Could not fault the beer or the service. Their own brewed beer was spot on at very reasonable prices. A highly recommended comfortable and traditional pub. Managed four visits during a two day stay and only had one beer twice, the choice was so extensive and impressive.Best pub in Derby by far. Nice multi roomed pub with a flagstone floor. Most of the ales are brewed on the premises (you can have a glance at the brewery through a window) and are kept in perfect condition, as you would expect. If you come to Derby on the train for a pub crawl, make sure this is the first place you visit when you arrive, and the last place you visit before you leave.Excellent beers, handy for the station and it's nice to see a pub refurb which creates more rooms instead of knocking the place into one big room. Good starting/finishing point for a tour of Derby's numerous decent alehouses.

The Birthplace of Derby CAMRA. Very close to The Brunswick so be sure to visit both of them. Very friendly staff, most of them are part of the same family I think. Huge range of perfectly served ales. I often wonder why there aren't more people in. In a word, one of the very best pubs I've ever been to.Although I stayed here overnight, I only managed to get one pint in (an inappropriately named 'Idle Sod') at the end of a very busy day. Very quiet when I got there from the railway station, but a good crowd had arrived to liven things up later on. Must go back to try a few more from a big selection of Castle Rock and other beers.The last of the pubs on my recent mini-crawl of Derby and I wasn't disappointed. Friendly barman, warm public bar (saloon was chilly but soon warmed up once people arrived for the quiz which I didn't stay for) and the beer was in good nick.

I'd certainly come here again.

A pub that lives two lives. One side of it serves 30 odd different ales, many of which are brewed on the premises (Headless Brewing Company). The other side is a concert hall. Do not let the outside fool you. Step inside and see for yourself.Quite dark inside as soon as you step away from the front windows, but not so gloomy that one can't see a vast array of hampumps with all different kinds of interesting brews on offer (including a decent Over and Out Stout from the Headless Brewery out the back of the pub). A real ale drinkers 'must visit' destination.I first went in this pub 30 odd years ago when it was just a poky local on the ring road.Since it was opened up after the ex-tyre depot next door was aquired its become a beer and music mecca.I like the fact that it still has a pub atmospere with an incredible always changing selection of ales.You can still sit and haxw a quiet drink even when theres a few hundred crammed in the back bar watching a rock band.Just about the best pub on a Saturday in Derby for us oldsters,anyway

VERY good Weatherspoons (recently rated 3rd best in the country). Currently holds the Derby CAMRA pub of the year award. Go in there for the ale! They have 17 handpumps, and a large LCD screen tells you what each one is, where it comes from and what type it is (light/bitter/porter/stout etc)Pleasant and welcoming Wetherspoons, with an excellent range of real ales (including many I previously never heard of such as a tasty Middle Mash from the Berrow Brewery). Usual range of cheap food deals, but thankfully they let you choose any real ale with the Curry Night specials. Nothing special architecturally, but first rate.Called in last month as I always do when in Derby and had a couple of beers to start the day's crawl round Derby. Managed to find 4 beers new
to me from the excellent screen showong beers on the pumps.

Seemingly slightly isolated pub on the riverside along from Exeter bridge close to the City Centre.

It's a rather basic and, externally particularly, scruffy looking pub with a separate games room and a lounge at either end of the main bar.

There's a pleasant outside drinking area overlooking the river.

There's an impressive range of micros on offer, which include Whim Arbor Light and Hartington IPA, also Headless Fruit Bloom on my recent Wednesday afternoon visit, when the pub was quite quiet.

I didn't find this pub quite as welcoming or as friendly as some of the others in Derby.

Beer pricing seemed a bit odd to me - Whim Arbor Light at 3.6% being £ 2.60p per pint whereas Thornbridge Jaipur IPA at a much higher gravity of 5.9% being only 20p dearer at £ 2.80p.

Not a must visit pub by any means, but worthy of consideration for any Derby crawlMassive range of very well kept ales in here. Could certainly do with a lick of paint and a very good spring clean however. Make the effort to visit this place on a Derby Ale Trail but try not to lean against the wall as you may well get covered in dust!Looks very tatty from the outside (with more of the signage having fallen off than shown on the current BITE photograph), to the extent that one wondered whether it was still open as you approached. A fine selection of real ales was on offer, including a very tasty Bramble Stout from the Burton Bridge Brewery. It's not often that I wish that somebody would spend some money 'doing up' such a traditional pub, but in this case the surroundings don't really do the excellent beer justice.

