please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I last reviewed the Cambridge Blue 3 years ago to the day and have always rated this as the best pub in Cambridge. However, I was a little disappointed by yesterday's visit. The ale selection is still good. But the cider selection has been halved since 2017. Previously I've found 2 or 3 new ciders to try. But this time, there was nothing unusual. The pub was also a little quieter than on previous visits. The ale selection was XT Animal Hop Kitty, Church End Stout Coffin, Three Blind Mice Juice Rocket & Lonely Snake, Ramsgate Gadd's No 5, Adnams Bitter, Nene Valley New Age Chestnut, Release The Chimps & Bible Black & Mighty Oak Buster Keaton. I opted for the Stout Coffin. But in hindsight, I should probably have tried the much stronger Bible Black. Ciders were Gwynt y Ddraig Dog Dancer & Lilley's Rhubarb Cider & Pineapple Cider. Incidentally, it's sister pub is the Blue Moon. Their website (and CAMRA's) advertised a 2pm opening time. Checking with the barman here, he revealed it was in fact 5pm and he promptly amended the website! That still left me with almost 2 hours to kill before the Blue Moon opened.
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Not been here for many years but still an excellent pub. Lots of ales and ciders from a variety of breweries (although meets the current trend of having predominantly light and hoppy beers). Good food and helpful and friendly staff.
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I was last here several years ago when I spent a little too long supping the various ciders. Ever since, it has been in my mind as the best pub in Cambridge. My visit yesterday only served to confirm that suspicion and the only question mark in my mind was whether to score it a 9/10 or a 10/10. 9 ales were on - Dark Star Hophead & American Pale Ale, Norfolk Brewhouse Moon Gazer, Three Blind Mice Half Wit & Juice Rocket, Mighty Oak Yellow Snow, Colchester London Porter & Woodfordes Wherry & Ruby Red. One local customer walked in and was also offered Incognito from the Crafty brewery, which wasn't officially on. Ciders and perry were Udders Orchard Luddite, Cromwells Oliver's Downfall, Hallets PX, Millwhites Rum Cask, Snails Bank Fruit Bat & Simons Sweet Barton Perry. The pub appears to have changed a little since I was there last. You are immediately greeted by fridges displaying a large bottle selection. To the right-hand side of the bar, you can see the cellar from where all ales and ciders were being dispensed direct from the cask. To the left is another small drinking area, with a larger extension beyond. I don't recall this area last time I was here. But I did have a few. There is also a large outdoor area, that was even in use yesterday. I think they had patio heaters. My conclusion is to rate this pub a 9/10, as there were a few vacant handpulls. Although this is hardly surprising for this time of year. It's certainly the best of many decent pubs in Cambridge and also one of the best pubs in the country.
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Nice enough if a bit 'Cambridge twee' and faux foodie. Ale (Woodforde's Wherry) was a bit disappointing and lifeless though.
anonymous - 2 Oct 2016 09:50 |
A very nice well run pub,it was slightly off putting to enter and look at large bank of coolers and not be able to see the bar (left? or right?) a decent selection of real ales and a pleasant garden.
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Popped in before and after Plymouth Argyle's match this weekend. Excellent choice of both cask and bottled ales plus some good food as well. Pleasing to have a choice of bitters (Wherry, Nene Valley), plus a red rye ale which was different to the ubiquitous IPAs which seem to clog up most pumps these days. Nice beer garden out back too for sunnier days.
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So, back a year later. Several decent beer pubs nearby to offer a choice now. Late evening, so the foodies had gone. 14 hand pumps with a total of 19 beers offered, many of which I have never seen before. Too many to list here, but included Yamato, hophead, dark star pals, wheat purple, pig squeal, national treasure, cerebus fox, porthbud, AD, crooked branch, moonshine mild and stout and so on. Tasters gladly offered and the lady was working hard to impress. Settled for Wherry as it was getting late! Ok pint. The pub has changes beyond recognition from one of the best around to one that felt it had to evolve - it did not need to do so! Still, well worth a visit.
