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The 100 Best Places to Eat in Baltimore

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The best places to eat in Baltimore, according to the experts: AAA, James Beard Awards, and Wine Enthusiast have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Charleston comes out on top.

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La Cuchara and Little Donna's hold the next two places. Baltimore Magazine shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with AAA next.

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Departments

  1. Rank 1. Charleston

    Lowcountry


    Address
    1000 Lancaster St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Tuesday 5:30 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  2. Address
    3600 Clipper Mill Rd, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  3. Address
    1812 Bank St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  4. Plants climb the walls beside murals of a fish and a rooster at this Venezuelan restaurant in Station North, where Latin music keeps the room from taking itself too seriously. The chef plates things like Caribbean scallops and stuffed arepas with a careful hand, and much of the menu skews gluten-free with strong vegan options. A James Beard semifinalist spot that Baltimore Magazine has landed on its best restaurants list.





  5. Address
    801 S Ann St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–11:30 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  6. Address
    1622 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–3:30 PM, 4:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  7. Fried oyster deviled eggs and a lobster corndog share menu space with whole grilled branzino and oxtail lasagna, which tells you everything about what chef Jasmine Norton is going for here. This casual-to-dressy neighborhood restaurant in Hampden has aquamarine walls hung with pop art prints and a hand-woven rope tapestry, a room that takes itself just seriously enough. A James Beard semifinalist and one of Eater's essential Baltimore spots.


  8. Rank 12. Ammoora

    Syrian

    Syrian home cooking, not the takeout shorthand version, is the whole point at this elegant sit-down restaurant tucked into a condo complex on Key Highway. The chef grew up in Syria and cooks accordingly, which means dishes built on layers of sweet, sour, warm spice, and brightness that most menus flatten into one note. The New York Times put it on their Restaurant List in 2024, and the room earns the attention.


  9. Rank 12. Café Dear Leon

    Japanese Deli


    Address
    2929 O'Donnell St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 6 AM

    Tuesday 6 AM–3 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  10. Rank 12. Costiera

    Mediterranean

    The crudos come dressed with things like dill yogurt and salsa verde, which tells you this isn't a standard Italian-American red-sauce room. Costiera is a Mediterranean-leaning dinner spot in Baltimore drawing from mid-Atlantic seafood and pasta in about equal measure. The menu moves between bright and heavy depending on your mood, and the kitchen seems genuinely interested in the combinations rather than just the credentials.



  11. A worker-owned cooperative in Mt. Vernon where refugees cook from their own culinary traditions, Mera Kitchen Collective serves Middle Eastern, African, and Latin food in a bright, casual room with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. It started as pop-ups before finding a permanent home, and the menu still has that improvisational spirit. A local mural covers the outdoor dining wall, which is either charming or on the nose, depending on your tolerance for intentional cheerfulness.


    Address
    1301 N Calvert St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 9 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  12. Rank 12. NiHao

    Contemporary Chinese

    The Peking duck arrives whole or halved, which is the kind of choice that quietly tells you what sort of restaurant NiHao is. A contemporary Chinese spot in Canton, it draws from Sichuan traditions and dim sum alongside more ambitious plates, with a menu wide enough that vegetarians and serious heat-seekers end up equally occupied. A James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, it landed national attention fast and has held the room ever since.


    Address
    2322 Boston St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  13. Rank 12. True Chesapeake

    Oyster-Centric Seafood

    The oysters on the menu come from the owner's family farm down in St. Mary's County, which gives this Whitehall Mill seafood restaurant a kind of built-in honesty you can taste. The kitchen leans Chesapeake, running roasted oysters, crab dip mac and cheese, and miso-glazed snakehead alongside the classics. Happy hour draws a crowd for good reason, with roasted oysters finished in butter, Parm, and Old Bay going for next to nothing.


    Address
    3300 Clipper Mill Rd, Unit 400, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–11 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  14. Address
    801 E Fort Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–3:30 PM, 4:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  15. Address
    4800 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  16. The cobblestoned streets of Fells Point lead you to this seafood restaurant and raw bar, where local oysters share the menu with a lobster roll on a warm, buttered bun. The vibe skews more New England than Chesapeake, though the orange crush keeps it honest. Waits are part of the deal, so ask about the back patio and let the neighborhood do its thing while you hold out.


