Exeter Arms — Restaurant in England

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, seeing as it was our first time having food at the Exeter Arms. My friend had booked a table for the two of us for 8 o'clock on Saturday evening. It's always a bit of a gamble one takes, when trying out somewhere new, and I never like to judge a place, purely by the reviews of others. But my word... This place was fantastic! Although it may appear unassuming from the outside, you step into such a cosy and delightful space. It was quite busy, of course being a Saturday night, but we were seated pretty quickly by one of the very pleasant ladies behind the bar. They have a pretty big selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to choose from, as well as a diverse food menu (whether you're just after a snack or something much, more filling!) My friend decided on the Derby rib burger and I had the farmer and fisherman and were informed that there'd be around a 45 minute wait, which we were more than fine with. Well, the wait was worth it indeed! They certainly don't scrimp on the portion sizes here, you get a lot for your money. Everything just seemed to work well on the plate, from the combination of the garlic butter roasted king prawns and sirloin steak (cooked perfectly), which lay on a generous portion of chicken salted fries. The beef croquette was superb and, even though the name may sound off-putting, the bone-marrow mayonnaise was delicious! The flavours came together wonderfully and the tastes were exquisite. Yes, it was £25.95 but honestly? It was well worth it, because I was full after that with a smile on my face. The only thing my friend mentioned, was that his burger was a little dry. But he still enjoyed it and he himself, was very full afterwards too! It was a shame we didn't have any room left for dessert, as they sound superb! We'll definitely have to try them out next time around! The staff were really friendly, the food was great and the general atmosphere was wonderful, I would recommend coming here (cannot wait to return myself in...

I have always liked this pub; it is one of the Derby real-ale venues. So we were very surprised when five of us walked in to the pub at 10:10pm to be told that they had "just rang last orders", although we did still get served. The pub seemed quite busy, and I commented that they must be doing well if they could afford to shut up shop so early and turn away good customers. Anyway, we sat and drank our pints, whilst all of the time, customers continued to go to the bar and get served. At 10:40pm, we asked for another drink, only to be told that the bar was now closed. Less than one minute later, another customer went up to the bar and ordered and paid for a pint. When we questioned why we could not be served, we were told that the party being served were friends and family of an ex-employee. SO WHAT??? It wasn't "a lock-in", it wasn't after time, in fact it was well before the 11:30pm closing time that they advertise on their website. We simply wanted to be treated like everyone else in the pub and be served during normal licencing hours. When we tried to make this point, we were accused of "getting lairy"!!! The Exeter is a good venue, but it shouldn't make the mistake of living off its past reputation. There is a certain level of arrogance that seems to have crept in to the people running the pub. A shame really. They probably think that one group of customers won't make any difference. But each one of those five has friends, and it takes longer to gain a reputation than to lose it. I wonder if the owner would comment on how he might feel if treated...

This place is a diamond in the rough, the surrounding area of this pub is run down and somewhat grotty, please do not let this put you off. Step inside and you're almost in another world, this is an old, well loved and beautiful building with big old oak beams, open fires, cast iron stoves and gorgeous, chunky rustic furniture. Warm, friendly and bustling, yet somehow there's still an air of relaxation about the place.

The bar is small but well stocked with a decent selection of real ales, the staff really know how to keep bar, the beer is excellent. The food is second to none, the prices are ever so slightly higher than some of the other places in town, but trust me the quality of the food you're getting for your money is well worth it. My friend and I shared 'The Chip Tank' chips topped with cheese, bacon, sausage, chorizo, black pudding and jalapenos, between us and we were both blown away. This is a massive portion of chips, that are clearly home made and are absolutely incredible. The toppings aren't just a small scattering on top of the chips, they're mixed in throughout, every chip is almost guaranteed to have some topping with it.

I am seriously impressed with this place and I really can't wait to go back and try some of their main menu and sample more of their ale, definitely, definitely worth a...