retiredmartin

June 2026. Cambridge.

Dad’s appetite was back on Sunday afternoon, and ours was raised by the sight of the Wrestlers opposite our £25 Travelodge on Newmarket Road, a rare Cambridge bargain.

Charlie Wells have subtly worsened the sign after what feels like 30 years, but the menu is unchanged since my first Pad Thai back in 1988 before a cup win against Peter Shilton’s Derby in the John Beck days.

Of course, Charles Wells pubs don’t sell what you think of as Charles Wells beers anymore, just weird stuff called Brew Origin.

Honestly, the Bombardier here was as good as anything to wash down the green beef curry (why, oh why, had Mrs RM ordered me chicken while I sought free street parking ?), and Broadside would have been a decent replacement, except it was off.

More wisely, Mrs RM had chose herself the Landlord while I picked a Southwold and then Tribute as slightly lacklustre substitutes.

“Another Timothy, please” reinforces the extent to which Landlord dominates the middle class pub diner in 2026.

The Wrestlers is as busy as it ever was, but the drinks trade is more coke than cask these days.

Perhaps at seven pounds thirty-five   (£7.35) that’s not surprising; it’s never been a cheap pub.

But it’s still the best pub for Thai food in the country.