At this sophisticated British café located in the Lake Falls Village shopping center, light, spongy crumpets; softball-sized cheddar biscuits; and gluten-free Nutella financiers emerge from the ovens each day. Breakfast draws a crowd with favorites like the “Fat Egg Sammy,” a griddled and buttered crumpet with a fried egg topped with either TCP bacon or ham. Fridays put fish and chips, another of chef Neill Howell’s homages to his English roots, on the menu.

New Orleans meets Baltimore at Ethel’s Creole Kitchen, where chefs Ed Bloom and Nick Creamer capture the essence of Crescent City flavors in their two-story restaurant. Under the tutelage of the late Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme, Bloom picked up a love for Creole and Cajun cuisine. He and Creamer use Maryland staples to put a local spin on New Orleans classics like jambalaya, gumbo, and fried Chesapeake oysters served with remoulade. To really get into the spirit, order a Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans.

There are a few great sushi spots in town, but if you ask most locals, they’ll tell you to head to Chiyo in Mt. Washington. In the heart of the merchant’s village, Chiyo has all the standard nigiri and sashimi you might expect, but we especially appreciate specialty selections like the Orioles roll with white tuna, avocado, and tobiko; udon noodle bowls; and banana tempura ice cream. Chiyo now serves lunch and dinner across a newly added upstairs level, joining seating across its downstairs bar or intimate dining room. Order takeout and delivery on the major apps.

It makes sense that husband-and-wife duo Paul and Samantha Mincarelli fell for Abruzzo, Italy, with its sparkling Adriatic coastline and lush Apennine mountain view. Their love letter to the region is Cafe Campli — a sun-filled restaurant on the ground floor of Lauraville’s mixed-used SoHa Union. Just east of Rome, Abruzzo is known for ingredients like white anchovy, oxtail ragu, and spaghetti alla chitarra. Those signature techniques and flavors are all on display, as well as a thoughtful bar program of minerally white wines from Pecorino, herbaceous cocktails featuring Italian amari, and refreshing N/A spritzes. Start with homemade rosemary focaccia, continue with a seasonal pasta (this summer, splurp linguine and baby clams in white wine sauce and capers), order a Sunday Gravy for the table, and finish off with a warm bomboloni, a fluffy fried Italian doughnut oozing hazelnut-chocolate cream.

This Lauraville neighborhood restaurant is committed to supporting local farms. Piloted by Chef Andrew Weinzirl, Maggie’s Farm is a local destination for comfort food and Maryland staples. Enjoy the burger, Maryland crab cake, and fried green tomatoes inside or on the patio.

You might think you’re walking into someone’s apartment building (well, you are), but continue until you find the stately Ambassador Dining Room, which has been serving Indian fare for more than 25 years. The Singh family (owners of stellar spots Peerce’s and Ananda outside the city) sold the business to former employee Gopal Bishwakarma at the end of 2019, but what remains the same is the Ambassador’s beautiful patio, affordable lunch buffet, and weekend brunch options like braised lamb in shahi korma or chicken madras, a South Indian-style curry dish.

While steamed crabs and crab cakes get a lot of credit for being signature dishes (more on that below), oysters are just as important to the backbone of Baltimore cuisine. And hardly no one knows that any more than Dylan Salmon, who started his business as a pop-up in a Mt. Vernon basement and then opened his own brick-and-mortar corner restaurant in Hampden. Inside, shuckers are constantly unhinging a rotating variety of fresh, raw oysters at the raw bar, while specials of the day are scrawled on a chalkboard wall. Look out for whole fish dishes and don’t leave without trying the green chile cheeseburger and traditional coddies (best appreciated on a Saltine with yellow mustard).

Hampden’s “King of the Avenue,” chef Chad Guass, packs enormous flavors into a menu filled with hearty comfort food hits like Amish soft pretzels with beer cheese fondue, mozzarella sticks, meatloaf with cheesy pesto potatoes, and crab cakes with lobster mac and cheese. The Baltimore club sandwich raises the bar of a classic BLT by piling a crab cake and shrimp salad on a soft potato bread. Check out the Heath bar-flavored bread pudding for dessert.

Black Sauce Kitchen is known for its biscuits, but the partly mobile kitchen (found at farmers markets and at its 29th Street storefront) dishes items like braised lamb, crispy eggplant, or oxtail offered on buoyant breads. The market menu can vary from the storefront, so check before going.

When Lane Harlan of Clavel first opened her beer garden Faddensonnen, she promised that the Old Goucher complex would continually add exciting dining ventures. And Chachi’s delivered when it opened in fall 2022. Comfort food is always on the menu — whether in the form of signature rotisserie chicken or schmaltzy potatoes covered in chicken drippings and coarse salt. Chachi’s has also perfected the art of the sauce, whether it’s egg dressing drizzled on asparagus, red bean dip featured on a pickle plate, or green anchovy sauce to pair with chicken. In the summer, an ideal dinner is a fresh and hearty salad of butter lettuce, thin watermelon radish, and tons of Parm enjoyed on a picnic table under string lights. Note: Chachi’s is on summer break from July 2-9.

