The Oak Bistro in Cambridge

My favourite place to eat in Cambridge, ask for a seat outside if you can for ambience

A wonderful classic bistro in the heart of Cambridge, we had a superb meal here with attentive warm service and delicious food. Portion sizes were very generous and we all left feeling very well fed. The scallops, the steak, the lamb and the creme brulee were the favourites of the table. The house red was a superb Bordeaux. We felt that for the quality of food and portion sizes it was very good value; I look forward to hopefully visiting again next time I'm in Cambridge!

Es difícil culpar al Oak Bistro. El personal es excelente, la comida es excelente y los alrededores son perfectos. Aunque está ligeramente lejos del centro de la ciudad, vale la pena visitarlo, pero no vayas si quieres hamburguesa con papas fritas! Lo describiría como muy adulto. Comida madura servida en una mesa madura por personal madurado. Excelente.

Tiny portions and steep prices, ok taste

Comer en el Oak Bistro es una experiencia en sí misma, la comida es de muy buena calidad y el propietario Philip y el personal te hacen sentir que realmente te importa. Una cálida bienvenida y un ambiente íntimo. Lo único que echaba de menos eran algunas opciones más vegetarianas en platos, pero en general estábamos muy satisfechos

My wife and I had a superb meal at the Oak Bistro yesterday evening. Perfect in every way. Friendly and knowledgeable service. Decent and reasonably priced wine by the carafe. A realistically sized menu with enough choice / but not so much as to dilute quality. The starters were delicious - potted crab and scallops. My wife had the vegetarian main - and I had the steak: both expertly cooked. And we shared the crumble which was very tasty. All in all a lovely meal in a delightful setting. We’ll definitely be going back.

Fabulous food (the recommended beef Wellington was incredible) and atmosphere. The service was the best I've ever received in Cambridge! Thanks for a great night.

Absolutely delightful. I love going to The Oak Bistro with friends and family. The Maitre d’ is a great host and nothing is too much trouble for the chef to accommodate: you just know your in good hands from the minute you walk through the door. The food is superb and the wine and bar offer exceptional. Its a sophisticated but unpretentious place where you can truly relax with friends and fellow diners.

Visited with my partner. The hosts were so welcoming and friendly. They greeted us by name as we had a booking. The food was cooked to perfection.

We chose this amazing place for our dinner during our stay in Cambridge. From the first step into we were impressed with great welcome,service, and mouthwatering meals👍Great wine,mains, and desserts .Thanks to your team and your Portugese chef. Definitely will come back 🇺🇦💫🍸

Mientras nos alojamos en un hotel cercano, nos recomendaron The Oak Bistro para una cena, y puedo decir con confianza que fue una excelente sugerencia. Mi esposa y yo disfrutamos del filete más increíble cocinado a la perfección absoluta. El servicio fue impecable, con personal atento y amable que nos hizo sentir verdaderamente bienvenidos. Otra ventaja fue la ubicación, a solo 150 metros de nuestro hotel, por lo que es increíblemente conveniente. Ya estamos planeando un viaje de regreso a Cambridge este verano y sin duda volveremos a pasar por The Oak Bistro para disfrutar más de su fantástica comida. Muy recomendable!

We visited The Oak Bistro for a work dinner and celebration, so this review is based on a set menu rather than the à la carte options. That said, both the food and service were excellent. The dishes delivered on expectations for French classics. The service was particularly impressive. Staff was friendly, attentive, and accommodating of a variety of allergies in our group. My only minor comment is that the larger group area, being semi-outside, was slightly noisy at times, with the sound of church bells ringing quite loudly. However, this wasn’t a major issue and didn’t impact the overall experience. Highly recommended for a special occasion or group dinner!

Llevó a mi madre aquí por su 70 cumpleaños hace unas semanas y ambos estábamos muy impresionados. Tuvimos una cálida bienvenida, había una buena elección de comidas, el servicio era muy amable pero eficiente y no tuvimos que esperar mucho tiempo para que nuestra comida fuera sacada. Nuestras dos comidas eran deliciosas, bien presentadas y un tamaño justo. Recomendaría la crema de maracuyá a cualquiera, ¡podría comer una todos los días! Cuando hice la reserva en línea mencioné que era una celebración de cumpleaños número 70, así que cuando los pudines salieron tenían una vela para ella y cantaron Mamá Feliz cumpleaños y todo el restaurante se unió, así que estaba tan chuffed! Así que gracias por hacerlo memorable para ella

Can definitely recommend it. The scallops were really particularly tasty. Such nice people who served us.

