The Best Restaurants in Smisby, Derbyshire, United Kingdom (2025)

Surprised sparkling anniversary desert given us, really lovely service and special made yet excellent taste food, definitely will come again!

Front of house staff very friendly from the moment we arrived, Service was very efficient but didn't feel rushed! The restaurant was very cosy and had a relxed atmosphere. The food was soo fresh and tasted incredible, packed full of flavour and plenty to chose from off the menu without being bombarded. Will definitely be going back

Recently visited on a Friday evening with my wife and honestly couldn’t leave a review to rate this place higher. Lovely size and atmosphere. Great setting. Very good service. Not too fast, not too slow, not overly fussy just perfect. The food was absolutely exceptional and I struggle to think of many better meals I’ve had! Loved it and will definitely be back soon.

What an incredible night at Leddy’s! Six of us wined, dined, and had the best time imaginable. The food? Absolute perfection. I kicked things off with the scallops, so good they deserve their own fan club. Then came the beef, which was so tender and flavorful it practically melted in my mouth. And that sticky toffee pudding? Let’s just say it was love at first bite! The staff were total stars—fun, friendly, and always one step ahead. Our wine glasses were magically never empty (how do they do that?), and their energy added to the already buzzing vibe. The atmosphere was spot on—relaxed, lively, and the perfect setting for a great night out. We all left with full bellies, big smiles, and plans to come back soon. If you haven’t been to Leddy’s yet, what are you waiting for?

We enjoyed a lovely walk into Ashby for Sunday brunch at this brilliant cafe and deli. Great food and excellent, friendly service. The best coffee in Ashby in my opinion!

We had brunch here for Mother’s Day. It was our first visit and we’ll absolutely be visiting again. The decor is wonderful. The food is some of the best quality I’ve had anywhere and the portions were really good. Even though they were really busy, all the wait staff were on top of their game and were exemplary. The owner Deb was amazing. She was genuinely interested in our experience and what we thought of the food. She’s incredibly passionate about the food quality and sourcing locally, which was so pleasing. I’ll be evangelising about Lil Bo’s for weeks. Brilliant.

Perfect in all aspects. Great food, Drinks & Atmosphere & the staff are so friendly. As somebody who travels a lot all over the world and dines alone a lot, it’s hard to find places that make you feel welcome when you’re on your own. Lil Bo’s never fails to disappoint. Best cafe in Ashby, can’t recommend enough!

Quirky place with spot on nosh, basically it's a street food burger joint at the high end of the quality scale. They have plenty of choices when it comes to with bun or without with spicy, sweet, sticky and savoury options for burgers and loaded fries. You can easily tailor your own too with reasonably priced add ons. The venue itself is set back from Market Street. You can gain access between the Tap at 76 / Centivo Lounge area down an alleyway to the left. Incidentally we had a burger at Centivo and the XXX ones are superior in every way. Its also a suprisingly reasonable sized space with adequate seating. Staff were very friendly and attentive, they are licensed too with good beverage choices.We're a bit older so the tunes weren't to.our taste but its aimed at a younger crew however we'll definitely be back! Hope the owners do well because it has clearly had plenty of thought put in to the menu and venue.

Had a lovely evening on Friday, both me and my wife getting a burger each and chips to share. Super reasonably priced and the service was grand. One minor thing was that the pricing for food was not displayed on the menu (probably is online but not in restaurant). Otherwise absolutely fantastic, will be going again and recommending to others!

Finally, a decent burger/chicken place for Ashby! 🤗 Friendly, fun, enthusiastic young team. Great tunes and atmosphere but most importantly, the food is banging! The portions are huge! I can eat but I had the "Double Trouble". Four patties?! 😲 You can sense the owners passion and I genuinely hope this place gets the credit it deserves. Fantastic, thank you! 😘👌

Loved it here. Staff were lovely. The food and drinks were amazing. Good value for money. Me and my friends got a mix of the smaller food options. Very filling. Will definitely go again. They also do take away.

