Bistro Poplar

A terrific little place with both familiar and daring cuisine. The best restaurant for miles and miles. Excellent service from a knowledgeable staff. I’m never disappointed here.

The French onion soup, the pâté, the crab cakes, the lamb… all perfect! And dessert; we had the best crème brûlée ever tasted and chocolate mousse of dreams! It was a wonderful birthday dinner and a lovely staff and service.

Terrific surprise in Cambridge, Maryland. The owner chef, who once worked at Thomas Keller’s famed French Laundry, has delivered an excellent American bistro focused on local produce and meats.
Our first visit, a couple of years ago, was flawless. We especially enjoyed a Bibb lettuce salad with an outstanding tarragon vinaigrette and a hearty and delicious short rib.
On our most recent visit in September 2015, the Bibb salad’s tarragon vinaigrette was sadly obscured by Roquefort cheese, but the end result was still delicious. Our entrees were roasted pork with meaty shiitake mushrooms and roasted lamb with coco beans and piquillo peppers. Both dishes were succulent, filling and perfectly executed. A side order of sautéed local zucchini, yellow squash and onion offered up the ripeness of late summer.
Wines are thoughtfully chosen. Our soft California Zinfandel was an excellent accompaniment to our meats and an excellent value.
Desserts delight at Bistro Poplar. Our first visit brought beer ice cream– perhaps an acquired taste, but the yeasty flavor of the hops contrasted interestingly with the richness of the ice cream. On our September 15 visit, we delighted in an airy blueberry mousse cake, capped with cream and lapped with a lavender yogurt sauce.
Bistro Poplar is well worth the discerning diner’s time and attention.

It’s a bit on the pricey side but we decided to give it a try on our recent visit to Cambridge/​MD.
We were not disappointed! It is amazing.
The restaurant makes you feel like you are in a small French bistro. It is cozy but light and airy.
The service is excellent all around.
When my husband pointed out, that the wine they listed was a different year from the one we received for dinner, someone immediately came to the table to explain why and apologized.
The food is terrific from appetizer to desert. Personally, I would make the portions smaller but maybe I just don’t eat that much.
You gonna love it.

Amazing meal, amazing service– this is a wonderful place. I highly recommend coming here.

Wow! What a good find! Hands down one of the top 5 meals in my life.
My wife and I shared the country pâté and it was easily the best I have ever had. It was unctuous, savory, and perfect. Paired with hot fresh bread and toast points, please don’t skip this.
Our entrees arrived promptly but not in a hurry.
I had the leg of lamb served over coco bean gravy. It was tender and delicious. Wife had the duck confit leg over ratatouille. Both were incredibly thoughtful and most of all tasty.
Dessert we had the sweet corn and blackberry crepes. Terrific end to a wonderful meal.
Make a reservation and take your time. All in all an amazing experience. Staff was super professional and friendly. Check out Bistro Poplar.

A standout restaurant on the Eastern Shore. The service was friendly and attentive. For starters we had the crab remoulade, onion soup, and salad – all delicious and fresh. For entrees, we had lamb chops, and shrimp creole. The shrimp creole was sublime: worthy of New Orleans.

We dined here while visiting the area during the Ironman weekend. We started with lamb and falafel meatballs, which is a combination of 2 lamb meatballs and 2 falafels. The flavor was spot on, really enjoyed this! My husband had the French onion soup and he really enjoyed it too.
My kids were with us and unfortunately we were in trouble there, nothing on the menu appealed to them. I was hoping to find mashed potatoes or Mac n cheese on the menu but no luck. Luckily our awesome waiter spoke to the chef and they were able to make pasta for the kids, which they really enjoyed! For main course my husband and I both had salmon, I had mine medium rare with salad. I thought the spicing and flavor was perfect — no complaints! Very happy with our service and food. Great job Bistro Poplar!

This is a nice little restaurant in a town with not much going on. We arrived at the time of our reservation and were seated. I ordered the lamb medium rare and my wife ordered the flounder. It took over 30 minutes for our food to arrive, so not a short wait. I was looking forward to this after all the reviews I read, but my lamb was very hard and chewy. It was also seasoned WAYYY too much, that’s all I could taste. The only part of my meal I liked were the potatoes which were the best thing I ate all night. I tried my wife’s flounder, which was definitely better than my lamb. Considering the meal cost us over $ 70, I wouldn’t come back. I know there may not be a lot of options in the area, but this just didn’t do it for me. We live in DC and for this type of $, we have had MUCH better food so we expect better in general.

Fantastic restaurant. Wonderful food, drink and ambiance. two primo beers on tap and deep wine list. Suggest reservations; we ate at the bar which was fine. Comfortable bar stools and excellent service. Thomas too care of us. Fried oysters — best I have ever had. Ever. No kidding. Salmon with palak paneer — exceptional. Black sea bass with leeks and olives — also exceptional. No room for dessert. Must. Come. Back.

I will preface this review by saying that I have easily eaten at this restaurant 20 + times. There are a lot of things I really enjoy about Bistro Poplar. The atmosphere is good, the service is fast and efficient, the presentation is always good, and I have never had a meal I did not enjoy. I have never gotten a drink that was weak, nor felt as though the staff were not invested in making sure I had a pleasant evening. I think all too often, Unilocal reviews focus solely on the food. The food at Bistro Poplar is excellent. But without question, my favorite part is the kind and talented people who work there. I always leave with a smile on my face, and that is why I will continue to frequent this establishment.

