1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, United Kingdom
The Old Spring serves food from midday to 2:30pm and from 6pm-9:30pm Monday to Friday. Saturday food is served all day from 12pm until 9:30pm and Sunday from 12pm until 8pm. The Old Spring is a relaxed and unique neighbourhood pub in the heart of Cambridge just a short walk from the River Cam and its many boatyards. If you park in our car park please obtain a parking permit from the iPad near the bar every time you use the car park.
Booked a table for 8 from midday for Sunday lunch. Upon arrival informed we only had the table until 2.30, why not tell us that when we booked, we had guests travelling from Norwich. At 1.50, as the last mouthful of dessert was being swallowed a member of staff asked if there wasn’t anything else, would we like the bill as they needed us to vacate the table, apparently the next booking had arrived early! Really shoddy service, the group have met at this venue for the last 5 years or more but never treated so poorly, we will be looking for a new venue for the next meet up.
Food was pretty good quite honest with you. The seating wasn’t overly great if you wanted to sit in the bar and have a drink, but very comfy and very warm for the winter time.
Have never been able to fault this pub, been going there for 30+ years and it's been consistently excellent even with change of ownership but disappointed as a service charge seems to now be added even if you order at the bar. Would prefer the prices going up so you know what you are paying, it's not as if you can collect your food yourself from the kitchen and staff are there to serve you. I know you can ask for the service charge to be taken off but that's embarrassing for everyone.
Small and quite quiet on a Saturday night, but the cocktails are 2 for £15 instead of £9.75 each, and the food is delicious. Great, attentive service. Definitely a little gem worth seeking out.
This was an amazing place, and the food was first class and affordable. It was a great venue choice and wine list. The staff were very professional and friendly 👏
We had dinner here last week. Came across it by chance and certainly were not disappointed. The pub has a really nice ambiance, great food and excellent service. It was fairly busy when we arrive but the landlady was able to easily fit us in for a table of four. The front of house did a great job of attending to us. Nice to see clean tables and surrounding area after people left the tables. Hygiene and safe practices are high in this establishment which is clearly seen by the decor and rest rooms. I had a sharing plater with friends followed by a delicious steak and then the chocolate tort. This is the first time we have to The Old Spring but would definitely recommend and return again when we are next in Cambridge.
It's been a long time since my last visit to the old spring and I must say that everytime I've been there it's been for drinks only. Anyway, we chose this place because of the cosy corner with sofas and the fireplace. Before I left home, I had already decided that I was going to order a burger. Then, there it was "The special menu" 😳. I must try it instead - I said to myself. And no regrets! I ordered the Tuna and my wife had the duck, and we were quite surprised. They both were amazing! I didn't have the pleasure of trying the burger, that our friend ordered, but it looked really good as well. After such a pleasant dinner, we decided to close the night by ordering all the special desserts. And guys! The blackberry cheescake and the chocolate brownie are a MUST! I would like to make a special mention to Katerina, our waitress. Since my first contact with her, when I called to book the table, I thought she was really lovely and had exquisite manners. However, when we got there she was 100 times better than that! She was the icing on the cake of the night.
Lovely food, very generous portions and quick service. We came here for Sunday roast as a group of 5. We reserved in advance so got seated quickly. Orders were taken promptly, the drinks and food arrived right after we placed our orders. The roast was delicious. I didn't manage to finish it all as it was a very generous portion. We had all types of meats across the table and everyone commented on how nice it was. This pub is dog friendly which is an added bonus. We will definitely come back again
Excellent food and service, plus a great selection of Adams beers
Nice location great beer garden. Good selection of drinks and good service
Good food and quick service, Thank You
Pleasant ambience... friendly staff.. Large portion of fish and chips...but.. although it looked amazing..there was little or no flavour...which was very disappointing Coffee very good Food : 4/5
Overpriced average food. Stuck behind a disabled toilet which opens in a very tight sitting only. Staff was nice though.
Great setting and good food. Wasnt too noisy on a Wednesday evening so it is possible to have a good conversation.
Local pub through & through, plenty of room, nice atmosphere & friendly staff. Not so noisy you cant talk.
Fantastic Staff Delicious food & Nice atmosphere
Steak was ober oriced at £30. Fatty Steak, a few wedges and a bit of salad. Worse thingvthat happened was i noticed dead flies in the Vinegar pot aftet we had finished the meak which made me feel sick. Told the lady serving who said its just the hot weather and offered no discount. This was a week ago
They put an effort into notifying people on the parking charges and how to avoid it
Omg, Wagyu steak burger quite simply incredible, best beef burger I have ever had anywhere! Mmmmmmm. Lovely place, staff were so friendly and helpful. Highly recommended!!
