Bambara is a delicious gem tucked into the Kimpton Hotel in Cambridge. We loved everything about this restaurant. The teamwork, the food and excellent service. Lobster roll is the real Boston deal, perfection. The oysters served between 5-7 are a must. Superior wine selection that changes periodically (we've been a few times). The steak, scallops and salmon prepared as requested and were so “good”! We had thanksgiving dinner here and it was incredible. We stay often at this hotel and will always dine here at least once.
Katie Capaldi-Moeggenberg
Service was lacking even though they were not busy. We weren't greeted for 10 minutes upon entering. Drinks didn't come-we had to ask about them. Half of the food was cold. Not worth the cost.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Anthony
Excellent service and ambience within a quiet atmosphere which few restaurants have nowadays.
Anne
Great dinners before theater. Modified orders all respected. No pressure to leave when finished.
madeline
Our reservation was for 4 people but we ended up with 6 at the last minute. The restaurant was very accommodating and the service was excellent. We had a delicious and leisurely brunch and the food was very tasty.
Lee
Everything we ordered was delicious and plentiful. My husband had the salmon lattkes which he loved and our friends had omelets they loved. I had avocado toast which was delicious. There were generous servings of fruit to choose also. I think my only reservation was the amount charged for parking. They wanted $25 and I talked him down to $20 but for a brunch we were at for 90 min, this seemed excessive and though we loved the setting and food and service, this would make me reconsider
mike
We ended up here after not being able to get into other places and was very pleasantly surprised. Several people had the salmon and thought it was excellent. I had the swordfish, one of the best dishes I have had in while and I don't give reviews like this readily. The swordfish was cooked to perfection. We had several sides; thick cut fries and roasted broccolini and both were spot on. The main critique was how they choose when to serve the side dishes and salads. Without consulting us the sides came out as appetizers with the calamari we had ordered which ultimately was fine and then brought the salads out with the main courses. Server was very good but somehow just missed the mark on this. We all agreed we would go back.
Bonnie
Limited menu whch made service more efficient. Every dish was well prepared. Good sized portions. Prices were very reasonable. Would definitely return.
Ted
We were drawn for the High rating. The restaurant had. We did not find that same experience. Very shocked to see a 5% service fee in addition to gratuity expected. 
Bethany
Not only were the food and drinks delicious but the service was top notch. Highly recommend!
The food was just ok, the martinis come half full in small glasses but are still $18 a piece. The server was very nice but the service was painfully slow.
Claude
The restaurant is inside the hotel and the ambiance is really nice. I went there for my birthday with my fiance. The food was so good! We ordered the calamari for an appetizer and it was very delicious. For drinks I had the Killer Queen to drink and it was perfect for my taste (I enjoy more of the sweet drinks). For dinner, I had the scallops and my fiance had the House Made Fettuccini. My seared scallops were made perfectly and they were complimented well with the risotto. Definitely recommend and will probably be back again.
Felicia Loi
We stayed at the Kimpton and came down here twice. Once for happy hour oysters and once for after dinner drinks. The oysters were pretty good. You definitely can't beat a dollar oysters. The drinks were also really good. Everybody liked what they ordered. Our servers were generally friendly and nice but seemed very flustered both times we visited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Robert
I've eaten there several times over the past year and haven't been disappointed. The "Killer Queen" is an excellent cocktail. The salmon, scallops, chicken and steak entrees are very good. One detail is that the "chocolate cake" is actually a molten chocolate cake with a delicious soft center.
Marjorie
We had a fantastic seafood dinner here! (Lots of gluten-free options too!) What a hidden gem!
Bambara is a delicious gem tucked into the Kimpton Hotel in Cambridge. We loved everything about this restaurant. The teamwork, the food and excellent service. Lobster roll is the real Boston deal, perfection. The oysters served between 5-7 are a must. Superior wine selection that changes periodically (we've been a few times). The steak, scallops and salmon prepared as requested and were so “good”! We had thanksgiving dinner here and it was incredible. We stay often at this hotel and will always dine here at least once.
Service was lacking even though they were not busy. We weren't greeted for 10 minutes upon entering. Drinks didn't come-we had to ask about them. Half of the food was cold. Not worth the cost.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Excellent service and ambience within a quiet atmosphere which few restaurants have nowadays.
Great dinners before theater. Modified orders all respected. No pressure to leave when finished.
Our reservation was for 4 people but we ended up with 6 at the last minute. The restaurant was very accommodating and the service was excellent. We had a delicious and leisurely brunch and the food was very tasty.
Everything we ordered was delicious and plentiful. My husband had the salmon lattkes which he loved and our friends had omelets they loved. I had avocado toast which was delicious. There were generous servings of fruit to choose also. I think my only reservation was the amount charged for parking. They wanted $25 and I talked him down to $20 but for a brunch we were at for 90 min, this seemed excessive and though we loved the setting and food and service, this would make me reconsider
We ended up here after not being able to get into other places and was very pleasantly surprised. Several people had the salmon and thought it was excellent. I had the swordfish, one of the best dishes I have had in while and I don't give reviews like this readily. The swordfish was cooked to perfection. We had several sides; thick cut fries and roasted broccolini and both were spot on. The main critique was how they choose when to serve the side dishes and salads. Without consulting us the sides came out as appetizers with the calamari we had ordered which ultimately was fine and then brought the salads out with the main courses. Server was very good but somehow just missed the mark on this. We all agreed we would go back.
Limited menu whch made service more efficient. Every dish was well prepared. Good sized portions. Prices were very reasonable. Would definitely return.
We were drawn for the High rating. The restaurant had. We did not find that same experience. Very shocked to see a 5% service fee in addition to gratuity expected. 
Not only were the food and drinks delicious but the service was top notch. Highly recommend!
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was just ok, the martinis come half full in small glasses but are still $18 a piece. The server was very nice but the service was painfully slow.
The restaurant is inside the hotel and the ambiance is really nice. I went there for my birthday with my fiance. The food was so good! We ordered the calamari for an appetizer and it was very delicious. For drinks I had the Killer Queen to drink and it was perfect for my taste (I enjoy more of the sweet drinks). For dinner, I had the scallops and my fiance had the House Made Fettuccini. My seared scallops were made perfectly and they were complimented well with the risotto. Definitely recommend and will probably be back again.
We stayed at the Kimpton and came down here twice. Once for happy hour oysters and once for after dinner drinks. The oysters were pretty good. You definitely can't beat a dollar oysters. The drinks were also really good. Everybody liked what they ordered. Our servers were generally friendly and nice but seemed very flustered both times we visited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I've eaten there several times over the past year and haven't been disappointed. The "Killer Queen" is an excellent cocktail. The salmon, scallops, chicken and steak entrees are very good. One detail is that the "chocolate cake" is actually a molten chocolate cake with a delicious soft center.
We had a fantastic seafood dinner here! (Lots of gluten-free options too!) What a hidden gem!
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