the waterman in Cambridge

Lovely venue, lovely host. Great shower. Comfy bed. Enjoyed my stay.

Lovely staff and a great venue. Stayed for 2 nights - will definitely recommend

Comfortable, clean & cosy. Perfect for a one night stay for one. Shower was hot and strong. I didn't eat in the pub downstairs but looked lovely. 15min walk into centre of Cambridge. Felt like a safe area.

Unfortunately we had a very bad experience staying at the waterman! One hour into our stay there we found bedbugs in our room! We then spoke to the receptionist who initially was very nice and accommodating and booked us another hotel, promising to refund the additional costs. (It’s been two month and although trying to resolve the issue with them numerous times we haven’t been refunded yet so I don’t think that’s gonna happen) We were told that the staff does very frequent and thorough checks for bedbugs, but given the size and number of the ones we found I find that quite hard to believe. I’d recommend to stay safe and book a different place your your holiday in Cambridge

Rooms are nice and warm. A bit overpriced for the wine and beer and the breakfast was good but expensive.

A good friendly pub the man who served me 2 times was very friendly too. And Norfolk Oak beer was lovely

Stayed Friday night to see a show in Cambridge great pub good real ale sitting in front of real fire 15 min walk to city centre lovely room very comfortable bed good nights sleep in the morning we had the best breakfast ever very hot and tasty will definitely stay again. Steve and linda

Lovely place, actually on the Big Bus Tour route so a great base for sightseeing! The staff couldn’t have been more helpful and even got us a little surprise in our room as it was our anniversary! The room was cosy and functional, the shower was good and my wife loved the fact there was conditioner provided?! We didn’t get chance to eat there but had a few pints in the lovely pub garden in the evening and thought the atmosphere was great. Would definitely recommend!!

We highly recommend this place and, above all, we would like to thank Mr. Nikodem for his kind service, who checked us in efficiently and was very helpful in receiving an invoice for the stay and a gluten-free breakfast :) thanks to him we felt at home there!

Good pub with rooms and nice beer garden

Super nice service, good food and great beer 👌🏼 And then very comfortable!

Very friendly service and delicious beer. The food was also great. Thank you very much, I'll be happy to come back

The lady on the bar was so friendly and helpful. A beautiful outside area for a chilled afternoon drink.

Very pretty. And delicious food. It is a restaurant, not a hotel as Google Maps shows me.

The rooms are so cute, the location is great, Hannah and Cherece were so, so helpful, and then breakfast included the next morning was lovely.

We visited the restaurant for breakfast. We enjoyed the breakfast; it was presented well and appealing. Bit pricey though.

Really annoyed that we called up to check they weren’t taking bookings for football, and they said they weren’t and that we were welcome to come and see if there’s a table. Arrived 3 hrs before the football and the waitress was rude and said they’ve booked out everywhere for their friends and family. At least tell us that on the phone so we know not to make plans to come to you. The website says also not taking bookings too. Really disappointing as used to be a great place to watch sport.

Good place to watch sport but the food is just too bad. 15 pounds for a cold burger with unmelted cheese and 17 pounds for chicken with no salt. Come for drinks but avoid the food at any cost

My local pub - although I don't frequent that often. Beer was great. Pork belly excellent. Chicken burger tasteless. Starter arrived - and mains 30 seconds after. Made for an unrelaxing meal.

This hotel was darling. Comfortable bed with clean sheets. Small room, but got the job done. Aside from the miniature sink, which was laughable, the room was perfect. There was even a basket of coffee and tea, mugs, and a small kettle. The staff was also lovely.

Wonderful food. Flavorful and big portions.

Lively soccer pub. Good choice of beer and food was fine. They might want to get rid of the barman who was trying to impress a girl by telling her he'd never drink at this pub now he'd worked yhere due to the hygiene.

Lovely pub! Great outdoor space, lots of comfy seatinng, pillows and throws. Heaters aswell. Only thing is its a shame the pub isnt closer to town, but there is parking outside the pub in a pay and display lay by and the location is on the river. Went here last summer aswell for a wedding reception. Just as lovely then as it was now.

Both food and beer are good, but what elevated this pub was the cocktails on offer. Staff delivered drinks and removed empties promptly. All contributing to a great pub experience.

