Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Ripley
Hardens guides have spent 32 years compiling reviews of the best Ripley restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 31 restaurants in Ripley and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Ripley restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Ripley Restaurants
1. Hart’s Kitchen
British, Modern restaurant in Nottingham
Standard Hill, Park Row - NG1
“A very apt restaurant for business meetings” – Tim Hart’s (of Rutland’s Hambleton Hall) “smart and modern” brasserie has long been known for its professional standards, and this has remained the case since 2019, when he moved it from its location of two decades’ standing into his boutique hotel in the city. Its hallmarks are “top-class food and drinks”, “slick and friendly service” and “the added bonus of an outside area in summer”.
2. Nonna’s
Italian restaurant in Chesterfield
131 Chatsworth Road - S40
Located on the historic Brampton Mile, Chatsworth road the gateway to the peaks, Nonnas Chesterfield founded in 2009 is the perfect location to immerse yourself in modern Italian lifestyle. Offering an array of award winning wines, Brunch, grazing lunches, inventive a la carte a...
3. The Horseshoes Long Lane
British, Modern restaurant in Ashbourne
Long Lane - DE6
This much-praised gastroboozer in the Derbyshire Dales market town of Ashbourne boasts a decent wine list alongside a menu from chef Gareth Ward (a namesake of the chef-patron at Ynyshir in Wales). Look out for occasional special dinners.
4. Bar Gigi
Italian restaurant in Nottingham
15 Flying Horse Walk - NG1
Inspired by a trip to Milan, this bar is above Gigi Bottega boutique in Nottingham, marrying the Milanese loves of food and fashion. Italian-inspired small plates in a "casual fine dining" setting.
5. The Cow Dalbury
Fish & seafood restaurant in Ashbourne
The Green, Dalbury Lees - DE6
This handsome 19th-century Peak District village pub (fka the Black Cow) six miles from Derby is now a boutique inn with a Cornish-born chef, Nathan Senior, who specialises in fresh seafood delivered daily from his home county.
6. The Fork & Furrow
British, Modern restaurant in Alfreton
The White Hart Inn, Inns Lane, Moorwood Moor - DE55
After undergoing a £50,000 renovation in March 2023, The White Hart Inn restaurant became brand new restaurant concept – The Fork & Furrow.The expertly designed menus offer culinary experiences to surprise the senses, partnering with local suppliers to...
7. Kottaram
Indian restaurant in Nottingham City Centre
28 Maid Marian Way - NG1
As the name itself implies, “Kottaram“, means castle in one of the Indian languages- Malayalam.As per the Indian Classic epic “The Mahabharata” back in the 12th Century BC, there lived a pow...
8. Stones
British, Modern restaurant in Matlock
1C Dale Rd - DE4
“A treat of a place, both in terms of tastes and in terms of being looked after” – Kevin Stone’s converted pub sits overlooking the River Derwent and is often noted for its “good value”: be it from its à la carte or tasting menu.
9. Jack Rabbits
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Ashbourne
10 Saint John Street - DE6
Jack Rabbits is a modern, bustling and welcoming cafe nestled onto the back of the historic Greenman 18th Century Coaching Inn, in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The cafe offers both healthy (Smashed Avocado & Mango ...
10. The Bulls Head
British, Modern restaurant in Holymoorside
New Road - S42
Chef/Patron Mark Aisthorpe personally hunts for some of the ingredients served at his “lovely Peak District pub”, which features game alongside “a nice line in local steaks” as part of his “wonderful” cooking – “high-end cuisine that deserves wider recognition” according to fans, with the option of a tasting menu alongside the à la carte and bar menu. One repeated gripe, though – the “front of house needs the same amount of attention as the food”.
11. Ebi Sushi
Japanese restaurant in Derby
59 Abbey St - DE22
“Such delicate flavours… sushi is to die for… and reasonably priced!”. This north-Midlands curiosity is “fairly basic and café-like in ambience” but delivers Japanese dishes of a very high quality. “The reason it's so good? The Toyota factory five miles down the road! Try the sake if you have deep pockets”.
