Best Restaurant
The Urban Oyster
Chef Jasmine Norton opened the country’s first Black- and woman-owned oyster bar in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, and it drew both local and national attention — so much so that Norton was named a James Beard semifinalist, one of the most prestigious dining awards, for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
The Urban Oyster offers an elegant atmosphere, quality service, a fresh raw bar, and palate-pleasing menu items like the crispy red snapper nuggets, indulgent crab and corn soup, garlic-buttered lobster roll, and, of course, the city’s best chargrilled oysters. But seafood is not the only showstopping option here. Get the short rib pappardelle, the vegetarian garden risotto, or steak frites for something comforting and full-flavored.
Best Bar
Mama Koko’s
As quiet as it’s kept, Baltimore’s bar scene is innovative, interesting, and diverse, and Mama Koko’s has been the perfect addition to the culture. Honoring the global African diaspora through food, art, music, and hospitality, it’s a space that I think everyone should experience to really capture the essence of what their team has curated.
Their bar program is competitive with some of the region’s top places, with cocktails like the Fashion Killa, a peach + pistachio play on a French 75, or the Ghost Ride, a clarified Hennessy and whiskey cocktail. Mama Koko’s is a place where you can get up and dance to all kinds of Black music, connect with a friend, or sit solo at the bar and watch their bartenders craft imaginative drinks.
Best Date Night
Yeiboh Kitchen
You are sure to fall in love during an evening at Yeiboh Kitchen. Cozy up over a two-top here with your partner/crush/spouse and immerse yourself in the ideal date night atmosphere: intimate space, smooth R&B playlist, dim lights, and food and cocktails that look just as good as you do. Their menu is Southern-inspired with Asian influence, so I recommend ordering any of their fried rice dishes, especially the shredded oxtail fried rice or the crab & shrimp fried rice. The surf & turf with fried lobster tail, lamb chops, and mac & cheese is beautiful and unforgettable, as every date night should be.
Best Happy Hour
29th Street Tavern
29th Street Tavern in Remington is a casual neighborhood bar that checks all of the boxes for a great happy hour, with affordable drinks, food specials, and an atmosphere that allows guests to unwind. Sip a $2.50 beer or $4.50 rail drink under stained glass lamps and multiple TV screens, which are usually showing an Orioles or Ravens game depending on the season. Their $9 weekly food specials like burgers and veggie burgers on Monday, one pound of wings on Tuesdays, and cheesesteaks and chicken cheesesteaks on Wednesdays are a generous portion for their price these days, and the food here is absolutely delicious! Happy Hour at 29th Street Tavern is Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Best Foodie
@raethefoodie
From enormous fish sandwiches to Baltimore yak to all things jumbo lump crab, Baltimore’s food culture is consistently going viral on social media, attracting curious diners from all over the world. While there are numerous foodies in town driving that culture, Baltimore native Raven Hart, better known as @raethefoodie on Instagram and TikTok, prioritizes reviewing the city’s food staples, helping us discover the best chicken boxes, Chinese food, cheesesteaks, and seafood in the area. Her content is food-focused with honest and engaging voiceovers on the places she tries. Followers also get a taste of Hart’s life in Baltimore as a personal chef and glimpses of her fashion moments around town and abroad.
The Restaurant That Feels Like Home
Rooted Rotisserie
It’s almost spiritual the way husband and wife Joe and Amanda Burton capture warmth, comfort, and exceptional dining at their restaurant Rooted Rotisserie.
The walls, adorned with photos of their family tree, paintings from local artists, and vintage photos of Baltimoreans from photographer I. Henry Phillips’ collection, share a story of Baltimore’s beauty and set a welcoming atmosphere.
Try the tender pepper steak and saffron rice, topped with charred peppers and onions that are just as stunning as they are delectable. Or, consider the duck confit gumbo with its juicy, savory duck leg that would convert any skeptic to loving this poultry and a deep, soulful stew served with perfectly fried okra.