Pretentious masquerading as something it's not. Beer is fine they don't do cash and will insult you for it. 15 quid for a burger that was burnt! and very unhelpful bar staff who only gave me a refund and I quote "you can have a refund cause it's Christmas" not because the burger was burnt and by some miracle pink on the inside while having no seasoning. Basically don't eat here! Edit never got a refund either! Definitely save your cash and go somewhere with nice staff and good food

Special place close to the River Cam and Midsummer Common in Cambridge. Perfectly situated for the most pleasant 20-minute walk to the center of town which is perfect to see the beauty of the town, for exercise, or to walk off a meal. On a bus line to get you to the bus station in 10 minutes or the rail station in 20 for only 2 pounds sterling. Great pub downstairs and lovely cafe next door where the hotel breakfast and tea or coffee is taken. Wouldn’t stay anywhere else in Cambridge.

Woke up to this ! lol , great pub , great staff , all in all it's a yes from us

Such a lovely pub! Cherece was so attentive and welcoming, really great wine selection and tasty food!

Visited over the weekend for a birthday Sunday roast and felt the need to write a review as the service was pleasant. My partner ordered food but as it was loud there was some miscommunication, and only one Sunday roast was brought out. After establishing that we did indeed want two, the second was provided on the house by management for the inconvenience, as well as with two free drinks. It was unexpected but such lovely service from a great team of staff. The young lad working here deserves praise as it was he who oversaw the matter. Finally, the food itself was divine, and I also recommend the sticky toffee pudding and cherry/raspberry chocolate brownie. Will visit here again.

Two of us went for a Sunday roast. I asked for a vegan roast and when I got a Yorkshire I double checked it was vegan and turned out it wasn’t. The young waiter chap was just a bit clueless which I really don’t mind but the older woman was pretty surly, and honestly from the moment we stepped in. My friend thought the same and he’s really not one to grumble. Sad that an experience is let down in such a way - pubs are so much more expensive than eating at home and quite a treat… being friendly and polite makes all the difference.

We picked The Waterman for an overnight stay in Cambridge in early Feb. The room was very warm despite it being 10 degrees outside in the early evening. I checked the heater to make sure it was definitely off (it was off). We ended up being awake from 3:30AM and couldn't go back to sleep because of the heat. Appreciate that there's a fan in the room which we tried also but it was very loud, so couldn't fall asleep with this either. I would suggest that guests are recommended to leave the windows open fully until right before going to bed and/or providing a less thick blanket/duvet available in the room. When we exited the room around 8:15AM today, I checked the thermostat by the stairway and the indoor temperature was reading at 23.5°C, and the temperature felt very similar to our bedroom. Far too warm! It was a nice room but it was unfortunate to not have rested well at all due to this issue. We had an important event that weekend that we wanted to be well rested for, and we specifically selected The Waterman rather than a more affordable place for the comfort of a good night's sleep. It was a shame this did not meet our expectations. We raised this via email and also on the feedback survey they shared with us, but no response at all. I wanted to give a few weeks for them to respond before posting this, in the hopes their response would improve my review. Alas, no response to my feedback.

Paid £13.75 for a puff pastry pie crust (not a pie) with 4 pieces of meat inside rest was stuffed with potatoes cubes. Staff not friendly

Had the chicken sandwich and a IPA from tap Great service , great atmosphere

We stayed at the Waterman looking for a cheap bed for the night. Hotel was a 10 minute walk to the centre of Cambridge. Rooms were a good size with everything you need (hairdryer, tea making facilities and en-suite). It is above the pub so can be noisy at night. The bathroom sink was tiny and had a shelf above it so was tricky to wash your face/teeth. Staff were friendly enough with a cute cafe next door for breakfast. Was good for one nights stay, would stay again for a 1 night trip away. We didn’t eat at the pub but lots of food and drinks on offer!

