The 2026 Food Issue
Baltimore Beat picks 2026
Baltimore Beat staff spent the summer trying food from around the city to pull together their recommendations for some of the city’s most iconic and classic meals.
The city’s markets
We sent writers out to all five of the city’s remaining public markets to assess the mood, see what’s for sale, and eat some food.
Farm Alliance sows the seeds of urban farming throughout the city
Now in its 15th year, Farm Alliance of Baltimore has 41 member organizations that not only sell produce at local markets but grow a new generation of farmers.
Like so many immigrant stories, the one of Baltimore’s Koreatown can be told through food
After Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965, Korean immigration into Baltimore rose, and Station North became the unofficial K-Town, with many businesses serving Korean immigrants concentrated around this area.
A closer look at stress and success in Baltimore’s restaurant economy
On a chilly Friday night in early fall, we took a peek behind the curtain at The Empanada Lady to understand why Elisa Milan and her team keep clocking into an industry that many consider a field of mounting obstacles at best. What keeps restaurant owners and workers coming back to their culinary path?
In an already unsteady industry, Baltimore’s immigrant restaurant owners and workers are feeling the strain
Creativity, drive, consistency, and hospitality are hallmarks of Baltimore’s restaurant experience, and they’re not just disembodied qualities — they are exemplified by the largely immigrant workforce that leads and staffs the city’s restaurants.
‘Tony’ turns kitchen nightmares into a touching origin story
Is the cure to male loneliness learning to shuck oysters in Cape Cod? This unconventional Anthony Bourdain biopic suggests that it truly might be.
WNADA executive director fired after berating artist on video
“The board felt that it was in the best interest of WNADA to move forward with new leadership,” State Delegate Marlon Amprey told Baltimore Beat.
A life deserves more than a line item: Baltimore Beat launches $5 online obituaries
Publishing an obituary online often costs more than a family expects, and the tribute ends up wrapped in advertising and upsells. A family grieving a death should not have to shop for the least expensive way to say goodbye. The Beat built this option for the people that pricing leaves out.
Get Baltimore Beat straight to your inbox!
News
Baltimore’s small business owners want the city to codify more protections
Unlike residential properties, commercial landlords are not required to provide running water or heat, and when repairs don’t happen, a tenant’s most effective option is court, which can be costly and can take years.
Baltimore Police add 200 Axon license plate cameras as part of $153 million deal
As local leaders embrace expanded automated surveillance, legal experts question the data retention policies and privacy impacts.
After three police killings last summer, Baltimore proposes new city agency for responding to behavioral health emergencies
Much like the police and fire departments dispatches emergency responders, the Department of Neighborhood Safety would rapidly send out social workers and peer specialists to respond to calls for wellness checks, public nuisances, and loitering.
Arts & Culture
Chopping it up
Some hot takes about the city’s dining scene.
La Sonora bridges the worlds of Baltimore’s second generation of Latino immigrants
La Sonora founder Maggie Villegas recognizes the challenge of building an authentically representative Latino collective: the diaspora is vast, encompassing different races, nationalities, histories, and customs. But as the Trump administration continues to terrorize these communities, a shared label can inspire a sense of solidarity.
John Wells wrestles with grief, loss, and the algorithm
On his fifth full-length, the rapper continues his exploration of family and the streets surrounding the city-county line, all while expanding his range to engage with what it means to release music in today’s streaming world.
Baltimore Beat’s pay-what-you-can ads program
We know that algorithms make the internet a less reliable way of publicizing the great work local businesses do. We also know that people here in Baltimore are looking for ways to keep their money in their communities.
We hope this is a way that small businesses can feature themselves in the paper, keeping their services at the front of readers’ minds.
Suggested pricing:
Small businesses: $50 per ad
Medium businesses: $150 per ad
Large businesses: $300 per ad
October 2026 Tarotscopes
Find out what’s in store for you this October with Iya Osundara’s Tarotscope forecast. Take what resonates and leave the rest.
Community Resources
This Baltimore Beat section aims to help the community with resources and support they may not know are…