Welcome To Taste Trail 

Eating out in Peterborough is less about chasing the loudest new opening and more about knowing what deserves your time, money and appetite.

This edition takes a clear-eyed look at the city’s food-and-drink scene: the meals that feel like a fair deal, the places worth a trip, and the trends that may not live up to the hype.

Bring an open mind and perhaps a empty stomach.

Peterborough Coffee Worth Going Out Of Your Way For

If your café trip starts with the coffee, Black & Bloom at the Old Station Quarter is a strong Peterborough shout.

At Unex House, PE1 1SE, its offer is built around specialty-grade coffee, seasonal drinks, pastries, fresh food and light bites rather than an enormous menu trying to please everyone.

Worth a detour for a properly made cup, with cake or a cinnamon roll alongside.

Just check the current opening hours before setting off.

A Detour With Dinner At The End

The Chubby Castor in Castor is our strongest current lead for a Peterborough meal worth driving to.

Its MICHELIN Guide selection gives it a useful starting point, but the bigger test is occasion: this feels like somewhere to plan an evening around, not squeeze in between errands.

It isn’t Peterborough’s automatic winner we haven’t asked enough readers to crown one but for one genuinely special meal, this is the detour we’d investigate first.

Tell us what you think of the Chubby Castor or give us your alternative picks.

The St Ives Night Out With A New Name Venue

If you fancy a bit of a night out within a 30/40 minutes drive out to St Ives a lovely market town near Cambridge and Huntingdon.

If you have never been to St Ives is a typical market town in Cambridgeshire and is one of my personal favourites.

It has a more traditional relaxed British feel and is a big change from the city centre in Peterborough.

The old Robin Hood at 11 Market Hill has had quite the makeover. Closed since March 2012, the St Ives building reopened on 10 November 2024 as The Whisky Café.

Now a whisky-led bar and restaurant serving small plates, full meals and cocktails.

Dining bookings are available, but drinks-only visitors get tables on arrival, subject to availability.

It’s a notably different proposition from the pub many locals remember, and one to consider for a planned food-and-drink trip enjoy your journey.

Worth The Money?

Tesco Clubcard vouchers can stretch further at three Peterborough chains: PizzaExpress in Cathedral Square, Prezzo Peterborough and Bella Italia at Cygnet Park.

All currently advertise the same headline deal 50p in vouchers becomes £1.50 restaurant credit.

So £10 could become £30 off your bill, but don’t mistake triple value for a guaranteed bargain.

Check the latest terms and offers, then use the credit against a meal you were planning anyway.

That’s when the deal starts to earn its keep.

One Quick Vote

When you try somewhere new in Peterborough, what decides if your money was well spent?

A-The food is genuinely memorable  
B- Portions leave you satisfied  
C- The atmosphere makes the evening  
D- Service makes you want to return  
E- The drinks are worth going out for  

Pick the one that matters most not the answer you think sounds best.

We’ll use the results to shape our next Taste Trail verdicts.

Cast Your Vote

 Local Food & Drink Trivia

Here’s the Peterborough food-trail trivia: the area’s next big barbecue promise is planned for Cambridge, not Peterborough.

Hickory’s Smokehouse is set for the former Milton Arms site at 205 Milton Road, with Southern-style barbecue, low-and-slow smoking, a bar, garden space and family-friendly facilities on the menu.

 The catch?

It is still a plan, not a confirmed day-trip destination.

For now, keep an eye on the brisket and wait to see if the finished restaurant earns the drive.

You’ve got one evening, a hungry group and enough money for one good outing. What sounds best?

A: A dish you’ve never tried before  
B: A generous meal with no awkward extras  
C: One excellent coffee, cake or small treat  
D: A lively drink-and-food night with plenty going on  

Mostly A? Chase discovery.  
Mostly B? You’re hunting value.  
Mostly C? Quality beats quantity.  
Mostly D? You’re paying for the whole occasion.

The real test: did you leave talking about what you ate or only about the bill?

Peterborough Best Food Tips

Peterborough’s best food tips often arrive by word of mouth: the place with the dish you still think about, the bar that gets the night started properly, or the café you’d happily cross town for.

We want one recommendation from you and the detail that makes it count.

Tell us the name, what to order and roughly what you spent.

Send Your Recommendation

Thats All For This Week But Before You Go

The best way to avoid a disappointing Peterborough outing?

Check the venue’s current menu, opening hours and booking rules before you leave.

Offers can have limits, popular tables can disappear, and that dish someone raved about may no longer be available.

 It takes two minutes and could save a wasted journey or a bill that climbs well beyond what you had in mind.