12. Anoki
Indian restaurant in Derby
Old Picture Hall, 129 London Road - DE1
Naveed Khaliq’s 20-year-old flagship provides “everything you could want from an Indian restaurant” – and most importantly “delicious curries at great prices”. Meaning ‘unique’ in Urdu, Anoki now has spin-offs in Nottingham and Burton.
13. La Rock
French restaurant in Sandiacre
4 Bridge Street - NG10
With its untreated oak tables, black granite surfaces and antler candelabras, chef-patron Nick Gillespie’s unusual and “very quiet” venue makes an appropriate showcase for his distinctive modern British cooking, which provided some reporters’ best meal of the year. “Staff cannot do enough for you.”
14. The Cod's Scallops
Fish & seafood restaurant in Wollaton
170 Bramcote Ln - NG8
John Molnar’s “great fish restaurant and take-away in the hinterlands of Nottingham” wins our highest rating for “excellent quality food” – 20 varieties of fresh seafood, “all beautifully cooked before your eyes”: it’s “easy to see why it’s won so many awards”. And there’s “more to it than just fish ’n’ chips”: Sat Bains, the maestro behind the city’s world-famous fine-dining restaurant, has chipped in (with his mum) with recipes for a vegan samosa, chickpea curry and tamarind chutney that all appear on the menu under the ‘Momma Bains’ label. Launched in 2011, there are now four branches in the city and two more in Market Harborough and Birmingham.
15. Cafe Roya
Vegetarian restaurant in Nottingham
130 Wollaton Rd - NG9
This “brilliant vegetarian place” from ex-Sat Bains chef Roya Bishop is “always popular, so book in advance”. “Every dish is exotic and exciting” as she looks to cuisines around the world for ideas. “A committed carnivore, I’m always heartily impressed by the vegetarian cooking here. Deciding what to order can be rather like Sophie’s Choice!”.
16. Alchemilla
British, Modern restaurant in Nottingham
192 Derby Road - NG7
“Mind-blowing experimental food and interesting wine pairings” continues the acclaim for Alex Bond’s “totally unique” five-year-old, which deserves the comparisons it sometimes attracts with that of his former employer, Sat Bains. It helps that it occupies an attractively converted former Victorian coach house on the Park Estate (just outside the city centre) with very atmospheric, brick-lined vaulted rooms. Tasting menus start at £95 for five courses, and there are also options for seven courses (£130) and 10 courses (£160 pairings). “Very friendly staff, who are very knowledgeable about the offering” complete the rosy picture painted in reports.
17. MemSaab
Indian restaurant in Nottingham
12-14 Maid Marian Way - NG1
Amita Sawhney’s “fantastic Indian restaurant has been around for ages, but doesn’t disappoint”. It’s “not the cheapest, but friendly service and fantastic food” have earned it a stellar reputation. Top Tip – “try the tandoori ostrich” (free-range, locally farmed, infused with garlic and red chilli).
18. Calcutta Club
Indian restaurant in Nottingham
8-10 Maid Marian Way - NG1
This “simply amazing” and decidedly upmarket Indian (which opened in 2014) recreates the atmosphere of polo clubs under the Raj, with “delicious food” that is “not overpowering”, and “friendly, knowledgeable staff”.
19. Zaap
Thai restaurant in Nottingham
Unit B, Bromley Place - NG1
“Fantastic Thai food, Thai people and decor give it the authentic feel of being down a side street in a city in Thailand” at this street-food offshoot from Ban Kaewkraikhot’s Sukhothai brand – “great value and super tasty, with a great atmosphere”.
20. The Cumin
Indian restaurant in Nottingham
62-64 Maid Marian Way - NG1
The Anand’s “family-run restaurant serving utterly delicious food” has stood out on the Nottingham curry scene for 15 years. “The chutneys and sauces with poppadoms set the scene for a faultless performance both with food and level of service”. “The whole place has a real buzz – forget quiet conversation.” Top Tip – “the prawn Manchurian appetiser is absolutely spot-on”.
View full listings of 31 Ripley Restaurants
Popular Ripley Restaurant Searches
Ripley Restaurant News