The Oak Bistro in Cambridge

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Service is perfect and they are very pleasant. Beef wellington was delicious. We tried many dishes at oak bistro and all of them perfect

From our initial email regarding our booking till when we left, this restaurant was fantastic. Lovely friendly staff and Philip, I'm assuming the owner was just great. It's not the biggest restaurant but beautifully laid out, so make sure you reserve a table! The food was fantastic. I had the scallops to start and they were probably the juiciest plump scallops ever, and I've had a lot! My fish main was lovely but 2 of my party had the Beef Wellington which was cooked to absolute perfection, just pink enough. Great selection of desserts with a reasonably priced wine list. We will definitely be back next time we visit Cambridge.

I absolutely love the Oak Bistro. Incredible food, incredible service and all around a wonderful experience. They were also very accommodating when one of our party passed out and we had to call an ambulance! Thanks so much and we will definitely be back (and hopefully have a less eventful dinner next time)

Mediocre food and good service. The waiter put the service charge of only 10% by himself, so that was ok with us as well.

Incredible food and service. Rob was our server and he was so attentive and James was so nice and kind. I’ve never experienced service as good as this. On top of that the food was amazing. We had the pork belly, potato cake, beef wellington and aubergine parmigiana. All of which was incredibly delicious.

Great lunch we had. Excellent service and superb food taste. Best so far since I came to UK. Very much appreciate the manager and good luck in your place. Very much recommended.

Whilst, we've had several enjoyable meals at The Oak we were disappointed with the overall experience last time and therefore will not be returning. The Maitre'd and waitress were welcoming and efficient, but were let down by the low standard of the food. Unfortunately, due my wife's birthday being in December we're always confronted in restaurants with party revellers, but in this instance it was so noisy we couldn't hear each other speak. The party were totally arrogant and dismissive of other diners trying to enjoy their evening out, which sadly wasn't checked by the management.

We went here with friends who live in the UK and have worked at the University. It is a charming place with a fantastic atmosphere. Not a lot of seats so booking is essential. Not a lot of parking about so we parked in a side street 1 klm away. Excellent selection of wines and our friend is a wine buff and selected a very good french red. meals were outstanding as were the desserts. The service was fantastic and the meals came at a good space giving us time to chat and catch up on the time we had not seen each other. It was an excellent experience and one we would love to do again when we get back to Cambridge

Let down very disappointed. I had arranged a weekend in Cambridge for my husbands birthday . We were staying in a lovely hotel with a gourmet restaurant but I chose to book our meal at the Oak Bistro as it looked lovely and romantic and we really wanted the beef wellington which was on the menu. I booked weeks ago and about a week before our visit I emailed the restaurant to advise we wanted the beef wellington and we wanted it medium well as I knew this may need this cooked differently . The restaurant confirmed this by email advising they could arrange this for us . We arrived last night sat down and the waiter offered us water and then said , I will rip the plaster straight off we don’t have any beef wellington so it’s clear they knew this was what we wanted and had asked for . The manager then came over and advised us that he had been the one who emailed me about this and he had said it was fine if available which is definitely not what he said to me ( I have the email) ! I said that it was unacceptable and his response was it’s been busy today and we have sold them all but I have other nice meals on the menu . Not for us we did not like anything else offered and were also not at that point looking to hand our money over after being treated in this way . We left and went elsewhere and had a lovely meal and I am in hindsight glad we did. The Bistro is small and quiet lacking atmosphere, where we went we had amazing food and a great atmosphere. I would really warn others from booking especially if you have a special request as it will be ignored !!

We had a lovely lunch with beef Wellington and sea bass. Both dishes were well-prepared and tasty. The service was friendly and attentive, enhancing our dining experience. The Oak Bistro claret paired nicely with the beef Wellington, complementing the meal.

We recently had dinner here and had a great experience. The service was outstanding, with the staff going above and beyond to ensure a memorable evening. The menu was really good and had the perfect amount of dishes. We had a great evening and would book again!

