at the Old Black Horse. The team worked with myself and partner to surprise the family with a gender reveal cake! 🎂 They kindly stored the cake overnight for us as we did not have room and we couldn't hide it from the family. We had a carvery which is always delicious and has a good selection of meat. The team then surprised us with a bottle of bubbly and a non alcoholic cider for me, which was super lovely and was the cherry on top of an already wonderful day. Thank you to all involved - You were wonderful!

Really good quality food and great service... 👍

Wonderful pub great food great service wonderful place to meet up with friends ☺️

We visited here for the first time, with our friends on Sunday. On arrival we were greeted & shown to our tables, on request of two high chairs, they were brought to us clean, which is always nice. We decided to go for four Sunday carveries, & our daughters had two bowls of food, most of it ending up on the floor, but thats babies for you. The veg options on offer looked & tasted great. We also chose to go for desserts, but near to finishing these we were asked by one of the staff we had to look at leaving, due to time on the table running out. We fully appreciate that there are time slots, however it would of be nice to of been told we didn’t have sufficient time to order desserts. Maybe a tip going forward, is to make tables aware they have 30 mins left, as it comes across as being rude to be told we have to leave!

We visited here for the first time, with our friends on Sunday. On arrival we were greeted & shown to our tables, on request of two high chairs, they were brought to us clean, which is always nice. We decided to go for four Sunday carveries, & our daughters had two bowls of food, most of it ending up on the floor, but thats babies for you. The veg options on offer looked & tasted great. We also chose to go for desserts, but near to finishing these we were asked by one of the staff we had to look at leaving, due to time on the table running out. We fully appreciate that there are time slots, however it would of be nice to of been told we didn’t have sufficient time to order desserts. Maybe a tip going forward, is to make tables aware they have 30 mins left, as it comes across as being rude to be told we have to leave!

Nice country pub near Shipley Park. Worth a diversion. Good food and well kept cask beer. They coped with our big group easily and efficiently

It is good value for money. We've been going for Sunday carvery for 9 months now. Alas we have noticed the standards seem to have dropped I'm afraid. Meat has been tasteless the last couple of times and the vegetables under cooked. Unfortunately we have decided not to go back. It is what it is. Staff always helpful and friendly. Please do try it however, this is just our personal decision and choice. Roast dinner at home for us in future.

Good selection of meat in the Carvery, loved the parsnips.

Very friendly , fantastic food and staff. You must support this local pub it’s amazing

Good home made carvery good friendly staff

Well we have been here loads of times and had lovely food but today terrible service. Waited 40 mins for cold mash, gravy with the pie which they apologised and took away no further response. My cajun chicken was on greasy rice not like usual not nice. No response from 4 staff noone on bar. Eventually manager said I've taken meals off. Made no attempts to understand what was wrong with chicken & when highlighted no one had said what was happening with pie meal. His response was I wasn't dealing with that. I left saying I will take my business where it is wanted. Prices increased significantly for smaller portion in respect of the chicken dish. Won't rush to return. I see manager said we were making a scene and angry I would love to know how we are supposed angry no one came to us what a way to justify not dealing with the issue. How are we supposed to know what they were offering as a resolution as we assumed they were going to heat the mash potato. I appreciate price increase but it remains reduced portion. We were not rude in any way but didn't expect to be left sitting there with one. Meal just gone. You never offered to recook meals or even sort out mash. We had been regular dinners here prior and never had a complaint but given they did not even try initially to offer a resolution I won't return. I have to highlight the manager said what do you want me to do. Then followed us outside trying to apologise but give he said " well that's how dish is so if you donnt like it what do you want me to is an unusual response when we had highlighted this was my usual go to meal. Last comment all two customers and the member of staff that said OK to my pie and took his plate as cold and did not return. I never insisted you recook meal. You did not even broach us we sat there for awhile wondering what was happening I even tried to knock on the kitchen door to get a response and you all seemed to be in there. Your response is an utter insult and not once have you even tried to see it from the customers just sat there. You never mentioned the fact of the 2 soft drinks otherwise we would have addressed this at the time. I think you miss the point I started review well and left previous good reviews to get this response.