    Address
    1728 Thames St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 4:30 PM–9:30 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  17. New York-style pies with a slightly puffed, almost Neapolitan edge are the calling card at this pizzeria in Baltimore's Little Italy. The dough is made by hand, the ingredients skew Italian, and the menu rounds out with salads and baked fillings. The family behind it rebuilt after Katrina, which perhaps explains why the place feels like it has something to prove. Ranked 44th on 50 Top Pizza USA.


  18. Rank 23. CookHouse

    American

    Marble bar, exposed brick, and blue velvet banquettes make this Bolton Hill neighborhood restaurant look as good as the brownstones outside. The menu swings from Caesar steak tartare to crispy pork knuckle with beer gravy, and a wagyu brisket-chuck burger with smoked tomato-bacon jam has earned its own following. Tamarind-lime daiquiris help with the decision-making. Baltimore Magazine named it one of the city's top restaurants for 2026.



  19. Address
    4341 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  20. Rank 26. Cinghiale

    Italian


    Address
    822 Lancaster St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Tuesday 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  21. Rank 26. The Duchess

    Filipino

    Wood-paneled walls, beers on tap, a game on the TV, and then the menu arrives and reminds you that the chef grew up in the Pacific Rim. The Duchess reads like a neighborhood pub but cooks like something else entirely. The shrimp and corn patties, crisp and spiced with Chamorro chile paste, landed on the New York Times list of best dishes eaten across the country in 2025. Wear whatever you'd wear to a bar.


  22. Rank 26. The Prime Rib

    Steakhouse


    Address
    1101 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  23. Rank 26. The Wren

    European

    A chalkboard menu that changes daily, just 20 bar stools, and a kitchen running on two induction burners and a small convection oven: The Wren looks like every other dim, welcoming Fells Point tavern, and that's precisely the cover it's working. The pub food, though, is meticulous seasonal cooking. The New York Times put it on their Restaurant List, and Bon Appétit named it one of America's Best New Restaurants. Come for the draft beers; stay through the beef-and-ale pie.


    Address
    1712 Aliceanna St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10:30 PM

    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  24. Address
    119 N Paca St Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closes soon, 5 PM, in 59 min

    Tuesday 10 AM–5 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  25. The dining room sits inside a former brewery boiler room, and the living green wall that covers one end of it is a genuine conversation-stopper. Gunther & Co. is a modern New American restaurant in Brewers Hill where globally influenced cooking, think Thai-leaning hot pots alongside locally dry-aged burgers, lands at prices that don't require a second mortgage. The duck confit spring rolls have been on the menu since day one, which tells you something.


    Address
    3650 Toone St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9:30 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  26. Address
    1843-45 Light St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9:30 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  27. Rank 31. Magdalena

    Seafood


    Address
    205 E Biddle St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  28. Rank 31. Peter's Inn

    Mediterranean


  29. Baked baby pumpkin with yogurt has been landing on tables at this Afghan restaurant in Mount Vernon for what feels like forever, and the room fills with people who know exactly what they're ordering before they sit down. Come with a crowd and ask for family style; the staff takes over from there, spreading large portions across the table until there's no room left to second-guess yourself.


    Address
    806 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website

  30. Address
    720 Mapleton Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 9 PM

    Tuesday 10:30 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  31. A neighborhood sushi spot tucked into Mt. Washington's merchant village, Chiyo draws locals away from the more obvious downtown options with straightforward nigiri and sashimi alongside a few playful additions, banana tempura ice cream among them. The room runs across two levels now, with a downstairs bar and a quieter dining room below. It's the kind of place regulars have strong opinions about, and those opinions are broadly favorable.


    Address
    1619 Sulgrave Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  32. The two-story dining room pulls off a plausible New Orleans impression without leaving Baltimore, which is the whole point. This Cajun and Creole restaurant runs on the late Paul Prudhomme's influence, and the kitchen leans into Maryland pantry staples to keep the gumbo and jambalaya from feeling like a costume. The Sazerac, New Orleans' official cocktail, is on the menu, and ordering one is the correct move.


