Parker's Tavern

Parker’s Tavern is traditional, polished, but not pretentious. it's inside the University Arms Hotel, it feels like stepping into a modern twist on a grand old dining hall. The menu celebrates British classics done properly (yes, the roast is worth the hype), and the prices are surprisingly reasonable for a five-star setting.

I had an amazing experience today with my twin sister for our birthday meal. FOH and the waiters were great. So friendly and always had a smile on their face. No issues at all! This was our first time here and it definitely won't be our last!

Fabulous lunch at the Parker’s Tavern. The venue is a tasteful mix of old and new and has a great atmosphere. Food was excellent and reasonably priced - loved the cheese straws, burger and the cheesecake. Carlos and his team were knowledgeable, discrete and provided an impeccable service. My new favourite place in Cambridge - can’t wait to return for the Friday night jazz!!!

We visited for afternoon tea on our anniversary. The Place is lovely, and you can take some beautiful pictures! The food included a selection of sweets and sandwiches, which were delicious, along with unlimited tea and coffee. Our hostess was Vasilia; she was kind and frequently checked if we needed anything. I loved the experience and highly recommend it!

Second time here and an even better experience. The kitchen whipped up some raisin scones for us and they were warm & sumptuous. Cosy ambiance and a lovely place to relax away from the crowds after a long day trekking through the town

Breakfast at Parker’s Tavern was a true pleasure during our stay at the University Arms, setting the tone for calm and beautifully paced mornings. The space feels elegant yet inviting, with refined details that make it easy to settle in and unwind. We tried the poached eggs on avocado toast and the full English—both expertly prepared, full of flavour, and presented with care. The coffee was smooth and perfectly balanced, a lovely complement to the relaxed atmosphere. Mariana looked after us both mornings with such warmth and grace, attentive in a way that felt sincere and effortless. Her kindness made the experience feel especially personal and memorable.

Best cocktails in Cambridge, all staff are attentive and welcoming. I have recommended Parker’s tavern to all my family and friends. If you enjoy an energetic atmosphere they have a live jazz band every Friday!

Our first High Tea arrangement at Parker's Tavern, Cambridge, UK, was as expected a high point of that day in Cambridge. Enjoying the esteamed quality of the surrounding, staff and high tea arrangement was an amazing experience of flavours. Absolutely recommended to take your best friends there for a treat or just be selfish and go there from time to time your self.

Was a lovely afternoon tea, Sabu was an amazing waiter, polite, knowledgeable and happy. Food was amazing excellent value for money.

Afternoon tea; My daughters arranged Afternoon tea for a birthday treat. We had a wonderful time. The surroundings were beautiful, atmosphere was lovely, staff were friendly and courteous. We had the Winter Afternoon tea with a glass of fizz. The savoury selection was very tasty 😋 and the Earl Grey tea flavourful. The cake selection was sublime, homemade scones were light and moist, opera cake was zingy, our favourite was the chocolate and berry cake. It was busy but didn't feel crowded. We were able to enjoy a leisurely couple of hours enjoying our meal. Everything was spotless, smart restrooms 🚻 and the aroma as you walked into the building was lovely. A memorable, enjoyable Afternoon tea.

Exceptional Tee Time Experience at Parker Tavern's Cambridge! I recently enjoyed a fantastic tee time at Parker Tavern's in Cambridge, and it was absolutely perfect! ⛳🏌️‍♂️ The course is beautifully maintained, with lush fairways and challenging greens that make for an exciting round of golf. 🌳🏞️ Every hole offers a unique challenge, and the scenic views add to the overall enjoyment. 🌅🌿 The staff at Parker Tavern's were incredibly welcoming and helpful, ensuring that our tee time ran smoothly from start to finish. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellent service really stood out. 🌟👍 After our game, we headed to the clubhouse for a meal, and the food was outstanding. The menu features a great selection of dishes, and everything we tried was delicious. 🍔🍤 The atmosphere in the clubhouse is warm and inviting, making it the perfect place to relax after a round of golf. 🏠🍻 For anyone looking to enjoy a top-notch golfing experience in Cambridge, Parker Tavern's is the place to be. The combination of a well-maintained course, friendly staff, and excellent dining options makes it a standout choice. ⛳🌟 Highly recommend for an unforgettable day of golf! 🏌️‍♀️🍽️

A group of us dined here on Sunday evening. The food was fantastic (the duck and the pork chop in particular!) and the staff were lovely and very attentive. Friends of ours were celebrating their engagement and the kitchen team sent out a congratulatory plate of truffles on the house. The wine list is great (a good range of varieties and prices) and the desserts were presented very well and very tasty (although the profiterole might be a sharer, it’s huge!). A great atmosphere in a beautiful setting with brilliant staff and food.

