The Derryfield Restaurant — Restaurant in Manchester

This review is for the Function room at The Derryfield.

My family had a truly wonderful experience booking the Derryfield for celebration of life luncheon for 90 guests. I really can’t say enough positive things about the entire experience, but I truly believe the staff deserves this praise.

The booking / planning process: Perfect! Kelly helped make planning our event menu for the day, as well as arranged for use of function room amenities (none of which we “expected” but we’re lucky to have access to.) We opted for a hot luncheon buffet, which was well priced, with a comprehensive list of mains and side courses.

The staff: We had a front of house team of four who were flawless and on top in every way. Our bartender kept the cocktails flowing and the line was never long. (We had a cash bar and drink pricing was very reasonable!) Our serving staff presented the delicious food on schedule, and helped guests move through the line quickly - without feeling rushed. Empty plates, glasses and dinnerware were bussed oh-so-quickly and smoothly. Like serving ninjas, everyone moved so quickly and smoothly, with smiles and the highest level of friendly professionalism. They really made the exceptional vibe and “perfect machine” clockwork-like feeling of this event. Amazing work!

The food: We chose the Bistro Steak and Stuffed Chicken entrees. BOTH were raved about! Kudos to the chef and kitchen. The chef’s choices for veggies and starch were great, the salad tremendous, and our chosen soup also delicious. (We also recommend the cheese display and veggie crudité appetizers - worth adding!) The selection of desserts were a perfect finish. All guests ate well at our event!

The room: The function room at The Derryfield is incredible. Spectacular wide-angle views over the golf course, combined with the abundantly light, airy, and large space, really set the standard high. Speaking of high, the large doors and vaulted ceiling added extra drama. This would be an excellent room for a wedding reception, reunion, or any large party. The supplied linens, place settings, table and chair treatments, and overall decor in the room (and out) made for a wonderful entrance and impression. Our guest list was 90, but this room could handle considerably more.

Overall, I can’t stress how happy we are we chose The Derryfield for our special remembrance event. On top of all mentioned, the value here is also super high. We didn’t choose the Derryfield because it was less expensive, but their costs were ULTRA competitive, making them hard to beat in the value category. My family will not hesitate to book this room again for future gatherings, and I certainly will refer others in the future. Thank you so...

I absolutely love that there are still places with live music, dancing, food and drinks, and for that reason the Derryfield has been a favorite for years. While it's true that, like Chunky's, nobody goes there for fine dining, there is a certain expectation of a country club kitchen versus teenagers cooking pub food from the walk in freezer. Took some very dear friends there last weekend and there were multiple mistakes on our order and to be honest these young kids were in over their heads (servers). But that is the way things are these days so we shake it off. My best friends wife was in the mood for beef chili nachos and after getting her order (piles of mostly naked, un-dressed chips) she quickly realized that there was indeed no beef and no chili. She did find some small pieces of chicken and was ready to accept it rather than complain. However, I was hosting the evening and imviy them, and I was picking up the tab, so I wanted my guests happy. I informed the waitress of the error and it was clear that she had never been instructed on how to deal with a legitimate food complaint. She apologized but offered no solution and seemed ready to walk away. I didn't allow that to happen and instead asked if they could make the order right. She thought very briefly and then said she'd go to the kitchen and get a cup of chili. To be honest, this surprised me but I didn't protest. Within minutes she delivered a cup with chili in it and my guest tried to pour it over her nachos, but it wouldn't come out! She had to grab a spoon and very deliberately scoop out but sized dollops and shake them off the spoon onto the chips. After she put a few spoonfuls down I asked if I could see the chilli and the ceramic cup was not the least bit warm and using a clean spoon I took scooped out a dollop. Luke warm and, quite honestly, very low quality chili, both flavor-wise and texturally. Hormel out of a can is better.

My friends wife tried to eat some but ultimately turned her attention to her husband's food and they shared. To say I wasn't pleased is an understatement. I paid the bill, I tipped above 20%, and I left promising to bring them somewhere better next time.

I wouldn't be complaining had they botched a complex meal like a wellington or a veal scallopini, but nachos? I can train any teenager to make and serve a nice plate of nachos. The Derryfield better whip that kitchen into shape or they will find more and more people just going there for the heavily I've drinks and slightly above average music. Simplify the menu if u have to, but you have to get it right when people are paying with their hard...

We went there this week and the waiter was amazing, top notch. Really made it for us. The prices were fine, pretty good considering how delicious the food was and the portions were reasonable. We came for the atmosphere - the patio specifically - knowing it would be a beautiful place to sit and have some drinks. I should caveat, it was a little disappointing that they were doing some work on the deck when we went, but the guys seemed to try to keep the drilling as quiet as they could. It's just an inevitably noisy process, and was a little hard to hear over at first, and I thought it was going to be more of a problem than it was, but they laid off after about 10 minutes, and aside from some large industrial machine running out on the golf course over the next 15 minutes, it was pretty quiet. Noisy for a golf course! But we stayed there longer than that, and past the first 20-25 min, it was just perfect.

It would have been a 5 star experience, anyway, but it does seem like smoking out on the patio dining is allowed, or at least not discouraged. This could have been a real problem, as I have severe asthma and didn't expect people to be smoking within 25 feet of a restaurant (maybe it's a difference in state laws, coming from the west coast?), but luckily they sat far enough away that it only drifted over occasionally, just enough to be aware it was there. It was fine this time, but enough to keep us from coming back if it is a regular thing. Could definitely ruin a meal to have to rush out & leave early to be able to breath.

The patio & course itself, though, is just stunning. The drink menu and bartending was exquisite. The service was unbeatable. There were gluten free & dairy free options, as long as you don't mind meat (the haddock is breaded with oyster crackers, which wasn't mentioned on the menu - so make sure to let the waiter know if you've got any major allergies - you'll be in good hands). It was a pretty cool crowd of locals in the place.

Edit: Called to check and yes, it is a smoking patio. Kind of surprising in 2021, guess it's great if you're a smoker, but not so hot in COVID times for everyone who wants to sit outside, or regular times if you value your lungs, or just have a respiratory disease.

Just a shame that because of the smoking in the dining area, we can never go back....