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Regrettably this pub has changed. Gone is the quiet back street boozer that did a bit of home cooked food. It seems now to have become a restaurant with a bar. I waited for service at 7pm but with 1 person serving and 6 waiting, I decided it was not worth the wait.
No acknowledgement of my presence to make me reconsider, so I went to eat and drink at the Devonshire, where I served at once, greeted with eye contact and had a fine steak.
I may well return to try the beers, as they did seem to have 7 or 8 beers on, so by reputation, it deserves another chance later.
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Regrettably this pub has changed. Gone is the quiet back street boozer that did a bit of home cooked food. It seems now to have become a restaurant with a bar. I waited for service at 7pm but with 1 person serving and 6 waiting, I decided it was not worth the wait.
No acknowledgement of my presence to make me reconsider, so I went to eat and drink at the Devonshire, where I served at once, greeted with eye contact and had a fine steak.
I may well return to try the beers, as they did seem to have 7 or 8 beers on, so by reputation, it deserves another chance later.
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Popped back in here after an absence of a couple of years. My god it's changed - and not for the better. The guy (one - on Saturday afternoon!) behind the bar was under too much pressure to serve the beers at all well and not even be courteous about it either. Decided to have the food and can only say we felt swizzed. I was looking forward to this visit and can only say I shan't be back in that much of a hurry. Like the reviewer below said, the beers etc aren't the be all and end all. It's the whole experience.
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i would say it lacks in atmosphere after what i assume was a rebuild. the make-up of the crowd doesn't help that much.
i do credit the huge range of beers, but for me, it's about the whole experience, not just the beer and i would notch this place up as a bit of a victim of its own success.
i know that is unlikely to be a popular view but i have to rate places on how keen i am to visit them, and to be honest the lack of character and the crowd diminishes my pleasure at visiting the blue.
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TWG is right, there has been a lot of building work done over the past couple of years. Beer quality and choice still as good as ever. The food lets it down, but it has never really been known for that. This pub and the Geldart are easily the best in the area, probably in Cambridge.
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What a great pub - a lot of interesting beers and very pleasant to be in. I tried the Mighty Hop Dead Brewers Society. Revisit needed.
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Despite vowing a re-visit within months back in November 2006 when I last reviewed this pub, sadly it was to be another six years before I got to come back. Never mind; worth the wait. Still a fabulously-broad (and clearly very-well-received by customers) selection of cask beer available - I see I noted 7 pumps last time; now try twice that. Either I was seriously sauced first time round, or there has been a major expansion somewhere along the line...
Service was swift given the swelling crowd, and there was a fast-paced efficiency about proceedings which I hadn't recollected from before. The joint was jumping and joyous, fuelled by a relentless raft of real and filtered beer from pump and tap.
Despite the passage of time, I mightn't have bothered to re-review the Cambridge Blue, as the key worthy features noted in 2006 remain steadfast, and it is still a top destination for pub and beer enthusiasts, amidst a cornucopia of credible competition too. But I felt there'd been a significant shift in atmosphere since last we met - okay it was a busy Saturday evening (1st December) and the pub was thronging with a diverse bunch of happy people - I'd last been here on a quieter, more relaxed Sunday lunchtime. But still, it seemed a lot larger than I remembered it, and I barely-recognised the interior decor. Has there been a big overhaul in the intervening years, or am I just mis-remembering things? The whole place seemed to have been ramped-up or 'fully-loaded' as it were, and was no longer to my mind a quaint, steady backstreet boozer.
Did I prefer it now to then? Well, in truth, personally I didn't. But I could not argue it was not a success, or was so inappropriate that it had altered the pub's appeal beyond reasonable boundaries. All my mates were first-time visitors (we were on a civilised stag do away from our usual manor) and seemed to fall in love with it. Damn it, whatever has changed and whatever the merits, it's still got to be a 10!
I can't let another 6 years pass before getting back!
