The Old Black Swan in Amber Valley

Friendly staff. We had chips and beers. The chips were brilliant and the service was friendly and speedy. Would pop in there again anytime!

Ham, egg and chips took 45 mins at half past one. 1 meal was served 20 mins before the others, also ham, eggs and chips. Go elsewhere!

The young staff are great but I think the owners need to work on their customer service skills, just the basics of making people feel welcome, they say they have sports showing, but on very small tvs, barely sound on it’s not exactly for a sports fan. Food is hit and miss, portion sizes are below average. I’ve just moved to the area and just feel sad that the owners don’t go above and beyond to make people feel welcome, with small talk and showing an interest and remembering their customers. Having always lived in small villages I find that the ‘feeling’ of a place is as important as the goods on offer. Went in once and the owners had gone away and turned the heating off, it was freezing, yes the young girl who was on her own with the help of some customers got the fire going but it’s not ideal and took too long to get the place warm. This place could be the hub of the community, but needs more work on the basics of being a ‘friendly, comfortable’ experience. I must stress that the young girls and lad I’ve met have been great behind the bar. Just the owners, walking through the room and don’t even try to acknowledge you or stop to make the time of day.

Our muddy boots were welcomed. Brilliant pint of Ay Up, and Landlord let us use the snug to eat our sandwiches. Just what our walking group needed. We will return.

Lovely pub and atmosphere. Patsy & Ben always greet with a smile.

We went for a sunday roast beef dinner it was lovely perfect Christine & barry.

Called in here Friday night with my cousin Paul for a few guiness. Love these old school pubs. Good atmosphere and a nice Guiness. Never had food, so I can't score it.

The pub has vastly improved, now doing basic food to start, a pleasant place to go.

8 real ales on offer. Had a really nice lunch.

This place has had different landlords over the years but this lots got it right. A nice little pub. Dog and child friendly not tried the food yet but will soon. Definitely worth a visit

Called at The Old Black Swan, Crich, we had not been here before. Had pie, chips, veg and gravy and panini and salad and chips, together with a really nice beer. Delicious. All the staff were very friendly. Well worth a visit. If we hadn’t been driving we’d have stayed for another drink! Worth noting the pies are delicious and locally sourced, as is the bread. Sorry no photos to post just clean plates.

Popped in for a swift pint. Nice pint of local real ale. Took advantage of the bar menu and had panini’s and a cheesy chip cob and a couple of bowls of chips. Simple pub fayre served beautifully. Hot, tasty, well presented. Very good value. We could have stayed all day.

Staying in Crich with friends for the weekend and stumbled upon this gem. Prices were very reasonable. Staff very welcoming. Home made chips were tasty. Cosy real fire. Enjoyed our visit on Saturday afternoon.

Friendly welcome to a local community pub with great value tasty lunchtime food and good real ale selection

We returned to the Old Black Swan after a very long time. I long for the days when, after a long walk in the cold, we'd stop for lunch at the Old Black Swan. During Rachel and Steven ownerships the food was amazing. Freshly prepared, so very tasty and portions worthy of a king. Today, we ordered chicken pie. It was a cheap, cooked from frozen tiny tastles resemblance to a pie, even served in the tin tray... Small portion of chips, carrots, and peas accompanied the pie. I didn't even read the desert menu. The staff are friendly and nice. The atmosphere is still nice, but somehow, it lost the feel of being so very welcome.

Had christmas eve meal. Food excellent service amazing. Atmosphere brilliant.

Excellent pub with lovely traditional decor, good beer on tap and nice simple meals.

Nice and friendly with a lovely pint of Aye Up - nice and warm

Really cosy pub, not much in the way of food but really welcoming and a great way to spend a winters Saturday afternoon. Real fire, great selection of drinks.

Great pub, with friendly staff and good atmosphere 😊

Only sausage rolls and a pie on offer. No gluten free food. A nice pub but cold. No heating on. Staff friendly.

Really friendly pub, great staff and a good choice of drinks

Nice friendly greeting as we walked in. Good choice of beers, comfortable atmosphere, enjoyable experience.

Made a special effort to call in after a visit to the crich tower earlier in the week & noticed this little gem. Myself & husband were served by a lovely young lady. I also bought the cutest bracelet for my daughter. Thank you Old Black Swan, can't WAIT to come back! Kelly (Ripley)

Lovely pub. Going to be amazing under new management with new food menu in addition to good selection of beer and gin.

Good pub with a good selection of ales. Stopped off after a visit from the tramway village, was a good little watering hole to relax, looks like it's just been tastefully refurbished. No food served at present but a good selection of bar snacks, pies, sausage rolls etc. Would stop again

Nice place stopped for a drink after a long walk

No kitchen at present, so no food available.

