The Seven Stars on Newmarket Road might just be the most overlooked Indian spot in Cambridge.

Despite being such a lovely place, I never hear anyone talk about it on The Cambridge Foodies or The Cambridge Curry Community Facebook groups. For this reason, I decided to pop back after three years to check in on this great place. I have many fond memories since they started serving Indian food back in 2019, including during my last visit in 2023 when I dubbed it one of my favourite Indians in Cambridge.

I have always loved the idea of a desi pub, bringing together my two favourite things – Indian food and pub culture. What’s not to love?

Dating back to the early 19th century, this Grade II listed pub received a complete modern renovation to create a brilliant desi pub experience, pairing traditional, authentic Indian cuisine with a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Inside, the pub is beautifully decorated, blending classic character with stylish leather seating, warm ambient lighting, and lush greenery throughout. Parking is superb, thanks to the large Tesco car park directly behind the pub.

The bar is fully stocked with great options on tap, including Indian favourites like Cobra and Kingfisher draft.

TV in a restaurant?

I was very disappointed to learn that live football is no longer shown on the TV, especially as the main reason I visited this evening was to watch the game while eating a curry with my son (who is football mad). Back in 2023, I distinctly remember seeing the live match on, but unfortunately now I had to settle for BBC football score updates. Some may scoff at the idea of having the TV on while eating a meal, but very few places actually do it and it is great to have the option. If you are looking for an intimate meal and fine conversation then this might not be for you but once in a while scoffing a curry and watching the live sports simply hits right.

The Menu

The menu, created under Chef Kathirvelan, offers a broad selection of street food and regional Indian dishes. This is not the same as your typical Bangladeshi style Indian restaurants that we have in nearly every village, but a more authentic and traditional Indian cuisine. For those of you stuck in your ways, they still do serve a few familiar curries like Butter Chicken, Rogan Josh, Vindaloo, Korma, and Madras, but expect a slightly unique Indian twist.

Masala Dosa

Anyone who reads this blog frequently will know that I LOVE a Masala Dosa. This simple but popular South Indian dish is essentially a giant lentil and rice pancake stuffed with spiced potato and comes with 4 side sauces. This is a great one to share and is an impressive sight on the table. I was glad to see they abandoned their strange triangle masala dosa since my last visit back in 2023 – going back to the classic wrap shape works much better.

Fish Pakora

Their Fish Pakora will divide opinions, but I absolutely loved it. This is a fried white fish dish covered in a nice, thick, spiced gram flour batter, though it lacked the crispiness the dish is often known for. It comes with a tiny pot of sauce (which honestly should have been double the portion), but the portion size of the pakora itself was very generous for a starter and easily enough for two people.

Ghosht Vindaloo

Yeah, yeah. This isn’t traditional, but it was a Saturday night with the football. I couldn’t resist trying their Ghosht Vindaloo (spelled “ghost” on the menu), which uses ghost chilli pepper to give it that extra spicy zing that us hot heads crave. I often complain that vindaloo is never served hot enough these days. It is something done intentionally by many Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants because too many customers complain it is too hot and send it back, so they make it mild.

Meat portions are generous and the lamb melts like butter. It could have done with some extra sauce which made it a little dry but I couldn’t fault it on flavour. In a world where Vindaloo is always served mild because people cannot handle it anymore, it is nice to see a place serve it with some heat.

Lamb Shank

It was my son’s birthday and I said that he could pick anything he wanted… so he picked an entire lamb shank. The boy has good taste. Despite taking 30 minutes to prepare, the wait spoke for itself. Cooked for four hours, the lamb was utterly beautiful and covered in a rich, spicy gravy mixed with spices. The meat only needed a gentle pull with the fork, and there was plenty of sauce to enjoy it like a curry and rice.

In an economy where Indian restaurants open and close at a constant rate, The Seven Stars is clearly getting something right, having been open since 2019. It isn’t going to be for everyone with the TV on in the background, but it is a lovely pub with great food and excellent parking. Maybe these are the basics for a sustainable restaurant these days? If you are tired of the same curry every weekend and fancy a bit of a change without venturing out too far, then this is a great option.

Thanks for reading