UPDATE 31.1.24: Still no contact from the Waterman or apology. This is our second year running using the Waterman for our Christmas party. We are not coming back for a third year. My main issue was being charged for a three course meal for two people who did not receive their starters. When I mentioned this to the server, they said it wasn't on their preorder list. I had an email booking confirmation with these two people on our preorder list. The pub themselves had created placards for these two people listing their missing starter. They were late additions but had been added three days before the booking with approval from the venue. The server refused to acknowledge this and revealed herself to be the manager before passing on to a general manager as they were evidently lacking professionalism and communication skills to assist with my issue. By then bringing out the starters did not solve the issue as the two people were put off. They brought out orders for someone I cancelled a week ago. They seemed to be working on an outdated preorder list when they shouldve ensured they had the most up to date list. Many of our party commented their mains were cold, their desserts were cold (who wants to eat cold custard?) and were unhappy with the refusal to serve cocktails due to it being busy in the immediate pub. They'd lost faith in feeding back to rude staff. Two of the lights in our hired room stopped working, the music kept going off, requests for more water were ignored as well as requests for candles to be lit due to lack of lighting in one side of the room. The waterman has great potential to be a strong events host in Cambridge and I loved coming here pre-covid, but my experience tonight has left me feeling uncared for as a loyal customer. There was just really poor service and lack of passion for our group. Staff morale seems to be low. I worked so hard to coordinate this event for my team only to be severely let down. We'll be planning Christmas elsewhere next year.

Very unwelcoming staff especially a lady called Alana .. serving at the bar .. no smile or welcome .. she really looks like she doesn’t want to be there.. she should leave or get sacked ..

Food was cold, the barmaid put her finger in my meal found it to be cold,apologises takes my meal away and brought the same meal back to my table steaming hot after microwaving it,SHOCKING!!, last orders at the bar was 9:35 pm ?, nice room great location, staff half soaked and not to concerned for guests

Exellent place was very wellcoming was with my family my grandson is the chef x

This is a firm favourite local pub for us and lots of others. To me it has the best atmosphere/vibe compared with the other nearby places and has a really good selection of ales and other drinks. The food is really tasty and very fairly priced. Highly recommended. Seems to be coming up as accommodation on Google and yes they have rooms but I've never stayed a I am local.

Very nice pub, very friendly stuff with very good food!! I highly recommend.

We had the most lovely food and the most perfect service. A really great British pub experience!

Great night out at the Waterman with the family. Nice friendly atmosphere and great food!

The location, the pub and courtyard are all nice. Staff is friendly and generally attentive. The food is good however they seem to be out or to run out of menu items a lot which is a bit frustrating. Our last 3 visits this happened. Including last night there was one item we ordered they didn't have and another they came back later to say they didn't have enough. For our vegetarian friends this made the limited options even more limited. It's ok if if they run out but it would be nice to be told before ordering that some items are missing. I can't comment on rooms as have not stayed or seen them.

We had our wedding here in July 2022 and it was wonderful! The team went out of their way to make the day completely perfect and memorable. Nothing was too much trouble. We had the Potting Shed, garden and outside terrace and it was great for the size of our group. Such a lovely relaxed and cosy atmosphere. The food platters were also incredible - our guests went up for seconds and thirds and commented on how delicious the food was. There were also plenty of options for vegans. Would highly recommend. Thank you to the Waterman team for the most wonderful day!

My wife and I stayed at the Waterman recently, we loved it so much. The rooms are cozy and have what you need. The breakfast is tremendous and the pub is lovely. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We couldn’t recommend it enough.

Much frequented by locals, will be interesting to see how it is operated by Youngs, who have acquired the City Pub Co. Hope they don't spoil the nature of this one.

A great pub, friendly atmosphere plenty of beer to choose from near to the city centre, clean rooms and great atmosphere

Nice big open pub with a fireplace. Great food fantastic beer friendly staff Great place to watch the football as they have three screens inside three screens outside What more could a man want when you’re watching football?👌

Had a great Sunday roast - so many different vegetables and I have never seen so much chicken! Service was a little slow. Great location, easily accessible

Great staff, food and service. Horrible patrons who luckily were removed. Grant, Jack, Alannah and George were amazing!

I don't normally write reviews, but my experience at The Waterman was excellent and the team absolutely deserve great reviews. I arrived fairly late, but staff immediately checked me in and ordered dinner before the kitchen closed. Great food and beer, again with great service. Room was small, but very clean, well set out and had everything one needs. Comfy bed. Great shower, great breakfast and all exceptionally good value. Every staff member I spoke with was friendly, helpful and polite. Clearly all trained well. Parking is a little awkward, but website and emails provided good instructions and I was able to park easily enough, albeit a couple of mins walk away. Great little place. Will definitely stay again if I find myself in Cambridge.

