Baltimanual :: Dining

Dining in Baltimore has its quirks. You can find a crab cake almost anywhere, but for a city historically associated with seafood, it's oddly challenging to name a great traditional seafood restaurant (you'll find more of those on the Eastern Shore). Yet we have an amazingly popular Afghan restaurant, as well as a healthy offering of food from India, Thailand, Japan, and Korea. Like other cities, chains have taken hold of tourist areas, but venturing into neighborhoods yields delights. Older ethnic enclaves like Greektown and Little Italy still thrive, and an influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants has led to a plethora of Latin take-outs, groceries, and sit-down restaurants around Eastern Avenue and Broadway. Canton, Fells Point, and Federal Hill may be best known for bars and pub grub, but innovative fine dining has made headway (though dining trends come slowly here), and the northeast Harford Road corridor is challenging Hampden as the outpost of indie-food funkiness. As to who serves the best crab cake in town, well, that's a sure way to start a foodie fight.

Top: Trinacria; Left: Faidleys Seafood in Lexington Market

Hampden/Roland Park

Funky, retro Rocket to Venus (3360 Chestnut Ave., [410] 235-7887, rockettovenus.com, $$) serves banh mi and pierogis. Chili and burgers are green chile-spiked at Golden West (1105 W. 36th St., [410]889-8891, goldenwestcafe.com, $$). Dogwood (911 W. 36th St., [410]889-0952, dogwoodbaltimore.com, $$$), is home to locally sourced, carefully executed French-American. Indian meals at the Carlyle Club (500 W. University Pkwy., [410]243-5454, carlyleclub.com, $$) are southern coastal, while the Ambassador (3811 Canterbury Road, [410]366-1484, ambassadordiningroom.com, $$) promises elegant takes on classics like chicken tikka masala in its Tudor dining room or garden. One World Café (100 W. University Pkwy., [410] 235-5777, $-$$) excels in vegan and vegetarian fare and is always busy, especially on burrito night. Splurge on eggs Benedict or chicken and waffles at Miss Shirley's (513 W. Cold Spring Lane, [410] 889-5272, missshirleys.com, $$) and chateauneuf-du-pape and magret de canard at French bistro Petit Louis (4800 Roland Ave., [410] 366-9393, petitlouis.com, $$). Woodberry Kitchen (2010 Clipper Park Road, [410] 464-8000, woodberrykitchen.com, $$-$$$) is a testament to eating local with seasonal offerings like asparagus custard.

Belvedere Square

Neopol Savory Smokery (529 E. Belvedere Ave., [410] 433-7700, $-$$) smokes everything from salmon to hummus. Homemade bagels and a dose of shtick are Greg's Bagels' (519 E. Belvedere Ave., [410] 323-9463, $) specialties. Grab soup and sandwiches from Atwater's (529 E. Belvedere Ave., [410] 323-2396, atwatersbiz.com, $).

Hamilton Area

Koco's Pub's (4301 Harford Road, [410] 426-3519, kocospub.com, $-$$) longstanding reputation is built on lump crab cakes. Find gourmet sauces at the French-inspired Chameleon Café (4341 Harford Road, [410] 254-2376, thechameleoncafe.com, $$$). Area newcomers include snug, child- and charcuterie-friendly Clementine (5402 Harford Road, [410] 444-1497, bmoreclementine.com, $-$$) and cavernous, child-friendly Parkside (4709 Harford Road, [410] 444-6004, theparksideonline.com, $$), which boasts a deli and bakery. Adults love bacon-and-egg burgers at Hamilton Tavern (5517 Harford Road, [410] 426-1930, hamiltontavern.com, $). Bright yellow Big Bad Wolf's House of Barbeque (5713 Harford Road, [410] 444-6422, bigbadwolfbarbeque.com, $) satisfies with barbecue and Eastern Shore-style chicken.

Charles Village/Remington

Town and gown rub shoulders over inexpensive burgers and draft beer at The Dizz (300 W. 30th St., [410] 235-0171, $-$$) or grits and BLTs at New Wyman Park Restaurant (138 W. 25th St., [410] 235-5100, $). Paper Moon Diner (227 W. 29th St., [410] 889-4444, papermoondiner24.com, $-$$) takes diner fare (including veggie options) to the nth degree of funk. Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive, [410] 889-3399, gertrudesbaltimore.com, $$-$$$) offers a polished twist on local favorites-crab cakes, fried oysters-in an equally polished setting. Look beyond Donna's (3101 St. Paul St., [410] 889-3410, donnas.com, $-$$$) signature salads and quality coffee for well-executed, if slightly overpriced, entrées. Thai Restaurant (3316 Greenmount Ave., [410] 889-6003, $$) is seldom mentioned without descriptors "venerable" and "reliable."

