"on The Lawn" Alfresco Dining in Cambridge

Grubby plastic marque. Drinks took ages to come out, cocktails were underwhelming, small menu (which is fine, but they didn't have everything on it). Starters came out but olives and nuts we ordered didn't come - eventually (when everyone had finished their starters), a grubby bowl of olives came out but they had no nuts! Wine was expensive for what it was. Mains dribbled out, rather than all coming together, rare steak wasn't rare, food wasn't particularly hot. Tiny risotto. We had pudding and a couple of us ordered what we were told was homemade Bailey's ice cream with a chocolate fondant - it turned out to be bay leaf ice cream, which didn't go particularly well! Had some more underwhelming and overpriced cocktails in the bar. Woke up this morning feeling hard done by and then read a text from one of our party asking if I thought we should complain. Really disappointing and certainly not what you'd expect from an upmarket central Cambridge hotel. Won't be heading back.

We pre booked for Friday of Jubilee weekend. The place was nicely decorated and there were lots of tables set up with clothes etc. However we were not allowed to sit at one of these tables as they were set up for afternoon. We were shown to a ‘miserable’ table with no proper table setting. We chose another table and they set it up with the basics. After choosing from the menu we were told certain food was not available ! The waiter did not know the menu so could not answer some of our questions regarding ingredients. We finally ordered food and drink. Our drinks came but there was no sign of our starters. After 45 mins my husband was ready to complain but at the same time the supervisor arrived to tell us that one of our mains was not available! We were somewhat speechless and decided to leave without having been served anything except our drinks. At this time we noticed that a large group that had arrived after us were already eating. A very disappointing experience, poor service and we definitely cannot recommend. A friend recently told me of similar poor service having made a booking.

Firstly this afternoon tea could have been anywhere. We didn’t book this to be then sat in the garden in a tent on garden chairs. Staff lacked service and attention, had to ask for our drink twice, then one came incorrect. Our booking was 14.45 and had to wait nearly half an hour for the food. Selection of sandwiches (3) pretty poor - egg mayo, cheese and salmon. Sausage roll was nice. For the money I’m surprised we were not asked if we wanted more, cakes were ok but waiter walked off without explaining what they were. I called him back he didn’t know, one was lemon and my friend is allergic so good job I checked first. All in all this wasn’t really an afternoon tea more like a mediocre picnic in a tent and didn’t feel like what an afternoon tea should. Friend should have been advised when booking this wasn’t going to be in the hotel itself and we would have likely gone elsewhere. Needs mass improvement. Shame as the website really sells it well. Won’t be returning.

Great service. Very attentive waiters. However, I can’t help feel that the food was underwhelming. Especially the vegetarian choice, which one of us had, lacked taste. Plate was full of charred leek with slightly random and tasteless Asian dumplings and a bland tomato/chili (?) dipping sauce. Similarly the starter was a bit of asparagus witch a slightly gloopy and bland duck egg. 55GBP for that seemed quite overpriced. Another thing was that we received a ‘greeting from the kitchen’ at the beginning, which was a bit of steak tartar, but nobody had asked us whether or not we were vegetarians – which one of us was. Overall, it was a relaxing dinner, but given the quality of the food I would not come back. Paid 150GBP for 2x starter and main and a glass of wine each.

While the food was good, it was not good value at all. The ambience was poor with staff emptying boxes of new glasses, people using nearby tables for what looked like business meeting break out tasks and general traffic of staff preparing another room for an evening event. Very disappointing way to celebrate a birthday.

