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It’s that time of year again, where The Empress showcases one of the most festive and awe-inspiring Christmas decorations in Cambridge!

It is almost like an event for my family, who always bring the children to show them the true spirit of the festive holidays. There are a few other pubs that really capture the magic of Christmas like The Empress does.

The decorations hit you the moment you walk in. The entire ceiling glows with vibrant festive colours. It really makes you feel warm and cosy during these bleak winter months and it’s exactly the sort of thing that will even get the Scroogiest of us into the Christmas spirit.

The Empress is well known for doing great pizza. I haven’t been back since last year, where Giuseppe was selling his authentic Italian pizzas behind the bar. He has since moved on from The Empress, so I was keen to see how the pizzas have changed since.

Cheesy garlic bread

We started off with their cheesy garlic bread. This simple dish is so close to many people’s hearts. It’s a cheap and cheerful dish that is great for soaking up the beer on a budget.

The bread looked rather ordinary by eye but that is where the trickery starts. Once you go to take a slice you immediately notice that the bread is soft and warm, as if it were just brought out of the oven…Lovely!

As I grabbed a slice, I was gobsmacked at the cheese that stretched out almost as long as my arm. I swear, if I had really tried, I might have been able to walk it out the front door! 😱

Incredible!

Pizza time!

There was a decent selection of pizzas available on the menu, starting with the margarita for £11 and ending at £13.50 with the more extravagant ones. This is a reasonable price for the Mill Road area. I was impressed to see a Christmas dinner pizza, that I must admit was not brave enough to try but after leaving the pub to go home…I kinda wish I had. The team at The Empress truly embraces Christmas in every way they can 🤣

(If anyone tries this Christmas pizza, then please share it on the Cambridge Foodies)

My guest opted for the ham and mushroom pizza, called “prosciutto E Funghi”. Unsurprisingly, I went for the American Hot, which came with jalapenos and Tabasco sauce.

Both pizzas were thin crust and cooked in their electric pizza oven. They lacked the stretchy gooeyness from the Neapolitan pizzas served last year but they were soft and juicy while still having a nice crispy base. It was a great balance, that is often failed miserably by other restaurants serving thin crust pizzas, making it well cooked and timed perfectly.

The jalapeno portion was generous and they didn’t scrimp on the Tabasco sauce either. The pepperoni really popped off the pizza with a bolshy attitude that really complimented the fiery jalapenos.

I tried a slice of the ham and mushroom and found it to be light and delicate, with two delicate flavours that worked together to create a harmonious one. This isn’t a pizza for big chunks of pork that slap you around the face but something more refined. Either way, we both agreed that we enjoyed our respective pizza choices and would certainly go for them again.

The beer

It isn’t Christmas without a pint and The Empress does a decent selection of beers that aren’t eye wateringly expensive (like the competition on Mill Road). The Egyptian Cream took my fancy, which turned out to be nice and velvety, with a bold stout flavour. I would expect nothing less from a beer that comes from our very own Cambridgeshire based “Nene Valley Brewery”. 

Conclusion

It is always a magical experience at The Empress at Christmas time. It is exactly the sort of warm and cosy pub where you can relax with a pint during those dark winter months and take in the splendor. Better still, you can grab one of their pizzas while you are at it.

The pizzas are very different from the ones they served last year, with a much more accessible style. The menu has many of the popular toppings that we all know and love, that will please everyone, along with some zany ideas – such as their Xmas pizza.

The service was as warm as their Christmas lights and the team were as prompt as father Christmas on his busiest night of the year when it comes to making my pizzas fresh to order.

The question is, where does it go in my pizza league table? 🤔

Thanks for reading!