Mill Rd and Hills Rd

Part of a chain, the Cambridge branch opened in Cambridge on 15/09/1998. A recently change has introduced new high tables and stools and a rearrangement of the other furniture. It is perhaps more of a wine bar than a pub, although beer is served. A long bar extends along one wall, behind which is a large display of wines. At lunchtimes, before you can reach the bar, you may be met and seated by a waiter. This large pub is open plan, with wooden tables, each with a large table number printed on its surface. Church-style chairs (with space for a hymn book in the back) surround the tables, underneath which are handbag clips. The interior is bright and airy, with wooden floors, large sofas positioned by the glass frontage, and tall pot plants dotted around, all giving it a cafe atmosphere. On the walls are large mirrors, and blackboards on which are written menu specials. Amongst the exposed air conditioning ducts hangs a large station-style clock. Music plays in the background, but there are no quiz or fruit machines. The menu include salads (£7.00-£12.00), share platte (1 person-£4.00, 3 people-£6.00 or 6 people-£11.00), sandwiches (£4.00-£5.00) and brunch (£5.50-£8.00). A separate menu includes a wide selection of wines, including a choice of champagnes. The food is elegantly presented though portions are small. On our visit service was slow despite the pub not being full.

Formerly Bar Moosh (and before that Chambers, and before that the City Limits), this large pub has recently been refurbished. The interior now has a stylish modern feel, with brightly painted walls and light wooden floors and furniture. A raised area towards one end is carpeted and has sofas and comfy chairs for seating. The walls are mostly plain with the occasional cartoon-like modern-art painting, and a large plasm screen TV. The atmosphere is enhanced by coloured lights which gradually change hue. The menu consists of tapas (£2.00-£5.00), or sausage and mash (£6.00-£7.00). The former comes in many varieties, and with the latter you get a choice of flavors for both the sausage and the mash (as well as a choice of garnishes). The pub was almost empty on our Saturday lunchtime visit, but the service was good and the food was a very pleasant change from the usual pub grub. Quiet music played in the background.

This pub does not serve food, yet it is worthy of mention. Sandwiched between the Bibleway Gospel Chapel and a "Confidential" (sex) shop, the exterior is that of a traditional pub, with some tables outside. However, allow your attention to fall on the sign which claims for The Devonshire Arms a wider than average range of music including reggae and calypso. The small, brightly lit front bar (almost completely filled by the pool table) is separated by a single door from the larger back room, which pulsates with nightclub rhythms of an evening. A TV is located in the mural-covered front room for non-pool players.

This pub doesn't serve food, other than sandwiches. A sign outside claims that it does cater for weddings and birthdays. Its facilities include pool, darts, Sky TV and, unusually, bar skittles. It had a friendly atmosphere.

This pub has changed dramatically since its previous incarnation as the Durham Ox. It has bright, multi-coloured brick walls, with strange artwork painted directly on the walls. There are a couple of fruit machines, and a fibre-optic Christmas tree which glows in a fireplace. The furniture includes wooden chairs and tables, but also a sofa. The music and atmosphere is hard to describe - perhaps it is New Age? The menu is definitely more traditional, with a small range of dishes such as stew, pies, lasagne, jacket potatoes, sandwiches and an all-day breakfast, each of which are cost four pounds or less. In addition to a number of beers, coffee and hot chocolate is also served. A small room to the rear next to the kitchen is available for hire after 8pm.

" The Cambridge Evening News reports that "Police were called to the Chariots of Fire pub in Mill Road at about 2.40pm after members of the public reported a man waving a hammer outside." The pub windows are currently boarded up. "

" This pub is now closed. "

" The Durham Ox, latterly Chariots of Fire, which was torched a while ago, has been sold for over £350,000. The purchaser "has plans for a pizza delivery and coffee shop operation". And so another pub bites the dust. "

This is a Bass pub was renovated in 2001. The new management promoted the pub on its high quality, service and cleanliness. Indeed, the renovation made the pub much brighter. Things must have changed again, becuase on our most recent visit, food is no longer being served. The Brook is now the only pub in the Mill Road area beyond the railway bridge that still serves food. The pub is on multiple levels - mind the step on the way in! The pub features a TV, pool table, juke box, fruit machine, dart board and a beer garden. The interior is decorated with pictures including old photos of Cambridge colleges.