Excellent service and food - reasonable prices and staff very friendly

Visited the old Black Horse for a superb good from a classic menu, everyone had something different to eat and it was all fabulous, jambalaya was exceptional, lovely atmosphere and looking forward to visiting again

Originally just went for drinks having walked around Shipley Country Park and sat in beer garden. Later in week went for a meal having booked ( although didn’t need to ) and had carvery. Checked what was gluten free and was advised usual things to avoid ( Yorkshire puddings and cauliflower cheese). Decent serving of meat and separate gf gravy provided.

Traditional village pub. Good food menu and reasonable choice of beer. Could do with better cider options. Can't quite put my finger on why I didn't score it higher.

The mixed grill needs to be looked at no mushrooms, the ,gammon was salty and not soaked to remove the salt, no weight given for the steak to be served my piece was ok but my friends was piece was very small and looked like it had been cut of a piece of steak

Very nice clean meal nicestaff friendly. Also dogs allowed well think they was would check booking may be necessary

The Sunday carvery was excellent quality , and reasonably priced. We would definitely recommend the old black horse.

Great food and friendly service.

Friendly staff very good value Massive portions Don’t think you could go wrong

Amazing food and very friendly staff 😃

Considering its location in Mapperley Village, it was really busy. Great outdoor area, too. It is a popular place for dog walkers and ramblers alike. I was pleasantly surprised as the exterior looked nothing special. I will be returning.

A lovely pub in Mapperley that does a delicious Sunday Roast!

Really nice food I had cajun blackened chicken which was lovely. My partner had smothered chicken. Was a bit disappointed they charged me for coleslaw when the other chicken dishes came with this should be included as salad. I would definitely go again. Chicken breast was fresh cooked. Also able to take my 2 pooches with me

Stopped here to have something to eat whilst out walking, with 4 dogs. i didnt go inside but the beer garden was lovely and very tidy. Food was very nice too and the lady who brought out the foid was nice and friendly, thank you

Nice pub in a Nice village on the way round a Nice walk on a Nice evening for a nice pint of guiness. Large garden area plenty of seating. Traditional pub with traditional fayre. Great to see the Old Black Horse open and seemingly doing well.

Lovely cosy Sunday carvery cheers

had our drinks, then decided to have something to eat , menu was basic but ok, went to the bar to order two meals but was told its bookings only and the menu was snatched out of my hand,, 10 mins later i was asked if i wan to order a meal again,,, WTF,,,, what pub turns down paying customers when there is hardly anyone in there,, will come back when new management arrive

Really enjoy food here. Lovely service. Polite staff. Will return.

My wife enjoyed the baked salmon as I did the rump steak. A comprehensive menu. Very reasonably priced. Friendly staff.

Great venue with friendly staff! I fully recommend a visit to The Old Black Horse if you find yourself in the area, you wont be disappointed!

Very good, proper carpark, nice beergarden, perfect service, fine food, fair prize.

Visited Easter Sunday with my husband and baby after booking a few weeks before as we were staying at accommodation nearby. It's a wonderful pub and surrounding area makes for a nice walk. We came in towards the end of the rush and the gentleman who took us to our table let us know there was no bookings after us so we didn't need to rush but advised we order our food soon as the kitchen would be closing at 5. We chose the Easter Special carvery which came with lamb and we ordered a pudding each for after and the ladies behind the bar asked we let them know when we're ready for those. The carvery was top notch. Me and my husband both agreed it was the best carvery we'd both had for a long time and the roasties were heaven! When we were ready for pudding we asked for it. I had sticky toffee pudding with custard and it was lovely and hot and my husband had a chocolate orange brownie it was all beautiful. Every single member of staff we encountered were love as are the locals. It was a nice atmosphere. A nice touch the pub has is that it has all of the previous landlords names and years they had the pub on the wall. It's got a lot of history and a nice touch. Thank you for a lovely meal and wonderful end to our first family holiday!

