If you’re going to cross Cambridgeshire for dinner, it needs to be more than food you could have found five minutes from home.

There isn’t one proven county-wide winner. But there are several very different places that make a strong case for the journey, depending on what you want from the day.

For a major occasion: Midsummer House

Midsummer House on Midsummer Common, Cambridge, is the obvious special-occasion candidate. It currently holds two Michelin stars, with the Michelin Guide praising its creative cooking and riverside setting.

This is not the place for a quick, casual bite. It’s the destination for a birthday, anniversary or the sort of meal people talk about before and after the booking.

 If the journey is part of the occasion, Midsummer House has the credentials to make it feel worthwhile.

For a modern dinner: Restaurant Twenty-Two

Restaurant Twenty-Two on Chesterton Road offers another high-end Cambridge option, with one Michelin star and modern cuisine.

The setting is more city restaurant than country escape, but that can be a benefit if you want a serious meal without turning the whole day into a rural outing.

It’s a good fit for someone who wants polished cooking and service, but doesn’t necessarily want a pub, a roast or a long drive down country lanes.

For the proper destination-pub feeling: The Crown & Punchbowl

Three miles from Cambridge in Horningsea, The Crown & Punchbowl is a 17th-century Grade II listed country inn with food, drink, rooms and Sunday roasts.

This is probably the strongest candidate for the “let’s make an afternoon of it” trip.

The building and village setting do some of the work before the plates arrive.

It offers the kind of change of scene that people often mean when they say they want somewhere worth travelling for.

For a reliable local choice with several options you'll find Cambscuisine

The locally based Cambscuisine group gives diners a wider shortlist, with seven Cambridgeshire pubs and restaurants.

  The Cock at Hemingford Grey, The Tickell Arms at Whittlesford, The Crown & Punchbowl, The Royal Oak the green at Barrington, The Three Horseshoes at Maddingley, Cambridge Chop House on Kings Parade in Cambridge and Millworks.

Their stated approach is food cooked fresh, with local sourcing where possible.

That doesn’t make every venue a universal favourite, but it does give people across the county several local options to investigate rather than relying on one central Cambridge address.

For a city-centre pub meal: The Punter

Near the river and Cambridge city centre, The Punter is a more relaxed option, serving freshly made hearty food and a seasonal menu in a gastro-pub setting.

 It may not justify a cross-county expedition on its own, but it could be the right answer for a meal that needs to feel special without becoming formal.

So, which one is genuinely worth the journey?

 For Michelin-starred cooking, start with Midsummer House or Restaurant Twenty-Two.

For a pub-led day out, look first at The Crown & Punchbowl.

For a choice closer to home, Cambscuisine’s spread of venues is worth exploring.

That’s a shortlist, not a verdict.

Menus, opening hours and booking availability can change, so check the venue before setting off.

And if your local favourite is missing, tell us the pub or restaurant you’d cross Cambridgeshire for and what makes the trip worth it.