Greene King have spent vast sums of money on the renovation of the Earl of Derby, which is situated in an area of Cambridge which is to be redeveloped. The pub has been completely transformed, with wooden floots, new tables and chairs, leather sofas and a cream and terracotta decor creating a stylish interior. Around the walls hang pictures of sports teams. A front projection TV and fruit machines offer entertainment. To the rear is a beer garden with plenty of seating. Now offering B&B accomodation, the pub serves food and is open for breakfast. The lunchtime menu offers a wide range of meals, including starters (soup of the date £2.75, paté and toast £3.45), salads (£355-£4.50, e.g. prawn), pannini (£3.25;-£3.95, e.g. steak and onion), jacket potatoes (£3.25-£5), organic baguettes (£4.10-£5 e.g. bacon-lettuce-tomato), the Derby Brunch (£4.95), omlette (£3.50), main dishes (such as fish and chips, £6.10-£10), Derby Grills (including a one-foot long sausage!), and Sunday roast.

This medium sized pub does not serve food. It has a projection TV, bar skittles and a small beer garden at the front.

This small pub has candles in wine bottles, a flying pig, posters attached to the ceiling, a separate pool room and a beer garden at the rear. The food is cheap and cheerful. On our most recent Saturday lunchtime visit, the pub was closed.

The Fountain has had a major revamp in 2005. The formerly dark and gloomy interior is now gone, as are the partitions between the tables. As you enter the wood-floored pub, the long bar along one bar still dominates. The area is well lit with numerous uplighters and spotlights, and is filled with pot plants and new tables. Abstract artworks hang on the walls. The new look is quite reminiscent of All Bar One, just down the road. To the rear of the pub, there is a booth with DJ equipment. The new look coincides with a new up-market menu. This menu includes bar snacks such as nuts, crips, olivers, chips & dips, nachos (£1.20-£4.45), starters (£3.45-£5.95), main courses such as anti-pesto board, confit of duck (£6.45-£9.95) and side orders (£1.95). The kithces are open between 12pm and 7pm.

This pub is now boarded up.

Before redecoration, this pub was called the Kitty Dunphys and before that Royal Standard. Despite the large sign proclaiming 'Good Food' this pub does not serve food. It has an Irish feel and features two large bars and a beer garden to the rear.

This very popular freehouse is a small pub with wooden panelled interior and friendly bar staff. A CAMRA favourite, this pub claims to be the best real ale pub in Cambridge. It serves a range of real ales, with many local brews. Food is served daily from a menu including main meals for around £5-£6 (such as ham, egg and chips, roast vegetable lasagne, chicken breast in lime and coriander, shepherd's pie) snacks, soup, pork pie, jacket potatoes, doorstep sandwiches (£2.50), puddings (£2.95) hot drinks, all day breakfast (£4.95, which won't leave you hungry) and Sunday roast. This pub was badly damaged by fire in 1998, but the wooden interior has been retained. The windows were replaced, and have frosted glass with a cat and dog motif etched on the front door panel. The dog is Bruno, the then landlord's dog, who used to roam the pub. One area of the pub is reserved as a no smoking area until 9pm. On the walls are a number of brewery posters, such as Adnams and Everards, and photographs of locals are also on show.

Sean and Geraldine welcome you to this large and spacious pub. There is a car park front and back, and a large beer garden including a children's play area, and a barbecue. The large menu included: Specials (£4.50-£6.00), Children's meals (£4.50), Sandwiches (£2.00), Jacket Potatoes (£2.50), Pizza (£5.50) and a wide range of meat dishes (£5.00-£12.50). On our visit, service was friendly and the portions were large. Posters of the walls invite you to book now for your Christmas dinner (this was in October), and they also cater for parties and weddings (a wedding party of around 30 people arrived just as we left). The walls are decorated with woodpaneling on the lower half and flowery wallpaper on the upper half upon which photos of old Cambridge hang. The large open plan interior is divided by glass and wood partitions and is carpeted throughout with many small tables scattered around. On our Saturday lunchtime visit, it was not busy, and radio Cambridgeshire was playing on the speakers. Uniquely, this pub has an ice cream machine and a popcorn machine.

