Amanda & David
Things To Do
Clavel
This is where we go when we need our fix of great tacos. The drinks are fantastic as well. Also, this was where we had our first date! :-)
W.C. HARLAN
A speakeasy with great craft cocktails just around the corner from Clavel. Look for the door that says "Enter".
L.P. Steamers *
Our favorite place for whole steamed crabs. Trust us, it's worth it!
The Dizz
Our favorite neighborhood watering hole with surprisingly good food and a true Baltimore vibe.
American Visionary Art Museum *
Our favorite museum in town. You've likely never seen an art museum like this. Definitely worth making time to check it out!
Federal Hill Park
A great view of the harbor that's right behind AVAM and worth a look if you're in the neighborhood. A classic scene from The Wire happens here too.
Belvedere Square
One of the swankier food halls in Baltimore that includes our favorite ice cream place, Prigel's Creamery! If they have the sweet cream flavor available, get it - trust us.
Artifact Coffee
A very hipster cafe with a seasonal, locally-sourced menu. The breakfast sandwiches are out of this world (we recommend the one with the house made sausage, though Amanda is also partial to the scrapple version).
The Brewer's Art
A great restaurant and bar for great locally made beer and tasty food, but just a warning that the downstairs bar can get a little loud.
Of Love & Regret
Great gastropub with pretty good food and a craft beer list that might as well be a novel and highlights beers from Stillwater Artisanal Brewery. The bartenders are all well-equipped to make recommendations based on your preferences. This was the first place that gave Amanda hope for the Baltimore restaurant scene.
The PaperMoon Diner
A kitschy diner that is a great example of Baltimore's playful wacky charm.
The Bluebird Cocktail Room
A new, cozy craft cocktail joint that does its job well.
Miss Shirley's Cafe, Roland Park
Mostly a brunch/lunch spot, and a great place to go for some true Chesapeake cuisine. Expect lots of crab and fried green tomatoes (Amanda's favorite).
National Aquarium
Entry is a little pricy, but this is a great aquarium and worth checking out if you have the time.
Paulie Gee's Hampden
A great Napoli-style pizza place with great quality and sometimes unusual ingredients (Amanda loves the Stinger Bell - lemon slices and spicy honey). They also have a full vegan section of their menu that replicates much of their regular options.
Bottega
This might be one of the few places you *might* need a reservation in Baltimore. One of the best restaurants in the city with a seasonal menu that changes daily. Also the location of one of David and Amanda's first dates!
Dylan's Oyster Cellar
Our favorite place for oysters in the city. Also has great coddies (cod fish cakes) and cocktails.
Baltimore Museum of Art
A pretty good (and free) art museum with an interesting variety that is also conveniently attached to Gertrude's Restaurant.
Gertrudes
Great crab cakes and other great examples of Chesapeake cuisine that is attached to the Baltimore Museum of Art. We recommend the outdoor seating in the sculpture garden.
The Windup Space
A great place for some local live music. Also the scene of one of David and Amanda's early dates.
The Avenue in Hampden *
"Although Hampden is one of a hundred unique neighborhoods in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, it's the one that exudes Charm City flavor more than any other. Here you'll find a collection of everything Baltimore from nostalgic kitsch to the ultrahip to the wonderfully tacky. Hampdenites are proud of their pink flamingos, beehive hairdo wigs, and frequent use of the word 'Hon'...Forbes ranked the area as the 15th most hipster neighborhood in America based on such factors as walkability, number of coffee shops per capita, assortment of food trucks, frequency of farmers markets, number of locally owned bars and restaurants, and percentage of residents who work in artistic occupations." - http://www.destinationmainstreets.com/maryland/hampden.php This is a great street to explore, with lots of fun local shopping, people watching, and eating that really exudes the Charm City vibe. You can catch a number of our recommendations by wandering this street.
Avenue Kitchen and Bar
A relatively new spot in town whose food has consistently impressed us so far. Google describes them as an "upscale-casual eatery offering coastal comfort food."
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
A pretty good zoo with some adorable penguins that Amanda and David regularly do yoga with
Washington Monument
Don't let DC fool you, this is the real, original Washington Monument. The view from the top gives a great view of the city. Amanda also used to live down the street from here when she first moved to Baltimore.
George Peabody Library
Worth checking out if you are near the Washington Monument/Mount Vernon Neighborhood. It's one of the most beautiful libraries in the world (according to people who decide these things) and you can walk in and check it out for free.
Stoneleigh Lanes
Duckpin bowling. It's a Baltimore thing.
The Helmand
An absolutely delicious Afghan restaurant
Thames Street Oyster House
One of the best places for crab cakes in Baltimore (Amanda's opinion). Save some time to walk around the neighborhood if you can. The cobblestone streets and local shops along the water are lovely.
Faidley Seafood
The best crab cakes in Baltimore (David's opinion). This is part of the larger Lexington Market, which is a well-known Baltimore mainstay. Just know, the location of this one might not be for everyone - there are definitely drug deals going down in the market. But if you're up for the adventure, it's worth it.
The Food Market
A great, inventive fine-dining (by Baltimore standards) mostly tapas-style restaurant. As they describe themselves, they focus on "approachable, serious comfort food."
Woodberry Kitchen
Hyper local, hyper seasonal famous source of Chesapeake cuisine
Alewife Baltimore
A great downtown brewpub with a impressive beer list and tasty eats
Birds of A Feather
A cozy stellar whiskey bar. Enough said.
Union Craft Brewing
A great local brewery. David's favorite is the Double Duckpin. Amanda's favorite is Old Pro. Foxy is also a great fall seasonal.
Waverly Brewing Company
A less well known, but still great local brewery that's just around the corner from Union Craft Brewing.
Five and Dime Ale House
A great local ale house with tasty food and lots of sports on screens if you're into that kind of thing. It's owned by Oliver Brewing Company, one of the local breweries.
Chaps Pit Beef
The best place for pit beef - A Baltimore thing that's like Arby's but way better.
Mount Vernon Marketplace
A another great food hall in Baltimore with something for everyone, from oysters to ramen to burgers to pate to bubble tea. Also, ping pong tables!
The Charmery
Another great ice cream place that's loved locally and always has some interesting flavors available. One classic flavor is Old Bay.
Johns Hopkins University
Home of overprivileged undergrads and overworked grad students. Oh, and it's pretty. Go for a walk here after you visit BMA/Gertrude's to work off the crab cakes.
Mi Comalito
A Mexican-Salvadoran-Honduran hole-in-the-wall with delicious pupusas and pastelitos de carne, that also happens to be both the best cheap eat in Maryland according to Time Out Magazine, and the scene of David and Amanda's second date.
Cafe Hon
A very Baltimore brunch/lunch spot with the best grits in town.
Pete's Grille
A Baltimore local's favorite where we often go for breakfast after our Saturday morning Farmer's Market run. Amanda's favorite is the blueberry pancakes, and David's is the biscuits and gravy (and the cream chipped beef is also worth mentioning). Just know that (1) it's cash only, (2) the biscuits and gravy is only available on the weekends until it sells out, (3) it is counter service only, and (4) it is only open for breakfast and lunch.
La Cuchara
A great cozy spot for delicious basque cuisine. David and Amanda recently discovered this gem and only wished we had found it earlier!