Nice food, good price, great portions, friendly service
quiet evening, friendly staff, food selection of drinks nice to sit outside in covered area Service : 5/5
At first it looked from the outside as if there were hardly any guests there, but then when we went in we noticed that it was loosely full. It was very cozy, also has a covered beer garden and many different types of beer, very good fish and chips, my wife had a very tasty veggie burger. Nice atmosphere, clear recommendation to eat there in the evening!
Excellent food. Salad served with burger and fries was beautiful and delicious. Quaint neighborhood location.
Great place, food is great, staff realy nice, recommed a visit.
Friendly good pint of Abbot Ale
I liked the food - had a burger. But I really don t think it was great value for money. Stang quite a bit paying so much and also an included service charge.
Noisy. £12.50 for 2 pints or real ale! Not even a City Centre pub. Less than £10 where I live 15 miles south of Cambridge. Did not eat. No money left. Parking gestapo as well. Not my scene. Parking: You have to register the car registration.
Lovely Sunday roast. Claims to be the best in Cambridge, its definitely one of the best.
Only been once, not my favourite sort of spot, cant see enough of the street for my liking and tables outside were full. Bar man got to me fast enough though and the beer was good, didnt stay long, will go again at some point. Good one to stop on way through or go for evening meal maybe
Fantastic pub x Friendly staff x x
A nice little fi d, but quite expensive
Had a chicken and bacon ciabatta which was very tasty and reasonably priced. Southwold bitter also excellent. Convivial surroundings and good service
Stopped for lunch, Bacon & Brie Ciabatta, was lovely definitely recommend.
Discovered them by accident, but what a find. Good food and excellent service. Will definitely go back.
Nice place and friendly bar staff. Food was lovely but a bit on the expensive side.
Popped in for a pint ,just passing by.
Great food and amazing service
Had seabass with Vegetables. Vegetables uncooked. Fish just okay.
We love this pub as the locals, they are the best! Always love coming here Parking: You will have to give your plate number to get free parking Food : 5/5 |
Lovely service and brilliant food! Would definitely come again
Nice and cosy local pub far from the town centre crowd, even so I feel it is too expensive for the quality of the food and wine offered. It was an OK meal versus other pubs in town.
Had such a great meal here. Started with fried goat cheese appetizer and had the T-Bone for the main course. Steak was cooked perfectly and everything was delicious. The service was great and staff were very friendly and helpful.
We chose the Old Spring as a dinner destination because the online menu lists allergens and explicitly mentions marked menu options can be made gluten free on request; as one of our party has coeliac disease, this seemed ideal. A gluten free burger was duly ordered, and arrived in very recognisable Warburtons GF sandwich thins in lieu of a bun; which, not quite what I expected from the place, but fair enough. The bigger problem was the only accompaniement being a bowl of chips. We asked to confirm whether the chips were safe, since battered items were also on the menu, and separate deep friers are unusual and highly advertised where they exist - were the chips fried in the same oil as the floured menu items (e.g. beer-battered haddock)? Following a blank look and a visit to the kitchens, in lieu of an answer to the question we asked, we were told that no guarantees could be made about /any/ of the food with respect to allergen content. No further information was provided, and no alternatives offered. Since it was unclear whether the chips could be safely eaten by that diner, she had to leave them. I urge the owners not to claim in their online menu that gluten free meals can be provided on request if this is not actually the case, so that visitors can make fully informed plans. Hopefully this review will help others until this is addressed. Dietary restrictions: The online menu contains the text V*, VG*, G.F* can be offered as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free upon request. This appears to be a lie.
We booked on a very busy day, so thankful that the table was ready for us. Lentil salad was excellent, both tasty and hearty. Roast was good. Vegetarian options: Only 2 options. Lentil salad was excellent. Avoided the wellington due to bad experience at another pub.
Visited with friends for a book club meeting. I ordered 3 glasses of wine for £30+ of the usual price for cambridge. Was busy and lots of people enjoying food and drink that it became very noisy. There is a section of the pub just for eating which was a lot quieter. Dog friendly. Friends ordered chips and they were a good shoe portion.
Not bad
Decent place with good service and food at a sensible price for Cambridge. Good selection of beers.
