Minster Tavern in East Cambridgeshire

Arriving at the location and having the cathedral insight makes you hopeful for a lovely experience, however entering the tavern you instantly notice a lack in atmosphere. Once seated the smell of urine starts to become noticeable however at this point you already feel as if you're past the point of leaving so begin to decide what to eat, with the menu looking promising. Due to having poor network within the location I had to order at the bar as the online ordering wouldn't work for me, this though wasn't too bad as the staff were friendly and helpful. As a collective my table order 3 x mix grills and one sauce and mash with a large Yorkshire putting along with a side of cheesy garlic break and some onion ring after a night of drinking leaving us rather hunger and wanting any food simply edible which most would think is a easy task. Once the food arrived though disappoint didn't take long to set in as the food was some of the worst food I have had the please of eating. The chicken was clearly frozen and dryer than the cardboard box it probably arrived in, all steaks where over cooked bland and clearly a cheap cut of meat even the simple things couldn't be done properly as the peas where undercooked. At this point you'd like to think all of that was the worse part however it's now time to talk about the sausage like seriously how can you call it a Cumberland sausage as you can properly find more pork within the veggie menu honestly disappointed would never go back as it a shame to go to such a lovely village and be let down by the simple things. Avoid avoid avoid

Nice pub near the Cathedral. Well worth a visit

Good local beer. Best pub steak I’ve had in a while (requested medium rare and it was properly pink - and hot - in the middle) although chips and sausage a bit lacklustre. Great friendly service.

big cozy vibes, epic sigma energy bartenders, 10/10 would get pegged again, super skibidi experience overall.

Best stonegate pub by far....fantastic team with an exceptional manager louise. Will definitely be visiting again

Staff Layla and Lou are very nice and welcoming and smiley, overall atmosphere of the pub is extremely homely and makes you forget all your worries and relax.

Had a few jars then wobbled into Ely cathedral to look at old stone work and dead dudes

After leaving the Ely Cathedral, we stopped here for some lunch. Checked about seating and was told we could just sit anywhere. We just needed to order at the bar (need table number) or through an app. Once ordered at the bar, you will pay right away. So you can eat and run when done. The young lady behind the bar was patient with my stupid questions as I have never had a ‘casket’ beer before [from across the Pond]. Our food order came to our table quickly and brought over the condiments without even being asked. I ended up getting Cumberland Sausage and Mash with my London Pride, Amber beer (casket - room temp). Just so you understand, the majority of pubs serve the beer at room temperature unlike the US which is chilled. It was really good and the mashed potatoes weren’t the instant kind you get in the States. * Be aware of these types of things when traveling as food prep will be different depending on the region/country. My son got 10 Wing BBQ Sauce and Spring Onion as an appetizer. They were crispy which is how I like them cooked and were great. He ended up getting the Cheese and Bacon Burger with waffle fries and onion rings to go with an Asahi beer (pint was £8?). He doesn't like or eat pickles, but the burger may have had it cooked in(?). He didn't eat half of it because of this. Not sure about that, but this is what he said.

Rude staff, lack of toilet facilities and basic dental hygiene

People are nice, but forgot our orders, so medium rare steak became medium well done. Not sure about the portion size. Desert is nice.

Only had a drink this visit but food was good on previous times

Small cramped and not the best vibe

The location is great for people visiting the cathedral, and though the place is understaffed, the one person doing everything is competent and kind. The food is mostly acceptable (though the Doritos are bizarrely stale) but unremarkable. It's aggravating that the restaurant is filled with big flat screens whose only job is to cycle through advertisements: I resent paying for a meal when I'm being forced to watch adverts for upcoming Netflix shows. Again, the food is inoffensive and the location great, so if you're on the way to the cathedral and need something immediately, you could do worse.

Great service but food is middle of the road.

Lovely food,quick service and friendly staff.10/10👌

Food and service excellent, other patrons very friendly

Good locals pub, unpretentious, friendly staff and nice beer

Great selection of ale all kept perfect what more could anyone ask

Great plats and good music, served with beer

Good atmosphere , great pints, and even better staff!!

The Minster Tavern is a fabulous, traditional pub with ceiling beams aplenty. It is nicely decorated and furnished in the traditional style and the “early doors” atmosphere was perfect. The service was also spot on and I congratulated the young barmaid for pulling a perfect pint and a half of lager, ie with proper heads (‘cos lots of bar staff fill lager glasses to the top - which makes it go flat!). Super pub.