This was my very first afternoon tea experience — and I’m absolutely thrilled! Parker’s Tavern, with its rich history since 1834, made it truly unforgettable. I want to thank the wonderful staff who patiently explained everything to me and guided me through the entire experience. Your kindness and attention meant a lot. The portions were unexpectedly generous, and every single detail — from the tea selection to the scones and sweets — was absolutely perfect. I’m still smiling just thinking about it. This was such a special moment for me, and I’ll be sharing many more photos soon on my Instagram: @anna.nosok. Thank you again for making my first afternoon tea so magical!

Had a lovely anniversary dinner here. Had asked for a romantic table by the window and I think we got the best spot with a view of the piece and the Ferris wheel. Service was spot on and very attentive. The food was amazing! We ordered courgette tempura, Pilchard with gooseberries, lamb and an amazing steak with truffle shavings. It was all brilliant and we had an amazing memorable time. Would highly recommend!

It has been a while since being to Parkers Tavern, in the past the service and the drinks have both been found lacking. Popping in for a drink however today has changed my tune, Adam was absolutely lovely and gave great service and the drinks were well balanced and tasty. Menu and vibe may be the same but experience was world's apart

Chef Alex delivers exemplary food and service backed up fabulously by the magnificent staff here. You cannot get a better breakfast in Cambridge as this place is outstanding in every way. Thank you to all the hosts for making my days start perfect again. Thank you, Gary xx 💙❤️💙

We visited Parker’s Tavern for afternoon tea and had a lovely experience. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, especially on a Monday afternoon. The service was friendly and attentive, the food was delicious, and the tea was excellent. Everything was beautifully presented, and we really enjoyed our visit. Highly recommended!

The staff and bartenders are first-rate. Sampled new cocktails that were sublime. Learned some history from the bar manager. A wonderful, relaxing, art deco throwback. Top quality.

Booked for a family birthday lunch, and it was delightful. The staff were incredibly warm and attentive, they had a real sense of pride, and the food was excellent. They even surprised us with a mini birthday pud which was a really lovely touch. The interior is stunning, well kept and clean too. Highly recommend and will definitely return!

Very nice; nice location and lovely old building on the corner of Parker’s Piece green. Visited for a team lunch, and we all opted for the Afternoon Tea - which you need to pre-book. Staff were super nice and welcoming. Quality of the food was excellent, and you can have more if you want. It was a lovely relaxed yet special environment. Our server was attentive and did a great job. During our visit there was a harpist playing a lovely range of music. Not the cheapest option - but worth it. I’ll definitely go back.

4.5 stars. I loved my steak, it was really well seasoned; the chips and tartare sauce were also really good. However, my friend who ordered the lamb was fairly unhappy with the size of the portion, although also good in taste. The friend who ordered the risotto was fairly happy with it, although it was a starter. All in all, if you are hungry, go for a steak!

Afternoon tea was delightful. It gets slightly hot in the library, but the atmosphere is still nice and quiet. All of the food was absolutely delicious, except the salmon taco.

The rib eye steak with oyster mushrooms was excellent. It came with a chimichuri sauce too. We were rather excited by the sweet shop sundae desert which included seasonal/festive jelly sweets. I did order a coffee which I think was forgotten as we waited an extremely long time fot it. This dampened my overall experience alongside a small portion of the crab starter. It was rather lacking on the crab meat I'd say. Judge for yourself by the photo... We had a very enjoyable meal overall. The service was great. Would I come back. Yes.