Oh, and they are in the running for the city’s best crab dip, packed with lots of lump crab meat. The menu is curated seasonally by Chef Joe Burton himself, inspired by his global travels and life experiences.
Highly recommend making a reservation as soon as you can.
Best Reason to Wait In Line
The Gift’s fish sandwich
The Gift spent nearly twenty years as a quiet, reliable neighborhood carryout on Harford Road until TikTok got hold of their fried fish sandwich. Now it’s turned the place into a pilgrimage site. The lines can coil around the block in every direction, with wait times that have hit two, three, even five hours. If you’re not ready to devote an entire Saturday to a $9 sandwich, this is not your religion.
But the faithful will tell you it’s worth it. The Whiting Fish Sandwich — stacked with cheese, tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, onions, and hots — is at the same time nostalgic for some customers while being a completely new experience for newcomers to the fish-between-bun bite. In a year of lines, this was the one Baltimore happily stood in.
Best Place to Cry
The Wyman Park Dell
Yes, it’s outside, and yes, there’s always a chance you’ll run into someone you know (we are still in Baltimore, after all). But the beauty of the Dell is our collective ability to use the space as both a community and an individual — you’re able to get the privacy you need without feeling totally alone. The lush greenery of the spring and summer transitions to postcard-esque foliage come fall, beset by the occasional arrival of goats that munch on overgrown vegetation. And even in the winter, the Dell’s outer ring of naked trees provides a sense of solace, shielding all of the park’s visitors from the prying eyes of passersby.
Best Live Music
Cat’s Eye
This year marked the 50th anniversary of this iconic Fells Point bar, established in 1975. Located right across the harbor on Thames Street, it’s open 365 days a year and has a live band playing about 99.9% of the time. It’s a family affair, with Anthony Cushing Jr. now at the helm with his mother, Ana Marie, after the passing of Anthony Sr. The live music here ranges the gambit from bands who perform classic blues to punk rock and anything in between (with a list of programming available on their website). With the front of the bar hosting a stage with a dedicated area for dancing, it’s a place where people come to get lost in the music. In true rowhome fashion, the bar is also a labyrinth, running deep into the back, opening up to a second bar before revealing a pretty decent-sized outdoor patio. You can hear the music before you even walk in.
Best Dessert
Cajou Creamery
In a city with so many great local ice cream shops, it’s hard to pick a favorite. This year, Cajou Creamery takes the award. They make vegan ice cream so good you can’t tell it’s got no dairy — the texture is lush, the flavors are bold, and there’s not a hint of the chalky afterthought that plagues so many alternative ice cream scoops.
Their globally inspired flavors (think horchata, Mexican cacao, sweet potato pie) show a level of craft that makes them winners in our books. Everything is made from scratch and their summer flavor featuring the soursop, a fruit native to tropical countries, will take you straight to the beach, making it the best dessert, period.
Best Programming
Peabody Heights Brewery
Awww, it’s good to see you! Are you here for pinball or Butch Garden or Afroman or CAT Fest or Baltimore Record Bazaar or Landis Harry Larry or Plant Swap or Jo’s farewell or Charm City Stomp or Celebrated Summer’s punk rock movie or Brewbit or Baltimoratory or Science Gong Show or Tyler’s birthday or Baltimore Book Festival or the Dugout or Chess Club or Charm City Karaoke or Cinematic Suds or Hot Sauce Festival or Dog Halloween or Bmore Flea or GameFace or Drag Brunch or DSA Armwrestling or Puttermore or Pride Market or Trivia Night or Krampuslauf or Hinenu or Mae’s tranniversary or Opening Day? OMFG ME TOO!
Best Place For a Sober Moshpit
The Undercroft
Tucked inside a church basement in Remington, The Undercroft is Baltimore’s go-to DIY venue where people can let loose and mosh to live music — all without drugs or alcohol. The organization is part of a growing network of sober spaces in Baltimore, and it’s hosted shows since 2017. It has helped fill the shoes of the beloved Charm City Art Space, which shuttered two years prior.
