Square & Compasses in South Cambridgeshire

Nice meal and suroundings. Friendly landlord(?).Quiet as we were the only people dining. However, we liked it enough to return

Excellent service, friendly staff, great food and atmosphere.

We chose the Square and Compasses as a gathering spot after my mother's funeral in Great Shelford. We met with Hans and Justine beforehand, and they did a fantastic job providing sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee for the wake, at a very reasonable price. Through the whole process they were incredibly kind and efficient. The entire family and friends group (around fifty people) were very grateful to be so warmly welcomed and taken care of at a very emotionally difficult time. We'll definitely stop in when we're next back in the area.

We chose the Square and Compasses as a gathering spot after my mother's funeral in Great Shelford. We met with Hans and Justine beforehand, and they did a fantastic job providing sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee for the wake, at a very reasonable price. Through the whole process they were incredibly kind and efficient. The entire family and friends group (around fifty people) were very grateful to be so warmly welcomed and taken care of at a very emotionally difficult time. We'll definitely stop in when we're next back in the area.

Recommended pub selling traditional,quality food, good service,plenty of seating inside and out

Lovely steak and warm and friendly service. Back next week Today a very warm Friday an excellent Haddock and chips lunch with the fish cooked perfectly. Beer and wine usual high standard with some interesting and engaging fellow diners. Well done Hans and Justine.

On arrival, I was greeted by the owner/manager. I’m guessing of the pub. I advised him that we had a table booked and gave our name; there was no hello or anything . His first instant reply, yes, booked for 10 minutes ago, meaning we were actually 10 minutes late, which we weren't, because we were getting a pram and young children out of the car, which takes time. Even so, surly, you allow 10 minutes with traffic, etc, and greet your customers with a warm welcome. The food was nice nothing special, but quite expensive. We needed to pay individual bills because of a big party, which I didn’t think was too much of a drama because we explained that as soon as we walked in the door! The gentleman behind the bar was rude once again when sorting out the bills; he was rude and aggressive because my bill didn’t add up. When questioning, I found there was extra ice cream that was not mine, and then when I asked for an itemised bill to check prices , he didn’t like it, stating you can’t have one, but soon materialised when I got the menu to check prices. He said he had taken the ice cream off but he hadn't, hence why he wasn't wanting me to have an itemised bill and was happy for me to pay for someone else. He didn’t care who’s it was along as it was paid for, which was me! So when I caught him out, he was so rude. He had what I would call a paddy, like a child. He slammed the till in my face and stormed off. We were a party of 10 and spent a lot of money. I can't believe you are in that sort of job when you can't be pleasant! We won’t be returning. No need for utter rudeness.

Bit nervous about this review as it is such a brilliant little pub, that when the secret gets out we may not be able to get a table in the future. Been so many times and not found a single fault.

Very warm welcome and lovely food and beer. Definitely recommend.

Had a very enjoyable evening meal here. Good food and reasonable price.

We were a big group with a toddler and a dog and a whole load of different dietary needs. Well catered for on a quiet Saturday with friendly service. Even boxed up the toddler's meal for us when we left. Very very good home made desserts, especially the cherry crumble tart.

We werden ontzettend gastvrij ontvangen in deze typisch Engelse pub. We hebben super lekker gegeten voor een nette prijs. Een echte aanrader!

I stopped randomly while on my way into Cambridge. Got chatting to folk as I was leaving and ended up staying a lot longer! Lovely vibe Quiet location

We ate here twice whilst staying in Shelford for a few days. The good food and friendly staff made that a great experience.

friendly staff and good service. nice quiet location especially for a casual beer at the front. food is ok but definitely not a gastro pub 😅

I was disappointed that in a year of my last review, which was 5, has dropped to this, arrived at the bar, and was told fully booked for lunch when there were at least half the tables not made for customers . Beer was OK the chap behind the bar . Maybe look for another job.

Visited Saturday lunch as a family. It was our first visit and we received a friendly, attentive and relaxing service. The quality of food was really good and excellent value for money, we will definitely return soon, thank you!

A splendid welcoming pub with amazing food.

Such a lovely friendly pub and allows dogs! We were so lucky to find this place, a little off the main road. We stopped with the dogs for dinner. The food was fantastic all cooked fresh to order. The staff were very welcoming and helpful. I’m sure we’ll be back.

I have had lunch at The Square and Compasses once a week for a long time now. Great pub. Friendly host. Several beers always kept well. Menu uses fresh ingredients and is well-priced. I lunch with another, and we always look forward to being there. Warm thanks to all the staff for all your kindness and hard work. Mark D. Cambridge

Fabulous food. Lovely atmosphere.

