Rice Boat Cambridge

I am glad I tried despite the appearance and reviews 😌 Perhaps because of the usual quietness, I was often surprised that the restaurant was still operating. The reviews also come with polarity and made me a little wary. Fortunately, everything turns out to be awesome.

For starter we had fried prawns mainly because 1) the lady recommended their juicy giant prawns 2) the prawn balls take more than 15 min for the chef to prepare. Well the fried ones still arrived quite late, but it’s worth the wait. Nicely seasoned, garlicky, gingerly, some lemon grass, mustard seeds, and a little spiciness. The rice fried in the same pan tastes super nice.

The mains: 7 pm, half hour after opening, the fish and Porotta are already sold out. The good side— food is probably fresh. (The lady said she bought it from a market in London, and the fish is the prepared in small batches. Guess I’ll pre-order with my reservation to secure it.) The remaining options are no disappointment.

The beef fry is a burst of warming spices. Somehow it reminds me of the five-spice beef jerk back home… perhaps it’s the mixture of fennel, chili, cumin, turmeric, clove and maybe some star anise. It may look like a small shallow plate, but it’s all meat.

The eggplant coconut curry is mellow and soothing, not too sweet.

Though we weren’t able to have the highly recommended Porotta, the dosa and appam are great as well. Dosa is crispy outside with a little more thickness in the center, nice balance. Coconut chutney is aromatic. The appam looks like a flat version of idly, with a similar delightful mildly sour taste of fermented rice and an extra hint of coconut.

And we didn’t expect there to be desserts! In photo albums! Creamy and not too sweet. The lavender vanilla is surprisingly nice. I’m not a fan of vanilla, but the lavender is so naturally fragrant and calming. All my stress from the past week just melts away with it.

I’d really recommend the place and am definitely coming back again. The lady is super friendly and helpful (maybe a little bossy but really like my loving aunties :) I also like how the menu explains things and how the restaurant differs from other places. Although the kitchen may be slow, there is passion. Look at the cute flowers and taste the food.

Rice Boat serves a great selection of dishes, including a wide range of flatbreads I haven't seen elsewhere. The staff are universally friendly and the prices reasonable. I can recommend organising a society annual dinner with them, as they are always willing and helpful to accommodate requests!

We had a lovely dinner at Rice Boat with our friends, the food was really delicious and it had a nice chill atmosphere, great for families! We also ordered food for almost ten people because it was so hard to decide what to eat :D and we met the lady who was the owner of the restaurant which was also very nice and asked us to pack our leftovers since we were more then full at one point haha
I had the chicken biryani which was delicious! My bf had the Lamb ularthu and our friends had Paneer Green Peas curry which were also all very delicious as well as the prawn balls
The Parotta was also amazingly prepared!
Also remember to try their Mango lassi as well, famous delicious drink!
Thank you for the lovely dinner we had and we hope that we will come again! (:

Was recommended by an Indian friend. Really good and authentic dosa, and surprisingly good homemade ice-cream (way better then a dessert place I visited recently). The kerala chicken curry is also a must-try if you like spicy southern Indian curry

The service was also surprisingly good for a restaurant: the waitress was a little shy but checked on us from time to time, and Rita was really warm and thoughtful about waiting times and gathering feedback about the meal

Excellent food! Even though the restaurant is a Kerala cuisine one, it has the best paneer in Cambridge along with the most authentic and homemade tasting chapati. The service is also fast, and the owner is a delight to talk to. Highly recommended.

really super delicious! service was good and staff was very nice and helpful with recommending dishes. Had such a wide variety on the menu. The atmosphere was relaxing and calm. Highly recommend and would totally come back to try more of the menu!

I love the food here. The Kerala Fish Curry is an absolute stand out, in a field of delicious curries. Their food makes me happy. Just try it.

I cannot explain in words how amazing this restaurant is! Being South Indian myself I miss my home food, my mothers and grandmothers cooking. This place takes me back and gives me such nostalgia. It’s perfect and it’s a family run business. Please support it, it’s such a gem!!!! The masala dosa/ chicken curry/ Thalia and the dessert is to just die for! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I would definitely say that this is so far the best Kerala Cuisine in Cambridge. Had a delicious dinner with my friends. All the dishes that we tried were finger licking good. If you want to try the authentic taste of Kerala dishes, definitely go for this one..

One of my favourite restaurants in Cambridge. The food is consistently fantastic - beautifully spiced, freshly prepared, and authentic. There is also a 'family' vibe about the place which makes it all the more special - it's rarely overly busy, and you often feel like you've been welcomed in to eat as a guest in someone's house, in the best possible way. Will continue to go back again and again!

Absolutely delicious Indian / Keralan restaurant in Cambridge! Super friendly family style service. The appam (rice bread) and dosa are top notch! Was here 15 years ago and it’s still the same delicious quality! Definitely worth a visit if you are in Cambridge!

We had an AMAZING last night. the Rice Boat again did not dissapointed! It was absolutley spot on! I haven’t been eating there after some time as I live abroad. But yesterday we arrived and the our fist stop was at Rice Boat and it was as I said delicious!

Highly recommending! You should try!

Very authentic and delicious
We will come again ❤

Thank you 🌞

Excellent restaurant ! Fast service and great food. I've tried several dishes, last ones being vada, prawns in mango (excellent with coconut rice) and the lamb with parotta. The pistachio dessert is a delicatessen too (recommended to have it with the dessert wine). All in all one of my favourite places in Cambridge (celebrate my anniversary here every year).

We haven't visited the Rice Boat for approximately 12 years, it was always excellent and after this significant time lapse, the quality from every angle was just as outstanding as before.
Julian & Karina from Norfolk.

The south Indian food here is really excellent, and brilliant value for money. Service can be slow, but only because food is lovingly prepared, with an attentiveness that makes this place more like a supper club than a generic Indian restaurant. If you have the time for a leisurely dinner or lunch, I can't recommend this place more highly.

We had a wonderful meal at the Rice Boat - a delicious array of curries and some excellent masala dosas. Lovely service and relaxed atmosphere. We had a charming conversation with the Patronne who cooked the dosas herself. Highly recommend!

I was struggling to find somewhere that had a variety of vegan food and non-vegan food. I had heard that this restaurant was good but my god, they are amazing! I had the Aubergine Theeyal. This was THE BEST curry I have EVER had. It was so fragrant with flavours, so smooth and creamy. It had transported me right into the heart of authentic culture and cuisine.

If you do anything this week, make sure you book a reservation at the Rice Boat. We have to support our local small businesses, and if they’re as amazing as the Rice Boat it’s a no brainer!!

There was a wait, but I assure you it is well worth it! Wouldn’t you want to wait a few extra minuets for the most authentic and delicious meal of you life?

Probably the best Indian food in Cambridge and for a bargain. The food takes a while to cook (45 mins+) but it's worth the wait. The dishes can be really spicy even if it says mild on the menu so I ask specifically for mild.

We had delicious southern Indian food - for me the most authentic Indian food I had outside of India. My Biryani was delicious and all dishes my wife and kids had were also just wonderful. Strong recommendation!