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Just off Mill Road, this pub looks small from the front. step inside however, and this impression is soon dispelled. Walking in you are greeted by several fridges containing an impressive selection of bottled beers from around the world.
The pub stretches back somewhat to the garden at the back, which has a large paved area with a multitude of benches and other covered seating. Back inside, there are plenty of seats in which you can enjoy a beer or indulge in the fine pub grub available, and look up at the array of drinks trays from breweries past and present which decorate the ceiling.
The ale on offer came from all over the country and all the ones that I sampled were in excellent fettle. These included Colchester's Old King Cole porter and Brewster's Hopticale Illusion. One of the best to be found in Cambridge.
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Scruffy yet welcoming pub with a massive range of real ales and foreign beers. Well stocked fridges and an impressive line up of craft ales from all over the country.
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Fantastic place. Good selection of ale, and if you like foreign beer, particularly Belgian, Dutch, and American - the sort of craft ales you don't see in many places - their well stocked fridges will blow your mind !!
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It's worth finding this pub. Lots of real ales and friendly service from an owner that enjoys what he's doing.
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A real ale paradise. Usually 10 ales to choose from and a large fridge full of bottle beers. Probably the best pub in Cambridge.
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Went to Cambridge for a small pub crawl and never got much further than here. Superb range of well kept and well priced real ales from local brewers (Oakham was very much in evidence). Very friendly and handy for the railway station.
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Terraced two room pub with large modern extension and larger garden. Excellent selection of ales and food with polite and knowledgeable staff. Beer heaven. I don't give many 10/10s but this is one. I can't for the life of me think of any improvement you could make.
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Enjoyable return visit to the Blue. More Oakham beers consumed here - Inferno and Bishop's Farewell - again excellent. As was the bottle of Schlenkerler Rauchbier.
Still essential on a crawl of the town.
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Good pub, good beer, good guv.
Intresting choice of bar snacks.
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A great little pub a short walk out from the centre and down a residential street off of Mill Road. The walk there will be more than rewarded in the choice of ales that are on the bar and in the small taproom behind - I had the Oakham Citra and the Elgood's Wenceslas which were both on very good form.
The staff here are friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable about the beers/ciders that they sell and will give you a couple of tasters to help you to find the one for you. The food was very good with a quite a lot of veggie options too. All-in-all a pub that's worth the walk and spending an afternoon in.
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Always a good selection of excellent beer / Food is normally top notch and good value for money, though you may have to wait for it if they are busy / Lovely friendly atmosphere.
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We stumbled across this place while on a random pub crawl around Cambridge and were lucky enough to walk right into the middle of their German beer festival! It was easily the best pub of the day (and there were a few that day!) with an excellent range of beers and some good bratwurst to go with it and I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
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Still one of Britain's great pubs, with atmosphere, great beer and friendly staff, although then food was very drab last time out.
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Very good indeed, with a staggering range of always well kept ale and a good mix of people.
mps77 - 12 Nov 2010 16:54 |
A pleasant back street local with a wide range of cask beer. However, both pints I had lacked condition and were very flat, which was disappointing and were just the sort of pints that give cask ale a bad name. Much better was the divine bottle of Tripel Karmeliet served in correct glassware. Overall, a mixed bag really but would give it a second chance if back in Cambridge, if only for the range of Belgian and other world beers.
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Remains one of Cambridge's stand-out pubs!!
Have yet to have a bad pint on any of my (many) visits. Regular Beer festivals and a comprehensive selection of bottled beers make this a must visit for anyone in the area.
Am liking the astroturf in the garden as well :-)
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A truly authentic real ale pub with a penchant for belgian beers. The range is to say the least extensive, occasionally I have heard customers tell the bar staff where their bottle of choice is located!
