28 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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

You can walk, catch a water taxi from City Dock, or drive over the Spa Creek drawbridge to this local favorite in Eastport. Whether you dine indoors or out, the view of historic Annapolis and its harbor is spectacular. Any of the entrées, including the herb-encrusted rockfish or grilled filet mignon, can be turned into a four-course meal with the addition of soup, salad, and dessert.

Set near a fountain on the brick pedestrian walkway, City Lights brings urbane charm to downtown Cumberland. The menu of upscale American classics features seafood with a distinctively Chesapeake touch, hand-cut steaks, freshly made pies, and espresso drinks. Lunch includes an assortment of salads and sandwiches—the portobello Reuben on rye is an unexpected twist on an old standby.

Owned and operated by the same family since 1965, this St. Michaels landmark started as a clam- and oyster-shucking house for watermen long before that. Diners at both indoor and outdoor tables have panoramic views over the harbor to the river beyond, but dockside tables are the best. As the name suggests, this is the down-home place for fresh steamed and seasoned blue crabs. But the extensive menu also includes sandwiches and other light fare as well as other seafood and meat dishes. Children's platters are available, too.

From the elegant black-and-red dining room to the lush plants and trickling waterfall in the bricked courtyard, you'll want to dress snazzily for this upscale American and Italian restaurant. Signature dishes like the decadent "exploding" shrimp appetizer and the baked radiatore—lobster, scallops, and shrimp in a creamy sherry tomato sauce—are a hit. End your meal with bananas Foster, prepared tableside with flaming liqueur. The cheerful high-ceiling bar area offers a menu of updated pub favorites like sliders as well as excellent happy-hour specials. Musicians play in the garden on Thursday and Friday during warm weather.

Within the Deer Park Inn B&B, the proprietor prepares an exceptional French menu with ingredients procured from local Amish farms. Duck confit is marinated overnight and served with savory braised red cabbage. Beef tenderloins are served with a tantalizing sun-dried cherry sauce. Desserts—such as a tart of local strawberries and rhubarb with whipped cream, or local organic blueberries with crème fraiche—are simple and elegant. During the area's off-season months, the inn and restaurant may be closed Monday–Wednesday, so call ahead.

Named after the nearby spring that was the original source of the bottled water brand, the inn is both a B&B and fine French restaurant. The three rooms are cozy and appointed with interesting but never with fussy antique furnishings. The restored Victorian mansion lies off Route 135 between Deep Creek Lake and Oakland. During the area's off-season months, the inn may be closed Monday–Wednesday, so call ahead.

With its embossed tin ceiling, dark-wood bar, and cheerful service, Firestone's serves up old-fashioned elegance with a nouvelle menu and a telephone book of a wine list. Locals rave about the food. Start with the lobster, mango, and avocado salad tossed with ginger-shallot vinaigrette and move on to the veal strip steak with tangy goat cheese gnocchi and oyster mushrooms, or the "shank of swine" braised in hard cider and served with sautéed bacon and bok choy. An easy, but sophisticated Sunday brunch can be kicked off with a bottomless mimosa.

You can choose the atmosphere you want at Fleet Street Kitchen, which is housed in a former furniture factory. The downstairs is a casual Tavern Room; while upstairs, there's an elegant dining room. Chef Nate Magat creates beautiful New American dishes that speak to the season, such as hand-cut linguine with a garlic cream sauce and tomatoes from the restaurant’s Cunningham Farm. The popular slow-roasted pork is a winning bet. For dessert, the dark chocolate semi-freddo is as intense as it gets.

This unusual watering hole is a welcome breeze of creative cuisine. Appetizers are light and delicate, like seared foie gras and asparagus shrimp risotto. Equally innovative mains include homemade manchego cheese gnocchi, seared duck with sun-dried cherries, and a pistachio-encrusted rockfish. The second and third floors open up to outdoor seating and views of the Bay. The cosmic Star Bar is a hot spot for local celebs and those looking for creative cocktails in a dark hideaway—and it serves tapas until midnight.

In the shadow of the state house, this understated establishment has long held a reputation for quality food and attentive service that ensures bustle year-round, especially during the busy days of the legislative session (early January into early April) and special weekend events at the Naval Academy. The menu clearly reflects the city's maritime culture, but also has seasonal specialties. The sidewalk café is open, weather permitting, April through October.

