the blue jay Reviews 

23
•
TrustScore 3 out of 5

3.1

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

My partner and I went for a meal on the 30th August at 6 pm. We purchased a carvery which is served until 8pm. When we went for our food there were only 2 meats available but there were no roast potat... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great hotel with everything you need. It's like a premier inn with a different colour scheme. It has everything you need in a nice, easy-on-the-eye decor. Great bed with plenty of extra pillo... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always a very warm welcome by all members of staff, especially Debbie. Nothing is too much trouble for them I am lactose intolerant and they always find a way round it, when we have a meal. Would high... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Went for my sons 21st order steak medium but it came out well done food is not the best wasnt nice at all had a party of 20 and only 4 liked the food

Company details

  1. Restaurant
  2. also in
  3. Bar
  4. Pub

Information provided by various external sources

Welcome to The Blue Jay pub—a great place for the family to eat out in Derby. We serve a popular menu of real pub food, and our famous traditional


Contact info

3.1

Average

TrustScore 3 out of 5

23 reviews

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3.1

All reviews

(23)

2 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

My partner and I went for a meal on the…

My partner and I went for a meal on the 30th August at 6 pm. We purchased a carvery which is served until 8pm. When we went for our food there were only 2 meats available but there were no roast potatoes and no green vegetables and no carrots. There was only a ratatouille which looked like it had been there all day. They did bring some peas out which were still frozen. I waited for some roast potatoes and by the time I had them my partner had eaten his dinner. When I informed the manager she said it was because they had a group of men who took everything. That wasn’t the case because the group of men were in front of us and they were complaining that there was no vegetables. If a pub is providing and charging for a carvery they should at least make sure there is food available. I also observed they were still allowing customers to but the carvery when it was obvious they had run out of food. I won’t be returning again.

August 30, 2026
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We held 80 th birthday party and it was…

We held 80 th birthday party and it was a lovely sized room. Food was outstanding as a hot buffet and everyone couldn’t have done enough to support from booking it to the special day . Phil the manager was hands on and made every effort to make sure it ran smoothly
Thank you and to the whole team there

March 1, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

As always the food was good

As always the food was good, albiet a few errors. However when it came to dessert I was brought sticky toffee pudding with custard. I've never eaten custard as I don't like it. A print was produced by the bar staff and I was challenged, I had to assure them it was their error.

It was rectified, but, was there the need to trot out the receipt?

Would still recommend 👌

June 21, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Came in for breakfast yesterday…

Came in for breakfast yesterday morning. A lovely member of staff if I remember correctly her name is tasha. Went above and beyond. Will definitely be back and hope to see her again. That lady needs a promotion. So happy 😊

January 30, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Food was alful

On 25 Dec 15 people went for Xmas lunch food was awful asked for mash for twins it's was still frozen told waiter changed it soup got big lump of pestro at bottom Christmas pudding 5 of left it brandy custard was disgusting been going blue for many years will not be going again would not recommend it to any one

December 25, 2024
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Went yesterday for a birthday lunch

Went yesterday for a birthday lunch. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Food came out quite quick and very hot and everyone at the table got there food at the same time so nobody had to wait and there were 7 of us. The food was lovely. We left a tip for the lady who served us. Will definitely go back again

October 10, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Like a premier inn but with different colour scheme

Great hotel with everything you need.
It's like a premier inn with a different colour scheme.
It has everything you need in a nice, easy-on-the-eye decor.
Great bed with plenty of extra pillows, good, powerful shower, great facilities and is nice and clean throughout.
Excellent value for money.
Loved staying at the hotel.

Was pleasantly surprised the restaurant caters for allergies, so there was plenty on the menu for both breakfast and lunch.

Was unfortunately attending a funeral, so not likely to stay there again, but compared with 'The Lawn Hotel' where some other attendees stayed, this was the better choice by far.

