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Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Sunday, 21st April 2024
With picture contributions to 9888 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Maypole, Cambridge
Cambridge
CB5 8AF
Served areas
Reviews of The Maypole (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Moby Duck left this review about The Maypole
Not the most attractive looking pub or alluring interior, however the beer lineup as described by Steve below goes a long way toward levelling things up, Well worth it's place on a pub crawl.
On 28th April 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1879 recommendations about 1852 pubs]
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Maypole
Not sure how I have missed this one on my previous visits to Cambridge over the years, but I can see why it has a good reputation and is a winner of local Camra awards Efficiently run by the friendly family members of several generations with an excellent choice of mostly local breweries from the row of eight handpumps on the counter of the plain-ish public bar at the front, including Old Brown Mouse from Three Blind Mice (£2.65, half). The rear lounge bar has café-style furniture in different shades of green to go with the lighter green paintwork. Covered courtyard seating and rather distracting building works on the other side of the alley.
On 21st April 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Steve of N21 left this review about The Maypole
Difficult one to give a rating to for me as I wasn’t that enamoured by the pub itself. The outside vista is pretty unimpressive (for the reasons given below), with the exception of the outside wall mural by the bike racks that depicts the inside of the public bar on the outside. And inside the main public bar gives the feeling of a bland estate pub room, even despite the impressive Maypole mural on the far wall and the large beer chalk board on another. And then the separate lounge bar round the back reminded me more of a media company works canteen with its gaudy coloured seating all set for dining. The one bit of the pub I did like was ironically the covered outside section with its grey tables and chairs seating, which I can imagine is a good spot for a pint on a late evening when all the assorted fairy lights are in use.
What I was very enamoured with however was the impressive drinks offerings and the congenial landlord, who was just about everything you could want in a “mine host”.
On the beer front the bar supports 8 ale pumps and some 12 craft keg taps, and behind the serving bar was one of the most impressive selections of available gins I have ever seen. The available ales for our visit were New River Brewery Blind Poet Porter, Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde Mild, Old Brown Mouse Best Bitter from the Three Blind Mice Brewery, Nene Valley Brewing Chestnut Bitter, Tydd Steam Piston Bob best Bitter, Grain Brewing Oak light Bitter and Oakham’s Citra and Mompessons Gold Amber Ale. So, a good selection of different beer styles handily arranged from dark to golden as you go from right to left on the pumps. This was my first visit here so not sure if that was a permanent thing or I was just lucky, but it was a bloody convenient way of presenting a decent line up.
As mentioned below this free house is family run and the current landlord has taken over the running from his father (of Italian origin, hence the slant of the food menu) and is already grooming his son and daughter for succession. A very good host who informed us that our next pub (The Champion of the Thames) had just been awarded the local CAMRA branch POTY award.
I struggled to score this one but think I should overcome my dislike of the pub interior itself and give it the 8 it’s drinks selection and congenial family ownership probably deserves.
On 12th April 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2138 recommendations about 2013 pubs]
View more reviews of The Maypole (15)
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- Official site of The Maypole - maypolefreehouse.co.uk
- Open Guide to Cambridge - Maypole entry
- Facebook page of The Maypole - www.facebook.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Maypole - whatpub.com
Cambridge North, 2.31 miles, 44 min walk (show)
Shelford (Cambs), 5.08 miles, 1 hr 38 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Beer Festivals : Yes - Frequent. - last updated 08 April 2024 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 01 July 2014 by ROB Camra
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 20p per pint - last updated 07 February 2017 by ROB Camra
- Car Park : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Darts : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Function Room : Yes last updated 08 April 2024 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 01 July 2014 by ROB Camra
- Jukebox : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Karaoke : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Live Music : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Micropub : No last updated 04 April 2024 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Pool Table : No last updated 21 December 2014 by Aqualung .
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 01 July 2014 by ROB Camra
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 01 July 2014 by ROB Camra
- WiFi : Yes last updated 01 July 2014 by ROB Camra
