The Navigator in South Cambridgeshire

Excellent, fast service, great food

Nice pub, very expensive for mediocre food. Not very tasty. Advertised as whole seabass was 2 fillets lightly fried and soggy. Lamb shank didn't taste oven cooked and bland.

We had a very pleasant experience. The staff were friendly, providing recommendations based on our preferences.

Excellent food in a lovely location

The service was excellent when we re-visited this lovely traditional village pub that offer Thai food only. The menu is extensive and reasonably priced too.

Excellent food service and atmosphere!

Food tasted fine. the wife ordered coconut rice instead of standard. Tasted pretty plain.

The menu is extensive & the food delicious. Authentic Thai cooking with generous portions. Good service and friendly atmosphere. We will return again.

Lovely food and service. Thanks very much

Came here following a good review from a friend, I was disappointed. It seems like the chefs forgot to add flavour to both the curry and pad Thai. The portions were also scant, especially considering the high price. There are other pubs that serve better thai food in Cambridge.

This is the third (and last) time I’ve eaten at the Navigator. First time the meal was pleasant, next time my husbands was nice, mine was essentially breaded chicken with no flavour (I’d ordered chilli crispy chicken). This last meal was terrible. The salt and pepper squid starter was plain battered squid not salt and pepper. My husbands duck looked unappetising and he later confirmed it was but he ate it. My Thai beef salad was poor. The beef was grey and managed to be both chewy & limp and tasted like it had been sitting around for days. The salad dressing had none of the classic Thai dressing flavours and the veg didn’t feel like a Thai salad at all. Waitress asked how was our food so initially I said fine then updated it to edible but not very nice (in truth the beef wasn’t even really that). She offered to replace it and I accepted. I asked what would be quickest to make as my husband had his food and she replied they all took the same amount of time (I guess that means microwaved frozen dishes). I chose a prawn pad Thai. It arrived quickly and piping hot (well done that microwave). the prawns were nice, the rest was a flavourless oily soggy mess. I ate about half as I was hungry and covered the rest with my napkin. I regretted eating what I did as I had an upset stomach for the rest of the night. The waitress swapped the food without making a thing out of it at the time but when the bill came made a bit too much of the fact they’d only charged me for the Thai beef salad even though the pad thai was £1 more expensive. No discount was offered. I cannot understand why it had a busy takeaway service the food was awful and it was expensive.

Always delicious food here, and service is friendly and quick.

Lovely pub lovely food and very helpful and friendly staff

Fabulous Thai food. With options to tailor the spice of the dishes. Their coconut rice is amazing. I really wish they did the duck spring rolls more often.

Overall great Thai food. I had the beef massaman curry and it was perfection. Service was quick and friendly and the beer was great. They have indoor and outdoor seating.

Amazing Thai food. Been coming for 20 years and it does not disappoint!

Tried to visit today at 3pm, all closed up and lights off, no signs anywhere saying why is closed or when is opening, does anyone know if its closed down?

Had a wonderful lunch here, only stopped because it was on our route and not to far off the motorway. I loved the menu!

Lovely food with a great country pub atmosphere

First time visiting and would thoroughly recommend to anyone. A great range of Thai dishes, beautifully cooked and really delicious!

This tradional village pub that serves Thia food is set in a lovely village. and is well maintianed. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The menu is very varied with reasonable prices and the food also good.

Always take care to find a good place for us and our dog. Caring and friendly staff and such good food.

Totally overpriced and mediocre food. I don’t mind paying a premium for good food but the food is average at best. I’d save your money and go to winners, which isn’t great but it’s as good as the navigator and not as expensive.

Lovely spot for lunch with a difference! I’d recommend the green thai curry, just the right amount of spice and delicious

Really good food, attentive staff, good atmosphere - what's not to like

Lovely little pub/restaurant serving out of this world Thai food..Tanya plays a pivotal role and anticipates your needs as if reading your mind..friendly helpful a credit too the place..Will definitely return

Rang ahead to book a table and asked if we could bring the dog. We arrived and the staff seemed a bit confused that we had our dog with us, however we were seated anyway. The food was plentiful, well priced and delicious. The service was not the most friendly and one of the beers (something I would order at other pubs) tasted off. There was function going on that day, which is possibly why the service was not as expected. Might be worth a revisit on a quieter day.