Great food and service. We had the beef roast and it was delicious...
British pub with parking close to the city centre, great variety of beers and food is nice. Recommended if youre passing by, enjoy!
oh darlin it brings me back to the second world war i feel so aubergine Parking: oii i got lost hunny my chair broke down while i was running away from my naughty daughter Wheelchair accessibility: oh dear thank you for the chairs
Absolutely delicious seabass. Perfectly cooked. Crispy skin, tender flaking juicy fish. Parsnip mash all buttery. Cherry tomatoes on the vine, sweet and sharp, cooked just right. Lovely vegetables with texture, no mush. Gorgeous chocolate tart dessert too, with a creamy filling, thicker than a mousse but softer than a ganache. One of us had the fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding, which apparently was also great.
Ive been going to the old spring for decades and its remained a consistently good pub for food and service (unlike the nearby Fort St George which has been consistently poor on both those counts). The reason this gets a four and not a five is that although pub is atmospheric in a sense (with a nice fire) its not an atmosphere I like that much. Also, the food is good, but it is VERY expensive. I eat here when someone else is paying.
Lovely pub to stop by for a meal, great range of beers couple of IPAs, fantastic food (not typical pub fare, really lovely well prepared meals) and brilliant service hits everything you want! Good range of vegetarian options And dog friendly and very welcoming!
Another modernised pub
Great lunch and great staff
Siunday lunch. We hadnt booked but they had a table for 4. We had starters. Huge! So glad we didnt want a roast afterwards but am sure it would have been nice. Service-very nice, helpful, polite.
Parked in their carpark, had a meal. Have been chased for 2 years now about private parking fine.
Nice pub/restaurant to spend your evening. Decent selection of meals and drinks. Staff is friendly. Parking is available. Slightly more expensive than your usual pub. If you beleive this review has been helpful for you, please don t forget to press the button. Thank you.
A pub with great atmosphere, worth a visit. Staff is friendly and the food is amazing. Very clean and tasty dishes. Definitely going back.
Very disappointed with the visit today. Went to there as a family if 6. eldest son just wanted one course if Sunday lunch and not the 2 courses pre set. he had chronic toothache and asked if he could just get a starter or the main . The answer was no. So he ate nothing because if not he would have paid £28 for a meal he couldnt eat. We didnt pay service charge as that would really have been taking the mic. Spoilt my mothers day . Food nice but over inflated for mothers Day like most places
Visited here a lot for meetup in 2021 and it was the perfect place for that, but it might actually be the most expensive pub in Cambridge. Drinks: 7/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Prices: 5/10
Loud awful and rather dirty cups
We had a really great time for my partners birthday celebration, thank you very much
Editing my old review and dropping few stars. Under new ownership,. Never saw it so empty. They need to tweak their new menu, they should even test it themselves. So of the food was massive and some were a joke, so small as a main and not cheap.
Very much so enjoyed the Sunday roast here. Both flavour and portion size was great. Staff were very friendly and the price was reasonable considering the quality. Would eat here again. 5/5.
Good food.
Hair in salad. They were far from contrite but did take the burger off the bill - thank you. Claimed none of the chefs had long blond hair . Hasten to add none of our party did either. Burgers were meh. Lamb skewers were great!
Nice pub close to the river. Quick friendly service.
Loved the place. Great staff. Clean and lovely garden.
Decent pub with good beer selection and plenty parking. Shame I got a fine for parking, cos I think I forgot to press enter on the system :/ Service : 4/5
Lovely and quiet
Like by no means bad, but really would have expected a bit more flair for £17 fish and chips
Pub is nice, but on my last visit I received a Parking Charge Notice for parking in the pubs parking. I understand the issues with parking in the area, but its really an unnecessary complexity... Ill avoid. Shame!
Great pub! Great beer!
Didnt eat but will certainly be trying it for food at some point. Lovely little beer garden
Cant comment on the food but the Old Spring in house house beer was very drinkable.
Bit tooo ££ for a pint...
Ordered a pint of Neckoil and a side of chips. Came to £13.15 -- £5.00 for chips, £6.95 for the pint plus a 10% service charge. I was served the pint at the bar and the chips took half an hour to arrive so I think the service charge was very cheeky. Wouldnt recommend.
This is a nice place, but i thought it was expensive for £19 odd for a burger, which was just ok.
Good food, prompt service. Their lunchtime-only choices are good (veggie stuffed ciabata. £11 for example).
