please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Free beer... well almost. The price of the Sam Smiths OBB is ridiculously cheap. I ordered two pints and pulled out a fiver and two pound coins, it came as a complete shock to the system to find I only needed the note and got handed one pound forty change! The place itself is dark and atmospheric as it was once an abbey. The landlord was friendly and efficient and the food looked to be decent. The Old Brewery Bitter was fine although one of our party tried the wheat beer and felt the need to empty the majority of it into a large planter containing a bush. The pub's situation is very pleasant on a summer's day being only a stone's throw from the river Derwent, part of a world heritage site.
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I am pleased to report that the Abbey has now almost fully recovered from the trauma of Humphrey Smith's totally disastrous decision to let a couple of completely inexperienced kids try to run the pub. During their tenure of the Abbey, it was only kept alive thanks to the heroic efforts of barmaids Nikki and Philippa. Thankfully the new tenants, Kevin and Sue seem to be intent on keeping up the high standards set by Lee and Sally Jackson. The mass exodus of regulars after Lee and Sally departed last November has been reversed and the atmosphere is starting to buzz again – and the OBB is as good as ever. Good luck to the new management and thanks again to Nikki and Philippa for keeping the Abbey alive.
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Good historic interior but beer is not great, atmosphere is OK. All in all only 5/10
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The sad news for Abbey regulars is that Lee and Sally will be leaving for pastures new at the end of next week. In a little under two years the couple have transformed the rather moribund atmosphere at the Abbey into a vibrant, welcoming and popular village local. The new tenants have got a really hard act to follow.
Lee and Sally are taking over the County and Station Hotel, a dozen miles north along the A6 in Matlock Bath. I wish them the very best of luck, but given their track record at the Abbey, I will not be at all surprised to soon see the Station and County high on the list of top CAMRA pubs in Derbyshire.
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Pint of Taddy lager and Sam's bitter for less than 4 quid! Unbeatable.
Authentic olde style little boozer with a welcoming open fire. Don't miss it.
Muzzy - 25 Mar 2014 19:46 |
Thanks for the veiled insults from the previous 2 posters, I am prompted to respond to the allegations made of both having been effected by the summer heat and holding a vendetta of some kind.
Firstly, in response to 'Admin1041'. Interestingly this is your first and only review on BITE to date. Fair enough but your suggestion that my experience was somehow down to heat exposure is very wide if the mark.
Steve. I assure you that I hold no vendetta or grudge against anywhere. As for posting twice, must be a technical error. If you look closer you will notice both reviews were posted on the same date at exactly the same time!
The character, charm and location of the Abbey are second to none however I felt very disappointed in the experience I had when I took time to visit. You are obviously a regular patron and your experience differs to mine, as a non-local. Again, fair enough.
My review was based on my experience from the perspective of a non-regular, I stand by every word just as you stand by yours. That is what BITE is all about after all.
Anyway, all the best to the Abbey and it's (relatively) new owners. I wish them every success in the future. Perhaps I will take some time to visit you again. If I do, I will leave an honest review, as I always do.
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I agree entirely with Admin 1041. Stimac, whoever he or she is, for some reason, appears to be running some kind of vendetta against the Abbey. For a start, why post the same review twice ???
I stand by my review of 4 July 2013. The new tenants of the Abbey have breathed new life and created a really good atmosphere into the pub since taking over from the previous regime.
I think that the validity of ALL Stimac’s remarks can be judged by the comment about the exponential price rises.
When I first reviewed the Abbey back in April 2007, the Old Brewery Bitter was £1.37 a pint. In 2009 it was £1.46 a pint. Today it is £1.80 a pint; that is a price rise of just 34 pence over a four year period.
Bearing in mind external factors such as inflation, the increase in VAT, the annual beer tax escalator and the horrendous increases in the cost of fuel, etc., etc., 34p seems pretty modest. By comparison a pint of Bass in the nearby Woodlands Hotel in Allestree has risen by 61 pence over the same period.
