Cobblestone waterfront with the city's oldest taverns, an oyster house on Thames Street and a tight run of bars from Broadway down to the harbour.
Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point runs Baltimore's deepest raw bar, with chef Eric Houseknecht's Eastern Shore crab cake and a lobster roll.
Signature: Eastern Shore crab cake, Raw bar oysters, Lobster roll
Order: The Eastern Shore crab cake, broiled with almost no filler, and a half-dozen from the raw bar.
Tip: Reserve the upstairs dining room for quiet; the downstairs bar takes walk-ins and pours through a deep oyster list.
Little Donna's in Upper Fells Point is Robbie Tutlewski's Eastern European kitchen, on the New York Times best list for its pierogies and tavern pie.
Signature: Pierogies, Tavern pie, Shrimp toast
Order: The pierogies and the tavern pie, with a side of tomato hot honey for dipping.
Tip: It is small and reservations vanish fast; the bar seats are walk-in and worth the wait.
The Dara in Fells Point is chef Jeff Wannapithipat's Thai room, drawing crowds for khao soi and Hatyai-style fried chicken on South Wolfe Street.
Signature: Khao soi, Hatyai fried chicken, Curries
Order: The khao soi and the Hatyai fried chicken.
Tip: Much of the menu is gluten-free; ask the kitchen to flag the dishes that are not.
Peter's Inn in Fells Point is a former biker bar turned chef's favourite, with a weekly-changing menu around a famous garlic bread and a New York strip.
Signature: Garlic bread, New York strip, Weekly-changing menu
Order: The garlic bread is non-negotiable; the strip steak is the menu anchor.
Tip: It does not take reservations and the room is tiny; arrive early or expect a wait at the bar.
The Wren in Fells Point is the contemporary pub from Le Comptoir du Vin's team, on the New York Times best list for nettle soup and bar-side cassoulet.
Signature: Nettle soup, Cassoulet, Pub plates
Order: The nettle soup and the cassoulet finished at the bar.
Tip: It is from the Comptoir du Vin owners and just as small; reserve, or take a stool at the bar.
Oleum in Fells Point is chef Alisha Adibe's vegan fine-dining room, plating plant-based small plates, house-made cheeses and an internationally spiced menu.
Order: Start with the house-made plant cheeses and whatever small plates are running.
Tip: It is one of the few plant-based fine-dining rooms in the region; start with the tasting menu.
Rec Pier Chop House in Fells Point is the Pendry hotel's Italian chop house, plating house-made pasta and dry-aged steaks in a restored recreation pier.
Order: House-made pasta to start, then a dry-aged steak.
Tip: The restored recreation pier and waterfront views carry the room; reserve for sunset.
Ekiben in Fells Point built a citywide following on steamed bao, plating the Neighborhood Bird fried-chicken bun and a tempura broccoli bun in a tiny shop.
Signature: Neighborhood Bird bun, Tempura broccoli bun, Bowls
Order: The Neighborhood Bird steamed bun, fried chicken with herbs and spicy sauce.
Tip: The Fells Point shop is counter-service and tight; there are also Hampden and Locust Point outposts.
Pitango Bakery + Cafe in Fells Point pairs careful espresso with its own breads, pastries and gelato, a bright corner cafe on South Ann Street.
Signature drink: Espresso and gelato
Tip: Sit-in for the espresso and a pastry early, then come back for the gelato in the afternoon.
Pitango Bakery + Cafe in Fells Point pairs naturally-leavened breads and laminated pastries with the company's own gelato, a corner cafe on South Ann Street.
Tip: It shares roots with Pitango Gelato; pair a morning pastry with a scoop in the afternoon.
Worth the queue: Naturally-leavened bread and gelato
V-No Wine Bar in Fells Point is a wine bar and shop on South Ann Street, pouring Italian and Old World bottles with cheese, charcuterie and panini.
Signature pour: An Italian red off the shop shelves
Wine focus: Italian and Old World bottles
Food: Cheese, charcuterie, panini
Tip: Pick a bottle off the retail shelf and drink it in for a small corkage; the patio runs in season.
Max's Taphouse on Fells Point's Broadway is a beer hall with more than a hundred taps and a deep bottle list, a Baltimore craft-beer institution.
Signature drink: Hundreds of taps and bottles
Food: Pub grub
Tip: The tap list runs past 100; the annual Belgian beer fest is the calendar event to catch.