Eye-wateringly expensive for an average, slightly tired room about 20 mins (pretty brisk) walk from the centre of Cambridge. Situated on a busy road. Rooms above a pub - all fine for maybe £100 or a little more, not for what was described as 'super delux'. Some positives were comfy bed and hot shower. Bathroom is really tired - mould and chipped paint etc. The welcome drinks felt tight - had to go and fetch more milk, one tiny biscuit each etc. Just a bit mean when was hoping for marvelous. I've emailed twice, including photos, before posting a review but heard nothing back, which is disappointing. Lots of people love it here, so if this is your bag go for it, but if like me you need to be careful with you cash, don't spend over £200 on a room here 🙂 x Editing to say I was charged twice but had good customer service on the phone and am hopeful of immediate refund.

Great food and friendly staff and good food and prompt service and pet friendly. Would visit again. Thank you all at the Waterman’s

Came here on the recommendation of a local chap. Booked 2 hours before our visit of a Sunday afternoon, no hassle at all. Beautiful garden table with cushions, flowers and blankets (dare I mention cosiness added for free!) cannot recommend a Sunday roast enough my goodness!!! Those potatoes and Yorkshires.... Hot damn!!!

Called in yesterday whilst walking the dog great service by Steve really looked after us didn’t eat just a drink , Lovely to see your open

Sunday roast and 2 Kids meals. Roast Beef undercooked for some, batters like cardboard, Roast Potatoes (not roasted) Chicken OK. Kidsmeals one wouldn't eat the Mac & Cheese said it was horrible and thats her very favourite! Waited ages fo pre ordered meal, again waited ages for dessert, had to ask as kids getting fidgety in the end adults had eaten their desserts before the children's arrived. All the meals arrived without there being any cutlery on the table, and then we were charged 10 per service, which was grudging at best! Won't go again and would not recommend

Made a reservation but when we got there the first table we were offered was so cramped that there wasn’t enough room to get to your seats. The second table wobbled so much that we couldn’t fix it and was next to a speaker that played one channel of Brit pop really really loud and tinny! Final table was great and food was quick and okay but nothing special for the money. I had heard great things about this pub but it seemed a bit run down and in need of a bit of attention

Highly recommend the food at The Waterman. My full English breakfast was absolutely delicious... my wife thoroughly enjoyed the Eggs Benedict (with soft sautéed spinach on granary bread). They know how to make good coffee too.... just lovely.

Thankfully they have relaxed the requirement to use the app to set up a tab. Great selection of beers as usual and the platter of starters never fails to satisfy.

Por mucho que el bar y el diseño general de The Waterman sea atractivo para una bebida después del trabajo, encontré que estaba oscuro y mal iluminado durante mi última visita. Eran alrededor de las 16:00 y apenas había luces encendidas; se sentía poco acogedor y la camarera era poco entusiasta en su enfoque del servicio al cliente. Nos fuimos después de una ronda. No volveré a toda prisa.

This cafe is a great add on to the pub. This small cafe offers a great range of breakfast options in cosy surroundings. We always try and combine a breakfast whilst in cambridge and so far never disappointed. Service, coffees and food, yet again excellent.

Splendid spread of beers & an attractive food menu. Excellent staff. Bruno, the dog, is a magnificent beast!

I stayed in the lodgings which was lovely - clean and comfy with a decent shower and coffee! Had the breakfast the next morning and that was INCREDIBLE. Ordered scrambled eggs and Avocado, the picture shows how much effort Alex the chef put In and it was delicious. If he is working that day, get your breakfast here!

Just around the corner of where we were staying, and in need of food we decided to just get in and see what they had. Between the four of us we split the "all for 46" , which is basicly all the starters for 46 pounds. Had some sides with that and we were off. Some dishes were good, some were just fine, but non of them where bad. So we basicly had an English themed sharing is caring lunch with some beers. We were full and got to try a lot of stuff for a good price.

I visited with my friend for dinner and we ordered the sage gnocchi and the beef burger at the bar. We were served by a young man called Stephen who was incredibly helpful and friendly. The meal was served within 10/15 minutes and was absolutely delicious. Stephen made sure to check back and see if we needed anything else at all. Thoroughly enjoyed our evening and will definitely recommend and return here in the future!