Had a lovely time watching the football and having a few drinks

Emily is pretty cool - spicy sunset is good

Quite possibly the friendliest pub in Ely. The Minster is a very welcoming pub offering great entertainment such as weekly quizzes which are both fun and non-competitive, a great selection of readily available board games free for anyone to use and TVs showing all the great sporting events. Friends regularly meet here, it's not just for tourists, as it naturally offers a safe, friendly and professional place to its regulars. In my opinion, it's the staff that work here who make The Minster the fabulous pub it is. The landlady Louise, better known to all her regulars as Lou-Lou, professionally manages The Minster and I believe it's her dedication and kindness that maintains the friendliest, professional Team of staff. They work incredibly well together and are all a credit to Great.uk.pubs. oh and it delivers the best pub-grub in Town.

Great little pub next to the Cathedral

Omg what an event staff are amazing especially the manager lulu so fun bar staff on the day Sam so happy and upbeat, Emily so helpful with service courtesy and smiles galore. The atmosphere was great food was very tasty better than most pub grub. Table service during the match was an extra touch and a unexpected. Can not wait to enjoy the next match or visit which ever comes first x live you guys thank you for a great day

Excellent food chef is amazing! He definitely needs a raise, magnifique.👍🧑‍🍳

A great pub. Always busy and the food is not bad.

Went for breakfast today 12/6/2024. It was superb, tasty & cooked to perfection. (Well done Chris). Also had a fantastic Mocca coffee made by Steve. Fantastic value for money. Would highly recommend. Love this pub & all the staff.

Good pub nice food good location.

We took refuge in the Minster Tavern on Sunday. The atmosphere was pleasant and not too busy. The food was great and plentiful.

Six quid for a pint of zero alcohol Ghostship!!!!! More expensive than my standard pint. Thankfully, we are not staying here very long.

Just had a drink, sitting in garden.

Beautiful pub....nice staff.... Food was marvellous....

Good food. Warm & friendly atmosphere as always.

We were on a girls trip away from Southampton and we went in on Friday evening for a drink and asked if we could book a table to watch championship playoffs which they did. We went back in on Sunday to watch the game and the atmosphere was brilliant Lou Lou the landlady was so attentive an made sure all our needs were met. Would recommend if you are in Ely

Atmosphere is good, but prices are now actually REALLY expensive! I have been here quite a lot recently but prices have just gone up and £7.50 for 125ml of wine is not funny, especially when I could have bought the whole bottle of exactly the same wine for the same at Sainsbury's. Beware these stealthy price rises everyone.

Great value for money food, good choice of drinks available. Good service.

What has happened I love the minster. Used it for years. But tonight 12/4/24. My meal chicken tikka tasted ok but presentation terrible. Naan bread and popadom thrown into dish with tikka. Rendered it swimming. Couldn’t eat other than with fork or get hands covered in tikka sauce. Naan heated in microwave turning it hard and impossible to eat. Very disappointing. Bar staff amazing ad usual. But kitchen chef and staff need to think again

A great little pub in Ely. We had a very tasty pub meal at a reasonable price. Great staff and excellent service 👏.

Nice English pub with interesting different food choices (the cheesy mushroom starter was a delicious surprise) and friendly staff. Extra point for bringing the allergies menu to make sure we were ordering safe dishes.

Really welcoming pub, you could tell the majority of people in there were locals but they made us feel very welcome. Good choice of drinks, lovely old feeling to the pub and prices very reasonable. Would definitely recommend a visit.

As per last rugby night great atmosphere didnt eat but what i saw food was good.fantastic rugby crowd.

Sucked ran out of half their stock and price for a pint absolutely shocking may be outside of Cambridge but even they ain't raising the prices to your standards.

Passed several times but never ventured in. Excellent local pub with good choice of ales. Although not busy, had nice comfortable feel. Decided we liked the menu on offer and enjoyed. Friendly atmosphere and enjoyed listening/speaking to locals.

Friendly place and food good Could do with more veggie options

Had an amazing Sunday afternoon at The Minster on Mothers Day (without kids). Our meal was great, the drinks were great and Louise and the team (Jayden and Beth) were amazing, so happy and friendly. Couldn’t recommend more for a day at the pub.

Had an amazing Sunday afternoon at The Minster on Mothers Day (without kids). Our meal was great, the drinks were great and Louise and the team (Jayden and Beth) were amazing, so happy and friendly. Couldn’t recommend more for a day at the pub.

