130 Best Restaurants in Maryland, USA

Jimmy Cantler, a native Marylander who worked as a waterman on Chesapeake Bay, founded this local institution 40 years ago. The no-nonsense interior has nautical items laminated beneath tabletops, and steamed mussels, clams, and shrimp as well as a tomato-based Maryland crab soup, seafood sandwiches, crab cakes, and much more. Water-view outdoor dining is available seasonally, and boat owners can tie up at the dock; there's limited free parking during the busy summer season so be prepared to wait.

Chef-owner Cindy Wolf's cuisine has a South Carolina Low Country accent with French roots—and the results are unparalleled. Inside the glowingly lit dining room, classics like she-crab soup and shrimp and grits complement more elegant fare, such as a lobster bisque spiced with curry or wild salmon with avocado.

Step inside this Irish pub, and you'll be welcomed like a member of the family. As would be expected, the corned beef and cabbage and other traditional Irish menu items (along with classic Annapolis bar food like crab and oysters) are fantastic. The bread pudding served with vanilla custard is a great way to end your meal. On Sunday, brunch is served from 10 to 1:30—the homemade corned-beef hash is simply divine—and live Irish music is performed 4–8.

There's often a line of hungry diners waiting for a table at this comfort-food haven located on the city dock, where the portions are generous, and the service is first-rate. You can enjoy breakfast all day—Benedicts and omelets are top sellers, as are the chicken and waffles and the shrimp and grits. If you've saved room for dessert, try the homemade peanut butter cup or the "shortcake" made with a Belgian waffle and topped with ice cream, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Chef Kiko Wilson adeptly mixes Latin, Pan Asian, Southern, and California flavors. Tender coffee-rubbed short ribs are balanced by a crunchy daikon cole slaw with miso-ginger dressing. Lamb empanadas are finished with a chipotle aioli. Foreman/Wolf restaurants, Johnny's parent company, is known for its super-fresh ingredients, sourced locally, and excellent service. Johnny's receives high marks in both categories. Just like the food, the decor has a modern twist. Exposed interior brick walls, a Baltimore staple, get an acid-washed update. Comfy booth seating serves as an understated backdrop that allows the food to be the star.

With amazing pancakes, omelets, and French toast, this upscale cafe, now with locations at the Inner Harbor and in North Baltimore's Roland Park, has become the go-to destination for unbeatable breakfast and brunch (neither outlet serves dinner). Lunch entrées like the Chesapeake Club (crab cake, shrimp salad, lettuce, bacon, red and yellow tomatoes, avocado, and Old Bay remoulade on sourdough toast, dusted with more Old Bay) are also excellent. There's another location at 513 W. Cold Spring Lane in Roland Park.

The spacious contemporary dining room, its porchlike extension, and an adjacent bar all face southward to the Eastern Bay and across this restaurant's slim namesake waterway separating Kent Island from the Eastern Shore mainland. One of the region's largest commercial fishing fleets is harbored next door. Specialties include a Caesar salad with fried oysters and grilled peppered tuna, served over sautéed spinach; and Crab Imperial, lump crabmeat, and select oysters baked with imperial sauce, topped with bacon. The Narrows' dinner menus include "Light Suppers," that encourage a second look at the to-die-for—or -from—desserts listing. checked aug 2010

The signature restaurant of the Gaylord National Resort, Old Hickory is perfect for a romantic meal watching the sun set over the harbor or for an expense-account evening of cocktails and fine cigars out on the terrace. The signature 24-ounce porterhouse comes with four sauce choices: béarnaise, bordelaise, green peppercorn, and blue cheese. Fish and chicken options are available, but the real draw is the expensive steak.

This might be the only local Italian restaurant that doesn't offer pizza or spaghetti. Instead, Osteria serves seafood from all over the world, meat, and pasta made on the premises. Northern Italian owner and chef Arturo Ottaviano offers authentic regional cuisine like grilled branzino filleted table-side and beef tenderloin with a cognac-and-green-peppercorn sauce.

