The Pepperpot — Restaurant in England

Disappointing Return Visit to a Beautiful Venue

We recently visited The Pepperpot Derby for the second time. Our first visit, shortly after its opening, left us underwhelmed—but we gave the benefit of the doubt, assuming early teething issues. Unfortunately, this return visit confirmed many of our initial concerns.

On arrival, we were loosely greeted by a host and asked to wait in the bar area for our table. After sitting for ten minutes without further interaction, we had to approach staff ourselves just to order a drink. The drinks arrived promptly, but the bar area lacked any atmosphere. I’d strongly recommend hiring an experienced, engaging host—someone with a bit of charm, energy, and solid communication skills.

Once seated at our table for four, the experience improved. The restaurant side had a much better vibe, and I must commend the waiting staff—they were friendly, attentive, and genuinely eager to please.

For starters, we had the goat’s cheese and the glazed pig’s cheek. Both dishes were beautifully presented and tasted great, though the pig’s cheek portion was disappointingly light on actual pork.

For mains, we ordered: • 6oz Steak & Frites – At nearly £40, this dish was shockingly poor value. A small steak accompanied by a tiny cup of what appeared to be frozen fries, with no effort in presentation or portion. Hugely underwhelming. • Pork dish – Again, very small portion and overpriced for what was delivered. • Beef burger – This was the standout of the night—well-cooked and enjoyable.

Sadly, we left disappointed and will not be returning. It’s a real shame, as The Pepperpot is a stunning venue, clearly the result of significant investment. But it’s lacking soul. It needs atmosphere, a revised and better-balanced menu, and a front-of-house presence that makes guests...

I visited the Pepperpot, only 1 week old, for dinner with colleagues. It’s set in the old Derby hospital wonderfully restored and repurposed as the Nightingale Quarter after Florence Nightingale herself (as I understand). It was a week night so not many diners to add buzz but it is a beautifully decorated space. The write up in Derbyshire Times says that ‘no expense has been spared’ and it looks like it! We kept our expectations low and were pleasantly surprised. Every dish we had was tasty - the pig’s cheek with ‘surprise’ crunchy cauliflower, deep umami flavoured sauce, Waldorf (cheese) salad with artfully split sauce and winter spiced game to start. Mains included the Goosnargh duck, Winter vegetable stew and I had the mackerel salad served with delicious cubes of confit potato, yummy sauce, snippets of beetroot. Every plate was cleaned, mine even more so! Mocktails were pretty enough to match the surroundings, and the white-gloved service prompt, friendly and courteous. The portions were small but filling. Hats off to the chef for yummy food. I trust that The Pepperpot has started how it intends to go on! Only tiny negative is regarding accessibility for disabled, the grand steps to get to the restaurant from the main road will not be easily navigated by wheelchair users - apologies if I missed a clearly signposted entrance. Overall, this is a worthy and instagrammable restaurant for everyday and...

We decided to have breakfast at this new restaurant, we like to support local business We were a group of 6 including 2 children The food was freshly made, however the portion sizes are ssssssssssmall... I ordered French toast as I don't eat pork and there wasn't a vegetarian option (unusual ) For £7.50 I was served half a slice of toast(delicious- not enough of it) when I queried this I was told it's a la carte and he left..(manager) The full English did not include toast and the potion was more for a child's breakfast £14.50.. We were not asked about allergies( my son is allergic to pistachio and one of the items on the menu included pistachio.).. Overall it's a new venue and I guess they are finding their feet, however if they are going to survive they need to align themselves to the locale..this is derby centre not Mayfair, the portion sizes especially at breakfast are too small and need to be addressed even in Mayfair they do a normal size breakfast?! Breakfast are suppose to be hearty and set you up for the day, this one certainly won't.. we feel toast should be free as many high end venues address the food (lack of) with rolls or toast .. so if you are intending to pay this place a visit eat before you arrive or ensure you have something at home to top you up after.. Will we return..that's still up for...