Food ranges from standard chilli or bangers and mash to an excellently presented sea-bass. A bonus feature being that you can get smaller portions for the main menu items. This leads into the fact that this is a very family-friendly pub. The recent overhaul of the garden area is such that children can roam around on either astroturf of Mill Road Cemetary which is well-respected by the owners (notices placed around requesting customers keep it clean and don't take drinks there). A wide range of fruit juices and non-alcoholic bevearges is available.
The atmosphere is amicable and patrons tend to converse more than in more formal and 'professional' local pubs such as the kingston. I got the impression that the landlords enjoy owning and running the pub more than operate from a distance as they are ever-present with insightful recommendations, particularly with regard to the continental bottled beers which are basically a mystery to most customers.
Well-run, VERY busy friday and saturday due to sheer capacity, although recently waiting time has decreased. Regular extensive beer-festival efforts, far more so than local competitors. Very much a local's pub welcoming everyone and anyone with a smile.
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Top pub with a range of changing ales, can get frightfully busy though - maybe removing some of the bar stools from the main bar would help? And in the summer it's a magnet for fair-weather drinkers and often their sprogs. Where are they when it's cold?! And then they seem to think that they have a right to a free table in the garden! Sorry, personal bugbear. Again, a top pub and Jethro and Terri are very friendly.
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Top notch back street boozer. Excellent range of ales. Only mildly spoilt by the loudmouth in the corner who thought that the whole pub wanted to hear his unfunny tales of his schooldays.
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A really excellent pub, though I have a personal preference for the nearby Kingston that in no way detracts from this.
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Just to set the record straight, Arctium_Iappa omits the tenure of Nick and Mandy Winnington, now at the Waggon and Horses, Milton, under whom the reputation for real ale was established, along with the no-smoking half of the pub, before the Lloyds took over the running of the place.
hadda - 16 Feb 2010 16:40 |
Rob372 is spot on - probably for consistency the best of the Holy Trinity of pubs off Mill Road (Kingston and Live and Let Live being the others). Once the Dewdrop (in 1970s), it entered its present incarnation under Chris Lloyd (Free Press) who established the multi-ale and good food character, as well as having a smoke-free bar before it was mandatory. Jethro and Terri have built on that foundation to make it even better - though sometimes I do miss the rowing paraphernalia that used to decorate the bar. This is THE place to come for interesting and varied beer in Cambridge, the food is varied, tasty and very good value and the rooms simple but comfortable coupled to a large beer-garden with plenty of seating. Jethro, Terri and their staff are really welcoming and the pub is often full/vibrant with locals, staff/students coming across the cemetery from Anglia Ruskin U and people from further afield who've heard what a great pub this is.
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I prefer The Regal in Regent street to this pub.
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I agree wholeheartedly with the previous comment, this is by far the best pub in Cambridge!! One cannot argue or say anything negative about their real ale selection and the quality of what is served! A CAMRA members nirvana! The garden is such a relaxing place to be on long Summer evenings!
A must see!!!
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Best pub in Cambridge, possibly my favourite pub of all time. Great beer, great atmosphere and reasonbly priced tasty food. Don't think I need to say anymore, just go and visit if you're in Cambridge it's well worth it!
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The third and best pub in this neighbourhood of very good pubs (2nd 'Live and Let Live' 3rd 'The Kingston Arms') Top landlord , obviously enthusiastic about his beers . A busy and vibrant place. A great range of ales to choose from. My pub of the year so far...and I've been to a few.
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Lubberly jubberly...Beertopia..Terri and Jethro showing the local beer fans how it should be done. Top Marks for a great night out.
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Traditional real ale orientated pub in a residential side street off Mill Road. I have vague recollections of visiting this pub yonks ago when it was a Tolly's pub called The Dewdrop. Now it's a smallish free house with approx a dozen or so real ales on at a time.
Inside the pub features a fine collection of breweriana, but I didn't see anything relating to its previous existence as The Dewdrop, so I might be off line here.
Beers on during my visit were Elgoods Cambridge Blue, Trinity Wishing Well, Gisleham Gold, Woodfordes Wherry and Bath Festival Pride. Additional beers from the tap room included beers from Nethergate, Milton and Elgoods.