Starter was Garlic mushrooms and it was just that. Bunch of boiled mushrooms chopped up in a bowl. Lots of water at the bottom. Tasted nice although there was a lot for a starter. Bruschetta looked nice and was told it tasted delicious. They hadn't got one of the few veggie options I wanted for the main but i went for the four cheese pasta. Again, very basic presentation. Just pasta in a bowl, but it was very tasty. We were told we couldn't have tap water as there was bits in it so we were sold a bottle of water but weren't told we were going to be charged five pound fifty for it! This was too over priced considering it wasn't our fault that the tap water wasn't available. The Server was very nice but at first we weren't sure if he was staff as he just had a scruffy hoodie and jeans on. It is a lovely little place that is one of Swadlincotes hidden treasures. Would recommend you give it a try. Friends had dessert which looked delicious. Lots to choose from and generous portions.

This visit was my first and certainly won't be the last. The food was excellent and very traditional to the owners Italian roots. After eating and experiencing Italian culture this little gem.hits the spot. I would advise booking and they do take away to add ❤️

Brilliant food! Enjoyed our dinner with delicious Italian food! For the first time to Montanaro's! will come again,for sure! Grazie mille!

This is hands down THE place to go in and around Swadlincote for a really special meal. The service is faultless; personalised, warm, welcoming and of the highest standard. The menu is a little slice of Italy and the steaks are perfectly cooked as you request, they are beyond any I’ve had elsewhere (no steak knife needed it’s that succulent). The owners couldn’t do more for you whilst you are visiting, hats off to the chef, this is Swadlincote's little secret. Can’t speak highly enough of this wonderful restaurant. The incredibly high standards we’ve experienced are over multiple visits over many years … and it only gets better each time. Thank you for lots of nice memories and full tummies, we are already looking forward to our next visit!

Delightful. Took my bestie for a birthday afternoon tea. Delicious food. Superb staff and a lovely view of the lake.

Wow, what a fantastic meal All home cooked, loads of fresh cooked vegetables with mash and roast potatoes. I had the steak and mushroom pudding. All piping hot. Cost very reasonable, well would say it was a steal such good value. With a long list of starters, mains, and ho my god homemade sweets, you can't go wrong with the food, service, and staff. As all of you know I like good food and this Bistro well pleased us all, it's well worth a visit. But I would think you have to book as it was quite full. Plus, there are lots of seating outside space and a fishing pond with ducks that we are. Dog friendly in the outside areas Thanks for a great meal, and keep up the great standards M&J and the crew

Excellent breakfast, I had a ham and tomato omelette, the ham was thick and chunky, none of this processed meat. Service was very good, as always. Beautiful setting, next to the fishing lake, we sat outside with our coffee after we had eaten. Everywhere is spotlessly clean. Good amenities. I do recommend booking a table, especially during the summer months.

This is a lovely little find. Inside it looks like a beautiful tearoom overlooking a small very picturesque lake with waterfowl and irises. The staff were all super friendly and seem like a wonderful happy team. The food was very tasty and there was a huge selection, all cooked fresh with generous portion sizes. The cakes were incredible - if I lived closer I’d go everyday for a month to sample every cake.

Always visit this pub/restaurant when we go yo donnington park. Great food and drink selection, indoor and outdoor seating ,would recommend

Our second visit this year. Excellent Sunday Lunch in a lovely pub. Excellent roast pork & trimmings. A little more pork would have been nice but no complaints.

Great cosy traditional pub and restaurant. Food was beautiful with good table service. Must recommend the dessert lemon cheesecake, raspberry sorbet with scattered fresh raspberries. Divine

We visited the Bulls Head for the first time this weekend and were super impressed. The pub is cosy, the staff were really friendly, good choice of drinks and the food was amazing. The menu offered some pub food staples, but this isn't your average pub. There were also meditteranean inspired dishes with delicious flatbreads and houmous. The cod with salsa verde, ratatouille and mash was out of this world. The desserts were also brilliant. Whole heartedly recommend and will be back in a heartbeat.

Sunday lunch yesterday with our friends. Food was so tasty and high quality 👍 The wines available were extensive The service was brilliant and we can’t recommend this quirky place enough .

Had the most enjoyable lunch. We chose the Camembert to share, we have had loads of camemberts as it is one of my favourites, but I have never ever tasted one this good. We had a glass of Chardonnay to go with it and the wine was exceptional as were the people who work there. Cannot find one fault and shall definitely be returning. Thank you for such an exceptional lovely lunch and afternoon x

As my wife went shopping I was left alone in the place of my desires. I sat in a lovely wine shop with friendly staff in a big comfy old chair and an excellent South of France merlot, while reading about Ernest Hemingway sitting in restaurants and cafes in Paris. An excellent way to spend the afternoon! I couldn't recommend La Zouch Cellars more.