I took my friends for afternoon tea here mainly for the location and decor. It mostly met my expectations with nice food (not wow-level but seems trustworthy for future visits), decent tea selection, and friendly service. Sweet potato avocado sandwich is an interesting combination. Surprisingly savory, with a hint of curry, and beautifully smooth. Love the smoky salmon mousse and the cheese and onion quiche, which isn’t solid like egg quiche and is so creamy. The freshly baked scones are lovely. Warm, crusty on the outside, and moist inside. They are more eggy, bread-like, denser than my other favorite ones, but tastes good too. Fruit scones are slightly smaller. A nice balanced hint of cinnamon and not too sweet (only two or three pieces of raisins on the top but good enough for me). The sweet deck… a balance between aesthetics and taste. Duke of Cambridge tart is savory-sweet and quite good. The lemon drizzle cake is quite pleasant. Vegan scone tastes a little like burnt coconut/sesame/milk powder. Not bad but we were intrigued. Lapsang Souchong is really smoky. Masala Chai is delicately spiced. Rooibos Orange breakfast is very fruity. Bottomless tea is a nice plus, as the sandwiches and desserts are a little less tempting to be re-ordered. Service is warm and friendly. The decor is beautiful, but somehow the smooth jazz-ish background music doesn’t fit the ambience. Some classier jazz or classic music would work better. Overall it’s a 4.4 for me, worth the price and I’d recommend it if you have to have one in Cambridge.

A beautiful setting inside and outside. Very attentive service at times, but inconsistent during the evening when trying to attract attention and failing. Most of the food was well prepared and good quality, but, unfortunately, half of it (there were 4 of us) was warm rather than hot. It took a long time for the mains to arrive - 1.5 hours after we arrived. Those of us who didn’t have starters, were starving by the time their mains arrived. Hard chairs didn’t make the wait easier.

This is my favourite bar in Cambridge. The cocktails use some of the best spirits and their signatures are innovative and can be very subtle with balanced flavours. The service can be amazing when it is quite during the week but when it is busy like last night it starts to fall apart. I'm assuming the staff are just allocated to serve the room at random rather than being responsible for a section. But 20 minutes after finishing our first drink no one approached us to see if we would like another (at like 6:30pm). It was generally the case for other tables in our area in that you really had to go out of your way to wave servers down. We ended having to go up to the bar to settle the bill. Some of the staff take enormous pride in what they do and the level of service they provide whereas others are just super casual and huddled in groups with other servers. Happy to pay a bit more for the service charge etc and everything else in general but it's a bit rough when you have to spend your night trying to find a server. I'll stick to mid-week going forward.

I went because of the rating on La Liste. The place was beautiful and the staff were very friendly; however, the food was such a let down. The tuna carpaccio was bland and not well butchered. The duck breast was bland, overcooked, and dry. Very disappointed.

Excellent take on American Thanksgiving fare, which can often be dry and bland, so plaudits from me for the food. However, the service was the most chaotic I have ever experienced in my life. Everything was wrong. They forgot our wine but billed us for it, didn't clear dirty dishes and left wine glasses on the table for the duration of the meal, brought the bill before our dessert came, took forever in between courses and kept us waiting 50 minutes for dessert only to tell us they ran out of it. A 3-course meal took 2.5 hours, and the restaurant was only about 75% full. While perfectly friendly and polite, they approached us with daft questions like if our main courses had arrived while the finished dishes were sitting right there for 30 minutes. Disaster from start to finish.

Took my mother here for afternoon tea. The afternoon tea was nice, and it looked attractive. Service was fine. I just didn't feel particularly welcome in the venue, and it took ages to get our bill. When we asked to split the bill, I felt like this was a huge inconvenience for them. I certainly didn't feel it was worth the service charge - which, while optional, feels awkward to have removed. I wouldn't go back for afternoon tea.

Salubrious surroundings and interesting food and drinks options, but with a quiet weekday lunch service i was surprised it should take 1.5 hours for two courses. Wait staff are friendly but could help the cause by plying diners with more attention, which would help the business to a higher turnover and lead to happier, if not just inebriated, customers. On the face of it a decent offering (and expensive), but lots of room for improvement to reach 5 stars.

Service was good. Some very loud Xmas parties and bright overhead lighting ruined the atmosphere a little. No real intimacy. The food was nice, but the mash arrived almost cold and we’d already put it on our plates before we realised so we didn’t say anything until the end. When we mentioned it, they implied they would remove it from the bill (which any good restaurant would) but never did. We just paid and left. For the price, it need to do better.

