Casual family restaurant. Didn't eat here as we were looking to have drinks / cocktails at the bar, and they only serve wine. Will check out for dinner another time. read more

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Stopped in on a busy Sunday and was greeted by a gentleman at the front seated in a booth promptly, which was very comfortable. And those are the positive things I can say about the Derby Restaurant and Bar. I had seen their signs for voted Unique County's best salads so I decided I would order the chef salad as it presented on the menu with turkey ham cheese croutons, and it's supposedly served in a big bowl. You can see from my picture this is unlike any chef salad you've ever had. There was one egg divided in half . It was completely flavorless and rubbery. The ham cheese and turkey were all processed deli products. The cheese itself was cheddar, which is not traditionally serve shredded on a chef salad nor the meat serve chopped like it was going maybe prepped in a dish for omelettes or something else but definitely not a salad. The onions were huge compared to the other things and there were five croutons very tiny not homemade. I was also told the ranch dressing was homemade. It definitely was not. If it was it was very poorly made. I was extremely disappointed, not only with the size, but the fact that it was Without tomatoes without cucumbers without cabbage, carrots, or anything else and the addition of the five dill pickles was strange so I questioned the waitress. She told me that dill pickles were definitely shown as an item on a chef salad. You guys really need to step up your game. This was unacceptable for $11 and change. Also, the coffee was terrible and with the amount of people that were in the restaurant. It should've been fabulous. If you go expect subpar service and check to see what their versions of items are and don't assume anything so you're not disappointed. read more

Derby Restaurant & Bar - Chef salad. I think the chef was off today. - Bars Near Me - Monroe, North Carolina

There was four of us and we all enjoyed everything we got. I got the Chicken Salad on a bun, it was 10 stars! It wasn't pickley or too much mayo! The Chicken strip sandwich was so full, we took 2 strips home with us. The service was great! read more

Im not one to write reviews, But after eating here, on 03/28/2026....I thought it would be benificial to others. I ordered Flounder and Shrimp...The flounder was very over fried, The Shrimp were almost non existent, and not calabash, but they were fried salad shrimp. My sever was effeciant. Been several trips in past...AVERAGE, and average is fine....This was not even close to average. read more

Eating at The Derby Restaurant in Monroe is a truly wonderful experience!! The food is delicious and the staff is remarkable My husband and I are treated like family and we enjoy the time we spend there as well as the wonderful meals that are like "Home Cooked" read more

The Derby has great food and great service. We have liked everything we tried there. I especially love their fried squash. They have a room you can reserve and use for a get-together. we have a group meal there about every 6 weeks or so and everyone always votes to come back there next time. read more

great selection of food. food was delicious. waitress staff was friendly. Food came out hot and quick. Felt very well taken care of the whole time. read more

There were a lot of tables for a big crowd, and a very long menu. You might consider this place for a big family gathering. My friend had a huge salad, taking over half of it home. I had lasagna which was good although there was not a lot of spice. I expected basil, since the sauce has tomatoes in it, and perhaps some paprika, garlic, onions? So it was bland. There was a nice white cheese, however. We also had a side order of fried onion rings. The service was excellent, prompt and friendly. I would suggest a rice flour for fried onions in the future - it is lighter and less dense. The half and half iced tea was good; frequently this tastes like a box mix so I was relieved that it tasted like homemade iced tea. In a glass case when you arrive there is a tempting group of desserts. I can imagine people coming in for dessert alone! But we were too stuffed for dessert. The price was what I expected, about $20 each. read more

Our family LOVES the Derby! I can't believe it took me this long to leave a review. We have never had a bad meal or poor service! My husband and I enjoy their fish and our kids love the Buffalo Chicken sandwich and their spaghetti. All of the portion sizes are big too-you definitely will not leave hungry. read more

It looked like a cute restaurant. The staff was friendly, but the food was not good at all. The desserts are good, but I would never go back there again to eat. read more

A decent spot to eat, it's got your basic southern restaurant type of feel. They have vegetables, sandwiches, seafood, breakfast and that style of food. The Philly that I got was particularly good, I like that it had larger beef tips instead of thin sliced beef. While not somewhere I'd go out of my way to eat at, if you're close by it's a nice option. Overall 3.5. read more