We arrived in a group at 3pm on a Sunday. We were not made to feel welcome and the landlady told us that if we were only having a drink we could not sit down, because that would be a waste of tables... Luckily we ignored her and had a pleasant time!

Great classic English pub. Dog friendly is a plus.

They refused to service me with no reason. The worst management ever.

Amazing food, amazing atmosphere! Lulu served us and she was amazing her cocktails were so good and she was really knowledgeable about the drinks that were on offer! 10/10 recommend going here! Will be back very soon.

Had a really nice time! Proper British pub with the nicest manager Lulu she was so nice and made us feel so welcome!

Smashed avocado on toast = 25 minute wait for 5 bits of avocado on a stale inedible par baked roll. Extra bacon, extra dry. Nothing like it was described on the menu. A real shame.

Visited whilst in Ely for a Morris event. Nice pub, good food and well kept beer. Thanks!

WORST Sunday Lunch we've ever had

Just an alright pub with meh food

Great place enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Beer wasn't bad neither.

Time for a pint What a great place to go, very accommodating and a brilliant pint. May need to be back again really soon. Much better than the other pubs around this area

Visited this pub a few times this year & food always served quickly & meals good. Staff efficient & friendly. .

Great selection of ales and other beverages. Food smelt amazing although we didn't eat here. Warm cosy environment, perfect on a winters day.

Best quiz in the area! Fabulous staff and wonderful pub grub!

Probably one of the cheaper pubs in ely with a great atmosphere and even better staff.

Very busy pub, efficient bar staff, good competative prices. Brilliant.

Great food, nice atmosphere, superb staff. Had the triple Sunday roast and it was excellent! The staff was very helpful and nice. Normal prices I'd say.

Beautiful pub with good food and great overall atmosphere. We got seated and served right away. I'd suggest the Sunday roast over the burger but both dishes were really tasty.

Fantastic pub, great atmosphere supported by a wonderful range of beers.

Lunch last Thursday was good. Thankfully we had booked beforehand, as the pub was heaving! (Cathedral Christmas Fair). Was impressed with the lady who was managing things at the entrance... she worked her socks off! Well done to the staff. All the ones we met did a good job under pressure.

Working in the area at the Ely Cathedral Christmas Food and Gift event, the staff were more than accommodating when I had to make an emergency journey due to losing a set of keys, this pushed me behind on my booked dinner time but when I arrived there was a small table waiting for me. Food was hot, tasty and superb value. Selection of drinks is great. Atmosphere perfect. I can't think of a bad thing to say about it! I will be back next year if not sooner if I am in the area!

The wait for food at lunch today was not acceptable -45 mins We ordered a pie & a chicken salad. Management, please look at the chicken salad - it’s really awful & sad to serve something like that & charge £11- truly shocking! Is there even a chef in the house? I don’t like leaving bad reviews but this tops it. Credit does go to front of house manager - she was great & worked really hard- thank you for giving us a table. Pie was acceptable.

Due to Christmas fayre they were super busy, but did an amazing job. Lovely staff and food.

Visited for lunch after doing the Craft Fair Excellent Fish & Chips

Good food at a fair price! Traditional style pub that's great for sport.

Good pub grub at reasonable prices.

Dog friendly. Great staff. Fantastic food - you won't leave hungry!

Service was absolutely awful the staff We're so rude It was very unclean The toilets smelt like a sewer when telling the staff they thought it was funny We had a full drink still in our glass and left as we were made to feel so uncomfortable In response to your reply!! I have only ever been into your pub a few times and never spoken to any of your staff other than to order a drink They have absolutely no people skills at all I feel you may have me mixed up with someone else I actually mentioned the toilets as soon as I walked in to the young girl behind the bar not infront of anyone! With regards to the glass if you remember we left our drinks on your bar you don't need to tell me I'm not welcome back in your establishment it's an absolute disgrace and so disappointing that such a lovely pub is run by absolutely vile people

After a very soggy days shopping in Ely my friend Susan and I decided it was time for a warm up and something to eat. We saw the Minster tavern at the end of the street and decided to give it a go. The staff were brilliant and we had a laugh with them as we ordered Sunday roast. It was quite cold and wet out and I had not come best equipped but I had bought a lovely pink “Snug jugs “ jumper from a charity shop and once I had been to the little girls room, which was spotless, and changed our meals were ready and were delicious. I had the roast pork and it was superb. Will definitely return next time I’m in Ely. Denise xx

Mut up with friends for a walk along the river and around Ely. Looking for somewhere for a spot of lunch we tried the Minster Tavern. To be honest the menu looked a bit 'cheap n cheerful' but actually we were pleasantly surprised by how nice the food was and what good value. For a mid week lunchtime the pub was busy with most people eating. The service was good and we will definitely visit again!

