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    Derby Restaurant

    3.5 (66 reviews)
    InexpensiveSteakhouses
    Open 7:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    Derby Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    DERBY RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Derby Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    chicken finger and fries
    Andrea H.

    A true Classic! We visited Mt. Airy for the day and stopped in at the Derby for dinner. This place has been around for years. Food is very inexpensive; I don't think there was any menu item over $11. It's a small circular restaurant. Staff was attentive. I had the chicken fingers and fries and a side of bacon. He had the country fried steak. They offer dinner specials every night so if you look online you can see what the special is. For example- Thursday special is meat and 3 veg under $10! It was like this place is frozen in time. My only issue with the place is that is VERY dark inside. You can't see the floor. So if you drop something, consider it gone......

    This is the meal we received!
    Don D.

    My visits to the Derby Restaurant are too few and far between! On this weekend, my Mount Airy High School class was holding our Class Reunion, so I seized the opportunity to go to The Derby for lunch! This photo shows you the view of our awesome lunch, of Veggie Egg Omelette, Grits, Black-eyed Peas, Applesauce, Wheat Toast, Hushpuppy's (all my lunch) and Meatloaf, Cooked Apples, Green Beans and (the other lunch)! Plus, we both had iced tea to wash it down! IT WAS ALL TERRIFIC!!! In addition, we had a fantastic waitress, Candace, who answered all of our questions, delivered our food in a timely manner and made sure that we were pleased with everything we had! And all of this was at a most reasonable price. Finally, the setting was fun, so that everything added up to the perfect meal and visit!

    Old menu
    Lola F.

    This restaurant has been around since 1937 and I can see why. It's home-cooked food. Think comfort foods your mother or grandma made while you were growing up. The person I was with is a picky eater and was picking off my plate after he stuffed himself from his food which is one of the highest praises I can give. The portions are very generous and there's a good selection of things to choose from. We dined here twice and both times the service was very excellent. Most of the people here are regulars and it reminds me of an old diner.

    Menu
    John H.

    Very friendly staff, though she did not know the answer to any questions we had about items on the menu. Place is really clean on inside and very nostalgic with the interior given how long they have been open. The meat and pick three are something I wish we had in Indiana.. originally from Indiana I lived in south for around 14 years. The ham was a huge piece cooked on the grill adding more flavor than other ham I've eaten. Fried Chicken had a wonderful very crisp light breading, it does take around 20 mins . The 'Hot Chips' are fresh homemade potato chips, unfortunately they are not 'hot' as in spicy.. but were still good.

    Michael Q.

    When you first sit down in a Derby booth, you feel like you should be planning a heist with Bobby D in a Scorsese movie. There's a retro feel to the Derby that is so GENUINE and cool. Everything in this place is "as it was." Rare these days. Impossible to fake, you can feel (and taste) the history. Service is ZERO nonsense, to the point, and gets the food out fast. If you're unsure, just order a skillet and build from there. Portions are big and will erase your hangover immediately. It's also nice the kitchen is open to additions and customizations. The Derby is so much more than a diner; it's an institution. We look forward to our next visit!

    Lunch - ham- Mac cheese, okra, apples and hush puppies- yum!
    Jamie B.

    We had a nice meal here today. We are from out of state and wanted to grab a quick bite before we hit Mount Airy to sightsee. I was surprised at the inexpensive price and quantity of my meal. It tasted great too. Service was fast and friendly. I am all for keeping traditions and love the decor and pictures, but a good deep cleaning, new flooring and bathroom overhaul would be awesome.

    Cheeseburger

    Hush puppies as an appetizer #Excellent! Features Meat & Three since the 1940's. Price has changed since then, but quality food is still served. Classic waitress using technology to place order table side on electronic tablet. Paper menu under plexiglass cover on table. Booth slightly pie shaped around exterior wall of round building. Historic building in good condition.

    Chris K.

    We were heading home from a weekend in VA and after reading the Yelp reviews and not finding much open on Main Street, we headed over here. I thought the name connection with the one is Hollywood was cute too. This is one where it's clear the locals go cos it seemed like the staff knew everyone who entered as the place quickly filled up on a Sunday. I was delighted when I walked in and saw old time wooden booths and realized if this place has been around since the late 1940's they must be original - cool! Yes, things can seem a bit dated at times, but that's the charm of it all. We were quickly greeted by a friendly staff person who gave us our menus and took our drink order. I opted for the fried chicken with a choice of three sides. From a good long list I choose the mac and cheese, green beans and a side salad with Derby dressing. The chicken was delicious, just like something your granny would make. Perfectly fried, juicy inside and not too thick a coating on the outside. The mac and cheese had a loose sauce that was light in color, but very cheesy in flavor. The greens beans were tasty too! I was intrigued by the Derby dressing name and found out is a tomato oil and vinegar base with an oniony flavor. That was good too. Add in a couple of soft dinner rolls and I was filled to the brim when done! My dining partner had eggs, bacon and toast with three of the biggest pancakes I've ever seen! She loved it all and made yummy noises though out. In fact, she said the pancakes were some of the most flavorful she's ever had! Between the tasty food and the friendly staff, we both agreed we can't wait to come back again and try more of the wonderful choices on the menu. We thought, we've gotta tell Bob Garner from UNC tv's NC Weekend show about this place and then saw a framed review by him on the way out the door!

