Midsummer House
A Victorian riverside house on Midsummer Common, serving surprise set menus.
Midsummer House stands beside the River Cam, set among the cattle-grazed grass of Midsummer Common. The building is a townhouse of 1886, and it became a restaurant in 1986. The restaurant's own site describes it as hidden away among the pastures, and a walk across the common from the city centre is part of the approach.
The river and the floods
Being so close to the water has had consequences. The Cam burst its banks twice in 2001. The second time, in November, more than a metre and a half of water lay over the foundations, and the dining room floor was badly damaged. The restaurant shut for a month and was redecorated at a reported cost of £100,000.
Recognition
The restaurant's website shows a two-Michelin-star badge and links to its Michelin Guide listing. Its first star arrived in 2002, it has held five AA Rosettes since the 2014 awards, and the 2016 Good Food Guide gave it a cooking score of 8 out of 10, placing it seventh in that guide's UK top fifty.
Practical notes
Meals are surprise set menus, offered as three named options: Solstice, Corpus and Trinity. Opening is Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. The last reservations are at 12:00 to 1:30pm for lunch and 6:30 to 9:00pm for dinner. Scheduled closures are listed on the website, so check before planning a visit.
The booking calendar opens three months ahead, at 09:00 on the first day of each month. There is no parking on the common; use CB4 1HF (Aylestone Road) for satellite navigation, and expect residents' permit zones nearby, with several pay-and-display car parks within walking distance.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
