Derby Bar GuideThe ultimate guide๐Ÿšถ Cocktail trails

The best pubs and beer bars in Derby

Proper pubs, old favourites and craft beer bars in Derby.

Last checked 14 November 2026. No bar paid to be included.

Pubs and beer bars: 7 bars

Swipe to see all 7 bars โ†’

1 ยท Cathedral Quarter and Sadler Gate

Ye Olde Dolphin Inne

Historic pub

Derby's oldest pub, dating back to 1530: a maze of rooms and doors, each served by its own mini bar, with a long line of cask ales.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub
  • ๐Ÿบ Craft beer

๐Ÿ“ 5a Queen Street, Derby

2 ยท Cathedral Quarter and Sadler Gate

The Old Silk Mill

Real ale pub

One of Visit Derby's picks of the city's best ale houses, in the Cathedral Quarter.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub
  • ๐Ÿบ Craft beer

๐Ÿ“ 19 Full Street, Derby

3 ยท Cathedral Quarter and Sadler Gate

The Old Bell Hotel

Historic pub

One of Visit Derby's picks of the city's best ale houses, on Sadler Gate.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub

๐Ÿ“ 51 Sadler Gate, Derby

4 ยท Friar Gate

Mr Grundy's

Brewpub

A brewpub a ten-minute walk up Friar Gate, pouring its own beers alongside guests.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub
  • ๐Ÿบ Craft beer

๐Ÿ“ 32 to 34 Ashbourne Road, Derby

5 ยท Railway station

The Brunswick Inn

Brewpub

A few steps from the station, a former railwaymen's pub restored to its Victorian glory, with Derby's oldest microbrewery on site. Try the house Triple Hop.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub
  • ๐Ÿบ Craft beer
  • ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Food

๐Ÿ“ 1 Railway Terrace, Derby DE1 2RU

6 ยท Railway station

Alexandra Hotel

Real ale pub

A real ale pub near the station with Castle Rock Harvest Pale, seven guest beers and traditional cider.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub
  • ๐Ÿบ Craft beer

๐Ÿ“ 203 Siddals Road, Derby

7 ยท Normanton

The Falstaff

Brewpub

Known locally as the Folly and one of Derby's hidden gems for real ale, with its own 10-barrel brewery on site.

  • ๐Ÿบ Pub
  • ๐Ÿบ Craft beer
  • ๐Ÿ—๏ธ Hidden

๐Ÿ“ 74 Silver Hill Road, Normanton, Derby

Map: pubs and beer bars

Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.

Your questions

What are the best pubs in Derby?

Start with Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, The Old Silk Mill, The Old Bell Hotel, Mr Grundy's and The Brunswick Inn. Our full list has 7 bars.

More Derby bar guides

Who wrote this guide

This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. We love Derby's bars, so we put this guide together from our own research and trusted local guides.

No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.

Our nearest cocktail festivals to Derby

Want your bar in this guide?

Run a bar in Derby that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.