The Champ

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Greene King and unspoilt are two words (ok, three to keep the pedants happy) that are rarely seen together, but The Champion of the Thames is both of these things. Excellent.

Situated on King Street, the pub forms part of the infamous King Street Run, where students would start at The Radegund and work their way up and down the street, stopping in every pub before returning for their eighth and final pint. Sounds like a good afternoon out. The best recorded time for this is slightly more impressive however, with a Mr Philips clocking in at 14 minutes and 5 seconds (what did we do before Wikipedia).

Anyway, we digress. The Champ is a small pub, not designed for anyone over 5’4”. Whoever designed the “beer garden” certainly had a sense of humour, whoever drew the penis on the blackboard in the gents less so. There’s a definite old-man feel about the place, as there is in any good pub, so while the ales are a bit limited the atmosphere of the place more than makes up for it. They also have a resident Old-Man-With-Karl-Marx-Beard-Drinking-Bitter-In-The-Corner, another reassuring pub feature.

Essentially one of the best pubs in central Cambridge, with only the lack of beer selection causing it to fall short of a coveted five stars.

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Rating: 4/5
Best for: A quiet evening pint.
Top Tab Tip: For a superior smoking experience, enjoy the view and savour your surroundings on the rear patio.
Where: King Street, backing onto Christ’s Pieces:  Map
How much: Fairly standard Greene King prices, expect around £3 per pint.

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Next up: The Eagle.