The Crown & Punchbowl in South Cambridgeshire

We visited The Crown for the first time for a Game night

Pub or Restaurant? Looking at the environment. I always thought it was a local pub, because of the style of the building and interior decorations. Didn't know that it had room service until today. Nevermind. I have to continue my Cambridge pubs marathon. I may adjust the rating afterwards, as I haven't tried all of the Cambridge pubs yet. The menu is very limited, from mains to dessert. Nothing wrong to be specialised. But it would be a problem if the customers arrive as a group, not enough options for everyone. The food tasted okay. At least nothing in the plates taste bland. Everything was cooked and seasoned correctly. The chips and potatoes tasted good. The prices were not cheap. The environment was quiet and clean. Still not sure if it's a local restaurant or pub......

Lovely country pub with great food. Very close to Cambridge but well removed from the hustle & bustle.

Fantastic Sunday roast lunch in British country side. We had the roast for 4 deal with desserts.

A great place for a lunch with friends. Delicious food: the chicken parmentier & pie and mash were both wonderful; great service, lovely staff.

Stayed here with my wife for 4 nights, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast. Absolutely first class, all the staff very friendly and obliging, breakfast everything, fruit, yoghurts, cereals, porridge, pastries, full english (really large). Evening meals just as good and very reasonably priced, big selection including fish dishes.Large and safe car park, hotel in a quiet village with easy access to all around and nearby ( 2 miles) train and bus direct into Cambridge. Aswell as a dining room there are very comfortable bars and lounges with open fires, could not of been a better place to stay, within 20 miles are Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, St.Ives, Bury St.Edmunds and lots of village lanes to them to avoid major roads..

Fabulous food, great service. Thank you.

So, partner and I took mother in law out for lunch here, with three dachshunds, one of which is extremely anxious and very protective. We asked to be put out of the way, as to not disturb others nor stress him out. They did oblige. But , it was packed, and I've never seen so many dogs in one pub. He barks quite a bit. Like a naughty toddler needing a nap. Nevertheless, he needs to get used to it in order to get better. The service was mostly friendly. Had the pork belly, which was lovely. Not enough veg for my liking and potatoes were not crispy. (Shame) My Yorkshire had a puddle of oil at the bottom. As a gastroparesis sufferer, there was no chance I could eat that. Mother inlaw enjoyed her choice of chicken roast. Our sides of cauliflower cheese were creamy,cheesy, and delicious. Highly recommend 👌 Plenty of parking. It's not the cheapest place for a roast. And we didn't have our usual dessert. None of them really took our fancy. Overall, it was okay. Undecided if to recommend or return, nonetheless it was so busy, so maybe just an us problem. Beautiful traditional pub with lovely wooden beams reminded the wife and I of our wedding day.

Attentive, Welcoming, Gluten and Dairy Friendly food, rooms, drinks and cosy fire space. Special shout out to Andrea & Gabby as well as the incredible kitchen team who kept us full, well fed and very happy for our entire stay. Dietary asks did not feel too much and the spaces were cosy and welcoming throughout.

Sehr freundlicher Service und “Service with a Smile” Essen war sehr gut und entspannend im cozy anmutende Ambiente. Auch Chris mit seinem warmherzigen Schottischer Akzent ist ein guter Gastgeber!

Only here for an evening meal. Food very good with friendly service. Nice environment

I stopped here for a look and was impressed. I intend to book a meal here to treat my good friend. Friendly and welcoming staff, atmosphere was relaxed and well appointed historic building.

Taken here by family at the end of a long car journey. The staff were friendly. Food and drink were really good. Will definitely visit again when next in the are.

Good value - nice room and bathroom, friendly service, clean & pretty spacious room. It's located 10-15 min drive from downtown, if you prefer a quiet place to stay, this is it

There was a property event on and as a result, the usually adequate car park was overfull. We had to park away and walk including in laws who have a blue badge but the disabled spaced had been filled (not displaying blue badges) Our food and drink came quickly and our booking was easily found and as booked with dogs, was in the dog friendly part of the pub. My steak was amazing, husband also loved his steak. The pie of the day was labelled as chicken but turned up being steak- they offered apologies but we were happy with a steak pie and would have chosen that over chicken so no worries, they are amending the menus. Staff were very friendly and accommodating of dietary requests. Would happily visit again.