I ordered a takeaway that consisted of four starters; Chicken Spring Rolls, Prawn Toast, Pork Satay and Crispy Duck charged at the princely sum of £36.50. Had I paid that in a high-end restaurant and it was cooked fresh on the premises, that would just about be acceptable. However, what we got was pre-cooked frozen food thawed and reheated in the kitchen. Of that, I am 99% confident must be the case. If not, then they have serious quality issues. I have, for a fraction of the cost eaten almost identical food purchased from Aldi and reheated at home. That is exactly how The Navigator takeaway tasted and looked. In fact, I’ll go further and add that the Aldi crispy duck was far superior! What we got was a minced-up version of duck meat (I assumed) that was very dry and almost tasteless and most certainly not cooked fresh. The answer to my own question in the title of this review is ‘yes, absolutely!’

Delicious Thai food, great portion sizes and excellent atmosphere and service. Also open for lunch. Highly recommend

Good food and pleasant atmosphere

Just delicious 😋 family friendly and super staff. We cannot wait to go again.

Hit the place for lunch after 2.5 hours drive. Didn’t expect such amazing and authentic Thai food. If I were not living so far away I will definitely come back every week.

Six of us went to the navigator last night. We had a lovely meal served to us by super friendly staff. Cozy surroundings and excellent value.

Superb food and good service :)

A great surprise, high quality, good value, well presented and friendly helpful staff. Good parking facility, easy access for disabled and easy to find in a lovely village.

A great find for us. Our 2nd visit, friendly and helpful staff. food was as great as the first time. It's Thai cuisine, starters were yummy and roast pork with pak choi and jasmine rice was very tasty too.

If you are going to add 10% charge show it on your website and menu rather than include it on the bill after

Honestly a truly Delicious Thai green chicken curry. Very friendly staff I've had about 15 collections from here in the past year. Everyone has been as good as the last Fair prices as well! Only 3 parking spaces so be prepared to go down the street a little. Will be coming back for more Thai food! Highly recommend.

Food was excellent. Server was helpful and pleasant to speak with. So many options to choose from. We each chose something different and we were all happy with our meal, including the two kids with us! We were also pleased that rice came with our dishes rather than being an extra to pay for. We enjoyed it all and had plenty left over as well. Thanks for a great experience!

Yet again a truly lovely evening spent with friends at this gem of a place. The Thai food is cooked fresh to order, and is by far some of the best Thai food I have ever tasted. Tanya and the team at the Nav made us feel so welcome and all the staff are super friendly and attentive. Don’t pass this place by guys if you want exceptional Thai cuisine, with a really lovely friendly atmosphere and lovely staff on hand. Thank you we will be back soon. :-)

Good place for Thai food, lots of flavours and can be adjusted if you do not like your dish too hot, or like it extra spicy. Wide choice of dishes.

Great food and great service. Tanya was always helpful during the planning and her team were amazing. They knew what we were going to ask, before we asked it. Thoroughly recommend, lovely atmosphere. Thank you

Called in for lunch - Monday lunchtime. Barry the manager was really friendly and helpful in recommending a dish. Noodles with pork, beef and chicken - very tasty, plentiful and just right! A delicious meal served up in a really nice, friendly pub.

Best Thai food in the area..I am a regular visitor

Parking available. Dogs allowed in the bar area bit not dining area. Kind efficient staff. Glorious delicious food at very reasonable prices. Thank you

Great Thai food. Friendly service. Good pricing. Superb.

Been coming here for years but not often during the last two. It used to be good but tonight's dinner was flavourless, I even sent it back for repair but still hardly any improvement. It was virtually a bowl of coconut cream and that's about it. The massaman was bland too although that one was requested to be mild so won't criticise for that. Normally in Thai cuisine (and at the Navigator) there is a lot of debris left on the side of the plate at the end like galangal, lemon grass, kafir lime leaves and chilies, tonight I had about 1 inch of lemon grass (not smashed), half a lime leaf and a piece of galangal about the size of a 10p coin - no wonder it was bland. Might also benefit from a splash of salt (eg. fish sauce/soy sauce/salt). The manager mentioned the weekend chefs are different so this could be part of the problem. BTW, I have attended extensive Thai cooking training schools in Thailand so have a pretty good idea what it was lacking. Love the marquee, keep it there. Prawn crackers are good. Service was OK. Wont be coming back in a hurry but I will and hope to provide a better review next time; this place can be great but today was unfortunately a let down and not worth the bill.

