please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This is a very nice pub with plenty of room and good, affable service. The food is tasty, well-priced and plentiful - my one criticism is that I never have enough room after my meal to try the scone and clotted cream cheesecake. There are also excellent views of the River Cam and Midsomer Common. The beer selection is reasonable in comparison to many Cambridge pubs.
kid_b - 26 Jun 2012 23:36 |
Oh dear. Who on earth brought the dragon back?
Look at the reviews from 2010 and you will see how the pub had gone so far downhill that it was not w0orth the effort of walking to it. A new landlord was brought in and turned the pub around. Now the previous hostess has come back and the air of neglect has retuirned!
Rude staff, inedible food and you try and complain! "If you don;t like it here, go somewhere else" rather than trying to sort the probklems out.
Our problem .... adjoining the outside area are their rubbish bins. Whilst eating we saw two rats playing amongst them.
Disgusting. Never again.
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I really want to like this pub - it has such a fantastic location. I headed over with a group for post-work drinks in the first of the Spring sunshine, and we all got seats (admittedly in the smoking area) outside, under the blossom trees. Lovely - except for the fact that every trip to the bar took a minimum of 40 minutes! The queue was consistently out of the door. Whilst there was a higher volume of customers than normal (this was the first really sunny Friday of the year) the service in this pub always suggests that the bar staff are suprised to get any custom at all. Even with three staff on one bar, they were rarely serving more than one or two customers at once, which meant that people went to the bar with massive orders and delayed the service further. There better places to go in Cambridge, with more competent staff, even if you have to stand on a Friday night (although if anyone knows of one with a similarly large sunny beer garden, let me know!)
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My three adult children wanted to organise a large family Mother's Day treat for myself and their two grandmothers. As we live in Cambridge we wanted a large pub in which the 20 of us wouldn't feel like we were hogging the place. We wanted a good view and the ability to eat outside if the good weather stayed the extra day. We also wanted to spend the afternoon together rather than just going for a meal and leaving.
Incredibly, this was difficult in Cambridge. My husband and I did a recce all last week visiting lots of sites. There were lots of drinking pubs (in, have a drink and leave) and lots of pubs which did food (eat up and let's be on our way), but none where 20 diners could feel comfortable sitting and enjoying the outside ambience.
As we were about to give up, not being impressed with the curt atmosphere at the Old Spring. a local suggested we looked over the river at the St George. As soon as we crossed the footbridge we knew that we had hit the jackpot.
A lovely outdoor seating area overlooking the river. Easily accessible toilets and plenty of time to enjoy our afternoon. We sat there for four hours, no one rushed us away and we felt really welcome. The food was a carvery which was easy to get to and tastey. The staff were helpful and the (reddish tinged haired) lady who served us was polite throughout.
A critism. Why don't they wear name badges. I would like to write and thank them personally for making our mothers day a real treat, but I don't know who they are! 10/10 for everything. Next year ... there again.
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Went back last week for a birthday meal. It is interesting to see that all the negative posts are now quite old ones. The snug was lovely and warm with a blazing log fire, the rear bar had comfy chairs and another log fire. There were 3 real ales on tap and there was certainly no air of tension as all the staff appeared to be laughing and joking when not actually serving. I had a lamb shank which was delicious. The other 6 members of my group all had a different meal, some with starters, some with desserts and all arrived promptly and were piping hot.
My only criticism is that we didn't all have enough room to finish our shared puddings. Whatever was wrong before has now been rectified and it was lovely to sit in an olde world pub with a blazing fire
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like the last reviewer i went in fearing the worst after my visits last year... WHAT A DIFFERENCE ..ive not posted on here before but felt i should on this occasion... the staff were friendly and knowledgable (i had a ten min disscusion on the merits of the whiskys on offer). Guest ales are back (Yorkshire Terrier and Jekells Gold were on offer, both sampled and were excellent) its like discovering a whole new pub..please please if you ve had a prievious bad experience (like most people!) try The Fort out again..