Perched near the eastern end of the Bay Bridge, the upper-level indoor dining area and the broad veranda of this restaurant provide panoramic views westward across the Bay and of the city of Annapolis beyond. Sunsets can rival those off Key West, home of the restaurant's namesake. Entrées include Atlantic salmon and coconut sesame shrimp. In summer an informal bar and grill, Lola's, opens at 5 pm Thursday through Sunday on the lower level, with tables on the lawn adjacent to its private dock. Live music on weekends enhances its simple soup-and-sandwich menu.

This turn-of-the-20th-century inn used to be a biker bar and a brothel. Now it's a cozy, popular destination with a pub and a restaurant, each serving excellent Irish comfort food. Try the bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, or the mustard-encrusted rack of lamb. The pub, which has an attractive selection of Irish whiskey and a relatively affordable menu, stays open until midnight, with live music on Sunday and Monday evenings. Closed Monday lunch.

A whimsical red, white, and green color scheme; painted vines climbing the walls; and polished wooden floors distinguish this bistro. Weather permitting, you can eat outdoors at wrought-iron tables in a brick courtyard. The creative and diverse menu changes twice a month, with such dishes offered as veal fettuccine Montrachet topped with goat cheese and a tomato cream sauce, and sauté of seafood including lobster, shrimp, and scallops.

A family-run landmark for more than 30 years, Mason's uses fresh ingredients from its own garden. The chef brings bold flavors like pan-seared crab cakes topped with a corn and soybean succotash, crispy-skin red snapper surrounded by braised artichokes, and gentle rockfish stuffed with lump crab meat, a local delicacy. Sip a classic martini in the swanky lounge while waiting for a table—make sure to ask for one on the porch in warm weather. Next door are a coffee bar and a food store that sells hard-to-find cheeses and meats, wonderful handcrafted chocolates, and all manner of esoteric edibles.

Blink, and you may think you’re in South Beach: this trendy restaurant has quickly become the city’s most popular, where the suit-and-tie crowd sidles up to the elevated bar or takes a seat on the cushy outdoor terrace. Try the grilled octopus starter, tossed with lemon juice and capers, or the charcoal-grilled whole fish, be it wild sea bass, sole, or snapper.

Feast on crab cakes, crab imperial, or stuffed and fried shrimp at the 1956 home of an O.C. institution that is the original of three Phillips locations here and has since grown into a regional chain (Phillips By the Sea 1301 Atlantic Ave.Phillips Seafood House 14101 Coastal Hwy.). Considered the city's most popular dining site, the restaurant has a dark-panel dining area with decorative stone floors, Tiffany-style hanging lamps, stained-glass windows, and funky wall art. Expect big crowds in the summer months. Its seafood buffet is served in an upstairs dining room.

Anyplace with a cheerful red horse perched on the roof has got to be interesting, right? Indeed, this restaurant is not a hokey tourist trap but a popular local institution known for sizzling, thick-cut steaks. The dining room decor with its wagon-wheel chandelier isn't for everyone, but the service is good, the wine and spirits list is extensive, and the menu, though not fancy, features time-honored favorites such as bacon-wrapped scallops and broiled flounder stuffed with crab imperial.

Popular with boaters who tie right up to the dock, this restaurant overlooking Island Creek has one dining room that actually juts out over the water and another on higher ground with great views from its floor-to-ceiling windows. There's also ample seating—and a tiki bar—outside. Stoney's hefty crab cakes are made with plenty of back-fin meat and little filler. Oyster sandwiches and Stoney's Steamer—handpicked selections of fresh seafood—are also good choices. The intense, house-made desserts, such as the strawberry shortcake and Kim's key lime pie, are not for the faint of heart. If you miss Stoney's in Broomes Island, there are two other locations in Solomons Island.

Inspired by the Lewis Carroll poem, "The Walrus and the Carpenter," this restaurant is a gem for excellent seafood and views. Come here for a crab cake sandwich or select from the list of fresh, briny Chesapeake oysters in a casual, modern pub setting. Then wash it down with a local craft brew. The Walrus proudly partners with Maryland's Oyster Recovery Partnership, which recycles shells and builds reefs for the area's once-declining bivalve population.