Can you recommend a good pub grub or budgetish place to eat in Cambridge?

[Zorayda]

I'm heading down to Cambridge with DH on Friday for a long unromantic weekend where I'll be studying marketing behaviours 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday.

We've not got much budget so don't eat out often, so we're keen to find somewhere nice in budget. Any suggestions? Thinking about £10 a head without starters, dessert or drinks.

DH knows where we're actually going so I can check and report back, but from memory I think it's to the top right of Cambridge. Am useless with places.

The Fort St George pub may be worth a look. It's on Midsummer Common, by the river, where the Victoria Ave bridge crosses the river. We ate there a couple of weeks ago and it was v cosy with pretty good food (and nice winey wine!).

The Curry Centre (?) on Castle Hill is supposed to be really good but I haven't been... Similarly, the Punter (?) on the backs - just before Castle Hill, turn left off Bridge St - is supposed to be nice.

Centre of town is often a big rip off with vastly overpriced food and drink, but if you're in the centre at any point King St might be worth a visit. There's a mad little Italian joint called Clowns where you can get a set meal with wine & dessert for less than £10 or a noodle bar opposite which is supposed to be good.

Regent St and Mill Rd have lots of really reasonably priced and good asian restaurants, but both are just slightly outside the town centre in a southerly direction, towards the station. If you don't mind a short walk from the centre (about 10-15 mins) then Al Kasbah on Mill Rd is excellent & cheap (Algerian barbecue food). It's round the corner from my house and the gorgeous smell from that restaurant is torture!!

Good luck finding somewhere, hope this helps.

Hiya,

I would second the recommendation of Clowns - very cheap and cheerful food, nice atmosphere. The noodle place is pretty typical but ok if that's what you fancy...
DH went to the curry centre on Mill Rd recently and didn't have a good experience - the best curry in Cambridge (IMHO) is at the Rice Boat (Keralan), but that's not cheap, although you could keep the price down if you chose the right things. Pipahsa is also good but a bit far out.
The Castle on Castle Hill does very good beer, decent pub grub at good prices. Nice place too. The Kingston Arms off Mill Road is good too.
Quite a lot of choices on Mill Road if you're heading that way - Al Kasbah is yum and a fun place to go.
Dim Sum at Charlie Chan's on Regent Street is our current fave - quite cheap (for lunch) as long as you stick to lovely tea at £1 a pop (I think) and have a few dishes each. Really authentic and delicious but busy at the weekends.
Hope this helps and you have a nice weekend :)

Thank you both! Sounds like Clowns is a definite yes for Friday night. I think I shall send DH out to explore the other suggestions while I'm in class (the joys of continuous professional development - I am looking forward to it but a bit nervous as its years since I left university and I'm not sure I've still got all my brain). That way he gets to pick where we eat on Saturday.

Ooh, the treat that is no washing up!

All City Centre based but I would suggest:

Jamie Oliver
Carluccios
Pizza Express (Jesus Lane)
Strada
Teri-Aki
Yo Sushi (not tried the Cambridge branch yet)

I went here recently and thought it was good.

The French bistro on the corner after cafe rouge and before the round church, it won an award for budget and the food is lovely and authentic. Lovely atmosphere too.
I second Teri-Aki, not far away, by Magdalen bridge.

Yup, Michaelhouse lovely but not open for an evening meal I think. Can also get surprisingly expensive for a cafe.

The Punter is quiet, not too far from the centre of town and top notch pub grub. Mains are typically over a tenner.

Fort St George has fabulous location, is full of character and has adequate pub food with mains at about the £10 mark.

Yo sushi is great fun and I really like the food but you could go to one of those in any town. If you do eat there it's well worth registering on their website for the special offers - up to 30% off.

Clowns is a real classic for cheap and cheerful eating and Efes - a turkish place further up King St - is a nice neighbourhood restaurant which probably falls into your price bracket.

If you can push the boat out a little further, there is a lovely small Vietnamese restaurant called Thanh Binh on Bridge Street. Bring your own wine, but nice people and great atmosphere.

Hope you have a nice time!

Is Clowns the tiny little place with lush desserts which is open till late at night? Remember going there few yes ago when I was visiting Cambridge. I've moved to Cambridge 10 days ago now from Cardiff as DH got a job at Addenbrookes.
Are there any cheap & cheerful kid friendly places to eat in town or in the CB1 area? Went to the noodle bar on Mill Rd- Dojo the other day, liked it a lot.

Hi Mucky, welcome to Cambridge! I think Clowns stays open late, but it's been a while since I've been allowed out after the witching hour!

I've lived here for two years now, and am still finding my way around the pubs and eateries, especially as many places seem suddenly inaccessible when you have an ankle biter. Any finds, do let me know!

The Black Cat cafe on Mill Rd (I think you were thinking of Mill Lane re Dojo?) is a baby friendly place and does nice snacks. I quite like the new Costa on Mill Rd too, as you can usually get a buggy in without feeling like you're in the way.

In town, the new Yo Sushi - as mentioned above - looks kid friendly but the queues seem to be out the door. Jamie's is supposed to be a good place to take little ones... I'd also recommend the Fort St George to take babies to. The new landlords have a baby and they're fine with squealing wee ones ib the evenings. They don't yet have changing facilities though (they're on the way apparently).

I'm rambling now...

I like Jamie's - not too pricey and very lively. But the last time I went I volunteered to get the pager and start the wait for a table - this was midweek and the wait was 1 hour 45 minutes. Just to warn you. (You can only book if there are over 8 of you.) I've promised to take dd but I think I'd try an early lunch on a weekday.

I have a soft spot for the Eraina, Greek taverna on Free school lane. The kind of place you get a lot for your money - not at all pricey - popular with students.

As pp - Efes is a really cosy place - if you are going Fri/Sat it is worth booking a table as some of these places are small. Fort St George is a nice spot. You can usually find a parking spot in the streets on the other side of the river then walk over the pedestrian bridge.

When I eat with dd, we go to Carluccio's (by the Grand Arcade), Wagamamas, or Bella Italia (with vouchers ) which is in a lovely spot by the mill pond in Newnham.