Ye Olde Dolphin Inne
📍 1.5 miles from Pride Park Stadium
About this Pub
Why it's great for Matchdays
A historic, city-centre pub in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter, the Dolphin is easy to reach and close to bus routes—handy for getting to and from Pride Park on matchdays. It serves food at both lunch and in the evening (with an upstairs restaurant on Thu–Sat), so you can eat pre- or post-match. The pub also screens live football, making it a viable option if you’re watching the early/late kick-off. It’s known for well-kept cask ales (regulars include Draught Bass, Abbot and Pedigree, with recent Castle Rock guests), and local Rams fans recommend it to visiting supporters, indicating a friendly, mixed crowd in the city centre rather than a home-only venue near the ground.
Recent Fan Reviews
Nice pub and ok beer, but terrible service. The staff spend more time chatting to each other in the snug than actually serving customers. When they do appear they rarely bother checking if anyone is waiting in the back bar. Lots of people come in and leave after a few minutes - the pub must be losing a fortune in potential sales. It's been like this for years. I go in every so often in the hope that it has changed but it's always the same.
Really nice atmosphere dog friendly really nice staff great price
I love this pub and the history behind it. This pub, Derby oldest pub, has remained remarkably original, with 16th century beams, heavy stone flooring, wood panelling and etched leaded windows. This was an old coaching inn, it is said to have been a stopping-off point for highwaymen including Dick Turpin. Several ghosts reputedly haunt the pub, which is a regular calling place for ‘Ghost Walks’ organised by local celebrity Richard Felix, who stars in the TV series ‘Most Haunted’. The stories of the history of the pub are made real by the ghosts that haunt the pub. From the boy that sits on the stairs, the Grey Lady that haunts the steak bar that the landlord himself, Jim Harris has witnessed; or it’s the flying Scotsman that runs up and down the corridor that breaks up the two buildings of the pub. Finally there’s the scariest of them all, the girl that lives in the cellar. A doctor who lived on site would dissect humans who have passed away in order to gain insight into the human body. One cold evening in the middle of the night a presumed dead girl opened her eyes and came back to life as the doctor was practicing his dissection skills. Every now and then the horrified screams of the girl can be heard in the dead of night.
Decent community pub in Derby whose mail claim to fame is the fact(!) that it's the town's oldest public house (c. 1520). I usually advise people against frequenting establishments whose name begins with "Ye Olde", as they are often tourist traps (the Nottingham Castle one is one particularly annoying example) or use their history to make up for other deficiencies. The cask ale selection is not too limited (around half a dozen handpumps) , but during my visit several of those weren't available, and the ones that were weren't terribly interesting. The seating is split into a number of smaller areas, so it's not a place for larger groups but it's a good thing if you wanna meet up with family or friends. But, given that Derby is a town of many more interesting pubs, beer-wise, I simply cannot recommend Ye Olde Dolphin except for grabbing a quick pint.
Derbys oldest pub, not THE best pub in my humble opinion but well worth visiting. Has an olde worlde feel. Good range of real ales in a choice of historic rooms. One minor niggle is the Gents are overdue an upgrade but don't let that put you off visiting.Enjoy. M