Olde Dophin Inne
Reviews: 3
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Reviews by JohnW:
JohnW from England
4/5 rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Fascinating ancient pub, with intriging interior, small rooms low ceilings and beams - as The LongBeachBum has well described below. At time of visit, we saw 5 hand pumps with 2 guest beers, so not a great or unusual selection but the beers were good. From all the beer pump clips and beer mats adorning the place, they have had a good selection over the years.
This is only small place, so can be very busy and not much space to sit down, though some outside seating in fine weather. Tiny little 'snug' room behind the bar area very attractive but room for about 10 people sitting at the most! The food menu looked good, and it seemed popular, though maybe a little more costly than some other pubs in the town.
Worth a visit just for its historic and interesting interior, and the beers we had were in good form.
JohnW
Bham UK August 2007
Aug 19, 2007
4/5 rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Fascinating ancient pub, with intriging interior, small rooms low ceilings and beams - as The LongBeachBum has well described below. At time of visit, we saw 5 hand pumps with 2 guest beers, so not a great or unusual selection but the beers were good. From all the beer pump clips and beer mats adorning the place, they have had a good selection over the years.
This is only small place, so can be very busy and not much space to sit down, though some outside seating in fine weather. Tiny little 'snug' room behind the bar area very attractive but room for about 10 people sitting at the most! The food menu looked good, and it seemed popular, though maybe a little more costly than some other pubs in the town.
Worth a visit just for its historic and interesting interior, and the beers we had were in good form.
JohnW
Bham UK August 2007
Aug 19, 2007
More User Reviews:
ReluctantScooper from England
2.8/5 rDev -22.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2.5
Tourist's wet dream of an English pub; beamed ceilings, wood panels, tiny snug, stained glass etc.
Regular beer range is conservative (Adnams, Black Sheep etc) with a house beer brewed for them by Nottingham Brewery. Fairly eclectic guests. Slightly pricy.
Food is priced at tourist level. It's OK, but there's better value to be had elsewhere in town.
Worth a trip for the architecture and perhaps a surprising beer - Dark Star Espresso when I last called in, unusual to find a beer like that in Derby.
Jan 12, 2011
2.8/5 rDev -22.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2.5
Tourist's wet dream of an English pub; beamed ceilings, wood panels, tiny snug, stained glass etc.
Regular beer range is conservative (Adnams, Black Sheep etc) with a house beer brewed for them by Nottingham Brewery. Fairly eclectic guests. Slightly pricy.
Food is priced at tourist level. It's OK, but there's better value to be had elsewhere in town.
Worth a trip for the architecture and perhaps a surprising beer - Dark Star Espresso when I last called in, unusual to find a beer like that in Derby.
Jan 12, 2011
TheLongBeachBum from California
4.1/5 rDev +12.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stop #5 on a day-long Pub-Crawl of Derby, is just a short stagger across the road from the Stop #4, the Old Silk Mill (see BeerFly).
Derbys oldest Ale-House, dating from 1540, the Dolphin sits in the shadow of the Tower of the Citys Cathedral, which is the second highest in England (212 ft), it pre-dates the Dolphin by only 20, or so, years and contains the oldest ring of 10 bells in the world.
The frontage of the Ye Olde Dolphin Inne is the classic half timbered affair, recently given a lick of paint and a tidy-up, but still basically totally authentic and genuine. The white walls have now been painted beige though.
Inside, I swear that the only level surface is the Bar, everything else reflects the Pubs near half-century existence; bowed walls, uneven floors, creaky wooden bench-settles, even the old wooden Bar itself is split level to serve the upper front and lower back rooms. The passageway retains an original stone-flagged floor, on which visitors often drop their Pint Glasses when caught out by its sloping surface. Low ceiling annexed rooms, three of which are quite small add immense depth and character to this Inne.
There are typically about 8 cask-beers on sale at any one time. Usually, Six Regular beers includes Adnams Bitter, Draught Bass (its everywhere in Derby it seems), Black Sheep Special, Cains Mild (yum), Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Green King Abbot Ale. A couple more Guest Beers are often available as well. Serves Lunchtime and Evening Meals, you can eat upstairs in the Steak Bar, but this often gets fully booked due to its small size. The food is excellent, and like the nearby Silk Mill, it opens at 9am to sell Breakfast only.
Outside to the back of the Dolphin is a small seating area that is raised above the nearby road by about 6 feet and makes a superb place to drink your Pint, especially if you are claustrophobic!
Sit back, listen to the banter, close your eyes & it does not take much to imagine the noise of a Victorian Coach & Horses pulling up outside to frequent this most classic of Innes for refreshment, or a Charles Dickens like character sat drinking an ale with his Clay Pipe in hand. Beer History in action.
Listed on CAMRAs National Inventory of Heritage Pubs for its rare & unspoilt interior of outstanding historic interest. Also voted CAMRAs City Pub of the Year, 2002.
Last Visit: 23rd March 2002
Sep 01, 2003
4.1/5 rDev +12.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stop #5 on a day-long Pub-Crawl of Derby, is just a short stagger across the road from the Stop #4, the Old Silk Mill (see BeerFly).
Derbys oldest Ale-House, dating from 1540, the Dolphin sits in the shadow of the Tower of the Citys Cathedral, which is the second highest in England (212 ft), it pre-dates the Dolphin by only 20, or so, years and contains the oldest ring of 10 bells in the world.
The frontage of the Ye Olde Dolphin Inne is the classic half timbered affair, recently given a lick of paint and a tidy-up, but still basically totally authentic and genuine. The white walls have now been painted beige though.
Inside, I swear that the only level surface is the Bar, everything else reflects the Pubs near half-century existence; bowed walls, uneven floors, creaky wooden bench-settles, even the old wooden Bar itself is split level to serve the upper front and lower back rooms. The passageway retains an original stone-flagged floor, on which visitors often drop their Pint Glasses when caught out by its sloping surface. Low ceiling annexed rooms, three of which are quite small add immense depth and character to this Inne.
There are typically about 8 cask-beers on sale at any one time. Usually, Six Regular beers includes Adnams Bitter, Draught Bass (its everywhere in Derby it seems), Black Sheep Special, Cains Mild (yum), Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Green King Abbot Ale. A couple more Guest Beers are often available as well. Serves Lunchtime and Evening Meals, you can eat upstairs in the Steak Bar, but this often gets fully booked due to its small size. The food is excellent, and like the nearby Silk Mill, it opens at 9am to sell Breakfast only.
Outside to the back of the Dolphin is a small seating area that is raised above the nearby road by about 6 feet and makes a superb place to drink your Pint, especially if you are claustrophobic!
Sit back, listen to the banter, close your eyes & it does not take much to imagine the noise of a Victorian Coach & Horses pulling up outside to frequent this most classic of Innes for refreshment, or a Charles Dickens like character sat drinking an ale with his Clay Pipe in hand. Beer History in action.
Listed on CAMRAs National Inventory of Heritage Pubs for its rare & unspoilt interior of outstanding historic interest. Also voted CAMRAs City Pub of the Year, 2002.
Last Visit: 23rd March 2002
Sep 01, 2003
Olde Dophin Inne in Derby, GB2, United Kingdom
Place rating:
3.63 out of
5 with
3 ratings
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