What a treat. Fantastic from start to finish. Food & service top notch

Excellent atmosphere in a comfortable dining room. The service is friendly and professional.The courses we chose were good and generous portions . Thank you very much

Excellent service, great food, 10/10

Nice bistro, easy to like. Classic French dishes, and reasonable prices

Superb food! Excellent service but not over the top. Best Nero d'Avola i ever had. And don't get me started on that Beef Wellington...

Went along with clients this afternoon. The food was excellent and we were very well looked after by the team. Bravo and thank you

Este restaurante no sabe lo que es un bisque. Pedí una galleta de langosta y encontré que era delgada y acuosa con trozos no identificables. Le señalé al camarero que no era lo que esperaba y por eso no lo había comido, pero cobraron £ 14 por ello de todos modos. No volvería a ir.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at the Oak Bistro, and i must say, both the customer service and the food exceeded my expectations. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted warmly by the hostess, setting a positive tone for the evening.

Excellent food and service. Had the massive steak. It was massive! Puddings were first rate as well.

Very enjoyable dinner, Wellington was superb!

I never know how to start these, anyway, long story short, wife booked a really nice hotel, and I had to book the meal, the pressure was enormous as you can imagine. Anyway, had a look around and saw the Michelin star place, looked great, just a bit not for us, what I wanted was great food in a more relaxed atmosphere and thats EXACTLY what we got, from the moment we walked in we were greeted by a great chap with long hair and he made us feel welcome INSTANTLY, it's the little things, knew my name when I walked in (had a reservation so not rocket science but a great touch) just those things that make such a difference. The food: Yea was legit, really good, if I HAD to be picky I would say my chips could have been a bit more homemade but also, I am the guy that ordered steak and chips when clearly more foodie based option, anyway, that makes the chips sound bad, they weren't there were great. Whole thing was great. Basically, if you are taking your wife or husband away, and want to get those points in for picking a decent place, pick this place, really nice, will go again.

Outstanding bistro vibe with a cozy atmosphere & superb food & service. The manzana mimosa with. The homemade cider is an absolute Fall must have as well as the prosciutto wrapped dates.

Could not fault this place. A haunt for celebrities and for good measure! Food was outstanding and the service was among the best I’ve ever received; incredibly attentive. Highly recommend.

Lovely food, good service, good value, good choice! The restaurant was full when we arrived, a good sign when it is not in the main centre. A good welcome and happy helpful staff. Some of the best scallops we have had and good well priced wines.

My happy place. Was a regular in the years my husband and I lived in Cambridge and in a recent visit was delighted to find that it had hardly changed. Why mess with what is perfect?

Had a lovely meal at Oak Bistro. The service is excellent - very friendly, and accommodating to our group’s dietary needs. I had the seafood risotto which was very nice. They had a great selection of desserts as well. As the restaurant is made up of a number of small spaces, it can get a little noisy when busy, so that’s just something to keep in mind if you prefer a quieter atmosphere.

We had a good dinner last Saturday at the Oak Bistro. We went on the off chance it looked rather busy but inside it was like a labyrinth, they found us a quiet table a d the food was perfect. We had a fish risotto as a starter and for the main course I had trout with samphire and bubble and squeak. It was very tasty. I enjoyed it. The service was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed the experience. It was good value for money. I would recommend it.

Very nice food,excellent service

Went twice in the last few weeks for my own and then husband's birthdays. Both days everything was superb - lovely food, excellent selection of wines, great service and a really nice friendly atmosphere. We were never rushed during our meals and both times were very enjoyable experiences. Their lunchtime 3 course lunches are great value. So glad we have found this place. We will be back!

Had an absolutely fantastic meal here. Not cheap but worth every penny. Both service and food impeccable. The best service I’ve experienced in Cambridge. Really felt the waiter cared and was happy to give recommendations and ever so friendly and polite. Can’t wait to return.

Delicious rib eye steak. Good service. Real English restaurant.

Lovely lunchtime menu. Cooked perfectly. The service was excellent. Would recommend & return.

