Cambridge Restaurant Guide

Daniel Clifford’s “haven of calm and delight” occupies a beautifully located Victorian villa bordering Midsummer Common and the banks of the Cam (“lovely river views from the lounge”), and continues to maintain its renown as one of the country’s top culinary destinations. From a series of tasting options (including a vegetarian menu), results from the open kitchen are “adventurous without being silly” and “the theatrical presentation which accompanies each course course truly makes for a meal to remember”, complemented well by a “brilliant choice of wines” and “exceptional service with a smile”. “Excellence doesn’t come cheap” however, and although major disappointments are rare here, mild panic on the arrival of the bill goes with the territory.

After a decade in smallish premises near the Grafton Centre, Hans Schweitzer’s superior Italian venture upped sticks to the plusher environs of the Gonville Hotel in January 2017. This smartly decorated spot now offers a better backdrop for his “high-style dining with superb attention to detail” (with “surprises even in old-favourite dishes”).

“Cambridge’s best-kept secret!”, say fans of this elegant Victorian townhouse outside the centre, near Victoria Avenue Bridge – whose dining room offers a fixed-price monthly menu: “a continued delight”, which they hail as “wonderful in every way”.

2015 Review: A “remarkably good” new Italian (formerly in Saffron Walden), in a converted chapel in a village outside Cambridge, combining “outstanding” dishes with “excellent” wine; opened in 2013, it’s already “so popular you need to book a month ahead at peak times”.

2017 Review: “They do not come more cheap ’n’ cheerful than this” – an “outstanding-value” joint, in the city centre, that’s also noted for its “fast and boisterous atmosphere”.

The smart new sibling to Cambridge’s Varsity Restaurant opened not far from the eponymous college in April 2017; one early days reporter hails the “great” fish- and meat-centric fare and says they’re “excellent” at catering for those tricky dietary requirements.

Typical corner pub from the outside, and strikingly modern gastroboozer (with bottles inset into the ceiling) inside – this lavishly revamped pub (est. February 2017) is the latest addition to the local City Pub Company. Feedback is limited so far, but reporters praise its “superb Sunday lunch”, and you can expect top beers from its sibling the Cambridge Brew House.

With its “lovely and convenient setting with charming courtyard”, plus “very good food” and “amazing hospitality” this indie neighbourhood bistro is, by all accounts, “one of the best places in Cambridge for an enjoyable laidback meal”.