Located on the River Cam, next door to the ‘Cambridge Museum of Technology’ lies ‘The Engineers House’.

This rustic style bar and restaurant has some interesting local history. It used to be the old pumping station that was occupied by the incumbent chief engineer who maintained it. Nowadays, it offers craft beer and a pizzeria with beautiful views overlooking the river.

I must admit, I was not aware of its existence until I stumbled across it while looking for pizza in Cambridge for my ‘Simon’s Quest’ blog post. I am glad I did though, as The Engineers House has a relaxed and a truly unique holiday vibe.

In fact, it doesn’t feel like you are in Cambridge at all, or for that matter, the UK. As it goes up the hill, it overlooks the beautiful river Cam, giving people great views of cyclists and rowers passing by. The hill is also west facing, meaning you can watch the sunset behind the river and trees while you sit back, relax, and enjoy a drink.

There is a large amount of outside seating with space available for large groups and children. Dogs on leads are also welcome.

It is very peaceful while still only being a short distance from the bustling Newmarket Road. It also has good parking after 5pm for people who want to visit from outside the city.

The venue is mostly outside but does have indoor seating in house. It also has a few marquees to shield you from the unpredictable British weather.

As you walk through, you are given a choice of seating further back under the marquee or you can sit on wooden benches overlooking the river. There are two bars. One for beer and taking pizza orders and one for the pizzaria team with their pizza oven.

What makes The Engineers House stand out over other pizza places is the selection of craft beer available from Cambridge’s very own Calverly Brewery. At the time of visiting there were 8 choices. The range was diverse, starting with lager and pale ales, to West Coast IPA’s and ending with a porter. Prices hovered around the £5 mark.

I ordered a pint of ‘Another Pale Ale’ that was, obviously, a Pale Ale – coming in at 4.8%. This was the perfect sessionable, easy-drinking, pale ale you want on a warm summer’s evening. This is described as being hopped with Mosaic, Ekuanot, and Citra. Perfect!

I also had Hazy Pale, a New England style pale that came in at 5.1%.

Between the two, I didn’t have a favourite, both were excellent.

The pizzas are done by the ‘Alforno’ team, who specialise in woodfired pizzas made to order.

Looking at the pizza menu, there were the usual classics, including Margherita, pepperoni, and a selection of garlic bread and side dips.

They had one pizza called ‘GOAT’ that is made from goat cheese. One called ‘BIANCO’, made from German salami, ricotta, and baby potatoes. And one called ‘GREEN DREAMS’, a vegetarian pizza, which came highly recommended by a man at the bar who said it was “one of the most unusual pizzas he has ever had in all the right ways”. 🤷‍♂️

I decided to have the Mediterranean. This came to £14.40, which sits in the middle in value when compared to other pizzas on my ‘Simon’s Quest’ pizza journey so far.

I ordered a Mediterranean to stay consistent, as the other pizzas up until this point were also Mediterranean. This made it easier for me to compare, as I was judging the pizzas by the same standard.

This pizza came with marinara sauce, mozzarella, black olives, peppers, and sun dried tomatoes.

The pizza came out in about twenty minutes from ordering, which I thought was reasonable. It was great to be able to watch the team at Alfrono make the pizza fresh to order from my seat.

The wood fired pizza made the base very dry and crispy. This also gave the toppings a nice caramelisation. In some parts of the pizza the topping was a little watery but otherwise was a perfectly good experience. The thin base still made me feel a little peckish afterwards. The olives were nice and juicy but I would have liked to have seen a few more on the pizza.

The service here is fantastic. Everything is very chilled and laid back but the service at the bar and the pizzeria are very prompt, without feeling like everyone was rushing around. The staff are very chatty and engaging, which really adds to the holiday vibe I mentioned at the start.

The Engineers House is a truly unique place not offered anywhere else in the city. It is the perfect place for a summer evening and I really look forward to coming back again with my family and friends.

For more information visit their website.

Thanks for reading!