We had a excellent meal, this place truly defines the difference between being a good cook and a good chef. I had the lamb with hasselback potatoes, being a decent cook I was quite proud of my hasselbacks, however the chef blew my mind and taste buds with their version, so creamy and such a well balanced plate of flavours, the presentation was Michelin level and the service was also to a high standard. I will be visiting again as there were many items on the menu that I would chose.

Popped in for lunch on a bank holiday Monday. It was busy but they managed to fit us in. Excellent service, excellent food and a very nice rhubarb cider. Would love to visit again.

Always have a good experience here! Great food! Although with kids, check timings of food and where you can eat what part of the menu in the pub, as we wanted to eat in the bar and they’ve changed the rules to only eating the main menu in the restaurant and they didn’t have any space! So we had to leave! Apart from that the selection of food and drinks is good! Great bar snacks too!

We enjoyed a fabulous meal here on 29 March. Our party included young children who were well catered for and had a wonderful time. Despite being extremely busy pre Mother's Day, service was timely and the young wait on staff were excellent. During our visit, a member of staff had an accident in the courtyard which resulted in a cut to their head. We felt that first aid could have been administered somewhere other than at a table within the internal restaurant area in full view of diners. Additionally, it would have been preferable had the person cleaned the blood from the site of the injury and their hair prior to resuming table duties. There are washing facilities in the rest rooms. Hygiene should always be paramount within a catering environment.

ZAMANI’S NAME IS ENOUGH👍👍👍 I had my dinner 🍽️ today for the first time at Zamani’s. This vegetarian Dish is so so delicious 😋😋😋 and my favorite Prawns 🍤😋😋😋 I thought Zamani’s food would be super expensive but not really, good value for money 🤙🏻 very polite staff though. would be back again soon and highly recommend... Thank you Pejaman Zamani for such a wonderful Restaurant ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stunning food in a quaint, intimately modern, boutique like restaurant. I was there as part of a large group of 18, given there were other diners, the two waitresses were brilliant, offering a prompt and efficient service where nothing was too much trouble. The food was quite honestly the best Italian food I have ever had. The selection on offer was varied and catered for many tastes. The prawns were particularly favoured by the group. I highly recommend trying this resteraunt if you are local. If you are not local, find a way to make a visit.

Had a table booked for 4 people but 2, my nephew and Niece couldn't make it due to illness, so we drove A 70 mile round trip but I knew it would be worth it. Used to come here about 25 years ago as a regular weekend diner that we would be in for a great night! Well Zamanies, you didn't disappoint, myself and hubby thoroughly enjoyed the evening, a warm welcome awaited us with smiles all round, the service from the girls was 1st class as was the food. The restaurant was clean and comfortable, just a cushion was needed as the seats were a little hard but other than that could not complain about anything. My hubby had garlic mushrooms, lasagne, fries, fresh proffitarols. I had caesar salad, pasta arribiata with grated parmesan and a garlic flatbread to share, then tiramisu, all absolutely delicious and every mouthful was tasty, all hot food was piping hot. We had drinks from the lovely cocktail bar and a lovely bottle of red wine boomerang bay Shiraz. Would absolutely recommend if you have never been, it's a little gem at the bottom of Bath street, then lots of little pubs and bars just a short walk up the street. Well done zamanies for reasonably priced excellent food and service. The Johnson's but booked under Morley.

The food was fantastic—served promptly, piping hot, and cooked to perfection. I enjoyed every bite! The atmosphere was cosy and inviting, with a lovely homely charm. Highly recommend!

Had a lovely lunch today. Staff friendly and food was really enjoyable: Tasted good and it was well presented, if not a massive portion (better for waistlines though). The pizzas looked amazing too and I'll try one next time. Didn't have dessert. Great meeting place, easy to find, lots of parking and space inside plus outside seats available.

This is how pubs should do pie! Absolutely brilliant. Service bang average highlighted on there with 7 guests and a wrong pizza came out but would not leave it for us all (for free) they missed a nice tip which would of been far more than the pizza !