Parker's Tavern

4.2

2370 Reviews

£26 to £40

British

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 24, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 15 times today

Experiences are available.

Good for special occasions
Charming
Great for fine wines

A restaurant and bar located within the new University Arms hotel on Parker’s Piece, Cambridge.
Parker’s Tavern serves modern British comfort food sourced from field, fen and England’s seas.
The menu changes with the seasons, every dish representing a return to good, unpretentious British cooking, conjured by a spectacular chef.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
British
Hours of operation
Afternoon Tea Daily 12:00 pm–5:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00 pm–2:45 pm Sat 12:30 pm–2:45 pm Sun 12:30 pm–3:45 pm Dinner Mon–Fri 5:30 pm–9:30 pm Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
01223 606266
Website
http://www.parkerstavern.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Private party facilities
A private event at Parker’s Tavern combines the gravitas of an historic Cambridge institution re-designed by the Queen’s architect, John Simpson, with a modern lightness of touch by Swedish-born interior designer, Martin Brudnizki.

Location
Regent Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 1AD
Neighborhood
Cambridge
Parking details
None
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Gift card

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Experiences

Private Christmas Lunch
£159.00 per person
Dec 25, 2024 only
Enjoy Parker's festive private party 5-course menu for £159 per person, highlighting our chef's festive flair in the University Arms Ballroom. (Please note, a full-pre payment is required)
Boxing Day Brunch
£65.00 per person
Dec 26, 2024 only
Room for more? Continue the festive feasting with a leisurely 3-course Boxing Day Brunch at Parker’s Tavern. Gather with loved ones and take your pick from a selection of dishes, from baked duck egg shakshuka, Bloody Mary salad, dry-aged roast beef & bone gravy, Suffolk ham with honey, clove & orange glaze, to finish with croissant bread & butter pudding or a rhubarb crumble & custard choux. The choice is yours. £65 per person. Complimentary glass of English sparkling wine per person. Children up to 12 year’s old will receive our children’s menu, priced per item.
New Year's Eve Gala Party 2024
£65.00 per person
Dec 31, 2024 only
Ring in the New Year at University Arms with an evening of elegance with our Gala party. Dance the evening away and toast to new beginnings with Giulia and The Lizards Trio in our ballroom, singing everything from Pop, Rock to Soul, Motown and Jazz. Doors open at 11pm. A full prepayment of £65 per person is required.

Popular dishes

What 2,370 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2

4.2 based on recent ratings

4.3Food
4.2Service
4.4Ambience
3.9Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Cambridge/Cambridgeshire
Good for business meals
Cambridge/Cambridgeshire
Great for creative cocktails
Cambridge/Cambridgeshire
Great for fine wines
Cambridge/Cambridgeshire
Romantic
Cambridge/Cambridgeshire
Good for special occasions
Cambridge/Cambridgeshire
Most Booked
Cambridge
Best Overall
Cambridge
Best Ambiance
Cambridge
Best Value
Cambridge
Good for business meals
Cambridge
Great for creative cocktails
Cambridge
Hot spot
Cambridge
Great for fine wines
Cambridge
Romantic
Cambridge
Good for special occasions
Cambridge
Lively
Cambridge
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Parker's Tavern offers a "beautiful setting" with a "fantastic ambience" and "delicious food." Guests rave about the attentive service and "lovely dining experience," while signature dishes like the pies and Sunday roast receive high praise. Some reviews note "slow service" and occasional food temperature issues, but overall, it's a "wonderful" place for special occasions.

