Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Baltimore loves seafood, and, in particular, crabs. Soft- or hard-shell crabs, crab cakes, crab dip—the city's passion for clawed crustaceans seems to have no end. Flag down a Baltimore native and ask them where the best crab joint is and you'll get dozens of different options.
But crabs aren’t the only thing on the menu. Baltimore's burgeoning restaurant scene features a world of flavors: Afghan, Greek, American, French, Italian, Korean, and other ethnic cuisines. In recent years, Baltimore’s culinary cred has grown, thanks to the efforts of standout restauranteurs such as Spike Gjerde, Tony Foreman, and Cindy Wolf.
Most of the Inner Harbor has chain and hotel restaurants, so if you want to eat well, spread out. Harbor East is the city's newest center for fine dining. A few blocks east of the Inner Harbor, Little Italy has a host of Italian restaurants, most of which serve classic southern Italian, spaghetti-with-garlic-bread fare. Yet father east, Fells Point has some renowned local restaurants. Or, head north. Charles Village, near Johns Hopkins University, Hampden, to the northwest, and posh Roland Park, at the city’s suburban limits, have outstanding dining options. Note that most places generally stop serving by 10 pm, if not earlier.
Specializing in homemade, inventive pasta dishes, La Tavola is a cut above other Little Italy spaghetti houses. Don't miss the black, squid ink spaghetti, served with crab meat and a garlic sauce. If you're still hungry after one of La Tavola's generous plates of pasta, the fresh fish is a good bet, as is the roasted veal chop. Save room for the chocolate-espresso gelati dessert.
Lexington Market is in a slightly sketchy area, but a trip there for Faidley's crab cakes is definitely worth it.
Behind the redbrick facade of a bank built in 1928, MacGregor's occupies two dining rooms on two levels, with glass walls on three sides looking onto the Chesapeake Bay. The interior is adorned with carved duck decoys, mounted guns, and antique prints of the town; there's also outdoor dining on a deck with a gazebo. Seafood is the specialty, and the kitchen claims to have the best crab cakes on the bay.
Sit down at the counter or make your way to one of the tables as this small sushi place, a Federal Hill favorite. And it's not just popular among Baltimoreans; the walls are covered with awards from local and national press. You can order by the roll, or opt for one of the bento boxes, udon soups, or tempura dishes like the signature crab and shrimp, wrapped in rice and seaweed and deep fried. The narrow, two-story corner row house is cozy but not cramped, and the servers are quick and accommodating.
The once gritty area in central Baltimore called Midtown has buoyed in recent years by development efforts led by the University of Baltimore as well as several restaurants and stores catering to the city's burgeoning Korean community. Nam Kang is the oldest and best of the eateries in this area, increasingly called Little Korea (Nak Won, around the corner on 20th Street, is also excellent). Ornate, clean decor greets you, along with a series of complimentary, shared appetizers, including pickled veggies, edamame (soy beans), and kimchi. From there, all of the traditional Korean specialties are on offer, bibimbap, bulgogi, and barbecue—and all are excellent. The noodle soups, like the very spicy seafood-filled samsung jampong, are a sinus-clearing delight. Open late.
Once a boarding house for the brewmasters of National Bohemian Brewery, which was located across the street, Of Love & Regret is Stillwater Artisanal Ales’ new tasting room and restaurant. Its award-winning craft brews are a far cry from Natty Boh’s rather industrial taste. "Gypsy Brewer" Brian Strumke travels the world to create his saison (pale ale), and the restaurant’s seasonally aware menu complements his whereabouts. Think Bavarian hot pretzels with cheese, enormous broiled crab cakes, ancho-chili rubbed burgers, and Carolina BBQ pork belly. The décor is unpretentious, from the hand-built draft tower with custom, plain taps, to the poured concrete floor and tables sourced from a 120 year-old barn.
A favorite of Johns Hopkins students, this low-key restaurant, café, and bar is open morning until night for tasty vegetarian fare. Settle onto a couch or at one of the small tables for a portobello sandwich with caramelized onions and feta cheese, a wild rice and tempeh burger, or One World's version of that Baltimore specialty: a crabless crab cake. Fresh pressed juices, smoothies, espresso drinks, microbrews, and mixed drinks from the full bar fill out the menu.
With great vegetarian food, cocktails, and doors that stay open until 2 am every day but Sunday, it's no surprise that students love the One World Cafe. In summer, take advantage of the café's sidewalk seating.
Blink, and you may think you’re in South Beach: this trendy restaurant has quickly become the city’s most popular, where the suit-and-tie crowd sidles up to the elevated bar or takes a seat on the cushy outdoor terrace. Try the grilled octopus starter, tossed with lemon juice and capers, or the charcoal-grilled whole fish, be it wild sea bass, sole, or snapper.
The ceilings and walls of this funky, colorful diner are plastered with toys and other interesting objects. People come at all hours (it's open 7 am–midnight every day except Tuesday, and until 2 am on the weekend) for the overstuffed omelets, big stacks of pancakes, burgers, nachos, sandwiches and... bacon milkshakes (a must-try). Stop by at midnight on a Friday or Saturday night to nosh on sweet potato fries with hipsters and students from nearby Johns Hopkins University. The servers have a diner attitude—they don't always seem too interested in serving, and the food might take a while—but the place is always lively and entertaining.