THIS PUB NO LONGER SERVES ANY FOOD.

Lovely pub with a nice beer garden, unfortunately tho the stairs upto the beer garden are steep and not very level.

Nice friendly staff, greet beer selection. Love the classic pub interior.

Popped in for a drink after a long hilly walk on the way back to our campsite. Good range of drinks a decent prices and friendly staff.

Great staff amazing selection of beer’s especially the titanic with a bit of blackcurrant in , disappointing no food available which will hopefully be available in the future

Welcoming and friendly. Both staff and customers

Lovely local pub with a good range of beverages. Very welcoming too! 😊

Love this pub. Always make you welcome

Great place to visit Lovely staff and friendly locals Made use feel very welcome Great atmosphere .

Change of ownership but still the same friendly welcome. No food but bar snacks available and a great choice of real ales. Really nice chilled vibe and the music playlist is great!!

Excellent service and friendly support to new comers. From all walks of life. All treated the same. As should be The bar staff give a personalised service to all .FANTASTIC THANKS

Lovely, cosy, friendly, local pub. Well worth a visit

Newly opened and currently only serving drinks and bar snacks (limited to meat snacks unfortunately). Lovely pub, nice atmosphere, friendly staff and nice decor. Will be back!

Just nipped for a drink. Lovely place, friendly staff & good drink choices :) managed to park right outside too

Just reopened under new ownership..thank god for it returning as good old fashioned pub..and good riddance to the old ownership...Great pub under a great team..

Not open when we arrived. Nothing on google listing or on the website. Very disappointed after a 90 minute drive.

Closed when we got there with a notice on the door. No message that we could see on social media.

Superb food, friendly and helpfull staff

If you like greasy, limp, burnt chips in a dirty pub, this is the place to be. Won’t be returning and only visited today after reading other ‘amazing’ (?false??) reviews

Excellent home cooked food. Reasonable prices when you see how big the portions are. Home cooked chips. Will definitely be back

The food was fantastic. Home made steak & mushroom pie was so suculent. Wish this pub was where we lived, would be here all the time. Lovely friendly yiung staff, very polite and pleasant. X

Nice old pub great selection of beers only had a shandy (driving) wife a cider plenty of locals supporting there local pub might try the food next time we nip in

Great food, lovely atmosphere and really friendly staff. Will definitely be returning

We came for dinner while staying with friends nearby. Excellent pub food - we all enjoyed a good selection from the menu including baked camembert, meatballs, fish & chips, pie, salad, waffles, ice cream. All good food and good service. Would happily come again.

Lovely pint lovely beer garden.

What a super find ! We had been to the Heights of Abraham and found this lovely pub on our way home. Great staff who were friendly and accommodating- fitting us in for last minute lunch order even though the kitchen was due to close. We sat in the glorious garden and the food was really tasty - special mention for the skin on fries ! Great service, lovely surroundings- we will definitely return and take friends whenever we are over that way. Dog friendly too - perfect!

Always a pleasure. Friendly staff and good food, the beer garden is a bonus.

Lovely friendly staff, great ales the Ay up was a great pint. Food was ok , just pub grub to be honest , not alot of choice, we ate the beef pie, a burger and the chilli Was really hot the few times we were there but no windows seemed to open which didn't help. Nice outside drinking areas. would definitely recommend a visit your passing through

Great meal , lovely meat pie and chips to die for

Had Sunday roast with nut roast it was beautiful had small plate thankfully or would gave has to leave most it came out stuffed .lovely freasg veggies .

We were staying locally for the weekend, had a table reserved for the Saturday evening but decided couldn't wait and decided to check it out Friday aswell! Despite no reservation they found us (family of 4) a table, all the starters were lovely. The homemade pie steak/stilton was one of the best ever tasted (and I've eaten a lot of pies!) Returned Saturday night, to work my way through rest of the ales on tap and try other options on the menu. Good portion sizes and on both occasions we were well looked after by the waitresses. Great pub, food, atmosphere and friendly staff. Definitely drop in again if in the area, thank you!

Apologies re my last review, had asked but told not your car.... Anyway still give a high rating beautiful dinner, brill staff lovely pub....

The Black Swan is a lovely well kept pub. Enjoyed a beer while on our walk from Ambergate. Need to come back for food 👍🏼

Lovely venue we had food which was yummy best chips ever. Second day attended a wedding at the upstairs outside fabulous day was amazing. Only down side to get up the steps are difficult and fairly dangerous for anyone in heels . And there is only one toilet in the whole building which is also downstairs could do with some toilets upstairs . Advice ladies don't wear heels if going upstairs all stones hard to walk or damage you're heels

Would definitely recommend, this pub provided first class food, drinks and service! This was our second visit this week and it was equally as fantastic as the first time we came! Loved it!

