The Cock Inn in South Cambridgeshire

We expect a landlady to have a certain brusque disposition, it rather goes with the territory when you're managing a pub. There is a very big difference, however, between a firm manner and overt discourtesy. Before visiting, I had read older reviews, but dismissed them as the usual village gossip and sour grapes. I'm afraid, though, that staff at the Cock Inn come exactly as described - gratuitously and randomly rude. Funnily enough, everyone else in the village seems happy with my manners; even the teens working at the Co-op can manage a smile now and then - it's just this one place. The building's interior and gardens are actually quite attractive - presumably this is the only reason they are still in business - but the architecture is not in itself enough to warrant a visit. If you are travelling any kind of distance, and especially if you are visiting with others who would be embarrassed if you have to walk out, you might consider choosing a different pub.

It’s sunday, you fancy a pub lunch after a morning’s hard graft moving house and you think the local pub will be able to help out. Sadly not. For some reason the pub has adopted an almost entirely Italian restaurant style menu. If this isn’t what you fancy then there’s very little to choose and what we got was disappointing to boot. As the Sunday dinner beef option was sold out we ended up with thin, dry, depressed looking beef burgers and a bland broccoli soup that was 1 part broccoli and seemingly 9 parts cream. I love Italian food and I love decent pub grub. I just wish this [very much a traditional village pub] did the latter.

My "Local" and a superb pint of Abbot can be had here. haven't eaten here for a while, but last time was superb. Lovely Italian fare from their excellent chef.

Good beer, dog friendly, did not try food as mainly Italian, and we had an Italian meal the night before, fantastic beer garden and if the weather was good you could spend a lot of time here, I didn't feel as we had the friendliest of welcome but only tried for 1 night, so this may have changed on another night, we did go to another pub and received sutch a warm and friendly welcome we spent our remaining nights there, I would say give it a try because it's a lovely pub and if you don't feel welcome go over the road

we have just purchased a house in Gamlingay with a view to living there in about 2 months, currently bringing the house up to date, we have now visited the Cock inn a few times for mid day drinks and once to eat, during our lunchtime beers we spoke to the landlady and staff and asked about the food menu, the pub and the area, we were instantly made to feel welcome to both the pub and village, we decided to take some very good friends to see the new house and have a meal at the Cock inn on Tuesday night 23/04/19, it was very quite as it was a Tuesday, we were offered a table in the resturant but decided to sit in the bar area instead, we had a few laughs with the landlady who was very nice and pleasant who answered many question throughout the night from us about the village and its services, we asked her about the pub and her role there and future event and she was only too pleased to answer all our questions, a real pleasure, as for the pub and food, the pub is like a Tardis its a lot bigger than you first think with an open plan but sort of separated areas, a real old country pub fell, large inglenook fire, pleasantly furnished as a good old drinking country pub should be, large car park and rear garden where a lot of entertainment goes on through the year from various artist, the beer, sprit and wine choice is varied and something for everyone, the food is mainly Italian, (and we love Italy and its food) , we had starters and main course each and was totally stuffed , sadly no room left for dessert, and each course was very tasty, perfectly cooked, well presents and excellent value for money , all in all a very pleasant evening was had by all, we went home feeling full but not over stuffed, looking forward to spending many meals and weekend lunch time drinks with friends in the future in the Cock Inn.

I was shown into the restaurant by the landlady and hit my head painfully on the top of the door, (I am not that tall 5 9 very low door) after I said ow the landlady said "mind your head" I said "a bit late!" she muttered something which I didn't quite catch so I asked what she said to which she replied " nothing" typical response if what she said was derogatory! So I got no apology no are you ok, needless to say I didn't stay for the food and will never return to this pub again

Great atmosphere . Nice area outside ..east task park centre location . Nice and clean inside.seliciuos food and friendly staff

only open due to lack of competition and the red nosed regulars, there are so many other nice pubs around it isn't worth a visit, the staff act as if you are putting them out by wanting to spend money, the beer is not chilled correctly and the wine tastes like it has sat around for days, if you like a bad tempered swearing landlady then this is the place to go

I visited this pub with some friends to have dinner in the restaurant. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the staff were friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent- we had a three course Christmas meal.

Visited on Wednesday evening and sampled the new Italian menu. The food was fantastic, the portions were large. My wife and I had starters and then both of us couldn't finish all of the mains. The quality of the food was very good. We would recommend you give it a try.

