The Empress, Romsey Town, Cambridge

This is the best pub I have ever been to, and I went to university in York, where great pubs are abundant. It has an incredibly friendly atmosphere, and a good range of beers. The Empress is located down a side-street off Mill Road, but due to its brilliant reputation, it is a well-known pub and represents the hub of the local community. It is presided over by Dave the Landlord, who is a decent chap and has made the pub a brilliant part of the community. He has recently acquired a pig named 'Romsey', who makes an appearance from time to time. (Romsey Town is the area of Cambridge which The Empress sits in). Romsey has recently been joined by two extra miniature pigs, named Barney and Chester. The Tuesday night pub quiz is renowned for its awesomeness. It tends to feature an incredible music round, and sandwiches are circulated towards the end of the festivities. It is only a pound to enter and you get shot at Play Your Cards Right, which Dave rarely loses. That said, I personally won a shot of sambuca by getting to the end of the first row once. Once a month is 'big money night' - £2.50 to enter but even more awesome than the regular quiz. You have to get to the Empress early on Tuesday evening to guarantee a table or seats. The pub doesn't tend to serve food, though sometimes pizzas can be obtained. The bar staff are the friendliest I've met. There are two well-maintained dartboards and a pool table, a nice beer garden, and plenty of seats inside. Expect the pub to be packed on a Friday or Saturday evening.

Surprisingly off radar on previous Cambridge trips, but we were pointed in its direction by a friendly local post match, and a worthy inclusion it was. Enter through a door marked "Jug and Bottle" to a small traditional bar, beyond which the pub extends to a rear games area with two dartboards and two pool tables then back round again completing the circuit with a comfortable lounge area. Still a traditional back street local, very friendly, we were straight into conversation with a group of locals. A large selection of board games seemed to be popular. I didn't record all the beers, I believe there were 7 pumps including a cider, but I recall Milton Dionysus, Thwaites Original, Marston's Pedigree and TT Landlord. There may have been an Adnams offering plus another more unusual one which had just gone off. The Empress' location makes it a good addition to a local crawl involving The Cambridge Blue, Kingston and Live and Let Live.