Station North

Joe Squared Pizza (133 W. North Ave., [410] 545-0444, joesquared.com, $$) brings sourdough crust, coal-fired pizza to this emerging arts district. Check out Joung Kak (18 W. 20th St., [410] 837-5231, $$) for Korean hot pots and bulgogi. Follow a film at the Charles Theatre with Nutella crepes at Sofi's Crepes (1723 N. Charles St., [410] 727-7732, sofiscrepes.com, $) or boquerones y bocadillos at Tapas Teatro (1711 N. Charles St., [410] 332-0110, tapasteatro.com, $$).

Mount Vernon/Central

Find Afghan cuisine at The Helmand (806 N. Charles St., [410] 752-0311, helmand.com, $$), Ethiopian at Dukem #2 (1100 Maryland Ave., [410] 385-0318, dukemrestaurant.com, $-$$), inventive sushi at Minato (1013 N. Charles St., [410] 332-0332, minatosushibar.com, $$), and Vietnamese at Mekong Delta (105 W. Saratoga St., [410] 244-8677, $). Indian fare is traditional at Akbar (823 N. Charles St., [410] 539-0944, akbar-restaurant.com, $$), elegantly contemporary at Indigma (802 N. Charles St., [410] 605-1212, indigmarestaurant.com, $$). Small plates and jazz star at Sascha's (527 N. Charles St., [410] 539-8880, saschas.com, $$). Go to Trinacria (406 N. Paca St., [410] 685-7285, $) for inexpensive, old-school sandwiches; Sotto Sopra (405 N. Charles St., [410]625-0534, sottosoprainc.com, $$$) for expensive, innovative Italian; Iggie's (818 N. Calvert St., [410] 528-0818, iggiespizza.com, $$) for wood-oven pizza. Order a house-made Resurrection ale and fries at the Brewer's Art (1106 N. Charles St., [410] 547-6925, thebrewersart.com, $$-$$$). It's elegant American at Abacrombie Fine Foods (58 W. Biddle St., [410] 244-7227, abacrombie.net, $$-$$$), storefront bistro at b (1501 Bolton St., [410] 383-8600, b-bistro.com, $$).

Union Square:

Baltimore Pho (1114 Hollins St., [410] 752-4746, baltimorepho.com, $$) charms with clay pots and Vietnam's famous soup. Sweet Tooth Dessert Shop (1111 Hollins St., [443] 708-5579, $) offers vegan and vegetarian desserts. Zella's Pizzeria (1145 Hollins St., [410] 685-6999, zellaspizzeria.com, $$) doubles as a welcoming café/bar.

Harbor East

Elevation Burger (1006 Aliceanna St., [410] 244-6156, elevationburger.com, $) boasts healthy burgers. Find shawarma and hummus at Lebanese Taverna (719 S. President St., [410] 244-5533, lebanesetaverna.com, $$), shepherd's pie at James Joyce Pub (616 S. President St., [410] 727-5107, thejamesjoycepub.com, $$). Charleston's (1000 Lancaster St., [410] 332-7373, charlestonrestaurant.com, $$$) dining room is Baltimore's most lauded. Cinghiale (822 Lancaster St., [410] 547-8282, cinghiale-osteria.com, $$$) and Pazo (1425 Aliceanna St., [410] 534-7296, pazorestaurant.com, $$$) bring hipness to Italian and Mediterranean, respectively.

Little Italy

Aldo's (306 S. High St., [410] 727-0700, aldositaly.com, $$$) impresses with truffles, while Gia's Café (410 S. High St., [410] 685-6727, cafegias.com, $$) wins with Mama's cooking. Brick-oven pizza rules at Isabella's (221 S. High St., [410] 962-8888, isabellasbrickoven.net, $$). Attman's (1019 E. Lombard St., [410] 563-2666,attmansdeli.com) corned beef draws crowds. Piedigrotta Bakery (1300 Bank St., Suite. 140, [410] 522-6900, piedigrottabakery.com, $-$$) offers sandwiches and pastries. Finish up with cannolis at Vaccaro's (222 Albemarle St., [410] 685-4905, vaccarospastry.com, $).

