If you’re driving along Hills Road, not drinking or simply bored of ordering cola while everyone else studies a cocktail menu, Golpo Bengal Cafe & Restaurant gives Cambridge another option.

At 36-38 Hills Road, CB2 1LA, Golpo has an alcohol-free bar built around virgin cocktails, mocktails, non-alcoholic wine and zero-proof drinks. Its own menu describes drinks made with fresh fruit, herbs, spices and non-alcoholic spirits.

So, is it worth choosing for a social night out?

On the evidence available, yes particularly if you’re going for a meal as well.

Golpo’s offer is designed to make the drink part of the occasion, rather than an afterthought added to a pub order.

The Bengal food gives the evening a proper centre, while the drinks list offers more choice than the usual lemonade, tonic or alcohol-free lager.

Local coverage of Golpo’s opening in 2023 described an extensive alcohol-free drinks list.

A follow-up review highlighted mocktails, alcohol-free beer, cider and spirit alternatives, with the drinks intended to work alongside the food.

Recent customer reviews also include positive comments about the mocktails, food, service and the experience for people who don’t drink.

Those reviews are encouraging, but they’re personal experiences rather than a Cambridge-wide verdict.

A drink that feels special to one person can still feel overpriced or too sweet to someone else.

And there’s a fair counterargument.

Golpo won’t replace a traditional Cambridge pub for someone who wants a pint, a large alcoholic drinks list or the loose, noisy feel of a conventional drinking venue.

A carefully made mocktail may look and feel like a treat, but it still needs to deliver enough flavour, presentation and atmosphere to justify making it the reason for a visit.

That’s the real world test. 

Is the drink the main event, or is the food doing all the heavy lifting?

For a group meal, a date where one person isn’t drinking, or an evening when everyone wants to wake up fresh, Golpo looks like a strong Cambridge option.

It doesn’t need to suit every night out.

It only needs to give non-drinkers a reason to choose somewhere on purpose.

Save this for your next alcohol-free night out especially if you want to try a Cambridge venue where the mocktail isn’t treated as a consolation prize.