The Maypole

Amazing food and lovely atmosphere.. don't miss it!! Yummy!! Great Italian cuisine with a pub flare. Loved it!

This pub has an excellent selection of beer from around the world, the staff is friendly and attentive, and it has an excellent covered outdoor seating area. If all you're looking to do is meet your basic needs, in a Maslow's Hierarchy sense, then this is your place.

However, for anyone who has traveled through Europe and/or has a reverence for the sacred nectar that is Belgian beer, this pub provides service with a most disrespectful sin.

Allow me to explain. One of the glories of drinking beer in Europe is the service. Each beer is typically served in its brewery-appointed glass. Some are even served pair with small snacks to complement the beer. This takes the simple act of having a beer and turns it into an experience of greater depth and enjoyment.

The Maypole, however, doesn't feel it should conform to this practice. Instead choosing to serve some of the world's greatest beers without the care to serve them in the proper glass, even though they have them. It feels wrong. Sure, some may argue that serving a beer in any style of Belgian glass meets the requirement, but for me it doesn't. For example, my local pub had a Belgian night a couple years back and even for just that one night, they acquired the proper glasses for each beer and served them accordingly. Surely The Maypole, with its reputation as a source for Belgian beer on a daily basis, could easily match the effort my local pub made? Surely.

The Maypole is disrespecting us and the beer with each glass it pours. We all deserve better.

This place was recommended by an acquaintance of mine who lived while studying in Cambridge. The place itself is small but the beer garden is twice as big and since we happened to be visiting on an unusually warm day in the beginning of April, we enjoyed several refreshing drinks outside.
We had a chat with the friendly owners who are Italian immigrants and the wines (tangy with a bitter finish) and beers (hoppy) they recommended were just as they described them.
We shared an aubergine bake (delicious) and chips (small and nothing special).
Luckily they weren't t showing any matches and the garden wasn't packed.

Busy sports bar with a large outdoor seating area, situated down a narrow lane (Portugal Place) from the Bridge Street. It's a modern building, without a lot of intrinsic character, and the main bar is dominated - completely - by a huge screen, for Sky Sports.


It does, however, sell real ale, including on my visit, Deuchars IPA, Mordue's Radgie Gadgie, Old Speckled Hen and Tribute Ale, among others. Apparently, the landlord is renowned for his cocktails, should you be so minded. At the rear outside, there;s a serving hatch for off-licence sales and basic cooked food.

Fun spot, nice owners and plenty of room in the outdoor area. Lots of beer selections from cask ales to bottled craft beer and single malt and gin library.

A good pub that serves great cocktails and some very tasty food.

The management in here is great. The pub is usually full of students, which is a little odd as the prices are a little higher in here than normal. Good ales on tap however, as well as the ever present stella.

The beer garden (next to the multistory carpark) is large but suffers from not getting the sun in the evening. However, it has fairy lights which improve the atmosphere somewhat.

Watchout for football nights - its not a great pub to be in if your not into the game.

A good place for a drink on a weekday evening. The Maypole has a good selection of bottled and on-tap beers, and decent pub grub. The beer garden is a nice place to sit if it's warm enough.

The staff are really professional, quick and friendly. Three of them were managing to serve a very busy pub full of people the other night from behind the pretty small bar without stepping on each others toes or anything.

I found the maypole looked too touristy so walked right past it the first time I saw it, and was pleasantly surprised when I arranged to join a group of people here.

The prices are okay, they do 'do' full barista service if you want a coffee. The prices are okay, the food, isn't anything special but okay.

The outside area is full of smokers, with an awning keeping all the smoke in, Heaters for the winter, cover for the rain.

Toilets are frightful! - looks like they are mid - revamp?!?

The Maypole is popular among the girls for the cocktails, and for the boys as it shows the football whenever a match is on. It is intimate and traditional, close by the town centre but hidden away enough to be more of a 'locals' pub than a tourist pub. The décor could do with a revamp, and the toilets are not always as clean as they could be. In the summer, many people make use of the outdoor seating, which doesn't have the nicest views (a car park) but it does mean you can enjoy a drink in the sunshine.


If you want to eat there, don't expect to find pub prices. The meals are pricy for what they are, and you might be better off walking around the corner to one of Cambridge's many restaurants where you will find food for the same price, and of better quality. Alternatively, go to a different pub where you will pay pub prices, not Maypole prices.


A lively and friendly pub, these is a great place to go for a quick drink, even if you do then move on for dinner.

The Maypole is great. It's family run, they cook lovely Italian food and the cocktails are an institution (their margaritas are very good). It does get very crowded, especially when the 'Gents of St. Johns' sing there at Christmas time!
University photos adorn the walls, and they sell real ale as well as the cocktails mentioned . A Deuchars goes down well for example!
I've been when it's not very busy, but it's just not the same..go there when it is packed, and enjoy the atmosphere. They have a large outdoor area as well, which is handy in the summer.