please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Great range of beer and friendly staff. Bit of a side street local but still welcoming for a group of strangers wandering in for their first beer of the day.
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I had not been in this pub for years and years, but was pleased to see
it had not changed a bit .
As I walked in and said " good evening everybody" the guys at the bar
said " cheers"
Customers at Free Press please note.
I had a pint of Oakhams IPA , but could only stop for one.
Nice old back street Cambridge pub.
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beer quality was a bit poor on this visit
anonymous - 19 Jul 2014 23:07 |
I was in the Live and Let Live at the end of a Cambridge crawl on 4th June. It was after 2200, pub was empty bar three individuals sitting by themselves to read and savour quiet pints. There was no music, so it was almost as if I had strayed into a college exam room. However that was all to change. Some Swiss German tourists arrived and were soon discussing their favourite English beer styles with the landlord: once the ice had broken one of the other locals and myself joined in and it ended up rather pleasant, if only I didn't have to rush and catch the last train back. The beer range was excellent - including an Oakham IPA. I guess the atmosphere would be somewhat different on a Friday or Saturday evening.
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The elephant in the room with this pub is that it's not really very good if you don't think it's very good. That is, if you're not a regular and used to the dour atmosphere and variable moods of the landlord, you'll hate it. I think even the regulars hate it a bit. Good beer, especially the Umbel, and a nice range of rums.
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good little real backstreet place. as others have said, ideal for reading the papers while having a pint of something different.
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Indeed a decent corner local ale house on a characterful and well-preserved side-street off Mill Road. Wooden beams do indeed prevail once inside this pub, though not I thought inappropriately. There was a comfortable cosiness about the place which was very welcoming on a cold Saturday afternoon. Various punters were positioned around the bar and seating areas, all enjoying a mellow and civilised pint or more.
Ale-wise, the Live & Let Live comes with a good recommendation; a similar range was on offer when we visited as that described by the last reviewer - the Oakham Citra was kept very nicely and nobody who sampled the various wares suggested they were not in good nick.
I imagine this is a treasure for many local residents; there are, alas, innumerate similar streets across the country who once enjoyed the convenience of a pub such as this, but have since lost it and are the worse-off because of it. This place seemed lively enough but nevertheless I would still implore locals to use it as much as they can to ensure future enjoyment of such a valuable local resource, which can so easily be taken for granted.
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A decent local in which wooden boards and pine dominate. Seven beers and Cassels Yarlington Mill cider were on offer. The beers included Oakham Citra and Nethergate Umbel Ale. I tried Tring's Sapper and Oakham's take on an American style IPA, Green Devil both of which were fine. The Live and Let Live also stock over 140 different rums for those who enjoy a nip of the strong stuff.
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A pub for real ale fans (that'll be me then)! Quiet (in a good way), excellent range of well kept beers (better quality than the Cambridge Blue, in the same league as The Kingston - but more expensive). Food is good(ish), but the atmosphere is wonderful, like a comfy pair of slippers. If you want to sup some excellent ales in a convivial atmosphere, it's either here or the Kingston!
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Had an execllent pint of Loddon Hocus Pocus here. Was very quiet and subdued atmosphere - maybe due to it being Christmas Eve. Ideal for a miserable old get like meself.
anonymous - 24 Dec 2011 23:51 |
Good back street local, Good beers and also plenty of reading material.
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Great back street local, always an interesting brew to try.
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Decided to make a change last night and go to the Live instead of our reaular, the Cambridge Blue. Was not dissapointed!
It's a quieter, smaller pub but with a great choice of real ales and ciders. Lots of Oakhams Ales, including the favourites but they also had the Untouchable IPA (take care at 9% and tasting so good!).
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Three beers from Oakham on the pumps - Scarlet Macaw, X-Terminator and Midnight o Mild. We sampled the Macaw and X-Terminator - both were excellent. On a return visit later in the evening we tried another Oakham beer, Helter Skelter - again excellent.
My favourite pub in Cambridge.
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Goog back street local with a varied choice of ales, all well kept.