This review is only in respect of Afternoon Tea at the Gonville Hotel, in their ‘on the lawn’ restaurant. I know the hotel well, so I’m familiar with their consistent and upmarket approach. The hotel is well situated and in very good condition with great services, so the 3/5 score isn’t reflective of the hotel. Setting: The restaurant on the lawn tent is looking very tired, weathered and the carpet floor stained and mud trodden. The food: The sandwiches were very disappointing and to be served 3 small slithers each wasn’t as expected. The savoury sausage roll was delicious. The accompanying ham and olive ‘French Travellers Cake’ had no taste at all. The course of sweet treats had a mixed review, but a highlight of the experience which is saying something. To also be served tea bag tea instead of fresh leaf tea is cheap. Booking: I’d put down on the booking that it was a celebration. Nothing was mentioned by the staff. Not that I was hoping for anything extra, but compared to when I went to Parker’s Tavern in Cambridge for a celebratory afternoon tea, they couldn’t do enough for us… Staff & Knowledge: Friendly enough but when the waitress couldn’t tell us anything about the different teas on the menu, I could tell attention to detail just wasn’t considered. The restaurant manager did offer some knowledge but again our first impressions weren’t great. Price: For what we got, it’s fair. £26pp with a £20 deposit paid upfront online. The bill however was £1.20 more than advertised. Not that it’s a problem as it was still well priced. I feel if they charged a little more, provided better ingredients and a slicker experience and atmosphere, people would flock. For now, I’d go back to the other restaurant I mentioned earlier.

Wasn't sure that dining outside toward the end of September was going to be a good idea, but I needn't of worried. The marquee provided an awesome setting, and was plenty warm enough even late into the night. The menu was great, as were the cocktails - a splendid evening!

We have previously enjoyed the Gonville and their high standards for food and service. Our visit recently was a huge disappointment. The service was immensely slow and inept. We had booked the Michelin starred restaurant for a very special birthday lunch. We were escorted by the doorman to the Terrace restaurant which was empty. Hmmm. We then had to find some one else to ask about our reservations and were shown outside to their dining space which was pleasant and beautiful but the menu was far from a Michelin starred meal. We queried this with the staff who said they never serve lunch in the Terrace restaurant. We had to ask ourselves why then could we make a reservation online, and why did the doorman take us to the restaurant that doesn't open for lunch? After some rather uncomfortable conversations with managers we were given an apology and our food bill for our special lunch would be complimentary which was very kind. Sadly the service was so slow and unprofessional we almost left. We would order drinks to go with our food to only have it arrive a half hour later after the food arrived which was about half an hour after ordering. The Gonville was basically empty, far from being remotely called busy. Our coffees arrived with coffee spilled everywhere on the saucers, and we had to ask for our bill two times. We finally received it and paid. We got up and left 10 to 15 minutes later to have a different staff member flag us down saying you have an open bar bill while the staff member who took our payment stood next this Manager. Now if this was my local busy pub this all would be rather pathetic but for a 5 star establishment it is unacceptable. Something has gone wrong at the Gonville and we hope they rectify is sharpish.

I’ve visited the Gonville “on the lawn” dining a few times now with various different groups of friends and family, initially due to the fantastic location near the centre of Cambridge and the lovely atmosphere in the garden. It’s been an ideal outside space to meet, especially important in COVID times where alfresco dining has been safer. The large tent in the garden is a great space that is the ideal halfway between outside and in. The food has been good each time I’ve visited - nothing too impressive but tasty and with good presentation. Some of the pricing is a little all over the place such as £22 for fish of the day with vegetables and new potatoes, somehow not far behind the grilled half lobster for £24. Yet, there are various wrap and salad options that are a lot less expensive and well priced for a decent portion size. The range of choice on offer is great, especially for friends and family that don’t want as much to eat. Whilst the service is generally good and friendly, there have been certain visits where it has let down the experience. More often than not the service is slow, which for most of the time isn’t a problem given the lovely setting but can be frustrating when you’re wanting to order/pay the bill. On the Lawn has flexible opening hours and is open for lunch most days, unlike other restaurants in Cambridge that might not be open on a Monday or Tuesday. Overall, the Gonville is a very good choice, it just might not be the perfect choice.