Easily the best restaurant in Cambridge– and as good of not better than any place on Easton or St. Michael’s. French onion soup is authentic as are the croque monsieur and other french bistro favorites. and fabulous. Pommes frites are great –served hot and in generous proportions. The pastry chef is inspired-​and unexpected for cambridge! The atmosphere is warm and bistro-​y. Reservations are a good idea!
Nice selection of wines and beer,

Nice feel to the restaurant, and ‘downtown’ Cambridge is definitely quaint. This may come off snootish, but not my intent… I expected a charming, nice restaurant in a historic town with superlative food. I got the charming part, but the food was decidedly average; and given the price range, below expectations. The onion soup was good, but the super-​grainy piece of bread placed in it, was a disconnect… it was gritty to the point of overshadowing the good soup. We ordered salmon and the NY strip au poivre. Both were bland, and devoid of any interesting flavor — the textures, and aesthetics were all in place, but nothing beyond. The salmon was a bit over cooked as well.
I don’t doubt it being one of the better places, but relative to my expectations, it was a good geo experience, over culinary.

Traveling through and stopped in Cambridge, MD. I searched on Unilocal for a decent restaurant, and settled on Bistro Poplar. What a good decision!
The service was a excellent in that the crew worked together throughout the dining experience-​making the service top notch.
The meal was super for both my wife and I. It was prepared exactly as we requested and was presented well. I highly recommend the restaurant.

Bistro Poplar is flawless. I say that honestly and without hyperbole.
The interior is classic french bistro. Inviting with tons of character from the intricate tile floors to the rich velvet seats. The service is impeccable– warm and efficient but without a bunch of chatter. Wine list is top notch– 2009 burgundy for $ 7 a glass? Don’t mind if I do (twice).
The food is to. die. for. We happened to come in on tapas night (Sunday) and that was a great introduction. Basically, many of their regular menu items are there but in smaller portions and on their own instead of as a complete meal. Ranged from about $ 4 – 15. Every single one was perfect. So much so that we initially only ordered four but then ordered two more when we were done because we didn’t want it to end.
I’ll start with the crab cake– full of giant pieces of crabmeat, no filler, delicate and perfectly balanced with the avocado and corn accompaniment. Quail was cooked to perfection, perfectly seasoned and crispy. Duck confit was appropriately tender and we requested bread to soak up the chorizo jus. Sweetbreads were perfectly seared on the outside, minimally seasoned to let the natural flavor come out, and nicely complimented with watercress. Escargot were out of the shell and tender (we wished we had more bread for the remaining garlic butter).
I’m usually not one to order dessert but the list was so intriguing we ordered two (and I’m glad we did). The kaffir lime mousse cake and elderflower sorbet were both on point. Their pastry chef deserves a special shout out.
If you live within a two hour radius of this place and haven’t been here, you’re missing out. I’d go so far as to say it’s worth an overnight stay in Cambridge.

The best steak bites in the world! Our multi-​generational family enjoyed the experience so much. From friendly service to fine ingredients and excellent execution. Salmon, corn chowder and noodles besides the steak were our favorites in tapas night!

My wife and had dinner here after spending an afternoon on Smith Island. This is one of the best meals I have had in a restaurant since relocating to the East Coast from Southern California. I think Unilocal sis a bit off placing this restaurant in American (new) for cuisine. I think the preparation style is more French using local ingredients.
My first comment is on the wine list. I have been to very few restaurants that hit a sweet spot of a range of Old and New world wines at very reasonable price points. Bistro Poplar should be commended, and diners should be thankful for a decent list of wine bottles for less than $ 50.
I had the leek and bacon tart. It was very, vey nice. My wife had the onion soup, which she thoroughly enjoyed. My main course was the scallops, which were nicely done and hers was the crab cakes, which she liked almost as much the one ones she makes. Food was hot, perfectly prepared, and presented. Does not seem like much, but so many restaurants fail in these essential categories.
Our service was excellent. I was also impressed with how the waitstaff addressed a snarky customer sitting next to us. Calm and professional.
So, if you are the Eastern shore and find yourself passing near Cambridge, stop for a meal at Bistro Polpar, c’est tres bon.

Love this place! Chef Ian cares about each and every detail. The service is impeccable — you feel like family when you are there.
The wine list is extensive and has something for everyone. The craft cocktail menu is intriguing to say the least!
My husband started with the French onion soup and moved on to the Boudin. I enjoyed the salmon with lentils very much. Both were outstanding and reasonably priced.
We skipped dessert, but hope to go back soon with more room for sweets and fun drinks.

Love, love, love this place! Ariel the bartender and Sean the server are the absolute tops! Tip Ariel she is to serving like like Jesus is to walking on water.

Some locals said this is the best restaurant in the Eastern Shore. Perhaps that is the case but dining options here are fairly limited. I’m grading on a curve today so 4 stars it is.
We couldn’t get a reservation at the time we wanted so we decided to take our chances with the bar seating. Luckily, there were just enough chairs for the 3 of us and the bartender/​server was very friendly.
We were served piping hot bread to start and it was so delicious with a touch melted butter. I went back for seconds on the bread.
When our entrees came out, I was impressed by the presentation. They were just beautiful! I ordered Pan Seared Scallops with shïtakes, butternut squash purée, sage brown butter. The portion size was rather large for scallops but they scallops were ever so slightly overcooked and quite overseasoned. My mother ordered the Roasted Salmon with fennel confit, olive-​caper butter and she reported that it was «ok.» My stepdad had Veal Cheeks with pommes purée, red wine reduction, which he really enjoyed.
Overall, I’m glad we went to Bistro Poplar. The food was sophisticated (a bit pricey) and probably the best in 30 miles.