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A consistent classic that any city in Britain would treasure, but now one of many good ale-houses on or just off the street where I was born. Belgian beers are excellent, and food was great the last time I ate there as well. Good place to read a book as well.
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Very good in my view; I prefer the Salisbury and Cambridge Blue in this part of Cambridge slightly but am splitting hairs somewhat. All three are extremely good and worth checking out.
mps77 - 12 Nov 2010 16:58 |
Brilliant pub that is unfortunately overshadowed by more showy real-ale bars in the area. I travel through this part of Cambridge every day between work and the train station, I've tried all the pubs around this part of the Mill Road area and the Live & Let Live is the one I've decided to stick with for the odd after-work pint.
There's usually several real ales on offer, almost always something strong, something crisp and hoppy, and something dark - and if you don't feel like one of the ales the Belgian beer selection is also great.
It comes down to the atmosphere as much as the beer too. No screaming TV, no annoying music... just beer and happy beer drinkers.
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Ever-changing real ales, bottled beers and now a vast selection of rum. A small cosy place with a friendly but sometimes rather grumpy landlord. Occasional beer festivals and St George's Day featured a hog roast, which tasted superb.
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How I long for this pub to be in the top 40 like it was 3 years ago.
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An astonishingly long list of rums from all over the world has been added to the exisiting large selection of Belgian beers.
hadda - 22 Mar 2010 16:21 |
This is a splendid part of town for the discriminating drinker, with at least 3 very good pubs (the others being the Cambridge Blue and the Kingston Arms). The L&LL used to be an ordinary Allied tied house but turned into a really great free house with basic but comfortable seating. At quiet times of the week the atmosphere here can be a bit downbeat, but generally this is a great pub with a special range of beers.
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Definitely a beer drinkers pub - made to feel very welcome. Well worth the detour on the way from the Railway Station to the city centre. Here's to many further seasons of Histon or Cambridge remaining in the Conference so we can visit!!
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Beer soaked floorboards in a beer lovers world boozer. A good local feel , friendly,accommodating (sorry we had a noisy game of cards for an hour or so first thing on a saturday lunchtime). Look forward to another visit soon...if Cambridge Utd keep up with the poppies !
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Excellent. Great Beer, great atmosphere, and great big pork sandwiches after 9 on a Friday! I will be going back.
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I'm at the beer festival this lunchtime if you fancy a pint.
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This pub should be preserved for ever like the Moose.
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i want this to be local. Will be back. Message to pub - stay open longer on Saturdays.
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Paid a visit yesterday lunchtime and the Jack and Oakhams 4.8% beer were in top condition and the beer festival is due the end of the month.
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A group of us waited outside on a Saturday morning for the pub to open. A local also waiting said that they didn't always open one time - they were 1 minute late. An excellent choice of beers all in first-class condition.
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Yes its a shame it closes at 2.30pm during the week when the Regal down the road is open from 9am to 11pm but thats a Wetherspoons pub but the point is how do these small backstreet pubs survive without their regulars.
I dont like foodie pubs like the Kingston Arms and that leaves the Cambridge Blue and the Let Live both of which have their own style.
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Like the Cambridge Blue on which I've just posted, the Live and Let Live is situated in a residential side street just off Mill Road.
It has quite an ale-house feel to it, what with the bare boards, wood pannelling and "butchers block" long trestle tables.
Both the Nethergate Umber Ale and the Oakham Inferno were fine tasty pints on my recent evening visit. Other beers on were Milestone Black Pearl, Tring Jack O' Legs and Whitstable Winkle Picker.
As a pub, I didn't particularly warm to the place, but I'd probably pop in again if crawling in this part of Cambridge.
Again, as with many other Cambridge pubs, it shuts up shop in the afternoon most days
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Jack O'Legs was very refreshing at the end of a steady crawl around the nearby pubs. Easily may favourite boozer of the night, for good beer, welcoming staff and friendly locals.
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The replacement for Tiger is Tring's Jack O'Legs, something different from the run-of-the-mill standards that other, less imaginative pubs offer.
hadda - 28 Jul 2009 10:47 |
No longer serving the excellent Tiger but a similar beer called Jack.
