Some places have been feeding Baltimore for generations. These institutions are part of the city’s story.
Seafood counter · Downtown and Lexington Market · $$
Jumbo lump crab cakes, raw bar. A family seafood business in Lexington Market since 1886, and one of the names that comes up first when Baltimoreans talk about crab cakes.
Jewish deli · Jonestown and Corned Beef Row · $$
Corned beef, pastrami, the "Cloak and Dagger" sandwich. The last of the delis on Lombard Street’s old Corned Beef Row, run by the same family since 1915.
Pizzeria · Highlandtown · $
Deep-ish pan pizza, crab pie. One of Baltimore’s oldest pizzerias, open on Eastern Avenue since 1943.
Pastry shop and café · Little Italy · $
Cannoli, gelato, Italian pastries. Little Italy’s best-known pastry shop, open since 1956, where cannoli are filled to order.
Steakhouse · Mount Vernon · $$$$
Prime rib, steaks, crab cakes, leopard-print carpet. A dressy steakhouse open since 1965, with black walls, leopard carpet, live piano and a crab cake that many locals rate as highly as the beef.
Public market · Downtown and Lexington Market · $
Crab cakes, lunch counters, Berger cookies. One of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the United States, founded in 1782.
Italian-American · Little Italy · $$
Bookmaker salad, classic red-sauce Italian. A Little Italy restaurant known for its bookmaker salad (with shrimp, salami and egg) and generous plates of red-sauce Italian food.
Pit beef stand · East Baltimore and Pulaski Highway · $
Pit beef, pit ham, pit turkey. The most famous name in Baltimore pit beef: charcoal-grilled top round sliced thin onto a roll with raw onion and horseradish sauce.
Afghan restaurant · Mount Vernon · $$
Kaddo borani (sweet pumpkin with yogurt), lamb dishes. A Mount Vernon institution serving Afghan cooking since the late 1980s.
Candy shop · West and Southwest Baltimore · $
Chocolates, taffy, brittle, fudge. A fourth-generation family candy maker working from the same rowhouse since 1917.
Historic bar · Fells Point · $$
History, live music, Edgar Allan Poe legends. A Thames Street saloon that claims to be one of the oldest continuously operating bars in the country, and is tied by local legend to Edgar Allan Poe’s last days.
Diner · Canton · $
Diner classics, crab cakes, breakfast anytime. A family-run Greek-American diner on Boston Street that has been a Canton landmark for decades.
Read about the Baltimore food classics to know what to order.
Every place here was checked as operating in October 2026. Hours change, so check before you go. Ratings come only from readers.
Eaten at Classic Baltimore restaurants recently? Share what to order. The first good one goes right here.
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