Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Bushmill Tavern

Sometimes we come across a place that takes you by surprise. The Bushmill Tavern in Abingdon, MD does just that. The location is a bit off of the beaten path, and the outside decor is fairly basic. But reading the food specials on the board as you walk in the front door indicates that there might be more than meets the eye. The Bushmill Tavern opened back in early 2014 and features cuisine that isn't typical of your local neighborhood bar. Despite the winter menu still being in effect when we went, crab cakes were available, so follow along and see how they were!

Crab cakes on the winter menu were only available as sliders, unless you count the Chesapeake Burger, which tops a burger with a crab cake (what?). Plenty of other menu options featuring crab if they happen to not be available, or if sliders aren't your thing.  The Crab Cake Sliders are three to an order, and come topped with lettuce and tomato, served next to hand cut french fries.

When you think of sliders, you think of little mini crab cakes. These crab cakes were anything but, made with jumbo lumps of crab that were bound together with breading and spices, and sautéed in butter. The patties may seem a bit thin due to their slider size, but they are at least as thick as a jumbo lump of crab. Even the bun gets special treatment being toasted on the grill.

This was certainly one crab cake that took us by surprise! The crab used in the sliders had really good flavor that tasted fresh and wasn't dried out. The breading in the binder was nicely spiced and well-balanced. Our only complaint is that, because the crab cakes are small and a bit thin, that they ended up being a bit too buttery (hard to believe that is even possible!). But what you get for the price was far more than expected. We can only imagine what a regular sized crab cake would be like!

Bushmill Tavern Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Bushmill Tavern
  • Address: 4017 Philadelphia Rd Abingdon, Maryland 21009
  • Neighborhood: Abingdon
  • Restaurant Type: Local
  • Review Date: 05/16/2015 4:40pm
  • Atmosphere: Not Busy
  • Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cake Sliders
  • Cooking Style: Sauteed
  • Other Styles Available: No
  • Available by mail order?: No
  • Price: 9.50
  • Order Type: Sandwich
  • Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
  • Filler: Average
  • Spice: Average
  • Overall Impression: Very Good
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    4-crab

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