The Student Room Group

Parents coming... Formal Hall sold out... where to take them???

My parents, my brother and my Grandma are all coming down this Friday to check that I'm still alive and haven't died of a pasta-overdose. I think we were planning on going to lunch at the Copper Kettle, and then we'd planned to have a nice evening of the choral service at Kings, followed by Formal Hall at my college. The problem is that I went to book it today, and there are no tickets left. :mad:

Anyway, does anyone know of any nice bars or restaurants in Cambridge that I could take them to for dinner instead? I've only been here a month, so I haven't really had time to suss all of that out, yet....

Thanks in advance!

Scroll to see replies

I'd recommend Restaurant 22 on Chesterton Road - clicky. :smile:

If you do choose to go there, make sure that you make a booking as they often get full quite quickly.
Reply 2
Illusionary
I'd recommend Restaurant 22 on Chesterton Road - clicky. :smile:

If you do choose to go there, make sure that you make a booking as they often get full quite quickly.


Looks very nice, but £30.00 a head is a bit over our budget! :p: Formal Hall was only going to be £8....
Rainbow Cafe :love:

Or Homerton formal hall :wink:
Reply 4
Browns, which is a bit further up from the Fitz museum.
Geritak
My parents, my brother and my Grandma are all coming down this Friday to check that I'm still alive and haven't died of a pasta-overdose. I think we were planning on going to lunch at the Copper Kettle, and then we'd planned to have a nice evening of the choral service at Kings, followed by Formal Hall at my college. The problem is that I went to book it today, and there are no tickets left. :mad:

Anyway, does anyone know of any nice bars or restaurants in Cambridge that I could take them to for dinner instead? I've only been here a month, so I haven't really had time to suss all of that out, yet....

Thanks in advance!

Use toptable to book alimentum. 152-154 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PB
http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=7711

Its 2 for 1 on main courses so you'll get a good discount. and it has spaces free for friday.
Reply 6
The Cambridge Chop House opposite King's has excellent food and beer. Booking is advisable, though...
Reply 7
Robinson formal of course :p: The food is amazing.
Reply 8
Geritak
My parents, my brother and my Grandma are all coming down this Friday to check that I'm still alive and haven't died of a pasta-overdose. I think we were planning on going to lunch at the Copper Kettle, and then we'd planned to have a nice evening of the choral service at Kings, followed by Formal Hall at my college. The problem is that I went to book it today, and there are no tickets left.

Anyway, does anyone know of any nice bars or restaurants in Cambridge that I could take them to for dinner instead? I've only been here a month, so I haven't really had time to suss all of that out, yet....

Thanks in advance!
I forgot you were on TSR. Remember your CUSU card (the cheap thing they sent in the pigeon holes) give you discount at various places.

http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/services/studentid/

Scroll down about halfway.
Reply 9
AlexG55
The Cambridge Chop House opposite King's has excellent food and beer. Booking is advisable, though...

Geritak
...


Gemma remember you get 10% off there too. :yep:
Reply 10
azhao
Gemma remember you get 10% off there too. :yep:


Thanks for that! I'd forgotten about discounts... I'll have a flick through that list.

By the way... have I actually seen you around college? I keep thinking I have but then not being sure and convinced I'll look like an idiot if I ask.... :o:
Reply 11
If you want somewhere really cheap and yet classy, there's a lovely resturant on free school lane - the lane running behind corpus christi - (can't remember it's name, but there's only one of them, so you can't miss it); it does proper main courses for £5/£6, and has a real charm about it.

Slightly more expensive, but not massively more, is Bella Italia on Newnam road, opposite the Granta pub (along from the crossroad near Queens college). It's a converted mill over the mill pond, and actually has part of the old mill on display. Very historical.

The Anchor, on Silver street, is probably the best pub, with reasonably priced meals, good views, central location and very fast service.