    Address
    1615 Sulgrave Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  33. Address
    701 S Bond St Fell's Point, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  34. Rank 38. Preserve

    American

    A small Annapolis dining room built around pickling and fermentation, which sounds like a thesis until the food arrives. The roast chicken is beautifully bronzed, the steak-frites comes with kimchi-beef jus, and the crab salad on hash browns is the kind of thing that makes you forgive everyone their restaurant concepts. The bar earns equal attention. A Washingtonian top-100 pick.



  35. Address
    2901 O'Donnell St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  36. Address
    1923 Ashland Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 9 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  37. Rank 43. Peter Chang

    Creative Chinese


    Address
    6000 Merriweather Dr, Ste B175, Columbia, MD · Columbia
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–3 PM, 4:30 PM–9:30 PM

    Online
    Website



  38. Address
    2223 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 7 AM

    Tuesday 7 AM–2 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  39. Rank 49. Ramen Utsuke

    Kyushu-style Ramen Shop


    Address
    414 Light St, Unit 103, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5 PM–8:30 PM

    Online
    Website

  40. Address
    1201 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, MD · Cockeysville
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 4 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
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  47. Rank 52. Papi Cuisine

    Latin American

    The awards


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  52. Address
    1627 Thames St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 6 PM

    Tuesday 10 AM–6 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  53. Rank 67. Benny's

    Italian

    The awards


  54. Rank 67. Blue Moon Cafe

    American Coffee Shop

    The awards


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  61. Rank 75. Ananda

    Modern Indian

    The awards


    Address
    7421 Maple Lawn Blvd, Fulton, MD · Fulton
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  62. Skate-punk graphics on the walls, pinball and Skee-Ball in the back, and a Neapolitan pizza menu with a rotating cast of weekly specials: this is the kind of pizza pub that spawned a small neighborhood empire and still feels like the original reason the other places exist. Vegan options run deep, the drink list stays local, and the room lands somewhere between dive bar and pizza parlor, which is exactly what Upper Fells Point asked for.


    Address
    2108 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until midnight

    Tuesday 4 PM–Midnight

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  63. The awards


    Address
    25 Crossroads Dr, Owings Mills, MD · Owings Mills
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  64. The awards


    Address
    2933 O'Donnell St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 4:30 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  65. Rank 75. Peerce's

    Modern Indian

    The awards


    Address
    12460 Dulaney Valley Rd, Phoenix, MD · Phoenix
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  66. The awards


    Address
    11 Allegheny Ave, Towson, MD · Towson
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  67. A row home cafe tucked into Federal Hill past the point where the bar crawl runs out of steam. The owners run it with the kind of warmth that makes regulars feel like houseguests and new grads bring their parents here to look like they know the city. The menu covers a lot of dietary ground, and the parklet out front fills up fast at happy hour. Comfortable, neighborhood, and very much a known quantity to anyone who lives nearby.


    Address
    6 W Cross St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 7:30 AM–3 PM, 11 AM–3 PM, 4 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  68. The awards


    Address
    1012 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until midnight

    Tuesday Noon–2:30 PM, 4 PM–Midnight

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  69. Rank 75. Thai Street

    Street Thai Food Truck


    Address
    1640 Aliceanna St, Unit 11, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 9:45 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9:45 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  70. Rank 75. The Corner Pantry

    British Café


    Address
    6080 Falls Rd, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 7 AM

    Tuesday 7 AM–4 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  71. Address
    906 S Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–3 PM, 4:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  72. Address
    14833 York Rd, Sparks Glencoe, MD · Sparks Glencoe
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  73. Address
    4301 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 4:30 PM

    Tuesday 4:30 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  74. Address
    3360 Chestnut Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–11 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  75. Address
    1733 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD · Baltimore
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday Noon–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

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Eat Score

The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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      Stay Score

      Four fifths of the score is the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin Key outweighs a listicle. The last fifth is where it is: the ranked places to eat and things to do around it, and how safe the country is. When you sort by what's nearby, distance from you changes the order, never the score.

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        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

          How we score →

          Best Place Score

          The Best Place Score rates the area around a point, not any one place. The places are 60% of it: the best of what's within reach, weighed by distance. The setting is the other 40%: how life goes in that country (how people rate their own lives, how long and how well they live, how safe they are) and what it's like right there (the air, and the weather). If the score looks low, we probably haven't found enough critics out here yet.