Just had a lovely weekend at the crown and Punchbowl,great food both at breakfast and dinner. Thanks to all the staff at the Crown and Punchbowl

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay even if the shower had a mind of its own Staff & food we found outstanding Don’t want to big it up too much or there might not be availability next time we book

Very well kept venue and grounds, easy parking with lighting. Charming peahen wandering about. Easy to book online. I emailed the venue directly to retell my experience. I filled in the online survey saying I was happy to be contacted about my experience but heard nothing back from either, hence posting here. The dishes should have more explanation. The goats’ cheese and beetroot tart was not what I would have expected with the cheese moussed and the beetroot a puréed sauce on a tasteless pastry base. The chestnut vegetable tart did not have any chestnut flavour. The cauliflower cheese was not cheesy. My biggest disappointment was the roast potatoes that had been precooked and then deep fried and it was almost impossible to cut into them without sending them flying across the table. Several times we had to get up and find staff to attend to our further drinks order, check on the whereabouts of our order, ask for the bill. No one came to take our payment, despite being in the room wiping tables (with their back to us), so we paid as we left!

Good food beer and wine. Good service

Had a great overnight stay, the accommodation is excellent with attention to detail. We had dinner as well, the choices were good and cooked to perfection. The wine list is extensive and the waitress guided us with a perfect pairing to the dishes chosen. Great breakfast. All the staff are a credit to the organisation..

An ideal and quiet location to stay in a welcoming pub close to Cambridge (Park&Ride) with good food and friendly staff.

We didn't stay in the hotel, we only had Sunday lunch. The food was fantastic, and the portions were very generous. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Would highly recommend Sunday lunch there.

Went to Crown and Punchbowl twice, once for a company event and then because I liked it so much on a date! The food was delicious and staff was super nice. It's a very nice space too.

The whole meal we had was delicious and I would strongly recommend a visit. Our host was very welcoming and our dog was equally welcomed

Great atmosphere, very friendly and helpful staff. Very tasty food

Nice country pub with good accomodation (was 5 years ago), good service. Was a bit busy and took a little longer than normal to get food ( it was a public holiday), which was great. Service was friendly and helpful. If you're up for this kind of thing in the cambridge area, rather than the cambridge glitz, go here.

Thank you for a great stay, room was lovely with air conditioning. Tea and coffee, access to milk and cold water which was a very welcome addition. Bed very comfy and the breakfast was very tasty. They even allowed us to have guests for breakfast. Cute village and great location for visiting Cambridge.

The food and drinks were delicious. Very well thought menu. However, they did try to sell us green beans for asparagus and insisted that green beans was the same as asparagus. In the end they had to admit their mistake but apology did not feel honest. Also the bill was wrong…

We had a lovely stay, a delicious dinner and breakfast and the staff were very friendly, we really enjoyed it.

Very nice restaurant with very good food.

Great food in a lovely country pub setting, really friendly attentive staff. Highly recommended.

We loved everything about the property, it’s a little gem. We stayed 5 nights, the quality of the food both at breakfast & dinner was excellent. All the staff were extremely helpful , professional & nothing was too much trouble. We would definitely stay at the Crown & Punchbowl again.

Very quaint pub, two wood burning stoves for heating the bars.... Semi covered patio at the back very nice. Oldey worldy, low beamed, indoor dining or in a slightly newer extension. At least one tasty real ale from the barrel always, no pipes.... but my only criticism is that the house white and red are from boxes of wine....the sort one normally buys on the way home from a European trip to save lots of money. Not quite what i expected for the money...from what feels like an up market pub otherwise. Still love drinking there regularly...the staff are all fantastic.

Beautiful place, great staff, comfy bed and air conditioning

Let down twice by crown & punchbowl twice. After calling to ensure I would be able to have a ground floor room, due to mobility issues, we arrived and was told only after being shown to our room that it had been double booked. My husband had a drink at the bar before, so could not drive. They must of known before we arrived an error that been made, but didn't think it was important to call us in advance. I was left stressed, upset and humiliated at having to crawl up the stairs, in front of other guests. The hotel did move us the next day, and the housekeeper was brilliant, cleaning and bringing our luggage down. On arriving home the Manager called and apologised for what is an error on their booking system. I was offered a voucher to come back to the hotel, and looked forward to coming back and being able to give a much better review. Unfortunately I was let down again as 2 weeks on from returning home, no voucher has been received. I appreciate the apology but still feel I paid for a night in a room I would never have booked. So if you have a disability, you may want to think twice about booking here. I feel they just wasn't bothered taking money from a me, and not taken my distress very seriously. On a positive note the rooms were good with air conditioning and free bottled water, also a couple of staff were lovely.

