One of the best pubs in Cambridge. Love this place. It has a historic atmosphere & is one of the oldest in town, with low ceilings and a cool vibe. Right off the river & students and profs come here. Food is very good - a twist on traditional pub food. Mussels and steak and French cheese pie were very good. Plenty of decent wines in addition to the ales. read more

This place is a MUST STOP if you come to Cambridge. Great selection of beers, food too notch, super friendly staff and an amazing history. This place has an official history back to 1608, it really is older than that. There a paper with the history on it and great stories. The chips-one of the best I've ever had. Crispy on the outside, soft as butter on the inside. As a guy who has traveled hours for ones that were recommended, it should hold some weight. Have a great time here and show them the love they deserve read more

Pickerel Inn - Girlfriend enjoying amazing fish cakes and chips - Pubs Near Me - Cambridge, CAM

See all

This favorite pub of CS Lewis was on the must-see list of historic old pubs and it did not disappoint! Great knowledgeable landlord and local characters made this a secret tucked away at the edge of the Cambridge hustle and bustle. Good Green King beers in one of the oldest pubs in Cambridge. read more

See all

Decent pub near the river at Cambridge, we ordered the Steak and Ale pie and Festive pie. The steak and ale was classic, not amazing, but definitely warm and filling. The festive pie came with unseasoned carrots and brussel sprouts, and my friends were not keen on finishing the pie or vegetables. I wouldn't come here for the food, but this place is cozy and the service was good! read more

Interesting locale and ambiance - basic food with good alcohol choices. Short walk from central Cambridge and historical significance staff is happy to share. read more

Wonderful dinner at the restaurant this evening. Attentive staff and wonderful selections of beers and ciders. Fish and chips was prepared with a wonderful flavored batter which complimented the fresh tasting cod. read more

Pickerel Inn - Pubs Near Me - Cambridge, CAM

Awesome pub. One of my top two favorites in Cambridge. One of very few pubs that carries Old Speckled Hen ale.

My kind of place. LOTS of history here. This is one of the oldest pubs in Cambridge. It is a Grade II listed timber framed building, which means it is super old! This Pub has been around since the 1500's! The renaissance period kids! In fact, there are pieces of the place from that time. One in particular is a timber that has grapes carved into it, which was the symbol for drinking and frivolity back in the day. It's current incarnation has been standing since the 1600's. This pub has been a brothel, a gin house and an opium den, but according to the extremely nice tatooed bar tender that lives upstairs, at the heart of it all, the Pickerel Inn has always been a traditional British Pub. Oh, if these walls could talk! Browsing through the old rooms, one can only imagine the history that has been made in this building. My favorite story goes with the picture I posted where you can make out the year 1873 scratched into the window. The bartender told me that after scratching some things and the year on the window, the opium intoxicated man stumbled out into the alley and burned himself to death. You can just picture the opium junkie trying to light his pipe and catching his clothes on fire! The Pickerel Inn, or "Pick", as the students from Magdeline college across the sreet fondly refer to it, serves a number of local and craft beers. In addition, there is fish and chips and other traditional British Pub fare. The dark woods, low ceilings, tiny door ways and huge timber beams that decorate the place give you the feeling that you are in a very old historic place. Come and take in the history. Don't be afraid to ask the bartenders to tell you about it. They are GREAT and will be happy to show you around and tell you all about it. Loved the beer. Awesome place! read more

See all

A very nice pub just by the bridge in Magdalene Street, with an exterior painted in an attractive shade of eggshell blue. It's allegedly the oldest in Cambridge, and has an interior consisting of traditional low-ceilinged rooms, and what looks to be the covered entrance consistent with being a Coaching Inn. At the rear is a small enclosed beer garden, with substantial awnings over the tables. The real-ales served include: Woodforde Wherry (very nice), Nelson's Revenge (also very nice), Theakston's Old Peculier and 2 guest ales. They serve food, but I haven't eaten here. NB - No children - over 18s only. read more

See all

Pick this place! You will have so many places to pick from to eat but let me tell you from personal experience. The Pickerel is the spot to hit. You have the option to sit outside or inside but either option is a good choice. Order yourself a cold pint and just relax. I ordered the chicken and mushroom pie and let me just say YUM! The staff are very nice and extremely helpful. I highly recommend you try the Pickerel! read more

The Pickerel Inn is a fine establishment. Just near the river and centrally located around the punting dockyard of Cambridge. I liked the unfinished wooden interior, and the tables and surfaces smell and feel as if they have absorbed centuries of beer. There are lovely open windows and at the right time of day the light streams in and fills your soul with good feeling. I had a hearty chicken and chorizo sausage pastie, which really hit the spot. However, my fellow guests were disappointed with their meals. The fish, in the words of my friend, felt and looked as if it had been fried once, left in the fridge, then fried again. No way to verify this but I wouldn't be surprised. Her boyfriend's chicken burger at nearly seven squid was the source of bitterness and regret the whole afternoon. All the meals arrived suspiciously quickly But mostly I have fond memories of the Pickerel during my Cambridge day trip. read more

