Baltimore

WE ARE EXCITED TO HOST IN OUR BELOVED BALTIMORE

We have put together a guide to our favorite places to eat, drink, and experience during a weekend in Baltimore! We have arranged by neighborhood, but we encourage you to explore! We hope this helps you in planning your stay and enjoying the city we are proud to call home.

Fells Point & Harbor east

Every Saturday morning, Fell’s Point hosts a Farmers Market in Broadway Square. It is a great spot to grab a morning snack with everything from local baked goods to Filipino BBQ. On your way, grab a cup of coffee at the Daily Grind or Cafe Latte‘da, two of Chris’s neighborhood favorites. If you choose to spend the day in Fell’s, be sure to check out Pitango for Gelato, V-NO for a bottle of wine with a view, grab a cocktail outside at the newly opened Broadway Market, and stop in the many local galleries and boutique where you will find everything from fine art to novelty socks, high-end shoes to locally made tote bags. We love popping into Justin Winkel Gallery to check out his new pieces during a stroll through Fell’s. You really can’t go wrong in Fell’s Point with food. Mezze, one of our most frequent dinner spots, has spectacular Greek small plates, Thames Street Oyster House is known for their fresh seafood, Papi’s Tacos has great (you guessed it) tacos and is quick and fast, Ekiben has the BEST Taiwanese-Ethiopian-Asian-fusion inspired comfort food, and as we mentioned before the Broadway Market is home to an ever expanding array of global cuisine in the food hall area. If you want to know our absolute FAVORITE neighborhood dinner spots, it’s got to be a toss-up between Lobo and Peter’s Inn – both have spectacular cocktails, intriguing menus, and are always a superb experience whether you’re there for drinks, snacks, or a multi-course dinner. There are countless other great places in Fell’s for lunch and dinner, and if you’re in the mood for nightlife you will find no shortage of live music and historic saloons to take in the scene - Woody’s Cantina – rooftop views and tropical drinks, Cat’s Eye and The Waterfront Hotel – Live Music, Rye and Barcocina – drinks scene, The Rockwell – dancing  just to name a few! If you hang around on Sunday, Fell’s is the place for an outdoor and leisurely brunch, The Point and The Waterfront Hotel are two of our most frequent brunch stops along the charming cobblestone streets. If you’re in the mood to indulge, the Rec Pier Chop House in the Sagamore Pendry is the place if you want to eat, drink, see, and be seen (replete with champagne vending machine).

Fell’s also offers easy access to Patterson Park, one of Baltimore’s beautiful green spaces known for sites like the Pagoda and many tree lined paths. One great feature of Fell’s, and many of the waterfront neighborhoods, is the promenade that extends from Canton in the east, all the way through the harbor around to Fort McHenry in the South. You access the promenade from Fell’s and take it East or West to explore the great neighborhoods, restaurants and views along the way. Directly to the West if Fell’s you will find Baltimore ‘newest’ neighborhood - Harbor East.

Harbor East is full of luxury shopping, great coffee at Ceremony, fresh juices at Plant Bar, high-end restaurants like Tagliata, Cinghiale, Bar Vasquez and Charleston and offers close proximity to the best of Baltimore’s Little Italy just to the North.. Along the water you will find great spots like Ouzo Beach and the Sandlot to take in the views with a cocktail. Harbor East connects via footbridge to the Inner Harbor areas where you will find Baltimore’s famous National Aquarium, The Maryland Science Center, Port Discovery, and lots of other family friendly things to see and do.

Mount Vernon & Downtown

If you find yourself in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, your morning will get off to a great start if you check out Dooby’s for great espresso drinks and baked goods (you might even want to come back later for lunch or dinner, they have great Ramen and Korean style wings). Mount Vernon is also home to some great shopping, so be sure to dip in and out of all the great storefronts like Nouveau (home decor) and Bottle of Bread (eclectic vintage). We would highly recommend spending an hour or so in the Walters Art Museum. The building itself is beautiful, admission is free, and they have a spectacular collection of Asian art and often have visiting exhibits. One place that can not be missed while you are strolling and taking in all the beautiful architecture in the neighborhood, is the George Peabody Library. Often touted as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, the stacks and atrium are a sight not to be missed (make sure you time it right to take in the breathtaking space as they are only open 10am until 1pm on Saturdays). 

Mount Vernon offers easy access for pedestrians either to Downtown toward the harbor attractions or uptown to the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. We would recommend wandering in either direction depending on your whim. 

When it comes to dining on a Saturday, Mount Vernon puts you right in the thick of things and is also convenient to the wedding venue. One of our favorite restaurants right now, and one of the hottest tables in town, is Ida B’s Table, located just outside Mount Vernon toward Downtown. Their inspired, modern soul food never disappoints. We can not recommend highly enough. Looking North, just within the Art’s District lines you will find Orto, a new spot with spot-on seasonal Italian dishes, some of the best meals we have recently had. Within the neighborhood you will find City Cafe (a go-to for us), The Brewer’s Art, Topside, and Mount Vernon Marketplace (a food hall with wide variety of offerings) all serving great food. If a craft cocktail is more your speed, Sugarvale is the place for you - all of which are walking distance from Baltimore Center Stage. 

Hampden & Other spots

One area we love, just a few exits North of downtown, is Hampden. This is John Waters’ Baltimore, the Baltimore of Hairspray replete with horn rims, beehive hair, and the Bawlmer “Hon”. Long known for its quirky charm, Hampden has grown to become a culture hub with its wide variety shops and art galleries offering anything from mid-century furniture to European antiques, modern home decor to original local art - Trohv, Paradiso, Wishbone Reserve, Hunting Ground and Gallery 788 are not to be missed. We would highly recommend spending a few hours walking “The Avenue” shopping, sipping, and eating your way through. When it comes to food, we frequent Golden West Cafe for their amazing brunch, pop into Spro for a cup of coffee, hit up Blue Pit for a BBQ lunch, both Dylan’s Oyster Cellar and The Food Market are always a solid dinner choice, and the speakeasy BlueBird is a great spot for a hand crafted (and clandestine) night-cap.

Close by Hampden, just to the south east, you’ll find the Remington neighborhood, home to a large food hall called R House, and Paper Moon Diner, a legendary kitsch filled greasy spoon. Just a block or so away, will also find the Baltimore Museum of Art. The permanent collection and building itself is definitely worth exploring for a few hours, especially considering the adjacent restaurant Gertrude’s is home to a stunning sculpture garden and some of the best classic Chesapeake cuisine - This is THE place to get a Maryland crab cake! Another great neighborhood, close to Hampden and the Johns Hopkins main campus is Waverly. Home to the wonderful Saturday 32nd Street Farmers Market, as well as Local Color Flowers’ Saturday open floral studio, and nearby Peabody Heights Brewery, Waverly is an ideal place to start a weekend.

Farther afield, we would recommend a stop at the Guinness Brewery Baltimore for a pint, an easy hike along the Jones Falls trails, or a flight of local rye whiskey at the Sagamore Distillery. Baltimore is home to so many wonderful neighborhoods, each one offering parks, entertainment and activities. We hope you take the time to explore this wonderful city and all it has to offer.