Left there fairly disappointed. Could only get a booking (booked early in September!!!) for a table at the back of the restaurant, but ok, I accepted that when booking. As I walked through on arrival, I noticed all the tables as I came through all had crackers and some table decorations and thought wow! On our table there was nothing. None of the tables at the back had anything like that. We liked the food - that’s one tick. However, there was a table behind us who were making a lot of noise like it was only them in the entire restaurant and I believe that one of the staff should have said something. Bear in mind I was dining with my parents of 83 and 85 years. When you pay these prices and when it’s a Christmas time special lunch, you’d expect much, much more. I wouldn’t rule out coming back, but it won’t be first on the list I’m afraid. Shame that.

A real gem in the city center we all had a superb lunch. A must if in cambridge and looking for a quality meal.

We had lunch with friends and the Oak Bistro was superb. Welcoming and friendly staff and no max time limit on our table so we could relax and enjoy ourselves. Menu was really good, not so many choices that it takes an age to decide but enough variety to suit everyone. The food was excellent. I have a life threatening food allergy and they took care to ensure I was safe.

We sat at the best table in the house! The whole crew was great and the food was really wonderful!

Really beautiful garden area with warm reception and service. Starters and main were amazing, in particular the prawns!

Our first trip back to Cambridge after 5 years and we were keen to return once again to the Oak Bistro. To our delight, it was just as good, if not better than our first visit! The service, food, wine and ambience were superb! What more could you want? Thank you Philip and team for fabulous evening.

We had a fabulous meal in a lovely restaurant with a great ambience. Phillip was a great host and made us feel very welcome. Phillip was also excellent during the booking process, great and very polite communication. The food was delicious and we had the...

What a find! I wish this restaurant was local to me. The food was lovely, the host genial and friendly. The waitress was lovely too. I came with a friend for dinner and certainly want to come back with my partner and enjoy Cambridge in...

Excellent food, great service, good value for this level. Very enjoyable evening I would recommend you go.

what a fab lunch here, we started with a prawn and avocado starter followed by the chicken dish and the fishcake dish, and both had a panacotta desert. the wine was a great addition. it was my birthday and the service was great, very good...

Everything here is PERFECT. Food, Service and Atmosphere... I want to give you 10 stars. I am happy to add one more to my list of Best Cambridge restaurants. I higly recommend scallops and beef wellington.

My husband and I visited this trendy little hidden Gem on the 23rd of November. Boy oh boy what a find! From the beginning to the end we could not fault it, up there with the best! On entrance the owner and staff make you...

This is by far the best dining experience in Cambridge. Aside from the quality of food, professional and yet friendly attitude of the staff puts Oak Bistro to my number one restaurant around.

Delicious food and fantastic service.

Decided on a day in Cambridge and after searching for somewhere to eat, we decided to book here. Best decision, food was amazing, service this matched too, would highly recommend.

Perfect lunch, starting with melt-in-your-mouth scallops and potted crab, then halibut and fish cakes, washed down with a crisp pinot grigio, finished with a trio of sorbet. Everything very good, the service, presentation of the dishes, seasoning, all spot on. Nothing whatsoever to complain about.

We had a lovely meal at Oak bistro. Food and wine were both great. What stood out particularly was the excellent service from Robert our waiter. Refreshing these days to see such a professional waiter who is a class act. We will definitely be coming back to Cambridge just for another meal here!

The staff and food were both great, with the matradee addressing me by name throughout the meal.

The Oak Bistro Probably the best restaurant in Cambridge. Wonderful presentation, and exceptional food. Great choice of menu. 8 starters (3 vegetarian, 3 fish and 2 meat) Main courses: 7 ( 3 meat , 2 fish and 2 vegetarian) Deserts: 7 plus a Cheese platter....

Great service, good atmosphere and food excellent 👌

Awesome... I think that covers this place

Wonderful food and also the people. Service was superb and a great atmosphere too. I highly recommend visiting

We were a wedding party of twelve plus a 2 year old. The food was wonderful! The service from Philip and a young lady (we didn't get her name) was excellent 👌 Would definitely visit again.

A really great meal with top service. Oak bistro is a medium size and offers a varied menu with some specials. Price point is in line with similar place in Cambridge, but service and food quality is in my opinion superior.