We had been wanting to come here for quite a while . So we took the opportunity when we met up with friends in Cambridge. Very unassuming place , very nicely decorated inside and is much bigger inside . We were warmly greeted by the owner I would say ,he was very attentive , but would say he needs to tie his hair back serving food . The food was ok , beef wellington , not much taste , not as tender as it should have been , others had fish ( not much of it ) duck & risotto, which was all good . Service impeccable. Woujd we go back , possible not , due to location and is it worth the money , no I don’t think so .

Very different from what the frontage suggests. The building goes way back into three dining rooms. Good food, well prepared, attentive staff.

We have been to The Oak Bistro many times over the years and we always have a great experience. My most recent visit was last night with three colleagues from work. It is the perfect local bistro - great food, wine and service. Very, very highly recommended.

One of the best restaurants I've had in Cambridge so far. Ordered the Pan fried Scallop, Truffle Risotto, Confit Duck and Beef Wellington, every single dish is perfectly cooked. The staff were nice and considerate.

Fabulous food and delightful attentive staff. Will definitely go back again, so many other things on the menu I want to try.

One should not miss the beef wellington, it could easily be one of the best you have. The desert and wine recommendation are carefully matched.

Booked a table for 4 for my father’s 62nd. Couldn’t have asked for better service throughout the meal, asked for an off menu drink and the waiter kindly provided. We had the scallops and pork belly for starters, beef wellington and ribeye steaks for main and then sticky toffee, passion fruit crème brûlée and the poached pear for desert. All of the food was fantastic and cannot wait to return!

Lovely, friendly restaurant with great, traditional Anglo/French food and a superb wine list.

Restaurant chosen for a birthday dinner with the family and didn’t disappoint. A warm welcome, good service and delicious food. We will be returning some time soon!

The beef wellington is outstanding Also really good wine list with some brilliant wines to pick from including dessert wines

Lovely restaurant with excellent service. As a vegetarian I often struggle and don’t usually have much choice. Not at The Oak bistro. 3 starters and main courses and all the desserts were vegetarian with vegan options too. I had the cheese board which had a great selection of British cheeses - did advise they replaced the Carrs water biscuits which I hope they act on as they didn’t suit the cheeses and seemed a bit dated.

Disappointing that they cook a Beef Wellington until it is tough and tasteless. Won't be returning.

Fantastic food ...delicious...staff were friendly.. welcoming and attentive...definitely will come again ..loved it

Lovely menu, food and staff! Beef Wellington cooked to perfection! Nice wines too. Highly recommended!

A really lovely restaurant with a nice calm environment. Such a nice change not to have loud music playing. The food was faultless and our waitress deserves a special mention both for being very professional and for helping make my wife's birthday celebration that bit more special.

They made a special day even more special with their excellent service, amazing food, and fantastic wine.

What a delightful restaurant. Very welcoming staff. All dishes we chose were excellent and very well presented. If I am ever in Cambrige again, this would be my 1st choice. Could not fault a thing. This restaurant really knows what customer service and good food are all about. Couldn't recommend highly enough.

Very relaxed atmosphere, exceptional service and the food was amazing.

Great welcome from Philip, and a wonderful meal for our Anniversary. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion, or just a well deserved treat. Well done all!

The food was great, the drinks menu great and the friendly staff give this place a very warm and welcoming atmosphere, a good find.

Wonderful restaurant - top notch! Great food and a very interesting wine list with small markups (inspired by the Andrew Edmunds Soho model, we were told). The owner, Phillip, was a brilliant host and made our small business dinner a great social occasion too.

Had a really incredible meal at The Oak Bistro. Service and food was fantastic. Beautiful and small inside seating area, and the atmosphere was perfect. Would highly recommend them to anyone considering a meal in Cambridge.

Been a regular at this place for a few years now. Lately foods and service have improved a lot and never disappoints me. Appetisers such as scallops and pork belly are always top tier and always cooked to perfection. Mains don’t change very often but season fish dish are pretty good and personally my favourite is confit duck. Can’t think of any restaurant that does Beef wellington up to this level. Lovely desserts as well and great service too, super friendly and professional. Fantastic wine list, lots of good wines for such a reasonable price. Atmosphere is generally okay but sometimes got to care of lights as it could get too dark after evening. One of my go to restaurant in Cambridge especially for any special occasion or dinner date spot. Definitely worth the money

A really great place to eat, the food and wine are excellent and the service is unmatched.

