St. Helens
Derby Arms Rainford

Derby Arms Rainford

47 Church Road, St. Helens, United Kingdom, WA11 8EZ

Meat • Cafés • Steak • Salads


"I have been going to The Derby Arms for years on and off since I was,18. The last time I sat in the room primarily used for diners I was with my family so it was a little emotional for me. The decor has changed but not the bricks and mortar. I don 't consider myself to be 'local ' anymore hence I could detect that the busy bar had a local edge to it. Not unfriendly, but the feeling that everyone knows everyone else. This is not necessarily a bad thing and everyone is kind and thoughtful which reflects the community itself. Over the years the food in the pub has gone from mediocre to outstanding depending on the chef in the kitchen. I know my mother would comment critically sometimes. However, I am delighted to report the that on this visit the service was brilliant and the food really superb. Front of house was really kind getting me a table as the resteraunt was heavily booked...and I can see why. Evening food is served from 5pm onwards and lunch is also available. The dining area is spotless and really comfortable with attentive staff who will bring drinks to your table. It 's a very homely atmosphere. I wasn 't visiting for a special occasion, I just popped in on my own but I was made to feel special. The food was just great, my 8oz sirloin spot on in terms of taste and how it was cooked. Really lovely. Now this is not a fair comparison, but stay with me. I had the misfortune to be reminded during to a chicken based fast food resteraunt in St. Helens how incredibly expensive it can be to 'eat out ' and having to endure terrible food served with an air of disdane in an atmosphere of artificial, disposable detachment. Given the above experience, when I got the final bill from the Derby Arms which included two delightful drinks and two outstanding courses, wonderful atmosphere, caring service and other customers who said hello...only a real fool would even consider visiting the former place to eat. I guess, I am using this comparison to say, that at a time when we are having to make cuts and difficult choices, there are still places you can really enjoy, that serve peerless food and offer great value for money. I am delighted The Derby Arms still has its sparkle, its class and its soul. Thank you for bringing back happy memories and making a new one. Best wishes, Paul."

Holdi Rainford

Holdi Rainford

394 Ormskirk Road, St. Helens, United Kingdom

Balti • Asian • Indian • Vegetarian


"This is a review based only on take away food and from over take aways, so not a one off. One of the biggest surprises to us was the variation in quality from one week to the next. An example of this is that...a Tandoori mixed grill one week was so good, my partner had it again the next week, second time it was almost covered in a slimy coating and not at all pleasant. This also happened with a lamb Rogan josh, top quality one week, a few weeks later it tasted more like a pudding (more of this later). The quality of the meat, be it chicken, lamb or prawn has been generally absolutely top quality, large tasty pieces of meat, larger pieces than most other takeaways and good quality too. The side dishes have been generally good to. Price wise Holdi is expensive, there is no question about this and when the food is good quality I do not mind paying for it, the inconsistency we have encountered doesn’t warrant these prices to be honest. However, the biggest issue we have with Holdi is sweet curries, so often we have all of us) said this tastes sweet try it yourselves. It’s sweet to a point that it becomes a bit weird and not what you want from a curry. In addition to this have a look at the menu, about times it must say a sweet dish! We have avoided these and still received a sweet dish, the last one a sweet chicken jalfrezi…? Finally, when its around for a takeaway, chuck in a few poppadoms most other restaurants and takeaways do, it is a nice gesture."

Sabroso Tex Mex

Sabroso Tex Mex

23-27 George Street, WA10 1DA, St. Helens, United Kingdom

Vegan • Tapas • Mexican • Vegetarian


"I had high hopes for this restaurant based on the reviews but Unfortunately I can’t say I very much enjoyed my first and potentially last trip to Sabroso. Firstly let me say that we got the food as a takeaway. Now, I’m not a big fan of writing bad reviews. I would rather write a review praising the establishment to allow others to try as we have. However, we were mislead by the reviews and feel that maybe we caught them on a bad day. Nevertheless we had a bad experience. We started with some soft chicken tacos which *spoiler alert* were the best thing that we tried. The flavour was great. The meat quantity was perfect. A great little starter if you’re willing to share. I was getting really excited at this point. However, it’s a slow decline from here. The fried jalapeños were not great. Felt and tasted manufactured if I’m quite honest and with the chilli dip to go with it, which was most certainly ‘crucials extra hot chilli sauce’ that you get in most takeaways these days, I was feeling slightly let down. You would think a Mexican/ tex mex restaurant would at least make a good chilli sauce. For the main, I had a Beef Chilli burrito, which I asked to be made a little spicier, and it Was flavourless. Mainly tasted like cheese and was packed with rice, which I understand that’s what a burrito should be But there was barely any meat/ chilli. I was thinking if my chicken tacos were that tasty I can’t wait for the burrito but it was bland. No flavour to the Mexican rice and there wasn’t any spice to be found. I was very disappointed to say the least. The missus had chicken enchiladas and had this to say: large portion with a substantial amount of chicken but could only really taste tomatoes. Too saucy and rather flavourless. The onion rings and sweet potato fries tasted like they came from a packet. Overall a solid 2 out of 5. I had high hopes from the reviews but it really wasn’t much to shout about. Nothing really Mexican in sight except the tacos. Do not let our review stop you from trying the food for yourselves and maybe you’ll have a better experience If you eat in the restaurant rather than a takeaway. Enjoy yourselves. Nick and Becky."