The best restaurants in Baltimore right now

What is it? A cozy bistro with tavern-style pizza, pierogies, and savory pancakes. 

Why we love it: You’ll want to visit this unpretentious eatery time and again to try everything on the menu, which showcases the owner’s Eastern European and Midwestern heritage, with distinctly Maryland flavors. Crab makes an appearance on a Serbian pancake while Maryland’s signature summer drink, the Orange Crush, gets a fresh upgrade with seasonal fruit puree. The service remained efficient and friendly, without being cloying, on a recent Friday night when every seat was occupied. 

Time Out tip: Get the decadent, house-made flourless brownie parfait, layered with fresh whipped cream, caramel, and peanuts. You’ll be thinking about it for days. 

Address: 1812 Bank St, Baltimore, MD 21231

Opening hours: Tue-Thu 5-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 5-10:30pm

Expect to pay: Spend around $50 for a couple of drinks and a pizza, and another $25 to $30 for a small plate and dessert, or a large plate. 

What is it? Ammoora offers Levantine fine dining in a richly detailed interior, with a selection of dips, mezze, grilled meats, and seafood. 

Why we love it: After stepping into the restaurant, it’s easy to forget that you’re in Baltimore. The decor features ornate mosaic archways, soft pink-hued banquettes, and furniture sourced from the Middle East. The menu takes diners on a culinary journey that traverses Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Cyprus. As the only fine dining Levantine restaurant in Baltimore, Ammoora has no equal in the city. 

Time Out tip: If the weather is accommodating, try to snag a table in their zen-like courtyard, filled with fountains encased in colorful mosaics, stone walls, and plants. 

Address: 751 Key Hwy, Baltimore, MD 21230

Opening hours: Wed-Thu 5-10pm; Fri 4:30-11pm; Sun 4:30-10pm

Expect to pay: Ordering a salad, a spread, and a couple of mezze, or an entree and a drink will cost around $100 per person. Add another $12 to $14 for dessert. 

What is it? A love letter to coastal Mediterranean cuisine using regional ingredients. 

Why we love it: The warm, colorful decor and array of spritzes and home-made pastas bring a slice of European dining to the middle of Baltimore. The menu is divided into six sections, featuring snacks, raw seafood, salads, small and large plates, and house-made pastas. Diners will find a variety of seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes in equal measure. The well-curated wine list leans heavily toward Italian selections, with regions from Veneto to Sicily represented. The cocktail list features spritzes and a riff on the Paper Plane cocktail that comes with an actual mini paper plane attached to the rim. Abstract art, painted by assistant manager Gilles Mascarell, hangs on the exposed brick walls. 

Time Out tip: Don’t share dessert. Keep the sweet-but-not-too-sweet Basque cheesecake, served with a dollop of Nutella and whipped cream, all for yourself. 

Address: 415 South Central Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 4-10pm 

Expect to pay: Diners can spend a little or a lot. Sit at the bar and order a snack and a glass of wine for $25, or enjoy a salad, small plate, drink, and pasta for around $80 per person. Large plates of seafood and meat cost $31 to $38. 

What is it? A fast-casual fusion of flavors, Ekiben sells bao and rice bowls filled with Taiwanese curry fried chicken, tofu tossed in spicy peanut sauce, and sides that include tempura broccoli topped with diced onions and fresh herbs. 

Why we love it: The blend of global flavors results in a menu that is so unique, it’s won fans throughout the city and beyond. And the owners continue to add new items to the lineup, including a pho-spiced cheesesteak eggroll and rice topped with Ethiopian lentils. It now has three locations, an outpost at Camden Yards, and a new spot on the way in Frederick. Once you dig in, you’ll understand why it was a James Beard Semifinalist. 

Time Out tip: Order ahead online to save yourself the wait. And be the first to order the Ekiben Softie, soft-shell crab, and crab cake with Cantonese dry rub stuffed in a bun, during soft-shell season. 

Address: 1622 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21231 (for the original Fells Point location). 

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 11-3:30pm, 4:30-10pm; Fri, Sat 11am-3:30pm, 4:30-11pm (for Fells Point)

Expect to pay: A bao, side, and drink will run about $30. 

What is it? Italian American neighborhood restaurant delivering house-made pasta, seafood, and regionally sourced chicken and meat. 

Why we love it: It encapsulates everything we love about the city—it’s at once casual and luxurious, showcasing culinary talent in a historic Butchers Hill rowhome. A great deal of thought has gone into the ingredients in each dish, particularly the house-made pastas, which feature unconventional combinations. These include the spaghetti carbonara, topped with a generous amount of blue crab, and the gnocchi, tossed with almond basil pesto, stracciatella cheese, pickled ramps, and garlic chips. 

Time Out tip: Allow 10 to 15 minutes to find parking in this densely residential neighborhood, or take an Uber. 

Address: 2127 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21231

Opening hours: Tue-Thu 5-10pm; Fri 11am-2pm, 5-11pm; Sat 11am-2:30pm, 5-11pm; Sun 11am-2:30pm, 5-9pm 

Expect to pay: Grabbing a cocktail, antipasti, pasta, or entree, and dessert will run $80 to $110 per person. 

What is it? The city’s premier fine-dining spot, Charleston, has been dazzling diners with its warm hospitality and French-influenced low-country cuisine for nearly 30 years. 