Great country pub. Good selection of real ales. Superb beer garden for a function

Asian Pork nice but a bit over priced

Lovely pub with 8 well kept real ales and great pub grub and Sunday Roasts. Lovely garden. Landlady Rachel and staff were very friendly and attentive. Highly recommended

Lovely dog friendly pub , Food and staff are amazing, Well worth calling in for a pint and a bite to eat 😋 😜 xxx

What a lovely pub! Rachel and her team were so friendly, the choice and quality of ales and food were fabulous. The roast dinner cob superb! There is a care and pride and attention to detail to this pub that bought us back two days in a row and if we were in the area longer we would be back again.

Crich is one of those villages that during Lockdown of 2020 I used to visit, in order to escape the four walls (of course this was at a time when the rules had been relaxed slightly and were slightly less draconian.) However one of the places that I used to pass by was The Old Black Swan, and I used to think how nice it would be to visit, have a pint and eat there. Well needless to say on Friday was my third time eating at The Old Black Swan, and this time I was not here for Sunday lunch (although the Sunday lunch is equally impressive.) Instead I was here for lunch, the sun was shining and whilst a table had been reserved, I decided with the people who I was with, that eating outside would be nice, and that it sure was - looking on the menu, which is a small and simple menu you get an idea that The Old Black Swan really is something else, and the small simple menu works in the pubs favour, interesting options are available to eat, and it is possible with the smaller "starters and lighter bites" to create a custom Tapas, Mezze or Antipasti meal. However though I decided to opt for the "Roasted Vegetable Gratin" which came presented in a Mediterranean(esque) inspired bowl, with a glorious rectangular plate with Chips, not those frozen chips that you would get in other pubs - but proper chips with skins on them, delicious is what they were, the Gratin was light, tasty and packed a punch with flavour, the accompanying Chilli Jam was delightful, not overpowering and had an element of sweetness that complimented the other delightful ingredients within the Gratin, and The Pea Shoots, that accompanied the Gratin offered a surprise sweet taste as well, now when you think of Gratin in pubs a lot of them are "Nuked" by microwave, not the case here, instead it is properly homemade in a kitchen, not by microwave like in other pubs. Two other people who I was with had Scampi and Chips with a glorious Tartare Sauce - again homemade, crunchy, zingy and tasty with the flavour of Gherkins, Capers and Lemon Juice, homemade again and yes I even sampled some of the Tartare Sauce, it really was delightful to say the least. The other person I was with had the Roasted Beetroot, Walnut and Goats Cheese Salad, again homemade and with a Mediterranean twist/element and the dressing that complimented it was in another dimension; no mass produced salad here, instead fresh and sweet - the way salad should be with taste and flavour. Again The Old Black Swan is also a real ale haven, with eight hand pulls of ale on the bar at any one time, and accompanying my lunch I opted for the Crackendale, by Thornbridge, a light lemon and citrus beer, which was crisp and complimented my dinner. But then to my surprise, two portions of cake, homemade lemon sponge cake arrived, and whilst you could sample the fine food and ales, the pub is also a community one in which Coffee and Cake or Tea and Cake can also be consumed, yes I visited in December of 2021 and had Cake, and it was delightful back then, perhaps one of the best slices of cake that I have ever had in a pub, and again this time around the Lemon Sponge Cake was also on a par with the cake I had in December of 2021, cake perfection and who ever makes the cakes - well they are spectacular, the flavour of the Lemon Sponge Cake was just off the scale, not overpowering but refreshing and with the right amount of lemon. As a pub goes it really is one of the best pubs for food that I have visited and the décor adds to the atmosphere with a quirky wallpaper, as well as that the garden is rustic to explore and seeing the young swallows being fed outside was spectacular, yes on the outside The Old Black Swan might look slightly small, but it is something of a Tardis, of delightful food, drink and history. If you are wanting proper homemade food, then avoid other pubs like The Horse and Groom at Moorgreen, or any other chain owned pubs in Derbyshire/The Peak District, and make tracks to The Old Black Swan in Crich, as it is foodie heaven with a little something more.

Really nice food. Bubbly local pub atmosphere and staff who looked after us. Booked a table on a Monday night and ate at 8pm just before the quiz got going at 9pm.

Called in on off chance, no tables inside which was far enough we had not booked. Went outside up some steps into a little courtyard which was cute. No table service outside which was fine, we . Order starters which come quick. I had the prawns in garlic chilli, husband had black pudding. Nicely presented but I found the prawns to spicy for myself, husband loved his black pudding. we were looking forward to mains. I had steak mushroom pie which was amazing homemade short crust pastry but the gravy was watery and had a herby taste, the chips were homemade but had skin on which was not stayed on the menu. Husband had the beer bartered fish but didn’t look fresh and was not white had lots of brown in colour bits. The waitress was very young and had no etiquette she come with the starters and no cutlery so had to go back down the steps around to the restaurant. Nice little pub for a summer drink but won’t return sorry 🙁

Absolut empfehlenswert. Homade food. Riesen Portionen. Sehr beliebt. Tischreservierung wäre besser.

