Quick info
About The Maypole
The Maypole is a family-run free house pub at 20A Portugal Place in Cambridge, on a back street off Park Street. The kitchen cooks homemade Italian food in a small pub setting, with pasta dishes such as gnocchi and rigatoni served with ragu or tomato sauce. The food menu is short and focused. At the bar, real ales sit alongside other beers on tap and in bottles, including Belgian beers, with wines, spirits and cocktails to go with them. The pub also hosts a Belgian beer festival. It includes a spin-the-wheel prize game, with hats, glasses and playing cards among the prizes.
Good to know
- ReservationsAccepts reservations
- ParkingPaid parking lot · Parking
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, restroom
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Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention belgian beer selection, gnocchi with sausage, rigatoni with ragu and spin-the-wheel prizes.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention belgian beer selection, gnocchi with sausage, rigatoni with ragu and spin-the-wheel prizes.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often single out the beer selection, with Belgian bottles and fruit beers drawing the most praise, alongside a German Weißbier, real ales and pints one visitor rated better than any elsewhere in Cambridge. The homemade Italian food comes close behind, with diners describing a gigantic sausage-filled gnocchi, chewy rigatoni and a generous portion of ragu that melts in the mouth. One reviewer's friend found the sauces on the salty side, and another calls the food menu limited. Staff are described as friendly and helpful, and the outdoor seating gets a mention. The main complaint comes from one returning customer who found a recent visit unwelcoming. After they paid for drinks, staff said the pub would close soon, then kept glancing outside at them as if to hurry them along while the pub was nearly empty. Several recall a Belgian beer promotion where each purchase earned a spin of a wheel, winning hats, playing cards and beer glasses.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often single out the beer selection, with Belgian bottles and fruit beers drawing the most praise, alongside a German Weißbier, real ales and pints one visitor rated better than any elsewhere in Cambridge. The homemade Italian food comes close behind, with diners describing a gigantic sausage-filled gnocchi, chewy rigatoni and a generous portion of ragu that melts in the mouth. One reviewer's friend found the sauces on the salty side, and another calls the food menu limited. Staff are described as friendly and helpful, and the outdoor seating gets a mention. The main complaint comes from one returning customer who found a recent visit unwelcoming. After they paid for drinks, staff said the pub would close soon, then kept glancing outside at them as if to hurry them along while the pub was nearly empty. Several recall a Belgian beer promotion where each purchase earned a spin of a wheel, winning hats, playing cards and beer glasses.
Featured reviews
- Kate Seal
“Cambridge pub of the year 2026 on a back street but fairly easy to find welcoming staff and a good selection of real ales and other drinks the food people were eating looked good”
- mark jenkins
“My fav pub in Cambridge back after 7 years good well kept cafe great family staff run pub top notch 21/08/26 Update sadly now not so good today we went in 2 very young staff looked like school age mince we paid for drinks they said oh we close in 1/2 hour which is new. Then they kept looking outside at us trying to hurry us up felt non welcome and pub was virtually dead . What’s happened to this once great pub I don’t know sadly we will never return again”
- John H
“Went here for a bit lunch with family. From the moment we arrived i knew it was going to be good. The waitress was loads of fun and made our visit memorable. The food was amazing, as was the wine and selection of beers. We will definitely be back. Thanks for a great afternoon.”
- Guru R
“Great service and food. They have a nice choice of Beers on tap as well as in bottles. Limited food menu but is made very well. The service is top notch.”
- Ken Parr
“A quiet gem of pub in Cambridge. Generationally Italian run Pub serving delicious unpretentious Italian food. Walk from the heat and hubbub of town leaving Bridge Street and wander down the lost Jordans Yard. Arrive on the other side on Park Street and turn left and you'll arrive at the flat roofed Maypole. Plenty of seating outside and cool inside. This pub was on my radar as a teenager. 50 plus years later I'd now choose this over the Baron of Beef and Mitre. My loss then and now your, (and my eventual), gain.”
Hours
- Monday
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- Tuesday
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- Wednesday
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- Thursday
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- Friday
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- Saturday
- Sunday
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Highlights
“The Maypole is a family run independent pub in the heart of Cambridge city centre We have a very large selection of beers wines and spirits, quality cocktails and homemade Italian food”
- Great beer selection
- Popular for solo dining
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Paid parking lot
- Accepts reservations
- Outdoor seating
- Takeout
- Dine-in
Show more amenities
- Food at bar
- Cozy
- Onsite services
- Beer
- Food
- Solo dining
- Offerings· 4
- Alcohol
- Cocktails
- Hard liquor
- Wine
- Parking· 1
- Parking
- Dining options· 1
- Seating
- Facilities· 1
- Restroom
- Atmosphere· 2
- Casual
- Trendy
- Highlights· 1
- Great beer selection
- Crowd· 2
- Groups
- Tourists
- Accessibility· 1
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
Location
Bars near The Maypole
- Byron's Bear4.43790.1 mi£20–30ReservationsOutdoor seatingGood for kids
riverside outdoor seating, fish and chips, sunday roast
- Pickerel4.59470.1 mi£10–20ReservationsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor seating
properly poured guinness, outdoor seating, fish and chips
- King Street Brewhouse4.22,8700.2 miWheelchair accessible
in-house craft beer, fish and chips, Sunday roast
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The MaypoleReservations · Wheelchair accessible · Outdoor seating | 4.41,783 | — | £20–30 | belgian beer selection, gnocchi with sausage, rigatoni with ragu |
| Byron's BearReservations · Outdoor seating · Good for kids | 4.4379 | 0.1 mi | £20–30 | riverside outdoor seating, fish and chips, sunday roast |
| PickerelReservations · Wheelchair accessible · Outdoor seating | 4.5947 | 0.1 mi | £10–20 | properly poured guinness, outdoor seating, fish and chips |
| King Street BrewhouseWheelchair accessible | 4.22,870 | 0.2 mi | — | in-house craft beer, fish and chips, Sunday roast |
The 3 nearest bars by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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