If it hasn't been clear enough to you already, I love food, and as I have elaborated in posts from earlier in the year, adjusting to the UK diet / portions was somewhat of a challenge for me. While I can say now that I have successfully overcome this issue, largely drawing upon the techniques that I described before, dining hall food, while cheaper and more convenient during the hustle and bustle of the school year, does become boring at some point, and especially with the academic load significantly diminished now, restaurant food, while more expensive, does offer more culinary variety and flavours, something that I am more than keen to embrace now given that this weekend is my last weekend in Cambridge. To be clear, I have not completely abandoned the dining hall. It is still very convenient for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner, restaurants are much more appealing now. Below is a list of restaurants and food places, while not exhaustive, that I have visited over the course of this past year / week that I think are worth giving you all a head's up about (all of these can be found on Google if you search for "<name> Cambridge UK").
1) Pho
This is a place that advertises "Vietnamese Street Food," and while I don't know what "street food" exactly is in Vietnam, I could not really differentiate it from anything I had eaten in other Vietnamese restaurants, especially since I ordered dishes similar to those that I had eaten in the US. Food tastes pretty decent, though if you have an appetite such as mine, it may burn a small hole in your pocket given that the portion sizes are not super large.
2) Reys
This is a place that takes pride in its chicken dishes. In fact, those are the only main courses that you can get from them if I remember properly. They offer chicken dishes in various sizes and with different sauces and toppings. Perhaps it was an issue of timing, but I found the chicken to be somewhat dry. Maybe I needed more sauce? The sauce tasted pretty good.
3) Zizzi
This is a pizza restaurant where we had our first major CME get-together upon arrival. Pizza tastes pretty good (it's not your run-of-the-mill Domino's), but it was a little expensive given my appetite. Otherwise, it's definitely a place worth checking out.
4) Byron
This is a burger place, which is almost akin to a Shake Shack (more prevalent in the US) that is slightly more upscale. Burgers taste pretty good, and their onion rings are delicious, though from my point of view, the quantity-to-price ratio is a little lacking given my food needs. If you have a hankering for a good ol' American burger, that is the place to go to.
5) Clowns
This is an Italian restaurant that was a major win for me. First, I only discovered it by accident after running into some of my CME friends when I was going to get takeout (or as they call it takeaway in the UK), and they were going to get dinner! I wasn't sure about the place since I had never been there before, but they assured me that it was good. Not only was the environment very welcoming and homey, their dinner specials were good portions for killer prices. A large pasta dish AND wine for only seven pounds! On top of that, they had some delicious pies for dessert, and I'm sure my friends and I stayed there for a good three hours. My only regret was that I didn't find this place sooner.
6) Fitzbillies
Operating as both a bakery and cafe, I have not eaten here for any sit-down meal. However, the reason why I mention it is because it offers these phenomenal buns called Chelsea buns. They're extremely famous amongst Cambridge students, and after trying one, I could see why. The dough is infused with currants, cinnamon, and sugar. On top of that, they're covered in a sweet of glaze of what I think is more sugar? As an American, what more could I ask for from a dessert? A must try for any one-time student here.
7) Mee and I
A somewhat nontraditional Chinese restaurant that serves what they call "Asian tapas," this restaurant offers classic Chinese dishes with a slight twist. For example, they offer stir fry with bacon in it! While the combinations are somewhat unusual, they actually taste pretty good. The only downside for me was that the price-to-food ratio was a little high for my stomach. But then again, if you don't have my appetite, this is definitely a good place to visit.
8) Wildwood
This is a slightly more upscale restaurant whose culinary repertoire consists largely of pizza, pasta, and risotto dishes as their main courses, this restaurant offers pretty decent food for largely reasonable prices. I have taken my family here on several occasions, and we in fact had a CME get-together here during Lent term. In addition to offering good variety, the food tastes nice, and I would highly recommend their pastas and risottos if you intend to eat in. If you are doing takeout, then get their pizzas! While this might change when you are there, they have been offering their pizzas for only five pounds if you do takeout (compared to nine or ten if you eat in). Not a bad deal if I say so myself!
9) Sala Thong
This is a Thai restaurant that was mentioned to me by Cambridge students on several occasions throughout the year. I gave it a try only recently, and the food is pretty decent. However, the price-to-food ratio is a little high for my appetite. Again, if you do not have a sizeable appetite like mines, this is certainly another place to check out.
10) Smokeworks (pictured above)
This is a barbecue restaurant that was also a big win for me. I also found it by accident when I was wondering around town one evening to find dinner. They offer these great dinner combos that give you a ton of meat (chicken, ribs, etc.) for a pretty reasonable price given how much food they give you. In addition, they offer Sloppy Joe-esque sandwiches that are also quite good. The food tastes great, though their milkshakes are a little too thick to provide much of a thirst-quencher. Definitely go with something like Coke or beer instead. That hiccup aside, their food is definitely something to check out.
11) Fudge Kitchen
This is not a restaurant, but it is well-known for its fudge. Believe me, that reputation is well-deserved. Besides offering a wide-range of delicious and extremely sweet (word of warning: consume it slowly! It has been created to last fairly well in room temperature conditions) fudge, they offer free samples everyday and even provide daily demonstrations of how they make the fudge! Certainly worth checking out as well.
12) Golden House
This is not really a restaurant because it is too small to be one, but despite it's tiny size, it's often quite packed during lunch time with hungry Cambridge students, eager to take advantage of the student deal of five pounds for a sizeable rice dish. I've gone here on several occasions with my friends, and the food was quite good, although the place was somewhat cramped given my physical stature. A good place nonetheless for a quick lunch if you find yourself near the engineering department.
13) Chinese Canteen
This is another traditional Chinese restaurant that offers pretty decent Chinese food for pretty decent prices. Located just at the outskirts of the market square, this is definitely a place worth checking out for dinner if you do find yourself in that area.
14) Yim Wah Express
This is actually located right next to Golden House and is another very popular lunch spot for Cambridge students. This was another restaurant that my friends and I frequented for a quick lunch outside of the engineering department (we would alternate between that and Golden House for variety), as their rice dishes (rice + steamed lettuce + meats of your choice) are a good bang for your buck. They also serve bubble tea!
15) Yippee Noodle Bar
This restaurant is all about noodles, at least for the most part. They do offer other dishes, but noodles are their main speciality. Noodle dishes are pretty good, and for better or worse, they are filling because they provide a good amount of noodles relative to non-noodle food. So if you are looking for slightly more non-noodle food, this may not be the most satisfying of establishments to go to. However, as I said, the food is filling and at a pretty decent price.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this list of restaurants is not exhaustive, nor was it meant to be since I have not been able to attend all of the restaurants in Cambridge. I know there are certainly several other Italian restaurants close by and a couple of Japanese restaurants located at the outskirts of the market square. In addition, there are food trucks in the market square that serve some good food, varying from noodles to sandwiches to baked potatoes. They also have ice cream trucks along the way, good stops for dessert if you still have room after lunch / dinner.
Upon arrival in Cambridge, I would certainly recommend asking around to see which restaurants the Cambridge students prefer! This information will likely become dated soon enough, and having no or little information about restaurants is only setting you up to have a disappointing experience, which can then cast a dark cloud over the entire experience at Cambridge as a whole. Many that I have listed here were based on what I had heard from other Cambridge students, so go ask around!