Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Baron of Beef, Cambridge
Cambridge
CB2 1UF
Pub Type
Greene KingReviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Steve C left this review about The Baron of Beef
The Baron of Beef is a long and thin Greene King pub with seating around the front entrance before a long bar counter that runs up the left-hand wall. During a recent early Saturday afternoon visit four of the five hand pumps were drawing GK IPA, Abbot, Yardbird and their Future Brewers Spring Break. The fifth hand pump had a clip that advertises GK’s brewing heritage. Premium keg was also available and a little chalkboard sign on the counter advertises 10% student discount. The GK food menu is available. The bar area at the front has laminate flooring and a rear banquette seating area has a tiled floor. There was some background music playing and muted Sky Sports News was on the two televisions located at either end of the pub. The service was polite, but the pub is pretty bland and the Spring Break wasn’t my favourite beer of the day.
On 10th April 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5243 recommendations about 5211 pubs]
Graham Coombs left this review about The Baron of Beef
A reasonably pleasant if unexciting Greene King pub. One long room extending back past the side counter to a courtyard area at the rear, conventionally furnished with a mix of low and high tables. Just GK beers on handpump: IPA, Abbot, Yardbird and Spring Break.
On 7th April 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Baron of Beef
Greene King pub serving 5 real ales and food.
On 23rd September 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
peter ashworth left this review about The Baron of Beef
On entry the pub looked quite promising with it being clean and bright and a good selection of 5 cask ales to go at.However I found the barman complacent and after waiting 45 mins for our meal to arrive (some tables had waited over an hour) returned to the bar to mention this and in all fairness we did get an apology and a full refund.
On 15th May 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2318 recommendations about 2275 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Baron Of Beef
A terraced Greene King pub, with rear patio area. The pub is in a Georgian style, with the upper storeys in cream brick, with sash windows the central one sof the three being blind. The lower frontage is in plain brick with stone surround central door and the flanking windows. The interior is effectively one long room, with a part partioned area and a small side area. The main front is in coffee and wood panel, with wood floor. The rear area is in chocolate, with a red tile floor and the side area is in red. Mixed art and pictures are on the walls. The food was fine, so Mrs Soup said - i was feeling rough, so i didn't eat. The TV had silent news on and the music was soft and general. The service was fine and a mixed clientel were in, mostly eating. Beer; usual tap stuff with GK IPA, St Austell Proper Job, Brentwood Gold and Milestone Ruby Rich on handpull. I had half of the Milestone, which was fine. I note other comments about Greene King beer swops in Cambridge, as this place had similat to the Bath House. A straight forward pub.
On 10th April 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Baron Of Beef
Cambridge is chocca with Greene King pubs but with a bit of careful research it is possible to filter out the exceptionally good ones (and there are a couple) from the mundane. The Baron of Beef tends to fall largely in the latter category.
The long and narrow interior is quite bland, uninteresting and largely featureless. A door half way down is labeled the Smoke Room and I understand the pub was until fairly recently divided into 2 bars until Greene King knocked everything through into one causing a bit of a local rumpus at the time. To the rear is an outdoor patio but on the whole it really is all a bit nondescript. The pub did have its 15 minutes of fame having been featured in the TV mini series Porterhouse Blue and can claim author Douglas Adams as one of its former regulars.
There wa a decent selection (by GK standards) of 5 ales available - IPA, Old Golden Hen, Olde Trip, their own (re)branded Baron of Beef ale and a guest in the form of Holdens Buffalo Soldier which was actually available at a few other GK pubs I came across so overall, not too exciting but better than expected. Prices were reasonable with the Buffalo Soldier at £3.15 and there was also reasonably priced food albeit they only had a limited menu available on my visit due to a kitchen problem.
It wasn’t particularly busy for a Saturday lunchtime in August (probably not helped the food issue) which did at least make my visit fairly relaxed and peaceful with just some background piped music and a muted TV for company.
All in all it’s a pretty inoffensive and tidy enough place, handily located for the City’s visitors and fine to pop in if passing by but it will never make anyones list of essential Cambridge pub visits. I’m not really sure how it ended up on mine!
On 30th August 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Baron Of Beef
Yep, easy review this one. Just have to agree, its nothing special in here, which is why I was very surprised to find it full with two hen parties.
Same two guest beers as in the Anchor, which began to build suspicion that the publicans in Cambridge lack imagination, or the GK guest ale policy may not be as free as we are led to believe. Fortunately this was a suspicion which was blown away by a visit to the excellent Free Press the following day.
The only decent point of the Barrel of Beef is the small courtyard outside garden space at the rear.
Any chance that can be moved the Mitre next door ?
On 30th May 2012
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about The Baron Of Beef
Pub is as described in previous reviews , very busy on my visit , staff were efficient if lacking in any character , Five beers on four standard Greene King offerings and Woodfordes Once Bittern which was pretty ropey to be honest , beware the staff leaving half pulled pints under the taps then topping them up when ordered .
Its nothing special in here
On 6th May 2012
- rating: 4
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Baron Of Beef
This is a long, narrow Greene King pub, close to the Magdalene College stretch of the River Cam. The interior is fairly standard with wooden flooring and traditional table and chair arrangements throughout, although there are a few suede banquettes under the front windows and near the fireplace. The bar counter runs almost the whole length of the pub along the left hand wall and should you make it all the way to the back of the pub you'll find access to a decent looking beer garden. The walls are covered with various pictures depicting Cambridge life and I also spotted a small framed notice which explained the pub's unusual name.
Only two beers were on when we visited - Old Speckled Hen and Herok and Howell Festival Ale (£3.20). GK IPA and Belhaven St Andrews Ale were both clipped but with a 'coming soon' sign over them. The bar staff weren't the most attentive and seemed to be paying more attention to the TV screens showing the Charity Shield match rather than figuring out who needed serving next. A few punters were eating from the standard Greene King menu and to be fair, the waitress made up for the slack bar staff by working very hard to clear up the tables, resulting in a very clean and smart environment.
I didn't really have strong feelings either way for this pub and would concur with previous reviewers that it is a pretty average and inoffensive place.
On 17th September 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Baron Of Beef
Despite the name, this was nothing particularly special - another Greene King pub with the usual Greene King range in so-so condition. Long and narrow layout makes for an uncomfortable experience when busy. The bar back was appealing but that was about it. Apparently featured in Porterhouse Blue renamed the Leg of Beef.
On 31st May 2008
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]