Former St Ives pub closed for more than 10 years converted into bar and restaurant

A Cambridgeshire town centre pub that has been closed for more than a decade is getting a new lease of life. The building, on Market Hill in St Ives, will be converted into a new bar and restaurant called 'The Whisky Cafe'.

The venue shut its doors to customers in 2012 due to increased rates and competition from other pubs. It has been left empty since, but there have been plans to bring the building back into use.

The Whisky Cafe is described as "celebrating the untraditional dining and drinking experience". It will serve a wide range of champagne and whiskey based cocktails along with an extensive wine list containing choices from all around the world.

Read more: 'I visited the Cambridge pub obsessed with Christmas to try their new festive pizza'

Read more: Everything you need to know about the Cambridge Christmas Big Switch On 2024

A premises licence application for the site was also put forward to Huntingdonshire District Council in June 2024. It includes the provision of live and recorded music as well as late night refreshments.

In addition, the restaurant will serve a wide-ranging menu, with its website showcasing a range of dishes for Autumn and Winter. There is also a Sunday feasting menu, consisting of small dishes such as Beef Tartare and King Prawns to larger plates including Half Roasted Norfolk Chicken and Roast Pork Loin.

The Whisky Cafe will be open from 12pm to 10pm Monday to Saturday and until 8pm on Sundays. More information can be found on their website here.

Do you want more of the latest Cambridgeshire news as it comes in? Sign up to our dedicated newsletter to make sure you never miss a big story from Cambridge or anywhere else in the county. You can also sign up to our dedicated Peterborough, Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in.