quality food excellent fast service

Driving back from the Norfolk Coast to London, we decided that a Thai dinner would round off what had been an idyllic day. However, being a Bank Holiday Monday, our choices were somewhat limited. Time was also against us as it was almost 7pm before we left on journey home to London. We scored Google for options en-route that had the best reviews and the best ratings. Eventually, we felt we had struck gold, when we came across the Navigator. Everything fitted: Thai; on our route (sort of); and open till 11. We phoned ahead to see if we needed to book, only to be told that the kitchen closed at 9:30; the GPS was telling us the earliest we could possibly make it to Cambridge was 9:45. I started to thank the manager assuming it was a no-go, when he said that if we gave him our order over the phone, he'd have it all ready and keep it in the hot cabinet until we arrived. I was bowled over. As we drove our son read out various things from the menu, and eventually somewhere on the A146/A143 between Beccles and Bungay we decided what we wanted, and phoned our order in. I drove at the limit - legally but not always feeling entirely safe - anxious to get to our destination. It amused me that I was steering towards the Navigator. When we arrived, at our exact estimated arrival time, the manager literally opened the door to usher us in. It felt like such a warm and personal greeting. And then in case, I forget the food: We had a Green Curry with Duck, a Massaman with Chicken, and Mushroom Red Curry with Tofu; all served with coconut rice; a couple of excellent starters; and a drink each. It came to £67 including service, which I have to say is on the pricier side, but felt like a complete bargain. On top of that we got to chat with and get to know the wonderful Barry (the manager). He regaled us with as many tales as you can fit into 60 minutes, without ever perceptibly disturbing your guests, as one can. The Navigator is a lovely place to be and to eat. If your lodestar ever guides you in its direction, you won't be disappointed you docked your ship there. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Not usually one for writing reviews but felt that without speaking out then management will continue. So, went over to Lapworth from Warwick with my daughter this evening for a fixed 2 course sunday roast and we both chose mains followed by desert. Mains portion size was disappointingly small for circa £16 (costed seperately by the pub) of the £22.95 price tag. I'm particular about how the meat i eat is reared but was surprisef that when asked that the staff or chef knew if the beef had been grass fed/ grass finished or Grain finished so decided to go with it as the 'higher than i'd usually pay for a roast' may assume grass. Customers beware that the horseradish is with the meal (not an option) and served/ swamped on the plate around /under the beef, not seperately. Great if you like horseradish which i do, my daughter, not. Beef (2 slices) was tough. May have been more tender at lunch tine. I chose the biscuits and cheese for desert as still hungry but which added £3.95 onto a staggeringly expensive 1st course with veg to share in a tiny bowl. Despite being advertised at £22.95 for 2 courses, each course was found to be costed seperately when settling up with main course being 16 something £'s, cheese and biscuits worked out at a whopping £9.95!! This was not the experience i'd been expecting as one of best places for sunday lunch in the area.

Always brilliant food with friendly service

Disappointed, 100% not authentic Thai cuisine.

Omg this was one of the best Thai meals I have had in a long time. The food was superb - I had the Chicken Penang and the sauce was amazing - the staff were so friendly would highly recommend

Fantastic food, great service and I'll definitely be returning soon.

Excellent place. This food was very good, as was the service. Good beer as well. Would recommend

Lovely pub and restaurant offering the best Thai food in Cambridge, staff are all great as well.

Me and my partner ordered a Thai takeaway last night and I order the salt and pepper squid and mushroom red curry. The squid was just lightly battered, couldn’t taste any salt and pepper seasoning but wasn’t chewy so that was fine with the sweet chilli dip. The red curry had way too much coconut milk in, to the point it had completely lost that classic red colouring and to top it off I’ve had stomach cramps and an upset stomach since 2am. Such a shame as this has never happened before eating at The Navigator.

Can only comment on the Green Curry but as always it was lovely. A good pint too, we will be back there again soon no doubt.

Superb atmosphere, good Thai food as a sit down or take away. Great selection of real ale and other drinks. Why not use it as a start of an inter-village ramble.

Lovely food, excellent service and friendly staff.

Great food and friendly staff. Highly recommended

Paid £37 quid for this... Really overpriced! Was tasty but would expect more food for this price. Pineapple rice was abit of a joke.

First time visiting The Navigator and I'm very impressed. The pub has a very old feel to it and is very cosy, the staff were very friendly and helpful. Service was fast and efficient and the food was INCREDIBLE! Thank you to the front of house staff and to the kitchen staff, an all round A* experience.

Great beer garden, food and selection. Fast and pleasant service.

Pleasant fusion of Thai food and a pub environment!

Just had a wonderful takeaway! Food hot and fresh and delivered very quickly, staff lovely as always!