The Osborne Arms is a pleasant pub serving fine Thai food, which is also available to take away. The menu includes a range of starters (£2-£5), stir-fry, rice and noodle dishes, Thai curries and soups (all for between £7 and £8), as well as specials and desserts. The food is certainly very good. The pub interior mixes a Thai theme (with elephant patterns on the furniture, and various ornaments around the windows) with the traditional pool table, fruit machine, darts board and TV. Opposite the bar on a raised wooden platform are some areas of soft seating, with plush sofas, and dining tables decorated with candles and fresh flowers. To the rear of the pub is a beer garden and limited parking facilities.

This fairly typical Greene King establishment stretches between Regent Street and Parkers Piece. For entertainment, there are fruit machines and "Queen" playing in the background. Mondays are Quiz nights (8.30pm, £1 entry), and on weekdays, this pub is particularly popular will town folk. To the rear of the pub is a light and airy conservatory and there are a few benches outside overlooking Parkers Piece. The fairly limited menu consists of main meals, baguettes, salads, snacks/side orders and pizza (from £2.50 to £4.50), however on our visit only the baguettes and snacks were available. Despite the pub being almost empty, the service was poor, however we it arrived the food was tasty.

This large pub consists of two bars. To the left is the "Games" bar containing a pool table, table football, electronic games machines, a large TV set and a juke box. Upholstered bench seats line the walls, and the serving area is decorated with flags of St George and the odd Union Jack. The "lounge" bar to the right is mainly a seating area. A door leads to a small beer garden, which has a children's play area. The pub is carpeted throughout. At the front of the pub is a large car park and an extensive display of hanging baskets and flowers. On our visit the pub contained only a few locals and no food was being served, however the landlord claimed that it would be "starting soon". On a previous visit, the food was typical pub fayre. Its menu had a royal theme, with a Kings, Queens and Knaves meals. A blackboard displays special offers.

In 1998, the Red Lion was a great value pub. We had three enormous meals for a total of 8 pounds, from a menu atypical of Greene King pubs. However, on our most recent visit, a Greene King "Filling Station" menu is now in force here as at other pubs, which includes "classic combos" for £3-4, "wicked wedges" at £2.45, a variety of burgers (£3-3.50), sizzlers (£3-50-5.50) as well as favourites, specials, baguettes chips and desserts. The pub interior is divided into three areas. The central bar is notable for its low wooden beamed ceiling and a large fireplace. The end bar has a pool table, fruit and games machines. The third area is arranged for dining, and has a non-smoking area to the rear. It has flowery curtains, and wooden upholstered furniture. On the walls hang hunting scenes. The exterior features a car park and a large beer garden, which accommodates a children's play area (with various climbing frames) and a covered barbecue.

The Robin Hood and Little John, very much a large, credit-card type of pub, is the sort of place where people let their small children run around while they eat in the restaurant area. Children are well catered for in the large beer garden which features a play area. There are plenty of parking spaces. The restaurant area has smoking and non-smoking areas. There is an extensive menu: starters (£2-£4), dishes to share (£4.50-£7), salads (£5.50-£7), main courses (£7-£9.50), hand made pies (£7.45), speciality sausages with mash and gravy (£6), steak & grill (£8-£11), seafood (£7-£8) and side orders (£1.50-£2). sandwiches (£3-£5), jacket potatoes (£3.50-£4.25), "lite bites" (£5) and desserts (£3-£6). A "family" apple pie is available for £8. If this isn't enough of a choice, there are also daily specials and roasts on Sunday. The portions are on the large size.

This pub has changed little over the years. Well known for a bicycle (complete with cyclist) suspended from the ceiling, the interior is one long narrow room with a bar down one side. This is divided into small areas with mostly wooden furniture and some upholstery. On the walls hang framed drawings and posters relating to the brewing trade, and the usual pub nick-nacks adorn a high shelf. Although it is owned by Charles Wells, this establishment serves a wide selection of good beers. The menu includes main meals such as home-made quiche (£3.00 - £4.50), extras (50p - £2.00), salads (£3.75 - £6.00), sandwiches (hot and cold, £2.00 - £2.25) and puddings. Service is quick and polite and the food is tasty and generously proportioned. This pub has two friendly and welcoming cats (one ginger and one tabby), so be sure to say hello. Cable TV is also available.