We visited The Cock Inn twice during our 2 day stay in Gamlingay. We had chuckled at some of the reviews about the grumpy lady behind the bar and were keen to go and find out how grumpy she actually was!!!! We were almost disappointed to find on both occasions we went, the staff and locals were extremely friendly, chatty and helpful, giving us tips on places to go and visit. Thank you to all the staff and locals who made us feel so welcome! Tracy, Dave, Connor and Tammy the dog

I’m born and bred Gamlingay but haven’t lived here for over 20 years so am no way classed as a local. My husband and I always pop in for a drink when visiting family. It’s a lovely local pub and the staff have always been friendly whenever we’ve been there. Always been able to get our go to tipples and been served in turn.

Stopped for a drink with my family in the pub garden. At the bar I was ignored several times, by a grumpy looking women, who seemed to serve every local, before addressing me. Didn’t feel welcome, she snapped at me “what do you want”. In a aggressive mannor. Shocked I replied “excuse me”. She replied “to drink, this is a pub you know”. With that I walked out and shall never return.

Visiting Cambridge for the first time we were struggling to find a traditional pub open for lunch near to where we were staying (Little Gransden). After 4 attempts (all others closed for lunch!!) we found The Cock Inn and it looked perfect. It’s a lovely pub and very traditional. What a pity about the moody Landlady and cold food, couldn’t wait to get out of there and definitely won’t be going back.

We are looking to move into Gamlingay and have visited the village several times. We have visited the Cock before for a drink, and it looks like a good local, so this time we made sure we visited at lunch time. It was nice to see a genuine specials board with 4 or 5 options as well as the standard menu. Having said that, I opted for the burger. This is going to sound strange but the burger was great because the beef tasted really beefy and the bacon tasted really bacony, if that is even a word. So often in pubs a burger is a processed lump of nondescript bouncy meat and bacon is just a crispy sheet of something tasteless to add texture. The salad and cheese in the burger were fresh, crispy and tasty. Next onto the chips, well people describe single, double and triple cooked chips, I am not sure which these were, but they were fabulous, very large, crispy on the outside and lovely and fluffy on the inside. They either had a hint of truffle oil or it might have been the garlic mayo, but they were really very good. My wife went for the chicken pie. This has beautiful homemade pastry, lovely big chunks of well-seasoned chicken and was accompanied by whole load of freshly cooked veg, which she adores. We also took home a couple of their hand made scotch eggs for tea, and they too were delicious. I really hope we manage to purchase a house in the village because I will look forward to making this my local and probably eating there on a regular basis.

This is a lovely pub in the heart of the Gamlingay village - with so much potential but unfortunately the landlady is so unfriendly and comes across rude. She appears move friendly with the locals though!

Nos habían dicho que el almuerzo de domingo era muy popular en el Cock y era aconsejable reservar. No, pero no era necesario ya que sólo había otra mesa ocupada. Tres de nosotros pedimos asado que era mediocre y el cuarto miembro del grupo fuimos para una opción vegetariana que era aburrido y pobre. En una nota positiva, el personal era amable. No le prisa en volver.

Went to cock inn in gamlingay saturday for dinner with our friends Food was lovely service realy good All cook fresh and hot delicious yum yum thank you guys

Mesa reservado para 1:00 p.m. ya que necesitábamos estar en otro sitio en 2. 30. Comida no llegó hasta 1. 55 después de algunas familias campesinas. Dos de nosotros pedimos hamburguesas que tenía un olor muy peculiar. Tanto que les envió pero no tengo tiempo para pedir luego nada más. Tarta juegos fue recocido y mayormente compuesto de verduras y setas.

Fancied sunday lunch out today thought we would go to the cock inn in gamlingay .wow you had the choice of sunday roast or off the menu .i went for beef roast lovely loads of veg .other half went for steak was realy nice.. Had to go for pudding apple and cimmon with custard lovely ..service couldn't do enough for you realy helpful and friendly keep up the good work guys

This village pub is a walk away from where I was staying. However it has a large car park at the rear although in the centre of the village. There is also good outdoor spaces for eating and drinking and a substantial garden area for children including a Bouncy Castle. Live music/ karaoke was just finishing when we arrived there and there was a good atmosphere in the outdoor area which was nice and busy on a hot summers day/evening. A Greene King selection of beers is available at the bar and thankfully an extra cold lager tap helped on an extremely hot day.

The Cock Inn was recommended, and it did not disappoint. Two burgers and one crispy pork were devoured, washed down with good lager and the house wine. The service was excellent and the staff friendly.