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This is a basic, no-frills backstreet boozer on the outskirts of town. Interior has a rustic feel, with bare floorboards, wood panelling and heavy wooden tables and chairs. There are books and newspapers available to peruse, a mixed clientele of students, locals and visitors like ourselves.
It was the last day of a beer festival on our visit, with at least fourteen ales and seven ciders to choose from. My friend and I sampled the Castle Rock Sand Martin, a porter with strong chocolate flavours, a palate-cleansing Gareth's Perry from the Pickled Pig brewery and on our return visit later in the day we tried the Wessex Russian Stoat, a very tasty strong, dark ale at 9%.
An unpretentious pub selling good beer, I wish I had a local like this.
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Popped in for a couple, and every time I went to the bar they had added a beer. Truly a gem of a pub. Fred Dibnah's obit is still on one noticeboard...
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I paid a visit this weekend and the guy with the scruffy hair is indeed back behind the bar serving top quality ales and the kitchen was back open too so things are back to normal. I drank my usual Tiger which was excellent and my friend tried a local beer at 7.8% volume which was great.
And nice to see the toilets rendered and re-tiled.
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I am a regular -- some would say a permanent fixture -- in this pub, and I can reassure you that no 'guy with scruffy hair' has left and, while the menu is pared down somewhat these days, the kitchen is usually open for basic fare.
hadda - 11 Feb 2009 14:23 |
Afraid the friendly guy with scruffy hair has left which is a shame and the kitchen is no longer open most weekdays however the beer is top quality as usual which is all that counts I stick to Tiger which is always great.Probably the best ale house in Cambridge Ale district.
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The last stop on my pub crawl around the Good Beer Guide pubs in the eastern part of the town centre. Another good one with wide range of well kept ales.
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Met up with a friend last Sunday who had travelled from London.. the place is handy for the Rail Station.
Tiger as good as usual but 280p a pint a bit expensive..my friend had the Oyster stout which seemed to be popular that lunchtime..
Food is back on Sunday Lunchtimes although we didnt eat.
The guy behind the bar with the scruffy hair and tie die shirt knows his beers and lets you try before you buy..
Certainly improved since the last time I was there but again the tiolets..!
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Clarks Feel the Pinch, Cropton Honey Gold & Scoresby Stout, Crouch Vale Amarillo, Black Sheep Bitter, Nethergate Umbel, a.n.other, plus Cassels cider. Good barman took time out from attending to a group of ditherers to serve me a pint. A serious alehead on the bar, presumably the guv, was talking staff thru pump changes. Special beer glasses suggest this place is belgian friendly. I know this manc feels at home here.
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Traditional Victorian local with eight hand pumps. Seven ales always including a dark beer and a real cider. Noticed that the local Pot Belly Brewery was being well supported here with Inner Daze and Welland Truly. Local Oakham Inferno as well but chose to drink the Mighty Oak Mersey Mild.
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A great pub that I always enjoy visiting. A real locals sort of pub but one that makes you welcome! I generally go on a Saturday evening and have always enjoyed the atmosphere - a great rang of real ale and teh belgium beer choice is good too. there is always Leffe on draught plus one guest belgium beer and on one particular evening I enjoyed the best draught Leffe I've ever had anywhere (and that includes belgium!).Never bothered about food but as far as a place to go for a good drink and atmosphere you can't go wrong here (bit of a trek out of town if you are walking thoufgh!)
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Good range of ale, including beers from Potbelly, Oakham, Mersea Island, Nethergate, Everards and Cassels Cider on my visit.
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Went in for a pint Sunday up to the usual standard.
Food was a let down firstly they said they had no jacket potatoes so we said chips instead and then 5 mins later they said they had no chips.. but even so waiting 30 mins for a pork pie salad is just not on.
Again the gents are a discrace with mould on the walls...
Are the management reading these comments..?
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Late saturday evening visit on way back to station. As usual a good selection of ales although the bar staff today were not upto their usual friendly standard. Got told off for stepping outside the front door with an ale in my hand. so not a good pub for smokers as they have no garden and you have to stand on the street.
Still worth a visit if your passing through.
