Live Sports — Pubs in Cambridge

Smoking Area

Sports TV

Self-confessedly quirky establishment whose name commemorates a Cambridge pastime which involves/involved drinking a pint in each pub along the street (there used to be lots). When owned by Whitbread many years ago it was refitted as a "fun pub" and it still bears the scars e.g. carpets and furniture on the ceiling. The upstairs is even more higgledy-piggledy than the ground floor; the latter has a bare-boarded U-shaped layout with unused fireplaces, a couple of telly screens and a table footy alcove. The clientele is largely of an alternative persusion and the atmosphere can get quite funky though it's also a friendly place. Happy hour 5 -7, Mon - Fri.

Baron of Beef

19 Bridge Street, Cambridge CB2 1UF

The interior charm of this pub diminished some years back when the wall between the delightful front bar and the rest of the pub was removed. More recent refurbishments have resulted in a pleasant if corporate feel. Bare boards and tiled floor. There is a small courtyard garden hidden away at the back. A side door leads onto a narrow alleyway, Blackmoor Head Yard, on the other side of which is the neighbouring Mitre pub. Food is served from the standard GK managed house menu 11 - 10 every day.

Kingston Arms

33 Kingston Street, Cambridge CB1 2NU

Beer Festivals

A classic, cosy, side street pub, just off Mill Road. Windows and mirrors keep the interior light and welcoming. Simple tables and chairs cater for groups of many sizes while bar stools suit those who prefer to perch. The walled garden behind has canopies and heaters and is popular all year round. There are roadside cycle-racks in front. The Kingston Arms reopened in December 2020 under new licensees. It now styles itself as Kitchen, Hummus and Wine. Although real ale is still available it is less of a priority.

Mill

14 Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RX

Situated in a honey pot riverside location across from Laundress Green, this smallish pub was carefully refurbished by the City Pub Company in summer 2012. The improvements include an especially attractive, newly created, wood paneled side room. The bar now sports a wood-block top with eight handpumps one of which is for cider. The pub has a strong commitment to locally brewed beers. The likes of Cambridge Moonshine, Crafty Beers, Three Blind Mice and Lord Conrad's make frequent appearances as well as beers brewed at its sister pub, the Cambridge Brew House, by the Cambridge Brewing Company. An Adnams beer is generally available. Tasty, cooked on the premises, food with locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. A vintage radiogram is used for playing vinyl records. Local CAMRA Young Members' Pub of the Year 2018 and Dog Friendly Pub of the Year 2019 & 2020.

Milton Arms

205 Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1XG

Large, popular, family friendly pub in the Greene King owned Hungry Horse group. It specializes in value for money food and televised sport with lots of special offers. The already sizable ground floor has been supplemented with extensions but still it doesn't cramp the plot. Large decking and patio garden, including children's play area, to one side and in front. Occasional live music.

Mitre

17 Bridge Street, Cambridge CB2 1UF

Sports TV

Standing on the site of two former inns, the pub has been known as the Mitre since 1881. The last vestiges of its former ale-house look were swept away during a refurbishment in 2011 and the interior now has a smart, contemporary style. The extended down-steps section is primarily for dining and full table service is available. A side door leads onto a narrow alleyway, Blackmoor Head Yard, across which is the neighbouring Baron of Beef pub. The Mitre is now part of the Nicholson's chain and the St Austell beer is their Pale Ale. Guests may be from small breweries.

Panton Arms

43 Panton Street, Cambridge CB2 1HL

Two bar pub which was once the tap for Bailey & Tebbutt's Panton brewery. The former public bar is now a comfortable seating area and doubles as a function room. The lounge is basically furnished with tables for drinkers and diners. The courtyard was the yard of the former brewery and now makes for a most attractive seating area. The former gates to the brewery are still present. Under new management since October 2020. It's hearty food is home made.

Pickerel

30 Magdalene Street, Cambridge CB3 0AF

One of several claimants to be the oldest pub in Cambridge. Whether true or not, the interior has been much altered with only portions of the internal walls remaining from what must have been a warren of little rooms. There are still a good variety of drinking spaces though and some genuinely old features including roof beams, old brickwork, fireplace etc. Courtyard garden. Its constantly changing guest beers often includes regional ales. Since the Spirit Group, including Taylor Walker, was taken over by Greene King, beers from the Bury St Edmunds brewer are more in evidence than previously. Weston's Old Rosie cider is also available. A pickerel is a baby pike.