Hope that helps; if it's any comfort, if my parents were coming up, the very last place I'd want to take them would be formal hall, what with all the mint races, drunken freshers and 'air strikes' that take place the moment the fellows have left.
Do people normal take their parents to formal hall anyway? I'd have thought it'd generally be a bit too full of drunken students.
Reply 13
Geritak
My parents, my brother and my Grandma are all coming down this Friday to check that I'm still alive and haven't died of a pasta-overdose. I think we were planning on going to lunch at the Copper Kettle, and then we'd planned to have a nice evening of the choral service at Kings, followed by Formal Hall at my college. The problem is that I went to book it today, and there are no tickets left



sorry, just realised you're also from corpus christi :hello:

in that case, the formal hall this coming friday is halloween formal, where everyone is allowed to dress up and get even more rowdy than usual. It's great fun, very popular and does always completely sell out, although this time it seemed to sell out incredibly quickly, but no-one seems to have a ticket, and there are rumours of more tickets being made available later in the week.

I wouldn't hold out for those though, and as I mentioned earlier, it might not be the best occasion to bring your parents along to anyway, (although they'd probably find it hilarious), so instead you could take them to hall for a cheap-ish lunch, and a chance to show them the beautiful hall at corpus, and make the most of what cambridge resturants have to offer in th evening.
Reply 14
I thought that after a certain point in the term, people kind of stopped going to Formal Hall that regularly, and it mainly became for guests and birthday parties?

At least, that's what we've been told... :erm:

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I'm tempted to try all of these out...
Reply 15
Yeah, I don't think many people would take their parents to formal...
Reply 16
Galatea
sorry, just realised you're also from corpus christi :hello:

in that case, the formal hall this coming friday is halloween formal, where everyone is allowed to dress up and get even more rowdy than usual. It's great fun, very popular and does always completely sell out, although this time it seemed to sell out incredibly quickly, but no-one seems to have a ticket, and there are rumours of more tickets being made available later in the week.

I wouldn't hold out for those though, and as I mentioned earlier, it might not be the best occasion to bring your parents along to anyway, (although they'd probably find it hilarious), so instead you could take them to hall for a cheap-ish lunch, and a chance to show them the beautiful hall at corpus, and make the most of what cambridge resturants have to offer in th evening.


When did we get told about the Halloween Formal? I only found out about it today! To be honest, I'm not sure my Grandma could cope with seeing rowdy students in zombie costumes... she thought I'd be safe at Cambridge! It took all my effort to convince her we don't go around conversing in Latin... I really don't want her worst fears confirmed... :p:

I think I was going to give them the guided tour during the day (you know, the tourist view... the chapel, hall, quick run round the courts, ogle the peculiar clock, etc), rather than take them in for lunch, especially seeing as Corpus Hall lunches are always so huge - I usually eat in the bar. I don't really mind going elsewhere for dinner, it's just a shame that I'm going to have to miss the slack because of it. :frown:
Reply 17
Geritak
Thanks for that! I'd forgotten about discounts... I'll have a flick through that list.

By the way... have I actually seen you around college? I keep thinking I have but then not being sure and convinced I'll look like an idiot if I ask....
Yes we spoke at the T-Street party about TSR and we spoke on Saturday (I think?)
Reply 18
Geritak
When did we get told about the Halloween Formal? I only found out about it today! To be honest, I'm not sure my Grandma could cope with seeing rowdy students in zombie costumes... she thought I'd be safe at Cambridge! It took all my effort to convince her we don't go around conversing in Latin... I really don't want her worst fears confirmed...

I think I was going to give them the guided tour during the day (you know, the tourist view... the chapel, hall, quick run round the courts, ogle the peculiar clock, etc), rather than take them in for lunch, especially seeing as Corpus Hall lunches are always so huge - I usually eat in the bar. I don't really mind going elsewhere for dinner, it's just a shame that I'm going to have to miss the slack because of it. :frown:
There might be some more tickets now, there were 27 extra ones earlier for that.
Reply 19
azhao
Yes we spoke at the T-Street party about TSR and we spoke on Saturday (I think?)


Err... no we didn't. :p: I didn't go to the T-Street party because I was knackered, and I was reading Marx for the majority of Saturday!

You've got the wrong girl! :woo: