For the last year or so, I’ve been taking City Walker readers on fairly lengthy walking tours of various Baltimore neighborhoods, Hampden being the most recent. I feel it might be time for something shorter as a palate cleanser: a listicle. I’m going to hazard a guess that most visitors to Charm City are staying at a hotel somewhere in the downtown area, so the restaurants on this list will be within walking distance for many of them. Also, they could possibly be somewhat unfamiliar. No, this isn’t a dives and diners kind of list, however, the world doesn’t need yet another writer urging folks to go to Charleston in Harbor East or the Rec Pier Chop House in Fells Point.
I’ve listed the restaurants by neighborhood, from the areas farthest away from the Inner Harbor to the nearest.
Mount Vernon Marketplace
Once the site of the grand old Hochschild Kohn department store warehouse, 520 Park is now a mixed-use building housing apartments and a food court. I really hate using the term “food court” as it conjures up images of lame shopping mall food, but I think it’s a more apt term than “market” in this instance. While you won’t find raw chicken or produce vendors here, you will find a nice variety of eats and drinks for lunch and dinner. Crave potstickers, bibimbap, tacos, ramen, raw oysters, or a nice juicy burger? You can get all of them at Mount Vernon Marketplace, as well as crepes, cookies, and cocktails. Being in this neighborhood also gives visitors a good reason to check out the nearby Walters Art Museum, or vice versa.
The Helmand
The Helmand, the first restaurant in Baltimore to serve the cuisine of Afghanistan, has been going strong for just shy of 30 years. If you’re not familiar with Afghan cuisine, it has similarities to the food of the Middle East and Greece, but also India and Persia. It’s also very much its own thing. My favorite dish is the kaddo borwani, an appetizer of sweetened pumpkin served with a garlic yogurt sauce, but the aushak (Afghan ravioli, available as app or entree, with or without meat) comes a close second. Don’t forget to order dessert, particularly the cardamom-flavored Afghan ice cream with dates, dried figs, and fresh mango.
B&O American Brasserie
Though situated in the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, the B&O American Brasserie is not a typical hotel restaurant. Their creative menu and bar program makes the B&O a destination for everything from happy hour with officemates to a special dinner for two. I’m hard-pressed to pick a favorite dish from chef Scott Hines’ current menu, though the salmon tartare with caviar and “everything” potato chips is pretty great (this coming from someone who’s not a huge fan of raw salmon). I also happily helped friends devour half a pig’s head, which comes with corn tortillas and other taco fixings. Cocktails at the B&O, whether imbibed at the bar or at a table upstairs, are inventive and always delicious, especially if they’re the creation of head bartender Brendan Dorr.
Cafe Gia
There are plenty of good restaurants in Little Italy, but Cafe Gia is my personal favorite. The owners of this charming cafe are Gia Fracassetti and her mom, Giovanna Blatterman, who, like many Little Italy residents, come from a family that has lived in the neighborhood for generations. Their roots are in Sicily, while those of the chef, Gianfranco (Gia’s husband), are in Lombardy, but the food they serve is classic Italian-American. Try favorites like the lasagna bolognese, eggplant parmigiana, and osso buco at dinnertime, or grab a piadina (a stuffed flatbread not unlike a quesadilla) at lunch. The family also owns Pane e Vino next door, a fine place to enjoy a cocktail and snacks.
Ekiben
While UMBC enjoyed a few moments of nationwide fame from its March Madness victory, the school should be even more proud of the three graduates who own Ekiben. Ever since they opened, fans of the tiny storefront restaurant have been flooding Instagram with images of Ekiben’s photogenic steamed bun sandwiches and bowls packed with sexy Taiwanese curry fried chicken thighs, or tofu in spicy peanut sauce. The tempura broccoli with Chinese sausage is my favorite thing on the menu, but others swear by the crispy catfish and rice “tackle box.” You can’t go wrong, no matter what you order.
1622 Eastern Avenue
Neighborhood: Fells Point
Minxeats Baltimore food blogger and Co-author of the new book, Maryland’s Chesapeake: How the Bay and its Bounty Shaped a Cuisine, plus Food Lovers’ Guide to Baltimore, and Baltimore Chef’s Table.
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