    Watery spaghetti. No meat.

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    1 month ago

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    4 months ago

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    3 months ago

    I don't like none of the options they are dry and unseasoned and it's just nasty overall

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food was good, but the serving size as really shrunk. I was still hungry after eating this take out meal

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great breakfast options! Loved their omelet. Biscuits were nice and soft. I will be back next time I visit. Reasonably priced

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    8 years ago

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    19 years ago

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    6 years ago

    We had to stop eating there. It is too dirty which is sad. I would like to support local businesses but it is disgusting.

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    13 Bones - Grilled Tuna, asparagus, mashed potatoes   Steak & Rib Combo with Mac & Cheese

    13 Bones

    4.0(324 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    My Man and I spent several hours just seeing the sites. Since it had been many years since either…read moreof us had enjoyed 13 Bones, we decided to stop. First, our Server was a delight!! He made sure everything was perfect! We started off with the Cheese Sticks with both ranch dressing and marinara sauce! The marinara sauce was really good! The ranch dressing was too watered down for my taste!!! The cheese sticks were hot and fresh! Very gooey and good! He ordered the 13 Bones burger with fries. The burger had amazing flavor! The fries were a bit too salty, but they were perfectly cooked and served hot! I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with their homemade chips! I ordered an extra side of dressing for both my sandwich and the chips. I just cannot rave enough about how amazing my entire meal was! Those chips were PERFECT!!!! Already looking forward to our next visit! Most Sincerely, Dayla

    I had high hopes. The food and reviews looked good…read more We arrived and there was a full parking lot, always a good sign. We were sat quickly. The server was super nice. It was very cold where we were sitting and the server allowed us to move to a warmer spot. We ordered a fried mushroom appetizer. This was very good. They came with ranch and I think it was the horseradish sauce. The orangish sauce was very good. I ordered 1/2 rack of dry ribs with mac & cheese and green beans, and 2 hushpuppies. You get a choice of Texas toast, hushpuppies, or rolls. My coworker ordered salmon. When the food came out, my ribs were wet. I told the server that I had ordered dry rub. He stated they were dry but had sauce on them. I'm sorry, that is not a "dry rib", in my opinion. The first piece of rib meat I ate was soft and juicy. The next two were super dry and I could not eat any more of them. My coworker joked that that was probably what they were referring to when they said "dry rub". The green beans were ok. I added a ton of pepper and some hot sauce. I saved the mac & cheese for lunch the next day. The hushpuppies were dense and needed a little more flavor. My coworker commented that her salmon was ok but nothing to write home about. I should have went with my first instinct and ordered from the kids menu. The prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere is nice.

    Photos
    13 Bones
    13 Bones - Buffalo shrimp with ranch dressing.

    Buffalo shrimp with ranch dressing.

    13 Bones

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    The Copper Pot - Incredible pancakes with extra sausage.

    The Copper Pot

    4.1(128 reviews)
    8.6 mi
    $

    Gracie was a perfect waitress and served us absolutely fantastic catfish meals. The coating was…read morelight and fish plentiful and flaky. We finished with one of the best slices carrot cake I've had and I'm very picky about carrot cake! This is our second time here and will not be our last! (Actually going to have breakfast in am before we head north). Prices are low but food top notch!

    Coming back from a strawberry farm nearby, I thought I would stop and have an early dinner. Was…read morehungry for some home style country cooking and country cooking is what they have! The staff was very friendly and helpful with answering some questions about the menu. They know the menu well and was knowledgeable of the preparation. I ordered the country fried chicken with gravy that is served over mashed potatoes with a hot roll and a side fried okra. It was a plate special for just under $10. Food came out hot and the chicken was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Juicy and tender. I don't think the gravy was made from scratch but it was good white, peppered gravy. The mashed potatoes were real potatoes, not boxed. The okra may have been the frozen kind but it was fried and seasoned perfectly. I also ordered some ranch dressing on the side to dip the okra and chicken in and it was made from scratch ranch dressing and some of the best ranch I've ever had. The roll was like a breadstick and it was freshly baked, served hot and may have been made from scratch. It was a really good hot roll. Overall appearance was that it looked like it has been around for a while but had a cute, country diner vibe going on. I would eat there again if I'm passing through and would recommend to anyone wanting country style food with good service. The price was very reasonable with big, generous portions.

    Photos
    The Copper Pot - Pleasant dining room

    Pleasant dining room

    The Copper Pot - Carrot cake

    Carrot cake

    The Copper Pot - Like a Southern non-Sweet version of a Zeppoli - which was pretty freaking killer!

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    Like a Southern non-Sweet version of a Zeppoli - which was pretty freaking killer!

    Derby Restaurant - steak - Updated May 2026

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