As restaurateurs around the country try to economise it seems they’re trying to keep their names short and snappy too: Juliet, Vesper, Teal, Roe, Lupa, the list goes on. A glib observation, yes, but often behind these names is a fascinating backstory. For Margaret’s in Cambridge, Sam Carter and Alex Olivier of Restaurant Twenty-Two named their second restaurant after a regular guest, which must surely be the highest honour any restaurant can bestow and something we can all aspire to. (In all seriousness though, in these troubled times, regulars are like gold for any hospitality business – the key challenge for these businesses is to turn new customers into those regulars.)
Margaret’s is a more casual affair and, a year after opening, seems to have settled into its groove. It has definitely made its mark locally, as on this visit it filled to capacity quickly, but whether it will have more of a national magnetic pull (like the aforementioned Juliet in Stroud) is less clear – the mid-range dining scene in Cambridge is gaining momentum, though perhaps this patch of Chesterton Road is a (mathematical) bridge too far for tourists who just want to go punting. The location shouldn’t put them off. Indeed, there’s a resplendent kitchen and bathroom studio opposite the restaurant, which could make for an interesting afternoon – “come for a design consultation, stay for the asparagus spears” (you can see why I don’t work in marketing).
On entering Margaret’s, the noticeable colour palette of butterscotch Angel Delight and the tan leather seats of a Mini Clubman (without seatbelts) felt a bit 1970s – even the main window has a sepia tint – but there’s nothing reactionary or backward about this follow-up to Restaurant Twenty-Two (which is just two doors down; Margaret’s hasn’t strayed too far from parental gaze).
This is clearly a restaurant that wants to feed its guests
The service is also more relaxed than the mothership; perhaps, in one instance, it was a bit too relaxed. At the start a request for a martini was pretty much forgotten until I chased it, but I admired the response. “We just like to make sure we get everything right,” the server said after the 15 minute delay, both of us knowing it doesn’t take that long to make a martini and, hey presto, one materialised a minute after that little nudge. (Said martini, made with their own gin and Coastal vermouth and priced at £14, was fine by the way; they also serve other classic cocktails around the same price point with cheaper soft drink and beer options too, while the short wine list is fairly priced and evenly balanced.)
For dinner there is a set menu (£75 at weekends, £65 during the week; there’s also a streamlined lunch option at £37.50 for three courses). At first blush, 75 quid feels more London than East Anglia but then, as I discovered, they’re generous with the succession of various plates; it’s not one of those fancy places where you leave feeling ravenous and end up queuing with the student revellers at a McDonald’s afterwards, questioning your life choices. Another initial fear might be it’s not à la carte, but mercifully it’s not a wedding breakfast; there’s a wee bit of wiggle room with options available at the main and dessert stages.
Cambridgeshire asparagus, smoked bacon croquette, chalk stream trout, courgette and feta soup
Audley End lamb rump
Steamed ginger sponge
On this visit proceedings began with multiple amuse-bouches: Gordial olives with red pepper and hummus dips, rosemary and sea salt focaccia (coming perilously close to a “bread course” but this wasn’t served alone so I’ll forgive them) and a little courgette, basil and English feta soup. They prize locality as much as possible and nothing could be more local than the next mini course of perfectly al dente Cambridgeshire asparagus served with wild chervil and truffle mayonnaise. Delicious.
The little dishes kept on coming with a quenelle of chalk stream trout mousse anointed with roe and a smoked bacon croquette, both of which were perfectly pleasant.
The four options for mains continued a patriotic theme, including Suffolk chicken supreme with their own garden herbs, an Old Winchester cheese soufflé and Cornish monkfish cooked on the bone. For my lamb rump (from Audley End estate, just south of Cambridgeshire), this was served with more asparagus and Romano peppers but was just a tad underwhelming: while the cooking of the lamb was absolutely on point, the dish as a whole was a little dry, crying out for a little jus of some kind. That said, it was not parsimonious, complete with potatoes and purple sprouting broccoli from Norfolk and a Caesar salad for good measure. This is clearly a restaurant that wants to feed its guests and by this point it felt like the £75 price tag was justifiable.
All of the savoury dishes certainly displayed an unfussy devotion to well-sourced ingredients from independent suppliers with no distracting theatrics. Not that they ever seem to be more aspirational than that, perhaps at the dessert stage this was where its ambition ceased. A steamed ginger sponge with a little Yorkshire rhubarb and custard was undoubtedly retro – while not disappointing, it just felt more like a pudding served at nearby Magdalene College. Maybe that was the intention, I don’t know. Perhaps the chocolate delice on offer would’ve been a more memorable coda to a generally lovely meal.
With a set menu like this it can only provide a snapshot but this experience gave enough of an insight to know that any meal here would be at a high standard; as it was packed to the rafters on this visit, I’m probably not alone in making that assessment. Generally, apart from minor issues, I had a very enjoyable time at Margaret’s and would return; in fact, if I lived in Cambridge I’m sure I would be a regular too.
18 Chesterton Road
Cambridge
CB4 3AX
July 2026