I visited for lunch with my toddler and partner. My toddler has multiple allergies( wheat, dairy, beef to name a few) and I asked our server if the chips were gluten free. The server said he’d ask the kitchen and let me know. He came back and said he didn’t know and asked if We were ready to order we said we needed a minute. We then had another server ask if we’d like a drink so I again asked for some allergy information about the chips and explained about my sons allergies. He came back with a children’s menu to look at and then left. A third server came and asked if I’d like to order anything so I explained again about allergies. I asked if the children’s fish dish was free from what I needed and he said he’d check. He didn’t return until he came back with the meals. The child’s had no chips but he wasn’t sure what the fish was cooked in when I asked. I wasn’t very confident that they would be free from what we needed and some of my sons reactions are severe. Our adult meals were delicious but the lack of help with allergies was a real disappointment and would make me unlikely to return with my son which is a shame.

I visited with 2 friends and we had a lovely evening. Service was good and staff were attentive. Lovely setting. Food average but not by any means bad. Would recommend

Despite a lovely environment the food here is below par. Undercooked vegetarian dishes. Anaemic chips. Shop bought deserts. Unfriendly for children. It's worth having one cocktail in the garden perhaps but there are plenty of better eateries in Cambridge.

Had a very nice meal for my birthday with daughter and grandchildren. Service was very good staff attentive and setting lovely we didn’t wait long for our meals which were very tasty.

When shown to our table it was not ready for guests even though booked in advance. We waited for 20 minutes until finally someone came to take a food order, they seemed to have forgotten about taking a drinks order first, therefore we waited 30 minutes before we had a drink served. Our main course arrived before our starter had been cleared, meaning we had to clear our own table to allow space for the main dish to be placed. Poor presentation of starters and main courses, with the lobster being over cooked and chewy. Sadly the high expectation of this dining experience was not met, the restaurant greeting and service was very poor, food lacked taste and presentation. We will not be returning or recommending.

We arrived at 12.30 as booked. There were approximately 8 other people dining. After 20 minutes we asked for menus.....after another 15 minutes our orders were taken....the food took a further 30 minutes to arrive. Best described as bland, my steak was over cooked, over sauced and indifferent. Lunch took 2 hours - main courses only. Excellent young staff, poorly managed and a very bad kitchen. Over priced, over rated.

First time visiting since the restaurant was back under the management of the hotel (as opposed to Cotto). Starters were padded out with a LOT of iceberg lettuce - the rest was tasteless. Shared a main of steak which we had to send back because...

The restaurant is not at the hotel, but you wont know that until you get there. Nobody to greet you on arrival. Table not reserved, despite on line booking. Long wait for drinks. Club sandwich soggy, chicken non existent, salad drenched in dressing. Brownies, very...

We went for dinner as a group of 6. All orders are done through an app, meaning no interaction with the staff and a very disjointed service. Pre dinner Drinks were very slow to arrive and will arrive at different times unless 1 person orders...

Do not bother to reserve for dinner . I guess they do double reservations and if nobody cancels than with no excuse they call and say “ sorry no table “ They can easily ruin your night . We reserved a table for part of...

What a disappointing experience , I was looking forward to this lunchtime meal . However to begin with there seemed to be little choice of alcohol free lagers . The only drink on offer was Erdinger which is actually like a dark beer . Even...

The following sent to the Gonville on May 6th, no reply. Feedback. Dinner on the terrace yesterday evening May 5th. Heater above table wasn’t working. Our request to get it working met with a shrug and were told “it’s broken”. Option of bin end wine...

In the garden outside dining looked absolutely beautiful but as visitors to Cambridge to start with we couldn't find the right entrance. The sign just said to go the Gresham Road entrance with no directions. Once we stumbled upon the garden, there was no one...

Fully appreciate that it was their first time reopening after lockdown but there was a wait of 45 minutes for our first drinks order. The food was ok for the price, service again let it down with the starter being served with the main until...