in response to being asked to mention other restaurants in Baltimore, i offer the following, this is only a partial list of what's good, and the numbers are *not* rankings, just numbers. enjoy!
Alekz's guide to both known and unknown excellent food in Balto:
1. Martick's Restaraunt Francias
Mulburry Street X Park & Howard
it looks like a house, not a restaurant...next to a large
parking lot on the North side of the street. you need to ring
the doorbell to get in. this place used to be a speakeasy
during prohibition, was also Baltimore's first Jazz Club, and
Baltimore's first art gallery, Balto's first gay bar, and
Balto's first "French Restaraunt" (for 22 years). ecclectic
interior, excellent food. dinner entree's from $7-15 (most
expensive is the lobster with asst seafood for ~$17). the pate
is a _must-have_. good wine list. also great mussels.
2. Haussner's Restaruant
Eastern Avenue, Highlandtown
just pretend it's an art gallery with some of the best food in
town. regular menu consists of 30 items, with daily specials to
add another 30 items. everything is good and hearty. take your
appitite, since the portions are large. Entrees from $7-21.
(average $14) mostly German & American fare.
3. New No Da Gi
N. Charles Street @ 25th
Korean, Japenese, & Chinese. good and reasonable... large
portions. entrees from $8-20 (av. ~$12). if you like Sushi,
they feature all-you-can-eat sushi for $19.95. and their Korean
dishes are excellent.
4. The Akbar
N. Charles X Read street
Regional Indian Cuisine in a cozy dining room, fantastic
service, great food and good prices. (again $7-16). a friend's
mother (who used to live in India) once proclaimed that it was
the best Indian food she had since leaving India.
5. The Helmand
N. Charles X Read and Chase (??)
i haven't eaten here yet, but i've heard Great things.
6. Cafe Tattoo
4825 Belair Road
the best b-b-q ribs in town! fantastic beer selection (around
100 imports from the world-over to chose from). a small family-
run restaraunt, bar and tattoo parlor (upstairs) that hosts live
music...don't forget to order their amazing peanut-butter pie.
as far as food goes they just have the ribs (3 styles) and b-b-q
chicken and some sides... (they also have steamed shrimp, but
they've always been overcooked, so i *don't* recommend them)
7. Bandeloops
South Charles Street (X Cross Street)
unique fare that is tasty-even if it's decadent. not for those
counting calories or fat. i've been disappointed by their
entree's in the past, but their appitizers, soups and salads can
create an entire meal, and great. esp. recommended are: French
Onion Soup, Artichoke&Crab dip, "Kudra's Fries", spinach salad..
apps: $3-7 soups: $3-4 salads: $4-7 entrees: $7-20
8. No Way Jose Cafe
Cross Street Market area
the closest to decent Mexican food that Balto has to offer.
very tasty Southwest-Mex. entrees from $7-15. nice, friendly
atmosphere.
9. Sisson's
Cross Street Market area
tasty food / variety... great home-brewed beer. entrees are
around $10-20.
10. Donna's (coffee shop)
N. Charles @ Madison St.
some of the best coffee in town and very fresh and tasty soups,
salads, and sandwiches. i think they offer a daily pasta as
well. Everything tastes very healthy and good, with fresh
herbs, and fresh baked breads. Open late, and inexpensive. a
large bowl of soups is ~$3.50 and a delicious salad or sandwich
is around $5.
11. Thai Landing
N. Charles X Preston & Biddle
The best Thai restaurant in Baltimore... very tasty and fresh,
this restaurant features "homestyle" Thai cooking. The owners
run an international grocery by the famous Lexington Market.
Esp. recommended are their selection of appetizers and soups.
Entree's range from $7-14. When they mark food as spicey on the
menu, they mean it...even watch out for the "mild" ones if you
own a delicate tongue.
12. The Morning Edition Cafe
Patterson Park & Fayette Streets
delicious and nutritious! open for both breakfast/lunch and
dinner some days. (B/L Fri & Sat. Sunday Brunch. Dinner: Thur,
Fri, & Sat). Sunday Brunch is expensive, but good, but you can
get almost the same fare (excluding a few brunch favorites) on Fri
or Sat for almost 1/2 the price. The best omlettes ever with
around 15 varieties to chose from, or you can always create your
own... excellent french toast and pancakes. Their signature lunch
sandwiches are show stoppers, and their Spinach Lasagne can't be
beat! once i had a Scallops in a Raspberry Creme sauce served
over Spinach for dinner, and i thought i had died and gone to
heaven!!! reg. B/L ranges from $4-10 (depending on your
extravagance) Sunday Brunch from $7-20 (ditto) and dinner entrees
from $6-16. warning: dinner service tends to be slow. in fact,
most service (although friendly) is slow. not a place to eat in
a hurry. but the dining room is charming and relaxing.
