First off, there are three things you have to do while in Baltimore, or you're not allowed to leave. 1. Drink a Natty Boh. 2. Eat crabs, or a crab cake, with Old Bay. 3. Eat a Berger cookie.
What I miss most (besides my family) is all the great places to eat and drink, and the beautiful buildings full of history. Here's a list, by area, of my favorite spots around town.
To view a video of our Baltimore trip, check out my friend Melis' YouTube channel. Click here.
Hampden: a young, hip neighborhood with a strip of bars and restaurants called "the avenue" or 36th st.
- Rocket to Venus hip little restaurant with a wrap around bar. Vegan friendly.
- Fraziers on the Avenue a Baltimore classic. A divey sports bar. Get a Boh + (giant) shot here for $5.
- Bluebird Cocktails cute cocktail bar above De Kleine Duivel.
- De Kleine Duivel a belgian beer hall.
- Hunting Ground, Milk & Ice, etc. there are a few great vintage shops around Hampden, these are two of my faves.
- Dangerously Delicious Baltimore's pie shop.
- Blue Pit BBQ and Whiskey BBQ (also vegan/vegetarian friendly!), whiskey heavy cocktail list, a few taps. Dog friendly. Cute back patio area.
- Golden West funky brunch spot. Vegan friendly.
- Taharka Brothers Ice Cream my absolute favorite ice cream in the world. I don't think I've ever had a bad flavor, but honey graham is incredible, and my go-to.
- Wine Source my favorite Baltimore bottle shop. They recently put in a tiny bar too.
- The Food Market, and Woodberry Kitchen popular farm to table restaurants, if that's your jam. $$$
- Stay Humble Tattoo I have never been to this shop, however a former coworker who is a very talented tattooer works here. (Alex Sabur).
- Other Tattooer: another fave tattooer (mostly traditional and Japanese) J Ranno
<<**if you are here around Christmas time, every single home on 34th st is decorated from roof to sidewalk. I'm pretty positive when you rent or purchase one of the houses, it's written into the contract that you have to participate. There is even a Hanukkah themed house.
Fells Point: an eclectic cluster of bars and restaurants right by the water, cobblestone streets
- Max's Tap House 1,000 bottles, 102 taps, and 5 casks.. need I say more? Best beer bar in Baltimore, hands down. It's rated one of the top beer bars in the world. While in town we were lucky enough to hit their annual Belgian beer weekend, and then sour and wild ale fest.
- Johnny Rad's a skateboarding themed bar with skeeball (personal fave), and good pizza (vegan friendly!). Decent beer selection as well.
- Stuggy's out late on a Friday or Saturday night in Fells? Grab a dog with crab mac and cheese (or whatever you're feeling). Veggie dogs available. Or if you're in the mood for some pizza instead, stumble over to Hot Tomatoes and grab a slice the size of your head.
- Cats Eye Pub awesome live music with a dive bar feel.
- Brightside Boutique (multiple locations) super cute clothing store (and small gifts).
- The Elk Room a speak easy with some interesting drinks. It's a bit pricey though.. and that's coming from someone who lives in San Diego. Look for a black unmarked door.
- Rye dimly lit, intimate cocktail bar.
- Ekiben Asian fusion. Baos, buns, bowls. SO good.
- Amicci's (Little Italy) I'm Italian, and this is my family's favorite spot. Then go to Vaccaro's and get a cannoli (and mail me one please). We have their cannolis at every family party.
Mount Vernon: gorgeous architecture and historic buildings, monuments, small parts
- Read Street Tattoo Parlour I worked here for five years. Get a cool tattoo from Charlie Foos.
- Wet City 3-D art (including a fireplace), great bar food (omg the pretzels..drooling), and a solid tap list.
- Brewers Art in a gorgeous former home from 1905. The upstairs is an elegant restaurant, and downstairs is what I (affectionately) refer to as "the dungeon". Go for happy hour, and grab some garlic rosemary frites.
- The Walters Art Museum free museum!
- The Helmand delicious Afghan food (vegetarian friendly).
- Homeslyce really good pizza. Has a pool table.
- Cazbar owned by the same people who own Homeslyce. Turkish food.
- Land of Kush killer vegan food. Seriously. Get the curry chicken, or the drumsticks.
Downtown/Federal Hill: the "tourist zone"/younger preppy types
- Camden Yards go see an Orioles game.
- Federal Hill like, the actual hill. You get an amazing view of the harbor and city. Plus, you know, history.
- Little Havana Cuban inspired food. An old warehouse with games inside (pool, shuffleboard, foosball). Also has a patio right on the water.
- The American Visionary Art Museum quirky museum. Look for the giant pink poodle.. you really can't miss it. Oh! And during the summer they play classic movies on the back of the building (like Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Alfred Hitchcock films). It's called "Flicks on the Hill". You can sit on Federal Hill with a blanket and some snacks and watch for free! They do this in Fells Point on the pier too--"Flicks on the Pier"..
- Miss Shirley's amazing breakfast/brunch spot. Get some fried green tomatoes here.
- The Science Center lots of interesting science-y things. Great for kids too.
- The National Aquarium honestly it's a really great aquarium. The shark exhibit is very cool.
- Historic Baltimore Ships available for tours
Station North/Remington/Charles Village: up and coming areas, mostly young people
- Club Charles a divey Baltimore staple. (SN)
- W.C. Harlan cozy, 1920s inspired speak easy. Look for the black door with chalk that says "Enter". (R)
- Clavel family run mezcaleria and taqueria. (R)
- Ottobar my favorite venue in Baltimore. Super divey. The upstairs is a bar with a pool table and tiny dance floor. They do 2-for-1 drinks ("Twofers") on Tuesdays. (CV/R)
- R. House (CV/R) industrial-chic food hall in a former body shop with roll-up garage doors & 10 chef-driven counters.
- Paper Moon Diner brightly colored quirky diner decorated with old school toys. (CV)
- One World Cafe great spot for vegetarians and vegans.
- Baltimore Museum of Art (CV)
Misc. Areas, and Places We Missed:
- Monument City brewery (Highlandtown-ish) loved the vibes of this place. Say hi to Will the brewery cat.
- Waverly Brewing (Hampden)
- Checkerspot Brewing (Near downtown)
- Peabody Heights Brewing (Kind of Charles Village?)
- Charm City Meadworks I do not like mead, but they were recommended several times.
- Sagamore Spirits (South Baltimore/Locust Point)
- Suspended Brewing (Pig Town) love the atmosphere and eclectic list of beers on tap.
- The Abbey Burger Bistro (South Baltimore) lots of recs, I don't eat meat though, so..
- Sapwood Cellars (Columbia- not in the city) sooo this spot isn't in the city. It's about 30 min away. But holy Jesus, if I had a dollar for every time someone suggested this place..
- Snake Hill (outside Canton?/Highlandtown) restaurant.
- Of Love and Regret (Brewers Hill)
Coffee: City Cafe, Baby's on Fire, Ceremony, Artifact, Common Grounds, Dooby's
Public Transportation: take advantage of the public transportation system here to get around town. The light rail is super easy to figure out, and will even take you to the airport. I do not recommend taking buses here, as they are very unreliable. However.. I do recommend the Charm City Circulator! It's free and there are a few of them that will loop around different Baltimore neighborhoods.
**Side note- there's an Amtrak station in Mount Vernon that will take you to DC. So many great spots down there as well. Including loads of awesome free museums.
***Side side note- a bus up to Philly or NYC from Baltimore is under $30 per person roundtrip. (book in advance for cheaper pricing)
Cheers y'all.