A lovely pub in a very pretty village. Very friendly staff. Nice menu and wide choice of beers. Garden at the side of the pub is accessed by steep steps.

Lovely pub in Crich, friendly staff, excellent range of beers

Good food, excellent chios. Good service. Booking may be advised. Was busy later at 7pm when we left.

Lovely pub with great food. Good service also.

Great range of real ales and nice beer garden

Quality food, service with a smile. Decent size helpings and tasty offerings served by helpful and attentive staff. Nice selection of ales and beers. Highly recommend for lunch or evening meal. Good pub atmosphere

Excellent food, quick and friendly service by Sally & Katlin. Highly recommended.

Surprise. We had a walk around Crich ending up at the monument and then back to this pub,not expecting a great deal. Surprise surprise. It’s a little gem with quality pub food. Good portions and excellent service. Didn’t sample the beers since I was driving. It gets busy with the tram village close by so do book in advance. Will definitely return.

Had a lovely Sunday Lunch at the Black Swan today, not the first time we have been and the food and service as always was excellent. Their gravy certainly isnt gravy granules but proper meat gravy - delicious. The staff are very welcoming and helpful. Not often we eat out but this -place is always my choice of dining. Would recommend it to anybody - couples and families. The landlady is so lovely and i wish them all the success they deserve in the future after a difficult couple of years with the pandemic.

Excellent food and beer. May be better to pre book, we were lucky to get a table.

Great pub. Great selection of beers and a lovely menu of food.

A really lovely quaint country pub. The staff are friendly and approachable. The food is amazing... Best pub chips I have ever had! The atmosphere is quiet yet bubbly. There's a full range of people, from the village locals, older couples, a group of ladies and younger couples... But everyone was talking and laughing. No rubbish music or sports blaring on a massive TV... Just a nice chilled affable atmosphere We ordered the ribs and the chili. Both dishes were top quality, home made and absolutely delicious. The side salad was fresh and lightly seasoned with a balsamic glaze which complemented the sweet crisp flavour of the pea shoots. The ribs were cooked to perfection in a sticky barbecue sauce. The chili was a bit mild for my taste, but so aromatic and absolutely full of flavour. The option to half and half chips and rice was also great. They have a good selection of beers on tap, and they are very reasonably priced. The staff know how to pull a pint properly, and the beer is a nice cellar temperature and there's no funky tastes that you get from dirty lines or old kegs. All in all... Amazing pub and highly recommended.

Asian pork belly was a delight. Been twice and the meals were fantastic. Beer clean and crisp. Definitely worth a visit if in the area

Friendly staff, wide choice of beer, dogs welcome

Went here Saturday night for a supper wedding reception the place is amazing so atmospheric beautiful building the food smelt fantastic but I didn't eat but I know those who did really enjoyed the food beautiful garden for the guest to stand in and the children to play in. The staff were very friendly I would highly recommend this venue ❤️

Amazing little pub with incredible food. Would highly recommend a visit.

Fantastic meal, attentive staff in a charming pub. Will definitely return.

Friendly and pleasant staff, generous portions and well-cooked. And only a five minute walk down the hill!

Great food, beer a little expensive

Lovely meal and friendly good service. Garden at back of pub lovely.

My boyfriend had roast beef and I had a nut roast. Ordered a side of cauliflower cheese. What a tasty meal, the roast was so tasty with fresh vegetables and the cheese sauce was a great strong cheese. Will definitely come here again, thanks for the great service 😋

Great food and a nice friendly pub Pudding on way but I bet they are yummy

Was recommended to go here by the B & B we were staying at and we were not disappointed. Food was good and plentiful and reasonably priced.

The Old Black Swan is an absolute gem and we’re very lucky to be able to call this place our “local”. From casual drinks, catch ups with friends, sunny beer garden drinks, Sunday lunch with the family; it offers a perfect setting for all! The food, drinks and service are always 5*. Rachel and her team are fab. Geoff and Gemma are great too! 😊

Went for a meal here. portion sizes are great had a trough burger and small fish and chips. Had to have a dessert too! Table service and nice staff. Definitely one to come back to. I recommend anybody to try it!

It was some two years ago during the first lockdown, that I discovered The Old Black Swan in Crich - of course that was from a time when we were allowed to go out within the local area, inspired of course by Peak Practice. Yet...

The Loaf and Old Black Swan are amazing with great staff. They were super helpful and very accomodating for a group of 10 people.

Friendly people; good beer and food and what a view!