32 cheap eats places in Baltimore, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Baltimore: the places editors actually return to. All Baltimore food.
Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop ★ 4.8
little-italy · 222 Albemarle Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Vaccaro's has filled cannoli to order in Little Italy since 1956, a sit-down dessert counter for gelato, espresso, tiramisu and trays of Italian cookies.
Tip: The cannoli is filled to order so the shell stays crisp; the lines run late after dinner.
Artifact Coffee ★ 4.8
hampden · 1500 Union Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211
Artifact Coffee sits in a historic stone building on Union Avenue, a Hampden daytime cafe and bakery pouring careful coffee with breakfast and lunch.
Tip: It started as a Woodberry Kitchen offshoot; the stone-mill setting makes it a destination, not just a coffee stop.
Patisserie Poupon ★ 4.7
downtown · 820 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Patisserie Poupon near the Shot Tower is Joseph Poupon's French bakery, turning out laminated croissants, macarons and glossy fruit tarts since the 1980s.
Tip: It is a true French patisserie near the Shot Tower; the fruit tarts and eclairs sell out by midday.
Cafe Los Suenos ★ 4.7
remington · 2740 Huntingdon Avenue, Unit B, Baltimore, MD 21211
Cafe Los Suenos is an immigrant-owned Remington roaster and cafe, owner Carlos Payes pulling Salvadoran-sourced espresso from beans he roasts in-house.
Tip: It is a daytime-only cafe and roastery; the counter seat is one of the city's best, and pastries come from Ovenbird.
Faidley's Seafood ★ 4.7
downtown · 119 North Paca Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Faidley's stand inside Lexington Market serves the city's benchmark crab cake since 1886, almost all jumbo lump, eaten standing at a counter off brown paper.
Tip: Order the all-lump grade and eat it at the stand-up rail; it also fries a classic lake trout.
Atwater's ★ 4.6
downtown · 529 East Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212
Atwater's bakes naturally-leavened breads at its Belvedere Square stall, a local bakery known for crusty sourdough, scratch soups and seasonal galettes.
Tip: The Belvedere Square stall pairs the bread with a soup-and-half-sandwich lunch.
Bird in Hand ★ 4.6
charles-village · 11 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
Bird in Hand in Charles Village is a cafe and bookshop near Johns Hopkins, a collaboration of Artifact Coffee and the Ivy Bookshop among the stacks.
Tip: It doubles as a bookstore and pours wine and beer at night; the student crowd packs it midday.
Ekiben ★ 4.6
fells-point · 1622 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21231
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.
Tip: The Neighborhood Bird bun is the order; the line moves fast at the tiny counter.
Clavel ★ 4.6
hampden · 225 West 23rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21211
Clavel in Hampden presses its own nixtamalized corn tortillas for tacos al pastor and ceviche, a counter-and-bar room that started as a tortilleria project.
Tip: The house tortillas are the point; pair tacos with an agua fresca or a mezcal.
Pitango Bakery + Cafe ★ 4.5
fells-point · 903 South Ann Street, Baltimore, MD 21231
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.
Ceremony Coffee ★ 4.5
mount-vernon · 520 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201
Ceremony Coffee's Mount Vernon cafe sits in the Marketplace, a bright bar pulling single-origin espresso and filter from the Annapolis roaster's own beans.
Tip: It is the busiest Ceremony in the city; the bar pulls a clean, modern espresso.
Ekiben ★ 4.5
fells-point · 1622 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21231
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.
Tip: Two buns make a filling, cheap lunch; the Neighborhood Bird is the one to get.
Chaps Pit Beef ★ 4.4
greektown · 720 Mapleton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205
Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway is the city's benchmark pit beef stand, charcoal-grilling top round rare and piling it on a kaiser with tiger sauce.
Tip: Order it rare with tiger sauce and raw onion; this is the classic Baltimore pit-beef build.
Attman's Delicatessen ★ 4.4
downtown · 1019 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Attman's on Corned Beef Row piles a hand-cut corned beef sandwich high for not much, a cash-friendly lunch counter that has fed downtown since 1915.
Tip: A sandwich and a knish make a filling, cheap lunch; eat it in the Kibbitz Room out back.
Kneads Bakeshop ★ 4.3
harbor-east · 506 South Central Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202
Kneads Bakeshop is H&S Bakery's Harbor East flagship, a 17,000 square foot cafe and bakery turning out scratch sourdough, laminated pastries.
Tip: It pulls double duty as cafe and lunch counter; the croissants and the Wednesday-to-Saturday late hours make it the easy Harbor East default.
Common Ground ★ 4.3
hampden · 3543 Chestnut Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211
Common Ground in Hampden is a worker-owned cafe of more than 25 years, pouring coffee and serving scratch sandwiches and baked goods just off The Avenue.
Tip: Now a worker-owned co-op, it pours Ceremony and Zeke's beans; the breakfast sandwiches draw regulars.