The Six Bells continues to offer its "Sizzling Steak" meals, which come served, literally sizzling, on a cow-shaped metal plate which remains too hot to handle well after the food has been consumed. The menu includes: jacket potatoes with fillings ranging from (butter £2.50) to chicken curry (£4.50), rump or gammon steak sizzlers (£5.50), old favourites such as ham, egg and chips (£4.50), sausage, beans and chips (£4.20), burger and chips (£5.20), chicken kiev (£5.50), scampi, chilli, chicken curry, veggie burger (£4.50). Side orders of chips (£1.70), cheesy chips (£2.20) and onion rings (£1.80) are also available. There is a little outdoor seating at front, and a large 'conservatory' area to the rear featuring a dart board, pool table and TV. The rest of the pub is curled around the bar and entirely wood-panelled. The floor and furniture are also wooden, and large mirrors, books and nick-nacks on a high shelf and old Cambridge street signs decorate the walls, giving this pub a very cosy atmosphere. A couple of certicates bear testament to the competative quiz teams - quizes are held on Monday evenings. There are also a number of advertisements for events at the local theatre.

In 1997 this pub, formerly named the Brookfield Tavern, was renamed and refurbished. The change which happened in 2005 was, however, much more dramatic. Whereas before the interior was quite dark, with red and green walls and stained glass partitions, now nearly all the Victorian features have been removed. The new appearance is much smarter with burgundy and cream painted walls. The light wood floored seating areas form a C-shape around the central bar, with groups of tables and chairs (a few upholstered), all made from the same colour wood. A few glass partitions remain, but the overall affect is to make the pub much lighter. Even the pool table is made from light wood, and several games machines also serve as entertainment. The menu includes special (£6.50-£9.00), sandwiches (£2.95), ciabatta (£4.00), jacket potatoes £2.75-£4.75), ploughman's (£3.50-£4.00), light meals (£4.50-£5.25) and side orders (50p-£2.00). To the rear is a small neat paved garden, which leads through to a small car park.

This pub has changed yet again, and appears to have gone upmarket. Food now seems typical for a Cambridge city-centre pub.

This pub doesn't serve food, but does offer real ale. This large pub is laid out as a number of annexes, with three bar regions and a pool table. Despite its lack of food, it seemed a very pleasant pub.

The Globe is a friendly pub with a wooden interior. The main bar area has a wooden floor with a large rug, while to the side is a carpeted seating area with a fireplace at the rear. On the walls hang old photographs of Cambridge. Large windows overlook the busy road. The wide selection of food is moderately priced, of good quality, and with excellent service. The menu offers traditional pub food (such as fish/scampi/sausage and chips, lasagne, ham, egg and chips, and steak) for between £4 and £7. There are a couple of fruit machines and quiz machines, and a TV near the bar showing football.

Formerly the Hogshead, this pub has recently been renamed. We think this is now a Greene King pub, although the menus still cite the Laurel Pub Company. The huge Avery pub is situated overlooking Parkers Piece, and is on two floors. The pub was originally designed to look as if it had been there for centuries, with the shiny new tables authentically distressed (dented) and walls convincingly cracked. However, since it opened there have been a few changes to the interior to give it a more modern Ikea look. The pub is furnished with a range of wooden tables and some soft seating. Some areas have been cleared leaving large open spaces with tiled floors. There are a number of fruit machines, and the walls are mainly windows remaining from the days when the building was an old warehouse or factory - air-conditioning ducts and exposed wooden beams adding to the feel. Since our last visit, the upstairs bar now contains two pool tables and two large TVs (as well as small ones behind the bar). Food is said to be served every day daily. The menu doesn't appear to have changed, although prices seem to be lower than we remember: burgers £3.50-£3.75, favourites £4.45-£6.45, bar snacks £2.45-£3.65, steak £5.45-£6.45 and Sunday Roasts £5.45. There is also a 2 for £6.95 offer on a selection of slightly smaller dishes (e.g. fish and chips, cooked breakfast etc. which would other wise be priced between £3.95 and £4.65).

