Bridge St, Magdalene St, Castle St and Histon Rd

This narrow Greene King pub features a long bar running most of its length. It has an all-wooden interior, tables, chairs and integrated benches. On the wood-panelled walls are hung sepia pictures of Cambridge. A large front projection TV shows football on Saturdays. The pub gets busy at the weekend and is rather crushed due to the width of the building. You might find some space in the small beer garden to the rear. The menu includes: jacket potatoes (£4.25), traditional meals (£4.75-£6.00), burgers (£4.75-£5.25), baguettes (£4.50), "in the skillet" (£5.50-£7.00), side (£1.75-£2.75), snack & share (£2.50-£6.50) and salads (£5.00). When ordering food, you will receive a wooden spoon with an order number written on it. Apart from the smartly dressed bar staff and the lack of sawdust on the floor, this pub has changed little.

Baroosh opened in November 2002 in the building which used to be the Arts Cinema. As a result, the ground floor has a very high ceiling and a row of enormous front windows. Built on 4 levels (although only 3 were open on our visit), it has 2 bars. The arty interior has large mirrors on the walls, stone and wooden floors and the furniture is a mixture of wooden chairs, sofas and easy chairs. This very popular establishment could be described as a winebar or even a cafe, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and light meals being the most popular fare. It does, however, also serve beer, lager and wine. The atmosphere appears to have been copied from "All Bar One" - handbag hooks are provided under the tables. The menu consists of: main meals (£5.00 - £11.00), sweets (£1.50 - £4.00) and nibbles (£2.00 - £6.00). On our visit, the service was quick and the food was well presented with a range of chutneys as garnish. Open for breakfast, they also provide takeaways, and cater for private functions. Signs near the door warn "Over 21's only" and "Smart clothes".

This pub is now closed. This was the review: "A medium sized freehouse, the Cow and Calf has a wide selection of beers in contrast to its limited menu, which consists of ham, egg and chips (or any proper subset of these) at the remarkably cheap price of two pounds ten. It has a tiny beer garden, pool table, real fire and two real cats. There are a couple of fruit machines and cable TV."

The British Queen is a large ordinary-looking establishment with several tables at the front, and a beer garden, children's play area and carpark to the rear. In 1998, however, it was rebranded as the American-styled 'Fat Jacks'. It was closed in 2002 after a five-hour siege, in which a man threatened to burn the pub down, and it then reverted back to the British Queen. The interior is unexceptional containing the usual pool table, fruit machines and TVs. The clientele are mostly locals and the pub doesn't serve food (except bar snacks) on any day. Broken glass in the front door gives it an unloved feel, but on a positive note, it does have its own bus stop!

" Fat Jacks on Histon Road is now back to being the British Queen. "

This Irish pub appears to have been refurbished recently. At the front of the pub is a pool table, and quiz and fruit machines. A large, brightly lit jukebox plays loud, easy listening music. The central bar is decorated with Christmas tree lights, and surrounded by bar stools. The main seating area contains highly polished wooden furniture with some upholstered seating. To the rear, is a painted brick-walled area, in which a TV, an old valve radio, a piano, a small library and a real coal fire are situated. The floor is tiled throughout, while the walls are a pale green, sporting pictures of rural scenes. Pot plants sit on the window sills. As the pub does not serve food, it was unsurprising to find it to be very quiet on our lunchtime visit.

" The Blackamoors Head has recently closed, and a Backstreet Bistro has opened in its place. "

After the dramatic change of character when The Carpenters Arms was renovated in October 2001, it was taken over by the Great Little Pub Company in 2003, who then sold the pub in January 2005. Although under new management, the alterations are only cosmetic. The pub is split into two areas with a bar in the middle. The repainted interior is now well lit and welcoming, with a wooden floor and even a sofa. The colour scheme is brown and cream and an unused fireplace serves solely as decoration. The menu includes snacks (£4.00-£6.50), barmeals (£3.00-£6.50) and salad (£4.00-£6.00) - the english breakfast comes with tea or coffee. There is also a range of specials on a blackboard, desserts, drinks and a children's menu. Food is served 12-3pm and 6-9pm Monday to Thursday and 12-6pm Friday to Sunday. For entertainment there is a pool table, TV, jukebox and a quiz (on Wednesdays). There is a small beer garden to the rear, and some seating outside the pub facing the busy Victoria Road.