A blackboard proudly advertises that they've sold 1100 different real ales since October 2007.
My pint of Elgoods Cambridge Blue was served in a beer glass advertising an earlier beer festival at the pub between 23-28 June 2009 and I gather festivals are held regularly.
There's a conservatory and a surprisingly large beer garden to help relieve any crush.
Note the former Dales Brewery building at the other end of Gwydir Street near to the Mill Road junction.
Cambridge has a number of real ale specialist pubs that are worth seeking out, which are situated in residential side streets outside of the City Centre, but within reasonable walking distance of the station. The Cambridge Blue is one of them, but do note that it closes in the afternoon some days of the week.
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lovely pub, great atmosphere-no musak or fruit machines in evidence. 10 beers on tap when visited plus real ciders and excellent range of bottled beer. Top notch.
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Easily the best pub in Cambridge; great atmosphere and stunning selection of beers, both real ales and world beers.
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This pub sits in the middle of a Victorian terrace, strikingly painted in blue and white. Two open sections sit on eithe side of a central bar while a small conservatory on the left side leads out to a spacious and grassy beer garden.
The pub was doing a brisk trade on our visit.
My companion and I found the ales on tap rather uninspiring so we opted for bottles of the delicious Schlenkerler Rauchbier. Sat in the very pleasant garden, the sun came out and we ended up staying for another two rounds.
Another fine hostelry on the outskirts of town, we didn't make it into the city centre!
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Re visited again over Easter weekend and it has improved even over my previous rating 2 years ago. There were 10 Real ales, constantly updated, all in good condition and a chatty knowlegable bar staff. Now one of the truly great pubs to visit.
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Traditional blue and white fronted Victorian pub. This is in the back streets not far from the Kingston where we had just been. This was the favourite pub of the Grennie Grand Day out Pub Crawl on the 25/03. Very friendly and welcoming Landlord who looked after us. A great choice of 11 beers on a Wednesday, apparently 14 most weekends. Previous pump clips adorn the walls. The beer selection was made up of about half local and the rest rare micro's from further a field. The pub branded beer is brewed by Nethergate and is 3.9 in disguise. I remember the Doctor Morton's Famous Cat-O-Tonic which also had a great pump clip. Most of our group also eat here as time was getting on and they were about to stop cooking around 14:00. I and some others had the chilli and rice. The chilli had a good heat and was tasty as was the cumin flavoured rice. I must say l thought it would be a larger portion for �7.00 and was left wanting more. The pub hosts an annual beer festival that I somehow missed last time I was in Cambridge in late June. There is a fridge stocked up with rare foreign beers that would have been handy for the train journey home.
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Paid a pilgrimage to the Cambridge Blue last night at the end of a long-overdue crawl in the town. Noticed the snug has been knocked out leaving the pub feeling a little more spacious but at a cost - snug was a redeeming feature. Plenty of excellent beer to choose from once again, and Woodforde's Wherry and Newby Wyke "England Expects" were wonderful.
Terrible shame the last train was only at 2306, could have stayed an extra hour there!
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A classic old fashioned pub in the middle of a Victorian terrace in a narrow residential street. eleven real ales to choose from, several on handpump with the rest poured stright from the barrel in the tap room. Nice cosy atmosphere on a chilly winter's evening.
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The second of two wathering holes that I searched out from the GBG while the wife was shopping. Outstandingly good pub - warm, welcoming and some of the friendliest locals I've ever encountered. I had no idea until I got there that they had a mini best fest on. Sampled 5 or 6 different ales, inc Abbeydale Riot, Nethergate Yellow Snow and Moonshine Orange Stout all absolutely top notch. If only all pubs we're this good. Absoultely Outstanding - 9/10.
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Superb pub hidden away in the backstreets off Mill road. A really good selection of ales on offer something like 10 on the board. The Oak Leaf Bitter was very nice. The food being taken to customers smelt delicious, shame I had already had lunch or I would have eaten as well.