Such a warm welcome and the food is amazing. I've never known beef as tender and melt in your mouth as the beef wellington! It was worth every penny.

One of our go to restaurants as great food, service and atmosphere. Celebrated a birthday here and had a wonderful evening. Never fails to impress!

We‘ve come here repeatedly usually for special occasions and it is always a great experience! Food is very delicious (especially the duck) and staff is incredibly friendly. My favourite restaurant in Cambridge, especially with visitors.

We were there for my son's graduation, so it was a celebration night and they ticked all the boxes..warm welcome,attentive service.I think we almost all overdosed on scallops and the beef wellington which was fabulous..had a bit of trouble on our choices of wine as our first two choices had been exhausted??but nevetheless Philip came up with appropriate alternative and the night was saved.A lovely place,nice atmosphere and above all good food and service..that's why you go out no?

Fabulous delicious food Wonderful owner and staff who cant do enough to make your visit memorable Cosy welcoming bistro

Cosy atmosphere, Perfect service, Amazing food (Mushroom Risotto, wellington, red wine Plan de Dieu)

Stayed in Cambridge for 3 nights and this was definitely the best dining experience. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the seating comfortable.

Couldn’t agree more with most of the previous reviews, lovely ambience , great food , fabulous wine list and a perfect host ! I definitely recommend The Oak and can’t wait for my next visit !

We had a perfect lunch. Everything was really excellent.

Really enjoyable experience, great food, relaxed ambience, intimate thus ideal as catching up with old friends and able to chat easily.

First time stay in Cambridge and discovered this GEM of a restaurant. Food and wine excellent and staff/service was first class. So friendly and they create a great atmosphere. Would fully recommend and would visit again if return. Well done!

Quick last minute decision to go to town and we found a table at The Oak. Nice abbreviated wine list. Tasty corn chowder. I had a very upscale French Dip sandwich on a crusty panini (? ciabatta). The scallops were beautiful and enjoyed by others in our party. I had a bite of the confit duck which was nice and crispy and flavorful. The last person in our group very much enjoyed the gnocchi and stole a few mushrooms and truffle slices.... yum

Top notch bistro in Cambridge, just a few minutes' walk from the centre. Excellent food, well-presented and perfectly cooked. This is one of the few places we've been to where choosing from the menu was quite a dilemma! If we were local, we'd be back to try different dishes. There's also an excellent wine list which has many and varied wines that are reasonably-priced. I also like that they had a decent dessert wine selection with recommended pairings for each of their desserts. All-in-all, excellent food, first-class service from James, and great value considering the quality. Highly recommended.

From the moment someone answered the phone and took my booking I knew it would be a great place to eat. Philip (the owner) has that perfect blend of familiarity and efficiency which just makes you feel at ease and at home. The ambience is great, as is the food. My only regret is that I don't live closer to Cambridge so that I can come here again.

Great food. Welcoming management. Friendly staff. Good ambience. Don't be put off by frontage, nice inside. Moderately priced.

We had a faultless dinner at the Oak Bistro in Cambridge earlier this week. Even though it was a Monday evening, it was full of happy diners. We were given a friendly greeting by the owner and the service throughout was exceptional. So was the food and wine choices. We haven’t enjoyed a meal as much in ages and can’t wait to return! Mike and Julia (Oxford)

Delicious food in a chic environment. Even though the restaurant was busy it still felt relaxed. I loved the celeriac soup and fish cakes. Wish I had room for the pudding. Next time.

We had a great meal, food ,wine and atmosphere all fantastic, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening Philip and James were perfect hosts and we will return!

5 of us on a Saturday night. Restaurant was full. Warm welcome and a pleasant room. Food was great, just a bit of a shame they had run out of beef wellington by about 8pm. Also a bit odd they they didn’t have enough vermouth in to run to 5 dry martinis. Initially service was a tad slow, but we weren’t in a hurry. It’s all done with elegance and charm . We had a lovely time

Dinner for 4 people on Saturday evening - had booked well in advance. Great atmosphere and impeccable service . Extensive menu and food quality is of the highest order / the Beef Wellington is a must ! Superb choice of wines too. Phillip is a superb host - even found a sloe gin for my wife ! Brilliant evening.