" The Carpenters Arms has been taken over by the Great Little Pub Company, and is now offering food from noon until 6pm Sunday to Thursday and from noon until 9pm on Friday and Saturday. This ranges from freshly baked baguettes with a range of fillings through to Newmarket sausages and mash and sirloin steak. In addition, a quality wine range has been introduced and a greatly improved tea and coffee offering is available. "

This Adnams pub, with two storeys, two bars, a two level patio beer garden and two personalities, has a mixture of modern and old fashioned architecture, which has not changed much over the years. Originally two separate buildings, it retains many of the features of each. Bare wooden floors, wooden furniture and old pictures of Cambridge, give it a Victorian feel. There is a "snug" at one end of the lower bar. The menu consist of main dishes for £6.95 which include: Fish and chips, fish medley, fish lasagne, scampi (can you see the theme?), chili, steak, and many others. There are also vegetarian dishes, desserts and "specials". Your meal can be washed down with any of a wide range of Adnams beers. The toilets are excellent and bar staff are friendly.

This pubs is now a MacDonalds. Here's what is was like: "This huge "credit card" and "family" establishment is more a restaurant which serves beer than a pub which serves food. We witnessed flocks of children shepherded by their parents, and a number of carry-cots. This is the only pub we have visited in Cambridge with explicit nappy-changing facilities. Food was expensive, but service was quick and polite."

The County Arms is a large Everards pub (the only one in Cambridge). Although it has recently come under new management little seems to have changed (it was refurbished in March 1998) other than a rearrangement of the furniture. Situated opposite Shire Hall (and the registry office), it is a popular destination for newly-weds (not the honeymoon). The new menu includes main meals £5.50-£7.00, jacket potatoes £3.50-£4.50, burgers £4.00-£4.50, soup £2.75, sandwiches £3.25-£4.50 and tea and coffee £1.00-£1.50. A wooden spoon denotes your order number, although this wasn't necessary on our Saturday lunchtime visit as we were almost the only visitors. The Victorian-style interior has wood and carpeted floors, and green-painted wooden furniture situated in small alcoves. Victorian adverts hang on the walls and there is a dart board and both a quiz and fruit machine. The popular quiz which used to be held on Tuesday nights has now moved to the Rope and Twine. A board outside now advertises weekly live music.

This is a large Greene King pub which has changed little since our last visit in 1997. The building probably dates from the 1930s, with wooden beamed ceiling and stained glass windows panels of that period. The large, well lit interior has plenty of wooden tables and upholstered seating. The walls are decorated with drink related pictures and posters, and a blade (oar) hangs from the ceiling near a picture of a rowing team. Soft rock plays as background music, and a fruit machine and quiz game provide entertainment. To the rear of the pub is a car park, adjacent to two areas which form a beer garden. The food menu is written on blackboards above the bar, and includes traditional pub meals such as scampi (£6.75), fish and chips, steak and ale pie (£5.50;), ham egg and chips, and burgers. Smaller bar snacks are also available for under £5.

The Maypole is a family-run pub which has changed little over the years. It is still run by Mario, the landlord, who is a big name in the cocktail shaking world (having won many prizes), and he and his family serve behind the bar. The pub consists of two bars, each with its own TV. Moving with the times, this pub now offers HDTV for your viewing pleasure. A quiz machine and bar billiards table provide additional entertainment. A mural of maypole dancing covers an entire wall in the larger. Carpeted floor, upholstered wall benches and wooden chairs and tables give it a cosy atmosphere. There is a small forecourt for sitting out during the summer (albeit overlooking a multi-storey carpark). The clientele are unusual in that they contain a mixture of locals and students. Food is served at lunchtimes and evenings from a menu including appetizers (£2.50-£3.50, e.g. garlic bread), homemade Italian dishes (£5.50-£7.50), classic favourites (£5.50-£7.95), doorstep sandwiches and toasties (£4.25) and desserts (£3.75). Specials are displayed on a blackboard.

