Bread & Meat — Restaurant in Cambridge

I've just finished my second year of undergraduate studies at Cambridge, and had my fair share of experience with many sit-in and takeaway dining options across a range of prices, from cheap students' favourites to pricey fine dining spots. B&M was only a place I came across a couple of times on Deliveroo but never ended up ordering.

Yesterday evening, I was ready to sit down and devour a fish & chips and a pint at the Eagle but wasn't able to find a table by virtue of the "pub on a Friday evening". So I walked just down the road, coming across B&M. I decided to give it a try, and oh boy do I now realise how terribly I've spent my past two years. Had I known of this place from the beginning, I would've eaten at or ordered from no other place than B&M.

I had the topside of beef sandwich with a side of poutine. The sandwich was immaculate: the fresh balsamic-tomato-rocket combination with the rare topside beef and crispy sourdough ciabatta is a match made in heaven. The beef was perfectly cooked, supremely soft and juicy: a far cry from the tough chewiness I've come to expect from such cuts. The bread elevated the sandwich all the way to Jupiter, enveloping the layers of addicting flavour with great textural contrast. Every bite was a mini-climax in my mouth, and left me wanting more.

This was also my first time having poutine despite all my curiosity, and I wasn't disappointed. This, despite being a side (their meat cuts can also be ordered atop poutine as mains), is a very filling dish on its own. It's an explosion of all the crispy, cheesy, stretchy, umami-y sensations any remotely savvy foodie will adore.

This might very well be the best overall food experience in Cambridge. Sandwich-poutine-wheat beer amounted to 22GBP: by no means a small amount but definitely worth it, and would've remained so had I been asked for 30GBP instead. 10/10 would...

Been going here for about 6 years with my wife and food is amazing. My most recent visit (December 2022)with my wife and a friend of ours brought us great food that hit the spot (the porchetta and poutine are highly recommended). Whilst the prices have crept up, they quality of the food is not compromised. The size of the sides seemed to vary between us, but not unusual and definitely not small. The food is worth 5 stars.

The reason for the 2 star review is very disappointing. During my last visit, I repeatedly asked for a copy of the bill from our waitress, instead on the 3rd request she just presented a card reader and said it’s all on there. I asked again and she said they were really busy, so it could take a while. I paid and yet again asked for a copy of the bill, which was finally provided. Needless to say I was shocked to see that I had been charged an additional £8 in service charges for 3 trips to the table (fully aware it is on the menu, but I like to check before paying). The way in which it was handled by the member of staff was very underhanded and dishonest, because I had specifically asked for a copy of the bill multiple times before paying and it came across that she didn’t want us to see the service charge. Needless to say this has left a sour taste in the mouth and I honestly don’t think we will be back again. It’s a shame that the actions this one member of staff can ruin what was a lovely place for us to get a lovely...

We saw the place on Instagram and as we were planning a day trip to Cambridge we made a beeline to Bread & Meat as it looked right up our street. Big roast joints of meat in sandwiches, what's not to like?

In our excitement we turned up an hour before opening and gazed longingly at the menu. The door of the place was open and we were overheard by the owner who advised us to come back in an hour and we could have the best table in the house.

An hour never felt so long..

We turned up at 11:29am and as we were beckoned in we were met with the sight of a full rolled Porchetta in all its crackling glory. We knew it was going to be good.

We went for for the Porchetta Poutine and the guest "Cuban" sandwich. Both were genuinely out of this world. Almost intimidatingly large upon arrival but a few bites in and you know that you're going to put it all away.

As good as the food was, the memorable part for us was talking to the owner, Simon. We had some serious questions about how he'd managed to make such amazing food. He couldn't have been nicer and was only too happy to talk us through his processes and ingredients. A lovely bloke with a dry wit and a gem of restaurant.

We will be going back...