Day-by-day eating plans for Baltimore. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Baltimore weekend: the Chesapeake classics ★ 4.6

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around the dishes Baltimore is known for: a no-filler crab cake at Lexington Market, a Fells Point oyster crawl, pit beef on the East Side and a Harbor East dinner.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: market crab cakes, pit beef, Fells Point oysters

    Morning
    Start at Lexington Market and eat a jumbo lump crab cake standing up at Faidley's Seafood, the city's benchmark since 1886.
    Afternoon
    Drive out to Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway for a rare pit beef on a kaiser with tiger sauce and onion.
    Evening
    Dinner at Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point, working through the raw bar and the Eastern Shore crab cake.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: museum brunch, Hampden tacos, Harbor East dinner

    Morning
    Chesapeake brunch at Gertrude's on the terrace over the Baltimore Museum of Art sculpture garden.
    Afternoon
    Head to Hampden for a dozen Jerome Creek oysters and a jumbo lump crab cake at True Chesapeake Oyster Co. in Whitehall Mill.
    Evening
    Finish with a Harbor East dinner of house-made pasta and magret of duck at Cinghiale.

Baltimore on a budget: the cheap-eat canon ★ 4.3

On a budget, two days2 days

Two days of Baltimore's best cheap food, from market crab cakes and lake trout to pit beef, steamed buns, tacos and a fudge-capped Berger cookie, almost all under $15 a plate.

  1. Day 1: Day one: market lunch, deli row, steamed buns

    Morning
    Graze Lexington Market for lake trout and a chicken box from Connie's Chicken and Waffles.
    Afternoon
    Lunch on Corned Beef Row at Attman's Delicatessen, a hand-cut corned beef sandwich and a knish.
    Evening
    Pick up steamed bao like the Neighborhood Bird at Ekiben in Fells Point for a cheap dinner.

  2. Day 2: Day two: tacos, pit beef, pizza and a Berger cookie

    Morning
    Warm tortillas and cheap tacos at Tortilleria Sinaloa in Upper Fells Point.
    Afternoon
    A rare pit beef sandwich at Chaps Pit Beef, a meal on one kaiser roll.
    Evening
    Split a thick-crust pie at Matthew's Pizza in Highlandtown, then pick up a box of Berger cookies at Lexington Market or any grocery checkout on the way home.

Baltimore after dark: cocktails, oysters and late eats ★ 4.2

Night owls, one evening1 day

An evening through Baltimore's bar scene, from a hidden Remington cocktail room to a natural-wine bistro, a Fells Point music dive and a 24-hour diner to close it out.

  1. Day 1: Evening: hidden cocktails, natural wine, late diner

    Morning
    Start early with a cocktail behind the unmarked door at W.C. Harlan in Remington.
    Afternoon
    Walk to Le Comptoir du Vin in Station North for grower wines and a weekly-changing French plate.
    Evening
    Catch live music with a beer at Cat's Eye Pub in Fells Point, then close out with Cap'n Crunch French toast at the 24-hour Blue Moon Cafe.
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