It’s was very disappointing. We had our Thai lunch last Saturday, I had beef Padthai. It was very greasy, beef was chewy, bland and partly still cold like it wasn’t warmed up in the microwave thoroughly. My husband had special on board, massaman lamb shank, the sauce tasted nothing like Thai. My boy had beef stir fry but it was very okay. £4 for a glass of coke plus 10 percent service charge for bringing it. Wobbly table and the whole place was very cold so we kept our coats on though lunch. Over all it’s very poor and was an expensive experience, never again.

Food is always good and the service is great.

Such a great Thai from The Navigator! I was introduced to them back in lockdown 2020 and have been having their takeaways at least once per month! P.S - Go for the duck, it’s always so tasty!

Great food and excellent staff always make us feel welcome. Would recommend, will be back!

Always excellent food at good prices

Great food and very nice staff...always have a good time

The food was good and waiting time ok too. I was very disappointed that my daughter's uneaten mini platter was taken away by one waitress before I got a chance to ask her to package it for us. I was paying another waitress at the time. There was no offer to take the food with us even though it was uneaten . I left the restaurant feeling very upset.

Good food, drink selection and great staff.

Lovely food, lovely people, you should go

Lovely food and beer, still manages to be a real pub as well as a Thai restaurant. Too many pubs turn into restaurants and lose their charm.

Excellent Thai Food highly recommended especially the rice

Food was nice, glass was dirty, cutlery was dirty, table was dirty not good for covid times

Awesome Thai curry today. Thank you :)

Every time I visit here I am greeted with such friendly, hospitable and pleasant staff as well as incredibly tasty food. Their curries and sticky rice always taste delicious and I find them irresistible such that I don’t consider much else of the menu!! However,...

Village pub serving Thai food with great community outlook. The manager has been amazing and gone over and above throughout the lockdown periods to offer help and support to people. We are lucky to live nearby and have this great community resource that brings people together.

This is quite simply a really great pub, serving one of the best menus in the area. Great atmosphere even during the week. It is exactly what you would want from a local pub in a nice country village. I don’t really know them but management seem really friendly too (I always remember hearing how during lockdown when they couldn’t open they used to pub as a base to provide food drop services to local vulnerable residents).

Good food can get extremely busy for takeaway orders.

We regularly eat at the Navigator and have always enjoyed excellent service and food. The team are always friendly and helpful and the justifiably excellent reputation of the Thai food attracts people from all over South Cambridgeshire.

I have lived in the village for 54 years and are so grateful to have local pub like the Navigator Great food Great beer Great staff Fantastic atmosphere During lockdown 1,2 and three Barry and his staff could not have done more for the village Would highly recommend a vist

I was at the Navigator on the EURO2020 final night and as a villager, have been there many times. It was a great family occasion with all ages and both residents and visitors present, and yes, louder and more excitable than normal, but not raucous or drunk. The food and service was as excellent as always, and Barry and his staff serving us worked their socks off to make it a highly enjoyable occasion. The EURO2020 final (and the semifinal) are a once every-four-year event, and this time only because England had reached a final after 50 years, so S Co's negative complaint must be set in that context and simply cannot be justified.

A friendly and hospitable community Pub. Favored by villagers and many from across South Cambridgeshire and the City of Cambridge who enjoy the atmosphere, the excellent Thai food and the good selection of beer, lager and wines. Not a pub that appeals to one particular age group, there is always a good mix of customers, from 18 to 90! The pub plays host to many activities for the Community including Carols at Christmas and "Sing-a-long" evenings for the elderly in the community (when covid allows) and more recently an opportunity to enjoy the European Cup England games together. The manager even went out of his way when the pub was closed due to Covid to support shielding local elderly residents by taking shopping lists, visiting the supermarket and then delivering shopping to those shielding residents, something highly appreciated by the village and commented on by the Parish Council at its Annual Meeting in May. Families are particularly welcome and its good to see so many eating and enjoying the Pub on early summer evenings. The manager and his staff do a great job despite being incredibly busy at times. I had a particularly good experience when taking lunch at the Pub with my elderly mother (88) and my sister. The manager was very happy to relocate our reserved table at short notice to accommodate her needs and joined in the conversations she started which she really enjoyed. I'm sure any new visitors would find the Navigator equally welcoming and equally enjoyable.