Looking forward to the mini beer fest in December.
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11 real ales on tonight, and 2 ciders and 2 perries, plus a Belgian beer on draught. Ales came from Woodfordes, Nethergate, Tring, Titanic, Oakham, Broughton and others. I had a Wherry and a Tring mild and both were excellent. Foodwise, my mate had a baked spud with chilli, which he professed to be great value at around a fiver. Good mix of clientelle, and busy on this friday night, but not rammed.
A really excellent pub, one of Cambridge's best.
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Slightly scruffy pub, very busy on a Friday night. Beer good and food OK, staff friendly and helpful. It's about 15 minutes walk from the station or central Cambridge. If you are walking down Mill Road from the centre there is an excellent beer centred off-licence close to Gwydir Road.
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Erm, forgot to mention draught offerings from rt-hd bar; Aspall Cyder, Meantime London Stout, Bitburger, Erdinger Weissbrau, Maredsous Bierre d'Abbey (8%- �2.80 per half), Boxing Dog cider, plus 2 other cider/perry in the tap room.
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Oldershaw Caskade, Archers Rule of Thumb, Nelson Powder Monkey, Iceni Partridge Walk, Cambridge Blue Dew Drop (Nethergate), Mighty Oak Up the Swannie, Tring Captain Alf, Woodforde Wherry, Adnams Best, Mauldons Micawber Mild. Wow! My selection of 3 were all in very good shape, even tho the pub was still quiet at 12:30. nb the lunchtime closing (14:30-17:30) applies only Mon-Wed. Walls sport old tin adverts (Woodbine, Waverley, Top Mill snuff), to the rear a well-tended beer garden & patio with picnic sets. Lunchtime specials (�7) included Pork Strogonof, Tuna Pasta Bake, Beef in Black Bean sauce, printed menu offered other bites, sarnies ~�3. All ale pumps are on the bar to left of entrance; tap room is visible from seating area to the right. Belgian,German,US beers are listed on bottle menu. One of a small number of pubs that could warrant a 10 but, for now, the search for nirvana continues� 9+
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My only visit to a Cambridge pub while staying last week. Think we chose a doozy. Nice pint of Elgood's Black dog for me and a fine pint of Old Wag for the better half. Good beer garden and menu looked good but we had no time to eat.
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I paid a visit the other week and was impressed with the choice of ales and the staffs friendliness.Sat in the garden with my dog which you cant do at the Let and live.
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Top notch ale - although if you order one of the Gravity served ales your server may have to disappear for a while!! Can get busy - but hey that's a sign that they are doing it right! Food looked quality too although did not sample it myself. Usually local brewers are well represented (Milton, City of Cambridge..and some of the Miltons are strong stuff!) and it is in Cambridges "Purple Patch" for Real Ale pubs if you want to make a crawl of it.
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Wonderful pub; a real ale exhibition that rivals the Wellington but based in the community. Terry and Jethro's other pub, the Carlton Rams, is still brilliant as well.
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Excellent session yesterday for a friend's birthday. Although in new hands, the pub has retained all its good points, and actually had more beers on than last time!
Wherry was its usual exquisite self, and I enjoyed an IPA from the Potton brewery, also superb. Food is very good indeed and excellent value for money. Try their mushroom soup if it's on when you go. easily worth the fare from London for a few choice pints with mates.
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Top pub, very friendly bars staff and many choice ales on offer, too many to list.
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indeed a proper english town pub. maintaining fine tradition of good beer, realistically priced good pub food, friendly service and locals.
always go in here when its Cambridge Folk Fest time, lovely garden.....excellent.
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Central bar surrounded by 3 open sections, one seemed to lean toward dining and family orientation, conservatory to rear. Another top beer choice: Abbeydale Moonshine, Mauldon Eatanswill, Gateshead Gold, Brentwood Hope & Glory, Cambridge Blue Dew Drop, Nethergate Barley Special, Milton Cyclops, Church End Pheasant Plucker. I didn't see the stillage referred to by Maldenman but some pumps were double-clipped so they may be included above.