There is a lot to like about this place BUT it’s relatively expensive and there are always minor/basic things staff seem to get wrong. You shouldn’t really have to remind staff to bring an element of the dish you ordered etc. or things be slightly under/over cooked. All the main dishes come without veg or accompaniments so it becomes poor value and personally I’d rather them not add 12.5% service on by default (which might give staff an immediate idea of client satisfaction at the point in time). Overall meal was OK, some plates were really nice and others underwhelming, so choose carefully and make sure they don’t forget anything. We try this place every couple of years and allways think as above, then our memory fades and we try it again but reach a similar conclusion. It’s a pity because it’s a nice location we would like to use more frequently. Sure we will try again (probably in about 3 years on past trend) and really hope we can rate this higher.

Although there was a lot that I liked about this restaurant, the poor communication around my food allergies made me uncomfortable, so I’m not sure I’m going to come back. I have some obscure food allergies, including to pink Peruvian peppercorn, which is a niche ingredient that usually only appears in certain cocktails. As a precaution, I passed along an allergy card to the kitchen when I ordered, and the waiter came back expressing concern about peppercorns in the dish I wanted. I explained that black peppercorn and pink peppercorn are completely different plants. This misunderstanding comes up often and is normally cleared up after a 30 second conversation with the chef. (It’s also worth noting that we were having an early dinner and the restaurant was basically empty.) I asked if I could speak with the chef, but instead the waiter returned with the head waiter, who explained that because of my allergies only two items on the menu were safe for me to eat. Reading between the lines, I think they thought I was allergic to black peppercorn. I again tried to explain that pink peppercorn and black peppercorn are two completely different species and asked to speak with the chef to confirm if pink peppercorn is used in the kitchen at all. Apparently speaking to the chef wasn’t an option, because I was told that if I wanted to order something other than the two designated “safe” items, I would need to sign a waiver exempting the restaurant from any liability. I decided to take the risk; the food was good and I didn’t have a reaction, but everyone involved would have been spared a lot of discomfort if I’d just been allowed to speak with the chef for thirty seconds. I am a Cambridge local and, although the food and décor were nice, I’m not sure I’m going to come back because there are so many lovely restaurants here that don’t cause this level of stress. My issues are a bit niche and most diners are unlikely to encounter them, but I wanted to share this feedback because the whole experience left me feeling pretty uncomfortable, and I think the restaurant could benefit from taking it on board.

Parker’s tavern - the restaurant of the University Arms hotel. Food was generally very nice and the service good if a little inexperienced from the junior staff, but they have to start somewhere and it’s a busy Christmas period. I had a negative and baffling experience with the menu though: I wanted to order a salad and to add halloumi to it on top. I love halloumi, and frequently buy even upmarket blocks of halloumi from my local cheesemonger for £3-5 for a large block. PT were asking for ELEVEN pounds for the addition of halloumi to a salad. I understand that a profit must be made but that is, frankly, extortionate. I enquired with a senior member of staff as to whether this price was correct and I was rudely told that it was ‘market price’ in a very short manner. I suspect perhaps that member of staff is bored of answering this question. I ordered the halloumi burger, slightly out of spite, and it was lovely at £19. But the halloumi itself wasn’t some mind-bendingly posh halloumi from grass-raised cows on Parker’s piece or anything: it was nice, standard, garden variety halloumi. Unfortunately this put us on edge a bit and we were then hyper aware of prices throughout the hotel. There was indeed a money grabbing feeling at points, with the breakfast staff who ‘greet’ you with an immediate list of all the things there will be a charge for, rather than welcoming you nicely to the breakfast buffet. If I hadn’t been so irritated by the halloumi I may have ordered an extra cocktail or two but as I was so aware of the prices I didn’t really relax into that sort of spending, so for the price of a block of halloumi the establishment has lost out on far more income, and I suspect I am not the first.

Lovely service, nice atmosphere, food was pretty decent, but they charged me 14 Great British pounds for 2 bottles of water. I think it may be the most I have ever paid for water, and I have been to some really extractive airports and more than one extortionate theme park. Water! Was it blessed by the Pope? I don't think I will ever understand.