The Navigator Pub is at the heart of our village and plays a very important role in the community hosting Christmas carols, sing-along evenings, safari-supper gatherings and supporting local events such as the fun weekend. It is key to village life providing a much-needed social hub for people of all ages. Having lived in the village for 25 years I have frequented the pub on hundreds of occasions with my children (from babies through to adult years), my family, colleagues and friends along with their children, some of whom have disabilities.. We have always been welcomed and enjoyed great hospitality, excellent affordable food and atmosphere. I am therefore disappointed to read S Co’s disparaging review of the pub and management as my quarter of a century’s experience is only positive. The cosy pub is 16th century with low beams, open fires and character. Everyone is welcome. The Manager and team care greatly about their customers and that is why there is so much repeat business. The pub is not a free house so the Manager is not in a position to line his pockets. The Manager does a fantastic job and is always friendly and welcoming along with the rest of his team. No-one has a bad word to say about the staff and service. To call someone sub-human is highly offensive and unjustified. The pub is in a quiet village and can not be deemed noisy unless on the unprecedented occasion of the European cup final after a sixteen month pandemic which is totally justified! It is a great shame that S Co has felt the need to disseminate his highly subjective view on Google reviews using an alias without resolving the problem directly with the Manager who is very reasonable and approachable. I strongly urge anyone reading the reviews to focus on the other 398 which endorse my sentiments - The Navigator is a great place to meet, eat, drink and be sociable!

A really pretty place, outside area was nicely set up and food is delicious

The navigator has always been our Thai meal go-to whether it’s eat in or takeaway. The food is consistently good, the staff welcoming and Barry, the manager, is incredibly congenial. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

What an amazing village pub that serves the best Thai food! Barry and his team always make you feel welcome and the service is tip top. The prawn chilli stir fry is my favourite. Definitely worth a visit.

In response to S Cos review, I wasn't at The Nav for the Finals of the Euros however I have been to The Nav on many many occasions and can't fault the service - staff are very attentive and the food is delicious. Barry (the manager) was an absolute star during lockdown for the villagers who required support. He was the one who received texts and went off to the supermarket the next day to procure provisions for those in need. Barry and the staff at The Nav have always been polite and very hospitable - whether you're a table for two on a quiet night out or a rather noisier girls night out catching up in the marquee.

I wish to respond from S.co review made on the evening of the European cup final football. I attended this evening in the marquee with my 12-year-old son. I have been a village resident for 20 years and moved opposite the pub 15 years ago.. I have been a parish councillor and very involved in village activities. It is obvious to me that S.co has seldom if ever been into the pub. He calls it ramshackle, it is 400 years old with beams. He states it is for locals only, many of the customers come from miles around. He mentions the landlord but, if he had been a frequent visitor would know that the landlord does not live there it is run by a manager on a set wage who has no personal reward based on profit. The pub is a community pub serving all ages, it supports many village clubs and events There are pensioner meetings and they welcome children They have a kids menu. On the football final evening I was there as stated with my 12-year-old son there were other children including a two-year-old toddler. This was a once in 50 year event and there was merriment and excitement when goals were scored for England. S.co should have realised that moving next to a pub would have noise consequences and if this was of significant importance to his family he should never have moved there As I have said I live directly opposite and have I have canvassed other neighbours. We have never had an occasion where noise has been unreasonable In summary the Navigator staff run an excellent venue serving quality food and beer and is the pride of the village

A very pleasant surprise on a quick stop driving home. Delicious food! Might just have to make a detour next time for a return visit.

Totally ramshackle of a place, locals only welcome, don’t care about neighbours with children let alone children with special needs, landlord mocked me disdainfully when I called to say an autistic child was highly disturbed by the loud noises. Apparently lining his pockets was more important. I wouldn’t eat there if I was paid to after such an awful response. Perhaps they need to invest in a phone with a mute button so that the caller on the other end of the line cannot hear exactly what is said!! Disgusting. The child is here 365 days year, the drunken customers will be every 4 years - who’s more important…… oh yeah clearly the drunken idiots that are lining the pockets of the greedy sub human landlord.

Our favorite Thai restaurant in the region. Great service, exceptional tastes at a fair price. There is adjacent free parking and if it's full than you can park nearby along the road. Highly recommend!

Good Thai curries and nice garden

Fantastic birthday tea. Excellent flavours, rich and fragrant sauces and generous portions. Lovely surroundings with attentive and enthusiastic staff. Great value for money.

Attended a function for 20 people in the outside Marquee. I have to say despite the numbers the food and service were absolutely spot on,they worked their nuts off to insure everybody had an amazing time. Well done Barry,not much of a goalkeeper by all accounts but a fine host for the evening. Well done to all concerned and thank you.

Great atmosphere, reliably tasty food and really friendly staff