alekzBaltimore, MD
Baltimore Restaurants
Someone wrote: > > ANYBODY HAVE A FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN OR AROUND BALTIMORE MARYLAND THAT I > > SHOULD TRY? YOUR REPLIES ARE APPRECIATED. LISA D. Hello, Lisa, Baltimore is a fun place! The bookstore cafe mentioned in someone else's post is on Charles Street. (I keep forgetting the name.) There's a little strip there with lots of fun stores & restaurants. At Fell's Point YOU MUST TRY Bertha's. This is a great place. You'll see lots of cars with bumper stickers that say "Eat Bertha's Mussels". Don't eat at Harbor Place - it's just a big touristy place. Fell's Point is very close by - it has real "Ballimer" food. There's a funky fun texmex place called Menchen's Cultured Pearl. Not grande cuisine but good and fun. I really love Baltimore (I live in the Virginia suburbs of DC) and hope you do too! Diane B.
The bookstore cafe is called Louie's, it is pretty reliable, though service can be a bit selective. Actually, after living in Bmore for four years, we finally tried Bertha's, and I thought it was really awful. But then, I'd rather take a bushel of crabs home than eat 'em in a crab house. I would second the notion that you should not eat in HarborPlace. Near Louie's, up on Charles Street, there are a couple of other places worth eating in--a Japanese place called Kawasaki, and then further up, an Indian place called Bombay Grill. There's a fancy Italian place up there too called The Brass Elephant, which is only so-so, not really worth the money. There are two alleged "fusion" restaurants in town, JaFe and the Orchid, avoid them both as neither really tries to blend Asian and French cooking, they just have two menus. There's a sandwich place/deli called Henry & Jeff's at Charles and Preston that's pretty good for a light bite, esp. if you are going to the Symphony. There are probably some new places on Charles and down near Camden Yards that have opened since we moved in 1991, anybody notice any worth noting?
Here are some of my favorites: Sisson's - Light and Cross streets in South Baltimore; micro-brewery with out-of-this-world seafood; emphasis on cajun cuisine, but not exclusively Regi's - on Charles St. in South Baltimore - eclectic Hilton - the restaurant on the top floor of the Hilton hotel in the Inner Harbor; incredible view and really great food, especially the crab cakes There's a great Indian restaurant on Charles in South Baltimore, but I can't remember the name. Bertha's - someone else mentioned this, but I will add a warning: don't get anything other than mussels; they really don't do very well with anything else. But I will add to that that I am not a great mussel fan but I LOVE Berth's mussels! Enjoy!
carolyn S. wrote: > >There's a great Indian restaurant on Charles in South Baltimore, but I >can't remember the name. You probably are referring to Banjara's (or is it Banjaro's, I forget). If so, I agree it's a wonderful place. >Bertha's - someone else mentioned this, but I will add a warning: don't get >anything other than mussels; they really don't do very well with anything >else. But I will add to that that I am not a great mussel fan but I LOVE >Berth's mussels! Since Bertha's is my neighborhood bar and we don't need too many tourists coming in :-) , I probably shouldn't argue with you, but... There are other good things at Bertha's besides the mussels. The bar menu has wonderful fish cakes, Scotch eggs, shepherd's pie and steamed shrimp. On the restaurant menu, the crab cakes are very good, the burgers are good, the paella is great, the chef's salad is monstrous (two people could share one for an entire meal). They have fresh fish everyday which is also usually good. Much of the seafood stuff on the menu is very rich, though, too much so for me except occassionally. And stay away from the steaks. The cook doesn't seem to understand how to cook them. Hal Laurent Baltimore Maryland [email removed]
For Italian food ... Sabatino's in Little Italy
Eat Bertha's Mussells. Bertha's is my favorite Baltimore eatery. It's in Fells Point and has good food (mussells etc) nice people and atmosphere.
Gunning's Crab House in Brooklyn area is alot of fun. Joe D. .
Regarding restaurants in the vicinity of the Peabody: - you might want to try the Helmand, which is on Charles, and Afghan restaurant. It's very good food, at reasonable prices, with a nice atmosphere. - Regarding Donna's, mentioned in someone else's reply: there are 2 parts to Donna's. One is a very casual cafe. The other is a nicer restaurant with very good food, based on Italian principles of cuisine. - As for Indian, there are 3 within a couple of blocks. A newer one, Mughal Gardens, hasn't been mentioned yet. Enjoy!
barbara D. wrote:
>Help! I need recommendations for good reaturants in Baltimore. My
If they're somewhat adventurous - Lista's in Fells Point. They call themselves "New Mexican" but they're actually Mexican. Excellent food, though, reasonably priced, and a beautiful location on the water. The adventurous part is for the crowd, not the food - it tends to get a little lively there (and all over Fells Point) late at night.