We went to the Waterman Pub, Chesterton Rd, which was brill for GF especially Sunday dinner! The website and menu does not do it justice. Staff knowledge is brill, they can do most things GF. They have separate fryers and kitchen for GF. I'm so impressed & so happy to find local GF Sunday dinner!

Came with my 4yr old son and he ordered the fish and chips. He had got most of his way through it and I tasted the fish, it was obviously off....strong ammonia smell, hard dried fish with a rancid after taste. I gave it to the chef to taste who said the fish was fresh daily (that has to be a lie as what my son was served certainly wasn’t fresh). A lady who I assume was the manager offered me some free chips and had binned the dish I gave to the chef (to hide the evidence ?) No apology and no offer of a refund. Absolutely shocking ! A shame as the Sunday lunches I have had here have been great but after today I will not be going back in a hurry ! Non-existent customer service and terrible food.

Came here for the first time with friends, and enjoyed a cracking, relaxed atmosphere, kind service and a delicious vegan Sunday lunch with all the trimming. Decent music and range of beers too. Will definitely come back.

Small room and really small bathroom hardly enough room to turn round. Had a meal in the pub very poor value for money chicken salad with 2 oz of chicken £12.50 not even starter size. Thought the room would be noisy as the room was above the pub bar but it wasn’t at all loud. Parking not good .

We came here after watching a comedy event at Thirsty, which was minutes walk from there. The pub has recently been refurbished so is very nice looking and comfortable with seating in lots of different places so it doesn't feel like you're sitting on top of each other.

I have now had breakfast a couple of times next door and a gammon lunch both spot on!! Staff are lovely and the fact it's dog friendly is a bonus!!!

Came here for friend's 30th, dinner and breakfast following morning. We had a super time. The staff were very nice. Tasty food.

Estaba muy decepcionado con nuestra estancia el fin de semana pasado. Nuestra habitación (8) era la habitación más pequeña en la que me he alojado. Una cama doble muy pequeña con prácticamente ningún otro espacio en la habitación.

Visito este lugar con bastante frecuencia (solo el pub) y estoy muy satisfecho con él. Uno de mis pub favorito en Cambridge. La comida es única y agradable, hay muchas opciones veganas, las bebidas son geniales y también tienen mi ginebra favoruite todo el tiempo. Buen servicio al cliente, pub agradable y limpio.

Nos sentamos en el 'cobertizo' para ver Man City contra Tottenham Hotspur, fue agradable y cálido. Tuvimos que ir al bar principal para pedir bebidas y comida. La comida estaba bien, un poco caro para lo que realmente nos dieron. Sin embargo, tuvimos una buena noche aunque el juego fue decepcionante 0 - 0. . . .

Very quiet but still waited to get served dark and music to loud .good range of drinks . Staff pleasant

Good service and tasty food prepared on the premises. This is a young pub, bursting with life and activity. Great beers and some great cocktails. Why look any further?

Stayed here recently when visiting son. The room was on the small side but nicely fitted out and clean, ditto the bathroom. Staff all very pleasant and a good breakfast the following morning. It is a bit of a walk into the town centre but it’s possible to take a path through the park to avoid the busy roads. We will definitely stay again as the price is very reasonable.

The decor is good and standard hipster since it was renovated. The beer selection is OK. Food does what it says on the tin. Prices are typical for the better pubs in Cambridge, i.e, expensive but there are decent places like The Haymaker which are cheaper.

Had a great 50th party in the Potting Shed behind the Waterman on Saturday evening. Excellent staff, helpful all the way through the process of enquring, hiring, advising and on the night itself. Everyone commented on the venue....a gem. The open fire really made it. Many thanks to all.

Lovely cosy decor, staff always friendly. Good pub grub, if a little on the dear side. Some nice vegan options on offer. fresh and tasty bar snacks usually available too on the times we have visited. Would recommend :)

Fuimos el sábado por la noche y la mitad de los asientos habían sido reservados. No estoy seguro de qué tipo de atmósfera esperan generar cuando te dicen dónde sentarte y luego ver un pub medio vacío. Supongo que todo se trata de dinero en estos días. La cerveza no era tan buena como nuestra última visita hace 3 meses.

Good atmosphere and friendly staff. Great range of beers and food good, decent portions however that said we felt it was all a little over priced for what it was.