A small set of stairs ushers as many as 100 concert-goers into the venue, marked by a chalkboard bearing its name and a bright red door. Inside, people of all ages can enjoy a night of music without the intoxication that’s come to be associated with the city’s music scene.
Whether you’re into punk, electronic, or any other genre of music, The Undercroft is meant to be a welcoming — and loud — home for everyone.
For the Good Days and the Bad
Charles Village Pub
Whether you’re celebrating two friends getting married or lamenting the Orioles or commiserating with your coworkers, Charles Village Pub is the place to do it. Some of our favorite bar conversations, ranging from how trees in Australia pollinate to a crazy (and divisive) March Madness win to the validity of fruit in salads, have been over a heavy pour of wine or whiskey. Or you can hunker down with a beer, some fries, and a crossword. It’s our favorite place to run into a friend or two.
Exciting Development
The Mill on North
West Baltimore waited years, and for once, the payoff actually delivered. The Mill on North — the neighborhood’s first food hall — finally opened at Walbrook Mill. The development transformed a long-underinvested stretch of North Avenue into a 7,800-square-foot gathering spot with seven local vendors: D&B Deli, 3 Chefs’ Caribbean brunch, Dream Street Cuisine’s seafood, Double Stack Burger, Next Phaze Cafe, and Krazy Sweet Desserts, with Cocktails at the Mill holding down the bar.
This food hall is built for West Baltimore by West Baltimore — every single vendor has roots in the community, and the space features a vibrant mural by self-taught Baltimore artist Reginald Lewis. Backed by Coppin Heights CDC, Osprey Property Co., and Neighborhood Housing Services, the project took nearly four years.
As D&B Deli co-founder Tony Randall put it best: this isn’t just a food hall, it’s a chance to “improve the economic state of the community” and be a gathering space for everyone in the area, including nearby Coppin State students.
The Donut of the Heart
Woodlea Bakery
Although we live in a world where the real estate company that drove all the 24/7 shops out of business doesn’t even nominally claim “donuts” anymore, you and I do not have to suffer. Sure it can be a hike, but it’s worthwhile to wake up early on a weekend and whisk yourself up to Woodlea Bakery — and not simply for the sake of nostalgia for an age that never quite existed, but to get a taste of what it’s like when we respect ourselves more. Pick me up a half dozen glazed raised and an apple fritter?
Best Anti-Atlas
Café Dear Leon’s growing empire
In a year when a certain restaurant group recently announced a private, members-only club with a $1,500 initiation fee and a recurring monthly fee (the first 100 founding members can lock in at $500) — Café Dear Leon reminds Baltimore what local hospitality looks like. The viral Canton bakery, which draws lines every day they’re open, expanded into Remington this year, adding a third location to their portfolio (they also operate Love, Pomelo in Canton in the former rowhome space next to their first bakery). Café Dear Leon first started in July 2020 with three Korean American chefs: Min Kim, Cheolsoo “Charles,” and Sungae “Sunny” Lee who trained at the Culinary Institute of America hoping to bring an elevated, people-first cafe experience Baltimore deserves.
Here’s a detail that says everything: Café Dear Leon doesn’t prompt a digital tip. They pay their team fairly and believe counter-service work shouldn’t guilt customers into subsidizing wages — a stance that feels almost radical in the food and beverage industry.
Best Transformation of a Building
Doppio Pasticceria
Longtime Remington residents have long bemoaned the loss of the 29th Street Pizza Boli’s, which closed its doors in 2018. After a short-lived run as The Cahoots Brothers clothing store, the old Boli’s space now feels (dare we say) light and airy in its new iteration as Doppio Pasticceria. Picturesque pastries and classic Italian dishes are now served up alongside Baltimore’s own Sophomore coffee and other specialty drinks in the bite-sized eatery. And talk about Instagram-worthy — the freshly-reinvented space boasts colorful tiling, modern light fixtures, and a downright adorable mini-mural of the Arancini Boys.