Good pub for food and drink. Owner was friendly and professional and accomadated our party of 13 with a smile.

Father in law loves the cooked ham here. He was dreaming about it the night before!

Nice friendly atmosphere with home cooked food and good service. I had a venison in a pie ( sadly I missed out on the beef bourguinon I fancied!) - excellent with lovely pastry. Good beer, good wine and good food at very reasonable prices. What's not to like!!

Went for a lovely relaxing Friday night meal (having tried to book for lunch earlier in the week and it was fully booked !) Food was good pub fare and beer and wine choices were good too. We will be back !

A lovely village pub serving really good food 😋. The portions are very nicely sized being neither spartan nor unrealistically big. When it says your meal comes with salad you actually get a decent amount on your plate and made up with a tasty variety of leaves etc. Definitely be coming back here again ☺️

1st time back to Square after it changed hands. Really good food and Tribute on tap. We'll be back.

Amazing food - each of the dishes we ordered was delicious! My beef was so tender. Service was excellent. The only slight downside was the noise of people talking between tables in the front bar area as the lack of carpet doesn't dampen it as much. That said, our cosy corner was lovely and we will definitely be back 🙂

Excellent traditional pub lunch in a friendly local pub. Nice to see the Square back to its former busy self with lovely food, large menu ranging from sandwiches, jacket potatoes to the usual burgers, scampi etc. and lots more. Will visit again.

Can't share really. Place was shut. Must have made their money over the holidays. I shan't bother again.

Hubby and I thought we would have a New Year's Eve treat,lunch out and WHAT A TREAT! Cosy surroundings,warmest of welcomes from landlord and bar staff. Great value for money Sunday menu,service was professional but personal. Perfect size portions meant we enjoyed a leisurely 3 courses,washed down by a nice Thatchers Dry and a delicious Malbec. Starters were duck spring rolls and lamb samosas,mmm not too much,just right. Roast beef and roast pork,everything simply and well cooked.Perfect melt in the mouth pork crackling and tasty extra gravy too. Desserts were a triumph,After Eight cheesecake and Strawberry Cream Tea(sponge,mousse,jelly,cream and scone creation mmm!. A decent Americano rounded off a FLAWLESS meal. Without a doubt we will recommend to all and return. Experience in the trade really did show and highest compliments to the chef(landlady).

What a warm welcome, cosy little table tucked away from the Bar, excellent friendly and polite service from all the staff. Food was well presented, hot and tasty. Desserts were absolutely lovely, not your usual bought in bulk buy stuff, we had three between us and they were all delicious (lemon baked cheesecake meringue just wow!) Thank you for a lovely evening and at a very reasonable price

That bloke Sebastian knows how to clean the dishes 100% can guarantee my left elbow on that. Great location, easy access and delicous munch.

We were looking for a nice country pub half way between Hertford and Ely to meet up with friends. I found the Square & Compasses online and the reviews looked good. We had a lovely Sunday lunch today. The food was excellent, quick service and the staff were really friendly, all at a reasonable price. We will definitely be back and would absolutely recommend. Thank you Hans and colleagues for making us so welcome :)

A lovely & welcoming village pub with great staff.

I finally found a pub with very good food. Excellent relation between price and quality of the food. Most importantly, the staff was very welcoming and friendly. Highly recommended

Good value and very friendly service - happy to adapt a dish for one of our party. Relatively traditional menu.

Great service and food. Steaks cooked to perfection and burgers were really tasty. So good to have a local which is a pleasure to visit. Very welcoming.

Visited this pub for first time, was greeted very friendly, ordered food which was served quickly and tasted excellent, if I’m ever back in area will definitely call again.

We were given a warm welcome and had the traditional Sunday roast lunch - 3 courses - which were all delicious. Recommended for a family friendly, traditional Sunday roast lunch.

Really lovely pub. We came for Sunday lunch and the food was excellent and the service was great. Also very good value too. 100% recommend!

Came in after cricket match. Good beer and service thanks

Lovely meal at the Square and Compass today. Really nice pub and friendly atmosphere. Would highly recommend.

Lovely food very fresh and great value for money, staff/owner friendly, nice relaxing atmosphere well worth a visit, with outside seating in front of pub or back garden

Excellent food at a very good price

Friendly pub, good food and drink available

Good pub food reasonably priced and decent selection of real ales. Under recent new management and going well.

Very nice. Very clean. Jumbo Scampi excellent. Good portion sizes

Very nice newly refurbished village pub. Great outdoor spaces back and front. The food was delicious would definately recommend.

