The Stepping Stones in Derbyshire Dales - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Enjoyed a great Sunday lunch at The Stepping Stones during our family holiday. There were 15 of us and the staff accommodated us brilliantly and were so friendly. Food was delicious including the nicest yorkshire pudding I've ever eaten. At the end of our meal the manger gave me a bottle of wine as a thank you for booking our family lunch there. Lovely touch and totally unexpected. Only disappointed we didn't get back there during our trip. Thank you Beth and Tina for looking after us so well

Lovely friendly staff. Food was very good. Didn’t book but that wasn’t a problem and we didn’t have to wait too long until our order was ready.

The staff members were really pleasant, helpful, and friendly. Service was quick and efficient. The food was well cooked and presented lovely. No problem changing fries to chips nor mash potatoes to chips. All the food starters, mains, and desserts were lovely.

The food was very tasty and Ryan was fantastic and very attentive🤩😊😃😁

Great food and fabulous service from Fab. 😁

Good location for people staying at the nearby Travel Lodge. Good pub food and great service from Ryan this evening.

Excellent, efficient service from Tina Ryan and Leonna.

Really lovely pub! Great atmosphere and the staff are wonderful. Rarely have I walked into a pub with such a friendly ambience. Would definitely come back.

Friendly and prompt service. Good food. Menu had plenty of choices so it wasn’t easy picking something as there were so many nice things to choose from.

We didn’t book but our party of 5 was seated and served quickly. Not all of the order was correct but our waiter Ryan was helpful and friendly and he managed to put everything right as quickly as possible.

Nikki was our waitress and was very helpful and professional

We go to Stepping Stones quite regular. The staff are all lovely always feel welcome. Ryan who served us was very professional.

Lovely Marstons pub with a decent sized garden with different areas!

Really lovely roast and service from the waitress star was impeccable

Very good! Ryan was a great server, very friendly, thank you

Always-reliable lunchtime venue but regular 1st choice salad not available today, even at only 13:00.

Popped in for a little lunch by myself. Food was really good and service equally so.

Was staying at Alton Towers with my kids (16 & 12) but didn't want to eat onsite. Chose Stepping Stones after looking at the menu online. A good choice. Great food and excellent service from Leonna. A very decent pint of ale too. An added bonus is that the Royal Shrovetide Football Sculpture is nearby ( well I was interested) down a short overgrown path off a rough car park next to the roundabout.

Really nice. Food feels like it's from a conveyor belt production factory but it's quick and tasty enough to fill a hole. Staff are friendly and drinking nice.

Lovely food. Brilliant variety on the menu and all of the staff were friendly and warming. Returned again and had another lovely meal and pleasant service from the staff.

Stopped on off chance although busy and advised of 45 min wait for food it didnt take this long.. very good choice on menu and although my elderly mum doesnt eat much she tried her best!! Delicious pie… mainly served by ryan… polite. Smart young chap will defo go again ….

Joshua was very nice, however, he did not remove a drink from our bill when we were told that they did not have it in stock and he did charge us for the Pepsi that replaced the sold-out drink. We didn’t notice until after we left the restaurant and then checked the bill. We also ordered a brownie sundae and while the sundae was good, it only came with a flake bar and no brownie pieces (which we later saw on another table’s same dessert). The food was good, the calamari was quite delicious. I felt as if the pour of gin in the specialty drink was weak. I could not taste the Hendrix. When I ordered a single pour of Tanqueray, the gin I received was definitely not Tanqueray. Overall, it was a convenient restaurant but overall would not recommend.

Came here with my partner for a Sunday Roast. We had booked for 2pm however turned up early and noting that it didn’t look to busy we wanted to see if we could sit down a little earlier. We should have walked out of the door as soon as we were greeted by the unwelcoming gentleman that met us at the door. He barely grumbled a hello before asking if we had any allergies whilst not even looking in our direction. He sat us down with no further comments and left. We had our drinks served to us by a very flustered girl and then proceeded to wait 30 minutes to even order a starter, to which we only got their attention when asking if we were ok to order! The young lad who served us did apologise and said he was playing catch up. This wasn’t an issue but the pub was no where near full. The wait for our main meal wasn’t too long however the food was not pleasant. We ordered a Beef Roast and a Trio of Roasts with a side of Stuffing Balls and Pigs in Blankets. Along with 2 drinks each (which were needed to wash down the dry meat and powdery stuffing). The pigs in blankets weren’t cooked with the sausages still pink in the centre and the stuffing balls didn’t seem as though they had been cooked, it was just a mouthful of powder. The meat was incredibly dry and clearly overcooked and the parsnips were burnt to a crisp. I’m not one to moan normally but from the moment we walked in to the moment we left was unfortunately an unpleasant experience. I can’t say after today that we would return which is a shame as they have a lovely beer garden. Not one staff member asked how to food was so I couldn’t make anyone aware of this and after the service we had received we didn’t want to stick around after we finished to explain this. We spent over £60 in total and we wouldn’t say the service or food was worth this amount.

