
The Hardwick Inn
Advertisements
Quick info
About The Hardwick Inn
The Hardwick Inn is a restaurant and pub in Chesterfield, on Hardwick Park, set in a 15th-century local sandstone building beside parkland and next to Hardwick Hall. Open fires burn throughout the building, and one room is set aside for guests who bring their dogs. The kitchen cooks classic pub food, with a carvery, pies and steak sandwiches on the menu, and local ales are served alongside. Walk-ins are seated without a booking, and tables can also be booked ahead. The inn sits off the M1, so it works as a meal stop for travellers.
Advertisements
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention dog-friendly room, pies and mushy peas, steak sandwich and open fires.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention dog-friendly room, pies and mushy peas, steak sandwich and open fires.
Customer Review Summary
Diners most often return for the pies and the hearty pub meals, with reviewers praising the pies and proper mushy peas, a steak sandwich that arrived hot and huge, liver and onions with mash and peas, and a well presented ploughman's. Close behind is the setting, a historic building beside Hardwick Hall with open fires, a well kept pint, and a dog friendly room that several reviewers were seated in even without a booking. Service splits. Some call the staff friendly and attentive, while others found them busy and businesslike. The complaints are about slow or botched food and value. One party waited an hour after their order was split between starters and mains, and had the meal refunded by an understanding manager. Another said food took ages and arrived only once they asked, calling the place a bit overpriced. One diner found the venison tasted like liver, and one felt the place had declined since a visit years earlier. A recurring detail is a table in the dog friendly room and a hot plate arriving after a walk through the park.
Customer Review Summary
Diners most often return for the pies and the hearty pub meals, with reviewers praising the pies and proper mushy peas, a steak sandwich that arrived hot and huge, liver and onions with mash and peas, and a well presented ploughman's. Close behind is the setting, a historic building beside Hardwick Hall with open fires, a well kept pint, and a dog friendly room that several reviewers were seated in even without a booking. Service splits. Some call the staff friendly and attentive, while others found them busy and businesslike. The complaints are about slow or botched food and value. One party waited an hour after their order was split between starters and mains, and had the meal refunded by an understanding manager. Another said food took ages and arrived only once they asked, calling the place a bit overpriced. One diner found the venison tasted like liver, and one felt the place had declined since a visit years earlier. A recurring detail is a table in the dog friendly room and a hot plate arriving after a walk through the park.
Featured reviews
- Maryna Leo
“Set beside the rolling parkland and the striking, unmistakable Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Inn is one of those places that feels wonderfully rooted in history. If you are travelling along the M1, it is hard to imagine a more atmospheric alternative to the usual motorway services. This historic inn offers a pause that feels genuinely restorative - calm, characterful and full of charm. The meals are tasty and reliably well prepared, with friendly service that makes you feel immediately at ease. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, the sort of place where you can comfortably linger over lunch or enjoy a peaceful break on a long journey. Throughout the year, the inn also hosts a varied list of events, adding an extra reason to return. Hardwick Inn is dog‑friendly, with a special room set aside for guests with dogs. Outside, there is plenty of space to sit and enjoy the surroundings. On long, warm summer days, these areas are particularly beautiful, and they make a perfect spot to unwind after a walk through the park or a visit to Hardwick Hall. A truly charming stop, full of history, hospitality and atmosphere.”
- Rebecca Moody
“Appalling service! Waited an hour for food that didn’t arrive because the order was taken in two separate payments as we were eating with a friend, we made it clear we didn’t want it split into starters and mains but they bought our friends’ out and not ours. We noticed other tables were getting their meals and we were still waiting, once we’d asked they’d admitted the miscommunication and said they would start it right away, this would have meant another 30 minutes waiting so we had it refunded. Training would be beneficial to some of the younger staff in there as it felt like they weren’t interested when we placed the order. The manager was understanding and refunded the meal but the overall service was very poor for somewhere that isn’t that cheap to go to, came home hungry and annoyed.”
- Elena Bradbury
“I invited my friend for a lunch because I remembered this place from 10 years ago. There is no comparison between now and then. The place not just gone down hill but to the bottom of it. I don't have time to describe everything that gone wrong (including Health & Safety of customers) and tasteless food, we simply will not return back. Extremely disappointed.”
- kerry Graham
“Came here for lunch with some friends. Not disappointed. The food was amazing the ploughman's was very enjoyable well presented. The staff were very attentive.”
- Cory Holmes_UK
“Quite disappointed with our visit. We’d been for a lovely hike around Hardwick and had booked a table at The Hardwick Inn for a meal afterwards, so we were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we were seated in the bar area, near where staff were gathered. The room was otherwise empty, so we could clearly hear staff conversations, including complaints about a regular customer, which felt unprofessional and made the atmosphere uncomfortable. The food also wasn’t as good as I’d expected. I ordered the venison and was told it would be served medium, so I trusted the recommendation. Unfortunately, I regretted that choice, as the flavour reminded me more of liver than the venison I was expecting, and I didn’t enjoy it. Overall, the experience was disappointing, especially after planning it as a nice meal following our walk.”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Good to know
“15th-century local sandstone inn serving local ales and classic pub food including a carvery.”
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible car park · Wheelchair-accessible entrance · Wheelchair-accessible seating
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible car park
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 3
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
Restaurants near The Hardwick Inn
- Jade Cottage3.62733.9 mi£10–20Good for kids
hot garlic sauce
- Nick's4.23083.9 mi£1–10Wheelchair accessible
chips, pie special, mushy peas
- Pizza Box4.01243.9 mi£10–20Wheelchair accessibleGood for kids
pizzas, burgers, chicken kebab
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hardwick Inn | 4.43,352 | — | — | dog-friendly room, pies and mushy peas, steak sandwich |
| Jade CottageGood for kids | 3.6273 | 3.9 mi | £10–20 | hot garlic sauce |
| Nick'sWheelchair accessible | 4.2308 | 3.9 mi | £1–10 | chips, pie special, mushy peas |
| Pizza BoxWheelchair accessible · Good for kids | 4.0124 | 3.9 mi | £10–20 | pizzas, burgers, chicken kebab |
The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
Similar Restaurants nearby
3.9 miLadybrook Fish Bar
4.2 miClaycross Charcoal Grill
4.2 miNew Tupton Fish Bar
4.5 miJ&A Sushi Mansfield
4.5 miBarracuda Mansfield
4.9 miThe Pizza Boy
4.9 miGreg's Fishbar
5.1 miCapo Lounge
More to explore in Chesterfield

16 places
Restaurants in Chesterfield
Photo: The Hunloke Arms · 4.6 · 3,443 Google reviews
See all 16 restaurants in Chesterfield
