Cambridge, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

The “British classics (whitebait, Barnsley chop etc)” are “all fine” – and “given its prime tourist location, much better than you might expect” – at this “pleasant” spot opposite King’s College Chapel. But do try to grab a street-level table, rather than heading “downstairs to the dark and pokey basement”.

This “reliable local favourite” (a former coaching inn on the road from London) is favoured for its “good food” and “interesting wine list from a very knowledgeable owner” .

From Alex Olivier & Sam Carter of Restaurant 22 (two doors down), this June 2025 newcomer is a new modern bistro. It aims to be a tad more relaxed than their mothership – maintaining high quality, with dishes emanating from an open kitchen, but in a less ambitious vein. Launch menus include the likes of Tempura monkfish with lemon, ginger and kombu; Norfolk salt marsh lamb rump with green sauce; and Peach and almond crumble with meadowsweet custard for dessert. The lunch set menu is £45 per person, and the dinner set menu is £65 per person (£75 per person at weekends). It opened too late for any feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but a July 2025 review from The Telegraph’s William Sitwell was full of praise, judging it “seriously sublime – the cooking without fault, delivering well-balanced dishes and the finest cheffing nicely short of too many knobs on top”.