Simply the best restaurant in Cambridge, bar none. Everything is 5 star from the warm welcome, friendly and efficient service and exceptional quality food. A superb experience from start to finish and I can't recommend The Oak highly enough.

I think our experience here was the best restaurant experience that I can remember. Wonderful food, competitively priced and outstanding service. Feels like waiters know their business and love their job. Totally impressed.

Vist the restaurant with my family for a special occasion and we had a splendid time. The food was beautiful, and the staff were super. Would highly recommend.

This restaurant gets it right . From start to finish ,including booking amendments,this is a superb place to go . Staff are spot on ,with time to chat ,if you wish . Service is also exceptional…..and all this before I mention the food ! The...

Completely blown away. Best restaurant experience I can remember. Service and food top drawer.

Fabulous!! We had a super evening, seated in the garden room at the rear of the restaurant. Service was professional and attentive. The food was absolutely delicious. The four of us all had different starters and different mains and each one of us thought we...

Amazing food and the service was amazing

Always a pleasure to have dinner at the Oak Bistro: nice atmosphere, good service and excellent food and wine, one of our favourite places in Cambridge.

My friend and I had a lovely evening. The service was very attentive, and the ambience was cosy and friendly on a wet night. The potato cake starter was average but the mushroom risotto was very tasty.

This is a nice place, with the atmosphere very similar to a movie restaurant experience. I am a bit biased here and say its not within the top 3 that I've been to in Cambridge but its certainly quite good!

Best meal I’ve had for ages combined with great service and comfortable and inviting environment . Has a sense of occasion.

Been twice, and the quality of the beef has not been to my liking, too much fat and gristle. Had beef Wellington and rare ribeye.

Utterly delicious, well cooked quality food in a cosy ambient setting.

Lovely place with great ambience. There was live music on the evening we were there, and the female singer had a lovely, soft voice and sang well-known songs from Amy Winehouse and Niles Barkley. The service was attentive, and the menu had something for everyone....

Very good overall! Good good, great service, nice and cozy ambiance.

Been wanting to come to this place for a long time as heard good things. Sent an email late last night wanting to book last minute and had a call from Phill this afternoon very quick response. Very pleasant gentleman. Classical type of cooking, done very well. I didn't have the beef Wellington but our 2 guests did and it was hard to not dive into their plates. The shine and glaze on the sauce was astonishing told me everything I needed to know. Ribeye was also fantastic not a mouthful left on any plate. Don't usually bother with deserts as often underwhelming but equally impressive. Everything home made and cooked fresh to order needs a lot of praise.

Utterly brilliant. We went for my son's 21st birthday. Food and service were exceptional. Staff were great, and everyone sang happy birthday, with harmonies ;)

My wife and I had dinner in a raining and cold evening. We still liked to sit in the lovely yard. Philip turned on the heater for us. Thanks very much for his kindness! Philip is a wine master. The courses are really wonderful!

The best staff including the owner Phillip and the best food. Wow is all I can say. If you come to Cambridge then book here. Beef wellington is to die for. Great wine, starters and just a great place. We will be back.

Très bon restaurant je recommande! La terrasse est sublime

Nicest place I've been to in Cambridge for a while. Good menu, service and ambience. Food very nice and lovely outside covered courtyard. Boss man very pleasant and friendly. Definitely recommend.

Best place I've been to for ages in Cambridge. Nice menu, feels like fine dining but not bad prices. Lovely courtyard garden under cover. Wine reasonable and quality. Definitely recommend and will come again.

The food was okay, just not worth the high price you pay. The atmosphere felt like somewhere from 15-20 years ago and, despite the heat, they didn’t have their air con on, which seemed very odd. Disappointed to have eaten here given the hi reviews,...

Fabulous greeting and welcome. The menu was superb, as was the wine list. All starters, mains and desserts - with pudding wine for me as it was my birthday were amazing. All beautifully cooked and presented. We will definitely be back - thank you.

I really like the sauces in every meal. Made a good memory again in Cambridge.

We had a lovely evening at the Oak Bistro - great service!

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The staff were welcoming and helpful. Food was delicious - my mum really enjoyed the swordfish. The sorbet particularly was gorgeous. I would be keen to visit this restaurant again when I next stay in Cambridge.