While I'm on the Baltimore food topic, there's also Sisson's, just off Light Street (can't remember the cross street), not too far from Inner Harbour. A very nice, very popular brew pub with great Creole-accented food.
There. THat about sums up my Baltimore dining experience!
-Peter PulsiferSomeone wrote: >If they're somewhat adventurous - Lista's in Fells Point. They call themselves >"New Mexican" but they're actually Mexican. Excellent food, though, reasonably >priced, and a beautiful location on the water. The adventurous part is for >the crowd, not the food - it tends to get a little lively there (and all over >Fells Point) late at night. Careful with Lista's, their performance can be spotty. When they're good, they're very good, but if you hit them on a bad night it's another story. It is a gorgeous place, though, in a beautiful location. You might want to avoid going on Friday or Saturday night when all of the obnoxious college kids show up in Fells Point. >While I'm on the Baltimore food topic, there's also Sisson's, just off Light >Street (can't remember the cross street), not too far from Inner Harbour. >A very nice, very popular brew pub with great Creole-accented food. I second the recommendation for Sisson's. Also, someone else mentioned Mughal Gardens (I had forgotten about them). I second that recommendation also.
Peter P. wrote: >barbara D. wrote: >>Help! I need recommendations for good reaturants in Baltimore. My > <snip> > >While I'm on the Baltimore food topic, there's also Sisson's, just off Light >Street (can't remember the cross street), not too far from Inner Harbour. ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ Ironically, the cross street is Cross St.! (right by the Cross St. Market) Also, note that Sisson's is also a microbrewery, if you are a beer/ale fan.
>Any ideas? Thanks. Icarus is a great Greek restaurant, but I forget the address. It's not too far beyond Fells Point, though. In Little Italy, Sabatino's is famous for it's basic, moderately priced Italian fare. DaLesio's is more upscale and features a nouveau cousine Italian menu (portions are too small for the price in my opinion, but the food is great). Definitely save room for dessert at Vaccaro's, a coffee and dessert cafe nearby, which has the best desserts in Little Italy. If you want to stay near the Peabody, the Walter's Art Gallery (which is right across the street) has a beautiful dining room in the new Hackerman House and has a good eclectic American menu. A lot of B-more big wigs like to go here. I'm not sure how late they're open, though. If you like sushi, Shogun, which is a few blocks away from the Peabody in the direction of the Inner Harbor has great sushi. I would also recommend coffee and dessert at Louis' Book Store Cafe, which is right next to the Walter's. It's a fun place to hang out after a concert or dinner somewhere else. It has a lively crowd and live music (usually by students of the Peabody). If anything else comes to me, I'll post it. I went to Johns Hopkins a few years ago (which merged with the Peabody) and still like to take day trips to Baltimore from time to time. --Paul
Thompson's is closed. Obryki's on Pratt street is still going strong. Ruth Chris at Market Place is great for steaks. Fisherman's Wharf on President Street has greas fresh seafood and there is always Little Italy. It is overpriced but ok. All that I've mentioned are within walking distance of the Inner Harbor.
This is my review of Sfruzzi. Sfuzzi 100 E Pratt Street, Baltimore. 410 576 8500. Mar 95 Sfuzzi calls itself an Italian bistro and occupies a prime site overlooking the modern inner harbor area in the centre of Baltimore. It has a high ceiling with Italianate faded mosaics mottled on bare brick walls. Despite being full at lunchtime we only had a short wait, well worth it as the place exuded a good buzz and was a haven from torrential rain. Bread came as a soft dryish thyme and herb roll that was designed to dip into the olive oil with pesto accompaniment. We started with warm aubergine topped with melted mozzarella and served with tomatoes, pesto and olive oil. Field mushrooms with roast onion and asparagus were also excellent. Spaghetti with scallops, prawns and squid in a chili and tomato sauce was clear cut and fresh tasting as was a salad of spinach and tomato with red pesto vinegarette topped with sliced chicken breast cooked in a breadcrumb and herb crust. Tiramisu that was made with chocolate rather than coffee, plus fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries were fine. Wine, from yet another list with nothing below $20 or so, was a strawberry style Pinot Noir "Garnet" from Saintsbury, California. With service $77. Pleasant food to compliment a good atmosphere. We returned for lunch a few days later where three of us enjoyed 2 courses each, one dessert, coffee and a round of drinks for $65. There is a lot to be said for avoiding wine in the USA. Graham