Best Reason to Watch Reality TV
Chef Cat on Hell’s Kitchen
Baltimore native Catina Smith, also known as Chef Cat, has become one of the city’s most compelling culinary voices, blending elevated comfort food with Asian and Caribbean influences and the unmistakable flavor of home. With more than two decades in professional kitchens, she has earned a reputation not only for bold, soulful cooking but for the way she expands what is possible for others. As co-founder of Our Time Kitchen, she is reshaping the landscape by creating space for Black women chefs and emerging food entrepreneurs to grow, experiment, and step into the spotlight. Her work there is as intentional as her food, offering community, mentorship, and opportunity in equal measure. This year she carried that same spirit to the national stage on Season 24 of Hell’s Kitchen, bringing Baltimore’s grit and heart into Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen. Chef Cat is not just rising; she is redefining who rises with her.
A City Specialty
Baltimore Yak
These days, it’s common to see lines pouring out of local Chinese carryouts in the Park Heights neighborhood or on Pennsylvania Avenue, with folks from all over the country looking to try one of the city’s most famous noodle dishes. Baltimore yak, also known as yakamein or “dirty yak,” has been around for generations, but the dish has recently been making waves on social media since traveling food influencers began visiting Baltimore to try and review it as well as make their own recipes at home.
At the intersection of our city’s Chinese American and African American communities, Baltimore yak is typically found at small Chinese food carryouts and corner stores with plexiglass windows and cash-only transactions. In fact, the history of the Baltimore yak is inseparable from the history of local Chinese carry-outs adapting their menus to the tastes of their predominantly Black clientele. The price point is usually $15 and under, with a box large enough to share or have leftovers for yourself.
If you’ve never had Baltimore yak before, it’s made up of thick, chewy noodles, covered in a rich, dark sauce mixed with onions, shrimp, or your protein of choice (house yak includes all of the proteins: shrimp, beef, pork, and chicken), and the non-negotiable hard-boiled egg. Mixing in ketchup is optional, though many Baltimoreans will tell you that’s the only way to eat it.
While yak exists in other cities with a similar history, ours is distinct in its style and taste. For one, the sauce is much thicker and clings to the noodles like a gravy compared to other cities’ yak, like New Orleans, which is more of a soup. Also, the color of our yak is a deep, dark brown, with locals jokingly comparing the hue to motor oil. Baltimore yak is a meal all by itself or can be eaten with a large Chinese food spread of fried rice, orange chicken, eggrolls, and more.
Whether trending or not, Baltimore yak is one of our city’s affordable and craveable comfort meals and a source of neighborhood pride. You won’t find good yak in the touristy, overdeveloped, or “revitalized” areas, but in the places where the lives and stories of Black Baltimoreans are centered. Start talking about food with locals and the debate is sure to come up: Who’s got the best yak? Ova east or ova west? (Simone Phillips)
Most Ubiquitous Ingredient
Crab, crab, and more crab
Yes, we live in the city of crabs. It’s practically a requirement to crack a bushel when summer hits. Half our identity as a region is built on Old Bay and a deep distrust of anyone who can’t speak to their favorite crab joint. This year, crab wasn’t just a seasonal staple — it became a full-on cultural event. It seemed everywhere you went, someone was reinventing it, stuffing it into something, or going viral because of it.
The frenzy started off in February, when Café Dear Leon’s Crab Bagel drew attention from R&B star SZA. What started as a limited edition winter menu item that the team was going to sunset before the spring exploded to lines wrapping around the block, leading the team to add a special “crab bagel only line” for those wanting to experience the palm-sized bagel overflowing with cajun butter, Old Bay, and corn, all topped with melty cheddar cheese.
