Bistro Barberet & Bakery: A Modern Twist on French Cuisine

Home to flavorful culinary masterpieces and nestled in the heart of Downtown Lancaster, Bistro Barberet & Bakery is a haven for French cuisine and pastry lovers. With a warm and welcoming atmosphere, the contemporary French bistro brings delightful dishes and scrumptious patisseries to Lancaster with a modern twist. 

Once you hear owner, operator, and chef Cedric Barberet’s history of patisserie accolades and accomplishments, it’s no surprise the bistro sports raving reviews. Cedric has over 25 years of professional pastry experience and a Master’s Degree in Pastry from Patisserie Chereau in France. From classic French favorites like Quiche Lorraine to authentic specialty dishes like Tartare and Bouillabaisse, Bistro Barberet & Bakery offers authentic, high-quality brunch, lunch, and dinner options—not to mention plenty of mouth-watering handmade pastries.

To take advantage of this season’s offerings, the team at Bistro Barberet, led by executive chef Chris Cosentino, carefully crafted a summer menu full of French delicacies featuring fresh, local ingredients. Naturally, we headed to King Street to check it out! 

While certain items on their summer menu are mainstays—like veal, escargot, and steaks, the culinary staff adds a few new dishes each season to offer variety for their clientele. 

First up, we had the pleasure of trying the Pan Seared Salmon entrée—succulent salmon, warm snap and snow peas, mint, pears, vinaigrette and Serrano ham—a hyper local dish that pairs excellently with white wine. After taking our first bite, our eyes widened with delight—the skin is incredibly crispy, and the buttered salmon melts in your mouth with a mixture of complementary flavors. 

Featuring local peas, the entrée’s warm pea salad includes a vinaigrette made of lemon ball and fresh pear chips, which taste like candy. The mint heightens the peas’ flavor, and the Spanish Serrano ham, which is milder than prosciutto, adds the perfect amount of saltiness to the dish. Eat all of the ingredients together for a flavorful and balanced bite! After tasting the entreé, we quickly arrived at a consensus—the salmon dish is definitely a must-try. 

To continue our tasting adventure, we tried the Pan-seared Duck! Featuring medium well duck with watercress, candied stripe beets, foie gras infused sauce, chicharrons, and red onion marmalade, the entrée is as wonderful as it sounds. Chef Chris explained that the duck was scored to get a good render and then baked in the oven, fat side up. 

With a sweet and savory smell, the duck dissolves in your mouth—it’s that good. The wild earthy flavor of the meat is complemented by the bitter flavor of watercress, which ducks naturally eat, and the foie gras sauce adds a savory touch. So many different textures play together in this dish, and we hear a glass of red wine complements it nicely!

After savoring the duck, we moved on to an exquisite lobster salad that pairs splendidly with a dry Rosè. Immediately after our tongues met the ingredients, we were struck by the incredibly fresh, light flavors of the salad! The tender lobster and the creamy dressing are perfect complements, and the combination of flavors is simply amazing. If you aren’t a seafood fan already, this salad will probably make you one. 

With already happy stomachs after tasting three savory dishes, we were grinning and excited for dessert. And let us tell you, Floating Island—a very traditional French bistro dessert—certainly did not disappoint! A hard to find dish in the U.S.A., Floating Island includes meringue, creme crème anglaise made of cream, vanilla bean, and egg yolks, with crunchy, freeze dried raspberry. 

It was a struggle to stop eating long enough to report our raving reviews—pillows of heaven are probably made of this meringue. Creamy, luscious, and luxurious, it tastes as beautiful as it looks, and it’s not overly sweet! While raspberry is typically not included in the classic dish, it excellently cuts the dessert’s creaminess, bringing out summery notes while refreshing your palate.

After trying some of Bistro Barberet’s best summer offerings, we all agree—your summer won’t be complete without a trip to Bistro Barberet for some of Lancaster’s finest French food. Do yourself a favor and meander to King Street to try the scrumptious food yourself! It’s obvious that Cedric and his team at Bistro Barberet take pride in creating delicious cuisine—they pour hours of hard work into intentionally choosing each ingredient, and their talent and efforts shine through the incredible food they craft. 

This summer, swing by Bistro Barberet’s Happy Hour between 5 – 7 pm Tuesday – Friday to enjoy $5 bites, half off select wine, cocktails, and beer at the downstairs bar, and complimentary french fries with your first drink. 

Next time you’re looking for an exceptional brunch, lunch, or dinner or a pastry fix, Bistro Barberet & Bakery is the place to go! Head to King Street to enjoy dessert with friends, dine with a date, or treat yourself to a scrumptious French entrée just because. Their summer menu is definitely worth exploring. To sum up Bistro Barberet in three words, we’ll simply say: divine French deliciousness.