if you’re visiting bmore...
a girlfriend recently emailed me for baltimore recos as they’re visiting in november, so i thought i’d post my response here as well! lots of bars & restaurants, but i’ve included some of my favorite shops/activities :)
super touristy but the aquarium is supposed to be really great (i keep meaning to get tix from work) and there’s the american visionary art museum towards federal hill with lots of quirky exhibitions
this is kind of embarrassing, but if you were to ask me what my fave restaurant was down here i’d have to say shake shack…whatevs it’s delicious
there’s the water taxi that goes around the harbor if you’re just looking to get on a boat; they make stops in canton, fell’s, fed hill and downtown
more towards harbor east, but would also highly recommend snacks/drinks at wit & wisdom in the four seasons
mt. vernon (just north of downtown):
brewer’s art for good beers – the basement has more traditional bar food and upstairs is a bit more fancy
the owl bar; even if you just stop in for a drink, this place is sooo cool – it used to be an old speakeasy where the owl eyes (statues) would blink when the cops were around
any of the bars/restaurants along thames are decent; thames street oyster house is more fancy but the lobster roll is famous and i really like the clam chowder at riptides
barcocina for great tacos/guac/margs and also takes resos (fair warning, but the last time we went late it got a lil clubby)
rye for hipster cocktails; the bartenders can be a lil stuck up but i’ve never had a bad drink there (aside from when i tried to order shots of whiskey, don’t do that)
lots of lil shops/boutiques here, but as you can see from my recos it’s a boozy area :)
also worth noting…the pretzel stand that stays open late when you’ve had too many cocktails at rye
canton square for more fun bars/restaurants; mama’s is usually a good bet but tends to be crowded
verde for calzones and meatballs or the cardinal for amazing fried chicken and moscow mules
patterson park is where i run with the pup; really pretty and lots of different trails/paths
we don’t head out this way as much, but cross street market is like findlay market (in cincy); there’s a bar where you can get giant beers/fresh seafood and the people watching is amazing
pub dog for pizza and beers; we went here for the first time a couple weekends ago and it was delicious, plus they serve all drinks in two glasses (so you’re always double fisting)
fort mchenry for history – we’ve just walked around nearby so i can’t speak to what the actual tourist area is like but it’s really pretty to walk/jog to from the inner harbor if you keep to the bay
woodberry kitchen or parts & labor; if you’re in the mood for a really, really good din these two places are famous in bmore and sooo hipster – woodberry’s brunch is amazeballs
my favorite shop in hampden is trohv but there are a lot of cute shops all along 36th so you really can’t go wrong
again you’ll see that there are tons of bars/lil restaurants around here, i’ve tried and really liked food market and golden west cafe
away from the main drag, but birroteca (pizza) and artifact coffee deserve a mention
it’s further north, but had to list nickel taphouse because i’ve never had a bad cocktail there and the atmosphere is awesome
