Midsummer House

Midsummer House, contemporary British fine dining in Cambridge

Midsummer House is a modern British restaurant led by chef Daniel Clifford, who opened the establishment in 1998. It occupies a Victorian villa facing Midsummer Common, with its rear overlooking the River Cam in Cambridge. The premises have been renovated and updated following the floods of 1999 and 2000, which damaged the cellar and ground floor; today it has a larger kitchen and an open-plan conservatory divided into two parts, as well as a private dining room on the first floor.

A dining experience of surprise menus

The offering is built around seasonal menus that change regularly and which the house presents as a space to showcase its focus on purity of flavour and natural seasonal ingredients. The service is conceived as a sensory journey through unique and imaginative dishes, presented one by one by the front-of-house team. The restaurant offers three menus: Solstice, Corpus and Trinity. The Grand Siècle Solstice menu begins with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne, the house's prestige Champagne partner, or with the alcohol-free Midsummer House Grand Cuvée option.

Pairings and wine list

To accompany the cuisine, the sommeliers have designed a wine pairing for each dish, as well as an alcohol-free pairing. The restaurant also has an extensive wine list, wines by the glass and a list of after-dinner digestifs, which can be enjoyed in the lounge or on the terrace.

Accolades

The restaurant's history includes one Michelin star in 2002 and two Michelin stars in 2004, making it, according to its own presentation, the only two-Michelin-starred restaurant in the east of England. It also features in 50 Best Discovery, received five AA rosettes in 2014 and won the AA Chefs' Chef of the Year 2015 award. In the Travellers' Choice awards it was recognised as number 1 in the category of favourite fine dining restaurants in the United Kingdom and number 2 worldwide. Daniel Clifford won the BBC Great British Menu competition in 2012 and 2013.

Spaces and services

The main dining room is located in the conservatory and combines a formal and informal atmosphere, with a window overlooking the kitchen that allows guests to see Clifford's team at work. The restaurant offers private dining, exclusive hire of the venue, commercial opportunities and gift card sales. The house has 14 tables in the main building.

Reservations and operations

The reservation calendar opens three months in advance, on the 1st of each month at 09:00. The reservations office is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 17:00. The restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday, with additional Sunday openings in December. Lunch accepts the last reservation between 12:00 and 13:30, and dinner between 18:30 and 21:00. On Sundays in December the service is from 12:00 to 15:30. In 2026, seasonal closures are planned: 8–11 April, 26–29 August, 28–31 October and 24 December to 16 January 2027. In addition, it will open for Sunday lunch in December on the 6th, 13th and 20th.

Location and contact

Midsummer House, Midsummer Common, Cambridge CB4 1HA · Telephone: 01223 369299 · Email: reservations@midsummerhouse.co.uk