Baltimore readers' choice restaurants, 2026

Injera platters, vegetarian combinations. An Ethiopian restaurant in Mount Vernon where meals come on a shared platter of injera.

Kaddo borani (sweet pumpkin with yogurt), lamb dishes. A Mount Vernon institution serving Afghan cooking since the late 1980s.

Honey jerk lamb chops, shrimp and grits, brunch. A small Old Goucher restaurant from chef Sammy Davis Jr., a Food Network “Chopped” champion, mixing Southern cooking with Asian and Caribbean flavors.

Oysters, lobster rolls, seafood. A Fells Point seafood house on the waterfront street, popular enough that booking ahead is wise, especially at weekends.

Peking duck, soup dumplings, weekend dim sum brunch. Chef Peter Chang’s Canton restaurant, cooking Sichuan and other regional Chinese dishes.

Cannoli, gelato, Italian pastries. Little Italy’s best-known pastry shop, open since 1956, where cannoli are filled to order.

Classic French bistro cooking. A French bistro in the Roland Park shopping center, from the same team as Charleston.

Steamed buns, Taiwanese-style fried chicken, rice bowls. Started as a farmers’ market stand and grew into three small Baltimore shops.

Gyros, lamb, Greek salads. A family-run Greek restaurant in Greektown, the neighborhood around Eastern Avenue’s eastern end.

Spiced dishes with farm-sourced vegetables. A historic country restaurant in Phoenix, north of the city, now serving Indian fine dining.

Chargrilled oysters. Chef Jasmine Norton’s oyster bar, described by Visit Baltimore as the first female and Black-owned oyster bar in Maryland.

Pizza, pasta, subs. A neighborhood pizza and pasta shop on Belair Road that Baltimore Magazine readers voted best pizza and best Italian in 2026, and best cheesesteak in the Best of Baltimore poll.

Sushi, robata grill, harbor views. A sleek Japanese restaurant at the Four Seasons in Harbor East from the Atlas Restaurant Group, with sushi, robata-grilled dishes and big windows over the water.

Charcoal Korean barbecue cooked at the table. A Station North Korean barbecue restaurant open since 1989, grilling meat and vegetables over real charcoal at the table.

Rigatoni with grilled eggplant, swordfish meatballs, octopus. Named among Baltimore Magazine’s Best Restaurants for 2026, Costiera brings a coastal Mediterranean slant to Little Italy, with dishes like swordfish meatballs and grilled octopus.

Tacos, full bar. The full-service Locust Point branch of a family-run Mexican restaurant that started in White Marsh, opened at McHenry Row in March 2026.

Halloumi cigars, lamb shank over saffron rice. A grand Levantine restaurant by the harbor, cooking Syrian and wider Middle Eastern dishes.

SPAM musubi, pork lumpia, ube pancakes, weekend brunch. The Foreman Wolf group’s restaurant in the former Cafe Hon building, mixing Guamanian and Pacific Island dishes with English pub touches.

Waterfront deck, steamed crabs, seafood. A big waterfront seafood spot on the Middle Branch near the Hanover Street bridge, with a large outdoor deck that fills up on warm evenings.

House-made pasta, shellfish, steaks. A neighborhood restaurant in Roland Park with a continental menu of pastas, seafood and steaks.

Live music every night, Irish pub atmosphere. A small Fells Point bar known for live blues, folk and Irish music.

Prime rib, steaks, crab cakes, leopard-print carpet. A dressy steakhouse open since 1965, with black walls, leopard carpet, live piano and a crab cake that many locals rate as highly as the beef.

Khao soi, drunken noodles, duck kra prow. A relaxed Thai restaurant on a Hampden corner, from the team behind Khun Nine in Mount Vernon.

Tasting menus, wine list. Chef Cindy Wolf’s Harbor East restaurant, a regular James Beard Award finalist, cooking French-leaning food with Lowcountry roots through a set number of courses.

Very large crab cakes. A neighborhood pub on Harford Road that has built a citywide reputation on one dish: a crab cake big enough to share.

Italian subs, house-made mozzarella, eggplant Parm. A family Italian market that spent more than a century in Highlandtown before moving to Brewers Hill.

Ramen, cloud shrimp, fried chicken steamed buns. A ramen bar on Greenmount Avenue in Harwood that readers voted Baltimore’s best ramen in 2026.

Steamed crabs. A family crab business since 2007, with a seafood market in Parkville for carryout crabs and a sit-down restaurant in Perry Hall.