Had a superb meal here sitting in the garden. Service was good. They cater for coeliacs and also have a separate menu for those with milk allergies. All the puddings were or could be gluten free! We have already booked our return visit

A beautifully located village pub, tastefully decorated to combine the village pub feel with the modern twist. Warm and welcoming. The rooms are minimalistic and equipped with everything you would need complimentary milk and bottled water in a fridge on the landing was a nice touch. Immaculate inside with an extremely comfortable bed, the shower was roomy and clean, only point to note was no hand soap on the hand basin but thats being really picky, clean fluffy towels also. Breakfast was a full english with cereal and pastries also to choose from, tasted fantastic and the service from the whole team was second to none. Would i go back again? Absolutely! Great location, quiet, loads of parking and a gem.

Really delicious food. Service good. Sun/beer garden and restaurant really good.

A beautiful village country pub. Very easy to locate, plenty of parking. Tastefully decorated combining olde worlde with modern style. The room was fabulous, and comfy for 1 night stay. Loved the idea of the mini fridge in the corridor with bottled water and milk. We ate in the restaurant for dinner and breakfast both were excellent. Well done to the team, for their service and attention.

I took Sally here to have her birthday meal, it was chosen primarily because it was actually serving meals at 6.00pm on a Sunday night, the night of the Spain v England European final. I have stopped in the front bar before Easyriding and I knew it used to serve real ale straight from the barrel. What a surprise they had JHB on the bar in a barrel and it was in excellent condition. I was surprised to see that they are a hotel as well now with rooms out the back with a secluded patio overlooking the Cemetery. We walked around the old church which had history back before the Vikings raided it. The service was really good, and Sally's starter was excellent, I liked the bread as I do occasionally make my own. I loved the carrow seeds in the bread, I must try that. Sally had the whole plaice, and I had a special pulled steak kebab, which I thought was a little dry. We had a nice rose with the meal and our glasses were topped up by a very attentive waitress. We shared a cheeseboard and it came with exuberant tasting notes, and the waiter even explained the order and which ones he liked. After our meal , because we have a small car I dared to drive down The dead end Port Lane, you could walk out from the restaurant turn left and port lane is only 50 yards away. If you walk down the lane take a bottle and glasses, there is a twin love seat right but the river with willows bending into it. Sit there watch the river pass by with your partner and listen to the bird songs while imagining a viking boat paddling up to raid the church!

Stayed here for 3 nights b&b, staying in the Woolf room. Very comfortable room, spotlessly clean with good facilities. Good choice at breakfast, hot food freshly cooked and well presented. Friendly staff, great location, would definitely recommend.

Excellent. 100% perfect All great business have staff issues from time to time and very occasionally it goes wrong. The difference between a great business and an also ran will always be style. Specifically the management style in dealing with problems. No details needed just that the problem was resolved, quietly and professionally. Great job. See you all again soon. We had a brilliant meal, Chef , kitchen and front of house made our meal very memorable.

Nice restaurant to stop and have a great and tasty food. Average price around 15-25£.

Charming place with a quality restaurant. Impeccable service And dog friendly!

A lovely setting, romantic and rustic. Service is very good and the food is fantastic. I have been twice and I will go again soon

Had a fantastic meal with a lovely waitress Nicola who looked after us very well and took time to chat to us to find out we had friends in common

Meget hyggeligt hotel i skønne omgivelser. Kunne være en kulisse i Barnaby. Dejligt værelse og en særdeles venlig og imødekommende vært. Rigtig god mad i restauranten. Kommer meget gerne igen.

We had a really nice Two Night break for our anniversary. Our room was well equipped and very comfortable. The choice of breakfasts were good. The only minor gripe we had was that the restaurant was a bit pricey. Having said that the food was really nice. If we are in the area again we would definitely go back.

Perfect, but the sink was a little big for the bathroom, a smaller sink would make this accommodation 10 out of 10. Staff were fantastic.

An absolutely recommended B&B. Room and shower were very clean. The Sunday Roast in the evening in the restaurant and breakfast the following morning rounded off the good impression. The staff is very friendly and attentive.

Staff are super friendly and nice. Food also very good. Room was great, the only down side is hearing quite a lot from neighbouring rooms.

Very good food and very good quality of service very helpful staff would highly recommend

Amazing food at restaurant, great rooms.

Nice feel but very overpriced. Seems to be aimed at the London earner rather than locals with very premium prices for what is only typical pub food. Nice ambience of an old pub and the service is good. Drink mix and taste a bit inconsistent depending on the serving staff. Sneaks in a 10% service charge on top of the very high prices.