Plants in clay pots, twinkling string lights, and simple white walls transport diners at this concrete, Sinaloa-style taqueria in Old Goucher as plates of bubbling queso and silver trays of tacos, ceviches, and more from fly out of the kitchen. Smoky mezcal stars at the James Beard-nominated bar and the chefs grind their own corn for masa in a newly added nixtamalería. 

Chef and owner Chris Amendola built this Station North restaurant around his passion for foraging and finding seasonal ingredients in the woods — and all that hard work was recently recognized by the James Beard Foundation. His hit dish is a mushroom stew with homemade ricotta, poached egg, fines herbes, and pine nuts. Meanwhile, lion’s mane mushrooms turn up in a vegan Maryland “crab” cake served with remoulade. One part of the menu is devoted to pig snout, chin, socket, tongue, and ears.

This transportive dining room at this Venezuelan Station North oasis features a diverse tangle of healthy, green plants, playful wall murals of a fish and a rooster, and a playlist of Latin music in the background. Alma was where top chef Enrique Limardo got his start before heading to D.C. to open Seven Reasons. Now, rising Venezuelan chef David Zamudio meticulously plates Latin gyoza, Caribbean scallops, stuffed arepas, and a stunning burrata salad bursting with South American ingredients. Most of their menu is gluten free, with lots of vegan and vegetarian options. Most recently, Alma owner Irena Stein came out with an arepa cookbook.

To say Mera Kitchen Collective is unique would be an understatement. This worker-owned cooperative started off as pop-ups and now has its own permanent corner in Mt. Vernon to empower refugees to tap into their culinary heritage through cooking. Here you’ll find Middle Eastern, African, and Latin cuisine (with a lot of vegan and vegetarian options) including creamy hummus and eggplant mutubal, crushed red lentil soup, Burkina-style plantains, and carne asada tacos. A colorful mural from a local artist offers a vibrant backdrop while dining outdoors.

About as fancy as Baltimore gets, the restaurant inside the luxe Ivy Hotel features innovative interpretations of Maryland cuisine. Executive Chef Ülfet Ralph (who’s had time with Chef Daniel Bouloud) has created a menu including dishes like Chesapeake Bay scallops with summer beans, crispy rice, harissa broth, and pork belly jam and Summer Risotto with corn purèe, corn relish, and espelette crema. Exceptional desserts include an almond cake served with a scoop of goat milk ice cream; and a strawberry chocolate tart with miso caramel, peanut butter mousse, and candied peanuts. There’s also an extensive selection of whiskeys and cocktails.

This venerable Afghani restaurant has delighted Mount Vernon residents for over 30 years with kaddo borwani, baked baby pumpkin dolloped with yogurt, and mantwo, a pastry stuffed with beef and onions. If choosing one dish seems overwhelming, go with a group of five or more and ask for “family style” service, and the staff will drop off a variety of large portions to share. The restaurant offers takeout, limited delivery, and indoor dining. There’s also a smattering of sidewalk tables along Charles Street.

Though the iconic Lexington Market just wrapped up a $45 million remodel, a stall that didn’t go anywhere was Faidley’s Seafood. The ever-popular seafood stall is still serving fist-sized crab cakes handmade by Nancy Faidley Divine herself, the local “delicacy” (lake trout), soft-shell crabs, clams, and, of course, oysters. (If you’re missing a taste of Baltimore, you can also get the crab cakes shipped). 

At this feel-good, family-run Mexican cafe pulsing with lively, Latin music, queso birria tacos, tortas, breakfast burritos, and huevos rancheros all come out of the kitchen. A pink-hued dining room and a heartfelt hospitality add to an atmosphere that feels like a party.

When it was announced that neighborhood stalwart Henninger’s was closing in 2021, many in the surrounding Butchers Hill area worried about the beloved space. But industry vet and Midwest native Robbie Tutleswki and his wife Kaleigh Schwalbe swept in to do the nearly impossible: maintain a nostalgic, lived-in feeling while creating something wholly new that landed on New York Times’ coveted best restaurants list. Little Donna’s is named for Tutleswki’s late Yugoslavian grandmother, whose warmth is felt in the homey decor and constant cooking is reflected on the menu. Think plush sausage- and kraut-filled pierogies, a crisp Serbian-influenced crab pancake, pork schnitzel from the local Ostrowski’s Sausage, and warm apple hand pie for dessert. The chef’s signature, thin-crust tavern pizzas are fired to perfection no doubt thanks to his decade of work with Chris Bianco. But what really makes it feel like Baltimore is the local love on the drink menu, including a Daddy’s Beer on Ice: a Union Zadie’s lager, Clamato, hot sauce, and lime with a chile rim.