Absolutely lovely afternoon. Standard Marston's fayre but that's the whole point, the menu is varied enough and if I could put 10 for service I would. What makes Marston's special? The simple answer is Allergies, Marston's really do go the extra mile to cope with the weirdest of allergies (I have a long list of weird) without any issues at all, and without restriction too. I normally have a choice of 1 or 2 items but at Stepping Stones I have a larger choice, plus my companion who is lactose intolerant so generally opts for the vegan option felt informed enough to be able to choose normally, knowing that the chef is actively watching out for and very well educated in all things allergy related. The surroundings are beautiful and even in the garden next to the busy main A road, you couldn't hear the constant traffic noise. It was a beautiful day, so we opted to eat in the garden/patio area, which can cause a few issues with the wheelchair at times. Stepping Stones has a good mix of both grass and hard standing tables that are varied between normal tables and picnic benches. Everything is wheelchair friendly, we had no trouble moving around the inside and outside areas. I didn't use the toilet as we were only 30 minutes away from home and under a bit of time constraints with care calls. Definitely dog friendly, there were a number of people in the garden area with their four legged friends.

Genuinely impressed by the welcome service and the quality of the food. A tight run ship (about as far away from the sea as you can get!)

Was a lovely meal, had a great time and great service from our waitress Fabienne.

Amazing food, service and staff 😋 great atmosphere and Ryan was a delight

Friendly staff, meals presented hot and good value, pleasant atmosphere.

We stopped for drinks lovely clean place nice atmosphere friendly staff expensive drinks tho yet a lot of up coming entertainment advertised , location is extremely good will definitely be back

First time in Ashbourne and went to The Stepping Stones. Excellent food and atmosphere. Waitress Leanna was brilliant. Very friendly and attentive. Would definitely recommend

really lovely place i had the Caesar salad and it was lovely 10/10 would recommend. staff are friendly and the place is clean

Great find! From the moment we walked through the door we were greeted with a friendly smile, the team looked after us so well - making lots of fuss over our dog and even bringing out a bowl of water and some treats for her. Food was tasty and well presented. We will be back.

Lovely scenery, great for children and dogs. Lots of people having picnics. Recommended a visit. No food drinks being sold, so bring plenty. Gorgeous ice cream at Milfield at the end of the walk.

The kababs are excellent. Have been twice recently and really enjoyed both sitting inside and outside. Would reccomend.

Made very welcome, served by Ryan, who was very attentive and friendly, he looked after us very well. Nice change to not be rushed. Food was very tasty and served very quickly. We had prawn cocktail and soup of the day for starters followed by chicken and mushroom pie and the beef lasagne. Decent size portions and very well seasoned. We sat in the restraint so had table service. Very happy and thanks to all of the staff and Ryan for his service.

We were seated very quickly without a booking, even though we were warned that they might be quite busy with some long wait times, the staff were very attentive and with a quick turnaround to get the food out to us. The food was fantastic in both quality and quantity and was reasonably priced too. We were served by Star who did a great job :)

Lovely place to eat. Good and quite. With a fantastic interior. Staff were pleasant to talk to. And Tina did a brilliant job, serving us some great grub.

Fantastic. Very helpful and friendly staff, service was great. Food was delicious and we didn't have to wait long for it. Restaurant was clean and had a lovely atmosphere.

Efficient service, Beth was very friendly and helpful

Joshua was fantastic, great service ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Staff were friendly. Clean and nice beer garden. A "portion" of chips with 10 chips for £3.50 was literally a joke.

Ryan was super friendly and attentive when we were here, we really enjoyed our visit!

Absolutely lovely food excellent service

Really good meal , popped in with friends and kids , and all was perfect . Decent friendly service . Food lovely and reasonably priced

Great services and lovely food, would recommend.