Cat's Eye Pub on the Fells Point waterfront is a no-frills live-music bar, running blues and rock bands nightly in a cramped, well-worn room on Thames Street.
Signature drink: Beer and a shot
Food: No kitchen
Tip: There is live music nearly every night and no cover; it is cash-friendly and waterfront.
The Horse You Came In On Saloon in Fells Point claims to be America's oldest continuous saloon, a Thames Street bar tied to Edgar Allan Poe's last days.
Signature drink: Beer and whiskey
Food: No kitchen
Tip: It bills itself as the country's oldest continuous saloon; the Poe lore is part of the draw.
Ekiben grew from a food cart into a Fells Point counter, building a citywide following on steamed bao like the Neighborhood Bird fried-chicken bun.
Try: Steamed bao buns
Tip: The Neighborhood Bird bun is the order; the line moves fast at the tiny counter.
Broadway Market at the foot of Fells Point's square gathers grab-and-go counters for oysters, tacos and coffee under two rebuilt sheds with a rooftop bar.
Try: Oysters, tacos and market counters
Tip: Graze across the stalls; Connie's Chicken and Waffles and the oyster counter are the anchors.
Broadway Market sits at the foot of Fells Point's main square, a rebuilt two-shed public market of oyster bars, coffee, tacos and a rooftop bar.
Tip: Connie's Chicken and Waffles and the oyster counter are the draws; the rooftop bar runs in season.
Charm City Food Tours runs a hands-on cooking class alongside its neighbourhood walks, a small-group session led by local chefs in the Fells Point area.
Tip: It pairs well with one of the company's walking tours; check the calendar for class dates.
Tortilleria Sinaloa in Upper Fells Point presses its own corn tortillas and fills cheap, excellent tacos, a counter half a block east of Broadway.
Try: Tacos on house tortillas
Tip: The tortillas are pressed in-house; a few tacos and an agua fresca run well under $15.
Ekiben in Fells Point feeds a citywide following on cheap, generous steamed bao like the Neighborhood Bird, a counter that grew from a food cart.
Try: Steamed bao bun
Tip: Two buns make a filling, cheap lunch; the Neighborhood Bird is the one to get.
Blue Moon Cafe in Fells Point is a tiny diner famous for its Cap'n Crunch French toast, a 24-hour-on-weekends institution with a near-constant line out front.
Order: The Cap'n Crunch French toast, crusted in cereal and griddled golden.
Tip: It runs all night Friday and Saturday; weekday mornings are the only way to skip the line.
Blue Moon Cafe in Fells Point runs around the clock on weekends, sending out its Cap'n Crunch French toast and big breakfasts to the late bar crowd.
Try: Cap'n Crunch French toast
Tip: It is open all night Friday and Saturday; the French toast is the famous late-night order.
Stuggy's in Fells Point is an evening hot-dog shop known for its crab mac-and-cheese dog, staying open to 11pm on weekends for the Broadway bar crowd.
Try: Crab mac-and-cheese hot dog
Tip: The crab mac-and-cheese dog is the signature; weekend hours run to 11pm, and it is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Ekiben's Fells Point counter stays open into the evening near the Broadway bars, sending the Neighborhood Bird fried-chicken bun to an after-work crowd.
Try: Steamed bao buns
Tip: It is an early-evening rather than 3am stop; the steamed buns travel well to a bar.
Max's Taphouse on Fells Point's Broadway pours from more than a hundred taps late into the night, with a kitchen of pub grub to soak up the beer.
Try: Beer and pub grub
Tip: It stays open late on Broadway; the kitchen keeps going alongside the deep tap list.
Cat's Eye Pub on the Fells Point waterfront runs live blues and rock nearly every night with no cover, a cramped, well-worn Thames Street institution.
Tip: There is live music almost nightly and no cover; it is cash-friendly and tight.
The Horse You Came In On Saloon in Fells Point bills itself as America's oldest continuous saloon, a late-running Thames Street bar tied to Edgar Allan Poe.
Tip: The Poe lore is part of the draw; it runs late and loud on weekends.
Max's Taphouse on Fells Point's Broadway pours from more than a hundred taps late into the night, a beer hall built for long, loud sessions over rare pours.
Tip: It stays open late on Broadway; the tap list runs past 100, so ask what just kicked.