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Detail Pages
Exeter Arms, Derby
Derby
DE1 2EU
Pub Type
Tenanted (Marstons)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Exeter Arms
This purpose built street corner pub dates back to 1816 and takes its name from Exeter House - the former home of the Duke of Essex - which stood nearby before its eventual demolition. Amusingly, the pub's sign depicts the unrelated coat of arms of the city of Exeter. The pub was operated as a freehold, with its own on site brewery until being sold in 1970. It recently changed hands again, when the Dancing Duck Brewery took it over from Marstons. You enter through an etched glass front door into the main bar with a patterned tile floor and the servery running along the front wall to the right of the entrance. It's a fairly compact, dark wood servery with a lovely lit fireplace opposite creating a warm, cosy feel to the room. Some pew, bench and low stool seating has been arranged to the left, under a Dancing Duck Brewery window, an old hop lined portrait and some flying ducks. The window looks through into the snug, accessed by a door to the left of the entrance. This is a compact, tile floored room with pew and low stool seating and a little partitioning to create a bit of privacy. There is a nice old fireplace on the back wall and various black and white photos round out the décor. Over on the other side of the pub there is a raised stage with space for a couple of tables and two doorways opposite the bar lead through to the back room which has a mix of seating options, including some standard chairs on another raised platform and pews and low stools throughout the rest of the room. There are several pub clichés in this room, including an upright piano and some wall mounted antlers, as well as a huge candelabra and a TV screen which was turned off throughout my stay. A door leads out to a rear patio which has its own bar, named in honour of local philosopher Herbert Spencer. The pub was doing a brisk trade on my Saturday lunchtime visit, with almost everyone sat down eating, leaving most of the drinkers congregated around the bar.
The pub won the Derby CAMRA Pub of the Year award for 2013, so good beer was expected. On the hand pumps, Dancing Duck Dark Drake (£3.10), Abduction and Nice Weather were available alongside Marstons Pedigree, Dark Star Partridge, Liverpool Organic Cascade and a real cider. My pint of Dark Drake was excellent and wasn't surpassed during the rest of a long day of drinking around the city.
I liked the feel of this pub and whilst it did seem much more focussed on the food than drink, I arguably caught it at a bad time and I could imagine settling down for a decent session on a quieter day. This place will have wide appeal and I thought it was a great start to a crawl around Derby.
On 2nd March 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Exeter Arms
This is Derby Camra's pub of the Year 2013, so I was interested to see what it was like. There are seven hand pumps, one with a cider, three with Dancing Duck beers, the others having Marstons Pedigree, Titannic Iceberg and a stout. I had the Dancing Duck Ay Up, which a punter at the bar described as "gorgeous" but I found to be too cold and lacking in both condition and flavour - my least impressive beer of the day, and I'd just come from the Bridge where I drank Bombardier!
It was quite busy here at the time of my early evening visit, with most customers either eating or waiting for their food. This is an interesting building and has been refurbished with sensitive use of recycled materials including partitions and glass screens to break up the spaces. Pictures include various incarnations of HMS Exeter, and other décor, at least one fellow reviewer will be distressed to learn, included random twigs perched precariously on a rather nice old wall clock. There's a yard and a conservatory at the back, though not what I would call a beer garden.
On 30th October 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4430 recommendations about 4069 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Exeter Arms
Used to frequent the Exeter a lot when it was a Marstons tied pub. dancing Duck have invested, cleaned, painted and sorted out the ramshackle lean to at the back. there is now also a (no longer) secret room off the conservatory that probably used to be some sort of store, that is now open to the public. Excellent choice of marstons and DD ales on the bar, I sampled a pint of 22 (two little ducks) on my recent visit and it was excellent. Will call again when I am in the city.
On 19th April 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Exeter Arms
The Exeter Arms has always been one of my favourite Derby pubs so i thought i would give it a go now that Dancing Duck are running things.
Once inside the pub seemed pretty much the same except for the conservatory to the rear.