September 8, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

My second visit in the last few weeks

My second visit in the last few weeks, the first was a party of eight and the second a party of four. Both times we used a promotional discount voucher that promised "30% off mains". The process of achieving the discount was a poor experience indeed.
On our last visit we were told that a small carvery (that cost £8.49) was NOT included in the offer but a medium one (£7 after discount) was!!
Service at the bar both for drinks and food is very slow as there seems to be a normal staff shortage.
One of our party chose a cook to order vegetarian offer and after waiting 20 minutes and not having been notified it was ready we made enquiry. The quizzical look on the servers face told us what we needed to know. A further wait was then needed. So after half on hour we managed to get our carvery meals. Negotiating a route back to our table,unsupervised 5 year olds running to and from the children's play area added to our fun and games.
The food was generally good, although the roast potatoes were not brilliant (undercooked) and the meat serving a little on the mean side.
I queried the price of the small carvery with our server to be told that it was nothing to do with him and I should read the small print. I did, and there was no mention anywhere as to what was included and what was not, other than 'all mains' included (very hard to identify what was a main and what was not from reading the menu, very unclear)
After we had eaten and the server came to remove plates I asked him to mention our dissatisfaction with our experience to him and suggested a free desert would go a long way to restoring our satisfaction rating. Nothing happened!
However, we decided to have a coffee, and the young lady that collected the cups after we had finished, obviously "knew all about it" and on my insistence of a free dessert she acquiesced immediately.
The carrot cake and apple crumble duely arrived and was very nice too. Thanks Blue Jay.
In conclusion, the wait to order is too long, special veggie order was forgotten, the promotion of 30% off is no where near transparent and the staff need training how to apply the discount without constant quibbling. Oh and learn how to do roasties. 3 stars only.

August 22, 2024
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We went to the blue jay following a…

We went to the blue jay following a very upsetting family funeral. We were greeted by a member of staff called Tasha. She was warm and welcoming. She went above and beyond to make sure we all looked after and had what we needed. A true credit to the team she works with. 5 stars for this member of staff alone who made what was a very dull day a little brighter!!

March 13, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A visit we will never forget :) Thank You

Would like to say a huge thank you to Natasha at the Blue Jay for her welcoming, kind nature on weds when myself, family and friends got together for drinks after my brother’s funeral.

We were a party of 40 guests and every person was served within minutes, food was served really quickly and the kids were given colouring to keep them busy.

The fact that Natasha came and checked in on us regularly to make sure everyone was ok, told us there is no rush for us to leave and tables were cleared so quickly, was over and above what we expected.

There were many comments made by our party about have they would have never have thought to have got that many people together at the blue jay but they were blown away by how great it had turned out!

Thank you Natasha for making a very difficult day end with us all smiling and enjoying the afternoon. We will always remember you and your kindness :)

March 13, 2024
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always a very warm welcome by all…

Always a very warm welcome by all members of staff, especially Debbie. Nothing is too much trouble for them I am lactose intolerant and they always find a way round it, when we have a meal. Would highly recommend this pub to anyone, Danny, Wayne and Gareth the manager and assistant managers are always trying to think of new ways to attract new customers.

April 25, 2022
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely awful…

Absolutely awful me and two friends went in for lunch. We ordered pretty much straightaway but still waited 50 minutes for mains to come out. When the food arrived (I’d ordered fish and chips) the fish was rock solid and couldn’t even cut through the batter with a knife. The mushy peas were dry as if they’d sat under a heat lamp for some time, the chips were decent. The other two people said the food was awful the only edible thing on the plate was the mash potatoes. The mixed grill was all over cooked and chewy and the steak wasn’t cooked right either. The customer service is okay however we weren’t checked on to see if anything was okay they put the food down and just walked away and we were left to it. The people at the bar were fine but the floor staff were awful. Never going again and if it wasn’t for the 50% off the day we went it definitely would not of been worth the £40 it should’ve come to

September 3, 2020
Unprompted review

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