The latest creation from Chef/Owners Spike and Amy Gjerde is a real meat market—as in, a butcher shop. Sit at one of the communal dining tables (they also have private dining) and enjoy a family-style meal. At its heart is an open kitchen with an oakwood hearth. The dry-aged flat iron steak is the perfect balance of tender juiciness in a lean cut, served with a tasty shallot and red onion sauce. Salads and grilled vegetables are served at the height of freshness. The chefs commitment to local purveyors is evidenced by the credit they attribute to them on the menu.
Piedigrotta Bakery is ground zero for tiramisu. Owner/pastry chef Carminantonio Iannaccone is credited with inventing the dessert in Italy, and he brought it with him to Baltimore, making residents forever grateful. You will be, too, after one bite of his spongy confection, made with ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese, espresso, and Marsala. Piedigrotta also serves sandwiches, pizza, and fresh loaves of Italian breads—all baked in-house.
Bustling and crowded, this luxuriously dark dining room is just north of Mount Vernon Square and a five-minute drive from the Inner Harbor. The leopard-print carpet and live pianist lend a swanky 1960s feel to a place that seems untouched by time, including the meat-heavy menu of steak-house classics.
A tourist favorite, the Rusty Scupper undoubtedly has the best view along the waterfront; sunset here is magical, with the sun sinking slowly into the harbor as lights twinkle on the city's skyscrapers. The interior is decorated with light wood and windows from floor to ceiling; the house specialty is seafood, particularly the jumbo lump crab cake, but the menu also includes an Angus beef burger, grilled rockfish, and filet mignon. Reservations are essential on Friday and Saturday and for the popular Sunday Jazz brunch.
East of Fells Point is Greektown (20 minutes by car from Inner Harbor hotels), home to Baltimore's Greek population. An informal restaurant, done in clean, classic blue and white, Samos serves excellent Greek fare. Portions are generous, with lamb souvlaki and tender, juicy gyros leading the menu. Be warned: the folks at Samos often take the phone off the hook and stop offering carryout during the lunchtime rush. Samos doesn't offer beer or wine, but you can bring your own.
This hot dog specialist a block from the Fells Point waterfront earns a large share of the lunch and late-night crowds with specialties like the Bmore Dog, with grilled baloney and deli mustard, and the Wild Thing, a Bison dog with blue cheese and diced raw onions. For dessert, the fried Oreo cookies have a certain charm. There's a second location in Federal Hill (at 17 E. Cross St.)
Connected to the Charles Theater, the place for art and indie films in Baltimore, the Tapas Teatro is a popular pre- and post-movie spot. It's often a scene, especially in warm weather, when the glass front is open and tables spill onto the street. Tapas include roasted potatoes, spinach sautéed with crab, and lamb tenderloin. There's also an extensive list of wines by the glass, and if you don't finish them with dinner, you can carry drinks into the Charles. But be careful: it's so much fun to keep sampling that it's easy to run up a hefty bill.
Twenty years ago, Thai chef-owner Kerrigan Kitikul named his hole-in-the-wall dive in tribute to his Irish wife, but the food has always been as authentically Thai as anything you'll find in Baltimore. All entrées on the limited menu are $8.95, from the spot-on Pad Thai to the sizzling-hot Panang with just-barely-steamed vegetables in a perfect red curry. There are a few tables, but the business is mostly carryout. For the quickest service—this is a one-man kitchen—avoid the lunch and dinner rushes.
Like many historic buildings in Fells Point, Thames Street Oyster House has lived several lives, functioning as a brothel, saloon, and gift shop before opening in 2011 as a seafood restaurant. This might be its best incarnation, yet. The raw bar features a mouth-watering array of oysters, caught in regional, Atlantic, and Pacific waters. Also available are mussels, crab claws, scallops, quahogs, and lobster tails. Speaking of lobster, the delectable Maine lobster roll comes stuffed with poached lobster and is served on a buttered hot dog bun. The antique black bar and white-tiled floor impart a classic, yet comfortable vibe. The stained glass windows and exposed brick are original to the building.
Candles light up the whitewashed walls of these cellar dining rooms, where the menu covers all regions of Spain. The staple is paella à la Valenciana (chicken, sausage, shrimp, clams, and mussels with saffron rice); a less-well-known Basque preparation is red snapper with clams, mussels, asparagus, and boiled egg. Make dinner reservations in advance; walk-in weekday lunch seating is usually available.
The Latino enclave just north of Fells Point, called Upper Fells Point, is fast becoming a foodie destination with many low-cost, authentic variations on Mexican and South American cuisine. This tiny but charming hole in the wall—mostly a take-out operation, although the counter space and in-house food presentations are lovely—is the best of the bunch. The homemade corn tortillas are the perfect platform for delectable tacos with fresh fish, pork, chorizo, or tongue. This is also the city's best place for tamales.
Trinacria Foods is an authentic Italian grocery store a few blocks from Lexington Market that sells meat, cheese, fresh-baked bread, pastries, and wine. There's no better sandwich in the area.
Espresso, gelato, cannolis, and other delicious Italian pastries can be found at Vaccaro's, as well as sandwiches and light fare.
Whole Foods has tables and chairs inside and out for eating sandwiches, sushi, and salads.