Revered co-owners Steve Chu and Ephrem Abebe diligently source flavors from Ethiopia, Taiwan, Thailand, and India at both the Fells Point and the Hampden location, sticking to takeout only. Diners happily wait in line for favorites like tempura broccoli, “tofu brah” with spicy peanut sauce, or Taiwanese curry chicken on pillowy steamed gluten-free buns or rice bowls. Follow the busy restaurant’s Instagram page to see the latest menus, the food truck’s whereabouts, and updates on a future shop in Federal Hill.

The quaint and quirky Peter’s Inn has had many lives. More than 30 years ago, it was a rowdy biker bar, but Bud and Karin Tiffany have turned it into one of the city’s go-to dining destinations. People flock to the row home restaurant for martini service, incredible garlic bread, an irresistible one-bite scallop dish, signature steak entrees, and a famed chocolate pot du creme. In 2017, a fire closed the restaurant for a little while, but in typical Peter’s fashion, it didn’t keep them down for long. The restaurant is back with a new shiny tin ceiling and the same stellar dishes coming out of the kitchen.

The Harbor East restaurant unites art and style, from the oversized bird’s nest to the Kendrick Lamar quotes plastered on the wall. BLK Swan pays homage to Baltimore staples, including the chicken box and fried lake trout (available for brunch). On weekend nights, DJs spin all kinds of music genres like R&B, EDM, and pop.

In Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, bowls brim with Japanese Kyushu-style tonkotsu ramen and miso ramen, while affordable bento boxes are stuffed with tempura-fried seafood or chicken, teriyaki, and more served alongside rice, seaweed salad, cabbage, Japanese potato croquettes, green beans, and sauce for dipping. The Oriole park ramen, like its namesake, has become a downtown favorite among Oriole loyalists. Vegan options are also available. 

Peter Chang’s NiHao had a whirlwind debut, opening in the dark days of the pandemic, and quickly gaining national attention for its top-notch Sichuan cooking from the James Beard Foundation. Lydia Chang and JBA-nominated pastry pro Pichet Ong own and operate this 120-seat Canton restaurant where they serve a Chinese menu incorporating vegetarian hits like eggplant and garlic sauce and mapo tofu alongside green peppercorn flounder, dim sum options, and half or whole Peking duck from executive chef Antoni Szachowicz.

We often wonder when Jesse Sandlin sleeps. The Top Chef alum is seemingly brimming with ideas, whether it’s her vibrant Highlandtown spot Sally O’s or neighborhood bar the Dive. But diners can tell she poured her entire heart and soul into Bunny’s, a stylized diner where fried chicken and champagne are at the forefront, which she opened last spring. In a stunning transformation, the longtime Wharf Rat space (all dark wood, like the belly of a ship) into a sparkling, retro-tinged oasis. Whether you’re perched at the huge center bar or one of the round booths in the corner, Bunny’s is made for snacking and sipping — Ritz crackers with creamy pimento cheese dip, dressed deviled eggs, or melty biscuits with honey butter. Playfully named cocktails (we are partial to the gin-based Ramona Flowers) and welcome spirit-free options round out the menu. Of course, patrons can order fried chicken by the bucket, on a sandwich with hot honey and ranch, or atop a black-eyed pea cassoulet. Those options are also available during weekend brunch, when Bunny’s truly shines.

Lines often stretch down the sidewalk in front of this petite Canton pastry shop, where Cheolsoo Lee, Sungae Lee, and Min Kim serve tamago sando (Japanese egg sandwich), smoked salmon on everything focaccia, and frittata sandwiches. Items are released daily according to a strict itinerary, so plan accordingly to score oat scones (6 a.m.), pain au chocolate (9 a.m.), and crab and egg sandwiches (11 a.m.).

Planted in the post-college town of Federal Hill beyond the limits of the lively bar scene, Sobo recently celebrated a decade its row home restaurant space. Embodying the city’s charming hospitality, owners Ana and Linda Leventis treat everyone like family as the cafe hums with locals and new graduates flocking there to impress visiting parents. The Sobo burger with fingerling potatoes and salad is a winning trifecta, and there are plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes. A parklet is prime for outdoor happy hour.

This South Baltimore haven from siblings Josh and Stephanie Hershkovitz claimed its place as the city’s top pizza destination when it opened over 10 years ago. The classic wood-fired Neapolitan margherita is a quintessential masterpiece, with rich red sauce and melted mozzarella on a chewy, stretchy, lightly spotted dough. Crispy cauliflower, burrata, meatballs, and other pizza and pasta are particularly wonderful when enjoyed near the near the wood-fired oven or out on the patio.