But more to the point, where else in Derby can you get a pint of well-kept 4% ABV cask bitter for £1.80 ???
One final comment … A few days ago I called for a pint at the Britannia Inn in Tadcaster which is the temporary brewery tap for Sam Smiths pending completion of the refurbishment of the Angel & Horse. The OBB at the Britannia was on a par, both in terms of quality and price with the OBB at the Abbey.
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In response to the previous comments by Stimac (for obvious rating-affecting purposes).
I can only imagine that the summer heat has got to this persons sensibility and lateral thinking process!!
The Abbey is a wonderful charming place with a welcoming atmosphere that any establishment should be jealous of!
The staff work hard to make the visit an enjoyable experience regardless of being local or not.
We have had many a good afternoon/evening in this pub since we learnt of its re-opening in December and have never seen any evidence of preferential treatment or "grumpiness" from any of the staff.
As to the "exponential" cost increases, If I am correct Samuel Smith has not increased their prices for going on for a decade (and is probably the best value-for-money in Derbyshire).
All in all this is worthy of a '10' in anybody's book.
Stimac - you need sunscreen!
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I recently returned to the Abbey after hearing that it was under new management. I was hearing good things about it's new owners and the direction the pub was taking so wanted to witness this potential diamond in the rough come in to its own. How bitterly disapointment I was. First of all, prices have risen exponentially since my last visit and the quality of the beer served was average at best. It is a Sam Smith's pub so beer quality can be ignored if the prices are low, which they no longer are.
When I visited, the upstairs bar was closed and so I was served in the 'undercroft'. I found that the preference toward locals continues to be a tradition observed by the Abbey's new incumbants, as I was routinely ignored in favour of locals while I awaited service. This situation was not helped by the fact that the landlord was stood at the door ignoring a busy bar and chatting to his mates. When I finally got served I found the new land landy to be less than friendly. My presence seemed an iinconvenience for her somehow. Perhaps I caught her at a bad moment, but over the course of the next hour or so, I witnessed her snarling and barking orders at many patrons of the pub for what were minor indiscretions, having the effect of making me, and others like we were somehow intruding in a very grumpy woman's house.
All in all, this has put me off trying this place out again until it is owned by folk with rudimentary customer service skills. The Abbey seems to be cursed by surly owners!
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I recently returned to the Abbey after hearing that it was under new management. I was hearing good things about it's new owners and the direction the pub was taking so wanted to witness this potential diamond in the rough come in to its own. How bitterly disapointment I was. First of all, prices have risen exponentially since my last visit and the quality of the beer served was average at best. It is a Sam Smith's pub so beer quality can be ignored if the prices are low, which they no longer are.
When I visited, the upstairs bar was closed and so I was served in the 'undercroft'. I found that the preference toward locals continues to be a tradition observed by the Abbey's new incumbants, as I was routinely ignored in favour of locals while I awaited service. This situation was not helped by the fact that the landlord was stood at the door ignoring a busy bar and chatting to his mates. When I finally got served I found the new land landy to be less than friendly. My presence seemed an iinconvenience for her somehow. Perhaps I caught her at a bad moment, but over the course of the next hour or so, I witnessed her snarling and barking orders at many patrons of the pub for what were minor indiscretions, having the effect of making me, and others like we were somehow intruding in a very grumpy woman's house.
All in all, this has put me off trying this place out again until it is owned by folk with rudimentary customer service skills. The Abbey seems to be cursed by surly owners!
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To expand on the comments by Lajderby, the Abbey has been under new management since the end of last year. The new landlord and landlady are breathing new life into the pub. It is much fresher, much cleaner and much friendlier than it’s been for years and the Old Brewery Bitter at £1.80 per pint is always in tip-top condition.
The undercroft bar is now open ALL DAY from 12.00noon to 11.00pm and the upstairs bar is open in the evening and at weekends. Dogs are now barred from the upstairs bar, (hooray !!!) but are still welcome downstairs.