Derby Restaurant & Bar - Philly cheese steak with fried okra. Sandwich was quite good, I might be biased with the okra cause I absolutely love it. - Bars Near Me - Monroe, North Carolina

Quiet spot with booths and tables, delicious food and nice folks. Pay at the front after your meal. Pulled pork had plenty of sauce, stewed okra and rice w/ gravy rocked. Came with cornbread that was soft and well made as well as a couple of hush puppies. Prices were good too. read more

Derby Restaurant & Bar - a plate of food on a table - Bars Near Me - Monroe, North Carolina

This was our first trip to Derby Restaurant &Bar.It was a weeknight and one of our party's birthday.In the door clean,Spacious.As we were all seated our waitress was on the spot with menus and our drink order.Our choice differed from Country style steak and gravy to different type of salads.One of our party even chose a Ribeye with baked potato.My wife had a vegetable plate that I did eat a bite or two off of.I had country style steak and gravy along with mashed potatoes and pinto beans.All was good.A couple had some really nice salad's.Out son had the ribeye and naturally I got a bite.Very good taste.I even tried a chicken tenders off someone's plate sitting near me and they were good to.Our service was on-the spot.Food was definitely good.I see another visit coming soon while seeing those grandkids.Might be a breakfast spot to try on that next visit. read more

Cheeseburgers are generally bad But great customer service! Workers are nice but food is mid read more

ROACHES!! Came for breakfast here after long night shift working. On 5/20/24. And saw 3 HUGH roaches crawling around. Management did not care I made a statement out loud and one of the ladies working there gave me a dirty look. Will NOT being coming back. Disappointed in service. read more

The Derby is a very good place for lunch or dinner! The food is very good and the new owners are great! As good as lunch and dinner are the real reason for this review is for all you brunch people. They serve breakfast until two on Saturday and it is great! We stopped in about noon after a trip to the farmer's market. My wife had eggs, grits and pork chops. The pork chops were outstanding! I had the combo and I chose eggs, sausage, grits and french toast! Everything was very good and the french toast was especially good. read more

The food was very good. The service was excellent. The low score comes from the owner not wearing a mask. This during a time when the covid 19 infection rate is rising. The owner/manager must be setting the example for restaurant workers and customers. We will come back in a couple weeks to see if there is an improvement. read more

We were invited her by a friend of ours. So, so very glad he did. Open for breakfast and it was delicious. The new owners are a great couple and serve perfect food. This is worth going back. Coffee was great omelets were big and tasty and service was great. I don't give a lot of 5 stars But food and price and service all rated Five. read more

Great food, even better people. We eat there several times a week. I love their pancakes!

Went to Derby Restaurant for first time today at lunch. My wife had a chef salad and I had a Cobb salad and both looked and tasted delicious. They were fresh and full of ingredients . The server was excellent and we very much enjoyed what we ordered. The salads are very large and were excellent and I will definitely be back in the future. read more

Nelson(I guess he's the store manager) I ordered a salmon salad and I didn't say no cheese. I called back to see if i can get a replacement and the servers were really polite but he got on the phone and was rude from the moment he got otp. This isn't the first time either he was rude. Made me not want to go back at all. When I told Nelson this he said "how is that our problem". Which then I asked for a refund. And asked for the store owner. He refused to give any information and asked "why did I need it." I was polite and still calm despite being disrespected by Nelson about a $18 salmon salad that had cheese and I'm lactose. Needless to say I will not return bc of one rude man name Nelson who could've just remade the salad and saved his extra comments read more

The new owners are nice. But our server had no experience and took 8 minutes to come back and tell us they were out of calabash shrimp. And we were the only table there. Needs a lot of work by the new owners and staff to be a success. Other wise I do not see this restaurant succeeding in the future. You be the judge. read more

Very nice local restaurant with good food and service. Close to downtown made it an easy stop for lunch. I had a great bowl of vegetable soup and salad. Selena was a super friendly waitress, made me feel welcome. Some of the negative reviews had issues with the service. Not my experience, just the opposite. It was very friendly and welcoming. I will definitely come back. read more