The pub was packed om my late afternoon visit with mainly upmarket drinkers and diners who were eating meals off wood boards,why not use a plate,i was tempted to ask for some soup to see if this also came on a board,another annoying thing was the lit candles which were everywhere.
There was a good choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Dancing Duck Nice Weather which was ok but nothing special,like the weather on that day,the other beers were Dancing Duck Drake and Hay Up,4Ts PW Cheshire,Black Bee Rugbee and Pedigree.
I prefered the Old Exeter under Marstons ownership,this pub is a bit to upmarket for my liking.
Pub first visited 11/9/1982
Recent visit 9/3/2013
On 10th March 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Exeter Arms
This 2013 Good Beer Guide pub is a first for us, and we found it to be a Dancing Duck brewery outlet. It is a lovely comfortable welcoming pub, and also has a rear garden that will be popular in the summer. We had Revolutions Devolution which was not on top form and was replaced - no problem, and Lincoln Green Hood.
On 11th November 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Exeter Arms
A comfortable pub this one, and well worth a visit. Situated just round the back of the Standard across the car park. Through the main door you're met with an open fire and bar. There are four smaller rooms off the bar and one of them has an original stove. 6 ales on my visit, I went for the Dancing Duck Dark Drake, Abduction IPA, Dancing Duck 22, Magpie Blonde and Tap Brewery Malt Teaser. Also on Marstons Pedigree, staff very friendly and helpful. Will call again.
On 8th January 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3716 recommendations about 3716 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Exeter Arms
Has now been taken over as a joint venture between the guys at The Old Silk Mill and Dancing Duck Brewery. Quite a lot of the old bric-a-brac has now gone and the place has been brightened up considerably. There's a Dancing Duck logo on the window between the bar and one of the small rooms which looks good. A good choice of 5 real ales when we called, only one of which was from Dancing Duck. I had a pint of Abbeydale Original Sin which was well kept. I always liked this pub before the takeover and I still like it now. In fact it's improved.
On 19th July 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3314 recommendations about 3224 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Exeter Arms
Fine old pub serving 5/6 real ales. As this is a Marston's house the range has improved since they took over Jennings. Now serve Jennings Dark Mild which is a great beer. Lots of things around the walls like old clocks and a portrait gallery of film stars. Well worth a visit especially if combined with a visit to Derby Brewery Tap at the Royal Standard 50 yards away.
On 12th January 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3314 recommendations about 3224 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Exeter Arms
A wildcard on the crawl as the school-time local of our organiser. I was really impressed by this one in context of the other Derby pubs I did on the same day. It’s not exactly an ale hotbed, but nonetheless is a solid Marstons outlet, with four of their list our ales on over a myriad of pumps including the lesser-spotted 'Marstons mild' (it says here) which was in good shape. The pub is laid out over a number of well-maintained rooms and there was a really vibrant atmosphere within; I particularly enjoyed the well-appointed conservatory area. Décor is pretty traditional, with items of note being the old seaside postcards on display in the gents a collection of timepieces and some foreign bank notes pinned above the bar. I was charmed by this one and would happily return.
On 1st September 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5688 recommendations about 5669 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Exeter Arms
A short walk over the bridge from the City centre this relatively unspoilt pub dates from the early 19th century. The interior has an interesting multi room layout albeit the lighting was far too bright and the atmosphere a bit subdued and sanitized with safe radio feed and not many punters for a Friday night. Until 1970 they used to brew their own beers but sadly no longer although the 6 Ales, including a mild, are enough to justify a visit. Some interesting features inside including some nice built in seating, a fine fireplace and range in the tiled Snug bar and an old signing on clock. An interesting mix of old pictures, maps, modern art and cinema posters although some of the décor is slightly let down by the presence of cheap signs. Worth the effort to visit but you would probably do so in conjunction with some of the other pubs in the locality rather than spend a whole evening here.
On 29th October 2008
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]