County Arms, Cambridge

This pub has just been refurbished and is now a very pleasant place to spend a few hours. The Everards beers are excellent, as well as a guest ale. I was surprised as they had the Original, Tiger, Beacon, Forty Bob and Flourish as well as the guest ale, which is an amazing number of real ales to have on tap all at the same time. Even more amazing was how good the Original, Tiger and Flourish were, they have obviously been trying to make a good first impression since the refurbishment. I wonder whether the bar staff will keep the pipes clean and maintain this high standard for long.
As for the rest of the pub, it's clean with some high tables, a couple of big Chesterfield sofas, and various arrangement of seating so you should be able to find what you're looking for. The smart traditional decor should hopefully attract a decent bunch of customers - I noticed there was a good mix of Students as well as more mature customers, which gave the pub a good atmosphere somewhere between lively/friendly and calm and well ordered. I didn't try the food but they've got a good selection of bar snacks!
All in all, a good pub and refreshing to see that Everards have kept it traditional yet brought it up to date.

12 Mar 2010 12:03