The Orator

Review summary

1. M

   Madeleine

   Cambridge

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food and cocktails were delicious, but what made this evening so special were the staff (our waitress was particularly fabulous, so wish I'd got her name) and the overall atmosphere. Gorgeous seating, lovely furniture, a variety of areas to eat, drink and socialise. The history of the building and pictures on the wall were a great talking point. The ability to play the piano, just made it! We will be back. Thanks so much :-)
   

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2. B

   Beverley

   Cambridge

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great bar and restaurant located in the centre of Cambridge. Food was delicious and the service was great! Will definitely be coming back again!
   

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3. E

   Emma

   VIP

   London

   11 reviews

   4.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on 14 December 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   wonderful - and the staff were just about the most motivated and welcoming of anywhere i’ve ever been. a credit to the restaurant
   

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4. L

   Laurence

   Cambridge

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on 13 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great atmosphere and delicious food. Excellent service. Highly recommended.
   

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5. N

   Nicole

   VIP

   London

   26 reviews

   2.0

   26 reviews

   Dined on 13 December 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 1

   Visited the Orator after a really good experience last year but alas we were all disappointed. The Turkey meal was much better the previous year, the whole table was forced to have the set menu when the previous visit only one of us had the festive meal. The waitress did not explain that actually the two course option wasn't available on a Friday night so we were all made to desserts too. The Turkey was the only part of the meal we enjoyed, the Coley option looked poor and apparently was not nice. We were seated right in front of the kitchen, whilst we were there three separate incidents of dropping large pans and glassware happened not making it a pleasant experience. It's a real shame as a lovely building and we all loved 2023 so unfortunately won't be returning next year.
   

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6. h

   helen

   Cambridge

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on 12 December 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Our little team gathering was lovely, food was fantastic and the place is always exquisite but although staff are attentive and helpful when they come to the table it is quite hard to get their attention and obviously paying the bill and leaving is always a challenge - especially when you are tired at the end of the night. Otherwise a lovely place to eat and celebrate Christmas.
   

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7. S

   Steve

   VIP

   Phoenix

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was good. Service was slow, especially when it came to getting the bill.
   

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8. P

   Poppy

   London

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 29 November 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   The cocktails were very nice, and the staff were all very kind and helpful. Although, there was a lot of confusion when we ordered as some of our table requested starters for mains and the waiter had to return 3 times to clarify what was what and the food still came out incorrectly. The food was ok, a lot of what was on the menu wasn’t actually what came out to the table. An example being the menu stated focaccia bread and we got sour dough instead, the menu stated goats cheese and Gazpacho (a cold tomato soup) and we got sliced tomato’s with blue cheese. There were also some random combinations like the gnocchi which came drowning in a lemon curd soup… The mains were nice, I had a burger which was a standard yummy beef burger. Can’t really go wrong. I will add, the food took 2 hours to get to the table. The place had a nice atmosphere, with a guitar player throughout the evening keeping us entertained while we waited. We did feel a bit peed off when the bill came with the service charge added as we had so many issues throughout the night, but decided to pay it as the staff were doing their best and it seemed to be more of a kitchen error than an error of their own. Overall, I wouldn’t come back and I wouldn’t recommend others to go. With a few tweaks to the menu I think the place has potential.
   

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9. I

   Iris

   Cambridge

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 25 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very tasteful food, fresh ingredients, perfect service, beautiful setting. Can highly recommend.
   

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10. R

    Rosanne

    Bath

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 23 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5

    Lovely food and great service for the young man who neither said please or thank you and largely ignored us through the process of paying. He may be having an ‘off’ day but he also took the shine off what would have been a 5 star lunch. Will try again.
    

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