Pricey and not too good. Nice place.
Just had drinks all ok
Lovely place . And lovely face. JASMINES FACE to be specific ! Great service
Absolutely spectacular lamb kebab dish. One of the best lamb dishes I have had, so tender and flavourful. This pub has so much promise under new ownership. I cant wait to go back.
Came here yesterday night to experience the Greek menu and it was amazing. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was really good. Really recommend going on either Thursday or Friday to experience the greek cuisine
Great place for a civilised lunch
Vegetarian options: Insgesamt 4 sehr leckere vegetarische Gerichte. Darunter Ein Salat mit Halloumi, ein Paprikaburger und eine Pastete gefüllt mit Rotebeete. Essen war sehr schön angerichtet Food
Good food lovely staff
Really nice food served here on a Sunday out with the family. If anything, a bit too much for our children (7 & 8). Great service but a tad pricey.
Amazing wagyu burger, lovely Czech larger and excellent sticky toffy pudding
Wouldnt recommend coming here for the Sunday roast as a vegetarian. Ordered the Beetroot Wellington on the Sunday roast menu and it arrived as a small, mediocre Wellington with some vegetables and gravy. Boyfriend ordered the chicken roast and it came with the full shabang (huge piece of chicken, roast potatoes, massive yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy). Both meals were £17 which seems hugely unfair considering the lack of potatoes and yorkshire pud in the vegetarian roast. Left hungry and wouldnt come again.
Delicious Sunday lunch in this smart pub. Good atmosphere, excellent service. Most enjoyable family reunion meal Parking: Customers must put their car registration number on to a screen in the restaurant, to get free parking and avoid paying a hefty fine
2 for 1 cocktails....
Had a great time!! I love the nachos
Boring menu, not v good food. Horrible office furniture and badly designed. staff nice. Quite expensive. Sadly not v good. Sorry.
Went for a drink with my two children late Saturday afternoon and after about 10 minutes we were rudely asked to vacate our table as a party was taking place there. A member of staff said that the table we were sat at was reserved, even though there was no reserved sign on the table. I asked where we could sit ( the staff member did not give us an alternative and presumed we would have to stand or just leave our drinks) and eventually he said that we could sit in the restaurant section but only for half an hour. Very rude and unwelcoming service.
Nice pub with good service but quite pricey
Beautifully christmassy, friendly, helpful staff, lovely meal
Decent food. Friendly staff.
Its nice, especially indoors. The quality is good but the value is poor, very high prices.
Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was delicious. I had nut roast and roasted veg with Yorkshire pudding with blackberry cheese cake
Lovely food, great service. Thankyou.
I ordered one of the special dishes, and it felt so home made un the very good sense of the word, but also so tasty like it would be something I wouldn t be able to have at home. It was not busy at all, so waitress spoke to us a bit more and we enjoyed the little chitchat. They have a couple of parking spaces so that was also handy
Great food and great staff
Beautiful place, good food, good presentation of dishes
Meeting a friend for lunch. Had roast cod on a bed of asparagus risotto, all cooked to perfection. My friend also enjoyed his lamb koftas. The quality justified the price £19 each. Friendly staff, good surroundings, Ill be back.
This is one of my favourite pubs in Cambridge. The environment is warm and welcoming and the staff are always friendly and helpful. I always bring friends here and my partner and I visit often for food or to pop in for a drink. The food is tasty, fresh and varied, and they do a delicious sticky toffee pudding on their dessert menu! Well worth a visit!
Very good treatment and very good dishes. Good place to meet friends!!!
Loved it! First time visiting. Very nicely decorated pub. Staff was very nice and smiley. We had a sharing platter as we wanted to try as much as we could. Very nice arrancini, just everything top notch. Rocket was nicely fresh, Thank you, Oli. Next time probably trying that burger which looked amazing!
Loved the lady behind the bar so welcoming and sick a smile on her face was a lovely place to stop with the other half for a drink and the sun set
Nice place, really friendly staff. They dealt with our big table nice and easy. Beer was good, food was ok, prices are reasonable.
Ordered fish and chips, and chocolate ice cream. Average quality I would say.
Very nice pub, we ate outside, I dont know what it was like inside but it looked good too, the food maybe a bit expensive, or maybe just standard British prices; Quite rich but without being crazy. The menu photo I upload is from Sunday, but they also have a menu for the entire week.
