What to Eat in Baltimore
The Baltimore dining scene is as varied as any other big city, however, due to its close proximity to the water, visitors tend to gravitate toward the seafood here first. The most popular seafood dish by and far is Maryland crab. This famous crab is the blue crab, which resides in the Chesapeake Bay. The blue crab is such a hot commodity that 50% of the country's supply of blue crab comes from Maryland. If your main foodie mission in Baltimore is to grub down on these tasty crustaceans, make sure to come during the season (April through November) and seek out a restaurant that has True Blue certification, a distinction given to restaurants that use more than 75% of local crabmeat. Since restaurants in Maryland aren't legally required to identify the source of their crabmeat, you could easily walk into a seafood restaurant and end up eating blue crab from the gulf coast, or any crab from anywhere in the world. Popular seafood restaurants with True Blue certification include Gertrude's Chesapeake Kitchen and Phillips Seafood Restaurant.
While crab is certainly a star attraction in Baltimore's dining scene, there's more to the city's foodie landscape than seafood. In order to properly soak up Baltimore's culture as a whole, you'd be remiss not to grub down at one or more of the city's many Black-owned eateries. African Americans make up more than 60% of the city's population and as such, have shaped Baltimore to be what it is today. One of the most lauded Black-owned restaurants in Baltimore is Ida B's Table, which serves modern soul food. There's also Land of Kush, which has been praised by locals for its delectable vegan dishes. Ekiben serves Asian fusion fare and boasts two locations in Baltimore while Union Craft Brewing is a leader in Baltimore's brewery scene. For a cozy cafe experience, schedule a detour for Dovecote Café or Water for Chocolate. For baked goods, hit up Crust by Mack, located in the popular Whitehall Market, which serves everything from cookies to crab pies.
Other standout restaurants in the area include Clavel, a taqueria and mezcaleria that serves top-notch cocktails and makes its tortillas by hand. La Cuchara stands out for serving Basque cuisine (a province in northern Spain) while Woodberry Kitchen will charm those who appreciate farm-to-table fare. The fine dining venue Charleston is known for combining French and low country cuisine cultures together. For a casual setting that doesn't skimp on quality, hit up comfort food haven The Food Market. Wherever you choose to eat, make sure to save dessert for Sacre Sucre, an impressive pastry shop that could easily stand tall next to a proper Parisian patisserie. Or, you could take the easy route and get all of your courses in one go thanks to Baltimore's several food markets, including Broadway Market, Lexington Market (the oldest continually running market in the country) and Mount Vernon Marketplace.
Find the Best Restaurants in Baltimore
- #1
Charleston Restaurant#1 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore
$$ | American1000 Lancaster St, Baltimore, MD 21202-4631Read More » - #2
Di Pasquale's Italian Marketplace & Deli#2 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore
$ - $$ | Italian, Pizza, Sicilian, Southern-Italian3700 Gough St, Baltimore, MD 21224-2539Read More » - #3
The Land of Kush#3 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #4
Joe Benny's Focacceria#4 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #5
Thames Street Oyster House#5 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #6
La Tavola#6 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #7
Koco's Pub#7 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #8
The Capital Grille#8 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #9
Samos Restaurant#9 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #10
SoBo Cafe#10 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #11
Dalesio's of Little Italy Restaurant#11 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #12
Pitango Gelato#12 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #13
The Helmand#13 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #14
Blue Moon Cafe#14 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #15
One-Eyed Mike's#15 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #16
La Scala#16 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #17
Miss Shirley's Cafe, Inner Harbor#17 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #18
Sotto Sopra#18 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #19
Miss Shirley's Cafe, Roland Park#19 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore - #20
Petit Louis Bistro#20 of 2,240 Places to Eat in Baltimore
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