The lively guide to everything local

Cards Register for free Promote my business

Local Secrets is a guide to what's on Cambridge Restaurants, Cambridge Pubs and Bars.

Review

what we thought

Varsity Restaurant (Cambridge)

To eat where royalty have dined, famous comedy routines written, brilliant inventions concocted and even world history changed, head to The Varsity on Regent Street, the oldest restaurant in Cambridge. So much was the attraction that manager Giorge Antoni has returned from the Ivy in London to continue the family line. The classy but unpretentious restaurant, where students often dine with fellows, was opened by Giorge's uncle

more important than anecdotes, the food is also legendary

Charles in 1956, and continues to offer fine dining at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Down the years the rich and famous have enjoyed The Varsity, mostly when they were students at Cambridge University as the name suggests (it also regularly houses Alumni functions). King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, the Duke of Edinburgh, Steven Fry and Stephen Hawkin to name but a few have dined in this narrow but wide-windowed establishment overlooking the buildings of Emmanuel College. Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi even met here for their first date.

Browsing through the menu, the theme is Greek Cypriot but marvelous dishes transcend national boundaries. We chose a selection of meze to start, with traditional taramaslata, hummus and locanico sausages together with whitebait. Most came with side salads and all were delightfully presented. The taramasalata was divine with the unique taste and aroma of smoked roe and the sausages were a meal in itself.

From a wine list compiled with well known brands from all over the world we resisted the Riojas and chardonnays and chose a light red from Crete.

The main course menu ranged from fish to kebabs and fillet steak to pork escalopes with an emphasis on the traditional Greek charcoal grill. Deciding on what to try was difficult, especially spying the mouth-watering dishes being served to fellow diners by the fully-suited waiter.

Like the starters, the mains were beautifully presented. The kleftico lamb was slow cooked in the oven all day (it is therefore only available in the evening) with oregano to produce a wonderful dish with the meat literally falling off the bone. The lamb included fine tender cuts from the leg bone and ribs and was served with another good helping of salad with feta cheese.

The char-grilled sea bass too was excellent with two fair-sized fillets lightly grilled with a whole courgette and rice. Each dish seemed to catch the moment and match the stylish surroundings and charismatic atmosphere.

To add insult to the rich and flavoursome food we had just eaten, we chose the wonderfully named Toffee Lumpy Bumpy for dessert - masses of toffee, cream and chocolate smothering a sponge base. We also had a huge portion of Greek yogurt topped off with rich, runny honey - simple but delicious.

At The Varsity knowledgeable waiting staff are always ready to embroil you with tales of how the restaurant has slipped into local folklore, but more important than anecdotes, the food is also legendary. We lost superlatives to describe the fresh and aromatic dishes and the value for money made us speechless. Long live The Varsity.

Your reviews

what you said

Write a review | About review

Great place for a meal with friends; busy, lovely set menu, central.

Ilana…20 Jul 2009

I visited Varsity with 7 friends on Saturday night. We sat at a table upstairs and had a mixed bag of an evening. The food tasted nice, but I got the impression that a lot of it hadn't been made fresh and was simply frozen produce. The service was quite slow and we often felt like we had been forgotten about. We had to find a waiter when we wanted to pay at the end of the night, and before we had finished our desserts they had put the lights on and cut the music! Talk about a hint! All in all, not a bad meal out, but you can find much better places for your money in Cambridge.

Lauren…04 Mar 2009

About?

Write a review