please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Worth a drop by and a look round the old Tudor bar. Different ales on offer in both main front bar and rear Tudor bar. Had a Drunken Duck brew (that had some stupid name I have now forgotten) which was quite a dark palatable beer. One of the better places in the main 'circuit' and shopping part of the town centre.
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good enough meal in the Tudor bar, nice real fire and pretty good beer. 7/10
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The front bar reopened earlier this month after a tasteful refurbishment which must have cost mega bucks.
6 hand pumps of which 5 were in use when I called in last week. 2 were from the local Dancing Duck Brewery (Dark Drake and Ginger Ninja), and 2 from Salopian (Oracle and Lemon Dream) plus Bass were all available. I had two excellent pints of Oracle which were in really tip-top condition.
The slight downside is that there does not seem to be much atmosphere at the moment. Maybe some old photographs on the walls would help, but potentially this and the adjoining Tudor Room will be “must visit” venues on future pub crawls of Derby city centre.
I am giving it an 8/10 to thank and encourage the local entrepreneur who has rescued this Derby institution from oblivion.
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First of all PLEASE DISREGARD ALL PREVIOUS REPORTS FOR THIS VENUE. The place is now in new ownership. The Old Bell is a huge rambling place, most of which is currently closed for restoration.
What is open is the Tudor Bar, which has already been refurbished. This is a long way back from the road. There are signs, but they aren’t exactly obvious. The place (single room) is a like a small medieval banqueting hall, with a beams / wattle & daub effect, and a large painting at one end, and stained glass windows at the other.
The bar takes up one corner of the room, with 4 real ales available. On my visit they were serving Bass, two beers from Derby brewery and Milestone Rich Ruby – which is what I chose. There is also a large range of whiskeys available.
Food is available. Breakfast selection included a “Derbyshire Breakfast” – which I couldn’t see was any different to the usual Full English ! The lunchtime selection appeared to be limited to salads, sandwiches and paninis.
Yet another place with a pointless musical soundtrack.
6/10 – perfectly acceptable, but not as good as other places nearby.
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the old bell is my main pub as i visit 2 or 3 times a week. this pub is derby's alternative and heavy rock/metal pub and as a large gig venue at the back witch on a regular basis as some grate bands and musicians and on Wednesdays a open mic night. this is a grate music venue. inside it is gloomy and not the most clean place and the toilets are discussing and is about time they sorted this out but other then that its a grate pub with a grate atmosphere and a place to get away from all the main stream pubs and clubs but if you dont like load heavy music or being around alternative people stay away but on the other hand if you do its worth checking out
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Horrible place. I called in there as they have recently started selling real ale again. The London Pride had gone, but they didn't bother turning the pump clip round. I had the Deuchars instead, which was cloudy and sour. They were blaring out loud heavy metal music the whole time I was in there, and I do mean LOUD, I could barely hear the person next to me, this was at midday. With all the great pubs in Derby, you can easily afford to give this one a miss!
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A really interesting "oldy worldy" tudor exterior is let down by a shabby looking inside and a biggish club room at the back (usually full on a Friday/Saturday with p*ssed up students or weirdos - no real ale in there either).
Apparently haunted (it was featured on Most Haunted).
The haunted theme leads to the bar - has Pedi and a guest occasionally in the front bar but other than that is nothing special which is a shame given the obvious history of the place.
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I have to say that I too, on a recent visit, was attracted initially by the building, only to find it like a basic student pub inside.
quite dissapointing, and a waste of good potential.
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Don�t be fooled by the admittedly stunning exterior which may look like a beautifully preserved and spectacular piece of Tudor workmanship. It apparently only dates back to the 1920�s although the building itself does have a 300+ year history. Unfortunately, other than the impressive fa�ade, there is little in the Old Bell worthy of passing beyond the front door. The interior is little more than a modernized, knocked through lounge room with half a dozen sofas and annoyingly low ankle height tables. A pool table fills one end and a modern bar crowned by a plasma screen is at the other. The pub makes a pitiful effort in keeping up the city�s reputation as the Ale Capital of the UK with 2 pumps, one of which has London Pride and the other being redundant. At the rear is a large live music room with 2 bars but little thought appears to have been given to its heritage. One claim to fame (although I cannot find anything to confirm it) is that Derby County were apparently formed here in 1884. Save yourself the price of a pint by admiring the exterior, take a peek down the passage to the side and then move on. A complete waste of a lovely building in a great location.
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Excellent location on Sadler Gate. However - the back room is scruffy and dirty with no real ale. Great old building being wasted and run down by owners.
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Pretty dire, mostly pissed-up office lads on a Friday night. The original victorian dining room out back is now a disco complete with a mirrored ball!!
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just the tonic- Sundays isn't too bad
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The smokiest place known to man. Otherwise not bad. Cheap and cheerful and has a comedy club and live music in the adjoining function room.
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