Derby Restaurant & Bar - Bars Near Me - Monroe, North Carolina

I and a friend stopped in to have lunch. The music overhead was blaring so loud that we couldn't have a conversation. We asked the waitress (she is the only good thing about this place) if the music could be turn down. The music was a raucous horrible screech. She said we weren't the only ones who complained. She got the owner to speak to us and he told us "NO! This isn't a library!" in a very ugly manner. We didn't ask to have the music off, just turned down in volume. We didn't even get the chance to suggest to change the channel to something pleasant. We took our food to go...and the food was disgusting. No way will I step foot into such a hateful place. We just wanted to have a pleasant meal, catch up on our lives, and we wouldn't have minded if the food was mediocre. Bad food, bad atmosphere, bad&blaring music, bad mouth owner. read more

Extraordinary rudeness of the owner ruined everything. My wife has celiac disease and clearly ordered her steak with no bread or breaded anything. Unfortunately it came with onion rings touching the steak. It happens. When we said we needed a new plate, the owner said, "I'm not throwing that steak out!" My wife replied that she just won't eat. Owner said, "That's right, you won't eat!" Mistakes happen. The waiter, who was busting his tail all night in the understaffed place, was apologetic. But it's inexcusable for the owner to disrespect food allergies, and to be rude to customers. The food was mediocre. read more

We stopped in Saturday morning for breakfast around 9 am Beginning to think we weren't going to get waited on waitress finally came after the cashier who was talking to the people at the next table asked the waitress had we been waited on I went to the restroom and I could tell they hadn't been cleaned because the urinals and toilets and sink is not going to get stained that quick Went back to the table and looked around the dining room floor a d there were peices of bread on the floor trash and bread under the tables told my wife that might explain the 97.5 health grade and that is with serve safe Went for lunch one day before this and got the chicken an dressing had 2 pics of dressing and had 3 bones in it .one time before that went to dinner and got pintos Rice and beef tips And okra and took a bite of pintos and bought broke a tooth on a rock showed it to a waitress and got a I'm sorry But we have tried breakfast. Dinner and supper We won't be going back and we have eaten there for many years with the previous owner but you can tell he doesn't oun it anymore because you would not have seen one of his employees standing at a table talking for 20 minutes or longer because she was there when we sat down and went to the register right before we got through and then we waited back from the register because she was talking to the same people again Done with the Derby and you wouldn't see a 97.5 grade Jimmy always had 100 read more

Since Covid started, we only do takeout. Everything we have ever had there is great even when we did eat inside. The coconut cake is yummy. Very friendly people at the register. read more

We really enjoyed this restaurant! Service was excellent and the food was flavorful. If you like Southern home cooking you should try it. Everything was homemade and cooked to order. Green beans, fried squash, mac &a cheese, sweet potatoes, BBQ, potato wedges...we tried a lot of good stuff. We will be back! read more

Derby Restaurant & Bar - Fried squash, mac & cheese, and sweet potatoes. Yum! - Bars Near Me - Monroe, North Carolina

On Sept 7, 2016 stopped at The Derby around 2:30 for a late lunch. After being served my lunch, a veggie plate which was very good, my server did not check on me again. All the pepper shakers had been washed at the same time, so there was no pepper at the tables. I found someone to remedy that. I had emptied my water glass and had to go to the back of the restaurant to find a server, not my original server, to get more water for me. She apologized and said she had not been told that I was 'still drinking'. Aside from me, there were three ladies seated at a nearby booth. No other customers to distract servers. I was happy with my food choices but surprised and puzzled at the very poor/lack of service. read more

Family went to breakfast this morning everything was great food was was hot and fresh watriess was really good reasturant was squeaky clean will recommend this place to everybody special thanks to the owners give your employees a pat on the back job well done read more

Sat right down, had the best breakfast burrito I've ever had and waitress was super nice and stayed on top of our drinks. My 2nd trip since the new owners and they aren't letting me down anytime soon! read more