This Pubmaster pub is nasty. It has two pool tables, two bars, three televisions, and an unfurnished beer garden. The pub could do with a lick of paint - it has a very plasticy feel. It does not serve food

About three years ago, this pub was renamed as The Lawyers. The pub is a small, cosy and quiet establishment furnished in red velvet. It has a peculiar range of meals, and specialises in sea food accompanied by a large selection of wines, giving weight to the its description as a "Wine and Oyster Bar". The lunchtime menu is limited to just soup and sandwiches which, while varied, were rather expensive for the quantity. On our visit (a Saturday lunch time) no bitter was available. The walls are adorned with pictures of lawyers, and bookcases full of legal books.

This pub has recently been extensively refurbished, making the pub a lot brighter than before. The new landlady said that food would be served starting in February. Here's the old review, until we revisit...

This is the first Wetherspoons pub to open in Cambridge, and when it opened it made national news as the UK's largest pub. It has changed little since its opening and it is still probably the cheapest place to drink in Cambridge (with a good range of beers). It stands on the site of an old cinema and the arts cinema now occupies the upper floor. The interior still has the shape of the cinema (with balcony), and the decoration is art deco in style with a cinema theme. The pub has upholstered furniture and is carpeted throughout. Although there are many small tables, there are also large areas left open. A beer garden to the rear includes a water feature, and the spacious interior has no smoking areas (eg. on the balcony) and a no music policy (although there are fruit machines). The menu includes burgers (£5.35-£5.65), steak (£5.65-£8.15), main meals (£4.65-£6.99), salads (£5.09-£5.99), healthy option (49p-£2.59), jacket potatoes (£3.29-£3.79), sandwiches, wraps and baguettes (£2.29-£4.79) and breakfast (£2.29-£2.79). The pub was popular on our Saturday lunch-time visit, especially with families. There is also a kids menu and a special family eating area.

This large Greene King pub consists of two bars, each with its own door. The public bar has a strong strong football theme. Indeed, two football matches were showing on our visit - one on a TV near the bar and one on a large projection TV towards the rear with plenty of seating. Ads for upcoming football matches adorn the walls, football shirts hang over bar and flags from famous footballing nations cover the ceiling. Fruit machines and a pool table are also available. The lounge bar looked much plusher with upholstered furniture, but it was closed on our visit. The menu includes: main meals (£4.25-£5.25), baguettes (£3.50-£3.95), "from the skillet" (£5.50-£6.50), jacket potatoes (£3.25), burgers (£3.95-£4.50) and side orders/snacks (£1.25-£5.95). After a recent refurbishment, the pub sign (which used to show a mountain) now contains a mountaineer, and a small amount of seating on the pavement in front of the pub now has a stylish metal theme.

This large pub is divided into two areas by the bar. On one side is a bar skittles table, dart board and a fireplace - none of which seem to be in use. There also a very large widescreen TV and both quiz and fruit machines. The pub is carpeted, with wood panelled walls from which hang photos of sports teams. Food is served Monday to Friday only (12pm-2pm). The menu includes cooked breakfasts (3 to 4 pounds), burgers (beef, cheese or stilton for 2 to 3 pounds), ploughmans, "From The Griddle" dishes such as gammon and chips for £4-5 and sandwiches (£2). There are special offers on Tuesdays (buy two meals for the price of one) and Thursdays (£3.95 for two courses for pensioners). Servings are generous, and the service is good. On our visit, the clientele was rather eccentric. Outside is a small walled beer garden.

Following an extension built in 2001, the White Swan, also known as The Swimmer, is quite large. It has recently been redecorated - gone is the motorsport paraphernalia, such as a petrol pump, tyres, petrol cans, radiator grill and jumbo spanners. The toilets are the only reminder (labelled Hood and Bonnet for gents and ladies respectively). Over the fireplace in the smaller bar hangs a painting of a White Swan. Perhaps we caught them mid-decoration, because the walls of the larger bar, on which hung pictures of Formula 1 and rally cars and drivers, are now quite bare. The colour scheme is cream and burgundy, with wooden flooring. To the rear is a paved, heated beer garden with a number of eight-seater wooden tables and a gas barbecue. Food is served daily, with a choice of te bites" (e.g. garlic bread, bacon butty etc. £1.30-£3.50), jacket potatoes (£3.50), sandwiches (£3-£4.50) and main courses such as the All Day Breakfast, sausage & mash, fish & chips, tuna salad and tortillas (£4-£5.50). The meals are good value. On Sundays, a roast is available (£5.95).