Overheard a disgusting conversation through an open back-window that totally disgusted me and my partner! Everything from food to soda was basic, but wish I hadn't eaten after hearing the story... 0/10. Avoid

We were made to feel very welcome food was lovely 😊

Couldn't fault it will go there again

After reading the recent bad review and the brilliant response to it, my husband and I, decided to take a mid week trip to the Old black horse to try their main menu, having previously only visited on Sundays for carvery (which has always been enjoyed). It was very quiet upon our arrival, however we were greeted in a friendly, polite and informative manner. The restaurant area had lovely decor and the fairy lights gave it a lovely feel. My husband wanted the steak and ale pie, but was told that they didn’t have any of these as this was ordered in rather than homemade on site, which didn’t bother us. He went ahead and ordered the vegetarian pie. For starter, the fajita chicken wings were very tasty. The spices used were really nice. I had the creamy garlic chicken for main and the flavours were gorgeous, complemented with the fresh salad and gorgeous homemade chunky chips. A very satisfying dish at a very reasonable price. My husband enjoyed his pie and commented how nice it was to be accompanied by “proper mash” rather than sloppy Smash that a lot of other pub/restaurants tend to serve. We shall certainly be making more visits to this wonderful little country pub.

Not all homemade chicken tikka masala boil in bag Hallomi fries come in frozen how is that homemade and when has a mixed grill ever had chicken on it where the pork chop, kidneys, lamb chop, black pudding all the years as a chef with 2 Michelen star and half your menus bought in all homemade is a lie and how about probing the meat on the carvery so it doesn't go below the correct temperature when the bacteria starts to grow again plus probing the veg is a must aswell but that's not done either as I noticed on my last visit when I complained the meat was cold and the veg and nothing was done will n poo t be coming back again plus the Yorkshire pudding homemade my arse bought in if they were homemade they would not look the same uniformed shape so you telling me the homemade think I jut sawa pig fly over the moon

We arranged to come for Sunday carvery with my elderly Nan. Beforehand, I contacted the venue to advise that she’d need easy access to the carvery due to her age. They kept their promise and located us well on our arrival. The carvery was delicious! My Nan sadly passed away a couple of weeks after our visit, so it was our last family outing with her. When I told the owners, they were so kind and felt honoured to have played a part in us being able to create some lasting family memories. The atmosphere is so homely in the old black horse. We love it for this! A hidden gem of Derbyshire. You do need to book if you want to eat there, to avoid disappointment on arrival. Also, during the lockdowns, they did a fabulous job of opening up and enabling people to eat safely outside. Thank you to all at the old black horse!

Fab local pub, great food and lovely staff! I'm honestly not sure where the people who have written bad reviews have eaten! We visit often and in the last two years the team have worked hard to offer a solution to lockdowns, outdoor service only and coping with full reopening. The food is great and amazingly well priced. I would recommend to anyone I know!

Food was average. No table service and not a lot of choice on the menu for pescatarians/vegetarians. Salmon was overcooked, dry, burnt and chewy. The linguine was really oily and the presentation on all the food looked like it had been thrown together. Food also wasn't that hot.

It was OK the apple crumble was nice and the staff were polite and friendly. The negatives were I found the carvery very dry and some of the veg seemed undercooked, coupled with expensive alcohol prices means I will be taking a picnic next time I go for a walk round Shipley Park and mapperly res.

Came in after booked a table. They booked table for 2 people and not 4. Give us a table still but the food carvery wasn't nice. Kids wanted other food got told don't do no other food just carvery and loaded chips. Bit disappointing for...

Very welcoming Really good food nice atmosphere