Matthew's Pizza ★ 4.3
greektown · 3131 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224
Matthew's Pizza in Highlandtown has fired thick-crust pies since 1943, including a crab pie loaded with jumbo lump and Old Bay that draws steady crowds.
Tip: The crab pie is the order to plan around; it sells out, so go early on weekends.
Tortilleria Sinaloa ★ 4.3
fells-point · 1716 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21231
Tortilleria Sinaloa in Upper Fells Point presses its own corn tortillas and fills cheap, excellent tacos, a counter half a block east of Broadway.
Tip: The tortillas are pressed in-house; a few tacos and an agua fresca run well under $15.
Chaps Pit Beef ★ 4.3
greektown · 720 Mapleton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205
Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway delivers a hefty, cheap pit beef sandwich, charcoal-grilled rare top round on a kaiser with tiger sauce and onion.
Tip: A pit beef sandwich is a meal on its own; order it rare with tiger sauce.
The Helmand ★ 4.3
mount-vernon · 806 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
The Helmand in Mount Vernon keeps its vegetarian Afghan plates and the kaddo borawni pumpkin gentle on the wallet, a cheap way into a celebrated kitchen.
Tip: The vegetarian dishes and the kaddo borawni are the value plays at this Mount Vernon room.
Harmony Bakery ★ 4.2
hampden · 3446 Chestnut Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211
Harmony Bakery in Hampden is Baltimore's vegan and gluten-free bakery, turning out dairy-free cakes, cookies and pastries from a small Chestnut Avenue shop.
Tip: Everything is vegan and most is gluten-free; the cinnamon rolls go fast on weekend mornings.
Pitango Bakery + Cafe ★ 4.2
fells-point · 903 South Ann Street, Baltimore, MD 21231
Pitango Bakery + Cafe in Fells Point pairs careful espresso with its own breads, pastries and gelato, a bright corner cafe on South Ann Street.
Tip: Sit-in for the espresso and a pastry early, then come back for the gelato in the afternoon.
Connie's Chicken and Waffles ★ 4.2
downtown · 112 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Connie's Chicken and Waffles works a stall inside Lexington Market, frying hand-breaded chicken to order and stacking it over waffles for the lunch crowd.
Tip: It started as a Lexington Market stall; the chicken box is the cheap, filling order.
Lexington Market ★ 4.2
downtown · 112 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Lexington Market gathers cheap counters under one roof, from Faidley's crab cake to lake trout and chicken boxes, the city's oldest market and its best value.
Tip: Graze the stalls for lake trout, a chicken box or a crab cake; cash speeds the older counters.
The Bun Shop ★ 4.1
mount-vernon · 239 West Read Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
The Bun Shop on Read Street in Mount Vernon is an all-day cafe and pastry counter, pulling espresso and serving filled buns, kolaches and pastries late.
Tip: It keeps long hours and pours wine and beer in the evening, not just coffee and pastry.
Dooby's ★ 4.1
mount-vernon · 802 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Dooby's on Charles Street works as a daytime coffee bar in Mount Vernon, pulling espresso and plating breakfast sandwiches before Korean dinner service.
Tip: The daytime cafe and evening bistro feel like two places; the morning coffee crowd is its own scene.
Connie's Chicken and Waffles ★ 4.1
downtown · 112 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Connie's stall in Lexington Market fries hand-breaded chicken to order, with the half-and-half chicken box a cheap, classic Baltimore corner-store meal.
Tip: The chicken box with western fries is the budget order; it is a Lexington Market institution.
Matthew's Pizza ★ 4.1
greektown · 3131 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224
Matthew's Pizza in Highlandtown shares a cheap, filling thick-crust pie that has fed the East side since 1943, with a famous crab pie for a splurge.
Tip: A plain thick-crust pie feeds a group cheaply; the crab pie is the worthwhile upgrade.
Bonjour Bakery & Cafe ★ 4.0
roland-park · 6070 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD 21209
Bonjour Bakery & Cafe on Falls Road is a north Baltimore French bakery, baking croissants, macarons, quiche and sandwiches for a steady neighbourhood crowd.
Tip: Weekend mornings draw a line; the almond croissant and quiche are the reliable orders.
Koba Cafe ★ 4.0
locust-point · 644 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230
Koba Cafe on Fort Avenue is a Locust Point coffee shop with bagels, sandwiches and a study lounge upstairs, a neighbourhood favourite near Latrobe Park.
Tip: The upstairs lounge is the work-friendly seat; the bagels sell out on weekend mornings.
Walther Gardens Snowball Stand ★ 4.0
downtown · 4725 Walther Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21214
Walther Gardens runs one of the country's oldest snowball stands, shaving ice over syrup and topping the egg-custard classic with marshmallow each summer.
Tip: It is summer-only and cash-friendly; the egg custard with marshmallow is the Baltimore order.
Broadway Market ★ 4.0
fells-point · 640 South Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231
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.
Tip: Graze across the stalls; Connie's Chicken and Waffles and the oyster counter are the anchors.