Prince Regent

91 Regent St, Cambridge CB2 1AW

The former multi-room layout here has long been opened out. Nowadays there are raised areas each side of the front entrance plus standing and some seating round the bar. A large conservatory has been added at the back and this leads to an asphalted area with garden tables. The pub was spruced up in 2014 without further changing the layout. Its 6 handpumps offer Greene King ales plus others from their guest list. The food is good value, Greene King pub food.

Red Bull

11 Barton Road, Cambridge CB3 9JZ

Function Room

Real Fire

Former Enterprise Inns pub now Charles Wells owned. Long narrow wooden-floored bar which widens out at both ends into seating areas. Meeting room upstairs and a patio area with benches beside the car park. Four handpumps for real ales. Cuisine is Italian, including pizzas, and British.

Regal

38-39 St. Andrews Street, Cambridge CB2 3AR

Beer Festivals

When it opened in 2000 Wetherspoon's reckon this to be the biggest pub in the UK and it's certainly a whopper, occupying two floors of the former Regal cinema (the Picturehouse Cinema occupies the rest of the building). Although essentially a barn of a place, there are a few more intimate areas on the edges. There is also an outdoor area to the rear. A DJ ups the atmosphere from 10pm on Friday and Saturday evenings. Excellent value beer and food but it can get hugely busy in the evening when service can become an issue. As well as its 4 regular ales it also offers 8 to 10 guest ales. It is no longer Britain's biggest pub. The Moon under Water, Manchester (opened Jan 2014) and the Royal Victoria Pavilion, Ramsgate (opened Aug 2017), both also Wetherspoon's pubs, are larger.

Rock

200 Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge CB1 7AW

Large managed pub on the south side of town. The former two-bar layout has now become a U-shape though one side is still much more lounge-y, being smartly decorated and sporting an interesting selection of large framed photos. Patio seating area in front, and a gazebo and second patio to the rear. Standard GK managed-house menu with food served every day 12 - 10 and various offers e.g. two meals for £9.99 and curry plus drink for £5.99 on Thursday. Three ever changing guest beers, not limited to the usual Greene King guest list.

Salisbury Arms

76 Tenison Road, Cambridge CB1 2DW

Dog Friendly

Recently refurbished large Victorian pub with a single steel topped bar. Amongst the posters on the walls are ones for some of earliest Cambridge CAMRA Beer Festivals. The pub boasts a wood-fired pizza oven in which they cook pots as well as pizzas. There is a small courtyard area to the back which acts as the smoking area. In the late 1970s the pub formed part of the short lived chain of CAMRA-owned pubs and some people still call it "the CAMRA pub".

Sir Isaac Newton

84 Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AJ

Popular, modern pub specializing in televised sport but not to the the detriment of its well kept ales. IPA is its regular while the other three pumps serve a varied range including one stronger one. Attractively decorated, light and airy with a balcony over the bar and a small pavement seating area at the front. Friendly staff. Occasional live music. Sunday quiz.

Six Bells

11 Covent Garden, Cambridge CB1 2HS

Small, side-street pub off Mill Road, close to Fenners cricket ground. Traditional two bar pub in front with modern extension behind. There is an enclosed garden behind as well street-side tables out front. A real community pub which attracts locals, students, knitters, pub quizzers, art, book, music & poetry buffs as well as pool and darts players. Home cooked food. Thursday steak nights are popular. Cambridge branch Community pub (city) 2014.

Waterman

32 Chesterton Road, Cambridge CB4 3AX

Accommodation

Substantially Refurbished in 2017 by the City Pub Company. The J-shaped interior has three main areas around a central bar. A split level patio with decking at the rear of the pub leads to the potting shed, an indoor area that serves as a function room. Cask beers from the Cambridge Brew House are joined by one or two other cask beers and a changing range of craft keg beers. Cambridge & District CAMRA Most Improved (city) Pub 2018.

White Swan

107-109 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AZ

Popular late night corner pub situated on Cambridge's busy Mill Road. There is a strong sports focus with 4 large televisions showing various different events. Split across multiple bars at various levels and a beer garden to the rear. An extensive menu is offered specializing in simple pub food. The White Swan was refurbished in August 2017.

Carlton Arms

Carlton Way, Cambridge CB4 2BY

This large two roomed community pub was reopened in July 2011 after a fire in the upstairs living accommodation caused considerable damage. There is a comfortable lounge with a large area available for diners, while the public bar has darts and pool to offer. There is also a large patio garden which is ideal for warmer weather. Good, reasonably priced, food is available. Pie night Tuesdays. Spanish food Fridays. Sunday carvery. Breakfasts served from 9:30 every day except Sunday. Its ales and up to 10 real ciders are gravity dispensed in the tap room. Branch Cider Pub 2014.