Pickerel Inn - Pubs Near Me - Cambridge, CAM

I'll swim against the tide here - it is a biggish pub, but nothing very special for Cambridge. My last visit , when I sat in the beer garden, was enlivened by the daylight progress of a large rat; I wouldn't say that this is the pub's fault ( being so close to the river no doubt had a lot to do with it), but it did make me think. read more

The Pickerel Inn was a pub recommended by the spa/hotel in which we stayed on our work jaunt to Cambridge. The pub has a modest selection of beers on tap and wider variety in bottles. The local ale that they carry was not all that delightful an experience so I was forced to fall back on grabbing a pint of Guinness (which I knew would satisfy). The pub is small and peculiar. The bartenders were quiet and full of solace. You know how you walk into a pub and after a few minutes you either know "oh, hot damn, this is my jam..." or you are like, "eh, I don't think I am going to hang my hat here". Well, I would have come back to the pub for a pint if nothing else worthwhile was within walking distance, but with The Eagle and Mitre both close by... I'd recommend keep on walking past Pickerel. read more

Great pub. Managed house but still has great ales on tap. Old Peculiar! read more

Pickerel Inn - Pubs Near Me - Cambridge, CAM

This is my favourite pub in Cambridge. Warm, welcoming atmosphere and a lovely garden. It is very cosy and the bar staff is exceptionally friendly and helpful. Unfortunately a lot of other people have discovered this too and it can be very crowded on the weekends. Old peculiar is the best drink in there, but the wine is very good too. They have a great variety. I have not eaten in there but they serve food for sure. They always have a special meal on offer and they serve olives and crisps if you just need something to nibble on. read more

A real 'gentlemen's pub', but also frequented by University students, this is a very cosy, 'homely' pub in an age of soul-less chain pubs. A very intimate environment, it is great for a quick drink or a leisurely evening. With an outdoor courtyard as well, the 'Pick' (as it is fondly know by locals) is a great place to pass a summer's evening. In the winter, enjoy a liquor coffee in a cosy pub, or warm yourself up with a tasty meal off the menu. The food is not gourmet standard, but it is good pub food to fill a gap. Drinks here are more expensive than some of the more chain-y pubs. However, with the cosy environment and traditional feel, it is well worth it. read more

Beers are of the typical ranhe, place is nice in the classic English pub fashion. Burgers were horrid and waited 50 min for it. Regular menu. Overall I would say it's an okay place if you don't want to walk a bit further to the other pubs. If you do avoid food, especially the burgers, at all costs read more

This is the "local" for students at Magdalene College. I thought it was a great offering to have within a stone's throw of college. Good selection of beer on tap, with middling wine selection and good offerings of mixed drinks. I personally preferred the weeknight ambiance - when 2-4 of us would head over for a nightcap and have a good conversation in a populated, but not packed, pub. The Pickerel is completely packed on the weekends - it's harder to hear and difficult to get a table - that was less my style. Note that there is an outdoor area where smoking is permitted, if that's your thing. read more

J.R.R. Tolkien drank here. What else do you need to know? Okay... C.S. Lewis did too. If these guys can conjure such crazy tales after drinking here, why would you need to drink elsewhere? read more

THis was a small pub in downtown Cambridge.Our first pub. We had our first Cask Ale here."Nelsons Revenge". Bar guy was quiet.No chatting from him.Bathroom SMALL.I would go back for the beer only. Not much else worth mentioning. read more

Proper oldie worldie but modernish pub . Serves a decent menu of pub food and a good range of real ales quite local brews though . Its got quite an intimate feel due to the peculiar open plan layout which isn't open plan I.e they took out all the walls then put in odd partitions . Still its quite a nice pub . read more

Love the pickerel inn, when im ever here which isnt often as i tend to go to the bars in cambridge, but this place is cosy and a unique little pub in cambridge. lots of history with it too and the little archway is supposed to be haunted, which ive heard it true, but makes for an interesting story about the place! read more

A pub that has greatly benefited from the smoking ban; what used to be a pleasent but smoke filled bar has now moved on to cosy. Smokers tend to fill the small enclosed courtyard. The food is fairly pub-grub, but the beer is excellent. read more

One of the best pubs in Cambridge. A combination of great beer with friendly service is what really makes this place. With the added benefit of at least four 'guest beers' that are changed regularly you'll come back again and again. Just beware of some guest beer - a few pints of 'Skull Splitter' (~7/8%) make for an interesting evening!!!! read more

Old school pub. Not very good food but the overall atmosphere of the pickeral makes up for this.

It's a cosy, old place with a nice variety of food and drinks. Our burgers (veg and regular) were great! The place was pretty crowded even at lunch time and we were warned that the food might take a while (and it did), but it was worth the wait. The Pickerel belongs to a chain, but it doesn't feel like it. read more

I doubt the Pickerel would be so popular if students really grasped that Cambridge extends more than a half mile in any direction from Great St Mary's. While that fact's opaque to them, the Pickerel's a pretty ordinary pub grappling with the inconvenience of its ancient architecture and getting a good attendance bounce off its central location. Decent quizzer, though. read more