As it is my nearest local pub, I have been drinking in the Abbey, on and off, since it opened back in October 1979, but in recent years my visits have been very few and far between, thanks mainly to the indifferent and often surly attitude towards customers of the previous tenants. But I am happy to report that that has now changed. I have started drinking there regularly again and other locals have too. Keep up the good work Lee and Sally ... you are on a winner !!!!
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Fantastic to see the undercroft (downstairs bar) open again after far too long being shut !! Top quality ales being served at an even better price ! Welcoming staff and great to see the landlord and landlady behind the bar and socialising with customers
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dreadful
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This pub is a bit of a contradiction as far as Im concerned. The setting is beautiful, the building has boat loads of charm and character and the prices are cheap (as you would expect from a Sam Smith's pub). The quality of beer is OK, nothing more - nothing stand out. But people dont go to the Abbey for the quality of the beer, its all about the unique character first of all, and then the cost!
I often feel alienated in here as priority of service seems to be given to the locals no matter how long you are stood there. Of course, a landlord must look after his regulars but I have often found his enforcement of this ideal bordering on the ignorant.
The inside of the pub doesn't have much light and has quite a dingy and dirty feel to it. The tables are often sticky and the chairs dusty - but then this adds a certain rustic charm in itself.
There is a lovely space at the front of the pub called Dean's field which, on a sunny day, quickly fills up with sun seekers, barbeques, frisbys and a sea of plastic pint glasses full of Sam Smith's beer. This is where the Abbey comes into it's own, a quirky English boozer that acts as the perfect bedfellow for the British summer time.
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Above average Sam Smiths...but why no Sovereign served? Nice building..try the stout, much better than Guinness.
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good value for money, great staff. even better pint. happy customer
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I really can see what the other posters are talking about, the setting is just great nice old building with character and real ale to boot.
The Sam Smiths is nice as always (never seen them serving slops) and its cheap so cheap we stayed till closing, the money we saved on beer more than payed for the cab to get us all to the other side of town.
ssrat - 19 Oct 2010 00:11 |
Love it here, but will definitely be on the lookout for pints of spillages !
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Went in here for Mothers Day just for a pint and ended up staying for lunch. Cheap prices as a round of drinks, two pints, rum and coke, lemonade and coke came to �7.60 which was a bargain. Food was nice also. Child friendly and a very interesting building to boot.
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Super pub.Can only assume previous reveiwers were unlucky.Spent enjoyable Sunday at this friendly pub and the SamSmiths OBB was superb,and good value when you can have seven pints for around a tenner(�1.47/pint).Only had the upstairs open and it was pretty nippy inside but was informed that they are opening the downstairs in the next couple of weeks and getting the fire going.Should be lovely.Didnt see any evidence of"Slops" being used.Is someone getting a malicious rumour about?Cannot praise high enough the beer we were served.
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I can change nothing about my previous review! However i would like to add a major down side which was brought to my attention recently.
To keep the waste % down, Chris(manageress) and her husband Simon, put any spilages to one side then use them to make up pints they sell to the customers, this basically means that one in 5 pints is made up of slops!! Totally disgusted and utterly let down, i thought it only right to let people know. This is probarly why the beer tastes like dish water to the odd person.
What a crying shame, come on SS you can do better. =(
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This a Samuel Smiths house. In my opinion like drinking dishwater but if you like it then get on down. Attracts dog walkers off adjacent Darley Park.
Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes expect to see cossetted and pampered child substitute pooches aplenty. I have witnessed headscarf wearing middle aged ladies telling their dogs to say 'bye bye' to the staff. Good grief.
Lovely old stone building actually....goes right back to the 12th century when it was part of the once huge Norman built monastery (until Henry 8th had it knocked down that is).
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I have to say the atmosphere at the Abbey is one of the most amazing i have ever encountered! The barstaff, Kerry, Sarai and Dwaine, along with the very cheap beer, make the whole experience second to none! As for the downstairs bar,(should you be lucky enough to see it open,is cosy. There is an open fire and a dartboard, where the local punters will be more than happy to have a game or two. There is lots of history and a few ghost stories. So after a nice walk through Darley park and down past the river why not pop in and say hello!!