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Superb. Eleven ales on yesterday, nearly all from small regional breweries, five or so on stillage in the back room. Friendly and welcoming, laid back atmosphere lunchtime, busier later in the evening with a large student presence. Plenty of seating, roaring fire, just excellent.
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Quite simply a damn fine pub, great beer, good food, very British and proper.
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A fine pint of Church End "Goats Milk" was enjoyed during my visit last night. Spoke to a friendly Russian couple staying in Cambridge for whom this is their local. The garden was just perfect for a warm July evening, and finally the sausage & caramelised onion in ciabatta was lovely. I vow to return. 10/10.
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One of my favourite pubs ever.
I lived in cambridge for a few years and never went there, which seems amazing.
I discovered it a few years back one summer.
Since then, whenever i travel to cambridge, i try and pop in for an ale.
The food is really good and beer the garden great.
As i say one of my favourite pubs anywhere.
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This was yet another lovely community local that served an excellent range of beers in good condition. It was a warm day and the outside seating area was popular but it is great to be out in the fresh air enjoying a good ale.
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Visited this Pub over Easter and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Plenty of interesting a well kept beers to try and a very tasty meal too. The Staff are friendly and helpfull and the pub is the perfect place for spending a few hours. The regulars are well catered for, which should be the way of things.
I will visit again when I am next that way.
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My maiden visit to many Cambridge pubs was made over the last weekend, and as a lover of traditional, simple pubs with interesting and well-conditioned cask ale and excellent home-made food, I was inevitably very impressed with the Cambridge Blue, which scores very highly on all these aspects which should be dear to most discerning pubgoers and drinkers' hearts.
The atmosphere is rather Bohemian, being in the heart of a district favoured by (but not dominated by) students, and is accented towards lively conversation, assisted by a mobile phone ban. Numerous items of boating memorabilia abound, without coming across as "themed". The non-smoking environment is a reality that all must face soon, and for an outlet that welcomes a diverse range of customers from single CamRA members to well-heeled families, this can only be an advantage.
Who needs fags when there is so much great beer on draught?! 7 handpumps were dispensing a wide range of mostly locally-sourced ales, and all were on superb form. Expect the likes of Woodforde's Wherry, Oakham JHB, City of Cambridge Hobson's Choice, and Elgood's Black Dog to appear.
Food was popular with all, understandably as it was home-cooked and of a high standard. I honestly had one of the best steak and ale pies I've ever sampled here, and I've had plenty! No pettiness about this either: we were allowed to eat at the bar.
To add to this already sound basis is a very convivial welcome from the licensee and his wife, and their staff, who are efficient and willing to engage in chat if you're propping up the bar.
On the matter of being family-friendly: don't let this put you off if you're like me and prefer a pub to be free of ill-disciplined marauding toddlers. All the children present were dining at the rear away from the bar area, and in any case were on best behaviour on my visit, and the pub does state it welcomes "well-behaved" kids. That was a real novelty.
All in all a cracking little backstreet local that is well worth discovering if one wants to get away from the town centre dominance of routine Greene King pubs.
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A pleasant haven from the bustling city, made more so by the mobile phone and cigarette ban. Don't forget to look in (sit in if you wish!) the remarkable, rare snug, little larger than a broom cupboard. Nice.
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A good real ale pub which "breathes" thanks to no-smoking policies within. Well worth seeking out. Gwydir street is not far from the statoin.
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Very friendly pub with a good selection of beers.
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The great thing about this pub is how it caters for families as well as individuals, and all are welcome. I have never had other than a great time in the Cambridge Blue, and I'm sure my health (and that of others) has benefited from its pioneering smoke-free policy. I make a point of finishing regular Cambridge crawls there; its proximity to the station is handy. The only gripe about Cambridge in general is that the last train back to London is about 2310 - a good hour too early!!