Nice setting, clean, friendly staff, many beer choices and - shock - you can find healthy food on the menu. Quinoa salad tastes great with their beer! Best pub I’ve tried in Cambridge.

Vraiment dommage d avoir un si beau pub et de très bonne biere et une belle terasse intérieur et faire une nourriture aussi mal faite Il y a des plat végan qui sont super par contre les plats avec les viande c est un massacre le poulet est très très très cuit bref il est sec le burger on a l habitude c est très cuit bref il faut prendre une boisson avec des frites et laissé tombé le reste de plus c est assez cher pour des plats qui sont mal cuisiné

Típico y lindo bar inglés, con el plus de una terraza/patio en el fondo al aire libre. Buen ambiente y atención. Comida excelente! Yo pedía una ensalada caesar con salmón, que viene con una porción de salmón fresco grillado a la perfección.

I highly recommend the Waterman, a typical english pub with very nice, confortable rooms to stay in. The english breakfast is delicious and the staff warm and helpful. Everything is extremely well organized and incredible clean. Highly recommended

La lista de los waterman es uno de los pubs que seguimos en nuestra empresa viernes almuerzo. La comida es de una gran calidad y usualmente hay una excelente selección de bebidas que pueden acomodar gusto individual de todos y requisitos dietéticos. (De hecho, nos gustó tanto que tuvimos nuestra fiesta de Navidad el año pasado.

I when here to watch the RBS 6 Nation and very glad i did, staff are very friendly, is very different from most pubs in Cambridge, the sausage roll are amazing, the pub has a very easy to use app. I would really recommend going to this pub just for something different in a good way

It's been a while since I experienced such rude staff. Four of us went to try this place for a second time and will not be returning. All the food was disappointing, dry burger tasteless risotto and inedible undercooked aubergine. Baked aubergine needs a long cook in the oven and the staff seemed to think it was a 5 minute fix. Communicated to us in a bad tempered and indifferent manner. Sure enough the second dish of aubergine was the same. Which we returned to face a roll of the eyes, by which time the wait and service had ruined the evening for us and we asked for the bill. No surprise that the aubergine was still billed, which we challenged and with another rolled the eyes was then removed. In the end the manager on duty came, for the first time, to see what the problem had been and we told him!

We met with two friends and all of us were really looking forward to trying out this gastro pub in Cambridge. The menu looked good with some tasty sounding dishes. We began with two starters to share: whitebait and spicy chicken wings, which were tasty and the portion size was plenty, even when sharing.

This was our first visit since the refurb. It’s nicely done inside, staff were friendly, and Sauvignon Blonde ale nicely kept.

I have been a customer of The Waterman for several years now and it has always been one of my favourite pubs in Cambridge.

Won't be eating there again. Eggs were first tough and couldn't eat them. 2nd batch better with nice black burnt residues to eat. Nice.....

This has become our new regular choice for sunday brunch, the food quality and options are those of a restaurant more than a pub, we are also delighted to be able to bring our little dog with us for a guilt-free true family meal!

We recently enjoyed a family birthday get together in 'The Potting Shed'. Buffet food and cake were organised for around 30 of us. The food was very good, really tasty, well cooked and a good selection. The venue is quite tucked away in the back garden of the pub but quite a gem really and a lot of us didn't even know it was there! As the name suggests it is akin to a garden shed and it is quite draughty (especially when the waitress kept leaving the door wide open as she was moving between the shed and the pub) but the roaring fire made it super snuggly and they even had blankets. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and i would certainly return.

Taken over a little while ago and is a good addition to the gastro pubs around this area. Refurbished and decorated in the now fashionable basic but cool style it offers good guest beers and reasonably priced food. The courtyard seating area now looks a nice place to be and there is also a private function room.

Very tasty and basic meal in good surroundings with friendly staff. Perhaps a little pricey for whatt it was, but...

We recently had a family meal here. On the whole, the place is tidy and modern with friendly staff. The...

Really please to have a new eating and drinking option in Chesterton/Mitchams Corner. We had drinks and dinner sitting outside in the courtyard at the back. Lots of atmosphere on a warm summer evening. Great selection of beers. Yummy food options for a family meal out. We are fans of the Puntyard and Old Bicycle Shop, so really glad to have the Waterman as a local option.