A lovely evening with excellent food and great staff

Service from Ryan was great, he was very polite and helpful. Food was not the best we had a burger which was good. Kids meal not good size portion for how much you pay. Hunters chicken was very rubbery had some nasty bits in that couldn’t be eaten very average and would say not worth the money we paid.

We were on holiday visiting the peak district and needed a last minute place for dinner. We Googled a close dog friendly pub and the stepping stones came up. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by Beth who managed to accommodate us (a family of five and a dog) all without a reservation! We were seen to quickly and served quick too. Food was delicious and served very fast. There was a slight hiccup with one ingredient not being available which didn't affect the dish much anyway! But again Beth sorted it out very quickly informed us, offered an alternative and even gave us free pudding for the inconvenience! Would definitely visit again.

Fantastic time with our extended family. Food was good with great service and a lovely friendly atmosphere

Star was true to her name 💫💫💫 thank you so much!

Great service, friendly and kind staff. Lorena was our server on this occasion friendly and helpful as are all the staff

Lovely lunch today. Star was our server and was polite, friendly and very helpful. Thankyou Star.

Decent pub but the portions are a bit small in some key areas

Loved this place. Very good value for food and very reasonable drinks prices all served with cheerful staff and laid back atmosphere. Felt totally at home immediately and very welcome.

Attentive, efficient service. Particularly good with extra care taken to ensure my meal was gluten-free. All four meals were delicious and the cocktails were amazing.

Next to a travel lodge, so captive audience. Not sure it realises that! Ours was a strange visit. Opens for breakfast, which we missed as that stops at 10am. then closes until 11.30. We sat outside (had already checked out of travel lodge) went in at 11.30, staff took our drink order then says “I’ll be back at 12 to take your food order” In the meantime the 4 staff we could see polished cutlery etc. Apparently kitchen doesnt open until 12. That was not stated anywhere - unfortunately for us, we’d left the car elsewhere so had to stay. Don’t live local, so wont be going back. Food was usual chain standard pub food. Toilets clean. Limited veggie options Menus a bit minty! Need a clean

Fab and Fergie behind the bar were great. Will definitely be back!

Service by Joshua was very courteous

Served by Beth who was polite and courteous with quick service

Beth was a great server, bubbly and polite, we'll definitely be back just to see her and her slay personality 💅 P.S order a mixed grill you won't regret it 🌞

Went Thursday afternoon for some ice cream and soft drinks with my partner , brownie sundae was amazing ! Served by Leonna she was lovely 😌👌

Lovely, family friendly pub with professional, attentive staff (Ryan and Emily served us) and top quality food! Always spot on

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Ryan, our waiter for the evening was very polite and welcoming.

Honestly food was top quality and would highly recommend the halloumi side! Beautiful seating outside and water for the dog. Leonna give excellent customer service.

Visited last night whilst on a work trip. The food was gorgeous and Fabian’s, who served us was a star. Very attentive and nothing too much trouble! Thank you ☺️

Absolutely outstanding service and great atmosphere. Food was absolutely delicious and waitress Fab was excellent.

The food is good but I think the best thing about eating at the Stepping Stones is the people who work there. The service you get is always spot on and they really will do everything they can to make sure your visit is a good one. On this occasion we were served by Fabienne and another who's name I didn't get and they were both great.

Fab and Beth was amazing definitely would come back had chicken burger beef burger and sirloin with a couple of extras

Reasonable pub food, pleasant and efficient service. Just what was needed after a long drive.

Love it! Tina was great and so was Leonna!

Excellent pub with lovely staff and nice , fresh food.

We went a little early and not many people there so was a bit quiet. The food was good but I’ve had better but for the money it as fine. Staff were great and very helpful. When we were leaving it had started to fill up so I would guess the atmosphere would have become better.

We visited the Stepping Stones early on Wednesday evening. It was the evening of England vs Netherlands, which is perhaps why the place was nearly empty. We decided to take advantage of the 'pie and a pint' offer. There are different offers on each day. Ryan was our waiter and was friendly and efficient, ensuring that we were happy with our meals. The food was good, but I can't understand why they put beef gravy on a chicken and mushroom pie meal? There was plenty of parking available at the time of our visit. Overall, we were happy with our visit.

Greasy cutlery, Food under the table, no horseradish sauce with roast beef as stated in menu, inexperienced waiting staff who tried their best but seemed very unsure, plates tried to be cleared before diners had finished, customers waiting at the bar for 5 minutes before being served, roast beef dinner was blunt and greasy, pudding was forgotten about and only made once we asked. All of this is in a near empty restaurant.