2,371 Reviews

L
Lee
Liverpool
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Service was ok, if a little slow. Portion size was shocking. I had trout to start, but there was minimal trout. I had duck for the main course, nice but, when I commented to the the waiter that there was hardly any duck, he commented ‘the duck is scarce’. He was right.
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S
Susannah
VIP
London
3 reviews
2.0
3 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
Normally a fan of this place, but they were understaffed and no one appeared to be in charge. Left waiting by the door for ages, so we went and found a table in the bar. Drinks took more than 20 minutes to arrive. Waited patiently to be seated at our table - ignored by most of the staff who didn’t even do the ‘some one will be with you in a minute’ thing - they just hurried past. Glasses for water turned up. Had to repeatedly ask for the water to go in them! Very limited vegetarian options. Food was good when it finally arrived. The servers were pleasant but the lack of staff was painfully obvious - not their fault. For the price you pay here, you expect seamless service. That was not our experience at all.
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L
Leanne
Cambridge
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Service was reasonably ok, we were offered water for the table but failed to offer tap water so £7 a bottle was very steep! Our Prosecco was not cold so had to wait an age for it to chill down in the ice bucket! The steak for the sharing board was almost blue, medium was asked for. completely bewildered that there was no draft beer in an establishment such as this £8.50 per bottle of beer was extortionate will not be returning
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N
Nick
Cambridge
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Reviewed on trip advisor. Overpriced and average. Left feeling let down
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a
anthony
Cambridge
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Turkey was tasteless and came in 3 round prices,certainly not carved off a joint. Stuffing was tasteless.Our sons Venison meal was a small portion, more like a starter than a main meal.Cannot understand why bottles of rose wine are so expensive.
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C
Candy
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
First time visiting Parker’s Tavern and we’ll definitely be back. The food was cooked exquisitely and was incredibly flavoursome. The staff were attentive and friendly and there was a lively atmosphere but with no impact on the acoustics. A jazz band in the bar topped off what was a wonderful evening.
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S
Sunil
London
58 reviews
5.0
58 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
This was a special event in the Library part of the bar/restaurant which was decorated for Xmas with wreaths in the window & white tablecloths 🎄 This was the restaurant hosting Cong Cong Bo (Amphora) for her "Festive Wines for Christmas" event..........hoping they allow her to host events etc regularly ☺️ The space is not musty or dusty for a library BUT it was too dark to really see the wines. Also, when the door opens to the bar, the noise invades the space and makes it hard to hear the speaker..........I was nearest the door too 😞 The restaurant confirmed they could accommodate my dietary requirements well in advance for the canapé pairing; highlights were the tiddly venison cottage pie, the cod cheek 😋 & the BLUE cheese I was shocked I almost liked 🤯 Obv the wines were excellent, wouldn't expect anything less of Cong!!
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A
Anatolii
Cambridge
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
I was visiting Christmas wine tasting in the Parker's Tavern. I really liked wines selected by Cong Cong Bo and all wines were presented very knowledgeable and in joyful way. The Library is absolutely great place to have such tastings, and I would like to see them there more often. Nibble presented with the wine were pretty good and paired nice with the wine However, booking system is a pain and how it is possible to not be able to take payments online? I also stayed in the main bar for another drink, but half of the menu of signature cocktail were unavailable. I tried one cocktail which was available, and it was very, very average. I hope wine which were presented today will be available on the wine list soon.
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A
Andy
Cambridge
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Absolutely awful!!!! I took our management team out for a Christmas 'treat' and felt nothing but embarrassment inflicted by the experience! My wife joined us slightly later and as we know historically the unnecessary delay there ALWAYS is in delivery of drinks I ordered her a cocktail as she got into her taxi in Horningsea. My wife travelled in the rush our joined us and the drink finally arrived for her 20 minutes after her arrival!!!??? The food was shocking, cottage pie did not describe the solid patty that was delivered up!!!! The staff were embarrassed by the offering and a discount was offered but you know what this is not what we wanted. Is it beyond the realms of possibility that a well presented tasty meal and efficient service could be expected particularly given the promotion of the venue rather than the money grabbing experience we encountered??? Why should these people over-sell and over stretch what can reasonably be delivered in favour of the money grab which is obviously the main priority of the management!!?? Avoid or go at your peril Andy
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S
Simon
Cambridge
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on December 16, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
Adequate but unexciting food and phenomenally slow (though perfectly amiable) service.
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FAQs

Parker's Tavern is rated 4.2 stars by 2370 OpenTable diners.

Parker's Tavern does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.