More Than You Imagine

Eat & Drink in Peterborough

From independent cafés and welcoming pubs to fine dining and flavours from around the world, Peterborough has something to suit every taste. Discover the best places to eat, drink and enjoy the city, whatever the occasion.

Charters

A Dutch barge built in 1907, moored at Town Bridge since 1991, with eight cask ales below deck, a pan-Asian kitchen above and the largest beer garden in Peterborough running along the riverbank.

Tipsy Cow

An independent bar that opened on Cowgate at Easter 2026, in the premises Blind Tiger left when it moved to Nene Park. Cocktails and premium keg beers upstairs, pool, shuffleboard and interactive darts in the basement games room.

Argo Lounge

Loungers opened this two-floor café bar in the former Lawleys china shop on Bridge Street in December 2014. Open from breakfast to late, with tapas, board games, a book swap corner and a Monday quiz. No real ale.

Bijou

A cocktail bar and café on Bridge Street, open since 2022 and relaunched under new ownership in 2025. Three spaces across the building: the main bar, the Snug and a basement, with coffee and brunch from early and DJs later.

Bumble Inn

Peterborough’s first micropub opened in a former Westgate chemist’s shop in 2016 and has taken the local CAMRA pub of the year title four times. Five handpumps of changing ales, craft keg and cider, plus Nepalese food ordered from next door.

Geneva Bar

A no-frills Lincoln Road local that has traded under several names, including the Thunderbird Saloon and the M25. Karaoke and disco on Friday and Saturday evenings, and a straightforward range of beers, ciders and spirits rather than cask ale.

O’Neill’s

An Irish-themed chain pub in the old Embassy Theatre, which opened on Broadway in 1937 and hosted The Beatles and Laurel and Hardy before becoming a cinema and then a bingo hall. Live sport, karaoke and DJs now.

Old Station Quarter

Opened in June 2026 inside Peterborough’s original station building at Unex House, this members’ hub combines a gym, boxing club, tattoo studio, barbershop and co-working space with a café and bar. Its terrace has a giant screen for live sport.

Queens Head

Reopened as a pub in 2017 after spells as the Grapevine and as Clarkes Restaurant. Wood-fired pizza is the draw, alongside Brewpoint cask beers from Bedford, open mic on Thursdays and live music on Fridays. Dogs welcome in the bar.

The Brewery Tap

Oakham Ales built its brewpub inside Westgate’s former labour exchange in 1998, and the brewing kit is still visible behind glass. Expect Oakham beers on cask, Belgian bottles and a Thai kitchen that draws people across the city.

The Burghley Club

Despite the name it is a pub rather than a members’ club, reopened on 1 November 2025. Regular live music at weekends, karaoke on Sundays, pool and darts, and a function room upstairs that takes 120 people.

The College Arms

Wetherspoon’s second city pub, open since 1996 in the former County Technical College of 1903, which gave it its name. An £809,000 refurbishment in 2020 added a rear garden. Busy with a younger crowd from Thursday onwards.

The Drapers Arms

Wetherspoon’s city centre pub occupies Charles Armstrong’s 1899 drapery, which traded until 1996. A 2020 refurbishment added a rear extension, a lift and a roof terrace. Twelve handpumps, guest ales from local breweries, and food from eight in the morning.

The Genie Lounge

Turkish grills, mezze and shisha in the former Beehive pub on Albert Place, which closed in 2020. Charcoal-cooked mixed grills and lamb shish are the signatures, with a covered and heated shisha terrace out the back.

The Ostrich Inn

A back-street survivor off Westgate, on the same site for close to two centuries. Six handpumps, a U-shaped bar, pool and darts, a heated courtyard and live music most Thursday to Sunday. Peterborough CAMRA City Pub of the Year, 2022.