My DW and I are touring UK & Europe on Aug-Oct this year. We'll arrive in Cambridge (from London) on her birthday. Can anyone suggest somewhere nice to wine & dine in Cambridge? Doesn't have to be hyper-posh or expensive - just nice surroundings, ambience, friendly, with good food.

(On my birthday a few weeks later we'll be in Rye. Some suggestions for there will be welcome too).

Thanks. I look forward to seeing what people suggest.

in Cambridge - maybe Midsummer House http://www.midsummerhouse.co.uk/

And in Rye - the Mermaid is one of the most famous inns in the country. http://www.mermaidinn.com/

topping

Thanks janisj. Just topping for any other suggestions...

Wow - from the paucity of responses I can only assume Cambridge is a bit "thin on the ground" for nice places to dine out in!!

Thanks for the Misdsummer House suggestion, janisj, it does look good. Great menu, but regret to say it's a bit out of our price range.

Maybe an English bistro-style pub with lots of character, good beers, and good but not-too-expensive meals?

There is a great pub that is close to the greens and the colleges and Our Lady of Martyrs(I think that is the name of the church), that had great burgers and chips there. In fact, I think it is called the Regent or something like that.

My wife and I visited Cambridge in May 06, arriving fairly late on a Friday night from the airport. We stayed at the Cambridge Moat House hotel, and found a really outstanding Italian restaurant just across the river from the hotel- I give you those directions because I can't remember the name of the restaurant. Excellent food and wine, filled with locals. We stumbled on it because it was late and most other places (pubs) had stopped serving food, but this place was going strong.
Enjoy! Cambridge is wonderful. Be sure to go punting in the Backs.

I haven't been to Rye myself but have just read E.F.Benson's 'Mapp and Lucia' which is set there; so if you don't already know it, reading it may enhance your enjoyment. Of course, you probably know more about it than I do and may be going specifically for the E.F. Benson connection !

Janis, I have to say that I've never heard of your "one of the most famous inns in the country" But what do I know - your knowledge of Scotland is much greater than mine, after all !

twoflower, Cambridge has some amazing restaurants! Really!!! What kind of cuisine do you like? There is amazing Thai and Indian food there. And we love Browns on Trumpington, right across from the Fitzwilliam museum, but it is more causal. And if you want something really cool and cozy, on Kings Parade right across from Kings College there is a restaurant that is downstairs, and has a catacomb type atmosphere. Check out the following link--it is super cool.

http://www.n1kp.com/

caroline_edinburgh, I'm intrigued. I am something of a bookaholic, but had not heard of E F Benson. Or at least I thought I hadn't, but on googling him and looking up his bibliography, I recognise some of the titles from way back when I was a kid. I see some of the "Mapp and Lucia" series was televised back in the 80's, but it never came to my part of the world however. But was thrilled to see he wrote "Luck of the Vails" which I rememnber as a spooky radio drama way back when I was a kid, before TV arrived in my home country of NZ (back in the 50's). On the strength of all this, I'll hunt down the Mapp and Lucuia books and reasd them - it'll give Rye that much more depth!! Thanks for putting me onto it.

ww

Hi twoflower. Oh, so pleased to have provided useful info ! I had never read any EF Benson before (or seen the TV series) although I had heard of the Mapp & Lucia books, but DH had come across his ghost stories before. I only discovered at the book group meeting (for which I read it) that 'Mapp & Lucia' is not in fact the first in the series (also I think it must be the first set in Rye), so I think I will try reading the others from the beginning. It was quite funny & made me want to see the locations.

Apparently EF Benson lived in Henry James' old house & there is a certain amount of HJ tourism to Rye too, but it has been eclipsed by EFB tourism !