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A great place to pop into after a stroll through Darley Park. Historic setting, child and pet friendly, nice atmosphere, good ale, friendly staff and prices from about ten years ago. Marvellous!
jarls - 31 Jul 2009 22:33 |
This has got to be most interesting pub for miles, great Sam Smiths beer at prices beyond belief, plenty of parking and on the edge of Darley Park, walk through the park and there is a great Ember Inn at the top of Darley Park Drive - I can't remember the name though. They must have cleaned the place up recently because I did'nt detect all the faults previously mentioned.
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I have been drinking on and off in The Abbey since it became a pub way back in October 1979 and although I admit that it isn�t the best pub in Derby, it certainly deserves more that the present 5/10 rating. For a start, the prices are a plus point � Sam Smith�s OBB is only �1.37 a pint, Alpine Lager (for some reason known in The Abbey as �cooking�) is �1.58 a pint, and even �2.18 for a pint of the premium Pure Brew Lager isn�t too bad. Another plus point has to be the unique 700 year old building (which is the only surviving part of Abbey of Darley) and is there anywhere else where the toilets are branded �Nuns� and �Monks� ??? As for the bar staff, I have no complaints at all as I have always found them welcoming and friendly. On the minus side, the pub only serves Sam Smith�s beers and it is quite small, so it is often difficult to find a seat. And I do have to agree with the comment about dogs. Does it have to wait until someone is bitten or badly injured before any action is taken? Having witnessed several �near misses� here is an accident waiting to happen �.
The rarely open downstairs bar is even smaller than the upstairs room and although it does feature a real open fire, the low ceiling and the complete lack of windows make it somewhat claustrophobic.
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We have lived in Darley Abbey since 1984 about the same time as The Abbey was rebuilt and opened. It was great with a LOT of atmosphere, just a village pub which is what was needed. However, there has been a steady decline over the years. The place needs a face lift, cleaning up and a new direction. It is not fair to lay all the fault at Sam Smith's door, although they should do something about it. The problems have a lot to do with bar staff who have no real interest in the customers, people need to SEE the landlord. Ultimately a lot of the fault has to be laid at the door of the 'landlord'.
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Pleasantly located by the river, along from the mill pool. Lovely historic building. Mix of customers but usually busy. Never seeen the bottom bar open. Serves food but not sampled. It has a lot going for it.
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I'd say it's a good bet if you're in the area, though Sam Smiths isn't my favourite. Being made to drink out of plastic glasses just beacuse you wander outside is a downpoint, but the setting and atmosphere is great.
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First went in 8 years ago and what a fantastic pub it was, great atmosphere and people. Been back 5-6 times a year since and going down hill steadily. No Music, Dirty tables, lack of and unwelcoming staff (except ?Simon?),Food is appalling served by staff (chef) in dirty clothes.
On a Sunday the upstairs bar is more like a scene from Crufts than a pub. Come on Sam Smiths you can do better!
anonymous - 19 Apr 2005 09:02 |
Please why is the downstairs bar virtualy never open? beer is great and the prices are great. Upstairs bar needs a shake up! Could be a a fantastic local. rating was 7 3 years ago now 5
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Nice pub, nice location. Beer price is excellent. Pity the downstairs bar is so rarely open.
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this place has the atmosphere of the moon; they close for three hours every lunchtime (why???)but then the ashtrays are still full afterwards and the floor is still mucky. Its in the Good Pub Guide. I have absolutely no idea why.
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A splendid pub great atmosphere, beer and staff
Mike - 21 Jul 2004 16:57 |
Only Samuel Smiths pub in Derby. Great! As the name suggests it was previously an Abbey. Small, lots of stories of ghosts etc. Virtually on Darley Abbey park. Beautiful in the summer, and gets v. busy!! Food served 12-2. Attracts a mix of people.
Al - 22 Apr 2004 11:56 |