Lo hizo bien: - la comida estaba bien hecho, caliente y bien presentado - Bonito y pequeño bar menú infantil es lo que puede esperar de un mundo antiguo pub de Inglaterra - Juegos para niños en la parte trasera estaba genial! - Jardín agradable...

We arrived at 5pm and took advantage of the spring light and wonderful garden to the rear of the pub. It is ideal for our toddler and older children, it is clean with a secure gated play area so.no worries about the children wondering out of safety. The children were made to feel very welcome in this busy village pub. We were then welcomed into the dining room at 6pm where we ordered our fantastic food from a wide range of traditional pub fayre. the menu also suited those who require more delicate dining choices with a good range of specials available. My children were thrilled with the fresh home cooked food - fab for fussy eaters. A fab selection of desserts for all to enjoy also on offrr. The service was promt and with a smile. drinks were ordered and bought to the table and the food was outstanding value for money. Thank you for making my sons birthday special x

I went here for a couple of drinks with a friend and her six year old son. As it was very warm we sat outside where we were delighted to see a huge bouncy castle, free for kids.They had a good range of drinks and we had some sandwiches,which were really nice. I had crab and dill.It had a good atmosphere, a great garden and the staff were very friendly.I would definitely go again.

When I lived in the area, this was my favourite place - a really typical Olde English pub, with a fantastic atmosphere, great food and real beer! It's got a petanque piste outside so it's ideal for a bit of fun, except when there is a league or cup match on. Then it's (almost) serious!

This pub is my local but have never had a meal here , it was very good and the service was first class , only negative was as we were the only ones eating it lacked some atmosphere

After a pretty awful meal and experience here a couple of years ago, we didn't set foot in this pub again until recently. The range of drinks has much improved and so has the food. It's really tasty and lots of care has been taken to think about the menu choice as well as the ingredients, and how the food is cooked and presented. Such a big difference from before! Would nice not to have the regulars swearing so much at the bar, though...

We have visited The Cock Inn at Gamlingay a couple of times a month for the last few years,but have not done a review before. So why now?........There are more and more "pubs" that think they are restaurants, providing "fine dining" that are over priced and pretentious. The Cock is an ordinary village pub that serves good good at reasonable prices. The menu offers adequate variety and is backed up with interesting "specials".My wife opted for the veggie option ( although she is not a veggie,but this dish is very very good),being a good goats cheese on a layer of oven cooked vegetables,well seasoned and tasty,helped out for volume with a portion of chips.I had the bbq ribs with skinny chips and opted for the coleslaw rather than salad,and it was excellent.The Cock offers a good selection of beers and wines,that you would expect from a Greene King pub,and the Abbott was in fine condition.We always,yes always, find the service is good,and even some of the locals will entertain you if you take the trouble to converse with them.Will we return? YES,YES,YES!!!

Brand new chefs. Brand new menu. All I can say is it's beautifully cooked with fresh local produce. Will be back again and again.

We have used the Cock Inn as our local pub over the past 18months of living in the area despite living 3 miles away. Ness has always been super friendly and welcoming and always seems happy to see us (despite not visiting as regularly as we would like!) They make a great effort with our little boy and the Ale is always bright and clear. 3 Ales on tap and a good selection of lager including 1664 and San Miguel. We are yet to eat here but the food is all home cooked and looks great (I will review this when we get a chance to sample) They have a bouncy castle and an enclosed children play area with a good sized car park. They also have a Boules court although I am yet to see anyone use it as yet!

Vanessa & her staff put together a very good menu for my ladies.With a reasonable price for two courses including tea/coffee.We had the resturant to ourselves,which was great,nice music was played throughout .Prosecco was also offered at a special price.We will return,as the food was good & plentiful.

We made the very unfortunate choice of The Cock Gamlingay for a very poignant function, a wake! the older members of staff were not at all sympathetic to the occasion, in fact most of the people attending were saying how very rude they both were, I suggest they take advice on how to serve people from a much younger member, who was so kind and helpful, also I'm sure they would not have that many people or take as much money as they did at lunchtime on a Wednesday; as they certainly did NOT make us feel at all welcome, they should not have accepted the booking. To top it all the buffet provided was very poor. If we could give no points we most definitely would. Never ever again!!!!!!!

Six of us visited here Sunday 26th April for lunch at 14.00. we had the roasts which were nice with lots of vegetables. For desert I had bread and butter pudding which was of a very good quality. Reasonably priced food served up in a pleasant dining room.

