From the team behind the iconic Steak & Honour comes Buren, the latest addition to the thriving Mill Road restaurant scene. Buren offers classic gastro cuisine with a Dutch influence throughout the menu.

The restaurant

If you weren’t paying attention, Buren is the sort of place you might stroll right past on the street. The sign from the previous business is still mounted up, giving it a ‘hidden secret’ appeal. Paint-splattered tables and plastic chairs that look almost second hand spill onto the pavement, adding a quirky character that really fits in on Mill Road. There is a definite hipster vibe about the place, with a feeling of exclusivity and a unique blend of unconventional style.

Stepping inside Buren feels like entering a warmly lit home. It is informal yet has a subtle undercurrent of class, making it suitable for any occasion. The staff are delightful with their friendliness radiating a neighbourly warmth. It’s the kind of service that makes you feel less like a customer and more like a familiar face dropping by for a chat – which makes perfect sense, given that “Buren” itself is the Dutch word for neighbours!

Buren is incredibly popular and getting a table is a real challenge. I recommend booking ahead to avoid disappointment – click here

The menu

At first glance one might dismiss the menu as limited and uninspired, listing familiar options like meatballs, burgers, Caesar salad, and steak, the hallmarks of a generic pub or crowd pleasing restaurant.  However, the more you start to read the descriptions, you notice that the menu isn’t actually limited but instead concise and confident, with a focus on taking a handful of popular dishes and executing them brilliantly with quality sourcing and ingredients.

There is a lot from the menu that got me excited, including pasture-fed Norfolk beef, the very same beef used in the burgers from Steak & Honour. I also noticed many Dutch dishes pop up, including Gouda cheese, bitterballen, and Dutch apple pie from their pie cart.

The drinks menu

The drinks menu has a choice between two craft beers on draft, half a dozen cans, a selection of cocktails, white and red wine, and three spirits.

As with their food sourcing, Buren’s drinks menu is limited but carefully selected with only the finest making the cut. The emphasis on local is immediately apparent, with beer from Baron, a local brewery from just over the Cambridgeshire border and a gin from Cambridge Distillery.

I was particularly charmed by their delicious “Fuzz” Hazy pale ale (4.5%) and found their “Lost and Grounded” (4.8%) hop bitter lager, a refreshing choice for sitting in the sun on their outdoor seating during a sun kissed evening ☀️

The Burger

When visiting a restaurant like Buren, I tend to avoid burgers but knowing that they are the same team behind Steak & Honour, I simply couldn’t resist the temptation. It came with 220g of Pasture fed Norfolk beef with American cheese, white onion, a gherkin, and fries.

Trust me on this one – the extra £3 for the ‘streaky bacon chop’ isn’t just an option, it’s an essential upgrade. Because what arrives isn’t some flimsy sliver of bacon, no, this is a magnificent slab of pork! I mean, just look at it! 🤩 That’s the kind of bacon that makes you start to believe again!

The beef patty was bursting with flavour and had a succulent juiciness with beautiful medium-rare rosy pinkness in the middle. This, accompanied with the magnificent bacon chop equated to a truly loaded burger that is unmatched in Cambridge.

Buren’s idea is so simple. A big juicy burger with a couple of high-quality well-executed ingredients that are good enough to stand on their own, without the need for extravagant sauces or edgy toppings. There was a purity in its brilliance.

Despite the incredible flavour and the impressive presentation of the Buren burger, it unfortunately failed my “structural integrity test,”. This is a hurdle Steak & Honour consistently clears thanks to their use of the robust Grain Culture buns.

I’m unsure whether Buren’s burger bun shares the same origin as Steak & Honour’s but it simply couldn’t contain the substantial filling and disintegrated in my hands. Some embrace a messy burger but I prefer one that holds its form. And while I enjoyed it with a knife and fork, the structural weakness prevented this near-perfect burger from reaching its full potential. Addressing this minor flaw could easily make it the best in town, though I question whether any bun could contain a beast of a burger like this? 🤔

Meatballs

My guest is a passionate fan of Italian cuisine, making him a particularly insightful judge of food from this part of the world. Seeing the meatballs on the menu, he was quick to indulge and I was keen to hear his thoughts.

The meatballs are made from a mix of pork & beef which are served underneath a generous portion of tomato sauce. This is then garnished with a large helping of parmesan cheese on top of sourdough toasted bread.

The dish was a runaway success with my guest who said it “would stand toe to toe with any Italian restaurant”. I sampled some myself and was struck by not only the generosity of the portion (with three very large meatballs) but also the variety of flavour between the beef and pork. I got a mild hint of aniseed, that added an unusual yet satisfying flare. The sourdough toast was a refreshing idea that offered a crunchy texture which was an exciting contrast from the usual spaghetti that is often accompanied with the dish.

Baked hake

Hake is a type of white fish and was served as a thick topping of colourful herby breadcrumbs, along with fries and tartar sauce. While the fish itself possessed a delicate flavor, likely reserved for the more refined palettes, the exciting looking topping was disappointingly absent, failing to deliver any significant impact. The fries, though simple, were a highlight, providing a much-needed and satisfying crunch to an otherwise understated dish.

The pie trolley

Buren offered us a choice between two pies from their pie trolley that each come with a jug of pouring cream. Naturally, we picked both 🤣 

The lemon meringue was simply outstanding. Its sharp lemon tart flavour, with that wonderful tangy sourness, was a real winner. I was starting to notice that all portions at Buren are generously sized, making this dessert a substantial treat.

The Dutch apple pie is similar to your classic apple pie but it is instead made with a crumbly streusel topping. The delightful sweetness of the layered apple slices and the tender base were beautifully complemented by the streusel’s texture. With a dollop of cream to unite everything, it was an undeniably perfect and distinct dessert. Top marks!

Conclusion

Buren delivers a genuinely satisfying dining experience in Cambridge by simply doing things right. High-quality local ingredients, generous portions, and thoughtful presentation elevate familiar favourites into almost new experiences entirely. The unique Dutch dishes offer a compelling reason for any foodie to pay a visit too. No wonder it is always fully booked!

Thanks for reading