The Maypole
A family-run freehouse with real ales, Italian food and a secret-door back bar.
The Maypole stands on Portugal Place, between Bridge Street and Jesus Green. The same family has run it since 1982. It calls itself a traditional pub with a continental feel, reflecting its Mediterranean heritage, and pairs a changing range of real ales and craft beers from small independent breweries with homemade Italian food.
A short history
The pub's own timeline records The Maypole as a licensed house in 1851, run in its early decades under the Anchor Brewery and later by the Star Brewery. The neighbouring Plume of Feathers closed in April 1936 and was demolished soon after, while the Maypole was reopened after refurbishment in 1965 under Tolly Cobbold. After Punch Taverns sold it in 2009, the family took on the freehold. The pub was Cambridge CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2018, and the pub says it has won several CAMRA awards.
The spaces
The lounge bar is the main bar as you enter. The beer garden is a large covered and heated area with murals by a local artist. Upstairs is used mainly for dining and private hire, and the saloon bar at the back is entered by a secret door.
Practical notes
- Hours: 12:00 to 14:30 and 17:30 to 23:00 Sunday to Thursday, 12:00 to 14:30 and 17:30 to midnight on Friday, and 12:00 to midnight on Saturday.
- Telephone 01223 352999 between 09:30 and midday; tables can be booked through the website.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