Mediocre pub. Nice if you want a traditional pub experience, but everything was fine. Nothing wrong, just nothing fantastic.

Loved the food. I had half a duck. Eyes bigger than belly. Couldn't eat it all. Amazing value though. 😀

Fantastic service and atmosphere

Dog friendly, great food and lovely venue. Just the sort of pub we were looking for.

Nice place, staff customer care not so good

Only rated this high because of the staff. But stay away from the food here its all microwaveable/low quality food. When my meal came out it smelt bad and i wasn't able to finish it the other two meals weren't much better. Plus the ale that was poured first was very flat and tasted off.

Siamo ad Ely x visitare la bella Cattedrale e, all'uscita, ci fermiamo in questo pub, attratti dalla bellissima insegna all'esterno. Il locale, all'interno, presenta il solito layout del pub inglese: banco ricurvo con diversi distributori di birre, sia locali che estere. Ordiniamo un burger di manzo con patatine, lattuga, cheddar e salsine: il burger non è male, ma rientra, per i ns gusti, nella media. La birra ambrata che ho preso io non era particolarmente gustosa e piena, ma è il sapore che molte birre inglesi hanno (devo confessare che preferisco le birre doppio e triplo malto belghe, quelle tedesche ed alcune di quelle irlandesi), mentre mia moglie sceglie una Moretti..... Paghiamo una trentina di pounds, che ci stanno per il posto. In sostanza, un buon pub: per me, però, non all'altezza di altri che ho provato nell'area di Cambridge.

Went with a group of work friends for an occasion and we had to pre order as it was a large table. I selected the chicken pie, and when it arrived it was chicken and chorizo, which I felt was odd flavouring and not something I would have ordered if I knew this upfront. The mash was gloopy and chewy, and unfortunately it just is not a meal I would recommend to others. Such a shame as I think everyone else enjoyed their meal but I didn’t eat any of mine. Waste of money ☹️

Stopped in for a pint with family. Good atmosphere, it feels very cozy, bar staff were kind.

We stopped here for Breakfast. This is a lovely cosy pub with a traditional feel and we received a warm friendly welcome. We had 2 breakfasts and coffees. The food was excellent freshly cooked, hot and very good portions all for just over £15. Great value and looking at the menu all food is very well priced. Highly recommend we will definitely return.

Ordered a pint of Swallow Dive which when poured tasted awful, I was told it was the bottom of the barrel so selected Session IPA as an alternative. This was poured & remained cloudy & the head was none existent…. flat as anything. Explained to the bar staff that I was concerned about the appearance of the pint & didn’t want an upset stomach. She smelled it & said it was fine. I asked for a refund but was refused. Dreadful pints & dreadful customer service.

Visitors to tje area, saw this pub and called in for lunch. Food seemed reasonably priced for a fairly typical pub menu. I had sausage and mash - frankly I would have preferred fewer sausages of better quality (as I get at my local!)

A good all round experience, nothing fancy but good simple food

Best pub in Ely. Good beer, good vibes, good food, good price, good friends.

Nice little Pub in Ely Town centre

Absolutely wonderful pub, great beer, even better staff. Add to that very good inexpensive meals.

Food was great, service was terrible, we was not told where the cutlery or condiments were, food was delivered without speaking to us, when we tried to order a sweet we was told the kitchen was close at 19.50 when the website says food served until 21.00 the two young guys behind the bar were great, also I ordered Hunters chicken and you get 7 chips

Nice old style building, delicious food, great ambience, good prices.

Great ambience, old style builing, delicious roast. We had the beef and the turkey. Good prices. Nice staff.

I had a lovely roast turkey dinner, my husband had roast pork lion it was lovely food served with vegetables, could have made the portion sizes a little bigger if I'm honest but even so really nice food.

Traditional breakfast, cooked well and nicely presented. If you’d only spent a few pence more on a decent sausage I stead of a cheap, bland brand it would have been close to perfect!

I went off this place years ago and would not have gone back except I was meeting a friend. I was surprised it is a lot better than it used to be. I had a decent pint well kept and I liked the atmosphere