Popped in for a drink. Was made welcome, and good beer. I didn't eat but the food looked good, and departing customers made good comments

Excellent food and service thank you

First visit, found whole atmosphere calm and serene, looked clean/tidy welcoming landlord. Food was reasonably priced and very very nice indeed. We most certainly will return when in that area again. Thank you for good service all round.

It looks as if it has just reopened after a refurbishment and change of ownership. The pint was a little pricey and took quite a while to be served. The menu was very limited, so we didn't remain to eat. Pleasant family running it.

While I don't have a lot of experience of eating out, I can safely say that this place is very good indeed. The landlord was very friendly, and the food we had was great. Me and my friend split a sea bass with potatoes and salad and every bit of it was excellent. This place also has a nice feel to it, though I might be biased since I went here when I was around 6 years old. Great for a lunch with the family, or drinks with friends!

We were given a friendly and warm welcome by the landlord and landlady. Our evening meal was excellent both in taste and presentation and we were well looked after throughout the evening. The beer as very good too - Amber Otter. We recommend the Square and Compasses without reservation. Visit soon.

Lovely pub atmosphere. Good beer selection. Well cooked food. Tasty desserts. Friendly bar staff. Will definitely go back. Looking forward to tasting Sunday lunch. Well worth a visit. Plenty of parking and a garden for the warmer weather.

Great vibes. Post work drinks every Friday.

This pub has re opened under new management. Had Sunday lunch and it was lovely, the landlord very friendly. Going back during the week to try out weekday menu, friends went and said very good. Nice to see a different things on the menu and hope the new management make a go of it both for themselves and the village. Well worth visiting

Roast dinner very nice but could be a bit bigger for price

Stopped there for a drink during a long ride, the staff were very helpful with wine recommendations

The Square and Compasses in Great Shelford has been closed for a while this year following the retirement of its last landlord. But it has LPrecently reopened with Hans and Justine Pinkard the new tenants. I went there last Friday with my wife and two friends - we all live pretty much next door to the pub. We had a really nice meal - excellent chicken in mustard sauce for me and my wife, a burger for B, and whitebait for D. We were all really happy with our food. The beer was lovely and very well kept, and Hans and Justine are very friendly and helpful people. They ran The Rose and Crown in Ashdon for five years previously. Ashdon was where I grew up, and The Rose was my first pub! All in all a very happy experience and I very much recommend a visit to The Square!

The Square and Compasses in Great Shelford has been closed for a while this year following the retirement of its last landlord. But it has recently reopened with Hans and Justine Pinkard the new tenants. I went there last Friday with my wife and two friends - we all live pretty much next door to the pub. We had a really nice meal - excellent chicken in mustard sauce for me and my wife, a burger for B, and whitebait for D. We were all really happy with our food. The beer was lovely and very well kept, and Hans and Justine are very friendly and helpful people. They ran The Rose and Crown in Ashdon for five years previously. Ashdon was where I grew up, and The Rose was my first pub! All in all a very happy experience and I very much recommend a visit to The Square!

Feb 2023 SHUT Advertising for new tenant

Great hearty pub food in a cosy casual environment!

Had pre-booked a table for 1 Sunday roast! Bought & paid for a pint of lager! I then was pointed to my table! Bit cramped as not much room! 10 minutes after ordering a young lad brought my Roast Beef! So impressed! Fast service & What a plateful? Counted 8 veggies + mash & Roast potatoes + Yorkshire pud & gravy! As Arnie says…. I’ll be back! Superb food in a nice quiet friendly local 10 out of 10!!

Not overly welcoming to say the least. Place seemed 'tired' and staff and landlord seemed to me to want to be anywhere but there. Won't be revisiting.

lovely food, friendly staff, excellent company. this is all you need 😃

Booked this weeks in advance for Sunday Lunch and they mentioned they didn’t know if they would be doing Sunday Lunches or just Christmas Dinners but someone would call if it was an issue. So no call. Having been seated and no menus were forthcoming I approached the bar and asked and the lady, who I assume was the Landlady, dismissed me with a sit down and we will come to you. Meeeerrryy Christmaaaas! Also saw a foursome come in for drinks and the welcome was dismissive to say the least. “we are fully booked” was the welcome, “we just want a drink”. They came to take the order and I asked about starters and they said there weren’t any. She went to check and reaffirmed it as a no as we would have had to book a Christmas Lunch to prebook starters. If this was the case then that promised phone call would have resolved this and we would have had the Christmas Lunch instead and they would have got more revenue from us. The meal was ok, lots of veg and nice and hot, limited gravy, meats were very good but the Yorkshire Puddings and the Roast Potatoes were Aunt Bessie’s or other frozen fare which was disappointing. We would have had a dessert too but no we weren’t the privileged Christmas Lunch customers. So overall a disappointing visit which with a little thought and advance notice could have been much better.