Alma

26 Russell Court, Cambridge CB2 1HW

Traditional Pub Games

The low-ceilinged interior has remnants of former walls and some columns but is basically open-plan with bare boards and carpeted floors and wood-panelled wainscotting below cream walls. Sport is important here, especially rugby, and major events are shown on the three big screens. Benches out front and a tiny rear patio. Excellent, home cooked pub grub with the pies being a particular attraction. Ruby Tuesday offers a choice of six curries for £5 when bought with a drink. Quiz on Thursday. Open-mic "Songsmith Sessions" on Sunday evenings. Full advantage is taken of Greene King's guest beer scheme both for regular and changing real ales. Weston's Old Rosie cider is also available.

Station Tavern

2 Station Square, Cambridge CB1 2GA

Dog Friendly

A Young's pub on the ground floor of the Ibis Hotel on Station Square. It first opened its doors in March 2017. Large main room decorated in a modern, industrial style with bare brick walls, exposed ducting and an open view into its kitchens. Plenty of seating around its peninsular bar. Separate function room, The Sidings. Its real ales include some LocAles from Milton and Moonshine as well as Young's beers. Food ranges from brunch and sandwiches through to classic pub meals and beyond. Sunday quiz night.

NCI Centre

Holland Street, Cambridge CB4 3DL

Sports TV

The building was donated by the vicar of St Luke's church on Victoria Road in 1885 and was originally intended to be used as a reading room. The club building is run by a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The self funding bar is run by a Community Interest Company and is open to anyone. Usually three of the handpumps are in use. One handpump serves ale supplied by Greene King. The other two generally serve beers from regional brewers, often Lacons. As well as having its own bar, the nearby Bacchanalia beer & wine shop also runs pop-up pub events. The Cambridge NCI Cricket Club runs men's, ladies', midweek, Sunday and junior teams. The club is also the base for the Cambridge Sub-Aqua Club.

Brook

25 Brookfields, Cambridge CB1 3NW

Parking

Community local with central horseshoe shaped bar and light wood furnishing. The area to the right hand side of the bar is predominately a games area and the left hand side has seating, flat screen TV's in all areas. Pub hosts darts and pool teams and has a quiz on Thursday evenings. No food on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The guest beers are usually from Greene King range. The Brook underwent a six figure refurb in 2017 reopening on 10th August.

Champion of the Thames

68 King Street, Cambridge CB1 1LN

Evening Meals

This small, two-room city-centre pub has a truly friendly atmosphere. It's one of the four remaining pubs on the King Street Run pub crawl, which involved a pint in each of the eight pubs with no lavatory stop. The oarsman after whom the pub is named is commemorated in the fine etched windows. Both bars are wood-panelled with Victorian counters, fixed benches and a part-glazed partition between the rooms. It is on the National Inventory as having a historic pub interior of regional importance. The humour and chatter of customers predominates. You know you're in Cambridge when you see the adverts to view University Challenge here. The ales from Greene King and its guest list are very well kept. Pub snacks available. There is step-free access to the bar but no accessible WC. Cambridge & District CAMRA Community (city) Pub of the Year 2018.

Corner House

231 Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8JE

Parking

Attractive 1930s pub with a half-brick, half-timbered exterior. The main bar has a stage in an alcove area and live music happens two to five times a week. The bar also has a real fire, bare board floors, high ceilings and a traditional bar counter and bar back. The light and airy dining room also has a real fire. To the rear of the pub is a covered patio garden and also an open garden. Its three guest ales change weekly. Home cooked food is served 12 - 3 (not Monday) and 5 - 9 during the week and all day weekends. Gluten-free meals are a speciality and the West African curries have a strong following. Student saver menu. Roasts available on Sundays. The Corner House had an extension and refurb in summer 2019. Cambridge & District CAMRA Most Improved (City) Pub 2020.

Cricketers

18 Melbourne Place, Cambridge CB1 1EQ

Large pub which has been through some changes recently - extensively refurbished (and for a while renamed) a few years ago and very definitely now food-oriented. Several distinct areas - the front section remains pubby, while the area leading to the garden has more of a restaurant feel. The cuisine is Thai, from a team with many years experience in the area. Usually only one real ale, Greene King IPA or Timothy Taylor Landlord.