Then there was The Dara’s crab curry, aka the gaeng ga-ti pu. Chef and co-owner Putthipat “Jeff” Wannapithipat’s Thai dish is so stunning it makes you briefly question every other way you’ve eaten a curry dish. It’s rich, aromatic, and layered, with a hint of sweetness and spice that makes you wonder why you haven’t been eating it your whole life. As the name suggests, it includes Maryland jumbo lump crab, but it’s also topped with a fried softshell and a jammy egg, all accompanied with their signature soft purple-blue butterfly pea flower rice. While the Thai version comes with noodles and fresh vegetables, this version makes you glad it’s indulgent and makes you want more.
Meanwhile, El Paraiso in Reisterstown kept quietly turning out what might be the city’s most legitimate fusion food: the crab pupusa. Even with the change of ownership this year from the longtime Rodriguez family, the item remains the best of both worlds — a traditional Salvadoran street food staple made with a beloved Maryland ingredient, the kind of cultural crossover that feels like a love letter. The crunchy corn exterior mixed with a cheesy crab interior along with a bite of the curtido (cabbage slaw) makes you grateful for cultural melds.
And just when the city mourned the loss of Amanda Mack’s Crust by Mack storefront over the summer, which served up an addictive rich hand crab pie that required pre-ordering, Sistahs’ Sweets stepped up with crab dip–stuffed cheddar bay biscuits. They’re warm, gooey and almost unfairly good — exactly the kind of indulgence that fills the void left by one of Baltimore’s most revered bakers.
Most Welcome Revival
The happy hour
Baltimore has never been a true happy hour city, not even pre-pandemic, in the way our neighbors south in DC are, with a swarm of briefcases and aprèswork drinks. But in the last year, things have shifted. A quiet happy hour revival swept through the city, not led by corporate bars or flashy rollouts, but by neighborhood spots that understood a simple truth: a deal for a good happy hour includes drink specials and some delightful food bites.
Across Baltimore the trend is growing — affordable bites, solid drinks, and spaces that feel social again. Here are three more of our favorite Charm City happy hour revivals. One of the clearest examples is Rooted Rotisserie in Hollins Market, where Chef Amanda Burton has built a happy hour that actually feels happy. The menu is stacked with $10 wings, $6 parmesan truffle fries, and $7 Brussels sprouts, plus $2 off cocktails, making it one of the rare places where you can genuinely sample the chef’s cooking without committing to a full dinner. It’s the kind of early-evening stop that quietly became a weeknight ritual for regulars.
Then there’s Urban Oyster, Chef Jasmine Norton’s Hampden restaurant where happy hour doubles as one of the best seafood deals in the city. Her famed chargrilled oysters drop to $12, raw oysters hit $1.50 each, and shrimp cocktails, which are hand peeled in front of your eyes, are served for $10. And the drinks here range from $5 to $9. It’s luxe without the markup, exactly what a happy hour should be: accessible, delicious, and designed for community. Norton, who was also a James Beard semifinalist this year, is the first Black woman in the country to open an oyster bar.
And finally, Wet City, the bar that invented the Spaghett. If you’ve never had one, the drink is simply a Miller High Life, a shot’s worth of Aperol (to fill the gap after you take a chug of your beer), and a squeeze of lemon. The drink shouldn’t feel elegant, but it does. At the home of this drink, patrons can indulge in an all-night happy hour where affordability equals fun. Mondays turn into Burger Night, with $3 shaved off every burger and discounts on their signature “-ish” pours. Tuesdays bring the kind of Taco Tuesday that still feels like a real deal, with $3 off tacos and taco salads with a crowd-favorite Purple Margarita holding court for $10. By midweek, Whiskey Wednesday arrives with $10 Old Fashioneds and Manhattans, along with 20% off select whiskey pours and $3 off their chicken sandwiches. By Thursday, Wing Night takes over with a full special wings menu offering $3 off orders.
There’s never been a better time to clock out and go to your local watering hole after a workday in Baltimore.