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An excellent non-smoking children-friendly pub. Very good homemade food, and good ales. Yes, there can be too many children, but I get into trouble whenever I say that :/ Garden is lovely. And no mobiles, a policy all pubs should have.
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Nice pub. Quite brightly lit but fairly eclectic decor (on a real ale/rowing theme), and very friendly licensees. Very good pint of Adnams best (unfortunately I can't remember what the other ales were as this was the early part of a crawl). They're pretty militant on the no smoking/no mobiles rule which doesn't detract from the place at all - a sign of things to come perhaps! One criticism was that it did have too many children in there - this was at about 6pm on a Saturday - it's meant to be a pub, not a creche. Other than that last point, highly recommended.
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One of my favorite boozers in Cambridge. Cracking range of beers, especially the JHB. Top quality garden, if we have a summer.
Mark - 7 Sep 2004 17:52 |
This pub has changed owners since I left Cambridge a few years ago, it was an occasional haunt of mine. Fortunately the beer choice (5 or 6 real ales at any one time) is as good as it ever was (though there's less chance to get Nethergate beers now than then), and in my recent trip there, where I think I tried every beer available, every single one was divine.
Great for non-smokers, and those who wish to have a mellow evening. Don't sit at home and watch telly - get a good book from the library and come here to read it instead!
FatPhil - 2 Sep 2004 17:22 |
Had a great session Saturday 5/6/04 everyone (James, Walter, Shuffy, Ron, etc) on good form - so was the Woodfordes Wherry!
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Really nice friendly pub. Very busy on weekends, didn't eat there but the menu sounded great and very reasonable, and the food being brought out for fellow drinkers smelled so nice it made me hungry. Good selection of beers, and the lack of loud music and smoke (smoking ban in place) made for a very pleasent evening
Sal - 11 Jun 2004 16:44 |
Excellent beer, good food, excellent atmosphere. It's a close-run thing between here and the Kingston Arms (which is in the next street) for best pub in Cambridge - the Blue has a smoking ban however, so probably just wins IMO.
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One of the best pubs in Cambridge. There is no music no mobile phone no smoking. If your idea of a night involves smokey atmospheres where you can hardly here the person next to you then this is not the pub for you else give it a try
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the best people who I meet in Cambridge were the cambridge blue staff and the owners, Chris and Debbie
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Still one of the best pubs in this town. On 31/01/2004 Fenland IPA, Woodfordes Wherry and Great Eastern in top form, also had the chance to eat here and can wholly recommend the food. This sort of consistent quality brings me up here regularly - keep it up!
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Specatular selection of real ales and a very nice Sunday roast (beef and lamb) as well. A treat for a visitor, far from the madding crowd.
Wild John - 27 Dec 2003 00:00 |
great pub, I added the Sierra Leone bank note just above the port side (left) bar a few months ago. Great to see a pub that is smoke free! a real gem, and great as it's a great local's pub.
Claire - 29 Oct 2003 19:01 |
A great sesh last Saturday. Hello to Walter & "Sheffie"
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Smart yet basic and always a warm welcom. Good selection of East Anglian Real Ales. It's also non smoking so don't bring your pipe. Try the locally brewed City of Cambridge beers - usually one on.
Simon - 11 Jun 2003 17:16 |
One of Cambridge's best pubs! A constantly changing range of up to six beers from all over UK usually includes a local beer or two such as Milton and not-so-local Woodfordes Wherry which was EXQUISITE when I tried it last Saturday 03/05/03. The pub is NO-SMOKING throughout, and you are best advised to use your mobile elsewhere!! Excellent food usually includes curries along with some vegetarian dishes. Rowing is the prevailing "theme" in this pub, which boasts its own rowing club. A large collection of foreign currency banknotes hangs from the ceiling over the bar, and the pub has one of the smallest snugs in the country! A spacious beer garden - great for families with children. An absolute gem!!
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