Great food and service, would recommend having a meal, you will not be disappointed Still as good

Went for quiz night ,lots of fun and laughs and awesome pub with good beer and lovely staff including the prettiest barmaid I have met in a blue bandana ,oh and some lovely peanuts 🥜 👌🏼 I shall return

Great friendly pub and lovely food!

A must go if you're in Shelford. The atmosphere is quiet and cozy, the staff is charming and ready to help. I went for the burgers and I didn't go wrong.

Lovely food,ice cold Guinness great pub. Friendly barman

Excellent food and very friendly and welcoming staff

The pub is clean Decent sized car park Nice area Didn't have a few things on the menu. The nachos are good The ham and cheese toastie was good quality ham but cheese wasnt melted enough. The sausages egg and chips was ok. My partner's tika masala was from a frozen ready meal. It's was that bad. She left it. Pubs good for a pint. But better cooked food elsewhere

Very accommodating for main gluten free meal. No suitable dessert.. front of house gentleman was very pleasant and chatty to all our group. Made us welcome. Would go again for the chilli. Absolutely delicious

Warm and welcoming staff. Varied menu and good honest food. I will definitely be returning.

Walked in for a glass of wine whilst waiting for my friend. While the barman was pouring my drink I could hear a man telling vile racial jokes. The guy behind the bar was enjoying it. He saw me and immediately took off laughing to the kitchen. The jokes were horrible and I felt so uncomfortable. I didn't feel as though I could speak up in the situation but I wish I had. I would avoid this pub if you are a POC.

I called in, one Sunday evening in mid July wanting a drink and food. I had a nice beer there but they were quite reasonable not serving food at that time of day but the staff and a local directed us to where we could get food. I felt at home there and like a regular. I will very happily go back there. Lovely people!

Lovely little pub, good menu,food really hot and generous portions. Friendly staff.

Friendly, welcoming pub with good food not over priced

Small local pub serving typical basic pub food. Service friendly but haphazard. Probably better places nearby if you’re looking for somewhere to eat.

Called in for a drink, very pleasant young lady behind the bar, chatty and helpful. Will have to return soon to sample the food!

My wife and I enjoyed an excellent Sunday lunch at this village pub. The food was cooked to perfection, and we were particularly impressed by the quantity and variety of vegetables. The large and delicious main course was followed by and extensive and varied desert menu. All washed down with a selection of fine ales.

Update: 17 May 2022 Great meal Salmon and Brocolli in a cheese sauce. New potatoes and peas. Very filling could not finish it. Staff as usual so helpful a delight to be served! Worried about Covid 19 restrictions? Don't be! Very well organised pub abiding by all the rules. Very efficient staff giving a drinks and food table service. Food good variety and generous portions and delicious. Parking at the back.Great place to go where you can actually hear yourself speak. Well done Landlord! Another visit 27 Oct 2020: Four of us same great service and food. Exceptional hard working lady keep up the good work

Everything is great and reasonably priced. Love it.

I can't give it a fair rating,the pub closed at 3 pm. We will visit again and give it a better rating.

Now this is a Sunday lunch! 7 veg,2 types of potato and plenty of meat served in a good old fashion traditional style.£14.95 for mains and dessert...bargain! Fabulous value set in a traditional village pub.

Nothing amazing really, standard pub, little entertainment, reasonable food for the price.

Lovely pub and fantastic service/staff. The owner made us feel very welcome. Look forward to visiting again.

Great food and service. The barmaid Becca was so friendly and helpful really made our evening.

A very tasty Sunday lunch indeed with a warm welcome will 100% go back

We had an amazing time here. Food was lovely and well priced, with good portion sizes. All the staff were lovely and positive, and made us feel at home here, despite being out-of-towners (shoutout to Becka!). Lovely pub, great facilities. Good options for vegetarians as well. Genuine lovely atmosphere. Would whole-heartly recommend and would love to come back if ever in the area :)

Tasty beer and nice pies with proper lumps of meat in them. Recommended.

Nice warm welcome, 1st class lunch, beer was spot on. Definitely worth a visit.

Lovely pub, nice drinks, brilliant staff who were great with my 9 year old.

Lovely pub, Popped in late friday,had a good evening meal. Booked for sunday lunch and was not disappointed. Highly recommended.

Had pint and Sunday lunch. Was really happy with meals. Great selection of vegetables and choice of beef, chicken or lamb. Decided to have chicken and beef. We'll worth a visit.

A great fish and chip meal and a few drinks yesterday. A great pub.

Good food. Good price. Great staff