Brown Derby is a family owned - family style restaurant that is very good and they have the crowds to prove it! They have quite an extensive menu, something for everyone!!! Their Greek Salad is the most unique looking salad I've ever eaten. It's actually "pretty" with the way that they line the tomatoes all around the outside of it. When you add their buffalo tenders to it....wow - it's a great combination! (Check their website menu for a picture of it, it is a work of art! http://www.thederbyonline.com/menu.html) Their vegetables are especially good; the fried squash is THE best that I've ever had. Their stewed okra with tomatoes is far better than what I've gotten at other restaurants, and the Mahi Mahi with Grilled Shrimp was extremely good. They also have homemade cakes which are superb!! The chocolate cake is to die for, as is the Red Velvet, but I haven't tried the other flavors. There are about 3 - 4 layers on these cakes. On Fri nights they usually have live entertainment, so it can get pretty busy!! There was one exception to my food not being up to their normal standards. It was a Thurs. night, and I ordered their special which was Fried Chicken. It was 7:30 pm when we went for dinner, and I believe the chicken must have been cooked earlier and then reheated, which pretty much ruined it. On their menu, it clearly states to allow 25 mins for their fried chicken dishes. I'm sure that the chicken is excellent - if you can wait the 25 mins for freshly fried chicken. That has been my only issue in the 15+ times that I've been there. read more

I went with three other work friends. I ordered the chicken tender sandwich and side salad with a water. Took a long time to get food and waitress really didn't seem to enjoy her job. Food was okay. Pretty simple and bland. Got my bill and was charged an extra $.66 for what? I asked the fun and friendly (joke) cashier why the up charge? She said it was because I got the salad instead of the fries or onion rings. I showed her the menu to explain that it doesn't say an up-charge if one orders the salad. She then replies "Well, that is the way it has always been. We used to charge extra for the onion rings." I spent $9.02 for lunch. What a rip off. I would of rather went to Chick-fil-a. I would of had better food AND a better experience. Do yourself a favor, go somewhere else. read more

This restaurant used to be called the Brown Derby but has now been renamed The Derby Restaurant as of 5/31/14. The entire interior has been redone and is quite nice. The menu and food and prices have also been redone and are HORRIBLE! Don't bother wasting your time! It's no longer a family type restaurant and the menu has been shortened. It is really pricey I thought for what you get. We have been going here for years but will never go back again. Heck, we even had two of those money saving groupons for this place but gave the other one away to another patron who was eating there. read more

The Derby is great place, if you like hair in your food. We tried the Derby about a year ago and the food was just OK. We never intended to go back. Last Monday, all the good restaurants in town are closed so we thought we would give The Derby another try. BIG mistake. We sat down and the waitress arrives she looked haggard. We asked if she was having a bad day. She said it was the usual for this place... Hmmm, bad sign. We started off and ordered some wine. While we were waiting to place our order, the table next to us called the waitress over and pointed out not one but TWO HAIRS in thier food. The waitress brought over the owner who told the people "Those did not come from our kitchen". The man pointed out that his wife and child both had blond, straight hair and he had silver hair. Both hairs on the plates were black and curly. The owner was actually rude. The man was charged full price for food he did not touch. We dropped some money on the table and left, never to return. We found out later they had recently changed the name from "The Brown Derby" to "The Derby". I wonder if it was because "The Brown Derby" had so many bad reviews and a horrible reputation? read more

I stopped by today to pick up a to go order for lunch. The young man at the counter was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the chef salad and my husband had the triple decker club with onion rings. My salad was fresh and delicious. The portion was just right (I ordered the small). The Club sandwich was a hit with my hubby. The onion rings were crispy and not overly greasy. Overall a positive experience. I will definitely try them again. read more

I know this is a family establishment, and I really hate to give a not great review for that reason, but.... We started with the fried pickles and they were good. I orders the Cobb salad. It was poorly presented, the bacon was overly greasy and I could tell it had been sitting all day in its own grease. The grilled chicken on top was dry and over cooked. A companion ordered the beef tips and it was absolutely terrible. The Mac and cheese was bland and the fried squash was surprisingly sweet (not in a good way.)My suggestion, revamp the menu and only offer a select few things that you're good a making. read more

The food tasted home cooked, I really enjoyed the potato wedges with home made blue cheese dressing, I also had the grilled pork chops and home made macaroni and cheese, the cornbread was very good too. The waitress was very pleasant and helpful. The owner made sure that we were happy with our dinner, the place was very clean, I will definitely come back again. read more

Employees are very rude! Would not recommend as we work too hard for our money to be treated disrespected

Clean and with a simple menu. The food was good but not great and the service was OK but nothing that you will remember or be inclined to tip heavily for. read more