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When I am in Cambridge, I make a point of visiting The Live & Let Live. It never lets me down. The staff and locals are very friendly. I would recommend the umbels ale.
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An excellent pub, with a splendid selection of 8 real ales (Nethergate Umbel, Adnams and Everards Tiger as regulars), real ciders and Belgian bottled beers. Ever changing Belgian guest draught. Lovely wood interior and real 'pubby' feel.
The drawbacks for this particular drinker: the regulars are not at all engaging and can just look through you if you arrive just after opening. Also, for some reason the Sunday lunches stopped about a year ago. They were excellent and the place is pretty empty on a Sunday lunch now. The menu is much reduced generally recently - a real shame as this was one of the finest exponents of genuine pub grub I've ever seen, turning ham, eggs & chips into an art form. The food issue is a real disappointment, especially as the management has not changed.
Nevertheless, an essential stop on any Cambridge crawl for the sheer quality of what it does offer. Go with friends and you're guaranteed an agreeable time.
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I should add post script that the gents is a let down time for a clean and paint theres mould in the cubicle.
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A proper real ale pub with a changing selection of beers and ciders.Has twice yearly beer festivals worth attending.Tiger ale is a regular and Umbel too all beers kept in top condition.Limited food for sale but thats not a problem as Cambridge has many food outlets.Guy behind the bar is very friendly and lets you taste a sampler of beer before buying.
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Excellent pub. Nice large wooden tables and benches. Friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. I only sampled the one beer (it was early so I was on mild) but it was very good indeed.
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Again a good selection of ales to choose from. The Tiger is always good, not sure about the Umble its an aquired taste. Atmosphere was good although the gents loo is looking a little in need of paint.
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Comfortable, welcoming feel from old wood floor & furniture to wood-burning stove & chatty drinking atmosphere. Eight handpumps offered Popham's Pride, Ramsbury Gold, Adnams, Everards Tiger, Tom Woods dark mild, Nethergate Umbel, Mighty Oak Bingle Jells, Dymock Red cider(8%). Very good start to the crawl.
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Another fine backstreet Cambridge pub with a worthy selection of ales, six yesterday plus a traditional cider. Adnams Bitter and Everards Tiger are the house beers, Nethergate Umbel Ale another regular plus three changing guests. All sampled yesterday were in fine condition. The clientele here is more mixed than other local pubs and older, less of an obvious student presence.
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A gem of a pub, only spoilt by the fact that its full of blokes with woolley jumpers and silly little beards. Saying that the selection of ales is excellent ant the location makes it a must on any loacl pub crawl.
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This is an excellent pub. It was my local for a long time and it is in my top 5 local pubs ever. A great mix of people use this pub; so some fantastic bar talk is always to be had. Good beer too, I have to admit I am not a big real ale man, the company made this place for me.
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excellent beer, good value food & great atmosphere. in other words a fine pub.
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What a brilliant pub and how great it is to see a different range of beers. Enjoyed the beers and friendly atmosphere of this community local.
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Absolute cracker in a suburb of Cambridge. The beers were the best of the weekend, we spent a whole afternoon going through them, it was like a beer festival. Less of the studenty bohemian stuff here, the locals were friendly though and the food good. Maybe a bit scruffier than other Cambridge pubs that we went to, but still the pub of the weekend for me.
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One of the best pubs in Cambridge for real ales. Beer is kept well, the food is good and the level of service is excellent.
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great beer selection, all presented well. Good pub.
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Local CAMRA branch pub of the year, and deservedly so, even if the beer quality is slightly better in the Kingston and Castle. The Live has all the right "ideal pub" ingredients - different drinking areas, tidy but unmodernised interior, mixed crowd, good beer range and homed cooked food (specials vary from OK to very good @ about �6).
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Best pub in Cambridge - can't believe it's only averaging 7.0 in the user ratings! Gets a 9 from me (would be 10 but for the restricted opening hours).