Went there on Friday evening (27 Mar), asked for a Bloody Mary. Woman behind the bar showed no interest at all to serve and just coldly said she doesn't know what it is. It was not the innocent and genuine not knowing but typical 'I can't be bothered' attitude that offended my friend and me. Ironically, she took out Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce and made us make it ourselves. How very 'helpful'!

My sister and I found ourselves in this charming old world pub on a snowy February night and had a very warm welcome. This being a Monday evening we were pleased that they were offering meals. The menu was small but interesting with a good variety to suit all tastes and appetites. I ordered pie of the week,which was steak and kidney,my sister had gammon steak. The food arrived in good time and hot! My pie was homemade with melt in the mouth pastry top and bottom! The steak and kidney filling was ample and extremely delicious. Served with lovely smooth mash and fresh veg this meal was a triumph. My sister's meal was as good with well cooked gammon,tomatoes,mushrooms pineapple and an egg! The chips were crispy and hot. We made room for an excellent bread and butter pudding. The locals were friendly and chatty and we had a great evening. Thank you.

although my friend said the food was good & the beer reasonably priced, a small lemonade with lime (no ice) cost £2.40. And publicans wonder why people are stopping coming to pubs.

Tried both evening meals and Sunday lunch this month and both have been exceptionalGreat food good service would highly recommend the Cock Inn to anyoneThanks to Vanessa Chris and set staff

Came here passing through and was pleasantly surprised to see a lovely big village pub so nicely set out and busy. Lovely outside area and the bar area is nice to with stools to sit on around the bar. Got talking to some locals, who were all friendly, and the food is exceptional apparently, we will be booking up soon in the restaurant area!

We were staying at a nearby guest house and were advised that this pub was just OK. We beg to differ... our meals were a little more than just pub grub and were of a restaurant standard with excellent presentation. My boyfriend was impressed with his pork dish (I think it was done three different ways) and my sole was gorgeous. Our desserts were equally impressive. It seemed that most of the customers were drinking rather than eating. Please give the food a try and you won't be sorry.

I visited the cock inn a few Sundays ago and had the most perfectly cooked roast beef with crunchy beef dripping potatoes and the most enjoyable was the cauliflower cheese...absolutely delicious. Great food, great pub. I will be back again and again

Just move in the area, went for a sunday roast one Sunday, starter was great but the Sunday roast was over price, small portion of meat and the quality was very extremely poor. Staffs was extremely rude, apart from the Asian lady who served us very friendly. Went there again for birthday meal, thought give it another try. It was absolutely disgusting, nothing was freshly cooked. My partner order Roast beef, it was out from a frozen pack. Still rude, unwelcoming environment, apart from the Asian lady who served us. Will never go there again!!!Perhaps we weren't local enough to deserved a good service!

Friendly local pub, welcoming and warm. Good food can be eaten either in the bar or thedining room. The menu has some interesting offerings - the goats cheese on beetroot with watercress was a lovely starter. I had an excellent steak with all the trimmings today, but have also enjoyed the pie of the week (which changes each week), fish, pheasant, all have been consistently good. Bread and butter pudding to die for, and also the sticky toffee pudding.

Popped in late saturday afternoon with my wife looking for something to eat. I had fish and chips. I have to say this was the best piece of fish I can remember having anywhere. The chips were excellent to! The peas were hard maybee next time I will ask for mushy peas. The food was excellent value and the pub has character and friendly atmosphere. Well done.

This pub is great on a Friday night, full of friendly faces.. everyone seems to know everyone as you would expect in a small village pub. Plenty of outside space for children to play, and tables outside so you can sit and watch them while enjoying a cold one. They have just employed a new chef who is completely changing the menu round so food is available every day and night. It may not be a huge fancy pub with lots of unnecessary junk in it, and it may be fairly quite if you go during the week at lunch time, it is however a small friendly place to come and have a drink with friends or bring the kids to have a nice meal and a run around outside.

Decided to pop into the Cock Inn for a drink with my family. Well I'll start on a good note, the garden is pretty large with a play area for the kids, reasonably maintained and clean. Just as well really. After walking into the extremely dark bar area (middle of day) I approached the bar attendant (land lady?) and asked for some drinks. Well what a chore this seemed for her, dragging her feet, miserable expression and splashing my drink down on the bar. After removing a beer fly from a glass of wine I had also purchased I paid the woman and went into the garden. The soda I ordered was as flat as water and clearly didn't have any gas to carbonate it. Usually I would have complained but having experienced less than friendly bar tender already we decided to leave. This is definitely a pub for the few locals that prop up the bar and 'outsiders' will not receive a warm welcome.