I spoke to one of the staff about the pub feeling better apparantley the new landlord " is a happy breath of fresh air around the place".. although i didnt speak to him myself from my postion in the bar see him flick between wowing Americans with past historical tales of the Fort and chatting in depth to thirsty PHD students..
a great afternoon...
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Went in with great trepidation after reading the comments (My friend had booked a christmas meal). There is a brand new landlord. What a character. Welcomng and cheerful with the ability to make our whole group laugh. Obviously brought in to sort out the problems. Great food, lovely log fires and a fantastic location. I would recommend previous criticisers try it again. Will make it a regular stop off now.
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The WORST service I have ever received at a pub. I went with a friend, my children and mother-in-law, hardly a raucous bunch, for lunch. From the minute we first ordered, the manager was incredibly abrasive. Later I asked for a print-out before paying off a bill only to be told I could not have one until after I had paid. Sure enough, I had been overcharged. The bar staff made no apology, only huffed and rolled eyes and muttered it was only a few pounds. Finally, when a friend mistakenly confused one barman for another in asking for a glass of wine, he was barked at: "Why are you even talking to me? I'm not even serving you." I pointed out that this was rude, and a senior female member of staff snatched my drink from out of my hand, spilling it down me, and refused to serve us, adding that she would not serve people who criticised her staff. Just incredible!
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A very pleasant beer garden splendidly situated between the greenery of midsummer common and the cam fails entirely to make up for a lacklustre selection of beers, mediocre, overpriced food masquerading as gastropub fare and the most jaw-droppingly rude and incompetent staff in all of christendom. I would go there again, but only to drop off a congress of incontinent baboons, just before closing. Sure, that wouldn't make up for being made to pay again for a meal that wasn't put correctly through the till, or the abrasively rude manner in which the staff elected to deal with the matter from the outset, but it would be fun to watch them have to deal with some really difficult customers...
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This pub has always claimed to have the highest prices in Cambridge. However, the recent re-fit has tried to position it to an upmarket gastropub. Less a pub for a pint than it has been for quite a while.
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Just re opened after a landlord change. Previous good selection of real ales has gone. Replaced by GK IPA & Abbot! What a shame
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Great location, but let down by high prices!
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It is weird how this pub has been so disappointing over the last 2 decades when the location is just so great.
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The beer range must have been expanded since the last comment - they had five ales on offer plus a real cider yesterday. I ate here and felt that the food was ok but overpriced for what it was, but that applies to quite a few places in Cambridge. The building has loads of character, and the views of river on one side and meadow on the other are excellent. Definitely worth coming here for a few drinks.
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The building is great and the location is hard to beat - so it's frustrating that the FsG always lets you down. Beer has been mediocre the last two times I've visited, the yard is unattractive, and the clientele a bit ropey
This pub could be so good, a perfect riverside watering hole, but misses the mark - see the Green Dragon for how it should be done
dodgy - 17 Apr 2006 21:21 |
Good beer, reasonable food, mostly dodgy people. Make sure you sit outside overlooking the river. You can watch boaties do their stuff if that's your kind of thing.
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A good pub in the winter. The beer's not bad despite having Greene King's usual limited selection. Old building, done up sympathetically. Food average.
In summer... avoid. Music booming from outside speakers over the lovely Midsummer Common. Outside tables often packed with pissed-up louts. Very popular when there are fairs and the like on the common.
Mark - 7 Sep 2004 18:16 |
Nice pub. Food offers are original - some like game pie which I personally wouldn't eat but my boyfriend was dribbling. Food didn't arrive particularly edible looking but was average. More of a drinking pub. Overlooks the river, has a good view, nice layout and atmosphere and a good range of beers. VERY popular in the summer and has cows outside - what more could you ask?
Lucy - 20 Feb 2004 14:03 |