Lovely pub and atmosphere, landlady very friendly, celebrating our anniversary and they very kindly brought us 2 glasses of fizz on the house... how lovely
The table was clean and well presented, staff were friendly and accommodating. I was excited to find a vegan Sunday roast was available, but it came smothered in gravy, without a vegan yorkshire pudding. Disappointed to discover there were no vegan dessert options, not even a serving of Coop ice cream. The toilets were spotless and the waitress was patient whilst the bill was split between multiple parties. Happy to recommend, but options for vegans could be improved with a little effort.
Fined for using the car park next to the pub, when eating there. Unbelievable. Apparently the pub do not own the car park! But, weirdly, the staff do not check if youve arrived by car. A very expensive meal out, with a 60 quid ticket on top. Very unhappy!
Quite when I visited. Staff very friendly n professional...whilst I had had my 1 pint and chatting to friend I was asked if Id like some water as she knew I was driving, I excepted. Well done to that young lady .
Very friendly staff
Food quality and the price they charge doesn t match, I mean food wasn t too bad but with the price they are charging, you expect more. I am sure they menu has changed a bit, I don t Bly came back because long time ago I had one of the best steak and ale pie here. But can t see that anymore on the menu . It has gone from comfort rustics food to more high end fine dine. Chicken salad we had, a sole fillet with salad. No drinks. Over £30 bill
The food is good, the menu not extensive (ie focusing on quality), the eating area spacious and has good atmosphere. At the higher end of pricing for non-city centre location
Unexpected little gem. Brilliant food and great staff.
Drinks OK but rediculously expensive, had to point to the wine placard to explain what we wanted, and then card only, using the old corona excuse, well, money is still tender!
Very nice food. Service and staff very nice
Ill go back to the old spring, they have a great patio, cozy interior, and great food. No cash accepted but thats the norm for pubs. Sit outside, enjoy the air, and get a pint from their large selection of real ales.
Very friendly atmosphere, nice garden, polite and helpful staff :) Excellent burger with a homemade bread that was delicious! You can register your car for a free parking Highly recommended we will definitely visit again!
Place inside is decorated really nice, they have also comfortable terrace. Food was fine. I had Cezar salad witch was wealthy with chicken , but sticky toffee pudding didnt taste quit right. I think the caramel burned little longer than needed. Otherwise, service was very friendly.
Local restaurant
Quant residential neighborhood pub
Nothing like the old Old Spring
Lovely quaint pub with very good food. A little pricey, though....
The waitress was so unfriendly and just made fun of us, please spare yourself the experience and don t come here.
Modernized pub, now mostly a food pub.
Very nice pub, lovely atmosphere, welcoming and friendly staff. We had food: my partner Fish of the Day. I had the Steak. Both were well presented and yummy. A great place.
Great food, lovely environment, great service Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegan options Dietary restrictions: Plenty of gluten free food
Beer prices far too high compared with other Cambridge pubs.
Lovely evening out with family, lovely food! Thanks to the all the attentive staff.
A good restaurant with typical English cuisine.
Very nice food and decent selection of beers. I know that costs have increased on all fronts but this is probably Cambridges most expensive pub, so my visits may have to be rationed...
Really nice pub. Friendly people and staff. Great beer and wine selection.
Lovely gastro pub. Nice decor and atmosphere. Thw music wasnt too loud which is a plus. The pub is spacious and dog friendly. The Sunday roast was lovely (although the carrots and parsnips were a bit hard and didnt look honey roasted as the menu said). The nut roast was exceptionally good. The main menu looked a bit sparse, with only burgers and 3 mains. A vegetarian main would be nice to add and another meaty option that is not a £30 sirloin steak. The staff was lovely.
Great place, food and beer are all good. Service is really friendly and attentive. However beware London pricing. Some cask ales are over £6! Parking: Parking is free, but be really careful you register your car in the pub to avoid a £100 fine.
Terrible beer, couldnt drink the Landlords...on many visits... Gave up and went to the Carlton Arms for a very well kept pint. Ive seen the the landlord complaining about post Brexit austerity.. But TBH they do not make the extra effort that is required in a modern successful pub. Some people are suited to been a landlord and some/alot havnt a clue
Looked like a nice place to eat, however the beef was so tuff I used it to fix a hole in my daughters shoe.
Great food and service!
Very nice
Great Christmas meal!
Good service and food
Good soup, and chicken burger. Calm atmosphere.
Great pub, very clean Great menu, friendly and polite staff,
Very relaxed lunch. Good food
Great pub, lovely food.