Any pub fan who visits Derby MUST visit here. Traditional unspoiled place with a flagstone floor and an open fire. Nice range of ales (though only one or two are guests, the others being from big commercial brewers). Has a lovely little snug in the middle. The dolphin is an attractive old coaching inn, sitting close by the cathedral.
It is noted to be Derby's oldest existing pub, dating back to 1530. It is said to be haunted, and is included in the Derby "ghost walks".
***
Enter by the front entrance and you encounter a stone slabbed passageway leading to the main bar with two rooms, a small snug with an open fire, and then on to the outside beer garden at the rear. The bar rooms are smallish & cozy, retaining much of their original features. Some parts were in need of a clean though, as noted by others.
***
There were three cask ales on. Abbot, Pedigree, and a regional. This seems to be quite a reduction from previous comments! Theres a menu with snacks and mains at quite reasonable prices.
***
verdict:
With me, this scores well for its cask ales, meal prices, and historical aspects, i.e. the "olde englishe" factor.
so an 8 from me.
Well worth a visit if you are in Derby. Enjoyed a very nice ale in here which was obviously well kept. The building is very old and has a great feel to it. A cozy little pub which I will look forward to visiting again.

A sort of half-Irish kind of place, but don't expect to see a bunch of people with fiddles and tin whistles. Very very friendly staff - they bring the Guinness over to you at the table. Lovely food. No real ale.A fantastic Irish pub serving excellent Guinness. Had a very friendly feel about it. Went in on a Saturday evening and it was busy but not packed. The barstaff also brought the Guinness to our table which was a really nice touch. Seems that this is the pub where James Morrison was discovered... but nowhere can be perfect I suppose (just kidding). A great pub.Fantastic Irish pub, thoroughly recommended for too many reasons to list here.

Traditional local, close to the station as you would expect. I usually call in here on my way back to the hotel when staying in Derby. Always has well kept Bass served from a metal jug, usually has Cally Deuchars or XPA or both on tap. Great place to go if Derby County are playing as the landlord doesn't let any dipsticks in and you can have a quiet couple of pints talking with the sensible fans and the regulars. Peoples opinions differ about this pub and the landlord, but I like it.The Bass from the jug was top notch as always. Black Sheep and Hobgoblin were on handpull - tried Hobgoblin which was crystal clear and delicious. If the door is locked and the pub seems closed in normal opening hours tap on the window and Dave will check you out on the CCTV. If you don't look like a homicidal maniac he might let you in.Had to knock to get in on a Saturday morning. Only ale on was the Bass from the jug. Black Sheep Bitter, Deuchars IPA and Caledonian XPA all turned around, even when we came in after the game.

Some confusion going on here I think. The pub voted the No 1 Wetherspoons is the Babington Arms a couple of hundred yards away from this one. Please don't think of this as your average Spoons. The interior is very impressive and the huge range of beers are perfectly kept. In fact I recently read that this was the number one Wetherspoons in the country as far as real ale is concerned. If you visit on a Friday or Saturday night however, don't expect to be served straight away as it gets VERY busy.Popped in here for something to line the stomach before a mini-crawl of Derby. It was Curry Night. The place was busy but not so that you couldn't get a seat. Service at the bar was quite slow and when I handed back a sticky glass and asked for a clean one the barmaid slammed it down as if she'd had a bad shift, and it was only about 7pm. Not good. Still, despite being ping-cuisine, the curry was passable and set me up for the evening. I didn't have any ales as I was saving room for the afore-mentioned crawl but there seemed to be a good selection on the bar.Wonderful old banking hall in which to drink sort of made up for the poor service.

would just like to comment about the below.firstly this pub as one of the best smoking areas around with ample covered space and an open area also.With regards to the price if you go to the surrounding pubs which offer decent ale (with exception of weatherspoons of course) i think you will do well to find one which offers ale at 2.25!!misleading comments i think......expensive, unsympathetic modernisation, poor catering for us dirty smokers. been there done that won't be going backThis is indeed owned by Derby Brewery. Great refurbishment of a dead pub that looked like it was more likely to be demolished rather than reopened. Large horseshoe shaped bar with 10 handpumps, at least 5 from Derby and several guest ales. You can also buy a sampling tray of 5 Derby beers in 1/3 pints along with a selection of local cheeses. It’s a little bit echoey (is that a word?) as it’s all hardwood floors but very pleasant all the same. Good quality beer served by friendly, knowledgeable and efficient staff. Has an upstairs area that has acoustic gigs on some nights as well. A fine job done here by Derby Brewery, well done guys.

Very similar to its sister pub, The Markeaton, not too far away. It gets an equal review - good beer, good food and nice atmosphere. The range of ales might be slightly better in here - they had a stout when I was in there the other day, something you don't tend to see in many chain pubs.Great for a big roadhouse and "plastic" pub, interesting range of real ales served by willing and friendly staff. Walk through Darley park to the nearby Abbey Inn ( but not after 15.00 as it closes in the afternoon )A "plastic chain pub" which does however have a great heated smoking area where you can sit down.