Harden's says
Parker’s Tavern is the destination restaurant in the revamped University Arms Hotel overlooking Parker’s Piece; chef Tristan Welch (previously head chef at Pétrus, he also relaunched Launceston Place then worked on Mustique) heads up the kitchen, representing a return to his East Anglian roots.
Harden's survey result
Summary
Overlooking Parker’s Piece, this attractive venue within the revamped University Arms “works as well for dinner as for breakfast, which is rare in hotel dining rooms”, and chef Tristan Welch showcases local East Anglian produce on his British bistro menu. Ratings are capped, though, by a failure to escape the middle ground (critics feel “they don’t quite bring it off here and I don’t know why”).
Summary
A “beautiful setting” in the University Arms hotel, which relaunched alongside this tavern in 2018 after an £80 million transformation, adds considerably to the charms of a visit to this brasserie overlooking Parker’s Piece green. Local chef Tristan Welch, who honed his talents alongside a triptych of star chefs – Roux Jr, Ramsay and Rhodes – is a keen promoter of East Anglian produce, which informs the menu; the latter is usually deemed sound.
Summary
Starry local chef Tristan Welch (whose CV includes stints with Rhodes, Ramsay, Roux Jr. et. al.) is behind this “wonderful brasserie” in a “lovely setting” at the recently revamped University Arms hotel, overlooking Parker’s Piece green. East Anglian produce informs the cooking, which is “good” (if not spectacular) by all accounts, and makes it never less than “a reliable choice” when in this varsity town.
Summary
“A proper brasserie in a lovely refurbished hotel in the middle of Cambridge” – “who would have guessed that the once-dismal University Arms would house such a charmer?”. Ex-Launceston Place chef Tristan Welch champions local East Anglian produce on a menu that provides comfort rather than foodie fireworks. Rebuilt several years ago, this long-established hotel has a fantastic position, overlooking Parker’s Piece.
For 35 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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1 Park Terrace, Cambridge, CB1 1JH
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £19.50 |  |
|
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Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £14.00 | £26.00 | £6.00 | £0.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £27.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.25 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
1 Park Terrace, Cambridge, CB1 1JH
Opening hours
| Monday | 6:30 am‑9:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 6:30 am‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 6:30 am‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 6:30 am‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 6:30 am‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 7 am‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 7 am‑9:30 pm |
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