Lovely pub, with great food. Visited on a Sunday and stayed for several hours whilst working. Laura was extremely helpful in finding me a table next to a plug socket and looking after me for the day. Would highly recommend.

We were served by the lovely Joshua, he was kind and very attentive, pat on the back to the wee man! The food was delicious.

Great service lovely food Tina & Beth are superbly affective host's

Lovely meal with the family as always. Tina is brilliant with our grandson, and our server Beth was helpful and friendly

Great breakfast, great service from Leonna & Tina, really good value for money! Highly recommended!

Tina was very friendly and attentive.

Great service from Em and the food was very tasty too, would defiantly recommend based on my experience.

We had a few customers and clients out with us in Ashbourne so we needed a table for 26 people on June 25th . Not easy ! These guys were happy enough to accommodate us and book us in .The food was exceptional as was the service. Serving 26 people three courses and everyone else in the pub isn't easy. We had two ladies waiting on the tables, and I can't compliment them enough. Well you done guys. You did a great job.

Terrible food and shoddy service! Although we booked a table prior, when we first arrived there were two guys standing around and both decided to argue in front of us about who was going to waiter. Not a good first impression! The food was even worse.. pan fried chicken that was rubber nothing else to it. And £6.99 each for a sundae that was basically flung into what could only be described as a prawn cocktail dish! You needed a straw to consume the ice cream. Won't be returning!

clean, friendly, spacious with a pleasant outside garden and it is off the main road

Staff were really helpful and friendly, shootout to Kieran!

Ordered the chicken and mushroom pie, which unfortunately had no mushrooms in it, also the honey roast carrots were boiled, not huge issues but if you're going to advertise something at least give me what I have ordered. Tina was very apologetic and very kindly let me know that the pie was out of their hands as it was delivered in, but she was going to take the carrot's up with the kitchen. The pie was actually tasty along with the rest of my food just let down by a cpl of minor issues, the service by all the staff was excellent along with the wife's tika masala. We would come back if passing through again 😃

Popped in for Saturday dinner. Very nice food and drink. Good service, served by Star.

We had a great meal here and the service from our waitress Star was excellent.

My server Ryan was fantastic. Great attention to detail and really friendly. The establishment was very clean and well presented. The food was a good price and fantastic quality with an equally fantastic atmosphere to go along with the food. I would definitely recommend The Stepping Stones 10/10

Brilliant food. Our servicer Emily, was totally amazing. Xx

Food was fast but still tasted good. Service great

Waited an hour for food then my husband found a hair under his burger bun the lettuce was all wilted obviously been left under the lamps too long

Just popped in for dinner and a couple of drinks as it was right across from the Travelodge we were staying at and wow!! Food was superb, service brilliant and highly recommended

Thank you so much for the warm welcome, the excellent beer and outstanding food. We had a really enjoyable evening.

Had a lovely meal for Father's day with my husband last minute booking as live in Burton on trent but enjoy coming over to Ashbourne . Only thing that has spoilt it is pressing the tip fee on paying the bill of £58.63 then when checking bank the tip that was added was £8.79.So be aware when paying very disappointed this was not explained to us when paying as this I thought was reasonably priced for what we had but no way should that amount been added . Will make sure next time will tip in cash if I think service is OK. Hi Paul, in reply to your answer to my review. As I said in my review the lady that took our payment did not explain this fully to us and I would have opted for a cash tip If it had been explained fully and this review was to warn future customers. It appeared very rushed procedures and pheraps some customer service and further training is needed.If we visit again we will not tip at all.

Great service T bone was amazing as was my sons burger

Nice pub and well set out and welcoming, food prices are a little high and I was a little disappointed with my portion, I ordered the chicken burger and fries, however I was a bit annoyed to see that I got very little fries on my plate but my 5 year olds child's portion had more fries than a adult portion. To be able to see half your plate when it is served to you is very unappealing as Ur plate is half empty before you start eating. Food quality was good, however I had very little sauce or lettuce in my chicken burger, felt a little like eating at McDonalds if I am to be honest. Don't think we will return.

Ryan was our server this evening and he was extremely polite and helpful. Great table service. Great selection of food. Friendly staff.

Everything was very nice. Good service and great food.

We love everything about it!!! will definitely come back 🫶🏼🥰💗