Christmas in Cambridge
Don’t miss the boat!” says Gerla de Boer of Cambridge Food Tours. It’s time to start thinking about Christmas. Our Cambridge food columnist lists her favourite restaurants and bars in Cambridge for Christmas parties, dinner and celebrations…
As I was preparing for this article, an email popped up in my inbox and put a smile on my face. The subject of the email was: the reason why Santa has a naughty list! Those guys from SmokeWorks, know how it works with Christmas. We all like a treat once in a while!
There is so much talk about the healthy way of eating these days that we almost feel guilty to tuck into delicious food. What is the point of deleting all the naughty foods off your list if you cannot indulge in the fine things in life over the weekends and special occasions? Life is too short not to be enjoyed. Cherish every moment, especially with friends and family. Christmas is the time to be merry and for a foodie to pull out all the plugs.
Sometimes months of preparation and planning goes into this. With so many new places opening up in Cambridge, it might be a challenge to find the right places to shop and if you want an easy Christmas, where to dine out?
One thing is for sure if you want to secure a table at one of Cambridge’s restaurants during the festive season, you should book as soon as possible. Life can be pretty unpredictable these days, so please cancel your table if you can’t make it.
The same applies to Christmas parties. Looking for something different for your team or friends? A bespoke Food Walking Tour is definitely a Christmas event with a twist.
Best Christmas food shops in Cambridge:
Delicious nibbles and starters: Cambridge Cheese Company, Culinaris, Pinch and Limoncello
Chef at home & Events: Elle Events, Puddini Caterers
Fine Dining at home: Van Der Lyle, Mucca Wellington
Sustainable meat: Radmore Farm Shop, The Gog Magog, Art of Meat, Burwash Manor, Malloy’s Craft Butchery and Mill Road Butchers
Fish: Local market, The Sea Tree and Fin Boys
Your cheese board: Cambridge Cheese Company, Culinaris, Limoncello and Frederics
Liquid solutions: Cambridge Wine Merchants, Thirsty Cambridge, the Wine Rooms, Vinopolis and Bacchanalia
The best restaurants in Cambridge for Christmas:
Best Ribs: SmokeWorks and MillWorks
Sushi: Stick ’n Sushi
Michelin Star: Midsummer House
Fine dining: Restaurant Twenty-Two, Parkers Tavern, MJP at The Shepherds and Garden House
Gastro Pub: The Pint Shop, Crown and Punch Bowl and Three Horse Shoes
Traditional Pubs: The Petersfield, Cambridge Brewhouse, the Architect, The Free Press Pub, the Green Dragon and The Punter
French & British Cuisine: Fancett’s Bistro, Trinity Restaurant and the Gonville Hotel
Contemporary Fish restaurant: Fin Boys
Asian Cuisine: Navadhanya, Tawa Kitchen, Prana, Raja and Giggling Squid
Vegan: Stem and Glory, Tipsy Vegan and Van der Lyle
Italian Cuisine: Maurizio Dining, Tradizioni and Limoncello
Cypriotic Cuisine: The Green Dragon
Contemporary restaurants with bars: NOVI Cambridge, The LAB Cambridge, The Orator and KOTA Bar & Kitchen
Wine Bar and restaurant: The Wine Rooms and The Kingston Arms
The best cocktail bars in Cambridge:
Posh bars: The Garden House and Parkers Tavern
Life music: The Garden Hotel and De Luca Cucina & Bar
Trendy Bars: Bar 196, NOVI Cambridge, The LAB Cambridge, KOTA Bar & Kitchen, Dutch Cambridge, The Orator, the Bird or Worm and Six Cambridge
The best wine bars in Cambridge for wine tasting and celebrations:
Cambridge Wine Merchants on Bridge Street & Cherry Hinton
Check out the bar’s events pages for exclusive wine tastings.