Exceptional food. The menu was superb and the service was great. Exceeded expectations.

I was lucky to dine here twice in one day. I had the mushroom risotto as a starter but nothing else as returning in the evening. It was delicious. The evening party had beef Wellington, halibut and pork belly. All were enjoyed. The oak has a large wine list with plenty of variety. Service was very friendly so I’d love to return next time I’m in Cambridge.

What a beautiful experience it was! Starting from a booking call (as I was booking just a few hours in advance) and throughout our time there! Every one was friendly, attentive and helpful. Comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. The weather was warm so we got a table outside (and it was an additional bonus). Food was delicious and beautifully presented. I strongly recommend this place to anyone! Thank you, Team! We shall be back 😀

Will definitely come back here again. Great food, great service

This has to be the best restaurant in Cambridge Simple ingredients cooked spectacularly well 😋 Service is faultless and wine list sublime Oak Bistro is one of very few restaurants that have delivered every time for many years Chris Lane

Had the steak and it was cooked to perfection.

Excellent service and excellent food. I had made a reservation for the wrong night, luckily it was a mid-week evening and they were able to accommodate us. They were so kind and helpful even though it was 100% my mistake. It's been two weeks, and...

Delicious food, good wine and friendly service. Well worth a visit.

Good food and service from a friendly and lively team. Would visit again if in the area again. Very busy venue and maybe just a tad too noisy.

Ottimo pranzo in un ambiente piccolo e accogliente con piatti britannici di ottima qualità e ingrediente freschissimi Personale cordiale e...

Perfect bistro experience. Helpful service , Balanced menu ,.Reasonable wine list and decent prices. 3 courses, and wine approx £50 .

Definitely the nicest meal I've had this year and probably multiple years

Amazing. My husband has wanted a Beef Weelington his whole life, so I googled & found him one, not just any old one, a superb one! Can not fault anything, amazing staff, amazing food, lovely atmosphere. Strawberry cheesecake to die for! Would definitely go back...

4.3 Overall, a really good meal at Oak Bistro. We sat in the back garden which provided a different perspective than always sitting inside. They have done it up nicely, in a tight space. A little bit of light jazz and lighting would have made it a 5. On the food....very good. I had the steak frites with salad. We also had the duck confit and the swordfish filet. My steak was cooked perfectly and the fries were good. Needed a bit more salt. The swordfish looked great and the confit was very nice. For dessert, the sticky toffee pudding and the raspberry creme brulee were the stars. We also had the poached pear with marscapone. It was good, not great. Service was attentive and helpful. They do a good job. I'd definitely recommend Oak Bistro for anyone traveling to Cambridge.

Our favourite restaurant in Cambridge for many years now. The best quality food and a wonderful service!

Lovely restaurant, very high quality food, fantastic service. Very reasonable prices with a £25 set menu for 3 courses. I went for the duck salad, mushroom risotto, and raspberry creme brulee. All wonderful. Thank you very much!

Intimate atmosphere and very friendly/experienced staff. The garden dining in the back is great, but we loved this place year-round. Very knowledgeable about wine/pairings; more than happy to customize a meal to suit your dietary requirements. Great place for a date night.

An absolute must whilst in Cambridge. Owner squeezed us in without a booking on an early Monday evening so next time we’d definitely book. Quite clearly very popular with the locals and I can see why. Enthusiastic, friendly and attentive host (without being overbearing) Food...

Big fan. Great value for money and always a pleasure to visit

Amazing dinner at The Oak Bistro! We did not have a reservation, but they kindly accommodated us at the last minute. The food was delicious; I really recommend the wellington if you like red meat. IT was super tender and tasty! I finished with the sticky toffee pudding, which was really good too! The staff was really kind, and extra attentive to my friend who was pregnant. Don't hesitate!

We had the most amazing meal at The Oak Bistro! The service was great, all the staff were so welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. The food was presented beautifully and tasted even better than it looked! We would highly recommend the scallops, beef wellington, parmigiana and the raspberry crème brûlée but every dish we had was delicious. Thank you for a perfect evening!