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A pleasant local pub that has obvious strengths in its wide array of Ales and substantial home cooked grub. Beer priced in accordance to strength, concentrating on several micro breweries : nice sight seing the casks delivered on an evening too, indicating a freshness and turnover of beer that suggests they do their jobs well here. The barman was friendly and knowledgeable in his product range and the over all feel of the venue gives it a warmth, even to `just passing` by trade such as myself, especially after an afternoon of wonder and excess at the Cambridge Beer Festival.
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Quality food and good beer range still there on a recent visit. Down-to-earth punters. Food good without being to heavy on your pocket either. Worth including in any crawl.
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Visited on 17/04/06 and could not fault the beer or the food once again. Believe it opens at 6pm each evening. The sausages & mash were top class.
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Excellent beer, seriously EXCELLENT beer. Bit quirky I guess and seems to attract some odd people but this is Cambridge... Best pint around though.
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very busy pub and far too nice for you anyway. please go to the six bells instead.
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Best call the pub first and get the opening hours then! Great pub with wood everywhere, excellent homecook food by the chef out of the Kingston Arms, and of course a beer range to keep you in there until closing time.
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Would have loved to have tried the beers and food at this tempting pub but the half baked hippy that was supposed to open it on time (sat 9th april) was probably still in bed. I will return, and hopefully be impressed - as we were looking forward to having a good night here, and instead had to trek back into the city centre.
anonymous - 11 Apr 2005 15:11 |
The good thing about the pub is that it is welcoming to all customers, and that makes it a pleasure to visit at all times. keep it up.
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Good drinking pub. Visited on a Saturday evening when there was a singer on (who was pretty good) and there was a lively atmosphere without being rowdy. Well kept ales and plenty of room to drink them. It did seem to attract some fairly pathetic looking geeky students but the pub can't really be blamed for that - they were in the minority. Service was fast and friendly - well worth a visit.
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EXCELLENT PUB
The best pub food in cambridge and well worth trekkin to find this place. Beer range great too, it's a must-visit pub.
An unashamed 10/10 rating comes with this posting
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The Live must be the best pub in Cambridge. The beer speaks for itself: kept perfectly and a wide range available. The food is probably the nicest pub food in cambridge. Liver and bacon on bubble and squeek is particularly good. The landlord must be doing something right as its always packed. Keep up the good work.
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A wonderfully friendly pub with up to 8 constantly changing real ales on tap, and all superbly served. Often has milds, for those of us that like kind of thing.
The food is top notch too.
If I lived in Cambridge, this would probably be my local at least a few days in the week.
FatPhil - 2 Sep 2004 17:16 |
Just enjoyed excellent Mighty Oak and Trnig beers in this wonderful pub. Note on Saturday nights they now have live music, usually in the form of a flip-flopped solo giutarist covering Bob Dylan, Donovan and others in his own style wiht the occasional use of a harmonica.
The food tonight was exquisite - try the spicy parsnip soup and the lamb curry!
This pub is an absolute MUST for anyone visiting Cambridge, and easily gets 10/10!
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I used to really like this pub, but recently it has been taken over by geeks, who seem to want to talk about computer and tap away on their PDAs all evening.
There beer's still great though.
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Visited the pub on Fri 14/11/2003 and enjoyed a pint and a half of quality beers - as usual. The food was fantastic (rumours in mentioned in past comments are TRUE!).
Indeed the food was so good that my drinking companion "Harmless Chris" licked the plate clean before my very eyes!
The atmosphere in the pub is superb - long may it continue! With this comment comes a mark of 10/10.
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Great food and great ale, Pete who runs the place is an ale fanatic often to be seen at the Cambridge beer festivals. One of the best ale pubs in Cambridge alongsile the Kingston and the Cambridge Blue
Ed french - 14 Nov 2003 13:34 |
Am I right in thinkin the chef here's been "poached" from the Kingston? If so it's a great improvement
anonymous - 14 Oct 2003 18:45 |
A friendly local gem, hidden away in the back streets behind Mill Road. Modernised interior with wood pannelling provides a convivial atmosphere in which a large range of changing beers on handpump can be supped. Regular mild. Good food. Within walking distance of the station. Good place to start, or include in, a crawl, and is a good contrast to the Blue and the Kingston nearby.
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