Lunch at Bill’s in Cambridge

On our recent trip to Cambridge, we grabbed a bite to eat at Bill’s, a restaurant hidden down one of the alleyways. Bill’s exudes a friendly fun atmosphere and the food wasn’t half bad either. In fact, it was very good and I would highly recommend this place. So here is a quick restaurant review.

Bill’s is a small British chain which started off with locations in Sussex and has now expanded to London, and most recently Green Street in the centre of Cambridge.

LOCATION OF BILL’S RESTAURANT

To get to Bill’s Restaurant, head down Bridge Street and Green Street.

This is a lovely part of Cambridge, a lot quieter and far less touristy than the main parts of this university town. Nonetheless, there are quite a few good restaurants to be found in this part of Cambridge. There is also a lovely set of independent shops on the street, that sell everything from pillows to throws, Art, CDs and DVDs.

INTERIOR OF BILL’S RESTAURANT

The first thing you notice about Bill’s Restaurant is the density and intensity of colours. Jars, cans and bottles line the walls from top to bottom, large bundles of dried chilli hang from the industrial ceiling and the walls are lined with faux driftwood. Although the interior décor of the restaurant borders on sensory overkill, it trumps by miles the ordinary bland atmosphere of some British cafes. It also creates a fabulous background for photographs. Foodie heaven indeed.

Bill’s Restaurant follows the same concept as Jamie Oliver’s. As well as being a restaurant and serving up fresh food, this chain sells Bill’s jams, marmalades, fancy French lemonade, pasta, chocolate, beer, books and so much more. The shelves are filled with interesting things and lend the restaurant a relaxed and funky look.

Bill’s might be a chain but it is bursting with personality! We had lunch at Bill’s at 12 o’clock and the restaurant was packed. It is obviously very popular with the locals.

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FOOD AT BILL’S RESTAURANT

The menu at Bill’s Restaurant is based on the classic American Diner and generally crowd pleasing: burgers, mezze, roasted chicken breast etc, and it’s all well-cooked and flavoured. There is quite a wide range of food on offer and they serve their customers from breakfast through to dinner.

First we ordered drinks. Gary got himself one of the fancy French pink lemonades, which cost £3.50 when we visited, and I opted for a £3.25 Big Tom Tomato Juice. I really enjoyed the juice, especially the hint of spice that added to the flavour.

We skipped starters and immediately picked our main courses.

Gary went for Bill’s Hamburger, which cost £9.95 when we visited, a good burger between two toasted buns, with lettuce, tomato, red onion, horseradish mayo and Monterey jack cheese. To be honest there is nothing much to report here. The burger was good and I approve of the horseradish mayo.

While Gary enjoyed his burger, I tucked into the Mojo Chicken Skewers, which cost £10.95 when we visited, tomato and herb couscous salad, cucumber, watercress and red onion, tzatziki and warm pita bread. The dish was tasty but somehow left me wanting more. I finished my meal, wishing I’d chosen something a little unhealthier.

In general the food though seemed very fresh with attention payed to details.

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VERDICT

Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Bill’s Restaurant.

A lot of effort has obviously gone into setting the place up, and the atmosphere is something you definitely can’t find elsewhere in Cambridge – a good compromise alternative to the pub and bar when you’re looking for a place for drinks but also nice food.

Bill’s food is of good quality, fun, tasty and prepared with fresh ingredients. It does exactly what it ‘says on the can’ for this type of cuisine, which sadly isn’t true of most restaurants.

What was particularly impressive, apart from the quality of the food, was the very reasonable pricing. Our entire meal, including drinks and service, came to just £36 when we visited. It felt like excellent value for what we had, although this was quite some time ago, so you will definitely want to check Bill’s latest menu before turning up with the same budget. So good food, nice atmosphere, reasonable prices- there’s very little not to like about Bill’s.

Bill’s Restaurant

34-35 Green Street Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3JX