An expansive 19th-century warehouse is home to this fashionable, two-level restaurant that celebrates Italian cuisine from regions south of Rome. Select a few appetizers: they are made for sharing. Spicy pork sausage adds heat to a tomato and Buffalo mozzarella (okay, that's a little east of Rome) pizza. In the rich, wine-hued setting, candles on tables and giant wrought-iron chandeliers illuminate the space, creating a downright sexy atmosphere. The choicest seats are upstairs in the mezzanine. Excellent service is a Foreman/Wolf trademark.

Reservations are a must at Baltimore's best French restaurant. Petit Louis specializes in homey French comfort foods: onion soup bubbling with Gruyere, escargot in garlic butter, duck leg confit, and other things you might find in a French grandmother's kitchen. Save room for the awe-inspiring assortment of French cheeses, and if you're pressed for a decision, order the one with the layer of truffles. The classic bistro setting is enlivened with red velvet banquettes and marble-topped tables spaced elbows-length apart. Once a pharmacy, the Tudor-style building is listed on the National Register as part of America's first shopping center. The service here is exceptional.

Surrounded by shops, lodging, and other eateries so very American, sophisticated Scossa almost seems out of place. From its sidewalk patio with wall-mounted fountains to its superb menus, Scossa Café is unmistakably northern Italian. The well-trained co-owners create lunch and dinner dishes with an Italian influence that does not overwhelm the fine ingredients. Samples of daily specials include braised lamp shank with artichokes, short ribs with Borolo wine sauce, roast rabbit campagnola, and soft-shell crabs alla provinciale. Brunch is available on weekends. Jackets are not required, but the cosmopolitan style of Scossa definitely attracts a well-dressed clientele who reserve ahead.

Unobtrusively situated on St. Michaels' busy main street, 208 Talbot, long a favorite among discriminating diners, has several intimate dining rooms with exposed brick walls and brick floors. Specialties include such original first-course dishes as house-cured gravlax served with fresh mango, avocado, jalapeño pesto, and grilled flat bread; and more-traditional second-course entrées such as whole grilled rockfish accompanied by braised greens, grape tomato relish, and hush puppies; as well as a welcome variety of meat dishes. Small plates ($8–$14) are available for more conservative appetites, and on Saturday there's a four-course prix-fixe menu available ($55).

In what was once a hardware store, this casual eatery has one interior wall of exposed brick and another of exposed plaster; both are used to hang art for sale by local artists. Daily specials are chalked on a blackboard and include a large cheese-and-pâté plate, flatbread pizzas, deli sandwiches, espresso, waffles, soups, and salads.

A few steps below street level, this small restaurant is usually crowded and always filled with pungent aromas and the sounds of Indian music. Among the vegetarian dishes, alu gobi masala, a potato-and-cauliflower creation, is prepared with onions, tomatoes, and spices. Tandoori chicken is marinated in yogurt, herbs, and strong spices, then barbecued in a charcoal-fired clay oven. The lunch buffet is another good choice.

A Tudor-style dining room in a 1930s apartment building is the setting for superb Indian fare. Go for the classics such as chicken tikka masala (grilled chicken in a sauce of red pepper, ginger, garlic, and yogurt) or alu gobi (spicy potatoes and cauliflower).

At this self-proclaimed "very casual eatery," you don't have to spend a fortune to get a satisfying taste of Little Italy. Blue jean–clad diners and walls hung with movie posters make for a fun atmosphere. Service is friendly and usually speedy, and the food comes in large portions. Try the chicken Lorenzo: breaded chicken breast covered in a marsala wine sauce, red peppers, prosciutto, and provolone.

Open since 1915, this authentic New York–style deli near the Jewish Museum is the only vestige of Baltimore's "Corned Beef Row" operating in its original location. Don't be put off by the long lines—they move fairly quickly, and the outstanding corned beef sandwiches are worth the wait, as are the pastrami, homemade chopped liver, and other oversized creations. Attman's closes at 6:30 pm on Monday through Saturday and 5 pm on Sunday.

In a residential neighborhood of lovely, large row houses, this casual corner bistro serves imaginative, Mediterranean-influenced fare. The seasonal menu includes such dishes as mussels with a green curry coconut broth and sesame-encrusted salmon with honey horseradish crème fraîche. Or choose from one of the chalkboard specials, such as the risotto of the day. On Sunday b is a popular spot for brunch.