Fells Point Area

International touches grace Salt's (2127 E. Pratt St., #1, [410] 276-5480, salttavern.com, $$-$$$) bistro fare. Think breakfast at Blue Moon Café (1621 Aliceanna St., [410] 522-3940, $), honey-tinged treats at Meli Patisserie and Bistro (1636 Thames St., [410] 534-6354, kalismeli.com, $$). Greek Black Olive (814 S. Bond St., [410] 276-7141, theblackolive.com, $$-$$$) and Mediterranean Kali's Court (1606 Thames St., [410] 276-4700, kaliscourt.com, $$-$$$) offer fresh fish daily. It's diner fare at Jimmy's (801 S. Broadway, [410] 327-3273, $) and pub grub at Duda's Tavern (1600 Thames St., [410] 276-9719, $$). Peter's Inn's (504 S. Ann St., [410] 675-7313, petersinn.com, $$) creative blackboard menu changes daily. Order fried oysters with Pernod at Henningers (1812 Bank St., (410) 342-2172, henningerstavern.com, $$$). Don't miss homemade tortillas at Tortilleria Sinaloa (1716 Eastern Ave., [410] 276-3741), [410] 276-8741, $), pupusas and platanos y tamales at El Trovador (318 S. Broadway, [410] 276-6200, eltrovadorrrestaurant.com, $-$$), and margaritas y mariscos in the courtyard of Arcos Restaurant and Bar (129 S. Broadway, [410] 522-4777, arcosrestaurante.com, $$). Polish fare finds a home at Ze Mean Bean (1739 Fleet St., [410] 675-5999, zemeanbean.com, $$-$$$), while Miss Irene's (1738 Thames St., [410] 558-0033, missirenes.com, $$$) is upscale Mediterranean. Top everything off with gelato from Pitango (802 S. Broadway, [410] 702-5828, pitangogelato.com, $).

Canton/Highlandtown

Sous vide preparations (ingredients cooked through vacuum packing) take the stage at innovative Jack's Bistro (3123 Elliott St., [410] 878-6542, jacksbistro.net, $$). Eclectic small plates dominate Three%u2026 (2901 E. Baltimore St., [410] 327-3333, threebythepark.com, $$-$$$). Gyros are a must at bustling Samos (600 Oldham St., [410] 675-5292, samosrestaurant.com, $). Think cream of crab soup at Mama's on the Half Shell (2901 O'Donnell St., [410] 276-3160, $$), and late-night diner fare at Sip and Bite (2200 Boston St., [410] 675-7077, $). Cozy Annabel Lee Tavern (601 S. Clinton St., [410]522-2929, annabelleetavern.com, $$) elevates pub grub. Matthew's Pizza (3131 Eastern Ave., [410] 276-8755, matthewspizza.com, $-$$) has been serving deep dish since 1943. Get satisfying sandwiches (our fave is chicken pesto) at Rosina's Gourmet (2819 O'Donnell St., [410] 675-9300, rosinagourmet.com, $).

Federal Hill

Corks (1026 S. Charles St., [410] 752-3810, corksrestaurant.com, $$-$$$) excels in cheese, wine, and clever comfort food. Gourmet beer and burgers reign at Abbey Burger Bistro (1041 Marshall St., [443] 453-9698, abbeyburgerbistro.com, $), while Thai Arroy (1019 Light St., [410]385-8587, thaiarroy.com, $$) offers Thai favorites. Taverna Corvino (1117 S. Charles St., [410] 727-1212, tavernacorvino.com, $$) serves small-plate Italian. Visit Matsuri (1105 S. Charles St., [410] 752-8561, matsuri.us, $$) or Kiku Sushi (1017 Light St., [410] 468-4468, kikusushirestaurant.com, $$) for sushi, noodles, and bento boxes. Metropolitan Coffee House and Wine Bar (902 S. Charles St., [410] 234-0235, metrobalto.com, $$) offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and wi-fi.

Locust Point

Contemporary fare and retail wine shopping are The Wine Market's (921 E. Fort Ave., [410] 244-6166, the-wine-market.com, $$-$$$) raison d'etre. Find the best baba ghanouj at Baba's Mediterranean Kitchen (745 E. Fort Ave., [410] 727-7482, babaskitchen.net, $) and possibly the best crabs at no-frills L.P. Steamers (1100 E. Fort Ave., [410] 576-9294, lpsteamers.com, $$-$$$). Harborque (1421 Lawrence St., [410] 685-7675, harborque.com, $) offers Carolina 'cue and killer hushpuppies.