This is truly one of the only restaurants that always delivers in every way, food and service are of highest quality. I have been coming here for over 10 years

Went with colleagues, weren't particularly hungry prob due to jet lag, so we ordered soem starters and a side salad to share, then some desserts. Most memorable dish was the potato fish cake, prawn and scallops. Risotto was norm and the walnut goat cheese beetroot salad a bit underwhelming. I had the apple crumble with hot custard, very traditional. It was packed on a Monday. Service was not bad.

Very nice lunch. Friendly owner and staff. Food very fresh..very enjoyable

Very cosy and romantic atmosphere! The food was delicious and the service impeccable. Will go back for sure

Loved this place, fabulous food and a great wine list. An authentic Bistro and we will definitely be back, it's a real gem.

What a find! We were in Cambridge to celebrate my partner’s birthday. Read a Trip Advisor review of the Oak and we were not disappointed. Everything was spot on, food, drink, ambience and outstanding service.

Had a fantastic lunch yesterday with my other half for her birthday. The staff were friendly, attentive, polite and accommodating. The food was amazing. The red wine jus that comes with the beef wellington is stunning and the crème brûlée was delicious. This was our second visit and we’ll definitely be back at some point.

friendly service, peaceful atmosphere, delicious food. we even ordered more desert than usually do bc wanted to try, and we were not disappointed. Sadly, my other photos are blurry, but I can share the desserts 🤗 Ice cream and cheesecake 😋😋

This restaurant has a lovely ambiance and serves French-style food to a high level of quality. I had a very good steak and chips, and my friend had halloumi which I have ordered in the past and was excellent. Very good service.

This was a birthday treat for me. There is the main restaurant - and an ‘outside’ area (canvas roof and glass sides with very good heating) which is where we were seated. Not an expansive menu, so whatever was on it would be fresh and very well cooked. We were introduced to the ‘specials’ too’ Our starters were Artichoke soup and Pork Belly. Both excellent. Mains were the lamb (special) and duck leg. Both excellent. Puddings were raspberry cream brûlée and sticky toffee pudding. All excellent!

The food was just ok and all a bit bulky.

Delicious food, perfectly presented. Great service!

Charming place near the centre of Cambridge. Food very good indeed - much better than your normal bistro - and the staff and owner were extremely welcoming. Beautifully relaxed and enjoyable evening.

Fantastic place, food was just how the pictures on website show and flavours were great, from moment on entering and being shown to our table by Phillip everything was perfect. Lovely place, we will sure visit again/ frequently 😉

Had acgood evening so definitely will be going again.

It pains me to write this review a bit, but here we go. Recently came here on date night with my wife. We had read about Oak Bistro numerous times so had been excited to try it for at least the last year. We’re both vegetarian, so this review can only speak to their two primary veg dishes listed as a main on their menu. We had the gnocci and eggplant parmigiana. To be totally honest, both were pretty subpar – and we’re American, not from Italy or anything. The eggplant was rubbery and quite undercooked, with an overall taste about 3 stars. Similarly, the gnocci was really mediocre and bland, and there was zero truffle that could be tasted in the dish, despite listing that it was made with black truffle. Perhaps the chef used “truffle powder” rather than real truffles, but you could definitely no truffle and the gnocci was definitely store bought, not home-made (e.g., relatively firm, not soft, and barely seasoned). On the other hand, the dessert was excellent – we had the sticky toffee pudding and I would say it was among the best we’ve had in Cambridge. The wine was also quite good, although the beer menu was severely lacking. Note to owner – why offer 60+ wines and only 3 really bad beers (e.g., Corona, Peroni) – the drinks menu could definitely be improved by offering customers a few decent craft beers. Service was good and the restaurant ambiance was nice, although definitely not fancy given the fairly high prices, especially for the meat dishes. All and all, we felt the food was about 3-3.5 stars (perhaps the meat is better?), but the dessert was excellent. I don't think we would come again.

Always delicious. The walled garden in summer is a particularly lovely atmosphere.

We went to the Oak to celebrate our 50th’s. Sadly the meal was really disappointing . We both ordered rib eye at £31 each. The steak was extremely fatty, chips were big standard fries and served with a basic bit of salad. Desserts were much better.

Delicious food with great service and delightful atmosphere. Staff were lovely and knowledgeable

The staff were really welcoming. Considering it was fully booked, we didn't feel rushed or overlooked. The food went beyond our expectations. The lamb shank was one of the best I've tasted, and the desert was pretty good too. Looking forward to visiting again.