The lamb dishes and appetizers ("mezze") are excellent at this Lebanese restaurant. Try the fatte bel lahm (lamb cooked in sizzling butter on a bed of pita chips and smothered in yogurt sauce, garlic, and pine nuts). The lamb is so tender the meat comes apart at the slightest touch of your fork. Outdoor seating is available in a pretty courtyard with a stone fountain in the corner. Both vegetarians and meat eaters will find good options on the creative menu.

Consistently rated the top restaurant in Easton, The Bartlett Pear Inn Restaurant calls itself an "upscale Amerian Bistro." However, its roots are European and the menu features truffle butter paparadelle, braised snails, and paella. The decor and service are impeccable, as is the inn.

One of the few restaurants in Chesapeake City, the Bayard House has cuisine and service that would stand out anywhere. Patrons in the know travel to this canal-shop eatery for dishes such as tournedos Baltimore, twin fillets of beef topped with crab and lobster; stuffed Anaheim pepper, chilies stuffed with lobster, crabmeat, and shrimp; and de rigueur Maryland crab cakes. The Maryland crab soup is even more widely renowned.

Young chef Ian Campbell, formerly of California's French Laundry, returned to his native Cambridge in 2007 to open Bistro Poplar. In the past few years it has been hailed as not only the best restaurant in town but one of the best on the East Coast. Campbell specializes in well-prepared, simple French food. Gourmands rave about his steak frites. The menu changes seasonally so no chance of either the chef or his followers getting bored. A definite must if you travel to this area.

The Black Olive specializes in impeccably fresh seafood. Let the waiter give you a guided tour of the catch of the day, which reclines on a bed of ice in the kitchen case. You can have your selection simply grilled, lightly dressed, and filleted for you table-side, accompanied by a glass of wine from the list's thoughtful selection of oft-neglected Greek vintages. For an appetizer be sure to try the calamari, stuffed with feta and manouri cheeses.

Baltimore needs more Mexican restaurants, and Blue Agave answers the call by providing regional Mexican flavors and making sauces and salsas fresh daily. Try the grilled quail served with both green and spicy yellow moles, or the more familiar chicken enchiladas with mole poblano. But tequila's the real star here—more than 130 different kinds are available, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better margarita in the city.

This relaxed, contemporary dining room has high, sloped ceilings and skylights. Among its crab offerings and pasta, as well as chops and steaks, the café's most sought-after entrée is baked rockfish, but don't overlook the oyster fritters, a signature dish. Weekend nights are busy, and the service here is genuine and attentive.

A cozy café with a celestial motif appropriate to its name, the Blue Moon is a favorite for breakfast, served until 3 pm daily. Start with one of the enormous house-made cinnamon rolls, but save room for excellent brunch fare such as crab Benedict and sky-high French toast coated in a Cap'n Crunch cereal batter and served with whipped cream and strawberries. On weekends it's open 24 hours, attracting revelers from Fells Point's many clubs and bars. On weekend mornings there's often a line, but it's well worth the wait.

Picking steamed crabs on Bo Brooks's waterfront deck as sailboats and tugs ply the harbor is a quintessential Baltimore pleasure. Spend a muggy summer day cracking into warm, spicy crabs and enjoy a refreshing pitcher of beer while a cool breeze blows in from the harbor. Brooks serves its famous crustaceans year-round, along with a menu of Chesapeake seafood classics. Locals know to stick to the Maryland crab soup, crab dip, jumbo lump crab cakes, and fried oysters.

With more than a dozen beers brewed on the premises, a menu featuring locally grown and organic produce, plus a bright, airy dining room and outdoor patio, Frederick's original brewpub is a crowd-pleaser that draws families, local office workers, and a Happy Hour crowd. The Germanic brews include an award-winning golden Kölsch, a spicy Hefeweizen, and a malty Maibock. Try the upscale twists on pub favorites like creamy Maryland crab dip with poblano chilies, a pulled-pork sandwich made with local hickory smoked pork, and grilled chicken served in a rosemary peach sauce with toasted pecans.