Called in as we were thirsty after a walk. Tumbleweed moment when entering....the girl behind the bar was disinterested and acted like she was doing us a massive favour by serving us. Very rarified and snooty atmosphere in contrast to the other pub in the village, which was very friendly and accommodating. We had considered eating in the place but felt very ill at ease. One to avoid unless you enjoy a frosty reception.

Poor quality food. Cous cous unhydrated and general lack of flavour in both pie and cauliflower steak meals. Not great, better to go local, try something else. Way too expensive for what it is.

Cozy small rooms in a stylish atmosphere. The food is also excellent!

Excellent family birthday lunch here yesterday. Delicious food and great service from Zoltan, Lily and the rest of the team. Highly recommended. Thank you.

Stayed here one night on the way back from a few days in Norfolk. It’s a really nice pub and hotel. The room was a decent size with a comfy bed and the breakfast we had was decent too. Staff were really friendly and helpful.

The food for children was served well before the food for adults, we expected to eat together, other wise it was pleasant

Tasty food and nice ambience. Quite expensive for a pub dinner but is understandable as they are trying to be semi-gourmet.

We had the most fantastic time delicious food and was there for 3 and half hrs superb will definitely return. Staff lovely and friendly too.

Very nice meal, friendly atmosphere.

Great food, terrible service. I don’t usually write reviews but the owners should know their great food and location is being let down by the service. We were a table of 8. Firstly offered no hello, no welcome, no hi I’m your waiter tonight, no water. No wine list at the table, had to get up to ask for a wine list. 20 minutes in and had to go and find the staff to ask if we could order drinks. They didn’t get the hint when we had to go find them for a wine list. The worst is when I had to go and find them in the half full dining room was that two of the staff were at the till area just chatting. Throughout the meal no wait staff ever came to the table to ask if we wanted more drinks. How do they not get that the revenue lost just by not asking is phenomenal. Kids wanted more drinks and again I have to find someone to take an order. This is the first time i have ever asked for the service charge to be removed from the bill. Food, although took an hour to come out, was fantastic. Great roast dinner and cannot fault it, but after many years of coming to this restaurant and despite the fantastic food, we wouldn’t bother coming back until they sort out the service. It’s a shame because we went to the Tickell arms in Whittlesford, which is another of the groups pubs, and the service was fantastic. They need to address it here quickly.

A great Sunday lunch with our friends today. The pub was very busy but that didn’t impact on our enjoyment and the staff are clearly used to dealing with it. We waited in the bar and had drinks as we were early for our 3.15pm booking. Once seated in the light and airy garden room our order was taken promptly. The food arrived all together and was piping hot and was all delicious. All of the staff were great and very attentive. All six of us agreed we will be returning very soon. Thank you.

A great place for a celebration. On this occasion it was mother's day. Staff were so welcoming and the Sunday Roast was handsome

Exceptional: environment, staff, bedding and cuisine. Cooked breakfast on the plate plus a small cereal and fruit buffet. All dishes are generous and cooked

Lovely food, slow disappointing service, needed to be warmer, fires were left to go out and not restocked

Beautiful hotel and the food is stunning 😍

Absolutely gorgeous, kind and helpful especially Chloe and Dan. Lovely food but if you have fish burger, just watch out for the hot sauce 🔥😀.

You do get what you pay for in the quality and consistency of both food and service. Big fan of Cambs Cuisine 👏👏👏 p.s. when they have oysters you MUST try!

The trout and crab and potato cake was cooked to perfection and was delicious. The blackberry and apple crumble was disappointing- watery and a bit tasteless. The focaccia was delicious - everyone else enjoyed their chicken Supreme and starters of mushroom tart and Camembert.

Our local, great staff and service, great Espresso Martinis!

First time visit, friendly staff, nice atmosphere, log fires 🔥. Food and service top class. Visiting area from Devon, thank you for a lovely evening.

Good food and service in a lovely location!

Nice pub and helpful, friendly staff but absolutely terrible and overpriced evening meal. Ordered two fish dishes, both undercooked and under seasoned and one came with fish guts still inside the fish which we sent back. Replacement veggie option was also bland and greasy. Breakfast was good in fairness.

We had a friendly reception for our party of 4 for lunch. We opted for the set menu, which had a suitable selection for us. The service was good and the meals excellent. Would throughly recommend a visit. Main menu looks good, but more expensive ! Will try next time.