Founded in 1754, The Mitre reopened for business in October 2001 after a refurbishment which has attempted to brighten up the previously gloomy wooden interior. The new floor gives the front area a "trendy wine bar" feel, while the rear has cream walls from which are hung a gallery of mirrors and more lighting. There is a front projection TV, fruit machines and sometimes load background music. Food prices don't appear to have increased in the last few year: with light snacks at £2-4, hot or cold sandwiches served with chips for 4 to 5 pounds, jacket potatoes at £3.50, main meals from £4 to £10 (e.g. steak pie, BBQ chicken, mixed grill), salads at 5 pounds and sweets at £2.50. Roasts are available on Sundays for £5.75. If you want fresh battered fish (rather than the typical breaded variety) with your chips, the Mitre is a must. The menu includes vegetarian options. The portions are very filling, but on our visit, service was slow. When ordering food, you'll be presented with a wooden spoon on which is painted a number to identify your order. On the front of the menu is printed a history of the Mitre. It was built on the site of the Blackmoor's Head and The Cock and Magpie, both dating from the 18th century. It opened as The Mitre in 1881, taking its name from the 19th century Mitre brewery which stood in Blackmoor's Yard.

Allegedly the oldest in Cambridge, this pub has changed little over the years. An authentic wood-beamed low ceiling, a lowered floor and real fire gives the interior a cosy feel. It is separated into a number of alcoves each with scattered wooden tables and chairs and wall benches. The floors are carpeted, and the walls are adorned with sepia photos of college teams, scenes of old Cambridge and beer advertisements. To the rear is a small beer garden. The pub serves a small range of main meals (£4.50-£5.00), baguettes (£4.25), jacket potatoes (£3.75) and side orders (£1.50-£3.00). Service was polite but slow (although it was busy on our Saturday lunchtime visit). There are two fruit machines and a quiz game. This isn't a family-friendly pub - a notice on the door indicates that the pub is for over-18s only.

The Pickerel is of three and two storeys with attics, having walls of plastered timber-framing and of brick; the roofs are tile and slate covered. It is L-shaped on plan, with a long range projecting west from the southern part of the east range. The oldest structure is that half, approximately, of the west range adjoining the east range. It is of the 16th century. In the 17th century the east range was built, or more probably rebuilt, and the west half of the west range added. Early in the 19th century the street-front was rebuilt in brick, the range heightened and the interior and the carriage way on the north were altered. At the same time a brewery was built in the yard to the west, but this has been demolished. Late in the 19th century a large single storey addition was made in the re-entrant angle. Inside, the ground floor of the east range has been opened out to form one room. South of the carriage-way it has a large chimney stack in the west wall, a smaller stack in the north wall, both altered, and intersecting the ceiling beams; these last are encased; the original west wall-plate in part exposed is moulded. The 16th century east half of the west wing has most of the wall posts and ceiling beams cased, but one exposed original post is chamfered. Original chamfered longitudinal beams and wall plates are exposed in the later west half; here the fireplaces are of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Source: Royal Commission for Historic and Ancient Monuments, 1957

Recently under new management, the Sir Isaac Newton is a modern establishment. The mock Victorian interior spread over two floors with a balcony over the bar. It now has a slightly more modern appearance with the now ubiquitous sofas and flat screen TV. The the large L-shaped ground floor has a flat-screen TV, fruit machines, arcade games, a pool table and a large seating area. There is a small no smoking area towards the rear, and the walls are adorned with animal pictures and saucepans. The menu consists of an unremarkable range of pub food, but only burgers, fish and chips, and ham egg and chips (£4.25-£5.00) were available on our visit, however we were assured that more variety would appear later. On Saturday lunchtime, the pub was full of people eating and watching cricket. It is also popular with the surrounding businesses in "Castle Park" .

Originally the Rose and Crown, this pub spent some time as the Town and Gown. In May 2003, it briefly became the Rope and Twine, but in 2005 it reopened as the Sino Tap. As the name suggests the pub now boasts a mixture of real ale and chinese food. With its recent reincarnation, only the pub sign has changed. The decor is unchanged, with no sign of any chinese influence. The interior is split into two. The bar to the left, reserved for non-smoking, has a green and cream decor with a burgundy carpet and exposed brick walls around the fireplace. The seating is a mixture of benches against the walls with stools around the tables each of which has a candle in a bottle. To the right is a larger bar in a red and cream livery. The chinese menu consists of starters (£1.50-£4.00), soups (£2.75), main meals (£6.50-£9.50), lunch specials (£5.25-£6.25), noodle dishes (£7.50-£8.00), rice (£1.20) and desserts (£2.00-£3.50). On our visit, there was just one person who served our drinks, took our order and cooked the food! Despite this, the service quick and the food was tasty. Easy-listening music played in the background.