Why we love it: Its impeccable, 50-plus-page wine list (hello, James Beard!), knowledgeable staff, and expertly executed dishes (including standout crab and lobster plates) have made this the go-to special occasion spot. For a more casual experience, sit in the lounge-y cocktail bar where you’ll get a great view of the harbor. 

Time Out tip: While the prix-fixe menu is divided into cold and hot appetizers, seafood, pasta & risotto, and birds/game meat, you don’t have to select something from each section. Order all apps or all meat if that’s your thing. 

Address: 1000 Lancaster St, Baltimore, MD 21202

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 5-9pm; Fri, Sat 5–9:30pm; Sun 5–8:30pm

Expect to pay: Diners can order between three and six courses, which range from $99 to $189 per person, or $159 to $303 per person with wine pairings. Given the accolades for its premiere wine selection, it’s worth splurging on one of their hundreds of bottles of wine, which range in price from $50 to $7,500. 

What is it? A Black female-owned oyster bar and seafood restaurant with a sleek interior. 

Why we love it: One of a handful of Black-owned oyster bars in the country, Urban Oyster is an ode to the bivalves that owner and James Beard semifinalist Jasmine Norton grew up eating. The aqua and gold interior keeps us as transfixed as the daily selection of raw oysters and seafood entrees, such as grilled branzino atop white bean puree. You also can’t go wrong with the rich and creamy crab and corn soup.

Time Out tip: The Wed-Fri happy hour, from 4-6pm, offers Chesapeake Bay oysters for $1.50, $10 seafood tacos, and $7 wines. 

Address: 914 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD 21211

Opening hours: Wed–Thu 4–10pm; Fri, Sat 4–11pm; Sun 1–9pm 

Expect to pay: Drop $30 on an appetizer and a glass of wine at the bar facing the scallop-shaped bar panels, or spend around $80 to $100 per person for a meal that includes an appetizer, salad, entree, and drink. 

What is it? A restaurant with its own oyster farm in Southern Maryland, the menu embraces produce from regional farms and local seafood. 

Why we love it: Located in a redeveloped mill in Hampden, True Chesapeake is dedicated to not only tapping the rich resources of the Chesapeake Bay but also restoring it. By operating their oyster farm, they’re investing in a sustainable shellfish that provides numerous benefits while serving catfish and other invasive species that may protect other marine life. The bivalves here come in all forms—from oyster stew to fried oysters to French onion oysters with Gruyere and black truffle. The crab is certified Maryland True Blue, a state program that guarantees that the crustaceans come from Maryland. 

Time Out tip: Stop in Tue-Sun from 5-7pm for $2 roasted oysters, $6 martinis, and discounted bar snacks. 

Address: 3300 Clipper Mill Rd, Suite 400, Baltimore, MD 21211

Opening hours: Tue–Sat 5-11pm; Sun 11am–3pm, 5–9pm  

Expect to pay: An appetizer or oyster dish, accompanied by a drink and an entree, will cost approximately $90 per person. 

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A post shared by Le Comptoir du Vin (@lecomptoirduvin)

What is it? Natural wines paired with French small plates in an intimate setting. 

Why we love it: The menu, written in chalkboard style, changes regularly but always features a diverse selection of seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes to accommodate all tastes and preferences. Every order should include their thick slices of homemade wheat sourdough, eaten with the accompanying Normandy butter or alongside spiced lentils, chicken liver pate, and creative homemade pastas. Garage doors to the patio (where most of the seating lies) stay open or shut depending on the weather, but a warm evening calls for sipping a bottle of orange wine while enjoying the fresh air.  

Time Out tip: Due to the limited space, a table can be hard to come by. Make a reservation at 10:00 a.m., 14 days in advance. 

Address: 1729 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201

Opening hours: Wed–Sat 5:30–10pm 

Expect to pay $75 to $85 for a trio of small plates, plus an additional $35 for a couple of glasses of wine. 

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A post shared by Mera Kitchen Collective (@merakitchencollective)

What is it? A worker-owned cooperative whose international cooks prepare food from around the world.

Why we love it: What started as a pop-up turned into a full-service restaurant in 2022, after Mera staff had donated tens of thousands of meals to the community during the height of the pandemic. The menu features a wide selection of mezzes, salads, and hand-held dishes, including a kofta burger and a vegetarian torta with black beans and fried green tomatoes. While meat and chicken dishes make an appearance, vegetable-centric dishes shine here. Spicy fries topped with a mountain of garlic sauce, cauliflower fritters served with a cilantro tahini sauce, cumin-spiced red lentil soup, and the falafel sandwich are among the best dishes. The drink menu showcases its global flavors with Lebanese wine and gin, and features several house-made juices that can be enjoyed solo or spiked with liquor. 

Time Out tip: Visit on a Wednesday for half-priced bottles of wine after 3pm. 

Address: 1301 N Calvert St, Baltimore, MD 21202

Opening hours: Tue–Thu 11am–9pm; Fri, Sat 11am–10pm

Expect to pay: A cocktail with a couple of small plates will run $30. Add a sandwich and the horchata cheesecake for an additional $30. Note that all checks incur a 20% service fee, which is shared among the kitchen staff.