Devonshire Arms

1 Devonshire Road, Cambridge CB1 2BH

Rescued from decline and opened in 2010 as Milton Brewery's first pub in Cambridge. Just off Mill Road, the Dev attracts a mix of characters for beer, food and a chat. A deceptively large pub given its small frontage there are also small patio areas both front and back. Inside it was impressively renovated with front and rear drinking areas offering a mixture of wooden booths and larger tables. Tall windows and a high ceiling with fans. Generally five Milton cask ales are available including at least one dark beer with a further three guests from other micros. There are also bottles and two keg beers including Moravka unpasteurised lager plus two ciders. Good quality food, including pizzas cooked in their own stone bake oven, on offer at all sessions. A beer festival during the first weekend of December coincides with the Mill Road Winter Fair.

Dobblers Inn

184 Sturton Street, Cambridge CB1 2QF

Beer Festivals

A true community local with regulars drawn from all walks of life. The pub is very big on sport, both in terms of showing events on TV and in being HQ for many teams - football, cricket, darts, cribbage, pool etc. Popular quiz night every Tuesday. Cask Marque accredited. Occasional Cider and Beers Festivals. The pub was once part of the CAMRA Investments portfolio and most of the decor dates back to then (previously a Whitbread pub called the City Arms). Cambridge & District CAMRA (City) Community Pub of the Year 2019.

Earl of Beaconsfield

133 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 3AA

Busy urban corner local with an Irish feel, with regular Irish music nights, though there's also a blues jam one night a week. Irish paraphernalia adorns the walls. Simultaneously the first and last pub in the Romsey town area of Cambridge. No kitchen, but Pizza is available all day from the bar, and there are plans to extend the food range in the future. Beer garden at the rear which leads on to a bar billiard room. Real ales £3 a pint on Wednesdays.

Earl of Derby

129 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1PG

Accommodation

Single bar pub hosting jam sessions on Saturday nights. The scattered pillars betray the footprint of the old three-room layout. Bare-boarded floor, walls painted red, ochre and green and a nice mix of furniture (including some leather settees).Accommodation is available in rooms above the pub and in an annexe to the rear and built in style similar to the existing building. Opens 7.30am (8.30 Sunday) for breakfast. Two changing guest beers are from Greene King range.

Emperor

21 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1NW

Function Room

Situated on the main route between the rail station and the historic heart of the city. The pub changed hands in spring 2015 and now offers a modern Latin American tapas menu as well beers (both cask and keg) and other drinks. The single room has a bare board floor, smart, unfussy decor with Latin American pictures and decoration. The bar has a colourful tiled front. Upstairs there is a large function room. Behind the pub is a decent sized patio garden. Latin dance music events alternate Saturdays.

Grain & Hop Store

69-73 Regent Street, Cambridge CB2 1AB

Following a significant refurbishment it reopened in March 2015 as the Grain Store, renamed shortly after in July 2015 as the Grain & Hop Store. It now has 6 cask ales on handpumps both upstairs and down and also 10 craft keg taps. Its speciality is its Tankovna system offering unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell from Plzen. There are great views over Parkers Piece when the trees aren't in leaf. Bar counters at both levels. When it opened in the late 1990s this was a Hogshead with a wide range of real ales but since falling into the hands of Greene King its beer range became pedestrian. For some time it was known as the Avery, commemorating the former Avery scales factory which occupied the premises; some features like the cast-iron columns downstairs and the ducting and high roof upstairs remain.

Empress

72 Thoday Street, Cambridge CB1 3AX

This corner backstreet local in the Romsey Town area of Cambridge is ever popular, serving the community for many years. Three main drinking areas form a U-shape around the central bars. Pool, darts and bar billiards are played, as well as a range of board games. Regular beer festivals are held. Large patio garden with gazebo adjoining the building. Some may regard the annual festive decoration as excessive.

Duke of Cambridge

176 East Road, Cambridge CB1 1BG

A pub which has been through some interesting times, including a disastrous spell as the Noble Art, a boxing-themed bar. It's most recent incarnation as the Duke of Cambridge is perhaps appropriate, the Duke having visited East Road in Feb 2013. and Prince Edward was banned from here in his student days though it was hushed up at the time. Bright modern decor, popular with work groups. Food served 11-9 every day.

Golden Hind

355 Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1SP

One of a series of huge suburban pubs built in the 1930s by the Ipswich brewery Tolly Cobbold and known as "Tolly Follies". Over the years, the former multi-roomed interior has been much changed and opened-out but you can still spot some original features - the oval skylight over the bar, oak panelling in what was the lounge and the collonnade which formerly gave access to the patio. Large patio areas both front and back. Nine handpumps. Up to eight changing real ales, four (bag in box) real ciders and good value food available all day.

Green Dragon

5 Water Street, Cambridge CB4 1NZ