Years after opening, the bar is still incapable of delivering (or taking orders) in a timely manner. Half hour waits for a simple order (at the bar or in the library)… billing errors if you order from the waiters at a table (including trying to charge hundreds of pounds from drinks billed before the cardholder have their card). I’m losing patience with the inability of this place to train and properly staff a bar. It’s not rocket science (I’m in hostility and used to run F&B ops)… you’d expect better from a premium Marriott flag.

We had afternoon tea for my birthday treat. The service was impeccable so I couldn’t fault that. The food however was very poor. Stale bread, uninspired sandwiches on the vegan afternoon tea, inedible dry cakes. Not worth the £95 for two. Nice looking environment but weird, cold, quiet and uninviting atmosphere. Very disappointing.

The venue is grand and at the heart of the Cambridge city centre so does appear to offer a good footfall. The atmosphere felt chaotic and not enough waiting staff but managers who just walk around and do not much. The waiting staff got orders missing and/wrong and there was a long delay in getting the bread ordered when the break was delivered cold. The food was underwhelming - meat was thoroughly dry and filling of the pie very watery. Side dishes were cold and flavourless. It was quite a disappointment overall. For the price and what it is, I’d not choose to book again.

As someone who has worked as a cook, server, and bartender, I understand how challenging groups can be, I dreaded them myself during busy shifts. Unfortunately, while I want to be empathetic, the experience at Parker's Tavern was exceptionally poor. Our pre-booked group of 12 came for afternoon tea with dietary restrictions submitted well in advance. You’d think since afternoon tea requires no on-the-spot cooking, this should have been straightforward. However, it took over an hour to receive all drinks, and food didn't arrive until more than an hour after we sat down. One guest had to repeatedly ask for his drink and was met with visible annoyance each time. The "unlimited" tea and coffee was only honoured for one person, while another was refused a refill despite receiving his first drink 1.5 hours late and requesting the second shortly after. Multiple tables seated after us were consistently served first. Basic requests like butter for scones required chasing down staff. No apology was offered to the group until the very end, and only to the tour leader, not to anyone else. The drinks and food quality were decent once they arrived, but I was taken aback at the entire experience. What was particularly galling was that no apology was offered to our group until the very end, and even then only to the tour leader in private. The staff apparently acknowledged they hadn't paid proper attention to our table, yet they didn't apologize to the guests who actually experienced the poor service (as the tour lead had been prioritized), including the person who received his drink near the end of the meal. That struck me as downright rude. One star—not for the food, but for treatment that fell well below reasonable service standards.

I booked a table for 6 people over 2 months ago to celebrate my wife’s birthday. On the online booking form, I put in a specific request to sit at a table near a window overlooking Parker’s Piece. It’s a particular aspect my wife likes and we’ve done it before on the many times I have dined here in the past. After booking I rang up to make sure my request had been read. It had and the lady I spoke to said that the request was on the booking and that as we were the only reservation on that day so far, it wouldn’t be a problem. I then called again 2 weeks before the reservation to doubly make sure. Again I was reassured that the request was on the booking and it shouldn’t be a problem. We turn up today at 1:30. Table at the back of the room, facing a wall and next to the exit. Not where we had politely requested, and quite possibly the worst table in the room, a room that was probably no more than 20% occupied. I asked the receptionist who greeted us and led us to the table about my request. I was met with blank stares, and the classic attempt at deflection “it wasn’t me who took the call”. She then tried to tell me that they don’t have big tables by the window - a blatant lie given I have been going to Parker’s Tavern for the last 10+ years, and sat here every time. If they’d have told me it wasn’t possible from the start then I’d have no issue with that as I could have made alternative arrangements but there was zero communication. I asked to speak to the manager. He came and went without talking to me. I then had to ask again. When he eventually came, it was one of the most underwhelming encounters ever. He had no clue on what to do or how to fix the issue. He said we could eat in the bar! At one point I had 3 people in front of me and not a single person offering an explanation or a solution. It was laughable and embarrassing. Anyway, thank you Parkers Tavern, you actually did me a favour. Had drinks at the new hotel opposite, The Hobson, where staff were fantastic and then ate at Kibou which was superb. Parker’s was disappointing to say the least. Lots of people waltzing around in smart suits but generally clueless when it comes to dealing with the public. Won’t be going back anytime soon, and certainly not for a major event like a birthday. Don’t waste your time here.