Darcy’s Fish and Chips — Local services in Great Britain

Catch of the day!

Visited for an evening meal after hearing about this new restaurant opening and as anyone who knows me knows, I know a good fish and chips!

After trekking to places to like murgatroyds up in Leeds, to drakes in York, and the rock down in Devon, I've tried many, with those names being the big hitters in the restaurant setting.

Darcy's is a beautifully presented venue with a restaurant side and takeaway chippy nextdoor all in the same building, which is perfect if you just wanted to get a chippy tea on the way home or a full restaurant experience for family get togethers or as a treat.

The restaurant side is beautifully decorated with a traditional but welcoming feel, imagine dining in a traditional English restaurant from yesteryear and you'll get exactly the vibe they are going for, music was nice and accompanying without being too loud and there is ample seating for small groups and larger tables also.

The food is obviously the main event here and with fish and chips being such a staple dish, it has to step up to the plate to cement itself amongst the competition.

Luckily for Darcys, they are hitting things right on the head with their menu, which features all of your traditional affair, alongside some old favourites like spam fritters, other fish dishes like prawns and all the correct condiments.

Portion size and price wise they are right at the sweet spot for restaurant dining experience, I had the large haddock and chips which was £13.99 which for the size of fish and chips I received was absolutely worth the money, I actually couldn't finish it all which shows portions are well sized and price point correct.

The fish I ordered was absolutely large as intended and the flavour profile was great, they don't cook in beef tallow just standard cooking oils which is personal preference but still the fish was beautifully cooked, crispy light better that was flaky and delicious, the haddock itself was also beautiful, flaky and flavoursome.

My partner had the chip shop platter which included a haddock or cod, battered sausage and a fishcake for £14.99 which personally I wish I had gone with as the fish was still a great size and the battered sausage was delicious probably one of the best I've had, alongside a tasty fishcake too, their sides are also incredible many of the reviews I had read highlighted the curry sauce and hand on heart I can say with no doubt it's one of the best curry sauces I have ever tried, absolutely glorious.

Where Darcy's really excels is their customer service, they have a great sized team able to cope with rush hour diners or big groups, all of the staff were attentive friendly and accommodating to guests needs, with plenty of staff able to bring food out quickly and promptly.

All in all, this kind of establishment is the future of the family get together, bringing back traditional English staples as a price point that's competitive but not overpriced, with options for takeaway or dining, the exterior absolutely shines in the local area and really invited you in.

Overall, if you are ever passing by or like me willing to journey out to find a good fish and chips, Darcy's is up there with the big names and honestly something the Midlands has been desperate for and I can only hope that others give this place a try and support them.

Ratings.

Cleanliness 10/10 tables are clean, floors spotless attention to detail with the art and style setting, on point.

Staff: 10/10 amazing team, friendly, willing to suggest new options, attentive and warming greeting.

Food 9/10 only nitpick is the lack of beef dripping but that's a personal taste, still well up there in the grand scheme of things, a flawless plate.

Price 10/10 takeaway is obviously cheaper, sides are reasonably priced though and great portion sizes all round with a solid kids menu also.

Overall

9.5 out of ten. Will be back to try the takeaway side and see if that holds up in comparison, a gem of a fish and chips restaurant, you will not be...

I was asked about Darcy's by someone who knows I know most of the best fish and chip shops in Derby, with it being half way between my current address and what will hopefully be my new address soon, we decided to stop and have lunch as we were going past. Let me start with the reason I gave 4 stars to the restaurant but would give the takeaway 5. It's simply down to the building, it's very much an echo chamber so therefore extremely noisy. I am autistic and wasn't anticipating over stimulation on arrival so had to go outside ( using the I want a cigarette excuse) after ordering the food, because I needed a bit of time to adjust. Once braced for the noise I was able to cope with the loud music and even louder conversations going on. I had battered sausage, my friends had Steak and Ale pie, chips & mushy peas, along with a lunchtime special mini fish, chips and refill hot drinks. Unfortunately I took a bit off during the meal which I was so unhappy with until one of the lovely waitresses came over, showed fantastic understanding and asked if I would like a box so I could finish my meal later on. Absolutely brilliant I can now say that after a blast in the oven my leftovers were just as good as they were at lunchtime. Batter is light and crispy, decent chips and ample tartare sauce, which is essential, even with a battered sausage. Had I been alone in my electric wheelchair, I would have had a bit of a struggle with the front door but being in my manual with 2 other people, we had no issues and there's more than enough tables in between & around the banks for wheelchair users and another waitress who seated us nicely explained where the toilets are, a very thoughtful piece of information that's very rarely given. As an adult with autism I was able to adjust and still enjoy the meal but parents of autistic children would need to be able to manage the situation, noise cancelling earphones would be advised. Food wise I will definitely go back but mainly for a takeaway, in saying that I would go back to the restaurant when there's a big group meet up where it's going to get noisy anyway.. As I stated previously, I don't think it can be helped, it's just the building itself echoes...

So, my partner and I decided to grab a takeaway and having read great reviews we decided to drop in on Darcy's. First impressions were really positive, very clean and tidy with lots of staff (this is the takeaway side). We were the only customers in there and were served straight away, we ordered reg chips, large fish, small chips and also a donor /chicken wrap but we had to settle for just donor has the chicken was sold out. The chips were boxed up straight away and placed to one side, the wrap was being prepared but very slowly due to the staff members laughing and joking among themselves, it was like they had forgotten we were there. A very junior staff member who was covering some sauces with cling film and the only one actually doing anything at this time had to remind the others that we were still waiting for our food. We waited for approx 15 mins before leaving with our order which cost over £20. We only live a 2 minute drive away and when we arrived home the food was cold and was thrown in the bin.

This is very disappointing in that the food looked to be of really good quality, I can see what the owners are trying to do here, but the staff need to be far more mature and have some management. Another thing that was unusual is that I paid via my debit card but the receipt says i paid with £50 cash and that I received change of £29.55. Anyways, sort it out Darcy's or you wont be trading long which will be...