Nice place for a relaxing day. Very good food, friendly staff, familiar atmosphere.

Wonderful atmosphere- relaxed and very welcoming, with comfortable chairs, plenty of space. Staff were so lovely - friendly and helpful. And the food was delicious! We had the perfect lazy family lunch here.

English friends took us here and it was a real surprise. beautiful place. very british. great food. very kind everyone. recommended

Meal was booked as a small family get together as a send off to a recently deceased family member. We were greeted with a smile and asked who was the guest with allergies (had informed on booking ) Marta, who we gathered was restaurant manager went through allergies. Once seated she went to speak to chef and promptly came back with options and what guest couldn’t have. Very thorough and accommodating. We ordered drinks, had kick offs from menu which were delicious. We all enjoyed staters. All very tasty and good portions. Mains were just as delicious and allergies for guest were well catered for. Didn’t have desserts as too full. Only criticism was that we had to ask a few times for water and extra drinks. But that didn’t spoil evening. Would definitely recommend to friends and family.

Sunday lunch was terrible. Could talk about the food and service but would be too long for here. Genuinely surprised at the popularity, it may be we were just very unlucky.. Will not go back or recommend based on our experience.

Met family here for sunday lunch as it was a half way point. Food was amazingly tasty, had the roast beef and fruit cake bread and butter pudding. Great customer service from a hard working and friendly team, a very grateful thank you to them for accommodating our request to stay a bit over our table time so we could continue to catch up. Would highly recommend

Great pub for an evening meal. Staff friendly and food high quality. Plenty of parking the only difficulty was pre-ordering for our group as the website had the wrong menu!

One of the best meals I’ve had in years in the Cambridge area. So many gastropubs have similar offerings, this is by far the best one!

Excellent food, very tasty pint of Badger bitter, friendly staff Recommended.

All very good except we were disappointed by the main meals. Starters and dessert, excellent - main course not the standard expected. Breakfast also very good. Service and atmosphere we're great and the rom spacious.

We had such great food here, staff were friendly, food was great.

Great discovery! If you are looking for a good place for celebrations, dine out, or simply have a drink, this place is a perfect countryside pub with a city atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Amazing place, very cosy, beautiful decorated restaurant (fire place), very helpful and friendly staff. Beautiful country side, close to Cambridge. Thank You!

YOU can see from moment of entry that this gastric pub is very professionally run,with a well co-ordinated team ,wish it was my local and I come from a wealthy area with nothing comparable to this…..

We stayed at the Crown & Punchbowl over Christmas and enjoyed both Christmas Eve dinner and, with parents, Christmas Day lunch. Everything was perfect, and I cannot praise the staff, and the stewardship of manager Dan, highly enough; they went the extra mile. A marvellous Christmas due to the care and attention to every detail.

Nice restaurant but quality of food was very disappointing. Cauliflower steak was raw cauliflower. Roast new potatoes were raw. No idea what dessert was but was rock solid. Expensive also

Really nice Sunday lunch in a friendly place

Fantastic pub restaurant. Some of the best pub food I've had, and great cask ale. They have the perfect balance of serving great food with lovely service whilst keeping the comforting feelings of being in a pub.

Great food, friendly staff. Blackadder being piped to the loos. What not to like??? Going there was a cunning plan

We went for lunch on a lovely sunny day. We’ve been lots of times over the years, but we were disappointed this time which was a real shame as it was our anniversary. We had starters which we ok & then the main courses came - mine was almost cold - it felt like it had been waiting while my husbands was cooked. We complained as there is no way I can eat cold chips. They recooked/heated my meal but I ended up watching my husband eat his & he then had to watch me eat mine - not what we wanted.

I was staying overnight to attend the birthday celebrations of a very good friend. We had a most enjoyable evening and was well worth the return travel from the NW. The bedroom was comfortable and just right for my stay. The facilities were also comfortable making for a memorable evening celebrations.

Stayed 2 nights, accommodation was good. We dined in the restaurant both evenings, food and service were excellent, special mention to Chloe and Marta for their service and friendliness on both evenings. Would definitely recommend this place for a stay and also the dining experience.

First visit to Cambridge, and the pub featured in the Guardian, so had to try it. We were not disappointed. Really excellent food,beautifully cooked fish and vegetables were just as I like them. Finished off with an affogato, which you don't see often, but which is a lovely way to round off a meal. Serving staff were friendly and engaging. Atmosphere slightly lacking as on this freezing night, no fires were lit, and the lighting was positively gloomy!